Anything is Possible Week: Day Two

Aspire!

When I declared this “Anything is Possible Week,” I guess I thought I might be setting the week up for something special.  Maybe it’s the word “anything” that tripped me up.  Put “anything” with “possible” and you start to think “different” and maybe even expect “exceptional.”

So far, I hate to say, “anything” has meant neither anything different or exceptional.

Nevertheless, I will say that Day Two shows improvement over Day One however.  We actually got a thing or two accomplished.  (Imagine that.)  And I enjoyed driving around town.  Plenty of time to think.

And that got me wondering…Do my clients think?

I deal with a lot of small business owners and…well…while I love them, I worry.  (Boy, do I worry.)  I have my theories explaining why I think many people get into business for themself, but they are not very flattering theories.  (Unable to work with others, maybe?  I won’t say.)  Nevertheless, for a group of people you would expect to be smart planners and polished professionals, the  best advice I have is don’t set expectations too high.

If fact I started writing about dealing with these clients and lost my enthusiasm for it almost from the moment the idea popped into my head  I plodded on anyway and that only made things worse.  If I was getting bored writing about it, I can imagine how painful it would be if — and that’s a big if – you read it.

Hollow Suffering (Photo credit: Cayusa)

So, I don’t know…A day doesn’t go by when I don’t scratch my head trying to sort it out.  (The worrisome “what the fuck am I doing” moments.)  These really aren’t Willy Loman experiences, but frustrating nonetheless.

When I look across the table in a meeting, often I see…well, I see nothing.  Staying awake is the goal.  Simple concepts like return on investment mean nothing.  Figuring margins is impossible.  Keeping a budget…forget about it.  But the most frustrating thing I experience dealing with small business owners is the inability to make a decision.

I start looking for an out, unless something interesting is going on in the office.  That doesn’t happen often, but it happens.  Offices with animals offer the most promise for this when things fall apart.  Making faces at cats and dogs when the business owner isn’t looking, for example, relieves a lot of impatient anxiety.  The dogs and cats seem to like it, too.  At least the dogs do.  And so do I.

Plus it is amazing what you can learn from meeting a wide variety of people every day.  It is amazing, too, to see how much social stamina you can build over time in those less-than-stimulating experiences, as in “I am going to stay for ten more minutes and not kill anyone.”  It is like practicing holding your breath.  Over time, endurance increases.

And like breaking the surface after holding your breath underwater, escaping a suffocating office can feel as exhilarating as a jail break, without the hassle of deputies chasing you, of course.  When I eventually break away, I count my good fortune — “Thank god I don’t work there!”– and move on.

It’s a lot of fun, actually.

Have you found your nut today?

Every so often making a sale is a good idea, however, and today I turned a few clients toward the light and got signatures, long overdue signatures.  In this way, I proved once again that every so often even a blind squirrel finds a nut and it really is true, anything is possible.

And, please, please, tolerate me…there are many very smart, polished and enjoyable business owners out there with whom I get to work with every day — and you know who you are, don’t you, superstar! — but if the world were all superstardom, being great would merely be being average.  Isn’t that right?  We strive for more than average, dear reader!  I need the flops for context and it takes a special breed (me) to deal with them.

Such is Day Two.

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Productivity

I have to comment on “Relax! You’ll Be More Productive” printed in today’s New York Times Sunday Review.  I have been wanting to write about a related topic.  The timing is spot on.

Not long ago I was talking with a friend who works for a large sales company.  He had a good year.  In fact he finished among the top reps in his region, posting solid account growth and second-best net gains.

Thousands of reps work for this company and they are expected to comply with a standard set of expectations.  Sales reps are measured on a half-dozen indices, give or take.  Recognition goes to only those who meet expectation in all indices.

My friend’s complaint and frustration is all about the big picture.  Despite his performance, he came up short in one metric.  He was short by one sale to meeting a minimum objective for new clients.

He retained more and renewed more existing clients than all but one other rep while he increased their business with the company significantly, again only being out-performed by two or three other reps on that measure.  Overall he exceeded sales objectives by over 130%, or more than twice what was expected, far outpacing nearly all other sales reps.

But his managers wanted 36 new clients on the books at the end of the year.  He had 35, which still put him among the top in that in that metric, too.

