If you guys have heard me or read my stuff before, you know I have always believed in follow-ups after a networking event. I have always promoted doing hand-written notes, not emails. It’s more personal and not as common. You really can be remembered that way. BUT a cool new thing has recently changed my ways….somewhat.
there is now a service where you can go on line, pick the card you want, say what you want and send it thought regular mail. It is electronic on your end so you have the ability to track who you sent it to, what you sent, upload your own pix, even incorporate your own handwriting, all sorts of cool stuff!
Technology is amazing!! Even though I tend to fight it kicking and screaming! go to www.followup-cards.com and check it out! You can even get a free one!
cool follow-up idea
Networking is a very powerful tool. When dome properly it can be extremely effective. If you “get” networking and building alliances then how about getting several people together to network together?
You can initiate it, you can lead it and everyone including and mostly you, will benefit.
How do you do it?
I will get back to you tomorrow o the details….
What a year! As the weather changes I feel like I can come out from under this crazy year. I don’t believe anyone has experienced such a thing before and hopefully not again in our lifetime. I do believe though that everything that happens allos us to learn and grow. If it doesn’t then we are definately worse for the wear!
I feel that most of us have learned that we have to look closer at the bottom-line. From speaking to clients and other business professionals we have always looked for ways to increase the top line using sales, marketing, networking and the like. That is and always will be important but it is human nature when things are going well revenue-wise we take our eye off of the ball and get a little lazy.
So what do we continue to do now and forward in any environment? Here are some important tips;
1) Look at your costs. Though that seems like it doesn’t need to be said, it surely does. Are you leasing space? If so so you still need as much as you did? If not sit down with your landlord and have a conversation. You never know what might come out of that. Are you utilizing all of you office equiptment at full tilt? If not maybe you can combine some of them and maybe sell others. How about insurances, credit cards etc. Look through all with a fine tooth comb.
2) Take a good look at your staff. You have probably already downsized your staff by now and if so, take a true 10,000 foot view of your existing staff. Are they working at full capacity? If not maybe you can cross-train some of them to take on other duties. As you grow in the next months and years to come, be prepared now. Hiring is something we tend to do when we “need”someone and we hire often out of desperation. We have the opportunity to take our best people, give them more opportunity to learn, take some ownership in their jobs and when you can afford to pay them more, do it.
3)Hire only the best salespeople. In the upcoming months you will probably be looking for more sales staff and that is a very good thing but can also be the beginning of you next downfall. I know that some of your layoffs were tough but I asso kknow that some were the best thing you did and in hind site should have done a long time before. Take time to hire someone better then your best person. Look at things like attitude, confidence etc. Dont be as concerned with their experience in your industry. That is a trap we fall into. Hire for attitude, train for experience. Believe me this will be much better then assuming because their resume says they have sold widgets before that they will be successful with you.
This time has been trying and I am not saying it is over but I do believe the worst has passed. Take this opportunity to fine-tune your organization. Keep your eyes on the top and bottom line allof the time and you will move ahead successfully in the coming years.
We have always heard in sales it’s important to be persisitant. Seems we have taken that a bit too far. Persistance doesn’t mean calling and calling over and over. “Hey John it’s Jane from Acme products inc. You said you might be ready to talk in October and it’s October so I am following up”. “Well thanks Jane. We aren’t quite ready yet but keep checking in…” Great! thanks John, talk to you nest month.
Sound familiar? How many of you really think he is even remotely interested? Let’s relook at this scenario;
“Hi John, Jane from Acme Products, how are you? John when we spoke last month you said to call this month and the month before as well so have you made some decisions?”. “Well Jane not quite yet, give me another 30 days”.
“John, you know it sounds like you really dont want to move forward with this and you are just too nice to tell me, John I don’t want you to feel that way, lets just say this is a no and move on”.
“No, no Jane that’s not it. Here is the situation…..” now you should get the real story or actually get a no, which you were going to get anyway. If the real situation comes out then say,”OK John I get that but lets at least get together so we can dig deep into the situation and see what we can do. Since you shared some of the situation I feel like now that I know the situation we may be able to come up with some options, how does that sound? Let’s get our calendars out”.
