“Can you help us?  Can you help us sell our water, Peter?”

Thomas and I had been talking for a little bit, catching up with each other's lives amidst the hordes of people swarming around booths at the Austin non-profit fair.  When he heard that I've now added “marketing consultant” to my list of abilities, his eyes changed from those of a contented friend to those of a slightly desperate man, looking for food for his kids.

“What's special about Cielo water?” I asked, wondering how much BS I would have to make fragrant in order to convince people that Thomas' “Cielo” water was different than any other.  It wasn't enough that everyone in that fair loved his non-profit, the Austin House of Prayer.  In fact, that almost was a hindrance, since most people that run a business on the side to support a non-profit they love, sell crappy products that people buy to be nice.

“It keeps you healthy.  We can put your company logo on the bottle.  It supports the Austin House of Prayer...”

“Keep going,” I said.  “What do people care about when they think about buying purified water?”

Thomas put his hand on his chin and thought for a moment.  Suddenly his eyes brightened.  “It was voted the best tasting water by the Austin Chronicle.”

Now we were getting somewhere.  The Austin Chronicle has no great love for churches or conservative Christians.  If they liked it, they either liked the taste and didn't know what it supports or liked the taste despite what it supports.  Either way, it convinced me that it must taste decent.

“Do you tell anyone about this?”

“Not really,” he said.

“What makes it taste so good?”

Thomas eyes' came alive again.  “It has extra oxygen in it.  Oxygen is what makes water sweet.  The reason cold water tastes sweeter than warm water is because cold water can contain more dissolved oxygen than warm water.  We use a special proprietary process to dissolve 3 to 4 times the amount of oxygen found in normal purified water to sweeten it's already great taste.”

We had struck gold.  “How do you find customers to buy your water?”  I had found the message, but I needed a way to deliver it.

“Well, we have a website and we make sales calls.  Oh, and we only deliver large bottles that have been certified to have a lower carbon footprint.  And we don't charge for delivery, which is free, and set according to our customers' schedule, not like national brand water.”

“So what do you tell people when you call?”

“I'd introduce myself and tell them I'm with Cielo water and ask if they would be interested in getting our water in their office.  I tell them it's healthy and...”

“You need a script,” I said.  “You need to open with what people care about in a way that will make them listen.  It should start with something like... would you be interested in getting the best tasting water in Austin as voted by the Austin Chronicle?...  and continue by proving to them why it tastes better.  You know, talk about the oxygen, followed by the low price, and then maybe mention the thing about the environment, and finally mention that it also supports a non-profit, so that they'll feel like they're doing good for the community by buying your great product.”

Just then, I saw my friend, Rigel, who sells urban real estate, walking towards us.

“Watch this, Thomas,” I said.  “Hey, Rigel, do you get bottled water in your office?”

“Yeah,” Rigel said.

“Does it taste very good?”

“Not really.”

“Would you be interested in getting the best tasting water in Austin, as voted by the Austin Chronicle?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you know what makes water taste sweet?” I continued.

“No.”

“The amount of oxygen dissolved in it.  That's why cold water tastes sweeter than warm water.  It can hold more oxygen, because at colder temperatures, the oxygen has less energy and can't escape.  Cielo water contains 3 to 4 times the amount of oxygen of regular purified water, so it always tastes sweeter.”

“Really?”

“Yep, and they'll help you lower your carbon footprint from your current use, and you'll be supporting the Austin House of Prayer.”

“Dang!  Where do I sign up?” Rigel said.

I pointed him to Thomas, and he talked with him for a while and got the information he needed to start getting Cielo water sent to him.  When he left, Thomas started talking to me again.

“Man, Peter you're a good salesman,” he said, making me a bit uncomfortable.  “Would you be willing to work for us generating sales leads?”

“You're kidding, right?”  My whole point was to prove to him that the script, the message, is what lets people know they should buy this great product, not the messenger.  He could get a team of monkeys and sell way more water than I ever could on my own if he would just implement the script I had crafted for him on the spot.  He didn't want help so that he could sell more Cielo water.  He wanted me to sell more Cielo water.

A few days later I got an email from Thomas, extending his offer for me to generate sales leads.  There was monetary compensation for every one I could generate and blah, blah, blah...  I sent him a counter offer telling him I would write the script for him that his team of monkeys could use, and he could pay me for that, but that I didn't have time to be a monkey myself.  I still haven't heard back from him.

Coming up with a great plan is the easy part.  It's the doing of it that will cause you to either succeed or fail.  “Can you help us?  Can you help us, Peter?”  Sure, I can help you.  I can give you what you need.  But I can't do it for you.  And neither will anyone else.

Read About Peter Nevland

"You must have staff designated to implement the process. Everyday. Not just when business is slow."

Regular dental check-ups are something my wife and I want for our little girl, Bridget. (2-yrs)

Six months ago, we booked Bridget in for her first dental appointment. It was with 1300SMILES. Why? They have a dentist who specializes in children’s teeth. More importantly, this dentist makes visiting the dentist fun.

Bridget had a ball at her first visit. She came home with a dental mask, gloves, a toothbrush and toothpaste. For the next week, when brushing, we had to put on the mask and gloves while Bridget wore sunglasses… just like at the dentist.

Six months later, we receive a post card in the mail addressed to Bridget, reminding us to book her in for a check-up. This immediately went into the must-do-basket.

However, life got in the way and we failed to pick up the phone and make an appointment.

Not to worry, 1300SMILES called us as a follow-up to the postcard. This time we booked Bridget in.

The day before Bridget’s appointment, Angela received a text message to remind us.

Bridget’s second visit was enjoyable as her first. Again, she came home excited with a bag full of goodies, plus a colouring-in sheet of her favourite Disney character, Ariel the little mermaid.

The lesson: Relying on customers to pick up the phone and call you, is costing your business money. Don’t do it. Call your customers.

If you are a service provider and need customers to come back on a regular basis, here are the steps you should take.

Step 1
Book your customers in for their next appointment as they pay for their current appointment. (If they make a booking go to Step 4. If they don’t make a booking go to Step 2.)

Step 2
Send a postcard, email, SMS as a reminder. (If they respond in a given period, go to Step 4. If they don’t respond go to Step 3.)

Step 3
Call the customer as a follow up to the postcard, email, SMS. (If they make a booking go to Step 4. If they don’t want to make a booking, you can drop them from the list or give them a suitable period and then go back to Step 2.)

Step 4
Send a reminder email, SMS or call the day before or on the day.

Step 5
At the day of the booking, start the process again.

These are simple steps but you need to do them consistently.

You must have staff designated to implement the process. Everyday. Not just when business is slow.

My wife and I are both patients of 1300SMILES, however, we never received a follow up postcard reminding us of our 6-monthly visit. That’s gold left in the mine. So remember, just like advertising, customer follow up needs consistency.

PS. This dentist gives our little girl such a wonderful experience, we tell all our friends with children that this is the dentist to visit. But only because the experience is exceptional.

Read About Craig Arthur

People don’t care about you. That’s a great way to start an article. A little harsh but true. (And it got your attention)

This applies to both sales people and advertising. First of all, in sales, most reps spend far too much time talking about the products they have to sell and never really know if it is what their client needs or wants. Sales people forget that the client doesn’t want the product they are selling, but what that product can do for them. I used this example in a sales meeting this morning. Very sick, you walk into a Dr’s office and wait patiently. The Dr. walks in, writes you a prescription and hands it to you excitedly without asking a thing about your condition. “These are absolutely the best anti-depressants on the market today, but they are very limited in production. Hurry and fill this before they are all gone!“  Shocked, you reply, “But Doc, I have a 104 degree fever.” As if he didn’t care how you felt, “That’s great, but these anti-depressants are awesome, I am so excited to prescribe them to you!” Sound far fetched? Sales Reps do the equivalent EVERY DAY. Customers could care less about what you are selling unless it helps with a need that they have. Ask them and prescribe a product that can help them get where they want to be.

The same holds true for advertising. Advertisers ramble on about how long they have been in business, awards they have won, the experience of their staff. YAWN. A good rule of thumb when writing good ads is that (no matter the medium), if there is anything in it that can illicit the response, “Well, Duh”, then leave it out.  For example, a body shop that does free estimates, paint matching or we take insurance claims. Well, Duh. How about the plumber that claims in an ad that they do sewer and drain cleaning, water heaters and toilets? “Well, Duh”, you are a plumber. When writing your ads, consider what the consumer really cares about. I really just want my drain unclogged, as soon as possible so that I can finish dinner and watch American Idol.

On both fronts, sales and advertising, make sure that you understand the needs of your end customer and show them that you understand. For heaven’s sake, give them what they need, not what you think they need or what you need to sell!

Read About Ron Covert

Did you hear the tragic tale about the world’s worst life insurance salesman? When he died his family found out the hard way he never believed in his product.

Read About Michael Drew

How serious are you about growing your retail business?  How far would you go to really deliver remarkable customer service?  Welcome to Retail Gladiators – your challenger is Michael Cote of Sleep Squad.

Sleep Squad is a mattress retailer based in greater Chicago, and is using every weapon in their arsenal when it comes to capturing customers.  Sleep Squad has no need for bricks-and-mortar retail stores.  Why stay in one place when the company can come to you?  Michael Cote has reinvented the mattress business with a fleet of portable showrooms that pull up to a customer’s door and offer a customized mattress-buying experience.  As writer Thomas Prais, recently wrote, “… Cote’s out-of-the-box thinking wasn’t even ‘inventing the wheel’ kind of innovation – he just applied one long existing business model (pizza delivery) to another long existing business model (mattress sales), seasoned a dash of Internet, and Voila!”

Be sure to read Cote’s extensive interview, where he talks about how he started the business, the over-the-top experience the company aims to deliver, and plans for the future. 

Here are just a few critically important quotes from the interview:


“It wasn’t like I woke up one morning and decided I wanted to be the mattress king. I wanted to find the worst experience and turn it into something people could brag about to their friends. After we did that, we tried to figure out everything about shopping for mattresses that people really despised.”

“We carry over 150 different skus. We carry more models than the average mattress store in Chicago, which has about 45 models on the floor. We inventory our selections, which enables us, if someone calls us up at 8 a.m. and needs a mattress by noon, and they need a twin, Simmons, BeautyRest classic pillow top, we can have it there by noon, along with two or three other very comparable selections.”

“Instead of commissions, we give bonuses based on customer satisfaction, whether there’s a purchase or not.  [When it comes to hiring] We prefer to hire people who have never been in the mattress industry before. We’d rather not spread that cancer.”

“We have a process checklist that our employees go through on every single appointment. So in addition to making sure the jacks are down, and the showroom is level, and the merchandising wall is fully stocked, we also make sure that every single customer introduction is the same. So we explain why the shade is one-quarter closed to begin with, we explain that between showing every mattress we’re going to leave the showroom whether the customer asks us to or not, so the customer can try the mattress in privacy.”

“…we’ll shovel the sidewalk right up to the front door, and that way even if there’s a foot of snow people can put on their slippers and try the beds in privacy and comfort.”

 

These are just a bit of the very revealing insight the article has to offer.  In these days of competition from the Internet and an economy in distress, this kind of extreme retailing may be what is required for ultimate survival.

Read About Michele Miller

Visual-Literacy is an organization dedicated to "the ability to evaluate, apply, or create conceptual visual representations."  They mention (and they're right) that in business, communications, and engineering this is an often neglected skill. 

Take a look at this tool: the Periodic Table of Visualization Methods. 

There are enough ideas here to help your audience intuitively understand whatever you're presenting. 

Read About Chuck McKay

I received an email from Jamie Futrell at Bristol Broadcasting, General Sales Manager over nine radio stations. Jamie  claims to have found the best time to sell advertising.

“If you want to sell more 52-week business, make your
presentations when 'Things look better' to your clients.  According to our
records, 75-80% of all major media sales are made between 8 AM and 11:15 AM.


