From Have to Believe

It’s best to move on now from what you have, to what you believe.

If you are transforming from a commodity-like company to a knowledge and service based company, its best to move on from what you have, to what you believe.

So many of us are doing just that. Whether we are a company or a sales rep or a marketer or a trainer; more and more of us are adding (or must add) insight/ intelligence to our stable of widgets or even in some cases, instead of our widgets.

The market is starving for direction.

Don’t get me wrong, what you have is fine for they are the products and services. Thankfully, they pay the bills and feed the kids.

But too often we eagerly share, shout and talk about those products and services. Too often we earnestly show what we have for products and services on our websites, in our phone calls and during our webinars. Too often we study too hard about what we have for products and services. Too often we train too much about what we have for products and services.

And we spend so little time talking about what we believe.

That’s right, what we believe. What your company believes. What you believe.

You thought I was going to tell you to focus not on what we have but on what your products and services do for the customer; how they solve a problem, how they fit a need.

Good lord, that is so 80’s. And that’s table stakes now.

Belief sharing is better. Belief sharing is needed now more than ever. Belief sharing is the new black.

We spend so little relative time in sharing our credible prescriptive path to success for our customers. We spend so little relative time espousing our beliefs about the direction our clients must go to achieve what they want to achieve.

Products and Services are critical yes, but amazingly, they are too often fun, too easy to count, too easy to have sales on and in fact can crowd out the very essence that they should be an extension of a very passionate and clear belief– not just about what our products and services do but what we believe the path is to get there.

An obsession about what we have may work well for widgets, gum and shoelaces, but what we believe matters more if we profess to be in the Advice and Counsel game; the Insight game or the Knowledge and Service game as so many of us do ( and need to do).

Customers are drawn to those who have passionate beliefs. Small businesses for example, line up to get counsel from SCORE, to join Mastermind groups, to access advice and counsel from Hubspot, DuctTape Marketing and Amex’s Open Network. .

The difference between saying “We have this and this and this……” and “We believe the best route to success is …” is awesome. And powerful.

What you believe in the knowledge and service game sells the products and services that you have. It’s not the other way around.

We must also be consistent about those beliefs from the company home page to the person in the field or on the phone. And we must be different from the competition. And we must be religiously true to those beliefs as if they were inscribed on tablets made of stone; not just in what the results will be but in the prescriptive method of how those beliefs are executed upon.

It’s OK to teach and lead customers to your beliefs. It’s more than OK. In a shaky economy and a world that gets more confusing everyday, it’s got to be your lead story now.

For without that rock solid, credible path about what you believe, nobody will come to you, or listen to you or give a darn about what products or services you have no matter what they do.

Take a stand. Have a belief. Preach it, teach it, brand it, package and sell it. Leave the obsession with products and services behind.

If your customer is so inspired, have no fear, they’ll ask you what you have.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Odd Duck

What would you be if you believed that the real selling began after you closed a sale?

What would you be if you believed that the real service began after the phone call ends?

What would you be if you believed that real customer value began with what you believe and not what you have?

What would you be if you believed that your real job began with what you think and not with what you do?

Heck, what would you be if you believed that the real meaning of life begins with what you leave ahead and not what you leave behind?

Answer: You would be the most beautiful and wonderfully odd duck of a person, performer or company.

Ever.

****

P.S. Everywhere you see the word “be” in a question, swap in the word “do”, go grab a pencil and answer it. At length.

Then do it.

Odd Duck you will be. How wonderful.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

When Just Do It is Just Worse

Tried to fix a vacuum yesterday. Almost did too.

Nearly finished, I dropped the vacuum putting the last screw in. Exploded all over kitchen floor. Now it won’t even turn on.

I do this a lot. I get all jacked up on a whim to tackle these little projects usually on a weekend. Move a couch and instead rip the fabric. Fold down the lawn mower to make room in the shed and instead snap off the starting rope. Change the shower head cuz’ gosh darn it, the other one is so old and now I’ve got a leak I didn’t have before.