If the answer is no here, then except it and move on. Don’t lose any more respect by stalking…
It is most important to have a clear next step on EVERY call. If not, stalking will occur. “I am not ready now, call me in a month, after the holidays, later in the year” Pick an excuse. that is all it is. If it’s real they will set a time and date with you. Calendars are 12 months long. If they think they might be interested they will calendar you. All the “follow-up” time is a waste since its most often a very polite NO. Ask yourself…how often do you get the account after calling and calling? Time can be much better spent!
You know that guy. He walks into the room with a big smile, everyone knows who he is. Before he goes for food or drink, he walks around, talking and listening. He attends every available networking function, he knows everyone by name and he knows what’s happening in everyone’s life. He’s the great “mover and shaker” of your business community. We’re all jealous of him, you can’t deny it. But as we’re running to the bar at the back of the room, reaching for a cup of courage, he’s out building his business into an empire.
At the last networking function you attended, where were you? Were you in the middle of the room, working to create a name for yourself? Or were you going to one of the three B’s: the buffet, the bar or the bathroom?
If you’re like many business professionals, you struggle with confidence — and that’s really what this is all about. Mr. Webster defines confidence as “a feeling or consciousness of one’s powers or of reliance on one’s circumstances.” In layman’s terms, confidence is projecting a feeling of adequacy in public. Confidence is key when it comes to approaching people we’d like to meet and asking for things we deserve. Even though confidence may seem like something your older sister was born with — and that’s why she got all the guys — it can be obtained with a little assistance. Here are a couple very easy tactics to help you feel more confident in public.
Make the first move
When you’re the one to approach other people, you’ve taken the pressure off of them to find someone to talk to. If you’re uneasy about what to say, just concentrate on walking up and introducing yourself. You need to act as if it is a party and you are the host. Please don’t misunderstand me: It is a business function, but at one of our parties, aren’t we trying to make people more comfortable?
Use a ‘memory hook’
As you approach people and introduce yourself, follow up with a clever catchphrase to describe your business and what you do. For example, a Web designer might say, “Hi, I’m John Jones. I help you expose yourself,” instead of saying “I design Web sites.” If you say something that sticks out in the minds of your colleagues, you’ll be more likely to receive business from them. Plus it helps bring in the human factor, the thing we sometimes stuff underneath our three-piece suit.
Concentrate on the other guy
After you have introduced yourself and gave a quick explanation of what you do — the operative word here is “quick” — ask a few questions to get them talking. Here are some I use:
What do you do?
How long have you been doing it?
What do you like most about it?
What is a good referral for you?
Take notes on the back of their business card to help you remember.
Don’t forget to follow up
After the event, follow up with a short note. Handwritten is best. Make sure you don’t send any sales material. This isn’t about selling them; it is about building relationships. The business will come.
It is a self-fulfilling prophecy. When you appear confident, you have no professional boundaries. If you are confident, others will come to you because they are hoping that somehow it will rub off on them. Build strong relationships and listen to others. Believe me: Confidence will come… and so will business.
Are you nervous about the economy? Are these times causing you to tighten the ole’ belt? This is not a time for anxiety, but a time to be realistic and acknowledge that tough times lay ahead. Adjustments have to be made in your sales team and in the way they approach sales. If you don’t do it now, the competition certainly will.
During the recent economic “high,” I’m sure your sales team grew exponentially. But seeing as though your salespeople are used to sales falling in their lap, they have yet to be put to the test. With the buying frenzy coming to a close and a recession imminent, what should we expect from our “order taking” breed of salespeople? Probably not a whole bunch!
Right now, the weak part of your company is your sales team. Companies are becoming aggravated very quickly when their salespeople aren’t selling for reasons you think are out of their control. Sales people, too, are getting discouraged when they don’t close sales, not knowing that their sales in the previous bull market were simply coming to them with little to no work involved.
