branding

It’s Better Read Than Said

Standard

texting

It’s Better Read than Said

How many of you like pulling VM from friends or colleagues on your smart phones, home phones or work phones these days? 

That many. 

I thought so.

So cumbersome, this voice thing:  So much time wasted listening to the slog of a human voice blathering dozens of extra words around the likely simple intent of the message  added to the process of accessing, listening and remembering what was said ( or worse –lunging for a post it note to scribble it on).

It’s getting harder and harder to find the time out there to listen to the human voice share information.

Why?  Because it’s getting so much easier, faster and efficient to read it.  And type it.  And text it.   And Like it.  And Follow it.   And also to Learn and Share and Refer and Recommend.

We are information hogs, all of us now.  We can’t get enough.   We want information in huge amounts,   And we want it in a way we can save it, retrieve it and share it.    We want so much so fast, that it becomes easier to accept the inefficiency of the human voice and not want to use it or as we more increasingly feel, hear it.  

You need to understand the change here on a couple of levels.

You as a person and an employee should know:

  • When you do talk or leave a voicemail, it better be good and meaningful and compellingly vital because if it’s not- it should have just been an email or post and eyes will roll.
  • Human nature yearns for the sharing of “one to many”.   Everything you might have wanted to say to some one you can say to hundreds or thousands at the same time but without the fear of Public speaking.  That is outrageously attractive to people.  And that’s a powerful thing for your self and your career if you embrace it well.

You as a business owner should know:

  • This is Word of Mouth now.  This is where your clients rave or rage about you.  You must make it easy for your customers to pass along good things about you and your business.  One to one still works but people would much rather “tell 10 friends” except this time they can do it for real in seconds.  
  • You have to be smarter and cooler and more valuable than your website.  If talking with you takes 5 times longer than what the prospect could have gotten in 3 clicks on your website then you are not adding value where you should.  Think hard about what your voice brings to your business.  Think brand.  Think feel.  Think purpose.   Then plan and speak accordingly. 

 

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

 

Mark’s Blog

Mark’s Twitter

 

7 Things Your Prospect Won’t Tell You

Standard

seven

7 Things Your Prospect Won’t Tell You

 

Whether I, your prized business prospect, is calling you or picking up your phone call, there are things I just won’t tell you.  

 

1) I used to be in sales too.   You’d be surprised how many of us decision makers started out, or are still in, sales.   And I can still smell a trial close, a rotating yes and min/max close from 50 feet away.  Don’t use tricky closes on me.

2) Don’t make me feel stupid even for a second.  I know my world very well – not your world and if you make me feel like I’m an idiot presuming I know or like your acronyms, buzzwords and fast talking pitches- I’m gone;  I’ll just go to your competitors website and read and email- – that way no one has to talk to me.

3) Tell me what everyone else is doing.  I hate to admit this sometimes even to myself but I do want to know what my competitors or even my industry is doing lately and haven’t had any time to dig in.  But I’m not about to go ask you — yet I wouldn’t mind hearing it if you wanted to just shout it out.   Am I missing out on something or some trend?

4) I know more way more about you than you think.   I’ve been to your website; I’ve Googled your reviews.  Heck I’ve Googled you and saw you on LinkedIn and Twitter (or didn’t- and what does that mean?)    I may have seen a few opinions about your company on Twitter already. So don’t waste my time with the basics about yourself – I got it.  I called you because I want something more than the internet can give me. 

5) I don’t expect much from you.   I just never know if you really work for this company I am calling or am getting called from.  Are you a contractor, an outsourced support, brand new employee, who knows?  I don’t have high hopes but if you can assure me quickly you know what the heck you are doing then maybe I’ll listen.

6) I’d rather do nothing.  Seriously, I hate change.  I wish everything I do today would just work better.  Change is costly, risky, takes forever it seems and I am busy enough already.  I won’t tell you that of course.  I’d rather just flat our say no or compare you to someone else or put you off but honestly; doing what I do today is just easier.   If you can’t make me do something “different” and get me to get off the dime and essentially hate what I am doing today- then don’t bother. 

7) You’re 7th on the list.  I respect you dear supplier but my family, my boss, my colleagues, my customers, my pastor and my pets all come before you my trusted partner.  Nothing personal- you can be very valuable to me but everyone else here is getting something for Christmas next year just so’s ya know.