It appears that by the time afternoon roles around, busy
decision-makers have had staff problems to deal with, their show rooms are
busy, and their brains are full...too full to consider exciting new ideas or
directions with an open mind.

Educators have also proven that the human mind captures and
retains new concepts better in the light of a new day than during a late
afternoon seminar.”

The quote is from Wayne Ens - ENSMedia Inc. www.wensmedia.com

As a consultant and small business owner myself, I know this to be true. Since I usually get up between 4:30 - 5am I have already worked a long day by the time most people are going out to lunch. By 3pm I’m ready for a nap. When get a phone call that requires me to make a decision or think about something very important, I always say something like this: “ Email me your proposal and all the information. I will see it first thing in the morning when I am fresh and I will respond back to you.”

When I write articles I always go back and edit them early the next day. I learned from the book, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott that is the best way when writing something important. It works for me. If you write your own commercials, copy for websites, or really anything in print; save your document. Then, open it back up the next day and read it over again and tweak it. Better yet have someone else that you trust read it also. All good writers have an editor.

If your selling advertising of any kind, line up your appointments from as early in the morning as possible until about 11:30am. Then in the afternoon, take a nap, do your insertion orders, bookwork, set your appointments for the next day and the next week, file stuff, and visit with the others sales staff.

Don’t let anything interfere with your prime time to actually sell when your buyer is most receptive. I was in phone book sales for 5 years, and was top salesman three years in a row. I won every award that company offered including an all 14-day expense paid trip for my wife and I to Hawaii. That included a 7-day cruise of the islands. I got up at 5am daily. I only made sales calls from 6am till noon. I took a short nap after lunch, and I made my appointments in the afternoon for the next day. I read in the book Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude by W. Clement Stone, that he took a nap every day and highly recommended it. He became wealthy and famous doing it. So I did it too. ( I'm still waiting for the wealthy  and famous part)  After my nap, I laid my plans for the next day and did book work and research till 7 pm every night. This 13 hour work day not a bad plan if you want to do well in 2008.

Read About Clay Campbell

It is very often that we define our own limitations by how we describe the problem.

It’s a shame that in our industry, we describe our business as warfare. I understand the comparison. I have used them myself earlier in my career, but in the minds of our sales and marketing people, we are preparing them for battle. In warfare, you have a winner and a loser.   We set our people (and our customers) to deal from the mindset that someone is going to win…and someone is going to lose.

As a manager of a sales staff, I don’t want the basis for my sales staff’s motivation to be looking for a victory at someone’s defeat.   I want my sales people excited about growing business and building relationships and I want my clients delighted at their service and results.    

What got me thinking about this was that twice in a two week period, I heard the Willy Sutton Story mentioned.   The first time was in a sales training and the second time was a manager’s meeting.    Now these weren’t the first times I heard about him but the proximity is what made it stick in my head (repetition at work).

If you’re not familiar with Willy Sutton, he was a bank robber.  He was wanted in Miami, New Orleans and New York.   He was ingenious in his robberies. His popularity grew.   When he was finally apprehended on March 9^th, 1950 a reporter asked him, “Why do you rob banks?” and Willy’s response was “Because that’s where the money is!” It wasn’t the so much the bank robbing that made him a “sales legend” as it was that one line.

Willy’s witty remark bought him a place in sales infamy as this battle cry leaps from the lips of sales trainers and managers around the world.   “Go to where the money is!  Sell! Sell! Sell!”  

When Willy Sutton won, the bank lost.  The people who kept money in the bank lost.   Willy is the quintessential Win/Lose scenario.   Why are we using metaphors that have us stealing?     

I would prefer that my sales people see the relationship aspect of the deal.   I want them to develop a Win/Win from the first meeting through the closing of the deal and beyond.   At the base level when they describe what they do, I want it to be reflective of a positive relationship.   I want the client to have a long relationship with my company, as we grow their relationships with their clients.  

Maybe Willy Sutton just needed someone to love?

Read About Michael Keesee