Here’s the problem as I see it.  The month of December was spent chasing new sales to get as many as could be found into the books.  Existing accounts were put on hold.  Larger accounts were put on hold.  He sacrificed a month chasing one objective.  And…as a result…the company lost money.

They also slowed a rep, putting a speed bump on the fast course, to say nothing about burning enthusiasm, an important part of success.

We met a week ago and I asked how January was going.  Not so good.  Being passed over for a promotion and getting no recognition at all deflated a lot of enthusiasm.  A month squandered chasing random accounts killed momentum.  He worked through his Christmas holiday, a time normally spent away from home.  This year time spent poorly, not invested wisely.  And now he is working hard to get the sales machine humming again, back where it was for most of the previous year.

So what did his managers advise?  Work harder.  You had a good year.  Just not good enough.  Put in some extra time next year and make it happen.

What do you think?  The managers are whacked and out of touch, out of touch with managing strong performers and out of touch with priorities maybe?  Most of us are in business to grow business.  Growth should be rewarded, not arbitrary lines in the sand.

Remember, good performers don’t quit companies, they quit managers.

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Advertising, Small Business, and Sales People

Withhold your thoughts about whether you like direct mail, door hangers, or that sort of thing.  I want to share an experience I had meeting a new business that should give a business owner a reason to think twice before pushing a salesman out the door.

 

Not long ago we had space to fill on a neighborhood direct mail product I offer.  It was available  for a nominal fee, mostly to cover part of the production cost.  Even at a bargain price, I understand that it would not fit all business needs, but a business would reach 10,000 homes in the surrounding neighborhoods for less than two cents a delivery.

 

I usually do not stop at businesses in my neighborhood — in large part because people become irrational about sales and I don’t want to risk that interfering in my relationships with neighbors — but I walked past what like a new optical goods shop in my neighborhood and I thought a perfect fit.  So I decided stop in, introduce myself, and see if they wanted some information about our offer and set an appointment to meet.

 

The woman running the shop cut me off and explained that she had been open for months. word-of-mouth was working great for her.  She let me know her husband works in advertising and has everything handled.  I asked what he did and she told me he was very creative, he knew all about designing and creating ads, and had been doing that for years.  Again, everything is covered.

 

I am not so sure.

 

Her husband might very well be a capable advertising man, but if she were sincere, she’s lost all credibility with me.  Writing a good tagline or laying out an effective display ad is worlds apart from advertising and marketing it.  But there’s a good chance I was just getting the brush off and she didn’t want to talk to me.

 

Not Me.

Here’s what you need to know.

 

I live yards away from the store.  Every Sunday I buy a cinnamon roll in a shop next door.  My insurance agent is adjacent to the shop, too.  Probably not a day goes by when I don’t pass that store  at least once.  And guess what…it had been open for months and I didn’t know it existed.

 

I also wear eye glasses and tend to invest in better eye wear.  If I had known about an optical store opening in my neighborhood, I likely would have at least enough interest to check it out.

 

It is also late in the year.  I have a large balance remaining in my health savings account.  I tend to apply any balance I have at the end of the year to purchasing eye glasses.

 

So I am a strong prospective new lead for this business.  I live in the neighborhood, wear glasses, and have money to spend.   If I live almost on top of the place and don’t know they are there, how likely are people blocks or a mile away to know about the store?

 

Finally, when you open a business — crazy as it seems — people will call or stop in to ask about doing business with you.  When they do, treat them as you would a customer because they might be a customer or become one.

 

A credible sales person will have done his homework and have a good reason for contacting you.  It doesn’t hurt to give him a minute to hear what he has to say.  You can quickly sort out the valuable calls from the rest.  But when you say no before knowing what you’re turning down…well, does that make sense?

 

For my part, I will shop at one of my two shops in Uptown again this year.  And I did mention that large available balance in my health savings account right?

 

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Failed Sales Triage

I found Colette — we’ll call her Colette — on a bulletin board.  She was advertising house cleaning services.  I sell advertising, but I rarely call on random prospects like these anymore.  Small owner-operator businesses miss my sweet spot, unless there is some incentive pushing me along.  This time the incentive was a good once over at home.  I decided if she wasn’t buying, maybe I would be.

I dialed Colette and a bright, bubbly gal answered, apparently surprised that anyone would bother to answer her flyer.  I asked her a few simple questions about her business, unenthusiastically going through the motions, when she confided that she had no money.   Usually that’s a bad thing, but this time I saw an opportunity.

