Be Prepared!!

One of the groups of people I have watched intently throughout my sales career are lawyers. I, like the majority of Americans, do not especially care for lawyers as a professional group. I do, however, recognize that there are many things to be learned by a sales professional from a professional trial attorney. Most movies that center around court room trials also show the preparation by the attorneys outside the court room. A Few Good Men with Tom Cruise is a great example. The defense team spends countless hours of research and "what if" scenarios to hopefully eliminated the dreaded court room surprises. Surprises are also the kiss of death for sales professionals. While you cannot avoid them totally, you can set the odds in your favor by being prepared. It is essential you know as much or more about the company with which you are dealing as your contact does which sounds impossible. It does "sound" impossible but you will find that many people who are in traffic are very unfamiliar with the production side of the business and you, as a side benefit, can actually help them by being prepared.

Trust

I could write a book here about TRUST and the literally hundreds of ways one can build TRUST. I want you to think about how easily TRUST can be eroded if you have not thoroughly prepared your backup person as how to handle your customers when you are absent from your chair.
I had a mentor early on in my sales career who was my sales manager. The worst salesman I have ever met and I avoided taking him to my accounts like he was the plague. The best sales manager I have ever had, however! Like most baseball managers, being a great player does not assure great managerial qualities. Ted Williams was a flop as a manager and was arguably the best hitter in baseball and is enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
Anyway, my manager back in the 70s told me that I should exercise what he called the "alien abduction concept" as far as I how I handled my job. Assume that at any moment I would be abducted by aliens never to return to this planet and that someone would have to take over my job immediately without missing a beat. The point was that he, as my backup, needed to know everything and anything about my accounts and what was going on in same. This was before the computer age so I had to do all of this in writing (I could not type then either!) in the form of sales reports which were done immediately after the call and mailed weekly. BUT there they were on my desk up to date every day. If I was on Venus (my choice if I were an abductee), at least my survivors could mail them in.
You all have an electronic communication tool and if you are not keeping your customer file up to date with all the information necessary, you risk losing the TRUST you have worked so hard to build with your customers.
There are places in there for notes and quotes. Your backup or managers should be able to go into that customer file and act almost as you would in managing the account.
TRUST requires an investment of your time and making sure your backup is as TRUSTWORTHY as you are in your customers eyes is an investment you cannot afford to miss!!!

In our backups we TRUST,
Dan

The best thing you can do for them...and yourself

When I was a kid, my Dad taught me something after being very frustrated in a restaurant after a fine meal as to the time it took to get the check. In a very nice way, he explained to the waitress and her manager the importance of completing the sale properly (everything was about a sale to my Dad). They seemed very appreciative. After they left, he told me something I have never forgotten. Telling people in the service business how they are doing or not doing is the best thing you can do for them and yourself because that is the only way they know if they need to improve. Whether you are a customer or a vendor., take the time to not only show appreciation for the services provided you ( yeah yeah, I know you are paying for them LOL) but just as important, let them know what does not satisfy you. Try this as you might find you see better results in your levels of service

TERPVETS

It is entirely fitting that Veterans Day and Thanksgiving are both observed in the same month. After all, the brave men and women who have answered America’s call to duty through the years deserve our deepest thanks. As a supporter of Wounded Warrior Project™ (WWP), I know I agree. I’m also certain you will take time to remember our service members who are in harm’s way — far from their families —... when you gather with your loved ones this Thanksgiving. (From the Wounded Warrior Project newsletter)
I had the privilege of rubbing elbows with many wounded warriors yesterday as I attended the 4th ( I have attended all of them) TERPVETS reception in Cole Field House and football game (Byrd Field) at College Park. While we lost (AGAIN) the homage paid to us and especially those wounded warriors, two of whom I proudly stood with on the field as we formed the tunnel at half time when the players emerged from the locker room, was indeed inspiring. As we walked from the west end zone to the north to form the tunnel, the crowd stood and applauded all of us as we past in front of them!! I was moved to tears and very proud of my alma mater
University of Maryland www.veterans.umd.edu

Halloween A Day Late

1. Forget the masks. Just be yourself. People get enough marketing and advertising messages these days as it is. And it's becoming increasingly true that people like to support brands they know and trust, rather than ones that come off as less personable and that only want to make a sale. Do you have a BRAND? What is it your customers think of when they hear your name? That is your BRAND and you should nurture it and protect it. If you don't have a brand (oh, you have one but just don't know it yet), you should spend some time thinking about who you are in the eyes of your customer. That is your brand and like any company, you need to promote your brand. The more you can show off your authentic self (through great content and genuine responses), the more you'll make a true connection with people you're trying to reach. Then they'll be more likely to do business with you.

2. Keep giving out treats. When it comes to your on line marketing efforts, you need to give your customers and prospects the kind of candy — er, I mean, content — they want, the kind(s) that will get them to engage with you. It is called GIVING VALUE. Send them an article that pertains to their business, better still write an article yourself the might help them, or tell them why they should do business with YOU as opposed to your competitors. I can help you with this.

3. Don't be a ghost. Far too many businesses make the mistake of ignoring comments and questions posed by customers. The message is clear: Customers love to be heard and have their issues acted upon swiftly. Answer all your emails and, if you don't have an immediate answer, simply acknowledge their email and let them know when you will get back to them. Would you pickup a phone call from a customer and say nothing ? I hope not. The same courtesy should apply to emails and voice mails. Answer them promptly!