storytelling

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

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Dear Sales or Service Rep,

What the heck happened when you had your chance?

I had to speak with you today.  I needed to talk to a human because as a small business owner, I’m super busy and sometimes it’s just faster.  So you got me and I got you.

And I know it’s a big deal to talk to me, given how much I and my fellow small business owners are in demand.   I’m all over TV.  Seems like every company wants to help me, or guide me, or build a special site for me to visit.  That’s nice.

So there I was, live and on the phone with you.

You blew it.

You totally had me when you said “Hello”.  I was waiting.  I was shockingly semi focused on you and what you were doing.  I had a need when I called and you had a real voice.  But in the end, the stuff you did and didn’t do, just let me go.

I’ve been a customer for 4 years but I don’t know if  you knew that- you didn’t say.  With my customers, it’s pretty much the first thing I notice.  Sticking with me means something to me, but to you? I guess not.

You called me “Steve” but frankly only my friends; my doctor and my family call me “Steve”; at least not without asking permission first.  Heck I’ve never called any of my customers by first name unless I knew them well or they insisted.    You folks don’t realize how that rubs us business owners who are also customers the wrong way.

You tried to up sell me and cross sell me stuff like you were afraid.   Huge turnoff.  Have some confidence!  People forget I am in sales too or else my kids don’t get fed.   And while I may not be a pro at selling, I darn well don’t do it meekly.  I have to up sell and cross sell too to make my business grow.  So if you’re going to sell me, do it with pride and strength, not like your praying I won’t notice.  When I sell, I’m proud of what my products can do.  You should be too.

You had me at “Hello”, maybe next time you can keep me to “Goodbye”.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

A Salesperson’s Valentine’s Day

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Beautiful poetry can move the soul.  But when I write about my beloved salespeople….not so much. 

Oh sweet Valentine , Oh love of mine,
Today is finally the day for you.
It’s the day this year I pledge to make
A start that’s all brand new. 

For I have heard your pleas to leave work
At work, and to please be more attentive.
That I must “let it go” when I get home
And stop obsessing over my incentive.

So now I promise I’ll shut it off
And stop saying those salesy things at night.
Like “What’s your preferred method of contact?”
For I guess unlike at work, at home it’s impolite.

 I’ll stop waking asking “Are you the decision maker?”
Disturbing you from your slumber.
I already know who’s boss, I really do
But it’s a darn helpful question to hit my number.

So today’s the day it all begins
Where I’ll stop trying to “overcome your objections”.
Where I’ll stop believing every “no” gets me closer to a “yes”
And where finally my love makes course corrections.

Today’s special, or so I’d like to think
For it’s the first day of a brand new me.
Though I just noticed the difference between today’s special
And Todays’ Special is, the slight move of an apostrophe.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Crushed

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I stared at it every day.

A lot of snow on it for sure.

Lots of snow everywhere.  75 inches of snow so far this year where I live.  I know, I keep track.

I’d take the dog out and yes, I’d stare at it.   Gee, that’s a lot of snow on that.  It was pretty in the snow.

I’d put the dishes in the sink, make the coffee, rinse a plate or two and I’d stare at it more out the window.  

There’s a lot of snow on that roof.  Boy, it’s snowed a lot this year.  It’s a big old shed the previous owner built.  He was a contractor.  It was strong.   I don’t have a garage, so that shed is very helpful.  I put the lawn mower, the bikes, the paint, the old furniture and a dozen other important things in there- you know how it works.

On Sunday I stared at it more.  

The snow on the roof was gone.  Wow.  Where did it go? 

I stared at it more and realized the snow was gone because the roof was gone. 

Collapsed. Crushed. 

The shed exploded actually.  The sheer weight of what had to be 4 feet of snow crushed it in the center crumpling out all 4 sides.  Truth is, the shed looks like it might have been stepped on by a brontosaurus.  Drive on by my house and you’ll see it; it’s quite the sight.

Ugh.

I soooo realized Sunday that sometimes problems are right in front of us but we simply don’t see them. 

Literally.

I had heard the warnings on radio about roofs and buildings collapsing under the weight of snow but I did not really hear.  I saw the neighbors taking snow of roofs of sheds and homes and schools for fear of collapse but did not really see.   I stared at the bloody shed for weeks and really did not act.

Wow.  A lesson right there in my own back yard.