“You know, Colette, I need help at home — floors, kitchen, bathroom — and I’ll bet I could give you enough work to pay for a deposit.  Let’s talk about that.”

She was game.

So a week later Colette shows up with a couple buckets, a mop, and canvas bag of goodies.  All I can say is wherever Colette focused her efforts, she did a great job.  The floor looked fantastic, the tub gleamed, and for a while my stove looked like new.  All past tense, alas.  Almost a month later things need work again.

I suppose anyone who owns a house or rents an apartment can give you the advice I have, but I will give it to you anyway.  When you are in the midst of a drought and the winds kick up to 40 miles an hour, close the windows at home.  Yesterday I left  open every window that isn’t painted shut.  I have a dusty mess on my hands.  So I sent a note to Colette.

She replied that she decided to focus on her studies this fall and will not pursue a career cleaning houses at this time.

Well, shoot!  I guess the deal I struck for the one cleaning was a fair deal — maybe a little steep, but I didn’t tip her either — however I was counting on the sale and I really could use a little help getting this dust out of here.

Plus, even though I couldn’t get her to wear the little French maid outfit I had ready as a uniform, she was awfully cute.  Perhaps my choice to walk around bare-kneed in a velvet smoking jacket struck her as a bit odd, too, but for the most part I left her alone.

And it was fun having a cleaning gal.  I left a jar of change out along side a small pile of dollars — perhaps not very tempting — and they both went untouched.  I asked her to focus on floors and baseboards…and…well, ok…she was new to the business, but she pretty much did what I asked.  Table tops and other furniture went as unmolested as my jar of change.  She stuck to floors and baseboards.

I think I’ll give her a week or two, tell her I got a “uniform” with a longer skirt, and explain that I found the pants that coordinate with the smoking jacket.  She’ll be back.

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Sales Triage

I put 135 miles on the old Explorer today and for the most part they were good miles.

I was engaged in a form of sales triage today, checking in with various problem accounts left to rot by other people in my office.  I don’t really have in the skin in the game on these other than my time so they can be good fun.  I’m essentially verifying whether these accounts were handled well, trying to discern if we have really lost a customer or if we might be able to continue working with them.

Generally I like to show up unannounced.  It is simply more efficient.  I do keep things professional and I only call on accounts that I feel really should be doing business with us, but there is no time to waste.  I trust my gut.  If I get that queasy this-is-going-to-take-more-than-it’s-worth feeling, I don’t fight on.  I rattle off a quote and wait for the answer, which usually comes quickly and in the negative.  Ok then!  I say, and off I go.  The perplexed look when I — a salesman — show myself the door often makes the visit worthwhile.

But frequently you meet the guy who wants to talk and might just need a little extra TLC.  Maybe he needs a slightly different proposal.  Or perhaps some reassurance.  There are a lot of business owners like this out there and they’re worth the extra time…as long as it doesn’t get ridiculous.  Once again, on sales triage, time is key.  In and out.  You can’t save people from themselves.  (God, don’t we know that’s true!)  I like to look at my watch when I pull the “What do you think?” on them.  ”I’ve got to get going.”

Pretending I am Siegfried Farnon is a great way make all of this work better.  If you don’t know who Siegfried Farnon is, I must ask you to see All Creatures Great and Small, Season 1, now.  It is worth it and you’ll know who Siegfried Farnon is.  You’ll also understand my hats and pocket squares.

I actually closed a deal or two this way today.  The people who signed will be better off because of it.  I do my job well.

And I drive well.  So let’s get to the best part of the day.  Driving.

I found myself in Princeton, MN, which is way in the hell out of town.  Having my list of calls complete, I thought I

A Picture of the Explorer Coordinating Nicely with Spencer Brook’s New England White.

would drive home using the dead reckoning method.  I got my bearings, looked southeast toward the city, and picked a road.

The back roads drive from Princeton to the suburban wastes is a nice one.  The corn, when I could find it, stood tall, dry, and rattled loudly in the wind.  I took an ear or two home for the city mice and squirrels.  I will throw it out back later tonight.  Unfortunately I didn’t have a lot of time for stops.  I detest traffic and it was getting late.  Hitting the wastes anytime after 3:00 is an unforgiving nightmare.

