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Sharpen Your Sales Message

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Stop yourself just for a moment.  Breathe.   And Think.   

Listen to yourself or look at what you are writing.  Is it really what it should be?

Sharpen your Sales Messaging.   

It’s odd sometimes how much energy we spend pulling all the levers that we do to improve sales but often don’t take enough time to look hard or re-look at the very first lever – the most critical lever: Sales Messaging.

If your sales messaging is poo then it doesn’t matter how often or in how many ways you say it or distribute that sales message – it’s still poo.

  • It’s not “We have a special right now..”,  it’s “This special we have right now is flying out the door..”
  • It’s not “We can help you get Online..”, it’s “We can help you get more good leads …”
  • It’s not “There’s a price break at 2,000….”, it’s  “Hold on, let me save you some money here…”
  • It’s not “I’m calling to see what your supply of..”,  it’s  “I’m calling to take something off your to do list..”
  • It’s not “We’ve updated the product to include…”, it’s “Most people are flocking to the updated product because….”
  • It’s not “We have a some brand new Holiday cards and gifts this year…”, it’s “ Let’s help you stand out from your competitors this year..”
  • It’s not “We can customize this for you and add those things you want..”,  it’s “Let’s make your life easier for you…”

You get it.

But be honest with yourself.  Are you doing it?

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

A Fool With a Tool is Still a Fool

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A fool with a tool is still a fool.

 

Me using a Weed Whacker?  Nah, I can handle that.   Me after logging into my website control panel or trying to build a half decent Facebook Business page?   Yep, that’s me as a fool.

 

Last week one of our customers said, “I so cherished the time with my marketing advisor because heck, a fool with a tool is still a fool”.   Everyone in the room nodded a collective head in agreement. 

 

It was beautiful.  

 

And timely.  Because right now is when to amp things up in small business that people cherish given the sketchy economy the confusingmarketing world we live in. 

 

Small Business success is a lot of things and successful Marketing is a big piece of it.   But successfulmarketing, (no matter how much we want it to be), is not a commodity, or a widget or something that spits out of an assembly line.  

 

Successful Small Businessmarketing is not just about using 3 random “tools” like Groupon, Emailmarketing and Pay Per Click plus 4 platforms, 5 posts, a bucket of content and a prayer.  Those are, without superb advice and counsel, just shiny and trendymarketing tools fluttering about meaninglessly unconnected and ineffective.

 

Here is the truth; successfulmarketing is a science.   It has a formula, a cadence, a structure and a path. 

 

And it needs to be learned.   And it needs to be taught.  And it needs to be studied.  And in this ever changingmarketing space, it needs to be continuously learned, taught and studied. 

 

And it’s not just onlinemarketing that needs the learnin’.   How to use demographic data to determine mailing lists, how to network in local business groups or how to use QR codes on your business cards or better,  how to connect online and offlinemarketing really well is not all that crystal clear for many small businesses either.

 

So if you are a small business owner or someone who helps them, quit obsessing with the marketing “tools” and realize that the lead story is the insight you need to use them. 

 

We fall into this trap in many parts of our working lives.  It’s easy but foolhardy to just see the “Whats” and grab on to those tools be they online or offlinemarketing wizardry or even sales tools like CRMs and online Demos.   It’s harder yet smarter to see, get or teach to the “How” of using these tools well. 

 

Insight, in the eyes of those who need it most it seems, is the most cherished tool of all.

 

 

 

Till next time,

 

Grow The Business.

 

Mark

Inside Thoughts

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I suspect some things are better left unsaid.   

I know this when my 14 year old son, mortified about something I’ve just uttered, hangs his head and tells me,  “Dad, I think that….. was an inside thought.”

Here are 6 random thoughts that probably should have stayed inside but if they did, there would be no blog today. 

  • I saw those “End of the World 5.21.11” Billboards over the last few months while traveling but no lie, I did not make the connection to the Rapture thing until this last Sunday – I thought they were just an ad for new movie coming out.

 

  • I think Old School Prospecting is dead.  Really dead; not even a fundamental anymore.  New School Prospecting today is about giving something of value freely first – be it product, information, kindness, advice or a stick of gum.  But it won’t be just “give free” for long – soon enough we’ll all have to Future School it and “buy” the right to be heard all the time.   I’m OK with that.

