S&MM SoundOff

The Zen Master Parable

(As told to Tom Richards)

A business-owner journeyed to the mountain one day.  His business was failing and his sales staff was not producing much volume.  He had heard of a Zen Master who lived on the mountain and hoped the Zen Master would give him a solution to his problem.

Upon reaching the summit, he entered the Zen Master’s cave and sat before the wise man.  He said:  Oh great one, my business is failing and my people are selling very little.  They are discouraged and so am I.  What shall I do?

The Zen Master closed his eyes and was silent for what seemed like a very long time.  Finally, he opened his eyes and in a solemn voice said:  Train your staff in ‘people skills’ continuously.

The retailer cried out:  But Master, what if I train them and they leave me?

The Zen Master closed his eyes again, deep in thought. 

Finally, he replied:  What if you don’t train them and they stay?

The retailer returned from the mountain with this newly found strategy and became very successful.

The Zen Master became known far and wide as a brilliant advisor and people came from afar to ask for his wisdom as a strategist.  Soon after, he became the governor of Arkansas. 

And you know the rest of that story.

Tom Richards is president of 1 on 1 strategies inc in Santa Fe. He has been a customer communications and guest satisfaction consultant for 27 years.

Happy Employees Want to Stay

By Mona Piontkowski (www.SeminarInformation.com)

As the baby boomers start to reach retirement age employers are faced with the prospects of a diminishing supply of potential employees. It has become very important to nurture those workers you already have in place. 'Employee Retention Strategies' given by the American Management Association (http://www.seminarinformation.com/event/22900 ) is a great starting

point. The seminar 'Talent Development: Strategies to Manage and Grow Your Organization's Future' (http://www.seminarinformation.com/event/23755) is another place to look for help.

When an employee leaves they take with them the experience and company knowledge they have accumulated during their employ. The relationships with customers they have developed and the expected customer service they have provided may no longerbe available to regular customers who have grown used to dealing with this one employee. So it is even more important to keep those workers you already employee in place and happy. Unhappy employess cost additional money in lost customers, errors in job tasks and creating an atmosphere that effects co-workers and creates a general feeling of dissatisfaction in the workplace. Successful Solutions for Unacceptable Employee Behavior ( http://www.seminarinformation.com/event/19991) can help you deal with those troublesome employees and get the team back on track.

Sometimes the employee doesn't even realize that there is a problem until it is too late. How many

times have you had to terminate an employee and during the exit interview they express shock for

they thought they were doing a fine job. It is important to communicate any problems with employees

as they arise. Performance Appraisals and Coaching Skills (http://www.seminarinformation.com/event/1566) seminar is a good guide to how to let the employee know what the problem is and how to work together to solve the problem before an unwanted outcome.

It has been estimated that replacement costs 30-50% of the annual salary of entry-level personnel,

150% for mid-level employees and 400% for specialized, high-level workers. So loss of employees

can certainly effect the bottom line in the time it takes to hire and train new employees and bring

them up to speed.

Sustainable Intuition?

By Arupa Tesolin (Author of ting!, Speaker, Trainer & Consultant)

Intuition is sustainable, green and a big part of what contributes to innovation in business.  The problem? It's not well enough understood and under-used. But we can make it work for us. My book ting! - A Surprising Way to Listen to Intuition & Do Business Better is launching in North America.  An entire community of Intuition Specialists have gathered together to support the idea of encouraging intuition in business through ting!  (Participate in ting!'s web-launch by Friday Oct. 26th & get an Intuitive Consultation, Coaching and lots of free goodies at http://www.intuita.com/ting.htm)

ting! is a powerful story along the lines of Fish and Who Moved My Cheese that illustrates how a conscious connection with intuition can really change your life for the better. The book offers some key ingredients for a healthy organization. In ting! Tony, is a young sales professional whose world is looking good but feeling a bit sluggish.  He first laughs when his mentor suggests learning more about intuition. But that's just the beginning. What he does next surprises everyone but mostly himself. A ting! is the sound of intuition striking an open mind. Through Tony's journey, readers begin to discover how ting's show up in their own lives. 

Growing intuition skills--and confidence in them--will enhance your ability to be a more powerful communicator, strengthen your relationships and people skills, help you make better and wiser decisions & be more innovative and creative.  The business appeal of ting! is that it shows how to connect the invisible dots between someone who experiences an intuitive insight and creates tangible business result shows a clear-cut business case for intuition that your colleagues, managers, executives & team members will appreciate which legitimizes intuition and its bottom-line significance. The book goes on to list Starter Steps that companies can take to develop intuition skills at work which have a positive impact on performance, productivity diversity and innovation.

