The Eagle Blog: Customer Service - Update!

Check out Kevin's blog at The Eagle Blog: Customer Service - Update! He is as passionate as I am about customer service!

Cheers Colleen

Stuck in a Rut?

According to last moth's poll, 77% of you believe that the best time of day to make prospecting calls is between 8:30-11:00am. While some afternoons I'm inclined to agree with you, I really do believe that the best time of day to make a prospecting call is whenever your customer is at their desk! If that's 9:00 in the morning, great! If it's between 2:00-5:00pm... make your calls then.

But short of having ESP, how can you tell when your customers are likely to be at their desk?

That's the catch - you can't, at least not with 100% accuracy. What you can do is experiment with the times you're calling to see if there is a right or wrong time of day - and don't fall into the trap of treating all your customers the same!

If you're in a cold calling rut, here are a few ideas you can try:

1. Systematically block off time in your calendar to make prospecting calls, and then stick to it, no matter what else comes up.
2. If you really hate making those calls, make them first thing in the morning to get them over with! If there's one thing you can count on, it's that if you start putting off something you don't want to do, odds are you'll never get to it (much like how I put off going to the gym…).
3. If you're stuck in a rut and not getting any positive results, experiment with different calling times.
4. Most importantly, make calls every day - and don't use time as an excuse. Remember: no matter how good a sales person you are, I guarantee that you'll lose 100% of the sales calls you don't make.

Dedicated to increasing your sales,

Colleen

Is bad customer service costing you business?

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.

Dedicated to increasing your sales,

Colleen

Are you at risk of losing your job to a kiosk?

n the pulp novels of 1950’s 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 Web sites, self-service kiosks, direct mail and even interactive TV that are threatening to replace us, and do our jobs faster, cheaper and without needing an annual vacation.

Thanks to the Internet, we can now get virtually any product imaginable delivered right to our front doors, at the click of a mouse. Plus, once a novelty, self-service options have become commonplace in virtually every facet of our daily lives. From issuing our movie tickets, to checking us into our hotel rooms or putting gas in our cars, sales from self-service kiosks last year topped $161 billion. According to IHL consulting, in 2006, those numbers could reach $1 trillion.

In other words, if you’re in an industry that is automating, you could be in danger of losing your job to a kiosk.

To continue to be successful, today’s sales people need to develop an ability to create a truly positive experience for their customers, which inexpensive clerks and data entry peddlers simply can’t match. The following 3 ideas are some of the best (and easiest!) ways I know to create a more positive customer experience, and keep yourself from being automated out of a job:

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.

Add value and give first.No, this doesn't mean giving away free product in the hope that a prospect will give you their 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 them solve a business problem.

Love what you sell, the company you work for and the customers you serve.Customers buy from sales people 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.

Light notes for a Monday morning

Interesting Sales bites for a Monday morning!

Officeteam.com reports that women take 29 minutes on average to do personal tasks while men take 44 minutes. Are men trying to do more personal tasks at work, or do they take longer to do the same number of tasks… Does it matter? The reality is, if you did no personal tasks at work you would be able to leave the office 29-44 minutes earlier each day… or make at least 10 more sales calls each day. How are you really spending your time? Working hard? or just passing the time.

For 2007, sales rep jobs are the most difficult to fill in the US, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, new Zealand, Ireland and Peru according to Manpower. If you have a hunger to leave your country and you are a top performing sales rep, you might find success internationally.

If you sell b2C you should know that 91% of Canadians prefer landlines over cell phones for communication.

A recent Towers Perrin study found that just 21 percent of all US employees are fully engaged (I'd love to know how they measured it). According to Julie Gebauer of Towers Perrin, the following three things matter most in engaging employees: (1) Rational understanding of the company's goals and values; (2) Emotional attachment to the organization; and (3) Willingness to go above and beyond specific job tasks.

The Apple Store on Fifth Avenue in New York generates $4,032 in sales per square foot, the most of any national retailer.

China accounts for 73% of the world's beer consumption.

A new poll by the Pew Research Center finds that Americans are de-linking children as the sine qua non of successful marriages. In fact, they now tell pollsters they rate "having children" as the ninth most important out of 10 markers of successful marriages.

Interbrand and Businessweek's annual survey of global brands shows that, this year, the search giant Google has been deemed the world's most improved brand.

And finally…. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows sold 8.3 million copies in its first 24 hours on sale in the U.S., blowing away the previous one-day sales record of 6.9 million copies, set by? No, not Honesty Sells. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, of course.

Have a great sales week!

Colleen

Increase your Sales by Increasing your Referals

88% of sales people report that they receive less than 5 referrals a month, Cold calling is a tough way to make sales. In fact, I have discovered that on average, it takes 75 cold calls to get one sales. On the other hand, referred leads close at an average ratio of 3:1. Spending time, asking and collecting referrals from happy clients and partners is a much more profitable use of your time than making cold calls because referred leads are one of the easiest and most profitable ways to grow your business. Perhaps even more importantly, referrals also provide a great benchmark for how well you're building your business relationships.

