I normally don’t do this, but considering that this person has NEVER called me direct, and has sent me an email THREE TIMES after I told him I wasn’t interested…so, here we go! All of my comments will be in parenthesis.

——————————————————————————

(NO SALUTATION-so this person doesn’t know me, nor my name.)

As a professional, (yes, it was in bold, and it comes off as being snippy) you understand all great business relationships started from a first introduction. I am trying to reach the appropriate person within your organization who would make decisions in regards to the Teleconferencing usage there, without any success. (No one at the office recalls him calling in, so I don’t think he tried.) Typically my conversations start within Finance or IT. (Our management team is listed on our website, so he could look.)

Would you be able to review this information or forward it to the correct party?

My name is Jeff Norman and I have 5+ years experience of helping companies and organizations with their Teleconferencing needs. In today’s environment, Teleconferencing is used for many time & costs saving reasons and I am able to provide direction through the “jungle” of options out there. (You couldn’t do your homework, and navigate your way through our website, so I doubt it.) I personally have made a namesake in our industry as someone who can significantly reduce teleconferencing expenditures while enhancing delivery. (Don’t tell me how great you are…tell me something about the value you offer.)

The reason I am sending this to you today, is ConferencePlus is currently offering some of the lowest pricing in the market. (blah, blah, blah, blah)

(Note: I trimmed about 60% of this message, because it was making ME tired to read it, and I wanted to save you the same. Jeffrey literally put every rate detail in his email, making it super easy to compare only on price.)

Jeffrey Norman

 ARKADIN – CONFERENCEPLUS GLOBAL CONFERENCING

1051 E. Woodfield Rd. • Schaumburg, IL 60173 United States

Direct: (+1)(847)413-3846

 
www.arkadin.com

Reduce travel costs, save time, and contribute to a greener world using remote collaboration solutions.

To Unsubcribe, Reply “Unsubcribe” (I did…three times.)

—————————————————————————————

Okay, I’m being a jerk for putting someone on blast like this…but actually, I’m trying to do him a favor, by keeping him from wasting time on sending crappola like this out to prospective clients.

Four immediate tips.

1. KNOW WHO YOU’RE SENDING THE EMAIL TO! At least try to make an effort to address me in the salutation.

2. DON’T LIE. “I’ve been unsuccessful…” No, unsuccessful means you tried…you didn’t.

3. IF YOU’RE APPEALING to my human side with a “can you help me facilitate a call” initiative, at least keep it brief enough to look professional, instead of a full out brochure.

4. BE SERIOUS ON YOUR OPT OUT POLICY. This is clearly spam for all of the above reasons…so when I opt out…respect me enough to stop sending the same garbage.

What’s the funniest line you could (or wish you could) drop on a client to overcome this objection? Can you top mine?

The Mild -

“Jeffrey, I JUST got your message to call you after the Holidays… and EASTER was MONTHS ago…how can you forgive me!?”

The Extra Spicy -

“Look, my grandma got run over by a reindeer, my kids caught their mom kissing Santa Claus, AND if I don’t get an appointment from you… my boss is gonna have MY chestnuts roasting over an open fire! Are you SURE you can’t meet with me!?”

Happy Holidays, Everyone!!!

T

Now this might not seem like a big deal, but it really is. Consistency in mediocrity is easy…just be scattered all the time, and you’re consistently ‘okay.’ Almost ANYBODY can hit a 3-pointer…once.

Consistently great…now THAT’s cool. Anodyne may never become a Starbucks, or a Seattle Coffee Company…so what? They remain awesome in their product, and it’s ALWAYS that way…never had a bad cup yet.

Got a story of consistently great? Comment below.

If you’re ever in my town, look them up, and be sure to read the July, 2008 article here….

Peace,

Mike

P.S. Here’s a link to their site.

Look for new this Spring. Stay safe, and STAY WARM!!!

Hi Mike,I’m updating my database and wanted to see if you were still open to hearing about great job opportunities?