The Gallup Organization conservatively estimates the annual economic cost to the American economy from the approximately 22 million American workers who are extremely negative or "actively disengaged" to be between $250 and $300 billion. Have you ever wondered, as I have, what the cost of not being intuitive is?  Think about it.  How many products, communications, services, interfaces would have been more successful if they had been applied with intuition in mind.  How much productivity and time do you think we've lost because our thinking has been too left-brained & linear? If you have been working to implement intuition skills and intuitive design in your workplace or thinking about it I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Holiday Sales Tips

It's safe to say we'd all like to be better at our jobs next year than we are today. I was recently sent this useful list of New Year's resolutions from Seleste Lunsford, Director of the Leadership Portfolio for AchieveGlobal, a sales training and consulting firm. It just might help you get 2008 off on the right foot:

1.) I will build my pipeline all year, not just in spurts. 

2.) I will balance new business development with current account management. 

3.) I will spend more time with clients and less time on administrative tasks. 

4.) I will manage my email; it will not manage me. 

5.) I will delegate some activities to trusted teammates. 

6.) I will become more knowledgeable about a specific industry, market or product. 

7.) I will read more, research more and be more credible. 

8.) I will not chase dead-end opportunities. 

9.) I will sell a product or service that I have never sold before. 

10.) I will use my sales force automation system as a productivity tool.

Seleste also provides some quick tips on getting the last bit of revenue into 2007:

•Focus on business clients who are not seasonal (seasonal clients are too busy to talk now). That said …

•Call seasonal clients if you can help them in the immediate term .

•Try to get customers to pilot test solutions . This provides some revenue now, but gets you qualified opportunities going into next year. 

•Think beyond the moment. Don't make any deals on December 31 that you are going to regret on January 1. 

•Target your current accounts and look for incremental up-sell opportunities. 

•Focus on products and services that do not take a lot of implementation support. 

•Build your pipeline for 2008! 

•Conduct year-end business reviews with key clients and see what opportunities might arise.

Great New Book on Marketing & PR

By TJ McCue, Q4 Sales

It has been a while since i've posted. Shame on me. But i've been lurking and reading the great posts people share. I'm excited by the energy here in Soundoff and the cool work Stacy is undertaking to make this an even more successful blog/community.

I have a new book i've been reading and many of you might find it interesting. "The New Rules of Marketing & PR" by David Meerman Scott. New Rules

Since this is part of what i do for a living, i'm a bit reluctant to recommend it. But not really. It is such a useful and well-done book. It can help but raise the tide for all of us trying to encourage good thought leadership with our clients.

Meerman writes on his homepage, "The best way to reach your buyers directly is through online thought leadership strategies including blogs, Web news releases, ebooks, and viral marketing."  He shares some great examples and encouraging tips. Check out his site and peruse the book at your local Borders or Barnes! 

Technorati Tags: marketing, PR, Thought Leadership,

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First Contact: Are You Ready?

First Contact: Are You Ready?

The Paramount Pictures film First Contact is the story of the first contact of the human species with extraterrestrials (Vulcans). The Borg travelled back in time to prevent it from happening as part of their plot to subjugate the human race.

Today, companies face a similar challenge in business. Sure most processes are optimized for the existing customer who knows what to expect. But, what impression does that first contact by a potential buyer make? And in the world of 'instant information gratification' or as the Ask.com people say, 'getification' what are the right approaches to take in the web, in email response and in telephone answering practices that would maximize the impression and maximize the potential of that first contact?

My company, Brockmann & Company recently published a report for marketers, webmasters and email administrators that set out to answer these questions. Here are three key findings:

Email is king of first contact.

Half of our business-to-business buyers chose email as their first contact mechanism of choice. So, email is a very important mode of communicating with potential vendors. Buyers chose this mode because it was most convenient - took the least amount of time (compared to a phone call) and could be initiated in a short period of time. Larger buyers were 50% more likely to use email than lesser buyers.

Open contact counts.

83% of buyers said that their perception of a vendor would improve if email and telephone information for real persons were made available on the website. How to use web forms (see example here) to do this is discussed in the report.

Anti-spam security technologies used by the seller matters.

