Archive For: Sales

3 Steps to The Top Job You Really Want ???

Amanda Blesing works with CSuite women to do what they do better. We caught up a little while ago and talked about some of the issues that women face and one kept recurring.

So many women know they are ready for the next job up the ladder but they struggle to get it. So I asked Amanda, how can a woman/person get that top job they really want and she said there were three key things:
1) Back Yourself
2) Sell Yourself
3) Express Your Value in a way your target understands

These some three strategies work for all people – regardless of your sex. Chatting to Amanda and a couple of other colleagues about this and we thought that most people get the first one ok. The second one can be a struggle for some – particularly those who don’t want to “big note” ourselves.

But some people do number 2 amazingly well. There are plenty of people out there that everyone identifies with. “How did they get that position, job, role, contract? I am way better than them!” And you are too! But they are better at selling themselves.

I think number three is the one that takes the longest to truly understand and embrace. So often we get excited about our stuff and start telling clients, prospects, and random strangers how good it is. But we do it in a way WE understand rather than taking on board, what is important for our clients? What counts for others?

So Dear Reader, how can you take on Amanda’s three key tips today to reach for that next job, contract, sale, connection?

 

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Do You Get Distracted?

I get sidetracked really easily when I am trying to focus. In particular, social media calls to me to come and waste time!!

To help me stay focussed, I created the poster above. I have it printed out and stuck to the wall next to my desk.

It has been a great little tool to help me stay focussed on the things that count within my business.

Granted there are times when I need to do other essential items like my BAS statements but the majority of my time needs to be focusses on these three items.

Do you lose focus at time? Do bright shiny objects call to you?

You are more than welcome to use this poster. Click on the image above or on this link and you will be taken to the PDF that you can print out.

I hope it helps you as much as it helps me.

 

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Your Systems Suck

Image: Shutterstock

I love systems in business. I am a huge fan of Michael Gerber’s system implementation ideas that he proposed in his book, The E-Myth revisited. The short summary of which is, “Systems run the business and People run the systems.”

But your systems suck! They suck if they are focussed on the wrong thing.

Let me tell you about the new cafe in our area.

After spending a colossal amount of money on shopfitting, the cafe at the bottom of the shopping centre near me has finally opened for business. Always one to support a new local, my gorgeous wife and I went there for lunch.

A mature woman who looked like the owner seated us, was very friendly and put us in a booth near the back, overriding the reserved sign. We guessed she was the owner as she joked about how it wasn’t reserved if she was seating us there.

She took our drinks order and left us with the menu. All pretty good and what any typical customer would expect so far.

A different waiter came up after a few minutes and asked did we want to order drinks. We had ordered but he didn’t know that, and it is not unusual for this to happen. So far all good.

Then we asked to order our meals. His response was, “I can’t take your order. I will get someone to take your food order.”

OK – that was a little weird. Maybe he was new, didn’t know how to order food yet or something else. Certainly the food order person would be right over.

A couple of minutes later a waitress brought over our drinks. Yay! We had a little joke with her and then said, can we order some food. Guess what she said …. “I can’t take your order. I will get someone to take your food order.”

You have got to be kidding me! Ah well. Maybe she is new too. The cafe hasn’t been open long.

After a couple of minutes a third waitress (fourth if you count the boss who seated us) came over and asked, “are you ready to order?”

We ordered, ate, did the crossword and had an amazing conversation that you would surely be jealous of if you saw a picture of it on Facebook or Instagram!! (Ok, it was just your typical couple chat in a cafe)

As we left, the person who I paid, who looked like the other co-owner as he wasn’t wearing a uniform like the others and was a mature man, asked, “How was everything?”

I couldn’t let the opportunity pass. I told him it was a little weird that when we ordered, two staff members were unable to take our food order. Were they new or something?

Here is what he said, “No it’s not weird. Maybe they are new but we don’t want the kitchen to get slammed, specially when it gets busy. If it gets too busy wait staff can make mistakes so only two people on the floor can take food orders. It’s not weird.”

