Social Networking Sites and Sales

Good Morning,

I recently signed up on facebook...yes I am a bit behind. In my defence I was born in the 70's and facebook usually caters to the "younger demographic"...or so I thought. I was surprised to me how many business associates, and friends had already joined. Immediately I have been connected to a friend who I lost touch with 7 years ago, who now runs an Internet company . I good friend from high school I have not seen since 1987 recently reached out to me who is a recording artist in NYC and 2 girls I used to play soccer with who are now in Ottawa - where I am - working for the government. All highly successful,dynamic people.....life givers!

So far, I have made plans to get together with 3 of them face to face.

I am also on linked-in and have developed a fairly large network of people who I have recommended and have recommended me. I have done nothing with linked in yet....

All this on line social networking is interesting and fun,but are they just a distraction or can they lead to real business connections and sales? I am going to try. A couple of my facebook friends are people that I can help by connecting them to other I know. Remember its give first. This week I endeavour to reach out to all my new, old friends and see if there is some way I can help them growth their business. The more people I can help, the better.

I figure that since sales is all about connection, and tools like facebook and linked in are focused on connecting people why not give them a try! They can be just another tool kin your prospecting tool belt. Use social networking sites to reconnect with past clients, friends and colleagues and then pick up the phone, call them, get together, rebuild a true connection.

You already know that you should be expanding your network everyday if you want to be successful. I say, use every tool possible to do that. What have you got to lose for trying?

Dedicated to increasing your sales
~ Colleen

Do you Take Time off....Completely?

How often to get away? I mean really get away - from your cell phones, email, blackberry or should I say Crackberry! I have been know to work hard, in fact some will call me a workaholic and I have had staff comment that I am "freakishly productive". I'm not sure the workaholic label is truly correct....but that's just a semantics argument. The truth is that when I am at work, I do work hard, and all the time. When I am at play, I play hard....no work.

This past long weekend, my better half and I celebrated in Montreal with a fine meal at Club Chasse et Peche and prime seats at the newest Cirque du Soliel show Kooza!. I have seen 5 Cirque shows now and they never cease to amaze me. This one was the best. They received 4 standing ovations during the course of the show and people literally jumped to their feet cheering at the end - including me. I highly recommend this, or any of their shows. They are truly and without excpetion the greatest show on earth!

Why were we celebrating? Well, we are now a single income family as my hubby has retired from corporate life (more on this to come in late June). And that is a good reason to reward yourself! This trip was part of his retirement tour. Other stops for him include Beirut, New York, Edmonton and San Deigo. Yes a diverse mix!

While we were in Montreal I made the effort not to touch my cell or email. It was very liberating to be present in the moment for all three days. No worrying about what I have to do next week, or may have forgot to do last week. NO stress about the busy upcoming week and my 2 web classes. Just play time.

So back to how we can be more productive and work while at work. The truth is, taking time off makes you more productive. When you turn off - 100% off - for a few days and do something fun you actually come back to your work feeling refreshed. Everything looks different and you have a new perspective. New ideas flow and a new energy emerges. Truth is, I am excited to come back to work on Monday when I have had a 100% play time weekend. Try it some time! Its a profitable idea you can't afford to miss.

Dedicated to increasing your sales

~ Colleen

Love Your Customers

It takes love to be successful in sales.

Love what you sell, Love who you sell it for and love who you sell it too! Speaking of which, how often do you show your customers the love?

Do you show them appreciation for your success? After all, if they weren’t customers, you wouldn’t be in business! This month show them some love, send them a thank you card, some chocolate, a small gift. Starbucks™ cards work well because they mail easily and have an air of luxury about them. Not everyone will pay $5 of their own money for a coffee but they gladly appreciate you if you are buying!

Make your appreciation fun, do something unusual. Remember, that if you want to make sales, you need to make people feel special AND you need to stand out from your competition. So ask yourself…what is my competition unwilling to do? AND what will make my customer feel special?

Some great sources of unusual and highly appreciated food gifts are www.elenis.com for gourmet cookies; www.harryanddavid.com; for gourmet food in general, www.omahasteaks.com for delicious grade AAA steaks and beef products; www.tiffanys.com for luxury items that are surprisingly reasonable ($40 and up for gifts that are wrapped and delivered FedEx to your unsuspecting and now VERY HAPPY customer).

I would love to know what your gift or reward sources are.

Your choices are endless my advice is to just do something! Anything that shows appreciation is a good thing. If you missed valentines day use St Patrick’s day, Memorial Day, Canada Day or Independence day as an excuse to celebrate with your customers. Don’t like “holiday marketing? (I’m not sure why you wouldn’t but that a whole other discussion…) then just thank them and appreciate them for no reason.

Dedicated to increasing your sales,
~Colleen

Is Service Getting Better or Worse?

I am constantly amazed by the poor service I regularly receive by various vendors – restaurants, retail store workers, and sales reps who are trying to sell me products, or services. The service skills I am exposed to range from mediocre to poor, and include such travesties as lying to get put through to me on the phone, never following up, over exaggerating what products are capable of, not listening to what I really want, not caring what I really want, ignoring me when I walk into their business, only talking to my husband (yes it still happens) and ignoring me after I make an initial purchase. Whew! It seams to me that everyday, there is less and less humanity in customer service and more and more indifference.

Could I be right?

You be the judge. According to market research firm BIGresearch A whopping 85% of Americans think customer service is getting worse, or at best treading water. As a side note I think this number is the same for Canadians we are often just too polite to say anything! Additional research from Accenture tells us that half of us have switched service providers in the past year because of crummy service. Why should you care? Consider this:

(1) The US National Retail Federation Foundation reports that if 100 people have a bad experience with your company you could lose up to 36 current or potential customers because of the verbal ripple effect.

(2) Selling to new customers is on average 15 times more expensive than selling to existing customers AND

(3) People who experience bad service tell on average 17 people about it. People who have great service tell on average 2.

It’s clear that the best sales people must also be the best customer service people. Your job is not only to sell. Its also to build a rock solid wall around your customers so they don’t want to leave. Recently during a coaching call with a client they complained to me that no matter what they did, they could not convert a prospect to a customer. this customer was dealing with a competitor and despite the fact that the prospect admitted to being unhappy with their vendor ( orders were late, incomplete and sometimes wrong) they were unwilling to leave because they really liked and trusted their sales rep. In other words, the prospect was willing to cut the vendor some slack though a tough time in order to save a relationship with the sales rep. My client asked….”What can we do?” My response was “hire the sales rep”. They thought I was joking. I was serious. Anyone who is that good at building and keeping relationships should be on your team.

The best sales people are focused on ensuring their customers only buy from them, without shopping around AND also actively refer other prospects. The very best sales people know how to make their customers feel so special and so safe doing business with them that they don’t ever leave, even when problems arise (as with the prospect above). Leaving is considered risky, staying is considered profitable.

To do this you need to build a service offering that is so valuable, the cost for the customer to switch to a different supplier is simply too high. How can we accomplish this? First, commit to yourself and your company that you will practice exceptional customer service everyday. Be n ice to your customers. Then….as Nike would say…Just do it! It’s easier than you think. Why?

Well first of all, the most recent research shows that consumer standards have been lowered by the lack of service in the market place. What was once considered a courtesy – eye contact, a handshake and thank you – now passes for great service! You don’t have to make this complicated

Profitable Statistics

Fully engaged employees are 67% more productive and moderately engaged employees are 40% more productive than non engaged employees according to McKinsey.

Engagement can be defined as the opposite of alienation. So, if your sales team needs to be more productive, ask yourself first, how engaged are they? And what are we doing as a company to make sure they are engaged?

You can tell when a sales rep is engaged because they go the extra mile, they exert discretionary effort showing real passion for what they do. A fully engaged sales rep hurts when they lose a deal and celebrates when they win. They are competitive because they care. They fight for what's best for the company, the client and themselves because they believe in what they do. They are fully aligned with the products and the company.

Engaged sales reps create emotional connectivity with their clients. I know this sounds fluffy...and if you know me, you also know I hate fluff. So consider this fact.....emotionally connected customers spend 46% more than customers who are merely satisfied, accord to a 2004 Gallop study.