9% of respondents thought a challenge email (reply to the original email to guarantee delivery to the intended person) was frustrating, yet getting their email trapped in the vendor's spam folder was 4 four times MORE frustrating. In fact, getting no response from the vendor was considered less frustrating than having email trapped in the vendor's spam folder. That's because spam filtering continues to inspect incoming email from legitimate business contacts and often interfere with the user's experience with email. Challenge-response technology does not interfere with email from approved senders, they only effect the first time contact, and in this study, the 260 buyers surveyed saw it as an advantage.

The report is available for a limited time as a free download. Check it out.

Peter Brockmann is a high tech consultant and market researcher. Learn more at www.brockmann.com.

Where has our pride gone for a job well done?

By Mona Piontkowski (www.SeminarInformation.com)

On my recent trip to Europe I forgot how nice it was to have the service charge included in the price of my meal. How many times have you sat in a restaurant and agonized over how much to tip for the so-so service you just received - knowing that you'll have to get up and bolt from the table if you tip too little as you hurry towards the exit.

It was interesting the amount of pride I encountered - as even the least paid workers did the best possible job - as if I were the most important customer they encountered that day. Where has this pride of accomplishment gone in this country? How many times have you stood in a store while the clerk chats away on the cell phone oblivious to your very existence. You know if you questioned them their immediate answer probably would be - hey I don't get paid enough to give you service. How many times have you had to send back the too cold soup or the underdone steak? And then be faced with the sigh and wrath of the server. Even in the drive thru when asked "anything else" and you ask for ketchup - you get that sigh. When did we stop taking pride in what we do and develop that sigh - you know, you've heard it.

Why is it necessary for seminar companies to give courses like "The Basics of Knock-Your-Socks-Off Customer Service" (http://www.seminarinformation.com/event/15498)? Shouldn't we already know how to knock the socks off of our customers so we can sell them new socks?

Where has our sense of a job well done gone? Why do we need courses on "How to Communicate with Diplomacy, Tact and Credibility" (http://www.seminarinformation.com/event 22381) - have we forgotten how to even speak to one another civilly and truthfully let alone give one another the service we've paid for.

Maybe the 'new' world should look to the 'old' world on how to treat customers. When did we stop doing our job with the "sense of pride and a job well done" mentality? Why do we demand tips and then gripe when we don't get enough for our perceived service?

Shouldn't I be able to get a cup of $5 coffee from my local null without feeling obliged to drop something in the tip jar?

Why Should I Buy From You?

Virtually every person you engage in a sales conversation has this question in their mind. To truly maximize your revenues you need give people a reason to buy from you versus a competitor. Here are a few strategies that will help you differentiate yourself from your competition.

First, it’s important to understand that people make their buying decision on two levels – logical and emotional. The logical aspect revolves around the product or service and includes such things as product specifications, warranty, price, colour, size, ease of use, etc. Anything directly associated with the product is a logical need. The second buying motivator and, perhaps the most powerful, is the emotional aspect of the sale. These criteria are the less tangible needs and include feelings of success, relief, pride, joy, fear and concern. For example, a person buying a pair of jeans will have specific logical needs such as waist size, inseam length, colour and style. But, ultimately, the emotional aspect of how they fit and look will influence that person’s buying decision.

To uncover your customers emotional buying requirement learn to ask, “What are you looking for in a…?” followed by “Why is that important to you?” The first question helps you learn the logical need while the second question will help the customer express the emotional reasons behind their purchase. In the hundreds of sales training workshops I’ve conducted, I’ve learned that most salespeople and business owners have a tendency to leap into a product demonstration before they have learned what is important to the customer. Invest the time accurately and thoroughly learning your customer’s need and wants. This will help you to begin differentiating yourself from your competitor.

The next step is to give a presentation that focuses on the customer’s needs. Rather than discuss everything about your product or service, focus first on what the customer identified as being important. This demonstrates that you listened to what they said and will help you separate yourself more effectively.

When presenting your product or service ensure you discuss the benefits as well as the features. The feature is “what it is” and the benefit is “what it means to the customer.” A great way to phrase this is to say, “Our equipment extracts 97% of the water from your carpet (feature) which means your carpets will be dry to the touch within three or four hours (benefit).” This addresses the customer’s emotional buying needs which means there is a greater likelihood they will buy from your versus a competitor.

People also make buying decisions based on their overall experience in your store or place of business. Here are just three influencing factors:

1. Ease of business. Are you easy to do business with or do I, as a customer, have to jump through hoops to return something? Are you well staffed or do you reduce your costs by scheduling a skeleton staff at any given time?
2. Staff accessibility and attitude. Is your team friendly and well trained in customer services procedures? Do they exhibit the mentality that the customer is important and comes first or do they spend their time gossiping and gabbing? Do they eagerly approach the customer or do they wait for customers to come up to them first. I recently bought an aquarium and although the staff was knowledgeable they made me feel like I was intruding on their time.
3. Product selection and availability. Do you have a good supply chain management or order fulfillment process in place. Prior to buying my aquarium I placed my order at one store and at the time of writing this article almost six weeks later I still haven’t been advised that my tank has arrived. And this was a stock order!

Lastly, equip your team with the tools they need to properly do their job. Take advantage of the product training most manufacturers provide, invest in the on-going development of your people, and help them succeed. I’ve worked with companies who invest a great deal in their employees and others who spend a bare minimum. The difference in their overall results is always significant.

Today’s business environment is more challenging and competitive than ever before which means you need to give people a clear reason to do business with you rather than someone else.

Kelley Robertson, author of The Secrets of Power Selling helps sales professionals improve their results. Receive a FREE copy of “100 Ways to Increase Your Sales” by subscribing to his free newsletter available at his website. Kelley conducts workshops and speaks regularly at sales meetings and conferences. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or by email.

'Tis the Season--in September?

I recently returned from a trip to the tropical paradise of Puerto Rico. With winter temperatures there ranging from 70 to 75 degrees at night, it’s no wonder that the American territory gets into such a frenzy over the holidays.

As we drove down the congested expressway lanes—most of the time fearing for my life with their near-wreckless driving habits—I was amazed to see a barrage of Christmas lights and signs greeting me with 'Feliz Navidad' in the hazy September weather. Our guide explained that their holiday planning begins even in the summer…it’s the longest holiday of the year for them, lasting about a month so in a way the advanced celebrations can be justified.

What are you salespeople doing to get the jumpstart on the holiday sale surge? Or have they been too worried trying to tie up their third quarter quotas to even think about their year-end closeouts?

Does planning ahead give you the upper-hand over your competitors during the 'most wonderful time of the year?' Or does fourth quarter regularly seem to be just another segment of the annual calendar?

Baby Boomers and Training

By Mona Piontkowski (www.SeminarInformation.com)

Well it finally happened - I actually took a vacation - sure I've taken off the occasional Friday and Monday and called a long weekend my vacation. But this year - determined to relax - I decided to take two full weeks away from the office - not even check my email and being in Europe my cell phone was useless! What a joy!!!!

Being the typical baby boomer I have been chained to my desk for the last oh so many years. How could the company function if I were away - who would do my job? Obviously since I'm writing this from work - the company survived without me. Who'd have thunk?

I decided to go to Tuscany to a cooking school - Tuscan Women Cook - for a whole week of learning to cook Italian at the elbow of some cute little Italian women. This cooking school seemed perfect - a week in the Tuscan countryside staying at a medieval hotel with morning cooking classes and afternoon trips to surrounding cities. I'd relax, sightsee and learn - being a baby boomer it seems we can't get away from learning. In our lifetimes we have had to learn and unlearn so many new technologies it boggles the mind. We are a generation of learners - we have never really left school - OK now they call it continuing education and seminars - but every few months, it seems, we are required to learn some new technology just to keep up. Our younger contemporaries, the Gen X, Y and Z are easier adapters - they have always just accepted the latest technology without question - eager in fact, to explore new territory. We boomers, on the other hand, don't give up the past without a fight.

Most of my fellow classmates were contemporaries - boomers looking to learn something new. It has become a trend - the boomer generation - still the largest percentage of the population - seems to be unwilling to go quietly into retirement. Those of us still actively working are taking seminars in record numbers - not only work related, but fun-related - like my Tuscan cooking class. We are refusing to let our skills atrophy - we constantly are in search of new challenges. Most of us, the reports say, aren't prepared to retire in the near future - what would we do with the free time - we've never quite learned how to handle that. Training companies should look into this segment of the marketplace and create seminars for those boomers still working as well as those looking to retire and keep their minds active. I, for one, have marked down on my calendar - yes I still use a calendar - a return trip to Tuscan Women Cook in two years for the advanced course. You really didn't expect me to take another vacation next year - did you?