Stand Up! (or Fight)

Stand Up! (or Fight)

Years ago I nearly got into it with a colleague. I was never a big one for fights but this one was close.

I was paired up with a guy from my company we’ll call “Steve”. We were at a Home Show and in our cool and very expensive company booth. And we were selling. And selling. That’s how we made the business hum. That’s also how I put food on the table.

“Steve” somehow corralled a tall chair and decided to sit down in the booth.

Heresy. Really it was. Any sales pro worth his salt knows it’s a sin to sit in a trade show booth. At least that is what I was taught. Call me old school but it’s a bad message to send all the customers and prospects walking through the show – that you’re lazy and maybe your company is too. Your job is to be engaged in booth visitors, be passionate and proud of your product or service. Sitting on your butt behind desk does none of that.

We got into it. I kind of freaked out. It didn’t come to blows and he eventually put the chair back where he got it. I did make sure we never worked another shift together again anywhere.

Fast forward 18 years or so to last week.

I was walking through the mall with my wife. It was packed. Kiosks lining the center of the mall.

I walked past 7 of them in a row. Every single one was staffed by an oblivious, lazy, selfish and disturbingly care free employee sitting in a chair with face buried in their smart phones; most with ear buds in as well. That’s the impression they gave. And these folks in the Kiosks were no teens either.

Not one was buried in their company email. Every one as I circled was buried in Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram or some other time suck away from driving revenue out of their booths.

If that was my Kiosk that I paid for on this Saturday in a packed mall and you worked for me and behaved like that –I’d fire you on the spot.

Chairs are for the customers who might need a seat when you are explaining your product or they are filling out an application. Chairs are for customers who need to break to rest their legs and their wallets as they consider investing in your service or product and putting money into your checking account to pay the rent. Smart phones are for your pocket or your purse or to take a payment or read an email from your boss or to look up product specs.

I’m not preaching trade show booths and Kiosks in mall owners or employees need to be carnival barkers and invade the paths of a passerby and scream “come on in and take a look!” I’m saying what we know is true; stand up. Smile. Be engaged in those who show interest. Be engaged and proud of what you represent in public.

Being engaged is attractive. And that’s true in any setting. At a trade show, in a retail store, in the field, on a phone, even in a meeting.

Sitting down and being physically selfish and mentally selfish by immersing in your time waster smart phones at work has the opposite effect on people who look at you. “If you don’t care about your product and your company, why should I?”

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

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Mark’s Twitter

Trust Your Wince-tincts

Trust Your Wince-tincts

We Wince. And wincing is a big deal.

Think about the Wince: our eyes squint up, we squeeze our shoulders together and we wish just for that moment, that we weren’t there to see or hear whatever it is that is making us wince.

Wincing is not good. Not good at all. But it can help you figure out stuff for the better.

Sometimes bad acting will make you wince (Hugh Grant comes to mind). Some movies are 2 hours of a Wince fest (I’m still scarred by that kid movie Chicken Run a decade ago). Nick Jonas as Marius in Les Miserable 25^th anniversary show is probably this century’s greatest wince to date. But many times you wince in the marketplace or at work. That’s something we can fix.

In the marketplace you often sense in advance the wince is coming like when the store clerk says to the customer in front of you “ Do you have a rewards card?” then you wince and immediately drop your eyes to the ground. Why? Because you know what’s coming – the horrible cross sell -“Would you like to sign up for one..?” And the wincing isn’t over because its your turn now –you’re about to get the same WinceDom from the clerk. Ugh.

I wince when the waiter gets too familiar too soon and leans down and just about cuddles up next to me to share the day’s specials (just as he was trained to do I am sure). I Wince at the airport when I hear the gate agent say “And now we welcome our Delta Super Flyers, Northwest Perks Puppies, Frequent Flyer Super Dupers and Platinum Star Cadets” or whatever it is they say. It’s so rote and boring and there are just so many titles that it is meaningless and downright embarrassing. I also wince when I hear at the end of a phone call; “Have we met all of your needs and are you satisfied with your experience with me today?” This is a Wince slap no matter how I feel. Ugh. What do you think I’m gonna do if I’m not happy? Pick a fight? Just tell me “Thank you for your business” and let me go.

