Archive for the ‘Sales’ Category
Why You Should Stop Being a Wimp
Who succeeds in the world of work? It’s not the person that sits back and takes no chances. This is a great article from Suzanne Lucas.
http://www.bnet.com/blog/evil-hr-lady/why-you-should-stop-being-a-wimp/2671
“Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.”
“Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.”
Coach Wooden’s quote is more important today than ever before. The rapid changes and multitude of inputs that surround us can be overwhelming. What should I do now? How can I ensure we can still win tomorrow?
One of the most important questions to ask today is, “What should I QUIT doing?”
We keep hearing that little voice in our heads telling us “winners never quit.” Unfortunately, that little voice does not always tell us what we really need to hear. We need to continually challenge and sometimes quit doing things that used to work but now get in the way of success.
- Quit Taking a Ride . . . and Take the Wheel
- Quit Getting Comfortable . . . and Explore the Edge
- Quit Analyzing . . . and Follow your Intuition
- Quit Managing your Time . . . and Manage your Attention
- Quit Showing Interest . . . and Commit
- Quit Moving . . . and Be Still
- Quit Striving for Success . . . and Seek Significance
Lee J. Colan, Ph.D. is President of The L Group, Inc., a Dallas, Texas-based consulting firm. He is a high-energy leadership advisor, author and leadership expert. Dr. Colan has a great insight and tools to help with change. Contact me and I will make the introduction.
Graciousness can pay priceless dividends.
When it comes to serving customers, working with employees or just dealing with people, Bob Greene writes on how graciousness can pay priceless dividends. And it doesn’t cost a thing.
4-star general, 5-star grace
You may have heard the story about what happened between White House adviser Valerie Jarrett and Four-star Army Gen. Peter Chiarelli at a recent Washington dinner.
As reported by the website Daily Caller, Jarrett, a longtime Chicago friend of President Obama, was seated at the dinner when a general — later identified as Chiarelli, the No. 2-ranking general in the U.S. Army hierarchy, who was also a guest at the gathering — walked behind her. Chiarelli was in full dress uniform.
Jarrett, apparently only seeing Chiarelli’s striped uniform pants, thought that he was a waiter. She asked him to get her a glass of wine.
She was said to be mortified as soon as she realized her mistake, and who wouldn’t be? But the instructive part of this tale is what Chiarelli did next.
Rather than take offense, or try to make Jarrett feel small for her blunder, the general, in good humor, went and poured her a glass of wine. It was evident that he wanted to defuse the awkward moment, and to let Jarrett know that she should not feel embarrassed.
As Chiarelli wrote in an e-mail to CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr:
“It was an honest mistake that ANYONE could have made. She was sitting, I was standing and walking behind her and all she saw were the two stripes on my pants which were almost identical to the waiters’ pants — REALLY. She apologized and will come to the house for dinner if a date can be worked out in March.”
Now, even if you’ve never met Chiarelli or followed him in the news, you have to be impressed with him after hearing that story. With his lofty rank in the military, he could have given Jarrett the deep freeze, reproached her and corrected her. But he poured her the wine — “It was only good fun,” he wrote to Starr — and invited her to a meal at his home. He came out of the incident as a decent and magnanimous person.
It’s easy to do, if you care about other people’s feelings. Sportswriters who covered the National Basketball Association in the late 1980s and 1990s like to tell a story about Karl Malone, the great forward for the Utah Jazz. It seems that one day in the baggage-claim area of the Salt Lake City airport, a woman was trying to lift her bags from the carousel and, seeing Malone, who was there to pick up his brother from an arriving flight, mistook him for a skycap.
She asked him to carry her bags to her car.
Malone was a wealthy and world-famous athlete at the time. He could so easily have hurt the woman’s feelings, rebuked her. But what did he do?
According to longtime Salt Lake Tribune sports reporter Steve Luhm, who covered the incident at the time and who confirmed it to me last week, Malone carried the woman’s bags all the way to her car. Only when she reached for her purse to give him a tip did he in a friendly manner introduce himself and decline the offer.
One of the most indelible stories about a person going out of his way to avoid humiliating another person was told in Gay Talese’s 1966 Esquire article “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold,” widely considered to be perhaps the finest magazine profile ever written.
