Tag archive for ‘Sales’
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Buyers Want Sales Reps Kept Behind The Keyboard
Buyers would love to keep us sales professionals out of sight, tucked away behind our keyboards. Buyers have pushed sales out of the first 70% of the buying cycle because we allowed them to. We are viewed as the enemy, the opposing team. Even when the buyer wants or needs our products and services, they try to figure out how to buy without us. If we continue to acquiesce, we will never hit revenue goals or achieve our personal financial goals. (more…)
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The Next Prong in Sales 2.0 is “E2E”
Our 3rd grade teacher Mrs. Joyce led us into the auditorium for televised French lessons on Thursday mornings. The PBS instructor would begin, “Écouter – écouter — la plume — la plume. Répondre – répondre,” which translates to, “Listen, listen; the pen, the pen. Respond, respond.”Listening and responding are the essence of conversation. Quietly sandwiched between the two is understanding, for if one does not understand what they are listening to, the response is empty and vain.
Knowing the definition of the pen does not impart understanding of how and why it is mightier than the sword.
“Why didn’t you “call” me?” and “Why didn’t “you” call me?” have two different meanings. From behind the keyboard, the sentences are identical, and discerning the difference is impossible.
Today we live behind the keyboard and as a result, there is less eye-to-eye (E2E), less understanding, and relationships are dying a slow death. Heck, you can delete a relationship with one click, but we aren’t quick to hang-up on a call or get up and walk out of a meeting.
In a recent edgy Focus roundtable called “Sales SmackOff,” part of my answer to “What should the modern salesperson look like?” included video calling. Video conferencing, like the tablet, failed the first go around, but like the Phoenix and the tablet, video calling is rising from the ashes.
Our culture and economy have made physical face-to-face meetings fewer and farther between. The keyboard is easy, inexpensive, and reasonably acceptable, but at great expense. The resounding absence of eye contact has hurt the sales profession by commoditizing the sales process.
Better content, better emails, and better texting do not give the buyer what they want, need, and crave. They have their place, but people are craving real connections more than ever. People need people – a twist on an old corny song – but no truer words have ever been spoken.
E2E is a higher quality, more transparent conversation that develops better connections, relationships, and results. Phone calls come in a strong second place, but video calling, as Bell once pitched, “is the next best thing to being there.”
Video chat is the next wave of communications and will be embedded in websites and every device with a browser. Get ahead of the curve. Instead of writing an email, text, or tweet that does not convey the intricacies and nuances of E2E, setup a quick video call.
New ideas and new paradigms – change – all come with discomfort. Nevertheless, change happens and we either jump on the bandwagon, or, we fall behind.
Don’t follow the change, be the change.
Video chat with prospects and customers may seem edgy today, but video chat will become as common as your smartphone. Apple, Google, Skype and countless users already looking into other people’s eyes think so. B2B use of digital E2E is here for the taking. Here are four apps to elevate your sales game, and, don’t forget to look into my eyes the next time we talk.
FaceTime for IPad 2 & IPhone 4
Google Video Chat for Mac & PC
Think I’m looking in the wrong crystal ball, tell me what you think?
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The Craft of Rainmaking: Conversations that Win Business – Book Review
“Rainmaking Conversations” is a colorful, personal, intelligent revival of great business conversations. The tone is set at the beginning with a quote from etiquette expert nonpareil Emily Post who agreeably they call in a later reference, someone who “could have been a sales consultant.”
“Ideal conversation must be an exchange of thought, and not, as many of those who worry most about their shortcomings believe, an eloquent exhibition of wit or oratory.” – Emily Post (more…)
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Cave Paintings & Content Marketing
My friend David Brock nearly busted his gut laughing when I said, “Heck, we were doing content marketing thirty years ago. It was called print and direct mail.” He wasn’t laughing at me, he was laughing with me, because things have not changed as much as some people would have us believe. Then David said, “You need to write this post.”
In 1982, we had a sales and marketing automation system running on a Digital minicomputer. It sat in an air conditioned clean room. The hard drives were platters the size of big vinyl records that held a whopping 50MBs. This was not archaic; it was cutting edge, state of the art technology. (more…)
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It’s Not About the Lollipop, It’s About the Customer Experience
Years ago, after a visit with the doctor and a painful shot or some other forgettable experience, we got a lollipop or some other sweet treat and a smile. Banks picked up on the idea and in recent times added doggie treats.
I just had a conversation with a friend about this tactic and he told me about his ritual of taking his dog for a ride to the bank drive through, which he describes as a fun time that he looks forward to. Imagine your customers describing their visits with you as a fun experience that they actually look forward to!
You might not invite your customer’s dog along or give it dog biscuits, because it really isn’t about the treats, it’s about the experience. This is a simple strategy that associates something enjoyable with you and your meetings. What can you close your meetings with that will associate you with something enjoyable?
Bill Malloy, an older business friend and mentor that joint ventured numerous deals with me, gave away gourmet jellybeans. He kept cases on hand and mailed them to anyone and everyone that made an inquiry. He gave Olympus OM 35mm cameras to customers that made referrals and was always running a unique promotion. He didn’t just give you a bag of candy or a camera, he made you feel good too.
Our entire industry associated Bill with a good experience. As a market leader and officer in our association, I introduced my wife to countless competitors, partners and customers. When I read this post to her, she said, “Of everyone I met in your industry, Bill Malloy stands out the most.”
My father-in-law kept his desk and closet well stocked with candy and all twenty-odd grandchildren knew it. The kids lined up for sweet treats and his laugh. “Have you been good?” he’d tease. I’m about to become a grandfather and my kids have reminded me of my obligation to have a big stock of candy. They associate candy with loving reward.
Remember my doctor that smiled? When I was 3 or 4 years old, he gave me a shot and I cried. He pulled out a lollipop, smiled, and apologized, “I made a mistake. That shot was for the girl downstairs!” There was no girl downstairs or upstairs. That was over 50 years ago and I still remember the lollipop, apology, and his smile, but the shot is foggy.
Buyers associate salespeople with pain, so change that association to something positive. The last thing you say and do is remembered most. Even if the meeting goes awry, you can patch things up with your close, and when it goes well, you can make it better. Say something personal and sincere, and apologize when necessary. Then throw in a bag of jellybeans, or something sweet, and most importantly, don’t forget your warm, sincere smile.
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Enthusiasm is the lever that moves a sale
Archimedes said, “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” Enthusiasm is the lever that moves a sale.
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