Sunday, January 20, 2013

What do Marriage, Families, Sales and Account Management have in common?

Exceptional Sales Performance

Monday Motivational Minute

What do Marriage, Families, Sales and Account Management have in common?


January 21st 2013

By Gregory Ferrett
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Welcome to Monday



Studies at Michigan State University show there is a happiness boost that occurs when couples marry. This boost lasts about two years, after which people revert to their former levels of happiness or unhappiness.
DuelingCouple

Infatuation and passion have an even shorter lifespan, and must evolve into companionate love, composed of deep affection, connection and liking according to Sonja Lyubomirsky, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside.

In her recent book happily married couples average five positive verbal and emotional expressions towards one another for every negative expression. For a very unhappy couple this ratio is less than one to one.

This got me thinking about relationships in general, and in particular with our work colleagues and customers.

Ken Blanchard, in his book 'The One Minute Manager' talks about the importance of the one minute praising.  He suggests you praise people for what they do right immediately and very specifically. Include in the praising message how good you feel about what they did and how it helps you, the organisation or the family. Pause a moment to let then 'feel' how good it is, encourage them to do the same and provide positive support for their role in the organisation or family.

Blanchard goes on to also introduce the concept of the one minute reprimand. Once again, be specific and deliver it immediately following up with a reminder of their value to you and the organisation or family. The key to the reprimand is realising when it is over.


What does this have to do with sales or account management?


In sales I find it easy to be positive when chasing a new opportunity. I can give out positive verbal expressions regularly and overlook bad customer behaviour just to win a deal. When overdone this behaviour is seen by customers as sleazy sales behaviour often characterised by images of used car sales people or real estate agents.

This is dangerous behaviour if you are trying to win long term business. Just like a marriage, you can become infatuated with winning a new customer and miss the signals which may lead to trouble.

The pain of losing a long term customer, a spouse or relationship in a family can all be linked to similar behaviour patterns. Sonja's research tells us we need to be catching our customers doing things right;

"Emily, I really appreciated the quick payment on the account. It has helped us keep our contractors happy and deliver a better service. Working with people like you is a real pleasure."

"George, having the samples arrive a day earlier allowed us to get the tests slotted into this week's batch rather than next week. It made me feel much more comfortable knowing the results before commencing on the next phase."

Catching people doing the right thing is simple. The hard thing is taking the time to say something about it. As we get comfortable in the relationship we have with our customers it is easier to look for things going wrong and criticise. Before you know it the ratio of positive to negative expressions drops to less than one and you get that phone call saying "We have decided to change suppliers".

Yes, marriage, family and selling are all about relationships - and they all need the same attention to maintain the happiness everyone felt when they entered into the relationship.


Today's question and Actions

Examine your most important customer relationships and ask yourself "Am I happy with the relationship, or is it creating stress?". Here are three things you can do to help bring the relationship with the account back into sync.
  1. Look for things your customer is doing well and start praising the individuals who are doing it. Don't make things up and put on a sleazy salespersons coat. Make it a genuine praising in the way Blanchard puts it.
  2. Keep the negative stuff out of your everyday conversation. It is easy to criticise, however, in an important relationship, going over old ground can be devastating. If something needs to be addressed do so immediately and move on.
  3. Take time to enjoy the relationship you have with your customer. This does not mean you have to be friends, just do things you enjoy together once in awhile.
You will be astounded at how many new opportunities will come your way when you have a customer who is 'in love' with you. Of course you will be enjoying do things for them just as much.

Have a great week!

Exceptional Sales Performance

Reprint permission
Permission is granted to reprint this article with the condition it is republished unedited and in full with full attribution to the author and the authors bio. Please provide a link to the reprint to the following email; greg.ferrett@exceptionalsales.com.au




Selling to the Seven Emotional Buying Styles
Discover how to link your product to buyers emotion. In this very practical book you will learn everyday tools to take advantage of proven scientific evidence linking emotion to every decision. You will meet;
  • the Hustler
  • the Artist
  • the Normal
  • the Engineer
  • the Politician
  • the Mover, and
  • the Double Checker
This is one book you will refer to time and again to help you plan sales calls and to close sales.