Wouldn't it be great if we could all build emotional connectivity with all of our current clients this year and have them raise our revenues by 46%?

Over the next few days I thought we could explore what it takes to build emotional connectivity between clients and sales people. send your comments and I will add my own. At the end, we should have a great database of ideas for everyone to use.

~ Dedicated to increasing your sales

Colleen

The Final Word Technology that Profits!

Regardless of what technology tools you choose to sell with, your clients are demanding more and more technology tools to buy with. If you choose to ignore this trend, you risk being replaced with a person, or a machine that meets their needs better. So pick your technology tools wisely and don’t forget about building a personal relationship!

To continue to be successful, today’s salespeople need to develop an ability to create a truly positive experience for their customers using the variety of technology tools our customers are demanding. The following three ideas are some of the best (and easiest) ways to create a more positive customer experience, and keep yourself from being automated out of a job:

1. Be empathetic and compassionate. Truly care about your customers. And remember, unless your last name is DeNiro or Streep faking it simply won't work.

2. Add value and give first. No, this doesn't mean giving away free product in the hope that a prospect will give you his business. Rather, give away things that will increase your value, such as a referral to another client or partner, or sharing an idea that could help him solve a business problem.

3. Love what you sell, the company you work for, and the customers you serve.Customers buy from salespeople who believe in the products they sell, and the companies they work for. Choose to be honest, open, and empathetic to your customers' needs, and you will experience consistent sales growth, build an excellent reputation, and quickly rise to the top of your field.

The old way of selling doesn't work anymore. Old high-pressure in-your-face, pounding the phones, manipulative sales methods will cost you business. The 21st Century way is using a variety of technology mediums and personal skills creatively to build value and high trust relationships.

The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich

Hi Everyone,

Yes I know....blogging like crazy today!

Just a quick note about a new book that I am starting to read called the The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich. check out this interview with the author. So far, he seams to be aligned with some of my time management priciples and when I am through the book I will have a complete review for you. If yoiu have read it already let me know what you think. I would love to see your comments.

Colleen

Our Babies were Born!

You might remember in February I blogged about the loss of my beloved dog Blitzen. He died quickly, which we were grateful for. We miss him very much and its been more difficult than I thought to get used to such a quiet house.

Looks like that silence won't last....last week my friend had 8 puppies born, 1 of which is earmarked for us, should we decide to become dog owners again. And.....based on my husband's excitement, I don't think I have a choice!

I'm kidding of course. I can't wait to get a new puppy. As Charles Shultz (creator of Peanuts) always said. "Happiness is a warm puppy"

These pictures are from Day 2, and as you can see, and imagine, Mom looks pretty tired!

So I guess I have only 9 more weeks of a silent household to contend with before the little patter of tiny feet takes over and the perils of puppy training begins. It will all be worth it though...there is nothing better for a road warrior than to be welcomed home by the loving lick of a dog!

Another Technology Idea to Profit From

Thanks to rapid advances in technology we can now get virtually any product imaginable delivered right to our front door, at the click of a mouse, or the dial of a phone. The same technology that helps us stay connected to our customers also threatens to take our customers away as options for self service and buying direct increase. Self-service options have become commonplace in virtually every facet of our daily lives. Whether it’s issuing movie tickets, checking into hotel rooms, buying airline tickets, checking in for flights, or putting gas in cars, sales from self-service kiosks last year topped $161 billion. According to IHL Consulting, in 2006, those numbers could reach $1 trillion.

Another option for using technology to improve connectivity and make more sales is multi-media. Have you ever seen a multi media presentation - say a movie? How did you feel? Now imagine that this is how your prospects will feel when you turn on your laptop and a video begins playing. They will be engaged and intrigued. Bingo! You have just differentiated yourself from the competition.

Another plus? Rather than having to rely on prospects’ presentation skills when they take your proposal to the board, you can rely on your carefully crafted multi-media presentation that delivers a consistent high impact message every time. A multi–media disc can be created with your presentation to leave behind, and the prospect can use this disc to position your products with others in the office. Here are three tips for using multi-media presentations profitably:

1. Canned presentations miss the mark. Just because it’s multi-media doesn’t mean it has to be canned. Make sure to customize each presentation to your prospect based on her needs.