I’ve come to think that Wince is a very good word and tell for uncomfortable sales and service. It’s a great descriptor and is great for identifying those moments that need real help and that need to be fixed because wincing is very truthful. You have a hard time faking or making up a wince on the fly – It’s just the way it is. Those moments you wince in any experience are called Wince Points.

Wince Points are no fun. We should make them go away.

What about you? What are the Wince Points for you? When you listen to your colleagues over the wall or listen to client interactions remotely, or along side a sales rep in the field; what makes you wince?

I wince with my eyes squeezed shut when I hear stuff like “I’m calling just to check in…” or “We have 1/2 off anything new if want something”. I wince when I see vendor slides that begin with their credentials and not what they’ve learned about me first. I wince when I see 10 bullets on a WebEx, hear a dog barking in the background in a virtual meeting, see an unchanged automated invitation to me to connect on Linked in, read emails with suggested times to meet but no indication of time zone and I wince when someone tells me to consider then earth when deciding whether to print this document just to name a few more.

Wince Points are everywhere.

Focus on the winces. And trust your “Wince-tincts”. They are truthful and honest moments. Make a plan, create a process, get a training or get some coaching to help get rid of the winces.

If it makes you wince, there is something wrong with that moment. Don’t fight it, just go and fix it.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Mark’s Blog

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1 Minute Helpful Videos Anyone?

I’m experimenting with a new media but with the same goal of giving you something to help. I’m a little addicted to it I admit this week while traveling. So two for you today.

3 Powerful Words and How to Avoid Sales Pain in the Shower. How can you resist?

If they help you grow your business even a little bit, that would be (as we say where I’m from), wicked awesome! Have a great day!

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Mark’s Blog

Mark’s Twitter

-10 Under Par!

-10 Under Par!

I took great joy in beating the two 16 year olds Saturday. Crushed their souls I did.

But I took greater joy in beating up the golf course. 10 under par was my score – that had to be some kind of record!

At least for me it was. I am framing that pictured scorecard and it is going right downstairs in the Man Room on the wall where it belongs.

10 under! Some team of golf course architects sat in some design laboratory in Florida years ago when they designed this course figuring out that the hole called “Cliffhanger” was a par 3 and that so was “High Anxiety” and so was that monster hole “Bear Cave”. Heck, the Masters has names for their golf holes like “Magnolia” and “Golden Bell” and that is one tough course.

But these golf course gurus did not expect my 5 holes in one Saturday (including 4 in a row!) and nor did my son and his friend. “Go build your fragile self esteem and confidence somewhere else” I said, (like I literally did say that). I was on fire!

I knew my concentration and skill were better than the two teenagers and that I would win, but the best part was I was way better than the “standard” of good golf – by shooting a 34 on a par 44 mini-golf course. Expert mini golfer in the house! I’m a darn near pro! I will always have good feelings about Max’s Mini Golf.

Now when you think about it, par 44 is probably a bit liberal assessment of the course difficulty. And probably on purpose by said architects in my vision. But it made my day. Quenched my competitive spirit it did. It really did. Silly I know. But not really. There’s something about it that’s good. And smart.

I wonder if that “better than standard” thing has some value in the workplace and in business. – Actually, I know it does:

It’s the crux of the silver, gold and platinum airline classes as well as the credit cards. Everyone knows “most people” aren’t or don’t perform at these levels so already that kind of “achievement” and expertise ( think all the “professional traveler” commercials you see of late) taps into the emotional competitive attachment of individuals and to that of the company.
Gamification is huge in the world of learning today. In some businesses you log into “game portals” – play games (and learn), earn points, badges and medals advancing through levels and certifications of expertise. You know all the way along how you compare to “standards” and your peers ( where you rank) in oodles of categories. On purpose.
Pizza joints love the “Beat the Pizza-mageddon” where in the space of an hour two people must eat a pizza the size of a man-hole cover and win prizes and publicity in the local paper. “Nobody’s done it yet” the sign says. That’ll drive more than just 2 adults to dare- they’ll bring all their friends too and order up! Bring your competitive spirit and your emotional attachment to the joint like, forever.

