Up Your Sales

"The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails."

-- John Maxwell The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

Some years ago, my sons and I set off with a group of other dads and their sons for a wilderness adventure. The idea was to travel to a remote area, rent some canoes and spend the next three days in the wilderness of the West Florida panhandle, camping and canoing our way down the Blackcreek river. (I have to tell you that these kind of stories are full of parallel for me, so in the interest of your time and attention, I will spare you all of that and cut to the chase.)

One of these dads was my good friend Marvin. He had made the trip with two of his three sons, Justin and Jordan. And, to appreciate his significance in this tale, you need to know that Marvin is man of great precision. He plans his next move carefully and then executes that move accurately. What makes this particularly meaningful here is that he does all of this without hesitation. He adjusts quickly to the conditions in front of him, moment by moment. This ability has served him well in business and, I might add, has made him a formidable opponent in racket ball.

Upon this ocassion of our wilderness adventure, the difference in approach was remarkably clear. The rest of us dads did our best to negotiate the rocks, the shallows and the submerged logs that challenged us at every turn. Some of us did ok. A few got stuck and others flipped over more than once. Eventually, we all made it to our destination. But then, there was Marvin. True to his nature, he carefully selected each move, executed flawlessly and seemed to glide past the rest of us as we each struggled in our own way.

By now you see where I am going with this and I won't presume to suggest that you have not already thought of how you need to adjust your marketing and sales plans to better negotiate the shifting conditions of our current economy. What I am suggesting is that you keep an eye on emerging technologies and marketing tools that can help you make these adjustments. After all, the companies that are responsible for this innovation too are subject to these same conditions and are looking for novel solutions and new methodologies.

One example is Text Marketing. With the increasing reliance of mobile phone users on text messaging, this emerging communication tool is reaching new heights in efficiency, economy of scale and engagement. Recipients are getting alerted to special menu items, stock prices, MLS listing information, free seminars and weather forcasts. For our part, ALCOM has introduced TextMarket.com to provide our clients with this resource. It has already proven to be quite useful by increasing sales for one restaurant that notifies its VIP Club members of mid-week specials. They are adding significant sales each week with no incremental cost. At a time when ad costs have been prohibitive, Text Marketing is providing a remarkable solution.

Over the next hill

All of us are faced with a down market and an up supply no matter what we're selling. The last two decades of expansion, mobilization, radical technologies, the personalization of merchandising and a more sophisticated buying culture have brought us to an unprecedented level of product and service provision.
We offer one another more choices, faster delivery, more flexible terms and a depth of options unparalleled in our history. Look within your own industry. From law to consumer goods, have you ever witnessed the proliferation of specialization and innovation?
With our shelves, and warehouses full of consumer choices, consumers find themselves unable to buy. Restricted credit, limited cash, diminished equities, and the agony of a terribly uncertain future add up to consumer frustration. Just as the abundance of innovation has arrived, we are kept from acquiring it.
Sales professionals are trained to help buyers get pasted their objections by directing them to the ultimate core benefit of the product or service they are offering. But how do we satisfy an objection that is the size and nature of the culture within which we all live. The answer is, we have to redefine the problem.
We must see that our problem is not our problem. Our problem is that we think our problem is our problem and we must change that thought. We must focus on what is ahead; where our buyers will be within the next three to five years. Like being at the bottom of a big hill we are about to climb, we must focus on what we imagine is waiting for us just beyond.
As an example, our company now offers SMS text messaging to our clients who want to create a special relationship channel with their customers. One of these clients is a realtor who looks at those people now between twenty-five and thirty years old and knows that they are the next first-time home buyers. He also knows that they rely on text messaging, Facebook and web sites to stay connected and make buying decisions. He is looking beyond the current down market. We are helping capture these new buyers and prepare for what lies ahead.
Yes, we have a mountain of opportunity in front of us. As you adjust costs and inventories to maintain balance in the current culture, select marketing tools like these that will position you to make that climb