So their systems exist for them and not for their customers. The fact that their customer (me) is saying that it is weird because I didn’t know what is going on meant nothing. This is all about making their kitchen process smoother.

The fact that he didn’t really care what I thought or said was also a bit strange. If you don’t care then don’t ask.

Your systems suck. They are not about making the customer experience better they are about trying to control the flow in the kitchen at the expense of the customer experience.

If your kitchen is getting slammed then look at your ordering or kitchen process. Surely it can’t be that hard?

What it means for us is that we have lost all interest in returning to that cafe. We had noticed the private table out the back and I had made comments on how it may be good for a family function or for a small client get together.

Not now because their systems suck.

What about you? Have you designed processes to make your life better or easier at the expense of your customer?

Quite simply, do your systems suck?

 

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Are You There?

One of the key elements of marketing I learned very early in my time as being a member of Professional Speakers Australia, is that there is a huge difference between being good and being there.

Many people are focussed on being good. Getting everything just right with the right image, the right text, the right message, the right style, the right level of rightness!

Others put something pretty good together and just start getting it out there.

People in the second category seem to get more business than the first and those in the first category seem to get more frustrated!

A case in point is the document above (you can click on the image or this link to see the document in detail). I have had the vision for this document for some time (about four years) and I just haven’t been able to get it exactly how I wanted it. It is my speaker “1 Pager” so it has a lot of information about me and what I do.

I wanted to present it in a way that wasn’t all about me. I wanted my prospects or clients to read it and think of their own problems and how I can help solve or address them. I wanted people to laugh a bit and have an understanding of who I am and how I work.

After a fair bit of work, I think I got most of that. But it wasn’t perfect. Shifting my focus to being good, I just got some printed and have started sending to clients and prospects with my special gift. (Let me know if you are interested in receiving a hard copy with the special gift or finding our more about what I do.)

As I was putting the packs together, I noticed two minor mistakes that most people wouldn’t even notice. I am sending them anyway. I have fixed the mistake for next time but the first print run has been completed.

Now I will see what sort of results it wields – I guarantee it will get greater results than me just thinking about it for another four years!

There is a massive difference between being good and getting it perfect, and being there and getting paid!

What about you? What are you working on that is not quite good enough and just needs more attention that honestly could be put out to the market place where they can get value from it right now?

Don’t just be good, be there!

 

 

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Plan Backwards

Image: Shutterstock

The year has started and no doubt you have some plans in mind. You may have even done some formal planning. I have found the best way to make your plans actually happen is to plan backwards.

This method applies whether you are planning an event, a project, a sales target, or simply planning to by a house.

Dr Stephen Covey has as one of the seven habits of highly effective people to “Begin with the End In Mind.”

For us this means looking at what do we want to achieve and by when. For example, maybe you want to achieve $200,000 in sales this year. That is the goal, the target, the thing that keeps you inspired. I would be using language about that. “Project 200k”, tracking for 200k or something to ensure it keeps top of mind.

The next step is to work backwards. If you are wanting $200k this year then how much is that per month? Let’s face it, Jan and Dec are hard to get anything done (well Jan has already gone!) so you are looking at $20k of sales each month.

So let’s break that down even further by continuing to work backwards.

  • What is your average sale size?
  • How many proposals do you need to make a sale?
  • How many meetings do you need to get a request for proposal?
  • How many sales calls do you need for a meeting?

This will then set your daily plan for you and you will always know what to do.

For example, let’s assuming the following.

Your average sales size is $5,000. You historically send out three proposals to make a sale. You need two meetings to get a request for a proposal and make five sales calls to get a meeting request.

Working backwards, to reach $200,000 you need 40 sales of $5,000. Based on ten months this is four sales a month.

Each sale need three proposals, so that is 12 proposals a month or 3 a week. To get a proposal request, you need two meetings so that is six meetings a week. Each meeting takes five sales calls so that is 30 sales calls a week or six calls a day.

