Everybody’s Favorite Word

Here is a quickie for you this week.

During a discussion or a sales pitch, if you want someone to really focus on something you are about to say, drop his or her name in front of the sentence. Thus: Read More

Joy is Contagious

Billions of people gather around their TV sets and computers every four years to watch the Olympics.
 
Why? Because it is so much darn fun.
 
It is almost impossible not to get caught up in the intense competition and the intensity of the action, particularly in the events where the athlete is only a blade’s edge from wiping out after years of preparation. It is living in the moment at its highest levels.
 
But there is another emotion that is generated in the Olympic experience . . . joy . . . pure joy!  Read More

What the Super Bowl Commercials Can Teach Us as Salespeople

Great (Super Bowl) game last night  . . . it’s always fun to get into the big show.  And as a salesperson, I always love to watch the commercials. 
 
So here is a question for you:  With all the millions of dollars spent on Super Bowl ads, how come so many of them were . . . let’s just come out and say it . . .  lame? 
 
There were all sorts of commercials that did not really promote the product well or were just plain weird. Given the huge investments and the top talent working on these, how could that possibly happen? Read More

A True Producer

I’ve been working with one of the most disciplined salespeople I have ever seen in terms of follow up.
 
I am sure she is working off of a CRM platform, but I can set my watch by her weekly calls, follow up emails and various tools her company allows her to deploy in terms of special offerings and deadlines.
 
The whole process gets right to the edge of being slightly annoying except . . . it works! I have been purchasing the services and yes, when I am reminded that it is time for a re-order, I step up.  But without the extra pressure, I am quite sure I would procrastinate or even let the whole thing dissipate over time. Read More

Time is Money

One of the biggest differences we see between big producers and average producers is the amount of time actually spent on high leverage sales activity.
 
As we all know, since sales is largely a self-managed situation, it’s pretty easy to get distracted throughout the day by paperwork, calls, emails and personal business among many other things.  Read More

Happy New Year and a Word to the Wise

As we move into 2018 full of energy, optimism, spit and vinegar, I want to ask you to ask yourself the following question.
 

“Who are my five most important, current clients and what am I going to do for them, RIGHT NOW, to add value to their business and remind them that I love them?”

Read More

Happy Holidays . . . ENJOY!

Many of us salespeople are high in Drive . . . so it is hard for us to downshift during the holidays and to focus on our personal lives and our families. 
 
So just a quick reminder from your old buddy Mr. Shmooze: Read More

It Only Takes a Few Seconds

We all know how tough travel can be during the holidays as business and personal travelers collide. 
 
I like to take the opportunity at the airport to observe how people handle stress . . . particularly the service people at the gates and restaurants, but also the travelers as well. 
 
Poise under pressure is a hallmark of great customer service and, indeed, of high performance in all fields. People who can “take the heat,” listen well and stay calm are worth their weight in gold to their employers.  Read More

Referral Power

A lot of salespeople I talk to do not actively ask for referrals. That is a huge, missed opportunity at several levels. 
 
First, a referral is by far the most powerful marketing tool in our toolkit. A referral jumps past the initial marketing steps and gets right to direct connection with the prospect.  Read More

‘Tis the Season . . . To Learn!

This week is a great time for us as salespeople to see what all the retailers are doing for their prospects and customers. It is a free classroom . . . literally hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent on marketing, promotion and sales.
 
See what grabs your attention.  Read More

Customer Experience Reminder from a Discount Retailer

As Amazon and Walmart battle for world domination by competing to deliver the lowest costs and the most efficient online convenience, another retailer has been quietly increasing market share . . . Costco. 
 
Costco is competing well because it adds something to the low cost battle . . . a unique experience that its customers find to be of value.  Read More

Frustration = Customer Attrition

I just went through one of those “root canal” customer service experiences in which the phone prompts led to endless rabbit holes. 
 
I understand that some of the larger companies out there do this on purpose to induce people to go online to handle issues.  Whatever . . . I guess they have figured out the risk/reward of doing so with their cost consultants.
 
But for the rest of us, who run small- to medium-sized businesses, franchises or regional offices, I HIGHLY recommend that any time we use prompts to direct incoming CRM calls, that our customers can immediately press “0” and access a real person, not another prompt.  Read More