The Birthday Effect

I had a wonderful birthday last week. It was a REALLY busy work day plus I had a doctor appointment for my daughter, after school kid chauffeuring to do and dinner with friends and family. I love going to the gym and find that I skip it when life gets busy. But I went to the gym on my birthday because, well, it was MY BIRTHDAY, and I felt entitled to do what I wanted to do. I felt special. As a matter of fact, I felt entitled to do as I pleased (in a humble sort of way) for the entire day. I even thought people might know it was my birthday by looking at me. Isn't that silly?

Think about how you feel on your birthday? Here are some words that come to mind when I think about how I feel on my birthday: special, happy, thankful, excited, giddy, unique, acknowledged, appreciated and noticed.

How can you make your customers feel this way? How can you create the Birthday Effect for your customers?

Part of the Birthday Effect is that it only lasts one day. It has a clear beginning and end. It doesn't last long enough for you to truly get used to the feeling. Maybe that's part of the charm? It lasts just long enough to leave you looking forward to next year.

Until next year I'm going figure out how to implement the Birthday Effect with my customers. And if all else fails, I know how to bake a tasty chocolate cake and light candles!

10 Ways to Snap Out of a Sales Slump

If you've been in business long enough you've gone through a dry spell. Experienced sales people know this will happen. Experienced sales people also know that if they keep prodding ahead things will change for the better.

Here are 10 ways to snap out of a sales slump:

1. Start with the business you have. Loyal customers are glad to hear from you and will be most receptive to new offerings you have. Spend a few days calling or visiting all of your existing customers and thank them for their business. Keep it short and sweet so as not to waste their time.
2. Ask for referrals. Don't be afraid to ask your friends and happy customers to refer you or your services to their contacts. Most people are glad to help.
3. Resist the urge to make a bad deal just to make a sale. You'll hate yourself later for it and the bad deal will distract you from more worthwhile efforts.
4. Know what you can and cannot control. Justifying your sales slump by blaming the bad economy is not the solution. You cannot control the economy. What you can control is the quality of services you offer, the employees you hire, how you present yourself and your attitude.
5. Don't get snotty with a potential customer. I remember a sales person from the National Chamber of Commerce cold calling me and being visibly ticked when I didn't buy from him. Not only had I stopped what I was doing to meet with him when he dropped in but I listened to what he had to say. When I didn't buy from him on the spot he got mad and told me what a big mistake I was making. He was probably in a sales slump and decided to take it out on me - but there's no way I'd ever buy from him now.
6. Focus on what's right instead of what's wrong. When you lose a sale it's human nature to try to figure out what went wrong. Was it my timing? Did I not have a good enough relationship with the client? Was my product not as good? Instead of going through this litany of questions ask yourself, "On my last sale what did I do right? What made the customer chose me? What did I do to persuade the customer my product/service was better?"
7. Get your act together. In other words, get organized. When you are in a slump it's natural to panic and respond in a desperate haphazard way. Clean off your messy desk, organize your email inbox, update your contact database and wash your car.
8. Let dead dogs lie. We all have customers we've been working on for yeearrrrsssss who always say, "No," but we keep holding on to the idea that one day they'll be ours. Stop. Move on. Go sell to someone else.
9. Don't over-celebrate. Keeping your pipeline full will prevent a slump. Continue sales and marketing efforts like networking, PR, advertising and cold calling even when sales are going gangbusters. Be careful not to take a week or 2 off celebrating a big sale because it can lead to a future slump.
10. Buy a new outfit. You've heard the saying, "If you look good, you feel good." It's true.

Would you Rather be Lucky than Good?

I'll never forget one of the biggest surprises of my sales career. I drove 2 hours to give a potential customer a 1-hour presentation in hopes of gaining his business. As soon as I walked into his office he pulled out his pen and said, "Where do I sign?" WHAT? I almost didn't know what to do. Thankfully I had been in sales long enough to know to keep my mouth shut, show him where to sign and then high-tail it out of his office. Less than 5 minutes later I was in my car headed home. How lucky can you get?!

If you've worked in sales then you know people who try to take the easy way out by not preparing as much as they should for a call, by leaning on their personal relationships more than their ability or by not putting in the time it takes to develop their skills.

Being good at sales is hard work. It's not just using a formula that you plug in. I believe we create our own luck by being over prepared, knowing our product and service, and learning and understanding what our customers really need.

But I have to confess - sometimes I'd rather be lucky than good!

How to Trust Your Customers

Sam Moon is a retail store in Dallas. When I was growing up it was a great place to go for good deals on accessories like earrings, purses, belts, etc. (It's still a great place to go). Every time we shopped there my friends and I would joke about how the sales people followed you around the store because they were afraid you would steal something. The sales staff didn't try to hide their suspicion of customers. I felt like I wasn't trusted and consequently it made me not trust the store. When the sales person told me the necklace looked good on me I didn't trust her. When the sales person told me the purse was real leather I didn't trust her.