What will you notice now?  What can you learn from my now crushed shed I just stared at for way too long?

What is right in front of you and gnaws at you? What doesn’t look right?  What just “bothers” you that you stare at every day.  What do you “hope” does not happen so much that you just avoid it?  What are people telling you that you uncomfortably just “brush off” or ignore?

Be wary.  Whatever it is if you do not act, it could collapse.  And you’d be crushed.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

The APG3

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It’s a pretty simple formula.

Elevator Speech = A+PG+3.   Or as I’ll coin it an APG3

An Elevator Speech that leads with a powerful Analogy, offers the removal of some Pain or the addition of some Gain and has Three(3) parts that illustrate how that all happens; is simply the best.

That is if you think the Heath Brothers who wrote the best sellers Switch and Made To Stick, a world renowned writer and speaker Brian Tracey and Apple’s Steve Jobs know exactly what they are talking about. (Hint: they do).

Combine three of these genius’s passions and you’ve got a great recipe for Elevator Speech success.

  • The Heath brothers in their books, exude the power of the analogy (it brings instant vision, a feeling and an understanding to the listener).  Think about the famous Hollywood pitch later made into that blockbuster movie Alien,…  “It is just like Jaws but takes place in space.” Steal from them.
  • Brian Tracey has for years spoken of the power of “pain and/or gain” from a clients perspective.  Love Brian.  Love this perspective.  Steal it.
  • Steve Jobs lives and loves “3’s” in all his presentations.  Watch him on YouTube.  He is the master of getting a compelling message out so steal from him.

Combine the three and you’ve got a killer approach to an elevator speech that is short, sounds like a human could say it (instead of the sound when it belongs in a brochure) is customer focused, attention getting and leaves em’ wanting more.

Let’s try one.  Let’s say you offer marketing to businesses for a living…

“I’m like a smart GPS for how to grow your business with marketing.   I know exactly where to go and make it incredibly fast and easy for a business to get that done right.” 

“And there are three things I do really well to make this happen…”

 “First, I keep my customers because I do what I say I’ll do;  after almost 10 years, I’ve grown to nearly 100 customers that continue to trust me, and trust is a big deal”

 “Two, I “get it“, I know how to bring new business into businesses.  I’ve created new tools and training that frankly impress the heck out of clients when they see it.

“Lastly, I obsess over the service and help after the campaigns.  I know what business needs when it comes to marketing and it isn’t this “one and done” type stuff. Most of my time and development goes into ensuring there is continuous sales improvement.”

“So let’s dig a deeper and let me show you a couple of the tools that impress retailers in particular OK?“…

So that’s a start.   Tenses can easily change to “we”.  Analogies can be changed to different better/ more interesting.  Pain/ Gain can change dependent on what your focus is and the 3 things done exceedingly well are all fair game.  

My example set aside, these pieces rightly so must be crafted and crafted well.  A very worthy effort for you or any sales groups to be focused on.    A good Elevator Speech makes for darn good voicemail, blog About page, email or Facebook post as well.

So that you can play this game at home;  Here is the APG3 in summary;

  • Analogy:  Be impressive and memorable with this.
  • Pain and/or Gain: not for you, for the prospect!
  • Three(3):  pick the best, leave em’ wanting more!

 

Till next time,

Grow The Business,

Mark

A Wii Bit of Advice

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It was a blast.  It was nerve wracking.  It was mentally exhausting.  

And there was a lesson to be learned.  

Strike One.        Strike Two.        Strike Three.   

No baseball here, those strikes came in the first three frames of Nintendo’s Wii Bowling.    Cool.

Bowling alone on the Wii gaming system in my basement “Man Room” Saturday, little did I know it would be a night for the history books in the ol’ McCarthy homestead.

Strike Four.       Strike Five. 

Five strikes in a row.   Don’t think I’ve done that before.  If I did, it was never in the first 5 frames out of the gate, that’s for sure.   I’m not going to lie to you and say that I don’t ever bowl with the Wii;- I have.   Not that much though, and not for months now.

Strike Six.      Gulp.

I’m feeling pretty good right now.  I know exactly what I am doing.  I am holding the controller in a special way with my hand held high but slightly cocked to the left.  I know that on my backswing, my hand is brushing within an inch or two of the Christmas tree because I hear the jingle of the ornaments from the breeze my arm swing makes.   I’m taking a perfect and consistent half step forward toward the TV and with a jagged sharp twist of my wrist just at the right time – I am giving the ball a wicked left hook right into the pocket. 