YES /  NO (The responses were hyperlinked.)
A refresher about me, I’m an executive recruiter who specializes in placing Executive  and Finance professionals. Please let me know if I can be of service.

For Current Openings, click here.  Just click on the job title for full description & how to apply. Remember, you can also change location & title in the search box.
Wishing you great success!

Derrick Niemann
KellerNiemann, Inc.
“Building Winning Teams”

Derrick, when did a “check Yes or No” type email become professional? It reminds me of something we used to do in 7th Grade, when we liked a girl, and wanted to know if she liked us back.

Derrick, dude…please get it together. I just “un-LinkedIn’d”you for this.

Mike

“I don’t see the value”

I bet you’ll get some +200 million results. If you scroll through the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages), you’ll see links to blogs about “this and that”gripes – a product, a service, whatever.

“I don’t see the value in Twitter.”

“I don’t see the value in buying the Kindle.”

“I don’t see the value in doing research.”

Sometimes, it’s a poignant comment…someone thoroughly reviewed a product, service, or idea and came to the conclusion that it wasn’t valuable to them. More often, though, I firmly believe that it’s a flippant comment – a track in a tire-kicker’s iPutz of responses.

In those cases, they either “don’t get it” or “didn’t care.” In either case, if the person you’re talking to uses “I don’t see the value…” to deflect the solution you’re presenting, it’s now your problem.

Some sales consultants/trainers will tell you that the problem is obvious – you’ve not instilled enough value into what you’re selling, to make your prospect buy. I can almost here them now…

“You’ve got to create MORE VALUE! MORE VALUE!!!”

Here’s the funny part. No one ever tells you how to “add value” do they? That’s because they don’t know themselves.

With possible exception to a Miley Cyrus CD, almost EVERYTHING has value in the right circumstance. A book of 20 matches currently sells for what? Maybe a nickel each IF you buy them with your logo on it.

But, if your customer was stranded in an arctic storm, and had no other means to make a fire, they’d be worth more, wouldn’t they?

Here’s what I’m trying to say. Throughout a sales person’s career, they will undoubtably run across people who have no concept of value.

When you run into those people…

…run away.

Seriously. Take them out of your sales cycle, out of your forecast, off your Blackberry, collect your samples, get back your demo, and leave.

Note: I’m a huge advocate of taking back my intellectual property if the cycle ends early. Here’s some psychology that is solely for your own benefit. What you’re doing, is re-establishing your personal, and company value. The prospect doesn’t “see value” – so what?!  You do. Besides, what’s the point in them keeping your IP only to throw it away, or use it for comparison’s sake later?

Do it politely, but do it quickly. Then, take a big breath, and start looking at the big picture of how you got to “there” in the first place. After you solidify “the break-up” between you, and Mr. “I don’t see the value” Prospect, you’ll no longer be emotionally committed to him, and you’ll be able to answer the following questions with clarity.

Was value naysayer the right person, or just the first person to show some interest? I can’t tell you how many times I, or another sales person at a tech company I worked for JUMPED at the chance to “sell” to an IT guy, or a VP…only to have them shut us down, and not permit us to get to the right person? Gatekeepers come in many titles my friend.

Are you selling spherically to all people involved? This is a heavy question, but there’s some real truth to the old adage “Measure twice, cut once.” Applying it to sales, it means this. Do your research, and pull everyone positively impacted by your solution in, right away. More on that in posts to come.

Would the solution cause the person you’re presenting to more work, or a budgetary strain? Back to technology, and back to IT dudes. Listen, everyone knows the stereotypical IT guy – always stressed, sometimes with good reason, and never interested in taking on a new project. Think he’s going to be a deal-maker for someone selling software? Probably not in the initial conversations. But, if you can establish value above him, and lateral to him, you can get through his resistance.

That’s all for now. I know it’s tough out there…keep your chin up, and spend time with the people who value you, your company, and the products you present.