 

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

 

Mark’s Blog

Mark’s Twitter

Important Sells

Standard

dream

Important Sells

  • Isn’t a meal more important when it is perceived to be a means towards losing weight or is it when it is consumed because you are hungry?

 

  •  Isn’t a car more important when you plan on passing it on to your teenage kid or is it when you just need to get from A to B?

 

  • Isn’t a business card more important when it helps you rebrand yourself or your business or is it when you just need to leave something behind so they can reach you?

 

  • Isn’t a website more important when you need to stop the competition from stealing your customers or is it when everyone keeps saying you should have one?

 

It’s always the former, not that latter.

If you sell meals, cars, business cards, websites or anything else for that matter, you’ll sell more of them when you get at how those products can help a person achieve something bigger.  When that happens, those products and you become more important.

Get at it.  Most people and businesses are not shallow.  There’s some dream, some pursuit they are after.  Tie your products and services to that dream or a goal and your stuff becomes more important.

Important sells. 

 

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

 

Mark’s Blog

Mark’s Twitter

No Fear in 2013

Standard

fear

No Fear in 2013

This is the year to quit being afraid.   Let’s start with these 7. 

  • Don’t fear having to memorize all your product specs and prices.  What matters is you remember how the darn thing helps them do what they really want to do.
  • Don’t fear social media.  Embrace it.  More people, customers and employees talking to each other is way better than silence.
  • Don’t fear the so called demise of the offline marketing world.  I don’t know any business that is moving totally away from it.  Blend is always the key.  In fact, that integrated offline/online mix might get a little more attention than it used to these days.
  • Don’t fear the board game.  It’s OK to make eye contact with your kids now and then. 
  • Don’t Fear the Reaper.  Classic tune.  Have a Listen.  I heard they played at my High School way back in the early 70’s.  Yup they did.   
  • Don’t fear going back to school.  In fact, everybody should be in school.  If you are not dedicating to  learning something new at least an hour a day at least (and I don’t mean watching or reading “news”, timelines or posts) you are behind your competitors tomorrow.
  • Don’t fear Neuroscience and Neuromarketing.  Get into it.  How you think, why you think the way you do.  Why your clients and team react to things the way they do is important to know .  As someone once said… “Just because it is your brain, doesn’t mean you know what it is doing”. 

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Mark’s Blog

Mark’s Twitter

Are You Scroll-Worthy?

Standard

mouse

Are You Scroll-Worthy?

I have a colleague, someone I also consider a friend, who said something recently that I just can’t shake.

“If I have to even scroll down a tiny bit to get to the end of a post, I usually won’t do it.  I have other things to do.”

“What about my blogs?” I asked.  “Are they Scroll -Worthy?”

“Not all of them.” he smirked.

Is this what we’ve come to?  Is this Scroll thing (or lack thereof) the new thumbs up or down about the value and intrigue of your content?

Forget about views and impressions I guess, it takes almost no effort “scroll” but now  it must be earned?   Is being “Scroll-Worthy” now a measure of success?

My friend says he’s not alone; that others feel the same way about the scroll.  What else does this mean?

  • That being on the first page of Google results is great – but you better be above the “scroll”???
  • That you’d better be more thoughtful about how large the picture is at the top of your blog post is because you may not get a single swipe??
  • That you need to march out there and protest the smaller IPAD mini and the death of PC’s and large monitors because your content needs more time to be seen and deemed Scroll Worthy?
  • That Eye tracking glasses are next for all and forget the scroll issue – just looking down and left to right will some day need be earned?

With this post at just 306 words, I’m praying it stays above that scroll line dear reader, so you needn’t pass judgement on the quality of this post.  I used to think the fact that you just viewed the post was a sign of worthiness but alas if if I could get you to just scroll a bit….

 
Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Mark’s Blog

Mark’s Twitter

Horrid Phrases

Standard

problems

Horrid Phrases

Don’t know if any of you fly a lot.  I kind of do – at least of late.  At the airport,  there is one phrase gate agents of a certain airline sometimes say ( actually proclaim over the loudspeaker) that just crushes me.  It’s horrid. It makes me instantly hang my head in depression.  It ruins my flight, my day and my mood immediately.

“Our flight is completely full today..”

I’m not a small man; (thankfully not ready for the seatbelt extension just yet) but Lordy, when you hear that phrase, thinking about getting into and sitting in those seats and aisles built for middle schoolers, is now horrid on a grand scale. 