2. You are a part of the presentation and you must continue to interact with your clients while the presentation is running. Pharmaceutical sales reps use short, multi-media presentations to show doctors how their drugs work. During the presentation the sales pros point to the screen, ask the doctors to make selections about what they want to view and take notes based on the doctors’ reactions. This ensures they stay engaged with the doctors while increasing the effectiveness of the tool. If you simply hit play and sit there, what do we need you in the meeting for at all?

3. Have live and written testimonials in the presentation. Proof that others are profitably using your solutions is the clincher to making the sale. Have the client click on a video section loaded with satisfied clients eager to tell your audience how wonderful you are and how great your product works.

Dedicated to increasing your sales

Colleen

Technology and the Sales Process

Hi Engage Bloggers!

In the pulp novels of 1950s science fiction writers, the future was a nightmarish place where machines turned on their makers, and robots took over from - or did entirely away with - their human counterparts. For countless sales professionals across the country, that future is now upon us. Only instead of robots, it’s websites, self-service kiosks, email, PDAs, cell phones, and even interactive TV that are threatening to replace us, and do our jobs faster, cheaper, and without needing an annual vacation.

We need to use technology to stay connected with our clients, but we are also at risk of being replaced by that same technology. As our customers demand and use more and more technology, sales professionals must reduce their risk by utilizing technology to increase the effectiveness of all in-person client communication.

Over the next few days we will look at technology and sales in more detail to make sure you are using the tools effectively

Email Communication

Wireless laptops, handheld PDAs, and cell phones now give most people instant access to communication. Email and text messaging is replacing just about every form of communicating. Likely, the day will soon come that email will not only replace mail, it will also begin to replace the people that deliver it.

E-mail is a great way to stay connected to your clients and prospects because it’s fast, and for most, easier than a phone call. Email works! We can communicate with more people, faster than ever before. Frankly though, it doesn’t work effectively often enough because many salespeople are lazy, hiding behind email and using it as an excuse for not making sales. When my below quota sales reps complain, “He hasn’t responded to my email yet!” I say, “It’s time to pick up the phone and call your customer!”

The key to maximizing the effectiveness of any technology you use to communicate with your customers is blending it with other media types. Email blended with voice contact, fax, and face-to-face contact provides the best approach to relationship building, and ensures you can’t be replaced by a technology-only sales process.

Here are some simple email rules:

1. With people you don’t know well, keep all your messages short and clear. Don’t force anyone to scroll down the page, open attachments, or click on links to get the gist of what you are saying. They won’t do it. They will hit delete.

2. Think before you send. Simple rule - make sure you actually send what you wanted to send. “Recalling” a message is a sure way to turn off a prospect. If you are not sure of your message, save it, walk away from your computer, and come back to review the message a few minutes later. Your fresh review of the message will ensure it’s the right message to send.

3. Stop thinking about email as the only tool, and start thinking about it as one communicating tool to master and combine with others so you can stand out instead of being spammed out.

Speaking of other communication tools, I encourage you to use the fax. Why? Because nobody else is! Your fax messages make it to the decision-maker’s desk and stand out because you have little or no competition using this medium. In a business environment where your client’s voice mail and inbox are flooded with calls and messages that all sound and look the same, your fax stands alone.

Dedicated to increasing your sales,

Colleen

Don't Make This Mistake in Sales!

A few weeks ago we discussed two other deadly mistakes in sales. Another sales killer is poor time management .

An unsuccessful person spends most of their day on unprofitable activities and waits for the phone to ring. They spend most of his their time waiting for opportunity to find them rather than hunting for opportunity.

The most successful sales professionals are driven and focused. There is no time for distraction or negative self- talk. There is no procrastination or time for “admin work” during prime selling hours and they extend their day by starting early or working late (or both).

They are either in front of a client or planning to be in front of a client, and they have their calendar full weeks in advance.

Almost all successful sales people focus on three key things: their time; their objectives when dealing with clients; and what not to do to succeed.