Today I called to make a reservation at the restaurant Medieval Times in Dallas. The reservationist told me I must pay 100% up front for all parties, there were no refunds of any kind and I was only allowed to change my reservation once. It felt like a "gotcha" situation - like they didn't trust me to show up.

I understand that businesses must have policies in place to protect themselves from theft, piracy and fraud. There will always be customers who take unfair advantage of every situation. When Costco and Home Depot allow returns with no questions asked - you know someone is going to show up with a worn out "something" and ask for a refund. And we've all heard the story of customer service giant Nordstrom allowing a customer to return a used tire (they don't even sell tires!).

Trust your customers to jazz up your sales. Here's how:

1. Don't use the term "company policy" to hide behind rules. The Medieval Times reservationist used this line when explaining why I had to pay 100% up front.


2. Offer a free trial with few restrictions (the test drive theory).


3. Listen first. Don't just listen - do it first. In his book The Speed of Trust Stephen M.R. Covey lists this as one of the 13 Behaviors of trust. When you are trying to make a sale it is natural to "pretend listen" while waiting to jump in when your customer is finished talking. Covey calls this "counterfeit listening." Listen first and it will tell you how to build trust.


4. Spell out your guarantee. By doing this you are showing customers you trust them to hold you accountable for your claims. Know that you will need to stand behind your guarantee even when it hurts.


5. Allow your customers to complain. Make it easy for them. Tom Egelhoff says to provide phone numbers (answered by real people), feedback email access and any other ways you can think of for customers to notify you when there is a problem. The longer it takes to resolve a problem the more potential customers will hear about this particular customer's dissatisfaction with your company.


6. Give away something for free. In his book FREE: The Future of a Radical Price Chris Anderson says that the enemy of free is waste. When you give something away people feel compelled to use it. And the law or reciprocity will bring them back to you for other business.


7. What seems to be a people problem is sometimes a situation problem. This concept is presented in Chip and Dan Heath's book SWITCH: How to Change Things When Change is Hard. Your customer may trust you but not your company, product or industry. Several years ago I experienced a home remodeling job with a contractor who performed shoddy work and then skipped town with my money. Since then I have not trusted any person doing work in my home. It has nothing to do with the people - I have blanket mistrust of home building contractors. Figure out ways to create a situation where you are able to trust your customers.


8. Recognize when people don't feel trusted. As long as a person is communicating with high emotion, he or she doesn't feel understood. And a person will not trust another until he feels understood.
   

I don't believe the average customer says to himself, "Wow, that business doesn't trust me so I won't buy from them." But I do believe customers pick up on the vibe of mistrust. And if they don't feel trusted they won't trust you. And even worse, they won't buy from you.

Relationships are the Key to Jazzing Up Your Sales

Last week I attended my friend Greg’s 60th birthday party. Greg is a successful business owner and investor who recently beat lung cancer. During the toasts at the party many people mentioned how they had known Greg for the last 15 or 20 years and how wonderful their friendships have been. Many of Greg's closest friends were people he does business with and who do business with him.

This reminded me of the best way to jazz up the sales of your business: relationships. It's cliche' but true - "people do business with people" and "people buy from people they like."

Here are some quick tips for how to build relationships with your customers:

1. Find out about them. Ask questions like,
   "Do you have big plans for the holidays?"
   "Do you have a lot of family in town?"
   "Seen the new Star Wars movie yet?"
   "How old are your kids?"
   Learning about your client gives you conversation starters for your meetings with them.
   
   
2. Socialize outside of work. If you find out you and your customer have a similar interest like hunting or fishing, plan a trip together. If your spouses have never met, invite your client and spouse out to dinner.
   


3. Use the mail. If socializing outside of work feels too much like schmoozing to you there are other avenues for building relationships. Read an article in the newspaper that made you think of your client? Cut it out and mail it to him with a quick handwritten note.
   


4. Give event tickets. A good way to socialize with your customer is to invite him to a sporting event. If this makes you uncomfortable consider giving your clients tickets to a local baseball or basketball game. You might say, "Hi Jim, I have 4 tickets to the Mavericks game tomorrow night and wanted to know if you'd like to have them?"
   


5. Stay in touch. Send your clients birthday cards or Happy 4th of July cards to stay in touch throughout the year. Email or call them occasionally to check in. Keep the emails or phone calls short and sweet. Be creative in thinking up "excuses" to contact your customers.
   
   
6. Know their business. You don't have to be an expert, but make it a point to understand a little about your customer's business. For example, if you own a cleaning company, make it a point to understand the cycles of your customer's business to know when will be the best and most convenient times for your cleaning crews to work - after hours, after the Friday night rush, before or after a big event, etc.