What this means is that to reach $200,000 you need to consistently make six phone calls a day.

This process works for all kinds of planning. If you are yet to plan your goals for the year, I strongly suggest you plan them backwards. If you do that, you can almost guarantee you will achieve the outcome you are after.

 

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Want a FlashPacker?

My gorgeous wife and I went away with friends to Broome over the New Year break. As you can see above, they have some amazing sunsets, friendly locals and wild and wooly cyclones (we were waylaid by a day as Tropical Cyclone Hilda had a quick visit).

As with all holidays, I love staying in really fabulous places but I hate paying through the nose for them. Fortunately, our travel buddies, Danielle and David, found a very cool unit on Air BnB that we booked for the week. (You can check it out here).

Little did we know that this was part of a FlashPackers.

Now I know what you are thinking, what on earth is a FlashPackers. Well, a FlashPackers is a BackPacker accomodation that is pretty flash! The building is super clean, they are a bit more expensive than your usual back packers, they have tighter rules than a back packers to deter unsavoury types and their services are better than usual.

What that meant for us was down stairs from us was a bar with cheap (but cold) beverages, some cheap and cheerful food, a pool (with Unice the Unicorn) and some super helpful staff. We had the privacy of our apartment but services of a greater accomodation right on Cable Beach all for 1/3 of the price of other resorts nearby.

So now I will continue to look for FlashPackers, or the equivalent in what ever area I need something.
You know what I mean, it does the basics really well, gives you a few bonus extras, makes you feel at home and super comfy without having to pay a premium price.

What about you? Would you consider a FlashPackers?

When it comes to events and MC/Hosting services, I could be the FlashPacker you are looking for so get in touch!

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Losing $290

We have remote roller doors on our garage. They are nine years old. After nine years, the remotes don’t work like they used to.

You can see one of them has a bit of melting going on! The others used to work as we turned the corner near our house and now they struggle to work parked out the front of the garage.

Yes we have tried new batteries. Yes we have swapped remotes. Yes we have Googled looking for answers.

It got to the point that I thought I would call the manufacturer and get a service call. They recommend an annual service call and I thought after nine years it wouldn’t hurt to have one.

Talking with the support team they told me that a call out fee was $150 and that remotes were $70 each and if the mother board was faulty you are looking at around $600. I figured a call out fee and a couple of remotes (approx $290) to get another nine years of smooth operation was a price I could pay.

The service was booked in, I changed plans to be available and I was all good to go on Wednesday sometime between 8am and 12noon with a phone call about 30 mins before the technician arrived.

At 12:15 having no contact, I called to find out what was going on as I had to leave the house in 5 minutes.

To this day, I still don’t know what happened. The person on the phone didn’t know what was happening and put me through to the service department. They didn’t know what was happening and said the technician must have had a problem. I rescheduled the appointment (and later cancelled it). During this call, no one said sorry. No one acknowledged I had a problem and they would fix it. I even said i was quite annoyed and disappointed and the person on the phone reinforced that they didn’t know what had happened to the technician.

I have since found a place on the internet (Brisbane) that can send me aftermarket remotes for $15. I received one today and it works from the corner like the old one used to. I am very happy. I have since ordered a couple more as I reckon I can spend up to $290 on remotes and still be ahead.

Customer service is all about acknowledging the emotional state of the customer. It may not be your responsibility, but if you don’t acknowledge it, you will get the blame for it anyway. If they had said, “Terribly sorry. I am not sure what has happened. We usually don’t operate like that. I can appreciate you took the morning off to be there. If you would like, I can put you on hold and find out how long the technician will be or I can reschedule the appointment. What would you prefer?”

But their perceived lack of caring has cost them at the very least $290 and possibly more. No matter how good your product is, if you don’t care about your customer it will show.

With Amazon about to enter Australia, this is more important than ever!

How do you acknowledge your customers emotions?