The first and perhaps most important of these is time. No matter how wealthy, talented or successful we become, time is the one thing we can never get enough of. The top 10% of performers are acutely aware of the value of their time. As a result, they spend the most time doing those activities that make them the most money, and little time doing those tasks that earn them little or nothing.

When it comes to sales, this boils down to focusing your time on the three Holy Grails: Prospecting, Presenting and Closing. Notice that all three of these activities involve being face-to-face with prospects or customers. That’s because you sell more when you spend more time in front of your customers, whether prospecting for new business, presenting solutions to problems or closing business.

Mediocre performers, on the other hand, routinely spend too much of their day on admin tasks, or tasks that don’t directly increase their value. In many cases, this is simply because they don’t know – or haven’t taken the time to calculate – exactly how much this wasted time is costing them.

Ideas for improvement:

Learn how to organize your time efficiently by using the many methods and tools that are available. Be disciplined. Make the commitment to improve your time management skills and seek out and practice the good counsel of experts in the field through books, seminars, and training programs. Read the No BS guide to Time Management by Dan Kennedy or Getting things Done by David Allen. You can find them our reading list


Know the value of your time. Check out our full article on time management to calculate what your time is worth and what you want it to be worth. After you know the value of your time outsource EVERYTHING you can get one for less than you are worth per hour. Your job is to spend as much time as you can work in those areas that increase for hourly wage.

If you want to be disciplined, keep track of your time for a couple weeks to see where you are really doing everyday. For a copy of the time tracker we use, email me at sales@engageselling.com .

It does’t matter what system you use, as long as you put it to work to make the best use of your time! How you use your time will determine your net worth at the end of the day!

Dedicated to increasing your sales,

Colleen

Lead Follow up

There is no point in uncovering high quality sales leads if you can't follow up with them in a timely manner. What is a timely manner?

In the past many B2B companies asked sales people to follow up with leads within 7 business days.

Today, with the exception of companies faced with long sales cycles (over 3 months) 7 day follow up time is too long. Marketing Sherpa reports that in highly competitive industries, top quality leads should be followed up with in 30 minutes. Yes, search engines and web marketing tools have created demanding impatient prospects. We have to deal with that fact.

I suggest you generate leads in small volumes consistently each week. Prospect everyday for the best results. This way you always have new people to talk to and as business starts to close, you will produce a steady stream of profits.

Dedicated to increasing your sales,

Colleen

Selling = Listening

Listening is more important than talking

How we listen determines how clients talk to us. Listen as though your client could be the next Prime Minister. Listen as though they are extraordinary. Take notes to show their words are important enough to you to cherish.

This creates an aura of respect from client resulting in a more open discussion.

Have you ever spoken to someone who constantly looked over your shoulder or interrupted to tell you their opinion? It made you wonder why you tried to communicate in the first place. Compare that to the one who listened with great interest. Someone who made eye contact What did you think of either of them and who did you share more information with?

Listening will create respect and provide more information. Your turn to speak will come later.

Dedicated to increasing your sales

~ Colleen

Calling all Sales Managers

If you hire sales people in your business then you MUST read this posting on The Art and science of Tech sales blog. The principals apply regardless of the business you are in.

Hiring sales people should be an objective process with measurability and accountability. Too often, sadly, managers rely on their gut feel.....and then they get burned.

Sell More Now! - Colleen

Change or Die

I've noticed recently that many people find it easier to complain than to change. Not surprisingly, these are not the people in the top 10%.

Complaining rather than changing is deadly in in traditional business such as the banking, investment, and manufacturing where 90% of companies think they know everything. I believe that every 18-24 months we all should e reinventing our businesses to meet the new demands of the marketplace. We operate in a global economy and change is inevitable. The products and services that were relevant in the past are relics today. Products and sales tools that once were very profitable and effective may now simply be irrelevant. If you are complaining rather than changing, you might be one of those relics!

Change is inevitable. And, as a retired US Colonel once said, if you don't like change, you will like irrelevance even less.

I would bet that your clients are changing the way they do business, and they way they buy. How are you changing to meet the demands of your clients?

Dedicated to increasing your sales
~ Colleen