Larry Bird?

image credit retroplanet.com

There’s a board game called TriBond where you identify the commonality of three clues given. It’s pretty fun.

Last weekend, my 14 year old son was given these three:

“Big…Larry….Jay”

He correctly said “Bird”. Then asked, “I know Big Bird and a Jay Bird, but what the heck is a “Larry Bird”?

Sigh.

Wow.

What else do I incorrectly assume is a basic reference with someone I know well? Or with colleagues, employees or customers?

It’s worse than that actually.

I assume this blog makes sense to you. But how many are saying “Who the heck is Larry Bird?”

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

****

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

Silence is Not Golden (And 2 Ways to Avoid It)

Silence is not golden.

It might be in the movie theater or as your buddy starts his back swing, but not in Sales.

I get the whole “Don’t be the first to speak ” thing in Sales when trying to close a deal- it’s pretty 80’s but that kind of silence has it’s place I guess.

But more often than not, silence from a customer in Sales means either they don’t care or they are confused.

I’ve written plenty about the don’t care silence problem but confusion makes people quiet too you know.

I heard silence from a customer named Kelly last week. I was listening in as she called about a service offering. Dead silence……………….. as the sales rep shared the values of the service………. till she finally said, “I have no idea what “_______” means”. It was a critical piece. She breathed a sigh and chuckled. She was embarrassed.

Have you ever been in a meeting and no one says a word? It’s not always because people don’t care. Silence happens when smart people get lost in a sea of unfamiliar acronyms or in stories of experiences that just aren’t making sense for the discussion.

Did you ever clam up in an electronics department not because you didn’t want the product but because the sales rep wasn’t making sense to you and so you just stopped talking and muttered “all set” and walked away?

You must know your audience. You must know the relative complexity of your products. Kelly was a small business owner; a prideful person with a fairly large ego. Confusion can make people feel dumb. Confusion can make people tense, even angry. And most critically, Confusion can stop the talking and the sales process cold.

2 ways to avoid the Confusion Silence.

1.) When it is 1 to 1: When it is just you and he/ she over the phone or face to face; (i.e. nobody else around) – you can ask a simple question before you begin to converse, sell or service. “To make this most helpful for you, could I ask if you would consider yourself very knowledgeable with _______ , somewhat knowledge, or not that familiar with ___________?” This gets that answer without embarrassment. This respects that just because you live and breathe your job’s products and processes everyday- most of your clients and prospects don’t – and are starting from a different place than you.

2.) In a meeting with more than 1 person: When the room goes quiet and you start to think nobody cares, stop and wonder “are people just confused?” You could ask that question out loud (like everyone else ridiculously does) and get of course, no response (not many folks want to shout out “I don’t get it!” in front of others) or you can inject this phrase “At this point, some folks often ask about _________ “ or “Sometimes people ask me ________________about this” and then look around the room. If you get sudden eye contact from some or head nods, you know you’ve got confusion silence happening and you need to delve differently.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Royal Numbers

2 billion people watched the Royal wedding Friday. The most to watch any single event. Ever.

Why?

It’s all about storytelling. And thus having one of the strongest brands in the world. Bigger than Apple, bigger than Coke, bigger than Facebook.

1,000 years of Royal stories. 1,000 years of Royal intrigue, power, love and loss. Stories get told. Stories stick. Stories attract.

It’s not a stretch to steal that lesson from Friday for what you do. If you want people to watch you in droves and stick around for a while, start with one hell of a story.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

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

Invaluable

It’s a goal you can have. It’s a choice you can make.

Yes you can be helpful, wonderful, fantastic, amazing or even, the best.

But to be invaluable, that’s better.

Invaluable to your boss, your partner, your team or your child. To be priceless. To be heroic. To be unfathomably missed.

That takes doing. That takes more than executing on your skills or tapping into your smarts.

Invaluable takes big and different dreams. Invaluable takes stringing together moments of thoughtful brilliance. Invaluable takes a mission-like obsession.

You know it’s there for each of us. Let’s go do that.

Till next time,

Grow The Business

Mark

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

About Face

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

Love

I’ve gotten a lot of good natured ribbing lately about the word “Love”.

Yeah, I helped the talented staff here and designed a short training a couple of weeks back around a particular sales effort. I recommended that salespeople use the word “love” in voicemails and conversations they have with folks.

Darn proud of it I am. It’s good thinking. Heard we got some sales rollin’ in too.

You don’t like the idea? Feels uncomfortable for you? Too bad. You are missing the point.

It’s not the word “love” that matters as much as what that type of word does.

You have a choice. Do you want to sound like every other Sales or Account Rep calling or leaving voicemails for clients and prospects or do you want to be different?

Do you want to be the 11^th voicemail the small business owner picks up that is not a needed customer, or their accountant, or a family member but instead is a sales rep (you) and pray that your brochure-like language gets an inkling of attention? Or do you want to be memorable?

In Voicemail your biggest obstacle isn’t how you deliver your value, or how you position your offer or if you can sound credible – it’s the dang Delete button.

You bore and you are no more.