 

  • I worry that someday I’m going to watch TV and see my headless body walking down the street (“Hey, that’s my shirt!  Hey, I have those same pants!  Hey that’s (gulp) me!”) as Eyewitness News does yet another story on obesity zeroing in on those fat belly close ups.

 

  • Consensus decision making is overrated.  It has its place but an important decision or action that takes 5 times longer when 8 to 80 people get involved is a problem.  Add to that, that the quality of that decision often degrades with everyone “giving in” along the way, ending in a watered down decision or plan.  Some decisions are better made by just you with whatever degree of input you want or need.  That goes for buyers, sellers and everyone in between.

 

  • Who decided so many years ago that people who answer a phone should enter orders or update screens?  Isn’t the skill of verbal communication something to rethink as far as value goes?  Answer the phones hands free! – The art of the language and the phrase.  What could we do with an obsession and admiration of that?

 

  • Phone selling is going away.  It’s coming full circle.  Years ago it was always face to face and before you know it, it will be again.   Smile at your Tablet folks,  your non verbal expressions are going to matter again!

 

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

98 Words on That Ringing In Your Ear

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Someday not far off, that phone will ring in your office or in your ear but it won’t ring because someone wants to place an order or because someone wants more information about your product or service.  Those days are fading away.

Someday that phone will ring because someone has an important business problem;  a marketing, sales, service, security or even reputation problem and doesn’t know what to do, where to start or how to fix it.  And that someone will need a talented, brilliant person to help them.

When that phone rings then, will you answer it?  

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

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Mondays are busy. All Monday posts are 100 words or less. 

About Face

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mark mullet years   

Let’s pretend you are just like this handsome dude in the picture;  a guy, single, and in a bar.   And it’s 80’s night.

Your name, as always and of course is…Rock Ledger.  (Just go with me on this – my blog, my rules).

Even though you are still a certified Sales legend, these are not Good Times in the romance department.

Things are so bad that one woman said “No” to a date with you,  even after you handed her 2 concert tickets, promised you wouldn’t bother to show up and that you’d never contact her again.

You don’t understand what’s happened to you!  You have never had these kinds of problems in the singles scene before.  Heck, your buddies named you years ago, “The Other Rock Legend”.   Maybe you’re in a rut.   Maybe the world is changing and your approach has to be different.  Maybe it’s just a run of bad luck.  Real bad luck. 

Despite the cool Tears for Fears music, you’ve had it.  You get up to leave.   But then..…

…….She ……slowly…..walks…..by………

She is stunning.  She is more than stunning…… she is amazing. 

She actually turns around ……………….and looks at you.  

You realize your mouth is awkwardly agape as you bask in the awesomeness of her beauty. So you snap it shut, straighten up and give her The Look.  (The Look of course, was invented by you back in the day.  It’s the one in which the left eyebrow arches, the head bobs with a half smile that says, “Hi there, I am Rock Ledger, and you deserve me).

It worked!   She starts to walk over to you.

Good Times are back.

Her name is Cassandra and well; you are feeling good so you’ll spring for something special.  You motion to Marty that you’re moving “uptown” now and will pass on the normal Bud Lite cuz’ for the lady, only Bud Lime will do.

“You are so beautiful” you tell her.  And she is.  “You’re so beautiful that you don’t even need much make-up”.  You can feel you are getting your groove back now.   She smiles sweetly and takes a sip of her Bud Lime.

You are a romantic guy so you keep on with the sweet talk.  “Not much make-up at all Cassandra.”  She smiles again.  You know it’s a great move to get her to talk about herself, so you ask a good one.  “Are you happy with the way your face looks now?”

“Excuse me?” she says.

You reply “No, what I’m saying is I’ve seen a lot of other women ….do like a whole total makeover thing on their faces and even look more beautiful than ever.”

“Are you talking about my FACE!” she cries.  “What is wrong with my FACE?!” a little louder. 

You’re thinking maybe you are in a little trouble but this is the best you’ve done in a while so you keep on keeping on.

“Cassandra, your face is beautiful.  I bet everyone loves your face and knows your face, but you have had that look for a long time.   I think I have a few good ideas you might like if you want to you know, freshen it up a little bit.”