Strike Seven.           Strike Eight.  

Holy Jimoly.      Gulp.  Gulp.   

Strike Nine.

I am standing, just staring at the screen; looking at the 9 strikes in a row.  Wow.   I admit I am perspiring a little as I realize I am on a course with destiny.   Am I going to bowl a perfect game? A perfect 300 game?  There are websites dedicated to bowling the perfect 300 game in a Wii.  It is not at all easy to do.   Is it possible for me to get 12 strikes in a row?

Deep breath…..hold controller up high, angle to the left……press the “B” button…….

WAIT !  I yell to myself silently…..   This is no good……….  I am alone. 

What good is bowling a perfect game without a witness?   What good is playing golf by yourself and getting a hole in one if nobody sees it but you?   What good is making the half court behind the Subaru, off the garage “nothing but net” basketball shot if you don’t have someone there to see you do it?

“Boys!  Boys!”  I yelled upstairs.  “Come downstairs, you have to see this!” 

Both came running.  I showed them what was happening; The 9 strikes in a row; The perfect game in progress.   I knew I was taking a big risk bringing attention to myself.  My timing will certainly be off now.  But at least I have witnesses.  Maybe I can do this and these two 13 year olds will see electronic bowling history made before their eyes.

Strike Ten.

Would you believe it?    I was more shocked than anyone.   I did not lose my touch.  I had the special grip, the swing back, the breeze, the stride, the twist and of course; the 10th strike.

Two more to go.   I smiled; nodding my head while simultaneously showing the boys my special grip on the controller.  I then pressed the B button and swung my arm back……

Into the Christmas Tree……..aaahhhhggghhh…………and only…. nine pins fall down……

 

I picked up the spare and ended with a 289. 

Crushed though I was having missed the perfect game of 300, it was the best I’ve ever done and I think it might have been worse if I had rolled a 300 and there was no one there to see it.

So what’s the lesson learned by this story?   It’s simple.   Everyone’s big event is better with someone special there to see.

When the anniversary date comes for your 10 year employee, be there when the gift and the certificate are presented; it makes a difference in the experience.   The “drive by” a week later acknowledging the date just isn’t the same.

When the results come in on the sales contest on the 3rd business day of every month; don’t post the winner on the wall or email the results to all.  Stand by the winner’s desk, wait for her to arrive and share the news aloud for all to hear.  She’ll remember that feeling and that moment far better than the memory of opening a congratulatory email message.

When the promotion is approved, the new program launches, the degree is acquired, the first presentation is given and other big moments in a person’s work life happen perfect or not, having witnesses first hand makes it all that much better.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Lean In

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When you visit a small business, lean in and take a little peek thru that half opened storeroom door.  You just might be able to see a little arm attached to a littler hand holding a bright crayon scribbling away on papers laying about that worktable.  Of course then you realize, that Kristen who is tallying the receipts out front, is this little one’s Mommy. 

When you grab that coveted Hi back stool at the local bar (you know, the chair just opposite the TV but kind of on the corner so you see everything), go ahead and order that Sam Adams and as you wait, lean in a bit and you just might see a purse on the floor overflowing with bills including those yellow “final notice” ones.  For a second you get that sick feeling in your stomach too- you’ve been there.  Of course then you realize, Mary must have just raced here for the closing shift and is praying she makes enough in business and tips tonight to at least get the late late late ones paid.

When you take Max for a walk and see “Mike’s All Pro Painting” truck next door at Dave’s house you’re curious so you step a little closer.  You notice the truck is clean with a nice logo on the side- a real pro.  But lean in a bit and take a look inside the cab and you might just see a catastrophe of burger wrappers and coffee cups.  But as you look even closer you see in the midst of this mess a copy of Entrepreneur magazine and WSJ’s guide to Small Business.   Of course then you realize, Mike has much bigger dreams.

These folks and many other small business owners have kids, bills and dreams.

And many of you have the chance every day in what you do to help these folks grow their business.  You have the advice, the ideas, the products and the services that can do that for them.  

But So what?  Growing their business doesn’t really mean anything.  At least not always to us it doesn’t.

We have to think deeper.