In the article, Talese described a party at the home of Sinatra’s former wife, at which Sinatra, who maintained cordial relations with her, was acting as host. A young woman at the party, according to Talese, “while leaning against a table, accidentally with her elbow knocked over one of a pair of alabaster birds to the floor, smashing it to pieces.”
Talese wrote that Sinatra’s daughter Nancy, also a guest at the party, started to say: “Oh, that was one of my mother’s favorite…”
Talese continued:
“But before she could complete the sentence, Sinatra glared at her, cutting her off, and while 40 other guests in the room all stared in silence, Sinatra walked over, quickly with his finger flicked the other alabaster bird off the table, smashing it to pieces, and then put an arm gently around [the young woman] and said, in a way that put her completely at ease, ‘That’s OK, kid.’ ”
It can work the other way, too, and can be remembered just as long. I was once working on a profile of a famous singer, also for Esquire, and one evening we rode in his limousine to a concert hall. As he walked backstage he was stopped by a young, nervous and inexperienced usher with a clipboard who had been assigned to make certain everyone in the area was authorized. The usher asked the famous singer if he was the comedian who would open the show.
The singer did not speak to the young usher or make eye contact with him, but instead walked immediately over to a person in the management of the auditorium and demanded that the usher be dismissed.
The singer, in trying to make the young man who had made a mistake feel small, had only managed to make himself seem tiny. What Gen. Chiarelli did, though — like Karl Malone, like Frank Sinatra — was to demonstrate, instinctively and in an instant, what it means to be a big person.
The rest of us may never reach the exalted status of those three men. But kindness knows no social stratum. Every day, we’re given the choice. Consideration? It’s free of charge. It can echo forever.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/02/13/greene.gracious.gesture/index.html
The Great Business Discovery of 2010
Do you know what’s working and not working in your business? Are you following old habits or developing new and innovative ways to serve your customers? The article below comes from an email newsletter I have subscribed to for years. If you are a business leader with three or more employees in the Dallas/Fort Worth area you need to attend the Untyed, Connecting Leaders events. Investing an hour of your time will pay great dividends. Check them out at www.untyed.com.
Bill
Welcome to TIPS for Extraordinary Living!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Written & Published by Philip E. Humbert, PhD
Strictly Business: The Great Business Discovery of 2010
We are nearing the end of 2010 and one of the most important
(and profitable) investments you can make is to review the
past few months very, very carefully.
To an amazing degree, we humans are creatures of habit. We are
great examples of Newton’s law that, “a body set in motion
tends to remain in motion.” We tend to plunge eagerly ahead,
repeating yesterday’s mistakes and failing to learn from
experience. Yes, we take great pride in the fact that we “can”
learn, but my observation is that we rarely do.
We tend to assume that what worked last year will continue to
work next year. We know intellectually that we should be
innovative, creative and original, but in our daily work it’s
easy to follow old habits, whether they still work or not.
When Jack Welch was the head of General Electric, he insisted
that half the company’s profits come from products and
services that were less than five years old. Why? Because he
knew that yesterday’s methods won’t fit tomorrow’s world.
Take time — several hours if necessary — to review the
following questions:
1. What worked best last year? What surprised me, inspired me
or taught me something new for my work or business?
2. What did not work, or is working less and less well? What
was less profitable or less effective than I expected? What
should I drop altogether in the new year?
3. What’s new in my field? What are my colleagues doing that I
should apply to my business?
One of the absolute BEST things any professional,
business owner or manager can do is invest in seminars
and conferences. The chance to get away and “see the forest
for the trees” is incredibly valuable. Conferences generate
new perspectives, and new ideas create vast new opportunities!
Invest in yourself!
Copyright (c) 2010, all rights reserved.
U.S. Library of Congress ISSN: 1529-059X
You may copy, forward or distribute TIP’s if this
copyright notice and full information for contacting
Dr Philip E. Humbert are included. Contact him at:
www.philiphumbert.com or email: Coach@philiphumbert.com.
Tips for maximizing your LinkedIn profile and exposure.