What made the show remarkable, and unforgettable was the theme of the entire night – a tribute to Stevie’s longtime friend, Michael Jackson. Now, we’ve all probably gotten (and forwarded) an email or text this week, rehashing, or developing a new joke on Jackson’s behalf. (Heck, I thought I wrote an original one, and when I tested it out, one of my friends showed me a text message proving that someone else was just as offensive as me.)

Personally, in the wake of Michael Jackson’s death, I was extra motivated to see Wonder do his thing at least one more time. I always regretted not seeing “the great ones” Sinatra, Elvis, and others because I was either too young, or didn’t have disposable income. With Jackson, I’m particularly mad at myself for not seeing him, as the opportunities were there. Say whatever you want about Michael, he was one of if not the, most brilliant performer of all modern time. So, when I got a call from one of my oldest friends to see Wonder, knowing he would likely tribute Jackson, I jumped at her extra ticket.

The night started out with opening act Legend proving he had the chops to share the stage with a true “legend” as Stevie Wonder arguably is one of the most prolific, and ground paving artists to ever make their way to Motown. While the crowd was truly appreciative of John’s brilliant performance, it was still obvious that everyone was there to see Stevie.

Stevie was escorted on stage by his daughter, and before his most talented fingers made contact with keys or his beloved harmonica, he had a couple things he needed to get off his chest. (When you’re Stevie Wonder, you get to do those kind of things.)

He began to describe Jackson in one of the most loving ways a person could ever describe a friend…as only a close friend or family member could. He then took a few minutes to defend Jackson against all of the claims that brought Michael in a negative light, and reminding us of all of the positive ways he contributed to the world through music, his performances, and his contributions to global causes. What moved me most about the introduction, was the way this man delivered it – with complete, unapologetic conviction.

For someone who’s visually blind, Wonder’s been seeing things that many of us haven’t.

As the night progressed, in addition to Wonder’s amazing performance, and the frequent invitation to Legend to join him on stage for a duet, Wonder did something I’ve not seen before. Every so often, he’d break from the performance, and have the production crew play a snippet, of one of Michael’s recordings…as if we were all at a party, and he wanted us to listen to one of his favorite records. The crowd embraced it, and got off their feet more than once to share in showing respect to the King of Pop. In one instance, Stevie was so overcome with sorrow, and emotion – REAL grief – that he nearly collapsed right on stage…sobbing deeply with his hands covering his mouth. And while I was merely one of the thousands of people who were in Marcus Amphitheater tonight, I felt his pain, and related it to the sorrow I’ve suffered in losing two of the closest people in my life last year. As Wonder’s daughter (who tours with him as a backup singer) walked over to comfort her dad, the reality of what Jackson meant to Wonder was apparent.

So what does this posting have to do about sales? Probably nothing. I think it does have a lot to do about life, though. I got two life lessons/Reality checks from this evening.

Reality #1 - A lot of people profited from exploiting Michael Jackson – newspapers, websites, magazines, tabloid television, and even credible news sources. And still, a man as loved and revered as Wonder, who had nothing to gain tonight (he had been booked for months), defended him, and paid public tribute to him. What’s more credible, and more honorable? It’s really easy to kick someone when they’re down, or when they’re gone, especially when you never really knew them. What harm could possibly come from just showing people respect, though?

Reality #2 -  As you reach the twilight hours of your existence, will you have contributed to others in such a manner to evoke this kind of love and respect from the people around you? If you’re reading this, there’s still time to start, but do it soon. As the show was ending, Wonder asked the crowd to find room in their heart to love someone…and if there’s still room to do so, love everyone. It might not be possible, but it’s certainly not the worst goal to strive for.

I hope that each and every one of you reading my blog develops the friendships, and mutual respect from your peers, that was displayed tonight. The first step in doing so, is by demonstrating it yourself.

Don’t get me wrong – I had excuses…just not very good ones. First a bad bout with the flu put me at serious risk of dehydration, then a senseless heel injury sidelined me for a week. So, instead of working around the injury/sickness and continuing to eat right, I fell right back into bad habits. So when I made my first appearance in the gym in nearly a month, and was shocked by how much progress I had made was lost. My strength and conditioning was down, and I was spent pretty quickly.

