Power Up - Marketing and Selling for Greater Success

He danced on the tree like a ballerina

A few weeks ago there was a strong storm that came through the area and in the morning I realized that one of our largest trees had been split in half.  The large section that was ripped from the main part of the tree landed in my neighbor's yard.  Immediate action was required since the neighbor adores her plants.  I got my trusty chain saw and went to work on the downed section of the tree.  Eight hours later and totally exhused the neighbor's yard was cleared of all offending limbs.

Now what to do with the rest of the standing tree?  My wife felt it could be saved, I felt it was beyond that point.  A professional arborist came and presented his opinion - the tree had to come down.

I contacted the local professionals, Ryan Lawn and Tree, and accepted their bid.

A few days later a crew of young guys came and put on their harnesses.  They climbed the tree without any fuss and started to "piece the tree out."  The tree was his stage and he danced like a ballerina cutting selective branches and moving on to other ones all the time maintaining his balance so delicately.

I was more than impressed.  In two hours the huge job was done.  The logs were stacked for firewood, the area cleaned up, and the crew had departed. 

How did they do it?  Yes, that is the message of this blog - training, teamwork, preparation before the job began, and knowing which team member was located where on the job site so no one was hurt.

All marketing and sales activities should go as smooth as the one performed for me by the ballerina in the tree.

Customize your elevator speech

We all know we should have "elevator speeches."  I have been to some workshops where the presenter spent a large amount of time with individuals to help them craft their 'unique' speech.  The person left the session thinking that their new elevator speech was going to open all the doors to success.  They found out otherwise very quickly.

The thing that we must remember about elevator speeches is that they are a way to open a conversation with another person.  Given that we then need to realize  that not everyone will be as informed about your business as you are and we need to 'dumb down' the terminology and use words that are commonly understood.

We also need to realize that we will come into contact with a variety of people and that it is most appropriate to have more than a single elevator speech.  Recently while I was in So. Carolina on business a sales executive told me his approach.  He assess the individual he is talking with and then explains to them in terms they can understand what he does.  For the more technically minded he will use the buzzwords of the industry.  For a common Joe, like me, he will use less technically complex language.  I told him he was exactly right in his approach.  By connecting at the right level with your audience, no matter if it is on an elevator or in a huge seminar, you are showing respect for the other person and you dramatically improve the comprehension of your message.

So, the next time you need to explain what you do in 10 - 15 seconds, make sure you use a customized "elevator speech" so your message not only leads to a further conversation but is more memorable.

War gaming for a win-win with the customer

While talking with an ex-military officer we discussed his new sales position and if there were any skills that were transferable from his military experience in Iraq.  He pondered that point and said, “Absolutely, I 'war game' when the situation is complex.”  Now I was thinking I am glad I am not his sales manager and have to duck for cover when this guy is upset.  But that was not his point at all.  (It just goes to show you how we stereotype the military mind.)

What he was talking about was planning for the unexpected.  Trying to predict what the other party’s response would be.  He went on to say how he and an associate had discussed how they were going to handle a customer situation, which involved a breakdown in customer service delivery.

The other sales rep was just going to meet with the customer and be empathic and move forward.  My ex-officer friend suggested that a little “war gaming” was in order.  He suggested they think what are some likely responses from the customer. 

• What would they be looking for in terms of a solution? 
• What would be a fall back position if the customer really pressed the issue?

He suggested that they determine the likelihood of the problem happening in the future so as to determine if they could factually state "this will never happen again" or, more likely, "the next time this happens please let us know so we can…” 

I totally agree with his approach.  By controlling the conversation you are in a better position to achieve a positive outcome for the customer and your company.

We don’t often talk about the parallels between sales and war due to the political correct issues I suspect and that we are in a softer, milder age of man.  But the realities still exist.  We don’t need to be confrontational but we do need to be prepared – for every eventuality, to show that we are professionals in our chosen filed of sales.

This just may be another reason why hiring a vet is a solid idea.

Are you prepared for a "YES"?

How many times are you put off of your game when a prospect says, "yes, I want to buy"?

A week ago I visited the local Home Depot store and submitted an entry to win - whatever.  On the card it asked for every entry to be checked off if they had any interest in various services: new windows, new entry door, deck, painting, etc.

I was going to check them all but held back and just checked a few items that I knew were on the "got to get it done this year" list.

The other day I received a phone call from a guy telling me that he was ready to come out and give me an estimate on putting in a new deck.  I was caught off guard - I never asked anyone for a deck estimate.  Then it occurred to me - he was "assuming the sale" and his script was not going to slow him down with a "may I come out, etc."