Referrals are the “holy grail” of lead generation. When you receive referred leads from a customer without asking for them, you not only benefit from the chance to land new business. You also gain proof positive that you've earned the trust of your existing customers to such a degree that they've also become your most enthusiastic sales reps! Simply put, the more referred leads you get on a regular basis, the better job you're doing.

To build your monthly average of unsolicited referrals, try one - or all - of the following 5 quick tips:

1. The Golden Rule. Provide unsolicited referrals to your customers first, and you will receive referrals from them in turn. What goes around comes around. So if you haven't been getting any referrals, ask yourself: how many referrals have I given my customers lately?

2. Get by with a little help from your friends. Become friends with your customers. Meet them socially at business events, charity events, luncheons or other venues that aren't strictly business. Remember - people respond to people. So the stronger your personal relationship is with a client, the more likely they are to refer their friends to you.

3. Provide remarkable service. What is remarkable service? Service that is so good, people will want to go out of their way to talk about it. Ask your “A” customers what great service means to them, and then deliver precisely what they want. You will be rewarded both for your credibility, and for your ability to make - and keep - your promises.

4. Give value away for free. Find something you can provide to your customer that doesn’t cost you anything, but which is of significant value to them. Maybe an email newsletter? A list of best practices or other customers' examples of how to use your product? Inside information about your clients' industry? Or even just a Q&A forum on your Web site? By providing extra value for free, you will increase the loyalty of your existing customers, and draw new people to you as an expert source of information.

5. Be proactive. Finally, strive to anticipate what your customer might need at each stage of product ownership. Then, do everything in your power to provide that service or information to your customer, before they need it.

If you want to come across to your clients and prospects as someone who they can trust to do business with, remember to eliminate all fidgeting, scratching, squirming and twitching, no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. Yes, I know it can be uncomfortable not to scratch your nose if you have an itch. But believe it or not, the very best sales people really do let their noses itch, their feet prickle and their ears tingle without doing anything about it - at least, not in front of the client.

Dedicated to increasing your sales,

Colleen

Why is networking important

Hi There,

I recently completed an online interview at www.beltwaynetworking.com and thought that you would enjoy - and profit from - the discussion.

Q: In today's business world, why is Networking important? There are 3 reasons why networking is important: (1) Networking is an important way to develop contacts that you might not be able to meet by cold calling. If you can develop a personal relationship with prospects before you pick up the phone to call them, they are more likely to be receptive to a meeting. (2) Networking also benefits you because you meet people who can introduce you to other decision makers. (3) Finally networking is beneficial because it enables you to build a network of referrals and introductions for your clients. If you can help you clients meet the people they need to grow successfully, you will encourage repeat business and referrals.

Q: When you network, how important is to set personal goals and expectations? Each time you go to a networking event you set a goal to accomplish. That goal should be the number of contacts you wish to make, As long as its 1 or more - you have a great goal! Don't be too hard on yourself about the number of people you meet at an event, and always make sure you are being realistic.You can't go to an event with 50 attendees and expect to collect 35 business cards! Sometimes, all it takes is meeting 1 super connection and the event has been worthwhile for you.Your primary goal should always be to attend the event and meet new people. Connecting with others you have not seen in a while is a useful goal as well if you know that those connections can potentially bring you business in the future I suggest setting a goal for the number of events with specific associations you will attend each month or quarter. The best approach is to pick one networking group that your prospects will attend - so you can network for new clients - and 1 event with your peers attending - so you can network with others like yourself. Networking with your peers helps you improve your skills and offers you invaluable ideas to use in your job.

Q: If you could share one piece of advice you have learned to make networking more effective, what would it be? I like to go to networking events alone because it forces me to meet new people. If you go with friends or colleagues, you will be tempted to hang out with the people you know.

Q: Who or what has had the biggest impact on your networking and how did it impact you? Being in sales for the last 15 years has had the biggest impact on my networking. Every significant sale I have won was the result of a connection I established at a networking events
including trade shows, industry events and dinner parties. One year at Engage, the two most significant clients came as a result of me networking with my neighbors at home! You never know who has the power to bring you business. As a result, you must always be prepared to network!

Q: Where can we find you networking? I network professionally with my peers at the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS) and the National Speaker Association (NSA). I will also be networking at educational events this year such as the Dan Kennedy Super Conference in St Louis and many SMEI events (Sales and Marketing Executives International). I hope to see you there!

Prospecting is the Key to Sales Success

A recent poll of Engage customers revealed a shocking habit. When asked, “How much time per day do you spend prospecting” 29% responded less than 1 hour a month prospecting for new business, 44% less than half a day, and only 17% at least one full day per month. Pathetic!! Considering that prospecting is the number one secret to sales success there must be a number of struggling sales professional out there. I can't say this often or emphatically enough, “There is no sales problem that good prospecting skills can’t solve.”

I know that you are getting tired of me spouting off about this, it’s just that 80% of sales people still don’t get it.