Physical atrophy. Lethargy.

I’m writing this, because I know that this can easily happen in sales. Many years ago, I took the Sandler Sales course, and while I probably can’t recite every single step in the “submarine methodology” there was a concept called that I kept in my back pocket, and think about all the time.

“Behaviors, Attitudes, and Techniques.” (I tried to coin the phrase “BATting average” but my Sandler dude didn’t gravitate to it.) Seems kinda simple. If you practice good behavior, and you maintain the right attitude, and you use the right techniques you will be reasonably successful in ANY endeavor. If you don’t implement all three, you’ll likely be less successful than you could be. Like I said – really simple.

What he didn’t tell me (or I failed to retain this), is the UNIVERSAL TRUTH in all forms of training. Each aspect of the “BAT” model is intertwined with the others. Without getting into a Sandler sales pitch, let me briefly illustrate.

Last night, at 5:05pm, somewhere in America, a pretty average sales rep chooses to meet up with his buddies for a couple beers “to blow off steam” because the boss is “on his ass to move get his numbers up.” (I know, I know – this NEVER happens, right?) He’s got an important meeting tomorrow at 8:00am sharp, but he’s done this presentation like, 100 times…in his sleep.

He leaves the bar, not at 6:00, or 7:00pm, but at like 10:50pm, a little juiced, with not enough time to get 8 hours of sleep, but just in time to hit Mc D’s to grab a Double McWhatever, some fries, and a shake. He goes home, shovels McCrap in his stomach, and sets his alarm for 5:15am – 15 minutes later than he should, but you, know…he’ll magically make up the time in the commute, or skip shaving…or something, flips on the TV and flops into bed at 11:30, waiting for his heartburn to kick in.

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF BEHAVIOR. Behavior refers to the actions or reactions of an individual in relation to an environment. Behavior can be conscious or unconscious, overt or covert, voluntary of involuntary – and yes…CAN BE INFLUENCED by attitude. See, had our sales guy been in a good mood, wasn’t feeling like he’s got pressure on him, and had an attitude that his work, and his contribution to his company was valuable, he might have been inspired to walk into the bar for only an hour, spend his time with his buddies having fun and enjoying 1 beer instead of 10, and leave in time to prep a little before hitting the sack at 9:00.

Let’s get back to our guy. As predicted gets up late – a couple smacks of the snooze bar (BEHAVIOR influenced by a hangover), skips shaving and instead of missing traffic, endures a longer…drawn out drive to work in the morning sun. It’s a good thing he’s done this presentation 100 times in his sleep, because between going home 2 hours later than he should, suffering the heartburn attack, and making multiple trips to the head to relieve himself of all the cheap beer he swigged, he only got two “real” hours of sleep.

So, since our “wittle Mr. Sales Professional is sleepy” he isn’t asking compelling questions, or watching for confirmation of a concept received, or even using a normal cadence in his speech. Instead he’s tweaked out on coffee, with a throbbing head, exhausted, and twitching like Flava Flav in a spelling bee! Think he’s able to hit the ball out of the park in this presentation? Me neither. TECHNIQUES INFLUENCED BY BEHAVIOURS? Ding!

Every professional athlete knows that you’ve got to eat right, sleep well, exercise, and be around positive people in order to kick the 50-ft field goal, hit the hurdles in cadence, or focus enough to see the break on the putting green. Imagine how good Babe Ruth would have really been, had he not been a drinker, smoker, and dramatically overweight. The athletes today are machines…and so are the professionals you’re competing with. I know companies who incentivize their employees to eat right (free healthy snacks), work out (healthclub memberships, personal trainers) so they can kick their competitors butts. I don’t know of any companies that pay their employees to smoke and drink, though.

(For the skeptics -  if you get an entertainment budget, ask your boss if they’d rather you spend $100 on a client drinking, or spend it taking the client to a nice dinner, or a visit to a golf pro…well…you know what the answer SHOULD be.)

So our guy doesn’t get the sale. (No surprise, right?) He comes into the office, dragging his behind, with no contract in his hand, and the boss says “Hey! How’d the presentation go!?” He hears some excuses…sees the bloodshot eyes, and the scrappy beard, and the faint smell of Jaeger seeping from the pores of our guy…and the cycle continues. Behavior influenced technique…technique influenced attitude…attitude influenced…

Sing along with me now -second verse, same as the first.

B.A.T. So simple…so related…and so critical to everything we do.

If you’ve ever heard someone shout something along the lines of “Listen, I work with people all day…and…blah blah blah! I want to speak to your manager!” in the most condescending manner, you know what I’m talking about. Often it’s over the top, and completely unnecessary, yet…amazingly effective.

Personally, I find it embarrassing to our profession, and have no problem with calling someone on it. Listen, no one should make you feel like garbage, just because you are paid a commission, a salary, or an hourly wage to deal with them. It’s bad for you, and it’s bad for the people you’re likely going to deal with moving forward.

Now, I’m not telling you to go off, or pound on someone that ticks you off, but I think it’s outright silly to try to form a lasting sales relationship with someone who’s abusing you.

Yes, I used the term “abuse.” It’s a powerful word, and it often brings the image of violence, of dominating a weaker person, of hurtful words and actions performed to enforce that one person is greater than the other. No one should make you feel that way. Not in your personal life, and certainly not in your professional life. Conversely, no matter how poor the coffee is, or how goofy the electronics store’s policies are, you have no right to direct unbridled, demeaning public anger on someone.

Just as much as I would encourage a person to sever an abusive relationship, I encourage you to break the chain of customer abuse, by refusing to be their victim, and by refusing to make the people you deal with pay for the way you’re treated by lousy customers.

Hold your head high in both roles.

“I’m going to take better care of myself in the new year, but in the meantime, hold my cigarette and drink, while I finish off this chocolate cake!” (Yes, I’ve actually said that some years ago!)

Anyways, I’ve been watching what I eat for a bit now, and I’ve quit smoking, AND cut down on the booze intake, and it’s paying off. I actually survived the Holidays without gaining a pound! Increasing my activity level was a natural – and necessary – step in becoming a better “physical” Mike, which will help me with my confidence, my sales presence, and my stamina to get through my crazy life.

(PLUS, I’m hitting 40 in a couple months…and being a single guy, I still want to be “datable.”)

If you’ve ever been in my boat – not being in the gym for a while – you might be able to relate to that awkward, uncomfortable (even painful!) experience. You kind of fumble from one machine to the next. You get tired easy. You can’t lift as much/run as long/do as many reps. And, depending on your attitude, you might even get a little dejected. For me, it’s been a bit of a lesson in humility…and a big old dose of reality.

The old adage “if you don’t use it, you lose it” becomes REALLY evident.

I’ve also noticed that the same can be said of sales, and sales technique. Skills get rusty if they’re not used frequently. Haven’t made “new” (cold) sales calls in a while? You’ll likely fumble a little bit. Haven’t done a formal presentation/demo in a bit? Your timing might be a little off. You might get nervous, anxious, or even feel fatigue from making calls. Sound familiar? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a salesperson EXHAUSTED from a non-productive day. The conversation goes a little something like this…

“Oh man…I made like, 30 calls today…I’m spent.”

“Did you make any sales?”

“Nope.”

“Did you move any sales along, or get clarity on where you were in the sales process?”

“Nope.”

“Well, did you at least set any new appointments?”

“Dude…I know what I’m supposed to do, and all…but it’s the flippin’ (INSERT YOUR B.S. EXCUSE HERE!)”