Buy your Kindle or Hard Copy version here

Sunday, January 13, 2013

You may be talking but what you are saying may be very different to what the other person is hearing

Exceptional Sales Performance

Monday Motivational Minute

You may be talking but what you are saying may be very different to what the other person is hearing.


January 14th 2013

By Gregory Ferrett
Subscribe to this blog by entering your mail on the right .....;

Welcome to Monday


What the other person hears is what you said
In physics there are a number of basic laws that can never be broken. One of these laws is Newtons Third Law of Motion “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

What does this mean?


A good example is billiards. If you strike the cue ball in the same spot with the same force and it strikes the coloured ball in the same spot it will always respond in the same way.  If you want to change the outcome you need to change the way you play the shot. A bit to one side, a bit of spin, strike the ball with more force and the balls will always respond in an orderly and predictable manner.


In the world of physics if you take one action there is always a predictable opposing action. Unless you understand and apply the laws of physics playing billiards will be a challenge.


This is the same in communication.


There are basic laws of communication which, when understood and applied, will help you understand, influence and motivate others.

We were in the yard playing a game of backyard cricket with some friends. My son, about six at the time, was getting impatient waiting for his turn to bat. We could not get the batsman out. To everyone’s surprise he grabbed the ball and threw it over the fence into the next paddock. As you can imagine my natural reaction, and all the other ‘adults’ playing, was to chastise him. He broke into tears and ran into the house.


My wife came out shortly and asked “What is the rule about the batter being ‘out’ if the ball goes over the fence?”


Well - it appears my son had taken this rule literally “If the ball goes over the fence the batter is out” (or more commonly the '6 and out' rule) and could not understand why we had yelled at him. He just wanted a turn at batting. 


What Your Customer Hears is What You Said

The number one rule in communication is "What the other person hears is what you said".
I was trying to close an order for bespoke software development for a small direct mail company. I really wanted to close the deal that day so I opened my mouth and used words like “don’t worry about payment straight away, lets just get started”.


The deal was closed and the project started. I was surprised, however, when my financial controller called me into his office and informed me the account was 90 days overdue. He asked me "Did you say to this client they would not have to pay until the project was completed?"


What I had meant was payment would be in our normal terms, however, if he were to agree that day to proceed with the project we would not require a deposit with the order. What the client had heard was he would not have to pay until the project was completed. Fortunately this story had a happy ending.


When pressure and stress influence what you want to say it is tempting to try and shortcut a conversation without considering what the other person may be hearing. Being prepared for these conversations is important and will reduce the stress levels for the person you are trying to influence as well as your own. The more important a conversation the more preparation is required to ensure the message you deliver is understood.

Today’s question and action

What you say and the words you use, in every part of your life, can have a big impact on others. Take time to think your conversations through and ask the following questions;
  • Do you prepare for important conversations or just let them happen?
  • What is it your customers might be hearing you say?
  • Do you have a few relevant questions ready to check the message you have tried to communicate has been received?
When you have something important to communicate take time to think about what you are saying so when you hit the cue ball the coloured balls go in the pockets.

Have a great week!



Exceptional Sales Performance

Reprint permission
Permission is granted to reprint this article with the condition it is republished unedited and in full with full attribution to the author and the authors bio. Please provide a link to the reprint to the following email; greg.ferrett@exceptionalsales.com.au




Selling to the Seven Emotional Buying Styles
Discover how to link your product to buyers emotion. In this very practical book you will learn everyday tools to take advantage of proven scientific evidence linking emotion to every decision. You will meet;
  • the Hustler
  • the Artist
  • the Normal
  • the Engineer
  • the Politician
  • the Mover, and
  • the Double Checker
This is one book you will refer to time and again to help you plan sales calls and to close sales.

