(Quoting Bob Burg) “Alison Oliver, an account executive for a billboard company, was nervous about her brief luncheon appointment with a corporate buyer. He had been tough on the phone, and she was not looking forward to a battle over soup and salad.
‘We met for 1 hour and 15 minutes,’ Alison said, ‘even though it was obvious he had planned on a much shorter meeting. All I did was talk about his favorite subject---him! Within a week I made the sale and he personally called my boss to commend me on my selling skills.’ ” (Bob Burg, Endless Referrals, McGraw Hill, 1999.)
Networking is a marvelous thing. It is an effective means of advancing one’s marketing objectives in a simple, relatively low-cost manner. It lends itself well to any business category and can be managed with a simple contact management apparatus. Likewise, as my opening illustration demonstrates, it is unparalleled in providing you access to the buyer’s psyche.
As efficiencies go, here it lacks appeal. By its very nature, it is a more time-consuming activity for the individual than, let’s say, Outdoor advertising. Your direct contacts via networking may amount to 40 or 50 a day, if you are really working it. With one billboard you may be reaching 35,000 people a day. I only make the point to emphasize how important it is to make sure you are networking the right way. Since networking is relatively inefficient, you must make sure to approach every contact as effectively as you can. The incremental cost is simply too high to do otherwise.
Locally, there are many fine examples of networking groups and clubs. Here I refer to those organizations that meet for the express purpose of exchanging sales opportunities like TIPS Club, Tallahassee 100, and the Chamber’s many Leads groups. I am fortunate enough to belong to a couple of these and know first-hand the benefits of membership and the dynamics involved in effective participation.
For the uninitiated, pick up a copy of Bob Burg’s book and begin applying the generous directions he supplies the reader. Secondly, join a networking group. Join several if you can. Find what works for you in time and place, but just do it. Go in asking yourself the question: “How can I contribute to each one of these people.” To think more about what you can get out of it will decidedly work against you. Not only will it be clear to everyone else that you are self-oriented, but you will heighten your impatience over waiting to “score”. Bring to the table whatever skill, resource(s), contact information, professional opinion, you can offer. Find out what other folks need and in some way help fulfill it.
For those of us who have been at this awhile and especially for those who have been wondering if it is really worth it, consider your network of group members not just “sales associates”. These people are an able team of professionals to whom you can go for advice and to whom you can refer others in a reciprocal manner. Many times it may have little to do with making you money. Nothing affirms the self-esteem of another more than to be consulted for an opinion. Not only do we like to talk about ourselves, we like to share what we know. In so doing, we are building a bridge of confidence that we can travel frequently and at ease.
Recently, I had opportunity to consult a group member regarding a need for an item that this individual didn’t provide, but, I knew he would know someone who did. It worked. Within the same day, coincidentally, I received a call from a man in Tampa looking for a service in Tallahassee that our company doesn’t provide, but I gave him the names of two local companies that I felt certain would help him. He was referred to me by another club member.
Next time you attend a networking club meeting, look around you at the wealth of professional ability represented. Decide to go beyond sharing leads and contact information. Look for ways to apply what you do, or what you know. Offer yourself in the best way you can to benefit all.
Keeping your customer: the courtesy of telephone on-hold messaging.
“Just having satisfied customers isn’t good enough anymore. If you really want a booming business, you have to create Raving Fans”
Next time you are asked to “hold”, listen carefully. What you hear will tell you a great deal about the business you are dealing with and the people on the other end of the phone. To hear nothing, by today's electronic standards is ambiguous at best. Okay, maybe they are trying to respect your need for silence, or did they just cut you off? If you are confronted with one of the employee’s favorite rock stations, you may be lucky enough to enjoy the same music, but are these folks too cheap to give you something of greater value? What if you were to hear information that is responsive to your “need to know” and aimed at expanding your appreciation of all that this business has to offer you. What if the language was so well timed and well crafted that you didn’t feel patronized and you didn’t get bored. You might even wish to hold a bit longer just to finish up on what you’ve been learning. This is a business that is paying attention instead of ignoring the needs of its callers.
Perhaps the ultimate insult is to be simply ignored. It’s because we need to know we “count.” We spend our lives in search of significance. We seek out relationships that affirm our value. When someone confirms our belonging, it strengthens our sense of self-worth. To be disconfirmed is to be told we don’t exist. A responsive telephone on-hold message is a key ingredient in affirming our importance to the business.
A generation ago, this wisdom was evident in the institutions that we so highly value: our schools, our businesses, our families, religion, politics, and even our recreation. There was about us a sense of propriety; a kind of mutual respect for one another that was based in a mutual regard for ideals and ideas deemed larger than ourselves, and thought to be enduring well beyond our collectivity. This mutual respect was embodied in these institutions and carried out in everyday mundane activities: the white-gloved, uniformed doorman at the department store, the gas-station attendant who cleaned your windshields and checked your oil, the table manners, the respect for authority, and the value of giving one’s word of promise.
The coming of a new era that further declared the equality of all sought to rid us of stereotypic forms and bring needed relief from race, class, and gender-based divisions. At the same time, these sweeping changes swept aside the notion that to serve one another in any capacity is noble. As it is, we can’t even drive down the street without fighting for position. This drive for individualism has been fueled in no small way by the electronic technology that further liberates us from relying on one another. Now, we don’t even have to wait for the movie theater. We can demand video entertainment, when and where we want it. Almost half of our meals are handed to us by people we don’t know in places we only visit. In the process, we have ignored our mutual need for affirmation. We all have been so determined to declare our individual worth and liberty we have come to believe we are the best ones to do it. We have forgotten how to humble ourselves in these everyday transactions while each of us take turns affirming one another.
While many may see this movement as progressive, there is a growing discontent especially among the next generation based in what is considered by some a “service crisis”. We still need others to acknowledge us by affording us what once were considered “common courtesies” but these have gone to the wayside. The yearning is so great, that more businesses are restructuring their business model to include the broader needs of their customers rather than simply delivering a product more efficiently. And this is where our technology can be just as useful. Well-produced on-hold messages can easily address the broader needs and interests of callers and give them that additional courtesy and affirmation that so often goes missing.
With current technology, telephone on-hold messaging has the ability to seamlessly integrate timely information with a universe of available production music to suite any taste. With internet exchange, recordings can be updated quickly, frequently, and affordably when only a decade ago, such was reserved for only large companies with big marketing budgets. Now, every business can join the coming “service revolution” and seeking out telephone on-hold companies that provide such service is a great place to start.
Next time you are asked to “hold”, listen carefully. What you hear will tell you a great deal about the business you are dealing with and the people on the other end of the phone. To hear nothing, by today's electronic standards is ambiguous at best. Okay, maybe they are trying to respect your need for silence, or did they just cut you off? If you are confronted with one of the employee’s favorite rock stations, you may be lucky enough to enjoy the same music, but are these folks too cheap to give you something of greater value? What if you were to hear information that is responsive to your “need to know” and aimed at expanding your appreciation of all that this business has to offer you. What if the language was so well timed and well crafted that you didn’t feel patronized and you didn’t get bored. You might even wish to hold a bit longer just to finish up on what you’ve been learning. This is a business that is paying attention instead of ignoring the needs of its callers.
Perhaps the ultimate insult is to be simply ignored. It’s because we need to know we “count.” We spend our lives in search of significance. We seek out relationships that affirm our value. When someone confirms our belonging, it strengthens our sense of self-worth. To be disconfirmed is to be told we don’t exist. A responsive telephone on-hold message is a key ingredient in affirming our importance to the business.
A generation ago, this wisdom was evident in the institutions that we so highly value: our schools, our businesses, our families, religion, politics, and even our recreation. There was about us a sense of propriety; a kind of mutual respect for one another that was based in a mutual regard for ideals and ideas deemed larger than ourselves, and thought to be enduring well beyond our collectivity. This mutual respect was embodied in these institutions and carried out in everyday mundane activities: the white-gloved, uniformed doorman at the department store, the gas-station attendant who cleaned your windshields and checked your oil, the table manners, the respect for authority, and the value of giving one’s word of promise.
The coming of a new era that further declared the equality of all sought to rid us of stereotypic forms and bring needed relief from race, class, and gender-based divisions. At the same time, these sweeping changes swept aside the notion that to serve one another in any capacity is noble. As it is, we can’t even drive down the street without fighting for position. This drive for individualism has been fueled in no small way by the electronic technology that further liberates us from relying on one another. Now, we don’t even have to wait for the movie theater. We can demand video entertainment, when and where we want it. Almost half of our meals are handed to us by people we don’t know in places we only visit. In the process, we have ignored our mutual need for affirmation. We all have been so determined to declare our individual worth and liberty we have come to believe we are the best ones to do it. We have forgotten how to humble ourselves in these everyday transactions while each of us take turns affirming one another.
While many may see this movement as progressive, there is a growing discontent especially among the next generation based in what is considered by some a “service crisis”. We still need others to acknowledge us by affording us what once were considered “common courtesies” but these have gone to the wayside. The yearning is so great, that more businesses are restructuring their business model to include the broader needs of their customers rather than simply delivering a product more efficiently. And this is where our technology can be just as useful. Well-produced on-hold messages can easily address the broader needs and interests of callers and give them that additional courtesy and affirmation that so often goes missing.
With current technology, telephone on-hold messaging has the ability to seamlessly integrate timely information with a universe of available production music to suite any taste. With internet exchange, recordings can be updated quickly, frequently, and affordably when only a decade ago, such was reserved for only large companies with big marketing budgets. Now, every business can join the coming “service revolution” and seeking out telephone on-hold companies that provide such service is a great place to start.
The Sales Profession: a few points for sellers and buyers
“Everyone lives by selling something.”
Robert Louis Stevenson 1850-1895 Essayist, Poet, Novelist
When I was seven years old, I made my first sales call. My mother had sent me to the neighbor’s house two doors down to sell radishes she had grown. She grew a lot of things in that backyard garden; radishes, strawberries, pumpkins, peas, beans. Whenever she had more than we needed, she would sell the surplus around the neighborhood to help pay for gardening supplies. For me, it was a lesson in capitalism at its finest.
It was a quieter, safer time. Like all the kids in the neighborhood, I knew I would be alright walking to a neighbor’s house by myself. Honestly, my biggest fear was that I might drop this huge basket of radishes along the way. I kept a steady grip and made my way to their front door. This was it. I was ready to make my pitch. I pushed the doorbell and waited.
Mrs. Hill was a soft-spoken woman, rather plain, yet pretty. She looked at me with a bit of surprise, but after a moment she seemed to understand my mission and greeted me in her usual warm manner. “What do you have here?” she chimed. I looked at the many bunches of radishes in my basket, each neatly tied with white cotton string and laid bulb-side-up so that they showed off their bright-red freshness. (My mother was a savvy marketer). “Radishes”, I said with excitement. “Yes, and are you selling these radishes?” “Yes”, I squeaked. “Uh-huh, and how much are your radishes?” Like most buyers, Mrs. Hill liked to know the price before I had a chance to sell her the benefits.
Selling is a profession, no less than law, engineering, or medicine. Like every profession, it is governed by a set of applied practices, rules, technical procedures, and in general a methodology that is carefully maintained and passed on by those within the field. Unfortunately, most sales people are never given that sort of training. Most often, they are given a list of prospects, loaded up with sales material and sent out. Such was my situation at seven.
I could feel my hands trembling and my lip quivering as I struggled to give an answer to Mrs. Hill’s simple question: “How much are your radishes?” Unfortunately, I could not remember the price. It had a five in it. Was that five dollars, five cents, or maybe fifty cents. Red-faced and fumbling, I stammered a bit. Mrs. Hill was kind enough not to drag me through any further embarrassment and offered to call my mother.
Turned out, the radishes were five cents a bunch, not five dollars. Mrs. Hill bought two and I put the dime in my pocket. And while the lessons to be learned from such an early introduction are abundant, let me point to a couple of things that I want to emphasize:
$ Being fully prepared with the facts; knowing one’s product inside and out; paying attention to all of the details involved with the use, the consumption, the application of one’s product or service: these are fundamental. But, even more so, knowing what to do when the unexpected happens. This is professional.
$ Be prepared. Study your profession, not just your product or service. If management is not doing this for you, do it for yourself. Libraries and bookstores are good for this.
$ Know the answers. At least have the basic information in your head so that you can respond with more than a glazed stare. At seven this is understandable. As a professional it’s unforgivable.
$ Be honest. If you don’t know the answer to a question you have just been asked, just say: “I don’t know, but I can find out”. Can I tell you how often sales people will try to make up an answer for me in an attempt to cover their shortage of information?
$ Never follow-up a previous sales call unless you have something more to add to the dialogue, a price adjustment, additional value, a clarification of a benefit. Don’t be like the kid in the back seat droning “are we there yet.”
Now, for those who are on the buying side: remember Mrs. Hill. Be gracious enough to assume that the sales professional you are dealing with has something worthwhile to tell you. Here are few other ideas:
$ Treat the sales professional like a professional not your antagonist. Expect that she or he is well-prepared to answer all of your questions and willing to respond to your requests.
$ Return calls, even if this is delegated. Not to do so betrays your professionalism.
$ If you are not “sold” on the purchase being proposed, don’t say “I’m not interested”. Of course you’re not. That’s why the sales rep called you. Rather, ask a question or two, like: “What benefit will this bring my business?” Why should I buy it from you, and not your competitor?”
Brien R. Sörne
brien@alcommarketing.com
850.385.7762
Copyright 2004. ALCOM, Inc. All rights reserved.
Robert Louis Stevenson 1850-1895 Essayist, Poet, Novelist
When I was seven years old, I made my first sales call. My mother had sent me to the neighbor’s house two doors down to sell radishes she had grown. She grew a lot of things in that backyard garden; radishes, strawberries, pumpkins, peas, beans. Whenever she had more than we needed, she would sell the surplus around the neighborhood to help pay for gardening supplies. For me, it was a lesson in capitalism at its finest.
It was a quieter, safer time. Like all the kids in the neighborhood, I knew I would be alright walking to a neighbor’s house by myself. Honestly, my biggest fear was that I might drop this huge basket of radishes along the way. I kept a steady grip and made my way to their front door. This was it. I was ready to make my pitch. I pushed the doorbell and waited.
Mrs. Hill was a soft-spoken woman, rather plain, yet pretty. She looked at me with a bit of surprise, but after a moment she seemed to understand my mission and greeted me in her usual warm manner. “What do you have here?” she chimed. I looked at the many bunches of radishes in my basket, each neatly tied with white cotton string and laid bulb-side-up so that they showed off their bright-red freshness. (My mother was a savvy marketer). “Radishes”, I said with excitement. “Yes, and are you selling these radishes?” “Yes”, I squeaked. “Uh-huh, and how much are your radishes?” Like most buyers, Mrs. Hill liked to know the price before I had a chance to sell her the benefits.
Selling is a profession, no less than law, engineering, or medicine. Like every profession, it is governed by a set of applied practices, rules, technical procedures, and in general a methodology that is carefully maintained and passed on by those within the field. Unfortunately, most sales people are never given that sort of training. Most often, they are given a list of prospects, loaded up with sales material and sent out. Such was my situation at seven.
I could feel my hands trembling and my lip quivering as I struggled to give an answer to Mrs. Hill’s simple question: “How much are your radishes?” Unfortunately, I could not remember the price. It had a five in it. Was that five dollars, five cents, or maybe fifty cents. Red-faced and fumbling, I stammered a bit. Mrs. Hill was kind enough not to drag me through any further embarrassment and offered to call my mother.
Turned out, the radishes were five cents a bunch, not five dollars. Mrs. Hill bought two and I put the dime in my pocket. And while the lessons to be learned from such an early introduction are abundant, let me point to a couple of things that I want to emphasize:
$ Being fully prepared with the facts; knowing one’s product inside and out; paying attention to all of the details involved with the use, the consumption, the application of one’s product or service: these are fundamental. But, even more so, knowing what to do when the unexpected happens. This is professional.
$ Be prepared. Study your profession, not just your product or service. If management is not doing this for you, do it for yourself. Libraries and bookstores are good for this.
$ Know the answers. At least have the basic information in your head so that you can respond with more than a glazed stare. At seven this is understandable. As a professional it’s unforgivable.
$ Be honest. If you don’t know the answer to a question you have just been asked, just say: “I don’t know, but I can find out”. Can I tell you how often sales people will try to make up an answer for me in an attempt to cover their shortage of information?
$ Never follow-up a previous sales call unless you have something more to add to the dialogue, a price adjustment, additional value, a clarification of a benefit. Don’t be like the kid in the back seat droning “are we there yet.”
Now, for those who are on the buying side: remember Mrs. Hill. Be gracious enough to assume that the sales professional you are dealing with has something worthwhile to tell you. Here are few other ideas:
$ Treat the sales professional like a professional not your antagonist. Expect that she or he is well-prepared to answer all of your questions and willing to respond to your requests.
$ Return calls, even if this is delegated. Not to do so betrays your professionalism.
$ If you are not “sold” on the purchase being proposed, don’t say “I’m not interested”. Of course you’re not. That’s why the sales rep called you. Rather, ask a question or two, like: “What benefit will this bring my business?” Why should I buy it from you, and not your competitor?”
Brien R. Sörne
brien@alcommarketing.com
850.385.7762
Copyright 2004. ALCOM, Inc. All rights reserved.
Another urban legend foiled
Advertising: Which Half is Working?
Another urban legend foiled: not just half of your advertising is working—it’s all working! That is to say, it is being viewed or heard or read by someone, somewhere within the consuming audience of that medium. As such, it is “working” to create a lasting impression, or drive sales, or position the business name, or even boost company morale. That doesn’t mean it is working to achieve your particular objective. The manner in which you have chosen to advertise may not be the most effective and/or the most efficient for the message you’re trying to convey. The first step is to consider whether the content of your message matches the context of the medium you have chosen.
Perhaps you have said this: “We tried [radio, tv, newspaper, outdoor, etc] …it doesn’t work.” When I am presented with such a claim, I first review the content and the intention of the advertising. As I do so, I find it useful to apply Marshall McLuhan’s (1967) assertion: the “medium is the message”. Okay… but if that’s true shouldn’t we consider what is the medium saying? Further, are all media saying the same thing? And, is this “medium message”, or what some call the meta-message consistent with the content of our advertising, not to mention, our overall marketing objectives?
If you agree with any of this, permit me further to assert that each medium delivers one meta message unique to its domain and this must be the basis of our selection. Audience size, cost efficiency, geography, and demography, even ad composition all come after this consideration. That’s why you don’t see doctors and lawyers driving around with magnetic signs on their cars. We all know it intuitively. No matter how informative or how attractive, the message is all wrong.
Matching up your message, your target, and your objective with the right medium at the right time is fundamental to the game. For sure, if you are not doing this part right— and this part you do control, it is pointless to think that you can expect efficient, effective advertising results.
With good intentions, people run TV ads that amount to the announcer reading newspaper copy. Or vice versa, they place display ads in print that are intended to develop the “image” of the product or the business. TV ads best build image. Print ads best give the details. These folks are not using the meta-message of the medium to their advantage.
How many times have you heard a radio ad that gave you the phone number at the end. Like you’re supposed to remember this. With a few good exceptions, there aren’t too many phone numbers that have a “ring” to them (pardon the pun). Most radio listening is done while driving. So, I guess we’re supposed to cradle the cell phone and steer with our knees while we jot down the number. Radio is best used to convey urgency, not all the details. Get us excited! We’ll look up the number, or find it in the newspaper ad you just told us to be looking for!
A simple rule is to ask: “Why”, “When”, “How”, “Where”, and “Who”. Everyone who ever buys from you will have to answer each of these questions. Each advertising medium: TV, radio, newspaper, outdoor, and direct mail can be matched by their respective ability to answer each of these questions. If you are trying to get people to buy from you “now”, not “later”, use radio to drive your sales incentives. Radio personalities and voice actors are great at getting people pumped about your “event”.
When the objective is to help people find you, select a billboard near your location and give them simple instructions ( a couple of words!) and an arrow if possible. Likewise, Outdoor Advertising can also help to “locate” your business mentally. A billboard can increase awareness by saying figuratively “we are here!” i.e. “we are open and ready to do business”. Meanwhile, TV best answers the question “why” someone should do business with you by virtue of its ability to engage a person emotionally far more than any other medium.
Of course any of these media can be used to answer any of these questions, but, like using a screwdriver handle to drive a nail, though it may eventually get the job done, the time you’ve wasted, and the risk you took in actually doing damage can leave you wondering if any of it is worthwhile…whether any of your advertising is working. The truth is, all advertising works when it is worked in the right way and with respect for your message.
Another urban legend foiled: not just half of your advertising is working—it’s all working! That is to say, it is being viewed or heard or read by someone, somewhere within the consuming audience of that medium. As such, it is “working” to create a lasting impression, or drive sales, or position the business name, or even boost company morale. That doesn’t mean it is working to achieve your particular objective. The manner in which you have chosen to advertise may not be the most effective and/or the most efficient for the message you’re trying to convey. The first step is to consider whether the content of your message matches the context of the medium you have chosen.
Perhaps you have said this: “We tried [radio, tv, newspaper, outdoor, etc] …it doesn’t work.” When I am presented with such a claim, I first review the content and the intention of the advertising. As I do so, I find it useful to apply Marshall McLuhan’s (1967) assertion: the “medium is the message”. Okay… but if that’s true shouldn’t we consider what is the medium saying? Further, are all media saying the same thing? And, is this “medium message”, or what some call the meta-message consistent with the content of our advertising, not to mention, our overall marketing objectives?
If you agree with any of this, permit me further to assert that each medium delivers one meta message unique to its domain and this must be the basis of our selection. Audience size, cost efficiency, geography, and demography, even ad composition all come after this consideration. That’s why you don’t see doctors and lawyers driving around with magnetic signs on their cars. We all know it intuitively. No matter how informative or how attractive, the message is all wrong.
Matching up your message, your target, and your objective with the right medium at the right time is fundamental to the game. For sure, if you are not doing this part right— and this part you do control, it is pointless to think that you can expect efficient, effective advertising results.
With good intentions, people run TV ads that amount to the announcer reading newspaper copy. Or vice versa, they place display ads in print that are intended to develop the “image” of the product or the business. TV ads best build image. Print ads best give the details. These folks are not using the meta-message of the medium to their advantage.
How many times have you heard a radio ad that gave you the phone number at the end. Like you’re supposed to remember this. With a few good exceptions, there aren’t too many phone numbers that have a “ring” to them (pardon the pun). Most radio listening is done while driving. So, I guess we’re supposed to cradle the cell phone and steer with our knees while we jot down the number. Radio is best used to convey urgency, not all the details. Get us excited! We’ll look up the number, or find it in the newspaper ad you just told us to be looking for!
A simple rule is to ask: “Why”, “When”, “How”, “Where”, and “Who”. Everyone who ever buys from you will have to answer each of these questions. Each advertising medium: TV, radio, newspaper, outdoor, and direct mail can be matched by their respective ability to answer each of these questions. If you are trying to get people to buy from you “now”, not “later”, use radio to drive your sales incentives. Radio personalities and voice actors are great at getting people pumped about your “event”.
When the objective is to help people find you, select a billboard near your location and give them simple instructions ( a couple of words!) and an arrow if possible. Likewise, Outdoor Advertising can also help to “locate” your business mentally. A billboard can increase awareness by saying figuratively “we are here!” i.e. “we are open and ready to do business”. Meanwhile, TV best answers the question “why” someone should do business with you by virtue of its ability to engage a person emotionally far more than any other medium.
Of course any of these media can be used to answer any of these questions, but, like using a screwdriver handle to drive a nail, though it may eventually get the job done, the time you’ve wasted, and the risk you took in actually doing damage can leave you wondering if any of it is worthwhile…whether any of your advertising is working. The truth is, all advertising works when it is worked in the right way and with respect for your message.
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