I did find a little gem that turned out to be underwhelming when I turned around to visit.  The gem is called Spencer Brookand located — as best as I can tell — in western Isanti County.  From the highway it looked fantastic, but it is little more than an old school house and a church.  Quite charming, though, and I am happy I stopped.  It is an old settlement with a school that dates to the pre-Civil War days.

I took a few pictures, listened to more corn, and hit the road.  I would write about all the hornets, the charming pond, and the very, very old and gnarly oaks, but I don’t want to bore you with those details.

Back on the highway, I passed old rotting farmhouses I wanted to photograph and another old school or two, but time was short.  And, yes, I know, this post is mostly filler anyway.  I will write more about love and loss, booze and pasta, politics and economics another time.  I might even pen a limerick or two.  Until I do, scroll down through this blog and find something better to read.  Then share it with your friends and family.

I will — without shame — help by providing a few links below…

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Bob Mould and Better Things to Do

While taking an assessment of what I accomplished today, I’ll admit the day was filled with moments, kind of in the way that a stray dog has a day filled with moments.

I had an early appointment scheduled in Buffalo, Minnesota, which isn’t a bad town and not quite as badly ruined by growth as its neighbors closer to Minneapolis.  The area politics spook me, though.  I think that’s Minnesota’s Sixth Congressional District.  That isn’t good.  (cf. Michele Bachmann et al.)  I always make sure I have a full tank of gas when I’m in Buffalo.

But I got up and got going, eager to get to Buffalo, when, alas, a noticed a message on my phone:  Client cancelling.  Funeral.

Too late.  I’m on my way so I thought I would make the best of it and go to Buffalo anyway.

En route I stopped at Spurzem Lake.  I like Spurzem Lake.  It is a pea green mud puddle, but very calming, just as hot bowl of soup is calming.  I enjoy standing out on the short dock there at the public access where I try to freak out imagining myself falling in.  It is a very freaky place, however.  Pretty birds and butterflies circling about take off some of the edge.

I like to leave a handful of peanuts, leftover coffee cake, or whatever else I have in the car for the few chipmunks that skitter about at Spurzem Lake.

With that done, I set off determined not to waste anymore time.  In sales, unfortunately, often your time is not your own and your time will be wasted regardless of your efforts.  Today would be one of those wasted days, unless you change your focus from sales to something else.  I tried a little of both, with some success.

First I took care to set a few last minute appointments which were all graciously — and professionally (an increasing rarity) — set.  First appointment:  No show.  Second appointment was just no.  It went like this:

“Oh, thank you for coming in.  I don’t need any of your whiz bang today, but I know how much you like to meet.”

No…I don’t.

With two bombed appointments and one stalled by a funeral, I thought I might stop in to see one of my office’s former clients.  (What the hell else was I going to do?)  This account dropped on a young rep who worked with us for a short time.  My hunch was his inexperience blew it.  I would turn it around.

The business owner didn’t have time to meet, but had a half hour to tell me why he didn’t have time to meet.  (He just wasn’t happy.)  When he explained that they dropped because the rep scolded him for wasting his time not showing up for meetings and meeting to tell him they didn’t want to meet, I gained a little more respect for the boy.  I did my best not to hide my admiration for the young rep, set a follow up appointment, and left with smiling assurances that all would be right again soon.

I got back on the road and decided to abandon sales for the day.  Let’s have fun, I thought, and I decided to find my way home by feel.  What do they call it…reckoning?  I looked in the direction of the city, checked the wind just for fun, and found the first road that seemed to head in toward home.  Surprisingly, there are a lot of roads that seem to go home and for the most part they don’t really go anywhere.  (You can read into that whatever you like.)

It was midday and I decided there must be better things to do.  Pissing, for example.  I love pulling off the road near overgrown meadows for breaks.  In all of that grass there is a lot going on and it makes for great cover.  And I ask myself:  How did I end up standing in a field dressed in a suit taking a leak asking myself how all this happened?

I don’t know…is that an epistemological or ontological question?  Or maybe it is a straw man argument (I certainly looked like one in that field) or perhaps a circular question begging for an answer.  Let’s move on.

These questioning moments in the field are not necessarily bad.  For me they are quite good.  In fact because of them I have been getting a lot done which is another way of saying I haven’t been overly focused on work.  The thought of getting something accomplished genuinely appeals to me.  So I resolved — I hate that expression — I resolved to get home where I could read and write.  I almost made it, too.