When I do these little projects things often get worse. I realize I don’t prepare or think too much in advance of these things. I just do it.

And if I’m honest with myself sometimes this happens at work too (though with my boss subscribing to this blog too, I’d rather not share exactly what I’ve made worse thank you very much :))

But the hindsight view is usually the same – it’s a result of not a whole lot of preparation or thought before tackling an issue or an opportunity; I get all jacked up and um… just do it.

When just do it makes it just worse, then it’s time to ditch that catchy marketing phrase at home and at work and just leave it on the ball field.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Horrible Bosses

Horrible Bosses is a hot movie of late starring the likes of Kevin Spacey and Jennifer Anniston.

The premise is that if your boss is horrible well um… go ahead and kill em’ (or at least try to).

That’s a little dangerous in the real world.

You might get caught. 🙂

Ah seriously, I don’t condone violence towards any horrible bosses. Too messy.

Here are four other (and better) ways to deal with a real horrible boss:

Demand he play well with others. You know the type – the “I’ll take my ball and go home type”. Not open to hearing concerns about your competing priorities, instead you hear “Fine, I’ll find someone who can get it done” and then you hear a click and a dial tone in your ear. This same guy makes no effort to collaborate but rather rams his way through people. This faux cowboy attitude is for the movies and 6 year olds. Kidnap this guy, surround him with your posse and scream “This is your team, we work together!”

Force her to take a stand. I suspect this is the most common trait of a bad boss; the fear of, or unwillingness to take a stand or pick a path or make a decision that means something. Swamped or swimming purposely in administrivia, the boss shirks the tough calls and instead being right or wrong, she is neither and everyone suffers in a frenzied, crazy busy world of essentially nothing. Corner her and take dead aim at imploring her to make choices! Even wrong decisions are better than none; at least then you can learn and move on.

Don’t Dread on me. She’s the one you can’t stand to see, hear or read – literally all the time. You see the email from her and you just don’t want to read it as you know it is bad news. You arrive in the morning and ugh, your voicemail light is on so that means she wants an answer or OMG she just walked out of her office and is walking your way hell bent to talk to you about your “improvement opportunities”. Enough! Does every interaction Ms. Boss have to be about something “wrong” or “bad” or “concerning”? Grab your scepters, your hoods, walk around like the Grim Reaper and let her see what you see. Dread is not a way to lead.

Unfriend him. Don’t you wish could do it more often with your friends in social media or even at home with family or relatives? But in the world of work, this guy is the boss who saunters up beside you and says “Yeah, this new incentive plan is a stretch” or “Geez, we made this product 10 years ago and it didn’t work then…” News flash Mr. Boss, I’m not your buddy and I am not your chum. You’re my boss and your immature efforts to bond with me as a “friend” by back stabbing your peers is appallingly odd and makes you look weak. And who wants a weak boss? Collectively dismember your friendship status with this guy as fast as you can and demand a change in his status back to loner.

There you go. Horrible gets better and nobody dies. Not much of a movie but aren’t horrible bosses enough drama already?

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

5 Tips for Better Summer Selling

It is engrained in all of us whether we are buyers or sellers; this summer season.

We all went to school at one point in our lives and most had “summers off”. More of us had summer vacations than winter vacations. There are more 3 day weekends, barbecues and down time no matter where you live during the summer season. It’s just the way it is.

And if you own a business or sell to a business that physiological indoctrination doesn’t just go away. It’s there.

So that old belief about selling and buying being a bit tougher in the summer has some truth to it.

It can be tougher. But rather than fight it; Embrace it.

Intensify Activity Mon – Wed: The summer weeks get compressed. Bring your A game to Work Habits and Sales Skills in a big way Monday through Wednesday. Start early and stay late. These three days in the summer week are the times when attention, interest and consideration of what you have to offer is best consumed. By the end of the week on a Thursday or Friday, the decision maker wants not to discuss much more (or can even find all the right players to gather and discuss) your proposal – but they do want to be able to make that decision, call you, get it done and move on.

Free Up Client’s Time; It’s about sharpening your sales messaging during the summer. There isn’t necessarily more time for business owners or executives to take off, but there is a strong desire to do so. Make your visits or calls to “take something off the plate”, or “to wrap things up before August”. The summer is when it is especially important to remind clients how brief and easy it will be to get things done. Talk in “minutes” not “appointments”, talk in “3 simple steps” not in “Let’s get this process started”. Time pressure in the summer is often higher than the rest of the year.

Focus on Low Stress Contacts: You don’t want to disappear from your customers mind for 3 months, so summer is the perfect time to arrange face time or phone time but in low stress (ah…summer…) ways. Arrange for the customer satisfaction survey, the yearly review, the product review session or the just plain ol’ “thank you for your business” call or meeting. Ask about ways you can make working with you easier or better. Ask about what’s happening with their social media efforts and how that’s going. These moments can often lead to a summer sale but if not, they at least keep you in mind.

Summer Clearance; You don’t hear about winter clearances much. And every savvymarketer knows if you have a reason for a sale like “We are changing over our inventory!”, or “Clearing out overstock!” people will buy. Summer clearance makes sense; create the need. You can create your own summer clearance message as a salesperson or within a sales team and frankly, the smaller the time window “July Fire Sale before they are all gone!” the better.

Focus on Strategy: Business owners or C-Suite types aren’t shutting down their brains in the summer. In fact, though vacation time is up and speed to decision time often slows, this is the time that these folks are thinking strategically. They are planning next year’s budget, ormarketing objectives, or sales strategies during the summer. Now is the time to plant those strategic seeds with your client that can help them. Share industry best practices, white papers or send links to informational pieces and talk strategy be it during a planned meeting or when they call you.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Sharpen Your Sales Message

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

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

Lois’ Lessons

I think of how good it is to create opportunities for others, for that is really the best you can do. What we do with those opportunities of course, is up to us.

I think of how good it is to heed the advice of “offer it up and move on!” That counsel is authored by many, yet so few of us act accordingly with any consistency. We should pledge to do better.

I think of how good it is to unexpectedly just send a note or a check or even yourself to someone in need. And to do it unannounced and tell it to no one. There is something so pure about that.

I think of how good it is not to waste time. It’s never coming back. Spend those “down” times learning or helping or creating something if not for yourself, then at least for someone else.

I think of how good it is to make those individuals close to you feel like it is just you and them; and that “No, there is no one else but you” that I focus on or care about. If you can pull that off, you are wondrous.

I think of how good it is to spend a life in the care or protection of others as a career and as a parent. Blessed are those that don’t leave work at work, but rather without missing a beat, bring the best of that work home every single night.

I think of these things because later today my family and I will more formally remember someone who taught me so much about what you read here. I was not my Mother’s greatest student in these lessons but am smart enough to know they do live tattered and duct taped somewhere within me.

She centered her life on caring; on making you feel like you “were the only one” she was thinking about and always surprised or helped when you never expected it. Above all, she made, prayed and worked very hard to make opportunities for us.

Her passing this week is difficult but an opportunity at home or at work for all of us, especially me. Be more purposeful about embracing the lessons of my mother, Lois.

Go ahead and steal shamelessly from her (but don’t tell anyone); she’d like that.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Inside Thoughts

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

Lyrical

I remember fighting off my brothers and diving for that sports section each morning. I loved to read his columns.

What a thrill to meet him last week.

“I try to be lyrical” he told me about his sports writing. “But today nobody really cares about that – just bang it out.”

Sad. Great communication is lyrical. It has a cadence; it captures hearts, minds and dollars.

And it will come back.

Great communication skill of all types will matter again as soon as we get past this giddy era of dumping content anywhere and in anyway we can.

Be ready.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

****

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

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: