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Other Added - Is Phone Sales Skill a Lost Art?
Do you have a completely unblemished work history? Was writing your resume a breeze because you are perfectly qualified with a model career and educational background?Or, do you find yourself struggling to prepare your resume...struggling because of some glitch or problem in your background that you don't know quite how to overcome in your resume?· Maybe you are too old...or too young...· Maybe you have an obvious gap in your work history...· Maybe you have changed employers too many times...· Maybe you are a new graduate with little-to-no relevant experience...· Maybe you are an executive who needs to explain what appears to be a demotion...· Maybe you are returning to the workforce after taking some time off... · Maybe you are trying to change careers and your past experience doesn't relate...Don't feel alone! It is the extraordinarily rare job searcher who doesn't struggle with how to deal with some problem on their resume.As a professional resu
Rep:
Silence
Me:
“The reason I mention it is that’s the way I’m feeling about my experience with your Company. Kind of like; ‘Just send us your money and don’t show up’. Do you feel that’s fair?”
Rep:
“The server has been down and I’ve been dealing with all that. Besides, I assumed that you were going to call me.”
Do you want the word ‘Assumed’ on your career Tombstone?
Now, I can’t make this stuff up folks. And it happens out there all the time. My point is this young man was leaving ‘money on the Table’ and he did not even know it.
Here was my advice to him pertaining to the plane crash anecdote consisting of series of human errors and miss-judgments before the ‘Sudden Stop’ occurs. And in his case, the plane landing was no ‘Walk-a-way’!
Error 1: Promising something you may not be able to deliver for Conditional reasons and not having a contingency communication plan in place in line with all possible scenarios and remedies.
Error 2: Not following through on a contracted service component to the customer in time for the intended service, in this case, the ADMIN tracker. Simply put, not having all your Ducks in a Row.
Error 3: Not training
IT marketing requires you to give “elevator speeches,” or short little descriptions of your business. In this article, you'll learn how to get the maximum effectiveness from your elevator speech.If you go to a chamber of commerce luncheon, you might find yourself (and everyone else) having to give their 30 second commercial. If there happen to be two or three other computer service companies there at that same event, you want to make sure that your elevator speech resonates to make this aspect of IT marketing effective.IT Marketing: Focus on Benefits, Not FeaturesThe key thing with an elevator pitch is that you want to focus on the benefits that you can provide for a particular business. For example, here's mine, “Hi, this is Joshua Feinberg from Computer Consulting 101. We help small business computer consultants sell more services, build their business and run more profitable companies.”If you pitching to a small business you might say, “My Company helps small businesses in the local area use technology more effectively.” Or, “My Company helps small businesses in the area solve co
Well, maybe. That is if you want to leave a bunch of money on the table at the end of the year. So, what do I mean?
Here’s an example that happened just today. And it happened to me. I picked out a permission-based e-mail marketing company to market my new SalesSpeakerPro.com web site. I thought I’d test the waters with a small e-mail blast to beta the overall results and determine how this SEO company will partner with me in line with my strategic company goals. Because as Popeye says, “I yam what I yam what I yam”.
If they fulfilled their service promises and I received a return on my marketing investment, I’d expand the campaign and spend more money with them. “Business 101”.
In my first career as a professional Pilot, I came to understand that it’s not just one human error in the flight mission that will cause the plane to crash, it’s a series of human errors and miss-judgments that lead up to the aircraft’s ‘Sudden Stop’. And 98% of airplane accidents are directly caused by human error, not mechanical failure.
As professional sales people, here’s what we know to be true. Any product or service implementation has a finite number of scenarios that can and will arise. A percentage of them are not good. Things like bad cutovers, faulty installations, mechanical bumps, network outages and software spikes to name a few. But understanding that, you might think service providers would have contingency plans in place to identify problems as they arise and communicating to the customer a pro-active internal process to remedy the situation. You would think.
In my case, my sales rep sent me a contract that stated I would have a web-based admin panel to view the results of my e-mail campaign; because if you don’t measure it… you can’t improve it. The standard result benchmark for e-mail campaigns is measured in e-mail ‘Open rates’ and ‘Click-through’ rates to the web page URL you wish the e-mail ‘Call to Action’ to take your prospect. And the results should be viewed over 24-48 hours to campaign completion.
For my industry and my type of target prospects I was told I could expect an e-mail open rate of 15-25% and a Click-through rate of 7-15%. Based on a test campaign of 35,000 targeted permission-based e-mails that should bring 367 sales and HR executives to my new sales speaker website at a minimum and at a maximum I should expect about 1312.
So here we go. Here’s the blow by blow sequence of events that led to the ‘Sudden stop’ of the airplane.
· Monday, 1 Day before the E-mail Marketing Blast
Me: (E-mail to rep;2:57 PM)
Good to go for tomorrow (Tuesday).
Send me the password for tracking. Jeff
· Tuesday, 1st Day of the E-mail Marketing Blast
Me: (E-mail to rep;11:31 AM)
Send me the password for tracking; 2nd attempt.
Rep: (E-mail to me;11:40 AM)
I’ll have it within 24 hours …thanks.
· Wednesday, Final Day of the E-mail Marketing Blast
Me: (E-mail to rep;12:31 PM)
And???
Rep: (E-mail to me;1:37 PM)
Here we are:
www.XYZinfo.com
Login: jdhgroup Password: 1414
Me: (Phone call to rep;2:00 PM)
“This link to the Admin tracking panel does not seem to be working. Can you go over this with me?”
Rep:
“It’s working fine from here.”
Me:
“Do you think you should consider why it’s not working for me from here?”
Rep:
“I’m stepping into a meeting right now.”
Me:
“I see. What about tomorrow morning first thing, so I can see what’s going on with my investment?”
Rep:
“That’s fine.”
· Thursday, 1 Day AFTER E-mail Marketing Blast
No call back from sales Rep… ADMIN tracking link still not working
· Friday 2 Days AFTER E-mail Marketing Blast
Me: (E-mail to rep;9:05 AM)
Jim, give me your President’s name and direct phone line please. Jeff
Rep: (E-mail to me;9:52 AM)
Are you going to call me so we can discuss the tracking?
Me: (E-mail to rep;10:03 AM)
Please supply the number and name for now.
Rep: (E-mail to me;10:12 AM)
Jeff, All correspondence is to be handled by me, so let me know your concerns and I will address them…thanks.
Me: (E-mail to rep;10:03 AM)
Call me. 740 881 1691
Phone call from rep to me; 10:35 AM
Me:
“Jim, have you ever been to the outer islands in the Bahamas?”
Rep:
“Yes, I have in fact.”
Me:
“What did you think of the service; good or bad?”
Rep:
“It was kind of slow, I guess.”
Me:
“That’s what I thought also. In fact, I left with the impression that if they had it their way, they’d prefer that I just sent my money and not even shown up.
Rep:
Silence
Me:
“The reason I mention it is that’s the way I’m feeling about my experience with your Company. Kind of like; ‘Just send us your money and don’t show up’. Do you feel that’s fair?”
Rep:
“The server has been down and I’ve been dealing with all that. Besides, I assumed that you were going to call me.”
Do you want the word ‘Assumed’ on your career Tombstone?
Now, I can’t make this stuff up folks. And it happens out there all the time. My point is this young man was leaving ‘money on the Table’ and he did not even know it.
Here was my advice to him pertaining to the plane crash anecdote consisting of series of human errors and miss-judgments before the ‘Sudden Stop’ occurs. And in his case, the plane landing was no ‘Walk-a-way’!
Error 1: Promising something you may not be able to deliver for Conditional reasons and not having a contingency communication plan in place in line with all possible scenarios and remedies.
Error 2: Not following through on a contracted service component to the customer in time for the intended service, in this case, the ADMIN tracker. Simply put, not having all your Ducks in a Row.
Error 3: Not training
Remember how your first weeks on the job can make or break your career? So can your first office party. Use the holiday gala as an opportunity to let your personality shine and show your superiors that your style and skill extend beyond your desk.Dress to impress (but leave the sequins at home)If you have to ask yourself if your outfit is really appropriate for an office function, that means it's not. You want to look classy, not trashy. When in doubt, aim for something you think your boss would approve of.Fashionably late To avoid the awkwardness of people standing around in small clumps (think your middle school dance), you can wait until the party is in full swing before making your entrance. Be careful, though – arriving more than 15 or 20 minutes after the time listed on the invitation is definitely rude, and people will notice.Just say no It might seem like a good idea at the time, but downing several cocktails to "loosen up" won't look so good on Monday morning when your boss confronts you with the photocopies yo
As professional sales people, here’s what we know to be true. Any product or service implementation has a finite number of scenarios that can and will arise. A percentage of them are not good. Things like bad cutovers, faulty installations, mechanical bumps, network outages and software spikes to name a few. But understanding that, you might think service providers would have contingency plans in place to identify problems as they arise and communicating to the customer a pro-active internal process to remedy the situation. You would think.
In my case, my sales rep sent me a contract that stated I would have a web-based admin panel to view the results of my e-mail campaign; because if you don’t measure it… you can’t improve it. The standard result benchmark for e-mail campaigns is measured in e-mail ‘Open rates’ and ‘Click-through’ rates to the web page URL you wish the e-mail ‘Call to Action’ to take your prospect. And the results should be viewed over 24-48 hours to campaign completion.
For my industry and my type of target prospects I was told I could expect an e-mail open rate of 15-25% and a Click-through rate of 7-15%. Based on a test campaign of 35,000 targeted permission-based e-mails that should bring 367 sales and HR executives to my new sales speaker website at a minimum and at a maximum I should expect about 1312.
So here we go. Here’s the blow by blow sequence of events that led to the ‘Sudden stop’ of the airplane.
· Monday, 1 Day before the E-mail Marketing Blast
Me: (E-mail to rep;2:57 PM)
Good to go for tomorrow (Tuesday).
Send me the password for tracking. Jeff
· Tuesday, 1st Day of the E-mail Marketing Blast
Me: (E-mail to rep;11:31 AM)
Send me the password for tracking; 2nd attempt.
Rep: (E-mail to me;11:40 AM)
I’ll have it within 24 hours …thanks.
· Wednesday, Final Day of the E-mail Marketing Blast
Me: (E-mail to rep;12:31 PM)
And???
Rep: (E-mail to me;1:37 PM)
Here we are:
www.XYZinfo.com
Login: jdhgroup Password: 1414
Me: (Phone call to rep;2:00 PM)
“This link to the Admin tracking panel does not seem to be working. Can you go over this with me?”
Rep:
“It’s working fine from here.”
Me:
“Do you think you should consider why it’s not working for me from here?”
Rep:
“I’m stepping into a meeting right now.”
Me:
“I see. What about tomorrow morning first thing, so I can see what’s going on with my investment?”
Rep:
“That’s fine.”
· Thursday, 1 Day AFTER E-mail Marketing Blast
No call back from sales Rep… ADMIN tracking link still not working
· Friday 2 Days AFTER E-mail Marketing Blast
Me: (E-mail to rep;9:05 AM)
Jim, give me your President’s name and direct phone line please. Jeff
Rep: (E-mail to me;9:52 AM)
Are you going to call me so we can discuss the tracking?
Me: (E-mail to rep;10:03 AM)
Please supply the number and name for now.
Rep: (E-mail to me;10:12 AM)
Jeff, All correspondence is to be handled by me, so let me know your concerns and I will address them…thanks.
Me: (E-mail to rep;10:03 AM)
Call me. 740 881 1691
Phone call from rep to me; 10:35 AM
Me:
“Jim, have you ever been to the outer islands in the Bahamas?”
Rep:
“Yes, I have in fact.”
Me:
“What did you think of the service; good or bad?”
Rep:
“It was kind of slow, I guess.”
Me:
“That’s what I thought also. In fact, I left with the impression that if they had it their way, they’d prefer that I just sent my money and not even shown up.
Rep:
Silence
Me:
“The reason I mention it is that’s the way I’m feeling about my experience with your Company. Kind of like; ‘Just send us your money and don’t show up’. Do you feel that’s fair?”
Rep:
“The server has been down and I’ve been dealing with all that. Besides, I assumed that you were going to call me.”
Do you want the word ‘Assumed’ on your career Tombstone?
Now, I can’t make this stuff up folks. And it happens out there all the time. My point is this young man was leaving ‘money on the Table’ and he did not even know it.
Here was my advice to him pertaining to the plane crash anecdote consisting of series of human errors and miss-judgments before the ‘Sudden Stop’ occurs. And in his case, the plane landing was no ‘Walk-a-way’!
Error 1: Promising something you may not be able to deliver for Conditional reasons and not having a contingency communication plan in place in line with all possible scenarios and remedies.
Error 2: Not following through on a contracted service component to the customer in time for the intended service, in this case, the ADMIN tracker. Simply put, not having all your Ducks in a Row.
Error 3: Not training
There are a number of channels of distribution available to the producer, which may be employed by him to bring his products to the market. Consumer goods may be distributed generally through channels, in each of which the manufacturers may use the sales branch or sales office as the additional alternative. One of the channels used is Producer-Consumer, where no middleman is involved. Sales are made from house to house or by direct mail.A second channel is Producer-Retailer-Consumer, by which goods may be purchased directly from manufacturers. Retail stores may also be opened by manufacturers by this channel.A third channel is Producer-Wholesaler-Retailer-Consumer, which is the traditional and most economical channel. Penultimately, there is Producer-Agent-Retailer-Consumer, in which many producers use manufacturing agents, brokers, etc. for reaching the retail market. Finally, there is Producer-Agent-Wholesaler-Retailer-Consumer, where the services of agents are utilized by the smaller retailers, who purchase from a wholesaler and sell to small stores.A large number of channels of distribu
So here we go. Here’s the blow by blow sequence of events that led to the ‘Sudden stop’ of the airplane.
· Monday, 1 Day before the E-mail Marketing Blast
Me: (E-mail to rep;2:57 PM)
Good to go for tomorrow (Tuesday).
Send me the password for tracking. Jeff
· Tuesday, 1st Day of the E-mail Marketing Blast
Me: (E-mail to rep;11:31 AM)
Send me the password for tracking; 2nd attempt.
Rep: (E-mail to me;11:40 AM)
I’ll have it within 24 hours …thanks.
· Wednesday, Final Day of the E-mail Marketing Blast
Me: (E-mail to rep;12:31 PM)
And???
Rep: (E-mail to me;1:37 PM)
Here we are:
www.XYZinfo.com
Login: jdhgroup Password: 1414
Me: (Phone call to rep;2:00 PM)
“This link to the Admin tracking panel does not seem to be working. Can you go over this with me?”
Rep:
“It’s working fine from here.”
Me:
“Do you think you should consider why it’s not working for me from here?”
Rep:
“I’m stepping into a meeting right now.”
Me:
“I see. What about tomorrow morning first thing, so I can see what’s going on with my investment?”
Rep:
“That’s fine.”
· Thursday, 1 Day AFTER E-mail Marketing Blast
No call back from sales Rep… ADMIN tracking link still not working
· Friday 2 Days AFTER E-mail Marketing Blast
Me: (E-mail to rep;9:05 AM)
Jim, give me your President’s name and direct phone line please. Jeff
Rep: (E-mail to me;9:52 AM)
Are you going to call me so we can discuss the tracking?
Me: (E-mail to rep;10:03 AM)
Please supply the number and name for now.
Rep: (E-mail to me;10:12 AM)
Jeff, All correspondence is to be handled by me, so let me know your concerns and I will address them…thanks.
Me: (E-mail to rep;10:03 AM)
Call me. 740 881 1691
Phone call from rep to me; 10:35 AM
Me:
“Jim, have you ever been to the outer islands in the Bahamas?”
Rep:
“Yes, I have in fact.”
Me:
“What did you think of the service; good or bad?”
Rep:
“It was kind of slow, I guess.”
Me:
“That’s what I thought also. In fact, I left with the impression that if they had it their way, they’d prefer that I just sent my money and not even shown up.
Rep:
Silence
Me:
“The reason I mention it is that’s the way I’m feeling about my experience with your Company. Kind of like; ‘Just send us your money and don’t show up’. Do you feel that’s fair?”
Rep:
“The server has been down and I’ve been dealing with all that. Besides, I assumed that you were going to call me.”
Do you want the word ‘Assumed’ on your career Tombstone?
Now, I can’t make this stuff up folks. And it happens out there all the time. My point is this young man was leaving ‘money on the Table’ and he did not even know it.
Here was my advice to him pertaining to the plane crash anecdote consisting of series of human errors and miss-judgments before the ‘Sudden Stop’ occurs. And in his case, the plane landing was no ‘Walk-a-way’!
Error 1: Promising something you may not be able to deliver for Conditional reasons and not having a contingency communication plan in place in line with all possible scenarios and remedies.
Error 2: Not following through on a contracted service component to the customer in time for the intended service, in this case, the ADMIN tracker. Simply put, not having all your Ducks in a Row.
Error 3: Not training
The biggest enemy to the sales cycle is time. Time kills deals. The longer the sales cycle, the less chance of closing the deal and the more cost per sale. To build a successful business, you must develop a program that swiftly and efficiently reaches out to your cold, warm and hot prospects on an ongoing timely basis. With today’s influx of competition in almost every industry, timing is crucial. The follow up from a sales meeting, catching that prospect at their buying moment, and staying in contact with your customer base just enough to keep top of mind but not so much as to be bothersome.There are three groups or categories of prospects and each has its own unique challenges:· Cold Prospect –o You’ve got to get noticed from amid the crowd. o You chase them so you can introduce them to your products and service. o You hope you can catch them at the right time when they’re ready to buy what you’re selling. · Warm Prospect–o You’ve had your first meeting but they’re not a quick sale. o They want time to think about it. o You need to be pois
Rep:
“I’m stepping into a meeting right now.”
Me:
“I see. What about tomorrow morning first thing, so I can see what’s going on with my investment?”
Rep:
“That’s fine.”
· Thursday, 1 Day AFTER E-mail Marketing Blast
No call back from sales Rep… ADMIN tracking link still not working
· Friday 2 Days AFTER E-mail Marketing Blast
Me: (E-mail to rep;9:05 AM)
Jim, give me your President’s name and direct phone line please. Jeff
Rep: (E-mail to me;9:52 AM)
Are you going to call me so we can discuss the tracking?
Me: (E-mail to rep;10:03 AM)
Please supply the number and name for now.
Rep: (E-mail to me;10:12 AM)
Jeff, All correspondence is to be handled by me, so let me know your concerns and I will address them…thanks.
Me: (E-mail to rep;10:03 AM)
Call me. 740 881 1691
Phone call from rep to me; 10:35 AM
Me:
“Jim, have you ever been to the outer islands in the Bahamas?”
Rep:
“Yes, I have in fact.”
Me:
“What did you think of the service; good or bad?”
Rep:
“It was kind of slow, I guess.”
Me:
“That’s what I thought also. In fact, I left with the impression that if they had it their way, they’d prefer that I just sent my money and not even shown up.
Rep:
Silence
Me:
“The reason I mention it is that’s the way I’m feeling about my experience with your Company. Kind of like; ‘Just send us your money and don’t show up’. Do you feel that’s fair?”
Rep:
“The server has been down and I’ve been dealing with all that. Besides, I assumed that you were going to call me.”
Do you want the word ‘Assumed’ on your career Tombstone?
Now, I can’t make this stuff up folks. And it happens out there all the time. My point is this young man was leaving ‘money on the Table’ and he did not even know it.
Here was my advice to him pertaining to the plane crash anecdote consisting of series of human errors and miss-judgments before the ‘Sudden Stop’ occurs. And in his case, the plane landing was no ‘Walk-a-way’!
Error 1: Promising something you may not be able to deliver for Conditional reasons and not having a contingency communication plan in place in line with all possible scenarios and remedies.
Error 2: Not following through on a contracted service component to the customer in time for the intended service, in this case, the ADMIN tracker. Simply put, not having all your Ducks in a Row.
Error 3: Not training
A solid search engine marketing, or SEM, strategy often closely resembles a modern investment portfolio. Some attention is given to short-term gains; some to middle-of-the-road opportunities; and, some to emerging markets. But most of the core portfolio is dedicated to models with proven results, accurate tracking and long-term profits.With Internet competition building at a wild pace, many companies have trouble looking beyond the glamor of top positioning on a paid-search results list. These companies need to be looking, instead, for an SEM partner that can not only see past the fervor, but also be willing to share those realities and set a new course.An SEM firm that sets realistic expectations from the beginning has a stronger chance of keeping pace with competitive campaigns and accurately determining where to dedicate dollars on Google, Yahoo! and MSN.When establishing a strategy that maximizes return on investment and gives clients a well-rounded approach, an ethical SEM firm examines:-- Market Optimization: Finding keywords that will garner results now, as well as offering po
Rep:
Silence
Me:
“The reason I mention it is that’s the way I’m feeling about my experience with your Company. Kind of like; ‘Just send us your money and don’t show up’. Do you feel that’s fair?”
Rep:
“The server has been down and I’ve been dealing with all that. Besides, I assumed that you were going to call me.”
Do you want the word ‘Assumed’ on your career Tombstone?
Now, I can’t make this stuff up folks. And it happens out there all the time. My point is this young man was leaving ‘money on the Table’ and he did not even know it.
Here was my advice to him pertaining to the plane crash anecdote consisting of series of human errors and miss-judgments before the ‘Sudden Stop’ occurs. And in his case, the plane landing was no ‘Walk-a-way’!
Error 1: Promising something you may not be able to deliver for Conditional reasons and not having a contingency communication plan in place in line with all possible scenarios and remedies.
Error 2: Not following through on a contracted service component to the customer in time for the intended service, in this case, the ADMIN tracker. Simply put, not having all your Ducks in a Row.
Error 3: Not training the customer to a critical service component
Error 4: Not following up with the customer as requested
Error 5: When addressed, not ‘Hearing’ the customer’s concerns
Error 6: Not ‘Picking up the phone’ and pro-actively communicating to the customer there is a technical problem
Error 7 (The ‘Sudden STOP’): Not honoring a customer request for direct communication to a higher authority within your company
I gave this sales person my best advice for his career. It goes like this:
“When the stuff hits the fan, and we know it will, pick up the phone and talk with the customer. Don’t bury your head in the sand and think it will all go away. And have a ‘Crisis management’ game plan. It goes like this….”
Here’s a pro-active process for turning a negative situation into a positive customer experience and future sales for you.
· Let them vent
· Show empathy: “I understand what you’re feeling. If it were me, I’d feel the same way.”
· Thank them for bringing this to your attention: “I’m sorry I missed this before you had to call me, but I’m glad you did, because I need to know.”
· Paraphrase their main points and concerns: “Let me take a minute and repeat back to you what I hear your concerns are.”
· Reassure the customer you will do everything possible to resolve their concern: “At the end of this conversation, you’ll go back to work and I’ll start my work for you.”
· Document the facts: “I’m picking up a pen to list all the pieces and parts of our situation. Please go ahead, one by one.”
· Communicate the steps you will take internally to remedy the situation, one by one. · Set accountability and follow-up timelines by telephone and e-mail and make sure it's done (Even if you pass it off to another division)
When situation is remedied, follow-up personally and 'close the loop' by telephone again. Recap all the issues and ask if everything has been completed to their satisfaction. Then ask them directly if they will consider doing business with you in the future. And if not, what you can personally do to change their mind.
By following a few steps of solid business process, you can re-route the ‘plane crash’ and gain a loyal long term customer that will add revenue to your company, provide future referrals and put more ‘jingle’ in your commission pocket.
So next time… have a ‘Safe landing’.
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