Just as I hit a familiar road my phone rings.  It is a friend who needs help moving three or four pieces of fence he took down over the weekend.  Ok.  I always help my friends.  I stop at home, change, and meet my friend only to find a couple hour’s of work waiting, not three or four pieces of fence.  Heavy work, too; this was no picket fence.  It was a freaking timber palisade, strong enough to earn Daniel Boone’s respect.  The work felt good, though, and I didn’t mind the labor.

Finally I get home…Home at last.  I sharpen a few pencils, find my Sharpies, and pull a draft of writing or two, plus for good measure I select one or two of the many books I am trying to read.  That’s when Bob Mould gets in the way.

Maybe it is time to grow a beard…

Tonight is the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte and there was a promo online or on CBS reminding me that Bob Mould was scheduled for David Letterman.  I am especially interested because not so long ago — a week or two maybe — a fifty-something couple approached me while I was into my second bottle of Brunello and asked if I was Bob Mould.  I said, Really?  They said, Yes, you’re him, right?

Nope.  You have the wrong man.

I presumed there must have been some reason they they made the mistake, but I didn’t understand it.  Perhaps I was projecting Bob Mould?

Convinced and disappointed that I was telling the truth, they left.  But that was kind of strange because I not long ago I picked up on Bob Mould’s recent work.  I noticed that he has been getting press for things like a new book, new album, and so on.  I thought, If old Bob Mould can do it, why not?  So I set out to find better things to do.

I write about this because I always do.  These strange confluences of thought and experience intrigue me.  I think there is something to them.  (Scroll through this blog to find others.)  The couple approaching me shortly after I start thinking Bob Mould might be inspiring in some way is a great example.  I don’t even know the Bob Mould! although I do know one of his old band mates.  (Again, scroll through this blog.  He’s in here.)

Even today, if you’ll trust me to be telling the truth, while humming Green Acres on country back roads, I reminded myself that people — like Bob Mould — were still at it, doing things that seemed to be a bit more fun than making small talk with cute executive assistants who only want to tell me that the boss is not in.   I am thinking “farm living is the life for me” and then, oh, yeah, that Husker Du guy…and there he is on David Letterman.

I stayed up — way past my bedtime — to watch Letterman.  I felt like I was waiting to see Elvis.

I remember Bob Mould being…well, kind of a nondescript guy.  Kind of pudgy, if my memory is correct, and unremarkable hair.  Even goofy looking.

Now, to be honest, I have seen recent photos of Bob Mould, but they never made an impression.  Seeing him on stage brought it all back.  I suppose if one squints and has had a few beers they might see some resemblance.  I am not nearly as kinetic however.  (Remember…I get my kicks standing at the end of the dock hoping I don’t fall off.)

As I get older I have nurtured a propensity to think that things floating in the chaotic cosmic order of things somehow interconnect and believe that we sometimes pick up on a thread which, if we are tuned in, we recognize and follow.  I don’t like to put too much stock in outcomes, however, fate and the cosmos share a nasty sense of humor.  Considering that each of the very few women I have really loved — I mean super duper really loved — seemed at the time to be one of these rare cosmic connections…well, you’d bust a gut laughing, and I guess there is nothing wrong with that.  Maybe that’s what I am here for.

But I think these things exist somehow.  I really do.  And here is another example to prove it.  Or prove me wrong.

 

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Do I Work in Sales or Belong to the PTA?

I have a sales career, but recently I feel more like a member of the local PTA.

Sales people should be out finding and maintaining relationships with clients, right?  I seem to be spending all my time in meetings, alas.  Hell, we’re close to having meetings about our meetings…in fact, we are having meetings about meetings!  And when I am not in meetings I am filling out paperwork, usually as the result of some meeting.  Don’t let anyone tell you that we are in the digital age.  Not in my world, unfortunately.

Makes me wonder…Did I get up on the wrong side of the bed a year or two back?

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When a Sales Call Goes Bad

I am going to talk a little about identifying a call that is failing and what you might do when that happens.

I found myself on the losing end of a failing call tonight.  The prospect was no where near where I thought he was.  He seemed unable to grasp even the most basic parts of our recommendation.  This can be a very disconcerting feeling, especially when you are not prepared for it.  But there’s the rub, you should always be prepared for it.  Don’t presume the sale.  Ever.