I think there are some other horrid phrases agents of many industries say these days that can give that same kind of instant feel of dread and depression.

“OK, let’s see what they did here..”.  Are you kidding me?  As soon as your client with a question hears “they”, the horridness kicks in:   Oh my, you are not in charge.   Oh my, I’m gonna have to talk to someone else.   Oh my, I’m talking to an idiot with no authority.  Oh my,  this place is so big, I’m never going to get the answer.

“Can I have your phone number in case we are disconnected?”   It’s 2011! The only disconnections are when someone does it on purpose.  Your client or prospect is in the horrid zone immediately:  Oh please, you want my number to pester me at dinner or in a middle of a meeting to sell me something with your silly outbound program.   Oh please, now I’m in your database and all I had was a darn question.   Oh great, they have crappy phone systems with disconnect issues, can’t wait to do business with them.

“Mark”, “Mark” , “Mark”  Yeah that’s right,  my first name.  You say my first name more than twice in a conversation on the phone or face to face and a horrid sickness overcomes me and your customers too:  Oh I get it,  someone trained you to use ” the customer’s first name” often in your calls- that feels genuine!  Oh I get it, you are as slick a sale rep as I’ve ever seen – you make me wanna take a shower.  Oh I get it, you think using my first name a lot makes us like family or brothers and I will buy your stuff- lol!

 

The thing about horrid phrases is the emotions they elicit have staying power.  They linger.  They stick. They can even leave a lasting impression about you or your company as a brand that is as uncomfortable as seat 28B. 

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Mark’s Blog

Mark’s Twitter

Real Small Biz – Good News

Standard

Real Small Biz – Good News

Go golfing when you want.  Play with the kids more.  Coach a team.  Be around so I can act in a play.  Get a new truck.  Sleep late when I want to.  Don’t want to be told what to do.   I like my life now.   I can change it up every couple of years.  I could always do it better anyway.  Leave an impression.  Make my wife proud.  I can fire my clients.  Work from home.  Help my brothers and their kids.  Be the boss.  Take control.  Have some fun.  Challenge myself. 

“What is the good news about having your own business?” was the question.

These are the real answers by real small business people.  I know because I’ve heard them say it first hand.    And these answers aren’t so unique or rare.  These are, when you really get down to it, what real people who own businesses say. 

And now that you know that, what the heck do you have to offer that helps these people keep rolling in this good news?   

Yeah, you’ve got some thinking and reworking to do.   Have at it. 

 

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

 

Mark’s Blog

Mark’s Twitter

Nobody Good

Standard

Nobody Good

It sticks with me; a glorious opportunity. 

It was on a large conference call.  The leader was talking.

“We asked hundreds of small business owners this same question about who they think of when faced with this challenge.   And do you know what they said?”

(Long pause) 

“Nobody”.

Wow.  Nobody!  That is wonderful!!

It grows wearisome to enter the market place and find that you are yet just another competitor.  

It grows wearisome to plan, to process, to test, to test some more, to test yet one more time and then find out you are pretty much like the other guy. 

It grows wearisome to follow the “shiny bright thing”, or to dig up “old tapes” from another company that didn’t get it right or to just chase the “short term gain”.

I don’t want to follow, dig up or chase anymore.  I want to invent.  I want to lead.

So when you ask an audience and the answer is “Nobody” or “I can’t think of anyone” or “No idea”, realize that that is the sound of glorious opportunity yet to be embraced.

Have at it. 

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Mark’s Blog

Mark’s Twitter

P.S.  “Nobody” is opportunity on an individual level too.  Ask your team, your boss, your colleagues “Who do you look to for __(fill in the blank)__ ?”  If the answer is “I don’t know”; that space is yours for the taking!

Angela’s Assist

Standard

Angela’s Assist

“What are you buying it for?”  

 “Oh, that’s wonderful…”

 “Let me do that for you…..”

 “I think you should grab a couple more…”

 “That looks beautiful on you…..”  

 “Oh, I don’t like that one on you so much, not conservative enough…”

 “You know what would really make that look sharp…. is a belt..”

 “A necklace will really tie it together and show your personality…”

“You may want to grab another blouse with the 50% off promotion and mix and match this.”  

 “Good luck, I know you’ll get the job”.

Yep.  That’s pretty much verbatim what sales associate Angela said to my 23 year daughter 2 weeks ago as we shopped for her first real business suit as she was about to interview for a customer service role in one of the largest investment firms in the world.