Good article by Stephanie Frasco on using LinkedIn as a personal branding and marketing tool:
9 Tips For Building, Branding and Maximizing Your Profile And Exposure on LinkedIn
August 10, 2010 by Stephanie Frasco
While LinkedIn might be the old dog in the Social Media race, it still remains as one of the most powerful tools in Business Building and Connecting online.
Where Facebook might be getting all of the press, LinkedIn offers something that Facebook cannot – a “Business-Only” platform for building your brand, product, and personal profile.
Just one look at the statistics and it is apparent that LinkedIn must not be ignored, but should be embraced.
• LinkedIn has over 70 million members in over 200 countries.
• A little over half of them are from outside the US
• A new member joins LinkedIn approximately every second
• 85% of them are online everyday
• Over 7 million are Business Decision Makers
• There were more than a billion people-searches through the site last year
• 50% of Fortune 100 companies hire through LinkedIn
4 Types of LinkedIn users
According to a great report by Anderson Analytics there are 4 types of LinkedIn users all with their own personalities and way of using the site.
1. “Savvy Networkers” (est. 9 million) are likely to have started using social networking earlier than others, are more tech savvy, and more likely to be active on other SNS sites like Facebook. Savvy Networkers have the most connections (61 on average) and are more likely than other segments to use LinkedIn for a wide variety of purposes other than job searching. Savvy Networkers have the second highest average personal income ($93,500) and may often have the word “Consultant” in their job description.
2. “Senior Executives” (est. 8.4 million) are somewhat less tech savvy and is using LinkedIn to connect to their existing corporate networks. They have power jobs which they are quite content with, and are likely to have been invited by a colleague and then realized how many key contacts were on the site and started building connections (32 on average). Senior Executives have the highest average personal income ($104,000) and have titles such as Owner, Partner, Executive, or Associate.
3. “Late Adopters” (est. 6.6 million) are likely to have received numerous requests from friends and co-workers before deciding to join. They are somewhat less tech savvy and are careful in how they use LinkedIn, tending to connect only to close friends and colleagues and have the fewest number of connections (23 on average). Late Adopters have the lowest average personal income ($88,000) and have titles such as Teacher, Medical Professional, Lawyer, or the word “Account” or “Assistant” in their job description.
4. “Exploring Options” (est. 6.1 million) may be working, but are open and looking for other job options often on CareerBuilder.com, perhaps in part because they have the lowest average personal income ($87,500). They are fairly tech savvy and use SNS for both corporate and personal interests.
With 70 million people on LinkedIn and tons of people actively using LinkedIn your profile needs to stand out.
9 Tips To Maximizing Your Exposure on LinkedIn:
1. HAVE AN SEO KEYWORD HEAVY PROFILE
There are over a billion people searches a year on LinkedIn. This means that most likely they are searching for keywords, different types of people, positions, and brands. Your profile should be rich in the keywords that relate to you. These keywords should be the ones that people want to find you by. They should range from broad to highly specific and targeted. A good place to put these besides your bio is in the “Specialties” category.
Think in terms of SEO here, content is King. The more keywords you have the better chances you have of being found. This goes for an internet search as well as a LinkedIn search. Beyond getting you more visibility on LinkedIN it will also get more click through traffic from the internet.
2. MAKE YOUR HEADLINE POP!
Your headline is the first thing that people may read so you want it to be catchy. For example, Social Media Guru, doesn’t really do the job because there are millions of people out there claiming to be one. Mini-Social Media Mogul on the other hand might grab the attention of more people. Lure them in with your headline and wow them with your expertise. Remember you only have 120 characters to lure them in…so think about it and make it standout!
Another tip – if you want to open yourself up to new ventures and opportunities is to add your email to your headline. As many people do not have the upgraded feature and thus won’t be able to email you through the LinkedIn service. I have seen many profiles do this, and when it comes to outreach on my side, it made my life much easier!
3. BE A BLOGGER!
Now you might be saying, what does a blog have to do with LinkedIn, and I will get to that in the next tip. But for now read on and see why blogging is so important.
Blogging is the key component to building and branding yourself as an expert. It also adds trust. The more information you give, the more likely someone is to trust you. I think everyone should have a blog or at the very least own their own domain with their name in it. – StephanieFrasco.com – for example. (That’s me).