I frequently coach sales reps who know exactly what to say, when to say it, and have terrific, well-priced products. But they still can’t sell. Why? Because they have no prospects waiting in their sales funnel to qualify and close. And if you don’t have any prospects, you can’t make any sales. Period. To ensure you have a steady stream of new business opportunities, the following is a quick two-step process that I use in many of my coaching sessions, which can help you be more proactive with your prospecting each and every week:

Step 1: Evaluate. First, how many prospects do you really need? In most industries, you can use the average metric of about 25 "suspects" - or 3 qualified prospects - for every sale. A suspect is a cold prospect. You have an inkling that they should be interested in your product, but you haven't talked to them yet, and they haven't contacted or been referred to you. A qualified prospect is someone who you know has a need for your product, and a desire to buy it from someone. They also have the money to spend, and the power to make the transaction happen. To find out how many prospects you should have in your sales funnel, just multiply the number of new customers you need each year, by the number of suspects or qualified prospects it will probably take to get them.

Step 2: Execute. Once your target is set, you can start to work towards achieving it through the following four key prospecting techniques:

1) Get referrals. Referred leads are a profitable way to grow your business, as well as a good benchmark for how well you're building your business relationships. The “holy grail” in lead generation is to receive leads from your customers without asking for them. These unsolicited referrals are proof that you've earned so much trust and loyalty that your existing customers have become your sales reps! The more leads you get, the more satisfied your existing customers likely are, and the better the job you're doing.

2) Network. In any career, success or failure is a direct result of our networks, and the people we know. As the old saying goes, "take care of your people (or, in this case, your network), and your business will take care of itself.” For all their differences in approach, style and technique, the top 10% of sales people all have one thing in common: they are all more likely to employ a broad network of friends, family, acquaintances and connections to help them seize opportunities, and respond to challenges. To learn how to develop your network, take a look at our article "Getting By With a Little Help From Your Friends: 4 Fail-Safe Tips for Perfecting Your Networking Technique," available at www.engageselling.com

3) Be a Life Giver. Life Givers know that what goes around, comes around. They understand the power of reciprocity, and use it to their advantage. So don't hoard your contacts. Open your proverbial Rolodex, and start making introductions. Be the first at an event or party to provide a contact to someone you've just met, rather than waiting for them to give you something first. Once you start sharing your contacts and making connections with and for others, it won't be long before your clients and contacts start returning the favor in spades.

4) Make the calls. Last but not least, those sales reps who are at the top of their profession almost always have a short, precise "To Do" list, which relates directly to achieving their goals for the year. Right at the top of your list should be the number of prospecting calls you're going to make every day. And to make sure it gets done, keep your list short - probably no more than 4 to 5 items a day - and make sure it gets done first thing in the morning, before all those other inevitable little "fires" can create excuses for getting to work. By carrying out your To Do list each day without fail, you'll find your number of prospects will grow - and your business soar - faster than you ever thought possible.

Dedicated to increasing your sales,

Colleen

Featured Guest Spot

Hi Everyone,

I was honoured to be the featured sales expert on Jonathan Farrington's Top 10 sales articles blog last week. Check it out - his blog is a great resource for many practical sales ideas.

Cheers Colleen

Bad Sales behaviour take 2.....

We receive a ton of calls in our office from sales people trying to prospect me. Mostly they are bad. Well, let me be truthful, mostly they are horrendous! The other day Casey took a call from someone who said they were referred to me. When she asked who by, the sales “pro” could not answer the question. It became obvious after a series of questions that she was just using this as a tactic to get through the gatekeeper.

Here’s a hint….lying never works.

Speaking of lying…. Last night at home I received a call from a telemarketer. Well, it was more like a message because it went right through to voice mail. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have noting against voice broadcasting, when it’s done correctly. In this case the message left was “we are just calling to make sure you received the free sample of meat we sent you” and then went on to deliver their commercial about their extraordinary meat. Now really, who delivers fresh meat in the mail to consumers who are not expecting it? This is just stupid. They did not ship me meat, they are just hoping I’ll call back so they can sell me some.

I’m not sure what makes me more frustrated, the fact that sales people still use these tactics, or that consumers are still falling for them. I realize its kind of a “chicken or the egg” argument. I wish it would stop because every time a lie is used, all sales people get branded with the same brush, making our jobs as real professionals even harder.

LAST one I promise….A couple weeks ago I was writing in my office and Casey was informed that I was blocking all calls except for one from a particular vendor. When she answered, I heard her ask “Oh hi Joe, are you the Joe from XYZ’s office?” and then she put the call through. I answered expecting my vendor and it wasn’t. So I had to ask, “why did you say you from XYZ office when you were not?” he replied, because I thought it would get me through to you?. I asked him if he knew what we did for a living (which he didn’t , so now he has two strikes – the second for not being prepared) and then I gave him a quick sales lesson about what lying got him, offered to sell him Honesty Sells at a discount rate because he needed it and told him not to call again. OUCH!

Yes….OK I was harsh. I am just so sick of blatantly ad and rude sales behavior. Remember our number 1 rule….BE NICE!

Dediciated to increasing your sales,

Colleen