 

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Back to the Future

My gorgeous wife and I were out celebrating life and we had a flash back. A flash back to the future, if you will!

Soda Rock Diner was celebrating a move to a new location and had set up Doc and the Delorean out the front.

This was a great idea (although Doc was not quite a close match) for a couple of reasons.

  • It’s a great call back
  • It’s brand relevant
  • It was interactive

As a speaker/MC, one of the great tools of a presentation is the Call Back. It is where you mentioned something (a topic, a story, an item, an event) and then later in the presentation when the audience has almost forgotten it, you refer back to it. Comedians use this tool a great deal to excellent effect.

In this instance, people my age (almost 50!) grew up with Doc, the Delorean, Marty McFly and even Einstein (the dog who was sitting on the back of the car). Seeing the car was a great call back to an earlier part of my life which associates with a fun and positive memory.

It was Brand Relevant for Soda Rock as they are an American Diner complete with rollerskating waiting staff and Elvis. In Back to the Future II (and possibly some on Back to the Future) was set in a diner like this one. It was also October 21st which is one of the dates that Doc and Marty head to. So it was well themed and matched the brand of Soda Rock.

It also attracted a big crowd. People were lining up to sit in the driving seat and get their picture taken (look closely in the pic above and you will see a young girl in the front seat (on the left). I suspect there would be a lot of images on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and other social media of the Delorean, and possibly even tagged Soda Rock.

With the marketing of your business or the marketing that appeals to you, how does it take you Back to the Future?

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Grabbing Attention

I was at the Integrate Trade Show in Melbourne this week. A show all about Audio Visual for conferences, corporates and large areas.

So many exhibitors had spend huge money on their stands showing off their latest and greatest technology. Some of the big brands built two story exhibitions with screens and logos everywhere.

It was a huge waste of money.

These same brands looked like they spent very little money on creating an atmosphere for the visitor or training their staff on how to approach and interact with the visitors.

Create LED had a different approach.

They had a much smaller presence. A simple black cloth background. A different display using one unique product, their Air Magic Box and staff who smiled, engaged with people who walked past and created a pleasant experience.

Their return on investment would have been significantly greater than that of the big name, multi-storied booth exhibitors. Mainly because they focussed on what counts, the Visitor and not themselves.

Grabbing the attention of a visitor is not all about you. It is mainly about the visitor. What is something new and unusual for them that will get their attention and start a conversation about their interests and needs?

This works not only at trade shows, but also in one on one conversations at networking events, presenting at conferences or your traditional marketing pieces.

How do you get their attention?

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Most Important Sale

Image: ShutterStock

 

All the sales trainers I have ever had the good fortune to learn under have constantly said that the most important sale is the first sale, and the first sale is always to yourself!

If you don’t believe in the value of your product or service, how can you then sell it to others?

What they didn’t say is that you don’t just make this sale once. You will need to make this sale over and over again.

So many people make you doubt yourself, your product, your service, your price, your delivery method, your expertise and they do it, not to attack you, but to better position themselves in the negotiation.

On Friday I was referred to an organisation that was hosting a two day conference for 200 CXOs on the following Wednesday and Thursday. After an initial email briefing where they requested a “strong and experienced MC” I sent them a high level proposal.

Sunday they got back to me saying that it was a lot more than they had budgeted and in fact their budget was a third of my quoted price. They felt it was an easy gig. Very straight forward simply introducing people and asking a few questions.

This is where the doubt started to creep in.

Fortunately I know there is no such thing as an “Easy MC gig”.

Now most professionals (be they MCs, speakers, sports people, business people or whatever) make things look easy. Maybe they make it look effortless rather than easy. The reason for this, is they are good at what they do because they work at it.

As I advised this prospect, while it may seem easy, I have spent over 20 years honing my skill to make it look easy. So when the AV fails (as it will), when a speak finished in half the time and I step in with relevant and meaningful questions, when the audience is about to go to sleep and they need to be energised, when one of the strong minded CXO takes over the microphone during question time and starts waffling on with no question in sight or when a sponsor needs some attention, I will have you covered no matter what – that is what you are paying for!