There are things to learn from this.  First on the part of the business owner I can share some advice that might help us all.  People who are slow to make decisions tend to be among my least successful clients.  I am not entirely sure why this is true, but it is true.  People who suffer from paralysis by analysis often suffer from compromised decisions.  Time is wasted and often the meek make weak decisions.

Our prospect tonight went overboard on what he thought might go wrong.  Certainly, make an informed decision, but make a balanced decision, too.  Even worse for this business owner, meeting him tonight felt like meeting someone who was not a part of any of our meetings.  Maybe he wasn’t.  Being in a meeting is one thing.  Participating and using a meeting is another.

This business owner was ready to make decision, but a bad one.  Tonight, in fact, I refused to take the requested order.  This is a business that wants to advertise in the New York DMA on a Grover’s Corner budget.  Literally.  He shed 90% off of his budget and dumbed-down his goals so much that the program would fail.  Someone else can sell him the underpowered waste of money he’s looking for.  I won’t.

I asked him instead — as politely as I could – to call me when he was ready to advertise in New York.

There is more important advice for salesmen that I can share from my position.  As a salesman you need to push value at every opportunity.  You need to stay engaged with your prospect and never take a sale for granted.  If you can justify it, you can sell it.  Make sure you can justify your proposal…and make double-sure your client is following.  Presumptions derail the best plans.

But sometimes a client simply doesn’t get it.  You can justify your sale perfectly, but they cannot see it.  Or perhaps they will not see it.

Perhaps they don’t have the resources or understanding…maybe they don’t see the need…possibly they are intimidated.  A variety of hidden issues can prevent the sale.  Rarely is it the stated objection.  And you can bet your last dollar if the client is trying to out-think you, you don’t have agreement.  He’s looking for holes, he’s looking for an out.

When you get to this point, you have lost control of your sales call.  It happens to the best of us, but in the end it is how you recover that matters.

Sometimes a dud is a dud and you’re not going to make a sale.  In cases like this look at how you failed to pre-qualify your lead and set the agenda.  “Will you be ready to do business with me if what we talk about makes sense to your business?”  Then make sure you’re presenting features and benefits of your product to answer that question in the affirmative.

But again…sometimes you just don’t make the sale.  Sometimes you don’t have what the prospect wants or needs.  Sometimes someone outsells you.  These are facts.  Wasting time, however, is something you can learn to control.

If you start to lose your prospect, as I did, and he wastes your time, you have to act to cut your losses.  Determine if you need to stay in the game.  Sometimes it is simply a matter of being frank.   Tonight my lead imploded before my eyes.  I recognized that, but chose to hang on and play along instead of regaining control.

Legitimate concerns and questions…yes, of course, you answer those, they reinforce your sale.  Those are good.  Overcoming objections is a salesman’s job and it shouldn’t be a game.  It is straight forward.  Let experience and your own understanding tell you when you’re in an incoherent loop.

Many times you have bring the client back to why you met in the first place.  “Can you still see how this can help your business?”  Or maybe call the question:  “I don’t think you understand.  Do you mind if I ask if there is something you haven’t told me that is raising these questions now?”

I generally believe if you’re still talking, you’re still selling, meaning dialogue is good.  If you’re client is asking and answering questions, you’re still in the hunt.  But if you are simply chasing scattered “yeah buts”, that isn’t a very meaningful hunt.  Stop wasting your time.

As far as this sales call is concerned, I will call this client again.  I won’t expect him to call me.  I will ask if he’s thought more about the proposal.  Yes?  No?  Can I answer any questions?  If he refuses, I will send a short letter thanking him for his time, hit on a key benefit of our proposal, and ask him to give us an opportunity to work together.   He will be in my future follow up file.

There are many, many other leads out there.

A Note From The Field: Selling to your neighborhood business…lessons for all.

What most business owners look like to salesmen...

I do not like to sell to businesses in my neighborhood because more often than not I don’t like the results.  It isn’t necessarily the “no” that often occurs in sales, but getting to that no that’s the problem.

I prefer to think of my local business owner as a sincere and sharper invidual than most, but a short sales call can turn around that impression in a hurry.

Sadly, most business owners would do much better if they were a little less sure of themself, a little less close minded, and this is as true as it is of your local grocery store owner as it is of the dentist across town.  Your favorite business is likely run by someone no different than most.  So when working on sales I mostly avoid my local business owner and almost always regret it whenever I don’t.