First the bad news. In the gym, you can shake it off, get a good night’s sleep, and try again the next day. In a sales environment, well…you don’t make the sale, and your paycheck reflects that. Now the good news. If you exercise your “sales muscles” (that weird-shaped gray matter between most people’s ears) you can become a Sales Adonis!

Oddly enough…the two workouts are almost identical.

Intake. Food, and food for thought. You need to fill both your body and mind with good, wholesome stuff – quality, nourishing ingredients as fuel, and positive inspiring information for your soul. And no, I’m not talking about watching “Glengarry, Glen Ross.” The “ABC/coffee’s for closers” speech is garbage in terms of helping you be a better sales rep. (It IS amusing, though.) Read/watch/listen to things that enlighten you, put you in a positive “give back” state of mind.

Get a personal trainer. You deserve this investment. If you can afford to, find someone who is very, VERY good at sales, and pay them to consult you. Got someone at the office who’s surpassing their numbers every month, and getting the spot next to the boss’s while you’re parked in the back? Pay/reward them for their time spent showing you the ropes. Can’t afford to do either right now? Find and read the great trainers out there. My favorites include Jeffrey Gitomer, Seth Godin, and picking tips from fellow bloggers. Who knows…maybe some day I’ll be reading, and wirting about YOUR stuff!

No pain, no gain. Okay, as someone who was once in one of the most prestigious physical therapy / athletic training programs in the nation…I hate this adage. Pain is a signal that something is truly wrong…and it’s an alarm that you shouldn’t be doing that particular action. The same is true of mental pain. No one, no thing in your professional environment should ever make you feel mental or emotional pain.

While it’s not as catchy, what the the saying should be is “Reaching past your comfort zone, can yield great results.” We can all learn from new experiences that reach past our “core” sales processes. Asking compelling questions, being firm with your prices, getting commitment from your prospecton what will be the next step in your engagement  – these aren’t easy things to do. But then again, if they were, everyone would be doing it.

Here’s an idea that might be a little uncomfortable, but I think I’d like to try. The technology I sell, is pretty complex – Internet research automation tools used to mine industry, company, and contact data. I’d love to do presentations to both a bunch of high school students who would have no problem with showing their boredom AND, a bunch of senior citizens who might not have the slightest idea of what the Internet holds. Now THAT would be a lesson in engaging a crowd, as well as educating a group.

 Do the reps, work in sets. Remember the “other” lame adage for working out, and in sports? “Practice makes perfect.” Phooey! Practice does not make perfect. PERFECT practice, makes perfect. If you exercise with poor form…you’ll either not benefit from the workout – or worse – you’ll risk an injury.

The same can be said in you sales work-out. Remember my “friend” above? When he made those 30 calls, I used to pause, and listen to his work. They all sounded the same – scripted, redundant calls. You could almost hear him over and over again drag the same words through…always leaving voicemails.

You’ll likely not learn much from doing sloppy calls over and over again. The key is to work on your calls in sets, carefully monitoring, and if need be correcting/tweaking each set until your flow is natural, and your confidence is high.

Personally, I like to work in sets. I like to group new, hunted calls in one block, incoming leads into another, referred leads into another, follow-up calls, on and on. I’ve found that, if I’m guiding my prospects through my sales process; while each person’s needs differ, the message is similar in those groups, and I work more efficiently. I see a lot of people waste time at the gym running from one machine to the next, then back to the original machine…and I see sales people do the same thing on the floor. Efficiency allows you to work at greater capacity, in shorter periods of time.

 Rest, relax, reward. Muscles need time to recover. So does your mind after working it hard. Take time to get a good night’s sleep. (Now that I’m doing it…I actually sleep through the entire night – an oddity of the last few years.) Enjoy some good, productive “blow-off” time. (During lunch today, I’m hitting the shooting range, and going to try to make a paper target look like a snowflake!) Treat yourself to something really nice – a day at the spa, a nice dinner with your favorite person…whatever makes you the happiest. If there’s no reward for hard work, what’s the point, right?

I’ll keep you posted on both of my new initiatives…do me a favor, and comment up on yours.