My delighted clients, repeat clients and referring clients show me that my fee is fair and that I deliver great value for that fee.

So I had to decline that prospects offer to work for 1/3 my usual fee.

What about you? Have you made that most important sale?

Even if you are not directly in sales, it is important to know that you add real value to those around you. If you need it, collect some testimonials, quotes or evidence of that value so when you are starting to doubt yourself, you can look at the proof of the value you offer.

The first sale is always to you and you need to be sure you can keep making that sale time and time again. You are too important not to make it!

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It Takes Time

Image: ShutterStock

Are we there yet?

It feels like I have been on the road to recovery from this broken ankle for eons, but it has only been a matter of months. I have had the screws and metal work out for a little while now but still I am not cured.

It seems that sitting on your backside, doing no physical activity and not putting any weight on your leg means that for that leg, the ligaments and tendons have all constricted. So that now when I walk I look a little like Quasi Modo!

I am frustrated.

I had plans. When that metal work was out and I stopped using the boot, I had stuff to do. But it turns out that it takes time.

Too much physical exertion exhausts me. My fitness (the little I had) has left me so that even when I am singing with my choir, I am out of breath on songs that didn’t use to affect me. Regaining that fitness takes time.

While my mind is ready for my body to be better, my body needs more time. A lot more time. There will be stretching, gentle exercise and plenty of positive self talk to get me there.

It is frustrating but it is also my reality.

Do you find that as well? Maybe you aren’t getting the sales results you are after, the promotion you know you deserve hasn’t been realised or even after all your workouts, your fitness hasn’t improved yet. It takes time.

You are on the path. Keep doing the work and know that sometimes it just takes time.

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It’s Done

There is nothing like seeing your name in print.

It is even better when it is on a body of work that contributes to the lives of others.

The book above, Mortgages Demystified, has been a labour of love for one of my mentoring clients, Andrew Larcombe. After months of work, years of experience and a lot of fine work detail, the book is DONE!

Now naturally as a mentoring client of mine I want to rave about how good the book is (and it is really good!)
I also want you to make sure that you know there is a really good first release deal which includes postage, a finance audit and audio program on the Negative Gearing Trap (you can check out the deal here).
As an avid property investor myself, I also want to make sure that you learn some of the basic finance principles and ideas in this book that will have a significant impact on your financial future.

Most importantly, I want you to experience the feeling of “It’s Done”.

That feeling when you have finally achieved something you have been striving for. All the hard work, inconvenience, and effort finally turning into the outcome you are after. The look that Andrew had on his face holding the copy of his book that he had been talking about for years and finally had been able to put together. It’s Done!

Andrew willingly admits that I have been his “fluffy slipper”. It was easy for him to get sidetracked on more “urgent” issues in his business and his life (he got married, had a honeymoon, hired new staff, doubled his mortgage broker mentor program all while writing this book). Knowing I was around to give him a kick in the backside with the “fluffy slipper” and focus on what was “important” made all the difference.

Where do you need the “fluffy slipper”? What is happening in your life where you want to feel “It’s Done!”

 

 

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Have You Got The Right Person?

As we were shopping on the weekend, I spotted this young man putting up that sign. It is the sort where you spray the glass, apply the sign and then squeeze all the air bubbles out.

He was doing a crap job of it and I suspect it was not his fault.

To me, he looked like he was 15. The is a chance he is older and because I am an old fart everyone just looks young but the reality is, his age should not matter. It is the outcome that counts.

The outcome was ordinary!

If you look at the sign, it is on an angle and not square with the window. If this angle or skew is part of the decoration, I can live with it, but when something is slightly off, I notice it and it becomes a barrier. A small one, but a barrier none-the-less.