A lot of companies wait until they’re desperate, then layoffs and cost cutting will start. The smart companies know that they should evaluate their sales force now, finding out who really has effective selling skills to utilize in the slump that we’re about to face. When assessing your team, remember to ask yourself the following questions:
What are the necessary elements for selling in this economy?
Who has these elements?
Who does not have these skills and should we replace them?
Who should we replace them with?
Don’t fall victim your salesperson’s beliefs that “people are spending less” and “it’s an election year.” Excuses, excuses, excuses! Don’t believe that just because they’ve done well in the past, they may be right. If they’re not strong enough to make it through tough times, they probably don’t belong on your team! You must ask yourself, “have they really been selling or were they just order takers that got lucky?” If you’re not sure, you have to evaluate their skills! Go on a sales call with them and see how they do in the “real world.” Another option is having them take an assessment that shows the skills they truly have…and the ones they don’t. Masked weaknesses show themselves when you least expect it.
Hold your ground and act as though the economy is flourishing! I know you think I’m crazy, but hear me out. If you remember that the economy is cyclical, you won’t fall prey to the negative thoughts about our current situation. When things are bad, nothing should change. Then you’re not falling into a slump, but simply continuing to work hard until things come back around (which they always do!). If you turn “fat and happy,” you’ll never make it through.
Neither our mortgage lender, our bank nor the power company will accept the excuse of the economy for non-payment. Why should we? Should we make some adjustments? Possibly, but now the real sales professionals will shine through the excuse makers. You will see real creativity and out of the box thinking like never before. Now you will really see what separates the men…well, you know the cliché.
Remember the classic tv show “Santa Claus is coming to Town”? Well if you remember the song “put one foot in front of the other” the lyrics are pretty telling about goals.
Put one foot in front of the other, soon you’ll be walking cross the floor. Put one foot in front of the other, and soon you’ll be walking out the door“.
Setting goals is all about reaching something but to me, goals are not only the end result but the steps to get there.
What are you doing every day, every week and every month to get there? That is as important and often more important then the actual goal itself. Why? Because if you can set goals that are achievable; how many cold calls you will do a day, how many existing or past clients you will meet within a week, how many strategic alliance meetings you will set in a month etc. etc. these things are controllable by you.
Controllable mini goals allows you to track what is working and what isn’t so you can begin to carve out what is ultimately the steps to reach your ultimate goal. http://bit.ly/Goalss
Last week after 2 full days of training I met a few friends in the female shopping wonderland called Chicago. Boy that magnificent mile sure is named appropriately!
After sharing my “wealth” with lots of different retail stores I found a neat little boutique.
I tried on several pairs of pants (because of course I need more) and found a fabulous pair that fit me like a glove. After I bought them my friends and I quickly realized that we had overextended our stay and needed to hightail it to the airport or we would be staying yet another day in “the wonderland”. Neither my pocketbook nor for that matter my marriage could sustain another day of that. We made it and the rest as they say is history. I woke up the next day and put on my new fabulous pants only to discover that the security tag was left on the leg of them. To say I was angry was an understatement!!
I immediately called the salesperson who sold me the pants and expressed my unhappiness. As we all know, salespeople are the easiest buyers but toughest to please. Her reply was, “I’m sorry, send them back and we’ll take care of it”. I am in Florida and she is in Chicago, there’s no better way to make me happy? She couldn’t think of one so I told her I would send them back for a refund. But still I thought about the pants and how nicely they fit…when you are over 40 things like this are important…
My next call was to Nordstrom’s department store here in my town. I asked the sales girl if they had the pants in stock and explained the situation. She checked and said yes they did but she made another suggestion that floored me. “Why don’t you just bring the pants in and we will take the security tag off for you, them you won’t have to send them back at all and you can wear them right away!” “No, no, no, I didn’t get these at Nordstrom’s in Chicago it was at a small boutique” I quickly explained. “Yes, I understand that but wouldn’t it be easier to just bring them in here?” Not quite sure of all this but wanting to take advantage of this before she catches on, I took the pants with me and after work I went to the store.