Helping Kristen, Mary and Mike grow their business is way more than just growing their business to them.   Growing helps them pay for that after school program, or for those late late bills or for that seminar to learn how to secure an Angel investor and live that dream.

Growing is often a wonderful means to an end for small business owners.  And those ends aren’t much different than what you and me have in mind.

So lean in.

But lean way in this time and give em’ a hand.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

I Sent My Wife Roses For No Reason. What Did You Do?

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Yesterday, I sent a dozen red roses (in a beautiful vase I might add) to my wife at her place of work. 

I sent them just because I love her; no other reason.

In fact,  the card read….“Just because I Love You.”   

Upon receiving such a thoughtful delivery and reading the attached note, my lovely wife apparently teared up in front of all her co-workers, which of course made said co-workers tear up, and they in turn even got visitors to tear up.   Love all around and tissues for everyone.

Ahem.  🙂

I know.  All you guys are looking real bad right now.  

Some other guys are looking bad right now too but they don’t even know it.  They will of course when they get home and see this blog post taped to the fridge like a sentry guarding the bottles of beer that lie within. 

Fun.

But my friends, I’ll take the heat because here’s my point; you can’t be boring or predictable, you gotta keep it fresh.  You gotta surprise.

  •  Are you the sales rep that sent the Thanksgiving card out to the client to say thank you for their business?  Probably not, but some other partner/ supplier somewhere else, probably did.  You go ahead and send out just one card like everyone else.
  • Are you the sales leader who suddenly sat down and called out on behalf of your sales person to set up 5 appointments just for her, so she had a chance to knock em’ dead with her presentation?  Probably not, but some other sales leader, somewhere else, probably did.   You go ahead and keep coaching her on her presentation.
  • Are you the sales rep who called looking to hit voicemail  (cause you knew if you got your customer live for this, it would be interrupting) and left a message about the link you sent to help them deal with a problem totally unrelated to what you sell?  Probably not, but some other sales rep, somewhere else, probably did.   You go ahead and call only when you are looking to hit your quota.

You love your significant other.  You love your customers.  Keep it fresh.  Surprise the hell out of em’ now and then.   You know it’s good.  And yeah, you beat back the dreaded “boring” and the competition every time. 

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

Chairvolution!

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It’s the easiest and most effective “how to sell” prop in the world. 

The simple chair.  

When I get a chance to speak to sales folks, I’ll occasionally launch into using a real chair that happens to be lying around to help folks learn how to sell.  Every time I do it; I see heads nod in enlightenment and jaws literally slacken as many salespeople have “aha” moments.

It resonates so well that I typically walk away from these little talks saying to myself “Geez, I’ve got to do that chair thing every time!”  But then, as I am apt to do; I forget to do it the next time.   Not any more, I am committed to embracing the chair!

So with apologies to the office furniture and chair sales folks out there, I must explain that the ubiquitous chair is the perfect prop to represent your “product” or whatever it is you are selling or marketing.  It is precisely because the “chair” is so common and so “everywhere” that it works.   It works because it allows you the teacher, speaker or trainer to easily put emphasis on more than just the product and focus on the positioning, credibility and solutions your product or service really needs to get sold.

The chair is big.  Really big.  You could spend a whole day preaching and teaching a lot more than just the 6 lessons below but heck, it’s a start.  

Welcome to my Chairvolution.   Please steal shamelessly.

6 Easy Chair Selling Lessons

Start by saying “I am going to sell you a chair” and then follow the guide below as you teach and preach.

Lesson 1: Put the chair behind your back and ask (as if you are the sales rep) “What kind of chair would you like?”  This is a great first lesson because it is about what not to do.  In this harried, crazy, no time and no trust world of buyers we live in; the age old “Tell me what you dream” is really just about dead.  Open ended,  out of the blue questions more often stop sales processes, not start them.  You’ve got to lead folks or give them a comparative reference.  Psychology notes that comparison is less brainwork than creation.   Discuss.

Lesson 2:   Bring the chair back from behind your back and say “This is our most popular selling chair”  Pause, then ask the group –   “How many of you just ever so slightly had their interest piqued?”   Here is a great 2nd lesson in the value of popularity.   Popularity is so important that the next 2 lessons using this chair go even deeper there.  There’s a reason Amazon built that algorithm! 