So fun is good. Winning is good. Earning stuff is good. But having the chance to walk around town as the perceived professional mini golfer, the professional traveler, or even the pro eater is well, good for business too.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Mark’s Blog

Mark’s Twitter

If You’re Confused, What The Heck Do You Think Your Prospect Is?

If You’re Confused, What The Heck Do You Think Your Prospect Is?

I spend a lot of time looking at, and experiencing training these days. And sometimes it’s clear that the things we train our own employees, like some of the products and services we sell, can be …well …..confusing. Not every service or product as everyone well knows, is tangible or simple. Some, like financial products or online marketing products can feel particularly abstract and complex.

And if it’s confusing to my Trainers when they first start to learn the products and then later for the Sales and Service people who then have to present in front of customers, do ya think it might be that much more confusing for prospects and clients when they are first are approached or exposed to these things?

And if you’ve ever read anything in this blog before, you already know that confusion kills sales.

Here are 3 ways to alleviate that confusion when you represent a complex product or service:

Teach your Sales people to teach. Get past the idea that sales of complex or non tangible products / services begins with the pitch. It doesn’t. It begins with the teach. It’s OK to build teaching into your sales cycle despite the fear of lengthening the sales cycles. You aren’t lengthening the sales cycle – you are starting earlier – you have to. It’s OK to get all your sales people to a level where they become experts with online webinars under their belts, with killer LinkedIn pages and Twitter followers who look to them for as much insight as they do for what’s on sale.

3’s: Everything in 3’s: The mind is not wired to remember more than 5 numbers, let alone 5 points. If you have a service for example that manages your online marketing spend then even if it has 12 steps to get started, it should sound like “…Only 3 key steps to getting you started. In the first step we’ll interview you around 3 important areas like……. Then after that, we get to tackling 3 areas of your current website like…..” You get it. “3” sounds simple. Simple eases tension and sales can keep on moving.

Analogies: Nothing simplifies better. Are you a marketing consultant? Nope, you’re a marketing GPS that gets the business to the destination of 25% more customers. Are you a website developer? Nope; you are building an automated employee that works 24 hours a day taking orders and that never sleeps. Think hard about what you sell or service and find that perfect analogy that makes it click and stick.

This blog is not complex but I kept it to 3 points. More than that and it gets confusing who the heck wants to read that?

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

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Punctuation Free (For a Reason)

Punctuation Free ( For a Reason)

When you look closely, there is no comma, slash, semi-colon, parenthesis or period between the title words “Sales Representative.” And that’s on purpose. You have to do both at the same time.

You have to sell but you have to represent the company simultaneously. It’s not one or the other. You can’t sell for selling sake and set unreal expectations or pound out fishy phone calls or phishy emails because then you are not “representing” the company well. Conversely, you can’t be all Kumbaya and go harvesting customers with super friendly experiences and never broach filling the unmet needs of the customer.

There is no comma, slash, semi-colon, parenthesis or period between the title “Service Representative” either.

You have to give great service but you have to represent the company simultaneously time. It’s not one or the other. If you don’t take ownership (“I don’t know why they did that in shipping..”) or apologize for real (“sorry that happened to you…what’s your account number?” ) you are leaving an awful impression as a Rep of the company. Conversely, your reliance on policy or procedure or terms and conditions do little to evoke the “service” part of a service call.

There is also no comma, slash, semi-colon, parenthesis or period between the titles of “Sales Manager” or “Service Manager” so you best know sales and service at an expert level and likewise need to know how to expertly support your people at the same time.

Punctuation between words has its place – a means often to stop, pause, reposition and separate. But if it ain’t there it ain’t there – that means when the words go together; they belong together.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Mark’s Blog

Mark’s Twitter

7 Things Your Prospect Won’t Tell You

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 7^th 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

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

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Are You Scroll-Worthy?

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

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

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