 It was a memorable almost “wow” service experience as her mother and I watched Angela guide her through the buying process.   She wasn’t pushy; she wasn’t hovering as in fact, Angela was helping two other customers at the same time.

 It was however, so smart.  It started with the right question.  Not just “What are you buying?” But, “What are you buying it for?”

 The rest of her comments and questions make smart sense.  They are honest.  They are helpful.   They are overtly credible and said with the tone and content that she has “totally been here before”.   And it was in the end,  not about the suit at all – but about the goal our daughter had in mind – landing that job.

 She did land that job.  [Today, in fact :)]

And while the business suit Angela helped pick out for our daughter probably wasn’t the reason she got the job, it sure didn’t hurt and better, what a great lesson in customer service Angela gave her to steal from for the interview.  It works on a lot of levels.  

You can steal shamelessly from Angela too.  Read the comments she made and the questions she asked.   Think about them.  Apply accordingly.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Mark’s Blog

Mark’s Twitter

PS:   If you’d like to see Angela in action, head to the clothing store Ann Taylor at Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua, NH.   I’m sure she won’t mind that I sent you there.  🙂

3 Keys To Giving Great Advice Fast

Standard

3 Keys To Giving Great Advice Fast

Smart sells.   Smart and Fast sells even better.

If you are in the B2B space there is little more valuable today than insight.  Insight is attractive.  Insight gets attention and sets you apart from competitors.  Insight leads to influencing client behavior which leads to sales. 

Good advice giving is important today especially in the abstract service spaces like online digital marketing or insurance or payroll services or social media services etc- you get the picture.   And Business owners (especially SBs) are pressed for time and even more pressed for advice and counsel. 

So when they talk with you Mr. or Mrs.  Salesperson or Consultant; they expect you have something smart to say or something to share that they did not know before and the reality is, they have very little time to stand around ( or hang on the phone) to answer your 20 questions and wait for you to absorb, analyze and provide that insight. 

So if you are charged with having to provide important tips or advice in very little time to a prospect or client, how do you do it?  And how do you do it fast? 

3 Keys

  • Set the Table Correctly Before Asking Any Questions At All:  It’s a rare day when you can amble up to a business owner or chat with them while they are calling in to place and order, and start to pontificate smart advice.  At a minimum, a question or two usually needs to be asked.  But it’s how you preface asking those questions that makes a difference.  Tee up the questions with a statement that respects the appeal from the customer/ prospect’s perspective.  “I know your time is short so let me ask just three quick questions about your business so I can then give you something interesting to think about”    Business owners love the words “quick” and  “three” ( they know when it is over!).  And you have totally respected the time issue.    Do this and you have just improved your chances of your questions being answered honestly and completely enough as he/she wants what you want –to give/get good insight, fast.
  •  Be an Industry Informant.   There’s nothing wrong with taking a tact that starts with “You know what I’m hearing from a lot of the accountants I’m talking to these days…” Or “I gotta say the contractors I talk to today are hammering social media and print marketing pretty equally..”   This approach doesn’t respect the client’s individual business needs (yet) but makes you sound very smart (you must talk to people just like me every day!) and therefore the advice has credibility.   And of course, nothing is more influential to a business owner than what other businesses (who are just like them) are doing.   Key here is you have to leverage Lines of Business or even some deeper segmentation (gulf coast contractors for example) that appeals to clients’ sense of your industry intelligence. 

  

  • “Think” / “Consider” vs. “Do”:  The worst kind of advice to give to someone you don’t know that well just yet is to tell them to “do” something.   Particularly in those more complex, abstract services and especially when those people you are talking about are business owners who have a pretty large sized ego, pride and sense of entrepreneurialism.  Know your audience.  Telling someone to “do” something can get backs to arch so to speak.  Try “Consider some payroll options, a few things to think about are how much time you spend per month…”   Or “One thing to think about is investing in some kind of trackable answering service…”.   Semantics?  Nope.  Insert the word “do” in the last 2 examples and pretend you’re a business owner talking with someone you just met.   Yeah- fun uh?  Encouraging business owners to “think” and “consider” is smart.  Not when you are suggesting buying a pen or upgrading to larger quantity – that’s fine use a form of “do”.  But when you are in those more complex products or services, it shows you get how these folks work and that you are advising not closing at this stage. 

Be Smart and Sell More! 

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Mark’s Blog

Mark’s Twitter