Now you might be saying, blogging, ugh how am I supposed to find the time for that. While it might be time consuming, it is very important for your overall success and branding of your name. This could be a micro-blog or even blog clippings from other blogs relating to your industry and the news around it.
If you absolutely don’t have time to blog, buy your domain name and hire SEOARTICLEWRITINGPROS.com, They are an amazing company that produces great quality, keyword heavy work for very low prices. Like I said before, the blog is crucial.
4. OPTIMIZE THAT BLOG
So here is why that blog is important on LinkedIn. Once you have the blog set up, you can connect it to LinkedIn. Just as NetworkedBlogs auto-publishes to facebook, LinkedIn has a similar application that allows you to autopublish to your profile. Everytime you publish a new blog it will be published into Linkedin. (To set it up go here.)
5. ADD OTHER APPLICATIONS TO YOUR BLOG
Like all Social Tools these days LinkedIn has added a lot of new applications to enhance your profile. They are there for a reason…USE THEM! Some of my favorites are:
A. Twitter Connection to LinkedIn
If you have looked at your LinkedIn homepage recently you will see the most recent updates from your connection’s twitter account. They have set this up by using the Twitter App. This is important to do because it means your name will be shown more often on news feeds and if the information is relevant new people will follow you and or the organization. This goes the same for Updating your status.
LinkedIn has recently added the Like & Comment feature Facebook uses as well, which will increase your visibility if people like and comment on your statuses. (Of course follow me on twitter.)
B. Creative Porfolio
This is essential for anyone in the creative arena of work. Whether you are a designer, photographer, fashion stylist, makeup artist, costume designer, artist, or anyone who has a portfolio to share. Now this application is a joint venture with the Behance network, which if you are a designer or artist you are most likely already on this network, thus you can pull your work directly from there. If you are not already on the Behance network – sign up now!
This will allow people to browse your work and hopefully hire you! It saves time and lost opportunity as LinkedIn users can browse all the necessary aspects of who you are straight from your profile without getting lost in the sea of information out there.
C. My Travel (powered by TripIt.com)
This is a great application for business travelers and public speakers. Often times we have many contacts abroad and this application allows you show your trips planned. Perhaps if it works out you can meet up with contacts and actually build a relationship face to face!
This is also an application based on an online site called TripIt – if you have an account you can easily add your trips from your account or directly from the application on LinkedIn.
D. Google or Slideshare Presentation
Google and Slideshare presentations are a professional way to introduce yourself and your work. Add a presentation to your LinkedIn profile to showcase a recent talk or presentation, display a visual portfolio of your professional accomplishments, introduce yourself to recruiters and professional contacts viewing your profile.
E. Real Estate Pro
This is essential for Real Estate Agents and Brokers in both the commercial and residential spaces.
Real Estate Pro is the easiest way to stay informed about your local real estate and office space marketplace. Use it to find office space listings for lease and property for sale. Follow and connect with active brokers and professionals, track new property listings and see the latest deals in your market.
Real estate professionals: Use Real Estate Pro to feature property listings and promote client transactions on your Linkedin profile. Easily share your work and completed deals with your business connections, track your market, create a following, promote your expertise and develop new business.
Family Shoutout - If you are looking for commercial real estate in the Greater Los Angeles Area, do contact the one and only Bruce Frasco. He is my dad and a life long real estate professional. Tell him I sent you and he will hook you up! Frasco – style! You can also reach him on LinkedIn.
6. BECOME A GROUP LEADER AND ENCOURAGE CONVERSATION
Make an interesting group that is relevant to your industry and invite your contacts. That is the easy part. Encouraging conversation, now that is the harder part. Talk about relevant news, introduce yourself and your company and keep the conversation flowing. By doing this, you and your profile will pop up all over the place. It will pop up in the group, in the email digest, and throughout the site. So even if you aren’t connected to certain group members personally, you are branding their name by sending out messages and discussions in the group.
6a. Join Other Groups that are related to your industry
SIMPLE ENOUGH! But you will also want to contribute relevant and interesting content. Post news, articles, share your blog, etc. Any conversation starting is a good thing!
7. ANSWER QUESTIONS IN THE Q&A SECTION
Being and expert is everything! Answering questions can help you achieve that status. Search for and answer relevant questions that will brand you as an expert. These will be seen by everyone and can be searched by anyone so this is a very important aspect.
TIP: Set up an RSS Feed for LinkedIN Questions, so that you can be notified of the related questions that interest the business or industry you are branding yourself in. This way you don’t have to waste time.
For more on Questions for Facebook See Here
8. TRANSLATE YOUR PROFILE INTO DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
LinkedIn now has the option to translate your profile into different languages. This will help you get found by those in different countries. It might be a good idea to translate to a language of the country you do a lot of business in to build your presence there. It is simple to use and will expose you to a whole new audience!
9. USE A VANITY URL
If you haven’t done so already, claim your own LinkedIn vanity URL, to solidify your own professional brand. In a world where everything is searchable…You need to own YOUR search.
http://socialmediatoday.com/stephanie-frasco/159321/9-tips-building-branding-and-maximizing-your-profile-and-exposure-linkedin
Sales Leaders: Is Your Sales Organization Visible, Accountable and Predictable?
My friend, Rick Toma, of Metricsboard has some great advice for sales leaders.
Sales Leaders: Is Your Sales Organization Visible, Accountable and Predictable?
August 6th, 2010 by Rick Toma
Think about this a minute or two. You are a sales leader. The size of your organization does not matter. The product or the service you are selling, does not matter. Your competition does not really matter. Price or margins do not matter. This question focuses on sales behaviors, culture and communication.
There is an old expression. “What I don’t know won’t hurt me.” I, personally, hate this expression and look at it as an excuse and not a reason for why things are the way they are. Awareness is the cornerstone for action, results and ultimately, accountability. First, one must have that desire to “know” and accept that maybe, just maybe, he or she does not know everything.
In my years of working with and within sales organizations, I have just about seen the spectrum of what makes a good sales organization and what is missing in those that, let’s say, are not that good. Almost in all cases, I hear excuses and not reasons. And, when all the dialogue ends and the dust settles, it fundamentally comes down to the question, above. How visible is the sales effort that is so crucial for business success? Are your sales performers accountable for their degree of effort and the subsequent results? Can you rely on what you are being shown or told that translates into real and sustainable revenue?
Let’s examine these key 3 critical success components, individually.
- Visibility: Visibility is the knowledge of what is going on in all phases or facets of the sales process. I don’t think that I know of any sales organization where there are not one or two (or more) sales people that hold back just a little on their prospect churn or soon to close clients. The reason? It’s the sales performer’s way of managing the boss’s expectations. They would rather delight than disappoint. That unanticipated win makes him or her heroes! And, should that boss be in bliss over the unexpected windfall? That answer should be categorically NO! That is just one example of visibility. Another example includes the maintaining and communication of a complete pipeline by individual performer. A pipeline report is not just the highest likelihood for close of the top prospects. It should include the good, the bad and the ugly. How else can one manage individual performance? And, it is not so bad an idea that those who are long in effort and short on results be known in larger circles than just with the boss. Visibility such as this leads to the next component…accountability. More on that a little latter. In summary, visibility requires standard processes, standard rules and standard measures/expectations for success. All must be thoroughly communicated and understood by all. No exceptions. And those who break or bend the rules risk adverse monetary actions or formal disciplinary action.
- Accountability: How many times have you, as a sales leader, had an individual whose pipeline was always full to the max, had high probability to close projections and when month-end came around, there was nothing? These individuals are self proclaimed students of the art of sales, attend regular training and always are so busy and harried; you can’t corner them for even 10 minutes. These are people who think success is measured by activity and not necessarily by results. Most sales organizations have a smattering of these individuals and they are often, difficult to deal with. There is always an excuse(s) as to why those close projections did not materialize. But, there is always the next entry in the pipeline that will, for sure, close. As common as this is, there is simple explanation for the non-performance. This type of individual has not taken accountability for what that individual has taken on with the role in the first place. That being the closing of business and the generation of revenue. Period. Underlying reasons can vary from lack of communicated and understood goals, to too high of salaries, to lack of feedback or management complacency. The list can go on. However, attracting and retaining sales performers who know what is expected from him or her and signing up or owning up to that expectation is absolutely critical to sales success. They also know that not living up to that commitment means no job. As sales leaders it is incumbent upon each of us to thoroughly communicate and reinforce what is expected of each sales individual, the upsides, the downsides and the support they can expect in order to be successful. Frankly, a sales organization that is not 100% accountable is a sales organization that is doomed to live in one form or another of mediocrity, at best, and be an inexhaustible expense drain with little to show for it.
- Predictable: How perfect a world this would be if every individual sales projection was 100% perfect 100% of the time! Unfortunately, that scenario just does not happen. However, just getting to a “reasonable” percentage for purposes of forecasting is a mega challenge, particularly in today’s economic times. What is a reasonable percentage of projected to actual close? I’ve seen as little as less than 10% and as high as 66%. The challenge is not so much the figure, but what you can rely upon from your sales organization. Of course, you want that figure to be as high as possible. Sales predictability can arguably be a product of the previous two discussions around visibility and accountability.
Given the instituting of process, structure and discipline combined with honest and ongoing communication, you are on the road to having that sales organization that is visible, accountable and predictable.
Now, here is the kicker. This road travels both directions. As you desire and ultimately expect your sales organization to be more visible, accountable and predictable, you best ask yourself if you are visible, accountable and predictable. Anything short of your not walking your talk spells frustration, mixed signaling and falling short of expectations. But, that is the topic for another discussion.
About Metricsboard: We are an online benchmark company that provides free business performance benchmark assessments. The benchmarks are automated and take less than 10 minutes online to complete. In return, you receive a full results report with comparison data on best practices, a maturity rating against your competitors (peer group) and strategic recommendations. There is a complimentary benchmark you can take for Web 2.0 Marketing, B2B Sales, IT Infrastructure, Human Resources, Procurement and Corporate Communications. Your privacy is protected and you will not receive any sales follow-up calls.
http://www.metricsboard.com/blog/?p=251
Building a Winning Sales Team to Compete in Today’s Economy
If you are a business owner or chief executive with dedicated sales people in the north Dallas, Collin County area, you should attend this forum. The contact information for registration is at the bottom of the post.
CEO Executive Forum
Building a Winning Sales Team to Compete in Today’s Economy
August 6, 2010
9:45 a.m. – 12:00 Noon
Addison, TX
A Few Topics That Will Be Covered:
- How to find & keep “A” players.
- How to motivate sales people who are in a comfort zone.
- Why management may be half of the problem.
- Can you rely on your sales team to reach your goals?
- Why most sales people have so much in the pipeline, yet fail to close deals.
- How to determine if your existing salespeople have what it takes to grow your company.
- How hidden weaknesses sabotage a sales persons ability to deal with objections regardless of how much motivation and support you provide.
- Why sales people consistently cut price, which impacts your profit margins.
- Whether your sales people have the crucial elements for sales success and how to obtain them.
Sandler Training is a world leader in innovative sales and sales management training. For more than 40 years, Sandler has taught its distinctive, non-traditional selling system and highly effective sales training methodology, which has helped salespeople and sales managers take charge of the process.
Our training is designed to create lasting “performance improvement” rather than the motivational “quick fix” typical of many seminar-based training programs. To help you accomplish your goals, Sandler provides “reinforcement training,” a system that combines quality materials along with access to ongoing training workshops and individual coaching sessions. Through our local training centers, we provide continuing face-to-face support and reinforcement of the world’s most successful selling system.
At Sandler, we understand that business success is directly related to the effectiveness of upper- and mid-level managers within an organization. Sandler’s management solutions help managers at all levels become more effective communicators, better mentors and coaches, and competent managers of change.
Sandler has been awarded the #1 ranking for training programs in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Franchise 500” nine times since 1994, the most recent being for 2010.
For more information or to register, contact:
David Wuensch
TrustPoint Management Group, LLC
972-354-1746
dwuensch@trustpointllc.com
Think and Speak Results
Many of us call or have employees who call potential customers every day. Jill Konrath makes an excellent point. We need to be thinking results from the beginning.
Jill Konrath
In the movie Jerry Maguire, when Tom Cruise is in the midst of his proposal to Dorothy, she stops him with, “You had me at hello.” Every seller dreams of hearing those exact same words when they approach corporate decision makers.