“Is Judy here” I asked, because she told me to ask for her. “Actually she’s not but (looking at the bag in my hand) are you Greta?” Like a deer in headlights I answered, “YYYES?” “Oh Judy explained the situation, my name is Phyllis and I can help” I gave her the pants and she called their loss prevention department. Someone came down and whisked my pants away. While I was waiting Phyllis showed me the other colors in the pants that made me look so good and asked I wanted to look at any other colors. Why not I was standing there anyway. Well loss prevention came to say that this was a different type of security then they use and it wouldn’t come off. Disappointed but appreciative I said thank you and was on my way when Phyllis said; “let me make a call”. She took my pants and said she would be right back. “Where are you going?” I said with confusion. “Oh I think Saks has this type of tag so I am going to see if they can take it off”. “What? Wait a minute. You remember I didn’t get these here?” “You still need it off though don’t you? So let me take it and I will be right back”
And she did! Holy customer service. Do you think I will continue shopping there? Do you think I will question pricing? Do you think I will tell others? I’m telling you aren’t I?
Sherry was just hired as an account executive for “Glossy Magazine, Inc.” She was in the sales area waiting for her manager to begin her training when the phone rang at the desk where she was sitting.
“Glossy Magazine…can I help you?”
“Yes I would like to speak to you about advertising…”
Sherry asked the woman’s name and then politely asks if she would hold a moment. She looked around the sales “bullpen,” but there was no one to be found. Her manager was on the phone behind closed doors, and Sherry didn’t know what to do. She got back on the phone to let the woman know someone would call her back, to which the woman replied that “she only had a few questions.”
Before Sherry could respond, out the questions came. Sherry, in fear, asked a few questions as well, but really had no idea about anything she was talking about. “What is your product?”, “What are you looking to achieve?”, “Is this a new product?”, “What have you been doing to advertise?”, and “How did that work?”. She kept the woman on the phone as long as possible with this series of questions.
Sherry finally said, “I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what you’re looking for, let me put together some thoughts and I will call you later this afternoon. Will you be available around 4:00? We can take 30 minutes or so to discuss the budget and some ideas I and my manager might have for you once I give her this information. How does that sound?” The woman agreed and Sherry was off the phone, and off the hook!
When Sherry’s manager got off the phone, Sherry told her what happened. She mentioned that the prospect was a residential decorator, but before Sherry could tell her manager the rest of the information she discovered from the questions that she asked, the manager told Sherry to call back immediately. The prospect needed to be informed, per the managers’ request, that Glossy Magazine has been in business for 17 years, and that they’re the #1 decorating and design magazine in town, specializing in residential and upscale homes. Her manager wanted to make sure the prospect knew that they’re more than qualified to help with any of her needs. “Here is our media kit we market with. Tell her you will send it right out.” “Better yet,” said the manager, “tell her you and I will go out there and present it to her.”
Gee, if I were the prospect, I would just be jumping up and down waiting for that visit! Wouldn’t you? Of course not. Sherry was good enough to ask the right questions, even if she didn’t know what she was doing. But her manager was about to ruin it by doing the old “show up and throw up” routine.
No one wants to be sold to. Now don’t misunderstand that for meaning no one wants to buy. Oh no, we LOVE to buy! We just hate someone selling to us. We want it to feel like it was our decision.
Remember, when in doubt, ask a question. It will allow them to talk, give you additional information and give you some time to think. Telling isn’t selling, asking is.
Th ere is a glass sitting on a table, and it has water in it that reaches
halfway up the glass. Is the glass half full or half empty?
Actually, both are accurate, it depends on your view. And talk
about “views”…the old saying that “Some see the glass as half full,
and some see it as half empty” is a terrifi c illustration of seeing things
through your own fi lter. Most views of life are merely subjective.
Suppose you are a sales manager, and you hear one of your salespeople
say, “I had a great meeting, and this guy is very interested. I feel like
it is ninety fi ve percent closed.” You analyze the account yourself
and realize it really was not qualifi ed properly, your sales rep did
not discuss the dollars it would take to get the job done, and most
importantly, the fellow he spoke with is not the ultimate decisionmaker.
You would put a fi fty/fi fty chance on this at best.
How did you and your salesperson come to two such diff erent
conclusions about the meeting?
Well, the salesperson bonded with the prospect. Th ey talked
baseball for twenty-fi ve minutes of the meeting, and laughed about
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their toddlers’ curiosity in the team. Th is convinced your salesperson
that he won the prospect over, and he would buy.
On the other hand, you feel that, since the proper questions were
not asked and the proper presentation was not done, the proposal is
bound for either failure or luck—and it would be strictly luck—but
has a fi fty/fi fty chance of either.
Which of you is right? Which of you is wrong? No one really
knows, which makes forecasting pretty diffi cult and illustrates the
point that we see things through our own “fi lters.” Th ese fi lters, just
like ones on sunglasses, can make the world appear darker, rosier, or
bluer. Most often, two people will not see the same occurrence at
all.
Why do you and your salesperson see this sales call so diff erently?
It is mostly because of those fi ltering glasses. Th e sales guy sees the
bonding as a huge buying sign, because that is what he looks for
when he buys. You, the sales manager, see the technique of the call,
which was fl awed, and without the proper steps. You feel it can not
work unless luck steps in and lends a hand. And since you do not
believe in luck, only in fact and process, you have a very skeptical
view of the outlook for this particular prospect signing a contract.
You believe that all of the “T”s need to be crossed and the “I”s dotted
before the prospect will buy.
So who is correct? While time alone will tell whether this
particular prospect will sign or not, the larger truth is that there is not
always a right or wrong answer to how you view situations. Everyone
sees things very diff erently. How important is that to know? Well,
let’s take this from a few angles. First, that of a sales manager. Do
you see how an enthusiastic salesperson can paint a picture so rosy
that they have it practically booked and it is not even close?
Or take it from the point of view of a salesperson. A sales rep
may call on a quiet, thoughtful prospect and conclude that this
prospect does not like her because he does not become gregarious
and friendly during the pitch. In reality, it is simply that she is calling
on a reserved, studious, deep-thinker type. He was merely going
through the questions he felt were important, sticking to business,
and mentally reviewing her answers instead of reacting to them
verbally. Actually he had all intentions of buying the product, butthe fi lter she sees through is, “He did not talk to me…that means he
does not like me,” which to her, means no sale.
Sometimes we see through other people’s fi lters. As salespersons,
we do this most often in the presentation stage. Rather than giving
all of the “features and benefi ts” of the product as we see them, we
give them as someone in corporate decided we should see them. We
are not even being true to our own vision.
Th is reminds me of a car sales encounter I had years ago. I was
looking for an SUV. After looking at several vehicles of the “Th is car
reminds me of something that totes a small village” type, I looked
at a smaller version. I began telling this salesman a little about my
situation. He obviously had some training because he did ask me a
few questions. “Is anyone in your family tall?” was one of them.
“No, no one is tall” I answered with curiosity while walking
toward the car. I got in the car to drive, and he proudly started telling
me about the twelve extra inches of headroom that this car had as
opposed to the other I had been looking at. He had asked me the
question but did not truly listen to the answer because someone in
Marketing obviously felt this was an important feature. My response
to his question made it plain that, to me, this feature would not be
particularly important at all.
It is best if we can see a situation as clearly as possible…with
a minimum of fi ltering, whether rosy, gloomy, or simply distorted.
But note that I said “as clearly as possible.” I recognize that seeing
things completely unfi ltered is a near-impossibility. Still, for the
most accurate assessment of your chances with a prospect, your most
accurate assessment of what the prospect you are facing wants (in
the case of my SUV, headroom was clearly not one of my issues and
there was no need for it to have been mentioned), and your most
accurate assessment of the best tack to take in any sales situation,
try to remove the filters as much as possible and see the situation as
clearly, as plainly, as true-to-just-the-facts as you possibly can.
It will help you to react more appropriately to what is going on,
deal more appropriately with the client, and assess the encounter
more accurately after the fact.
Is the glass half full or half empty? Both. It is all in your viewpoint. Try to make your viewpoint as unfiltered as possible.
