Over the past few weeks, I have suddenly been picking up more and more design work. After moving to my government job I’ve certainly had the urge to keep working on projects. It has been exciting to pick up the project management side of things again and apply things I’ve learned at my “new” job. One thing the government has burned into my brain is documentation. Documenting the projects and the scope has made a huge difference in how well the projects have been rolling. Hopefully I can keep things going, as if I don’t already have enough on my plate.
Archive for the ‘Sales’ Category
Minicards: A business card alternative – 9. June, 2008
I recently ordered the minicards that Moo.com offers. They are very small business card replacement. Moo has a great web site that makes customizing your cards extremely easy. As a small business owner, I think these are a great way to set yourself and business apart. Their size is completely unique. Each and every time I hand one out, it starts a conversation and allows me to tell someone the story about how and why I use them. Make an effort to be creative, but tasteful, in unique ways to promote your business.
MOO MiniCards. Postcards. Stickers. Make your business stand out. Create unique cards easily using your own photos and designs.
Is Fiji water really worth the extra money? – 4. June, 2008
Today was my first time trying Fiji bottled water. The results: It tastes the same as any other bottled water.
On the flip side, I’ve met people that swear that it is the greatest H2O to hit a bottle near you. This is fascinating to me as I believe that it “tastes better” to certain consumers because of the prestige. Fiji water is the Mercedes of bottled water. Take a minute and think about what you could do to make your product or service worth a premium. Sony, Ferrari, and Rolex have done it. Sometimes a small change in packaging or rebranding can bring your brand to that level. What is stopping you from bringing your company to a prestigious audience that loves your product?
I hated voice mail messages… – 25. January, 2008
Until now. I recently migrated completely away from listening to voice mail. I have always been disenchanted with voice mail and have not been the best at following up with it. Switching to Simulscribe made a drastic difference in my efficiency and improved my ability to follow up and organize my callbacks. Typically, I do not endorse services on my blog unless they are truly remarkable and make an impact on my daily life. That’s exactly what happened with these services.
Simulscribe is a voice mail transcription service that I forward my callers to (unbenounced to them) and they leave a normal message. The message is then transcribed and emailed to me. This provides with the ability to view a voice message at any time on my BlackBerry and come back to it later to read it, or I can even read it during a meeting.
SimulSays is their visual voice mail service. It provides a transcription of your voice mail and the audio file if you need to play it as well. You can listen to your messages in any order and come back to them at anytime (think IPhone style, but they were first). You can also easily forward the message to someone else in the form of an email.
I apologize for the commercial; however, I figure if it could make such a big difference in my life it has to be able to help others. Try out their 30-day, no pressure trial. That’s how they got me hooked! If you try it out, please leave your feedback, I’d love to hear what you think about it.
Take the time to start ideating – 9. January, 2008
IBM has recently released a commercial that shows a group of employees lying a conference room ideating. In my searches, I have noticed that many bloggers that have posted about ideating seem to have shed a negative light on this idea. I’m on the other side of the fence, I think that having an environment that supports ideating and incubation of ideas will lead to things you may have never done. The beginning of the year is always a great time to think about the strategies your company uses to implement and test new ideas. If you are not constantly coming with new ideas, how are you remaining competitive? I know in the high-tech space, a company without creativity does not exist or at least not for long.
Another important idea: If you’re in a leadership role and your employees come to you with ideas, make sure you do not “fire hose” their ideas. Not all of their ideas will be the “one,” but killing their enthusiasm on one idea will enable them to stop being creative and working to improve the company. Take time to listen and work to find even the smallest amount of value in their idea and point them in the right direction for future ideas. (Fire Hose Hat tip: Julia Marrocco)
UPDATE: I finally found the actually video on YouTube. Watch it below.
Do you ask too much from your customers? – 2. January, 2008
Do you ask too much from your customers?
While at the dentist the other day, I got to thinking about how much we should really ask our customers to do in order to do business with our companies. Although, I understand the importance of brushing, flossing, using some other random gum cleaner, and everything else they recommend there must be a limit to what we can expect from our clients.
When you engage your customers in the sales process, how much do you ask of them? Who is doing most of the work, you or your customer? As a salesperson, you need to consider some important things while in the process of courting a prospective client:
- What value or importance does this portion of the process play in gaining this prospects business?
- How can I simplify the process without jeopardizing the integrity of the process necessary to complete the proposal?
- As a marketer or salesperson how does this make the client/prospect feel about your company and the experience?
- Make sure you are always authentically providing a solution that is in the best interest of your client.
I’m sure there are hundreds of other important things to consider, help me list those with your comments. Ultimately, I want you to think about your customer experience. Take the time map out how a typical customer interaction occurs and if it feels fluid and natural to you if you were to go through it. Another great option is to survey your customers and get their feedback.
The takeaway: Always listen to how your customers and prospects react throughout the sales process and make adjustments to your process accordingly. The biggest mistake a salesperson or SMB owner can make is to avoid customer feedback and not adapt to customer reactions.
The Power of Follow Up – 25. December, 2007
Over that past several months, I have made some purchases of drastically different products and both came with an amazing customer experience. The two purchases were a Coach wallet at the Forum Shop in Las Vegas and a 2005 Nissan Maxima from a Lexus Dealership in my area. The first post will be about the Coach wallet and a watch for a follow up post about the car.
Going to make both of these purchases I had a preconceived notion of how I would be treated at both stores. During my trip with the guys in Las Vegas, I decided it’d be nice to get something for my wife. I ended up at Coach and had a great experience with the saleswoman. I told her exactly what I was looking for, a simple black wallet, and she gave me some options and helped me check out and gift wrap it. She did this all without being pushy or trying to up sell me on extras. While this was a great shopping experience, it was became remarkable (i.e. Purple Cow) a few days after I got home. A few days later I received an envelope in the mail from Coach. To my surprise it was a HANDWRITTEN thank you note from my saleswoman (scanned image to come soon). I think my jaw hit the floor.
The experience was great, it left me wanting to tell all my friends and tell them about how great it is to be a Coach customer. Now that I’m a customer, they also send me "customer loyalty specials." It is amazing how something so simple has turned me into a repeat customer. Because of my experience, I found myself waiting in line during this holiday season to make another over-priced purchase for my wife. Between the experience and loyalty specials, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to try it again.
Nice job Coach! Keep up the great follow up, this is what great marketable customer service is all about.
Hiring a Salesperson – 17. November, 2007
When making a hiring decision have you ever wondered if you’ll ever find that perfect recruit? It is amazing to me that when posting a position I have received such a great deal of variety and lack of qualification from the candidates. I truly wonder how many people actually read the job description. Thinking about questions similar to the following can carry you a long way during the interview process. Here are some example questions:
- What do you think are the most important skills in succeeding in sales?
- What do you like and dislike about the products or services you’re selling now and why?
- What attracts you to the <your industry> industry?
- Describe one or two of the most difficult challenges and/ or rejections you’ve faced in the past and how you responded?
Source: JustSell.com
Posted in Interviewing, Sales