After he had finished, there were still air bubbles in it. During the process of applying the poster, he was scrapping all over the place. I would have thought a systemised approach starting at the middle and then moving out would have worked well. Maybe his technique is the store approved one, but the results were still ordinary.

It felt like they had the wrong person for the job.

Maybe he is the right person for the job and he is just learning. Then why not have someone who knows what they are doing be standing there advising, training, and guiding him to excellence.

Maybe he got it wrong and it needs to be re-done. After he finished, nobody came out to review his work, advise on corrections or ask him to re-do it.

Maybe because it is the end of the lease, they just don’t care. This is what it felt like.

I have said it before, you have to make it easy to be the customer. There are so many things that can act as a barrier to your customers. Your shop or business decor is one of them. Posters on the wrong angle, not set up correctly or not conveying the brand appropriately are not major issues. Most of the time you won’t know what’s wrong, you will simply know something “doesn’t look right”. This becomes a barrier and it can easily be enough to stop you entering the store or doing business.

Make it easy for your customer and for you team. Get the Right Person doing the Right Job at the Right Time.

 

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How’s Your Perspective?

Image: ShutterStock

One of the great things to come out of having a broken ankle/leg has been the shift of perspective.

At different stages I have had to use different mobility aids: crutches, wheel chair and even scooting down the hallway on an office chair. While using these different ways to get around, I realised how much I don’t consider anyone who is not able bodied.

For example, my gorgeous wife took me to Coles Supermarket to do some shopping with the trusty wheelchair. As we wheeled up and down the aisles I saw people do something weird and then realised that I usually do the exact same thing.

You know when you carry the basket around, it has a few things in it so it’s a little heavy, and then you can’t find the thing you want on the shelf. So you put the basket down, take a step back and peruse the whole shelf looking for it. Unbeknown to you, you have effectively blocked the entire aisle!

A simple “excuse me” had the person looking a little embarrassed and quickly moving out of the way.

I also found that now having a height in the chair of 1.2 metres (about 4 feet) rather than my usual 1.9 metres (about six foot three), I couldn’t what was on the top shelf. While I could see the stuff on the bottom shelf it was difficult for me to reach. Nothing wrong with that, it’s just a different perspective.

Another time I was wheeling into an electronics retailer and I couldn’t fit down half of the aisles. I wanted a portable hard drive and I could barely squeeze past the display to see them. They also had plenty of “specials” piled around the place. They looked great and effectively blocked me from passing.

I must stress the staff at all of these stores were happy to help me and make some special accomodations for me but it reinforced how we rarely consider those with needs different to our own. Whether they be physical, emotional or otherwise.

When you are dealing with your customers and prospects have you truly considered their perspective? Is there something particular that they need? Do you need to ask them more questions to find out what is really going on for them?

Hopefully you won’t need to fall off your motorbike to shift your perspective. A few simple questions and a willingness to step out of your ordinary situation should do it!

PS If you want some excellent perspective shifting and funny tv, I highly recommend watching Speechless.

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You Are Not Alone

referral marketing

Image: ShutterStock

Trying to achieve your goals and get the results you are after can be draining.

So often you feel like you are alone. It feels like it is you chipping away at a mountain of granite, hoping to make a break through any moment.

Hoping it is the next swing that brings the results. No? Ok, the next swing!

Maybe the next swing …

Never forget, you are not alone. 

Whether you are running your own business, raising a family, working a corporate job or serving as a volunteer, you are not alone.

You are operating in a connected world, so why not use it? 

You know how when other people ask you for help you feel fantastic when you can contribute to them? Why not let others feel that way too. You just have to do one thing.

Ask for help!

Whatever you may want or need, ask for it. You may feel embarrassed, you may feel shy, you may feel like you “should” be able to do it on your own. The reality is you don’t have to.

So what do you need to ask for?

P.S. Let me practice what I preach. I would love it if you could refer me to someone who is organising an event and needs a host or MC. Typically the event will be for 200 people or more. Thanks for the referral!

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