I told him sure, come out tomorrow.  He paused, stammerd, and said that the company needed at least 3 days to schedule the appointment.  I said, "Fine, let's do it Wednesday."  He paused again and told me he had to find the schedule.  He asked were I lived (it was on the entry card).  I told him and he said he would have the estimator contact me to schedule the time he would be out.  I said, "just have him come in the morning."  "I can't do that he has to call you," was the guy's response. 

"That will be fine I said." and was ready to hang up when the guy said, "let me verify your address."  I said, "I already told you that."  "Yes sir, but that is on a different screen and I can't go back and get it."  I told him my address again and hung up.

• Will I be contacted?  Doubtful. 
• Was he prepared for the sale and confirming appointments - definitely not!

Lessons from this interaction - several:

1. Why call if you are not prepared to make the sale? 
2. Why call when your forms are not ready to be completed? 
3. Why call and leave an initial poor impression?  I don't know why but companies do this every day.

I hope you don't.  Best of everything in your selling efforts.

Check your attitude before checking on the customer

Last night I attended an event, which required a ticket for entry – like most events do.  The tickets were mailed three weeks ago and all was going according to plan until, upon entry, I noticed a long line at the door to the event.  As I, and the other ticket holders, slowly moved forward I finally realized what was causing the delay.  The ticket taker was very upset.  Many of the ticket holders had what she said was the wrong ticket and she explained to each and every person that “they brought the wrong ticket” and they should have brought the ticket with a different code or symbol on the piece of paper which was also enclosed in the envelop with the supposedly inappropriate form that people had in their hand.  This was confusing to me since as she scolded me and the others, on an individual basis, we all explained that we brought what was sent to us.  She continued to lecture and reluctantly accepted the tickets as we were allowed to enter.

The event was enjoyable as anticipated but the lingering memory was not of the event but of the ticket taker dilemma.  Obviously there was something wrong with the ticket issuing process since the same problem happened to many of the attendees.  However, rather than accepting the fact that the ticket office may have made a mistake, and was human, the ticket taker took it on herself to badger the attendees and assume they were guilty of not knowing what to bring to the event. 

Organizations reflect how they view customers in the way they deliver customer service.  In this situation, the theater had a dismissive view of its patrons.  In the ticket taker’s mind she was enforcing some quality check rule.  In our minds, as attendees, she was being difficult, insulting and condescending.  It would have been so much more professional, and it would have left a better customer service experience, if she checked with the ticket office as soon as the first situation occurred, discovered that a possible inserting error may have been made, and then she could have handled the reminder of the odd-ticket situations in a more calm and courteous manner.

It is the small things that create the big problems for organizations.  That is why we all have to watch the details in our own customer service operations everyday.

Take some pointers from the professionally trained kicker!

Many of us have had a few beers and watched several, or several dozen, football games over the past few weeks – and the season is not over.  What continues to impress me is the way the field goal kickers so methodically line up, pace off an exact number of steps, move back at a certain angle and then check their stance.  They signal they are ready and, as thousands of pounds of muscle come rushing at them with hands in the air, the field goal kicker nails the pigskin through the uprights.  The concentration, the discipline, the knowledge that if they don’t follow an exact pattern, after taking into consideration wind conditions, they will not be as successful as they need to be should serve as an illustration for our own success. 

The same pattern of planning, preparation and professionalism is needed when the sales person gets ready to make a sale and close the deal.  It is not a time for “winging it” nor “feeling like doing something different” but of following through with a proven methodology to make the sale and score the points.

How have you, or your team, prepared to make the sale?  Has there been sufficient training not only on product knowledge but also on the calling process, making an effective presentation, and knowing when and how to obtain consensus on taking the next step?  Too many organizations tell their teams to “go out there and sell!”  And the sales people, not wanting to look too dumb, make some calls, drop some brochures on desks, and hope for the best. 

With the correct training they learn how to make the most positive first impression, what information should be gleaned during the sales calls, either on the phone or in person, and how to obtain consensus.  By having these skills the sales team is not only more motivated to make the calls but much more confidant that they are doing the correct follow through.  Each of us need to realize that following the optimal process can make all the difference in the outcome – be it kicking the all important field goal or making that critical sale.  And it takes repetition to perfect professional skills.  One training class is as useful as one afternoon practice session for the professional kicker.  We would not want our sports teams taking a cavalier attitude to their training and neither should we with our own.