A word like “Love” in a voice mail or in the first minute of a conversation as in “We sent you a coupon for this because we love you” makes wonderful sense when you are calling on customers with any tenure to your organization. A word like “Love” as in “I love what you are doing, opening a new business- that is exciting” when working with prospects will surely get attention.

Still feels awkward? It just doesn’t feel right still?

Find a way. You are still missing the point.

“Love” and words very much like it, engage something wonderful in a customer or prospect. They don’t expect to hear that and in one word, it signals uniquely what you think of them – which is impossible to go unnoticed. No other vendor, sales rep or partner leaves words like “love” on a voicemail today let alone in a conversation. And maybe, just maybe if you do this – that customer or prospect will perk their ears up, listen to the rest of the message and who knows, write your number down and call you back.

So whether the word is “love” or “adore” or “cherish”, each will get attention. And it sets you apart in a memorable, wonderful way that will get you far more business than if you sound like everyone else.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Great Problems To Have

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.

Friday Reprise

Dear Reader,

This blog is a youngin’ (a mere 10 months old) with about 100 posts. Thank you for visiting today and whenever you do. I write not for me you know. (Well writing really helps me think so that is a bit of a lie)

What strikes folks about posts on sales,marketing, training or just life? I took a look at the stats last night.

Here are the 5 most popular blogs in order based on page views so far. You might know them.

5 Oddly Wonderful Things to Say to Customers

6 Questions Never to Ask a Customer

Still The Luckiest Man in the World

Treat Your Boss Well

You Had Me at Hello (and then you just let me go)

What does it say that these are the most popular posts so far? To me is says that obviously a post has to catch the eye of (and this is the essence of social media) someone who is both influential (lots of followers, subscribers etc) and cares to recommend and share – but that in general; people like short, valuable and interesting content written in a way that is perhaps a little different or unexpected and that on occasion, moves you a little bit or makes you think.

Shocker eh?

That’s a darn good recipe for a bunch of stuff like selling andmarketing and training too.

Only wish I could do that every time I post. Enjoy!

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

How To Avoid Being an HR ( and Customer) Nightmare

Am I an HR Nightmare? You decide.

Imagine that you and I just ran into each other in the street. We’ve never met before.

I smile and ask, “Excuse me Miss, may I take your hand?” or I smile and ask “You are simply gorgeous, have you ever been a model?” or I smile and I ask “Your place or mine?”

Well? Am I an HR Nightmare?

Before real HR personnel here race down the hall and escort me out of this building, let me explain why I ask. There is a lesson here.

First I understand a majority of you (OK, all of you), would have been appalled and/or frightened if any of the vignettes really happened. “Hell no!”, “Get away from me!” and “Police!!” would likely be the vitriol lobbied at me.

But let’s change the vignettes just a wee bit.

Imagine that you and I just ran into each other in the street. We’ve never met before.

I smile and say “Excuse me, I am a doctor and you don’t look well, may I take your hand?” or I smile and say “I am with Martin & Stevens modeling right here in Boston. You are gorgeous, have you ever been a model?” Or I smile and say “I am Detective McCarthy with Boston PD and I need to ask you a few questions – your place or mine?”

You get it now. Makes a little more sense.

But while I may not be a true HR nightmare; some of us are Customer or Prospect Nightmares.

Within moments of meeting customers or prospects, whether they call us or we call on them, some of us ask questions we have not yet earned the right to ask. We ask questions like “How’s business?” or “How do you market your business?” or “What challenges do you face?” Or “What are the goals?”

And shockingly we often don’t take the time to drop the necessary credibility first. We never proclaim our being a doctor, an agent or a police officer so to speak and hence we create a whole lot of tension, confusion or even anger.

Tension, confusion or anger by the way, stops the sales process dead in its tracks.

In a perfect sales world we have the credibility, trust and time already invested and would be able to ask these questions without worry of how a customer or prospect might feel or respond.

But we don’t live in a perfect sales world and yet still need information from our clients. So when that phone rings or we make that cold call we ask and ask away, sometimes to our detriment.

Here is a surefire simple way to avoid being a Customer Nightmare (Sorry really can’t help you if you are an HR Nightmare) and improve your chances of getting good questions answered.

Preface It: If you want to ask “How’s business going?” of a small business owner seconds after meeting them – Preface It with “I’m hearing a lot of things from my retailers lately, but how’s business going with you?” Here your experience with other like customers (retailers) earns you street cred and reduces risk of posing a question that might be considered an affront so early on. It also piques interest that you may know something of value; which can help you avoid getting booted out the door or off the phone sooner than you’d like.

Preface It is a simple formula: Any variation of Your Experience + Teaser + Customer’s line of business = one heck of an assist to get a good question answered.

Have at it.

(Next time, I’ll share another tip you can button right on to this one that will greatly enhance your effort to discover well with your customers and prospects).

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Cool Sheep

Google’s +1 (plus one) launched last week. It’s flattering proof once again that what your network likes is a vital influence in your decision to buy something.

We are sheep – albeit the smartest, coolest and most innovative sheep ever. And we largely act and buy because of what we see other people like us do or recommend.

No influence in the history of the world is more powerful. None.

Advertisers know it. You must know it. Strive always to share and show the cool sheep what is so liked about you and your product – all their friends are watching.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

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

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