She stares at you.

Yep.  You suspect that now you are in fact, still in a rut.  Deep in a rut.

Cassandra slams her Bud Lime bottle on top of yours and as that explodes all over you and the bar, she takes the rest of her bottle and dumps it on your head.  

Good Times no more.

*******

I needn’t beat you over the head with the lesson we learned at the bar today.  So I’ll keep it brief.

Cassandra has a face and a business has face.  And both are things you as sales people,  consultants and advisors need to be very careful about. 

That face is very important to a business owner,  especially if that business is small to medium sized.  Be it the logo, the website, the facebook or LinkedIn page, the storefront,  brand promise, the status in the community, the unique services they provide or the colors, the cars,  or even the style of the owner- it’s all a crital “face” of the business.

And it can be that personal.   

If you are in the business of helping businesses get better and or change; be careful how you go about messing with the “face” of that business. 

Small business owners in particular are a prideful ego-laden bunch.   You can’t talk like Rock Ledger did here (yes that picture is really me, but the nickname..not so much)  and suggest tactlessly a  business makeover, a switch in strategy or revamp of their websites or marketing plans – whether you’re a marketing consultant, a printer or software salesperson.   If you do, trouble might brew (pun intended :)).

Whenever you foster change a business, especially a smaller one, you can be changing that “face” of the client.  Be smart about it.   Do it wrong and it can go very wrong.    It’s not taboo – It’s just different.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Great Problems To Have

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Too many product demonstrations.  Too many appointments.  Too many long conversations with prospects.  Too much customer feedback. Too many information requests.

Do we really have enough of these problems? 

What great problems to have. 

I long to be called into crisis meetings on these topics and have to build emergency plans to deal with them.

I wonder if in this less trusting, multiple decision maker and “In 2 clicks and I can see all your competitors” world we live in today, we realize that a welath of these typse of problems would make more sense than ever.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

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Mondays are busy enough.   All Monday posts are 100 words or less. 

5 Irish Sales Tips

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I’m Irish.

I grew up Irish Catholic in Boston.

That’s Wicked Irish to you.

May the road rise to meet you.  But if it don’t, here are 5 Irish sales tips to help you keep going anyway.

 

Irish Cooking Keeps The Focus On You:  Take a client to lunch or dinner.  Find a nice Irish restaurant (yeah, I don’t know one either) or pub and order something of what we Irish learned to do so well – boil the flavor out of what ever unidentifiable meat or vegetables are around.  Without much going on in the plate, you’ve got that client focused on you.

It’s All About The Jig:  I’ve got nieces who perform that Irish jig thing.  It’s a disconcerting dance to watch for sure.  Until you realize what a great lesson that is to you as a sales rep.  It’s all about keeping cool and calm on top but dancing like a fiend below.   It’s about doing all that legwork and dancing on the fly but never letting your prospect or competition see you sweat.

There’s No Hugging In Sales:   A simple nod, a quick handshake and 2 or 3 syllables is pretty much the greeting among acquaintances, friends and quite frankly, my family as I grew up.  Chit chat about kids, last weekends’ activities or heaven forbid – embraces or hugging we believe are just tension raisers amongst us Irish folk especially in sales. And tension my friends, stops the sales process cold.

Great Questioning Begins With A Brogue:   Everyone loves a good Irish brogue.   And you know you do it well when everything you say sounds like a question as the last word of each sentence inflects up in the air like a sweet Celtic jumpshot.  Questions in sales are good.  You can also avoid the discomfort of getting a direct “yes” or a “no” by saying stuff in an Irish brogue like “This is a fantastic offer” or “ This would work well for you” and just staying silent …as the prospect will answer you.

Irish Closing Skills:   Let the jokes fly here.   I‘ll start – “Irish closing skills begin at 2am”,  or “Did you ever try that Irish close called “Last Call””?   Truth is, we Boston Irish Catholic do have a great closing technique.  It’s called Guilt.  Here’s how the Guilt close works.  “Mr. Prospect, your staff deserves this widget as without it they’ll suffer and go home angry or depressed.  And think of the kids, think of them dealing with a Mom or Dad whose Boss never gave them that widget and that’s why little Johnny went without dessert last night.”

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark