Damn The Torpedoes, Fire Your Customers!

Well, just the customers who are wrong, and will not take your advice.. I hope good Admiral Farragut is not spinning in his grave over my adulteration of his famous quote - it just seems fitting, especially when sailing through today's torpedo filled, economic seas.Ken Stewart has a great post, The Customer Is NOT Always Right! where he expresses the need to steer clear of certain customers and sometimes make a few walk the plank.But that is...

Read More

Amazon Declares - Best Ever Season???

The Death of Print, maybe a little premature... Until you see that Amazon's best season, has little to do with books.  AMAZON called its 2008 holiday shopping season "the best ever," despite a series of predictions that even online sales would weaken as US consumers cut back amid the recession. Amazon said that on its peak day, December 15, it received more than 6.3 million orders, at a record pace of 72.9 items per second.  This...

Read More

Ford Tells The US, "No Thank you..."

The Model T, the Rouge Plant, and now... Henry defined the auto industry - his idea to manufacture a product that his employees can afford to buy, was pure genius. And the employment of ex-cons to secure his family, turned into the downfall of his corporate legacy - maybe. The last remaining American hope in the auto industry is Ford Motor Company - can it be a result of the Ford family beginning to buy back stock years ago? Family-owned. Perhaps...

Read More

It's Called a Free Market - Doesn't Mean Everything is Free of Charge

"Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something..." Bailouts are not Loans - did you read your mortgage documents? You did? Good, then you know what "ARM" stands for, correct? There is a great post over at the Caskey blog, here it's about Free Markets, recession, and "You, Incorporated." Bill really got me going on the subject of whining and feeling sorry for yourself and how easy it is to become a "victim". Granted,...

Read More

Ford Motor Company - Tell the U.S. Government to Pound Sand

The Ultimate Sale - Lee Iaccoca must be flummoxed by this circus... Chrysler is partially owned by Cerberus GM and is too big for almost ANY company to swallow Ford is still family owned All three presented their Sales Presentation to the United States of America - all three were spurned and sent home packing. What is that old joke about outrunning a bear? Ok...let's say you are in the woods with your friends, "GM" and "Chrysler" - you...

Read More

Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail - or - Plan to Plan...

TIPS FROM THE FAST GROWTH 100I ran across this article, by By Jennifer Bosavage, ChannelWeb and it seemed pretty relevant -She mentions three points, the second struck me -2. Don't Overstrategize"... some organizations' cultures lead managers to discuss goals and strategies ad nauseum. At some point, action needs to be taken. "We devote 10 percent of our time to strategizing and 90 percent to execution..."Well. Ok.Seems to me, that a bunch of Sales Managers and Managers in general should take a look at the way they manage.And the Selling Professionals...

Read More

Partnership vs. Vendorship

Sick of long cycles and prospects lying to you? Start developing a Partnership with your clients instead of being a vendor to your customers. If your primary contact with a prospective client is in Purchasing or Facilities, you are a vendor and will never be more than a vendor; a number in a cell, next to another. I am not suggesting that Purchasing or Facilities should not be involved in the selling process. But as long as Purchasing or Facilities...

Read More

Are Customers Smarter Now?

Everyone says, "...because of the internet, your clients are smarter now more than ever..."I wonder. Really?I my opinion, there was a time when the internet held all sorts of "information" - but today, there is so much, that it is all just "data". Perhaps a subtle difference, perhaps not.Think about it in the world of copiers. Just because a prospect can search the 'net and retrieve hundreds of brochures, user reviews and even pricing does this make him/her smarter?Informed, agreed.Can access to all the facts in the known world make your prospect...

Read More

Getting Attention - Carnival Barking

From a question posed on LinkedIn, by Julian Lockhart"How do I get the attention of a prospect who won't return my call? I am thinking of sending a short note with a penny in it that says " a penny for your thoughts". Any other ideas?"My response:"...Ok well.I will answer without demeaning - I hope.I have worked for companies that used these "techniques" to get attention - the baby shoe, the Penny, cookie, flowers, toy trucks, uniforms with custom logos - all were successful 15 YEARS AGO.It don't work now. And if it does, I question the entry...

Read More

The Death of the Copier: The Single Most Important Tool In Managed Print Services

Copier Sales - love it!The Death of the Copier: The Single Most Important Tool In Managed Print Servi...

Read More

The New SalesPerson - Death of the "Close"

"New Selling" and it's application to Copier SalesI was reading an blog regarding selling and noticed some interesting information - from the post by Jonathan Farrington, The Sales Corporation:"...various studies suggest that getting one sales person in front of one customer now costs $1000 - this cost has trebled since 1983. As a consequence professional salespeople have to be more effective than ever to justify the investment in a face to face effort..."and..."...Customer Focus Creates Competitive Advantage The one term that sets top performers...

Read More

Who is The Boss

I have been saying this for years...H...

Read More

Selling and U of M Football

107,501 people - Human ThunderA colleague of mine, a guy I think highly of, sells "old skool" - he works hard. He believes that prospects "buy from people they like" - which is always true, but a Selling Professional cannot invest in this as a complete strategy.Oh, and he is successful.We get into great discussions regarding selling and customer interaction and "worrying about the competition".Let me illustrate -My team has meetings in a Starbucks...

Read More

What is In Your Clients' Best Interest?

Buyers Are Liars...yes, and why? Because "We" made them that way. Ok, maybe not all of us who sell have lied to a customer. Let's just say the sales person before you lied - and the media/movie industry perpetuates the image of a slick-talking, snake-oil salesmen. Because there are such people; carpet baggers,used car salesmen, furniture sales people, terrible retail clerks, rude telemarketers, disingenuous mortgage people.How can a real, honest, Selling Professional survive, let alone thrive in this "Sea of Ill Repute"?A few of my recommendations:Learn...

Read More

The Direction of the Appointment

I heard a very interesting comment the other day made about a of mine. This particular sales person was commenting how badly the appointment had gone because my had "directed" the conversation with the customer(through an Agenda) instead of "letting the customer tell him what he wanted" This is not made up, this really happened. One of the current selling models in my organization is for reps to bring in another rep who may be more experienced in Managed Print Services and conduct an appointment together(you can imagine the possibility for...

Read More

The List or The World According to Greg

"The List" - 2008 Buyers are trained by Salespeople Truth is Good Insecurities Rule All conflict is a result of an insecurity Self-esteem does not come out of a box, or from someone else Guilt is a Motivator Motivation can be turned into Manipulation Seven Seconds; you can know someone in the first seven seconds you meet them Everyone has an Agenda You Are Your Boss Fear Sucks Once People know...

Read More

What is High Intent?

"Life is Pain - anyone who says differently is selling something." - The Princess BrideHere is what I think when selling, "How can what I do, help this person?" And, "if what I do, can not help this person with this problem, who can I send them to?Talk to you prospective client as a person and not from a position of weakness or subservience.You are at least an equal and you posses more knowledge and wisdom about the impact your recommendations will have on their life than they do.It is this simple - Solve don't se...

Read More