Lesson 3:  Continue holding onto the chair and say   “This chair is the most requested one by the folks at your company”.   Pause and ask “What’s different in this lesson?”  What’s different is that Popularity positioning you shared in Lesson 2 has been turned around and is now positioned with something more valuable to the client.  That is that prospects “like them” ( i.e. those people that work in this company) love this chair.  No doubt the interest of the group is piqued about the darn chair.  Discuss.

 

 [Here is a good place to remind the group that we have yet to talk about the features and specs of the chair as a means to sell it,  and oh by the way…in all of these lessons today-we won’t!]

Lesson 4;   “Everyone in your department on the first floor has this chair”   Here it’s getting obvious that the closer you get to the truth about popularity of product by customer and prospect type, the better.  Study after study shows that most people need to and love to do what other people just like them do and make similar choices.  Yep, like the Amazon pop-ups and the Net-flix pop ups; you get it.

Lesson 5:  Switching gears, look longingly at the chair and say “This chair will make your back feel better” or “This chair will get that capital expenditure under control” or “This chair will give your employees that “Google” office feel they want”.   The point here is that you are showing just how much work needs to be done before you talk about the darn chair to prospects.  What problem it solves, what pain it eases, what yearning it fills.  Have fun with this part as nary a mention of price, height or color is in sight. 

Lesson 6:  Take the chair and roll it up next to one of the participants in the room and say “Your mother suggested I talk to you about this chair”.    Have a good laugh at those who say “I don’t like my Mom” but the point is this –  The best selling approach ever is a credible referral from someone the prospect trusts or even better; loves.   Sales people should work hard to secure referrals and references.   Frankly with those in hand, there is no real selling involved, it’s already done.

Don’t couch this one folks.  Unseat all those beliefs that selling is about price and options.  Lay it all on the table in a different way this time and use that chair!  I promise it will open a brand new door to how salespeople think about sales.

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark

A Salesperson’s Thanksgiving Poem

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A Salesperson’s Thanksgiving

Turkey Day, Oh turkey day,
Football, food and fun.
The problem is like every year,
Your day is too close to December one.

So whilst others sit not worried,
Not concerned, not one iota,
I can hardly touch my food at all
So worried am I, about my quota

Gravy, bread and mashed potatoes,
All look so delicious and nice,
And while I already hit up my friends and family once,
I’m thinking, I should do it twice.

And then I thought as plates were piled,
Up high with a second serving,
What’s the point of this Holiday if
I’m filled with worry and unnerving?

So when rich, tipsy Aunt Betty finally took that tumble,
As she is yearly apt to do,
I broke her fall right quick this time and said,
“Will it be one $10,000 order or two?”

Till next time,

(Happy Thanksgiving!)

Grow the Business.

Mark

When Success Stinks

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Success is usually good, but sometimes it stinks.

My first huge commission sale came in late 80’s.   I got it when I inadvertently answered the company’s phone line past closing time at 5:15pm on a Friday.   Two weeks into my first real sales job and it was the Big City on the other end of the line looking for a spring water vendor to supply bottled water coolers and water for the school system whose water supply was just declared undrinkable.

I got that sale.  I was even on local TV news that weekend and was shown delivering and setting up water coolers in the schools.  I was a sales rock star at my company.  Already.

I thought I got the sale because of my insanely good sales skills on that phone call, my confidence and my gargantuan intelligence.  And I also thought that being a salesperson was a pretty easy gig.

And then the sales stopped coming in.

Truth was, we got the school sale because we were the only bottled water company that answered the phone after 5pm that Friday and the city needed the schools to have water for the students by the time classes started again on Monday.

But I didn’t know that then.  I couldn’t see that.   It took me about a year to realize I had nothing to do with that sale and that sales success takes a lot more work and learning than I wanted to accept at that time. 

Success is usually good but sometimes it stinks.  

Every once in a while think deep about that large sale you just landed, or that marketing initiative showing good results or that training you just delivered that got rave reviews. 

If you know deep down you got the sale out of luck:  don’t learn from that success.    If you know deep down that your marketing initiative launched at the same time a new sales rep incentive plan did, don’t bank on that success as a learning tool.   If that training class everyone is giddy about you suspect won’t bear out a month later in results on the floor, check into those results and don’t bask in what is really just the “promise” of success.

Given that, if the phone rings at 5:15pm on a Friday, make sure you pick it up and consider those moments as gifts that you deserve and not moments to learn from. 

Till next time,

Grow The Business.

Mark