Today, for example, contacting a business facing new competition in my neighborhood is an ideal candidate for a local marketing campaign that includes a mix of direct mail, loyalty promotions, and internet marketing.  Plus we are offering
incentives to new advertisers that make this program especially attractive to a small business owner, including complimentary add ons to even a small marketing campaign.

But the business owner never learned about the promos.  He stubbornly refused to accept any information and when I explained some of the features, he mocked them.  We have, for example, QR links to custom websites we offer at no charge on direct mail pieces.  He said he had never seen a direct mail that included a website, telling me that he only sees websites on the internet.  “I have no time for you.  Sorry.”  And that ended it.

First off, I’m not going to waste my time on the stubbornly naive and unwilling to be informed business owner.  Secondly, I didn’t want to sour my impression of this business any further.  True, what he chooses to do with his business is indeed his business.  I understand that.  And I understand that business succeeds without me.

What most salesmen look like to business owners.

However that does not mean that I might not bring value to a business.

Let me suggest, however, that if you’re going to spend time — even as little as five minutes — you might as well spend that time wisely.  LISTEN!  When people listen, the often learn.  At the very least you can determine whether the offer has merit or not.  It always amazes me when people won’t listen to a salesman.  What do you have to lose?  Do people think they are so weak that a salesman might trick them into making bad decisions?

Have confidence, be bold, and listen to a salesman!  Have some backbone.  All we ask for in return is a bit of civility and professionalism.  In the end you might come out ahead…and maintain a good impression, too.  How you treat clients — and many sales people are also clients — reflects on your business.  Keep that in mind.

 

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• Successful Business Owners Know You Have to Listen to Your Instincts (community.constantcontact.com)

A New Hobby

Not me, but I like this story.

I have been enjoying a new hobby.  It isn’t the passion that I seek — I still await that endeavor that will give meaning to my life — but this hobby is an entertaining distraction from all of that and great extra credit for a salesman.

What I’m doing is talking to strangers.  That’s it.  And if you start on this hobby yourself, you’ll quickly find that a lot of people don’t expect strangers to talk to them.  So I’ll give you some tips.

The first and simplest tip is starting out safe and slow.  Carry on pointless conversations with the carry out boy at the grocery store, for example.  It can go like this:

“Boy, not long ago I left a bag of groceries in the car for a day!”

Usually you might get a mumbled reply, something like “Oh, that’s too bad.”  And that’s all you need.  “Yep, left the whole darned bag right here in the back seat!  Do you hear about that happening often?”

Don’t wait for a reply.”Let’s see.  Today I have three bags.  I’m going to remember that when I get home.  One, two, three.  Don’t want to leave one behind!  So, do you do things like that?  Forget things?  Maybe I’m just getting older, huh?  What do you think?”

Fugue it from here.  See what happens.  Usually you don’t get much of an answer and the kid will scurry off, but you’re just practicing with this sort of conversation anyway.  It gets much more interesting when you get more daring.  Same set up…groceries…you’re in the aisles and an attractive young girl comes by — maybe 20, 25 years your junior — ready?

Remember Me?

“Hey, hi.   How are you?”  Blank stare.  “I was talking with you last night.”  Usually you get a quick and definite “No.” Continue:  “Sure, at [name a bar nearby].  I lost your number…wait, wasn’t that you?”

“No.”

“Ah, that must explain why you’re not blushing.  I’m sorry.”

Or at the gas station:  “Guess how many miles I have on these tires?”  No one knows so you can make up any number to keep the conversation going.  “163,000 and still rolling!”  Which, in my case, is a true fact.  (I like to talk about my tires.)  “How many miles do you suppose you have on yours there?”

In all cases the conversation can go anywhere or no where.  That’s half the fun.  I mentioned that this is good training for a salesman because…well…the same thing is true in sales.  A conversation — even a deal — can go anywhere or no where.  Getting comfortable with that fact his half the battle.  And in sales, as long as the conversation is still going, you still have at least half a chance to make something happen.

So go out and talk to people.  There aren’t enough crazy people of the normal kind out there anymore.  We have too many dangerous crazies (Republicans, for example) ruining things.  Add some fun to life.

NOTE:  I am still have some WordPress issues.  The link to the story associated with the picture above his here.