Unfortunately, the opposite usually occurs. Instead of capturing their prospect’s attention, most sellers create resistance with their opening remarks and blow the opportunity.
Why do bad things like that happen to good people?
In short, weak value propositions.
If you’re running into trouble cracking into corporate accounts, most likely the root cause is your failure to clearly articulate the business outcomes that customers realize from using your products, services or solutions.
A couple weeks ago, I did a new exercise while training a group of sellers. In small groups, they rated common value propositions that sellers could use when prospecting for new customers.
Using a 1-10 (tops) scale, they evaluated value propositions such as these on their effectiveness in initiating change from the status quo:
__ We offer one-stop shopping for all your (fill in the blank) needs.
__ We’re the industry leader in (fill in the blank) and have been
recognized for our exceptional (fill in the blank).
__ We specialize in ( fill in the blank) and work with well-known
clients such as Microsoft, Best Buy and Kraft.
After serious discussion amongst the sellers, these value propositions received scores between 4-6. Their rationale? They were nice benefit statements about the company, but not quite as punchy as they could have been.
Since my book, Selling to Big Companies, was required reading prior to the session, I assumed these sellers would ace this exercise. Not so! In fact, they were way off.
The truth is that all the above value propositions really deserve a score of one. Not four. Not six. Just a measly score of one.
“C’mon, Jill,” you might be saying. “How can that be? They’re not horrible statements. They’re nice.”
Yes, they are nice. I’ll give you that. But they’re grossly ineffective and that’s why they rated so poorly.
Capturing the Decision Maker’s Attention
While those commonly used value propositions listed above might be important at some point in the decision process, they’re totally and utterly worthless when prospecting.
When it comes to capturing a decision maker’s attention, here’s what you need to think about:
- Strong value propositions pique curiosity and entice. When prospects hear them, they want to learn more.
- Strong value propositions create a stark contrast from the status quo. When prospects hear them, they’re willing to consider making a change.
Consider this: If you were on the other end of the phone and a seller called with this message, what would your impression be?
“Eric. Jill Konrath calling from Selling to Big Companies. We offer one-stop shopping for all your sales training needs – everything from lead generation to closing. We use state-of-the-art methodologies to ensure our training sticks.”
Does it entice you? Not one iota. Does it get you to consider switching sales training vendors? Not likely. Does it make you want to invest lots of money that’s currently allocated elsewhere? Not on your life.
Statements about your company and what it does are NOT value propositions. Period. They are not value propositions.
If you want to get decision makers “at hello”, you need to clearly articulate the results the customers can expect from using your product, service or solution. That’s results, spelled R-E-S-U-L-T-S.
For example, a few months ago I trained the national accounts team of a well-known media company. All sellers identified one large corporate client with whom they wanted to set up a meeting.
As a result of the workshop, 87% of the sales force landed an appointment with their targeted account.
Those outcomes are unheard of in my business. Virtually every Vice President of Sales will want to learn more.
That’s the power of a strong value proposition. Even decision makers who weren’t considering a change will think it’s worth their time to find out about the sellers offering.
If you really want to “get them at hello,” then make sure you:
Talk results.
Decision makers don’t care about your products or services. They only care about the results they’ll see. Stress that and you’ll catch their attention. Omit those results and you’ve lost them.
Get real.
Refer to actual client successes and include measures or statistics. Success stories from other companies in their industry are especially compelling. By giving specific examples, you really pique their curiosity.
Test your message.
After you’ve planned what to say, ask, “If I were the decision maker, would this message entice me? Would it make me want to spend an hour of my valuable time with this person?”
If your answer isn’t a resounding yes, rework and revise your message till it is enticing. Don’t leave it to chance. Don’t hope that it will work. Your job is to make it so compelling that your decision makers “get it at hello.”
Jill Konrath, author of Selling to Big Companies, helps sellers crack into corporate accounts, shorten sales cycles and win big contracts. She’s a frequent speaker at annual sales meetings, kick-off events and professional conferences. For timely and provocative sales advice, visit www.SellingtoBigCompanies.com
http://www.telesalesmagic.com/prospecting/losing-them-at-hello/