Buy your Kindle or Hard Copy version here



Sunday, January 6, 2013

How do laughing, kissing and closing a sale differ?

Exceptional Sales Performance

Monday Motivational Minute

How do laughing, kissing and closing a sale differ?


January 7th 2013
 


By Gregory Ferrett

Subscribe to this blog by entering your mail on the right .....;

Welcome to Monday


While watching the film “She’s the Man” one line stood out to me. Viola, dressed as a man, is coaching Duke on how to get a woman to like him. She says “If you can get a girl to laugh she will fall in love with you...?
Laughing breaks down barriers

This made me think ... what is it about laughing which changes a persons mind? And how relevant is this to influence in other life activities?


Laughter is one of the few activities which can change the chemistry of the whole body. A hearty well developed laugh provides input into three areas of the body;


Energy

Laughter is the simplest and best way to quickly recharge energy reserves. (You can read more about the energy in the article ‘What can you do when you hit the wall and nothing seems to be working’)

Chemical

When you laugh, you generate a wealth of healing biochemical compounds. Deepak Chopra says “...your body can produce any drug you can buy from your chemist or drug store...” and one short burst of laughter can produce the life saving chemicals which drug companies sell for thousands of dollars. When you laugh your cortisol and catecholamine levels reduce and the left and right side of your brain come back into electrical balance.

Physical

Laughter helps circulate lymph fluid and helps your organs by removing waste products, increasing your body’s ability to fight infection. Laughter also increases oxygen supply allowing your body to generate more energy. Higher levels of oxygen produce a natural ‘high’. Laughter, especially outrageous laughter, can give your body a real workout.

What about kissing and closing a sale?

There are a few high stress activities in life. Two of the items right up there are making a decision to buy something (especially something expensive) and closing in on that first kiss with someone you really like

As it turns out laughter affects the brain and body in much the same way to reduce stress for these activities.

One side of the brain is saying “You can do better than this”; or “Lets look at more options before we make a decision”.


The other side of the brain is saying “I like the way the colour will look in the living room”, or “I wish he would just kiss me”.


As the brain considers the statements each side of the brain produces a small electrical charge, one side (+) positive and the other (-) negative, not unlike a battle in the brain, creating stress.  By helping a person laugh this barrier is reduced by discharging the two sides.
 

Viola was right. If Duke could get the girl to laugh her barriers came down. Even if these barriers were raised by months of bad behaviour, a single session of laughter will bring all the barriers down.

The same thing happens in a sale. If a salesperson or business owner can reduce the stress being experienced by the buyer using laughter all the barriers are gone. It is then just a matter of handling the real objections to getting a decision finalised.


Today’s question and action

Laughter is a serious matter. Here are some things you can do to help.
  • Be prepared with a series of really funny stories. Like I say to my mother “Never let the facts get in the way of a good yarn”.  Practice them and use them appropriately – you will find people start to respond to you better as you develop your library of humorous stories.
  • Join a laughter club. A simple Google search will bring up your local club. Even a few meetings can change your life.
  • Examine the blockages some of your sales. You may be surprised to see there is a minor point creating tension or stress.  Make it into a point of laughter, with the joke being on yourself, and the watch the process move ahead.
The more you allow fun into your life you will be surprised at how more people will listen and be influenced by you.


Have a great week!



Exceptional Sales Performance

Reprint permission
Permission is granted to reprint this article with the condition it is republished unedited and in full with full attribution to the author and the authors bio. Please provide a link to the reprint to the following email; greg.ferrett@exceptionalsales.com.au


Selling to the Seven Emotional Buying Styles
Discover how to link your product to buyers emotion. In this very practical book you will learn everyday tools to take advantage of proven scientific evidence linking emotion to every decision. You will meet;
  • the Hustler
  • the Artist
  • the Normal
  • the Engineer
  • the Politician
  • the Mover, and
  • the Double Checker
This is one book you will refer to time and again to help you plan sales calls and to close sales.

Buy your Kindle or Hard Copy version here