How Good is Your Sales Follow-up?

I got a postcard in the mail today... Not that big of a deal, right? If you're like me, you get (and probably send) hundreds of postcards each month. But this one was different... It was for my daughter and it said "Happy Birthday from your orthodontist". Now I know what you're thinking, she's a kid that has braces, right? Wrong! This is from an orthodontist that we visited for an initial visit last year, but never "got around" to getting them on (Moment of Truth - My daughter realized there would be pain involved in wearing them, so no braces for her for the time being!).

So she gets a postcard for her birthday from someone that we don't even do business with. It made me wonder... Do you send out "Happy Birthday" postcards to your clients on their birthday? Do you stay in touch with the clients that currently do business with you, as well as those that have in the past? More importantly, do you send anything to prospective clients that decided for some reason or another (pain versus pleasure/devil I know versus the one I don't...) NOT to do business with you?

I am guessing that you don't. Make that, I am pretty confident that you don't! If you'd like information on how you can follow-up/follow-through like an "Influential Salesperson" then send me an email to info@pathosleadershipgroup.com and I'll be in touch!

Sam Palazzolo

Pathos Leadership Group

http://www.pathosleadershipgroup.com/

PS - The orthodontist was Terry Moore, DDS in Colleyville, TX. For less than $1 he might earn our business after all!

Are You Losing Sales Because Of Your First Impressions?

Well, it happened again… I got a voicemail this morning from a prospective customer that wanted to discuss executive coaching with me. The gentleman spoke clearly, and was even so kind as to do the three actions I request in my voicemail (What… you don’t make a similar request for three items in your voicemail? Let me guess, you’re still saying “You’ve reached (Your Name), sorry I’m not in to speak with you, but please leave me your name, number and a brief message and I’ll return your call as soon as I can. Have a nice day!” You’re missing sales is you do…Send me an email and I’ll send you an article titled “Sales Saving Voicemail Scripts”).

I took good notes from the message he left and reached for the phone to return his call. That’s when it happened… Let’s just say that her name was Lola (Sing along with me, “Oh my Lola, la la la la Lola!”) Lola was not having a good day, it was apparent over the phone in the first three seconds of our conversation. That’s all it took for me to get the wrong mental picture of her, this prospect and his business! So I wonder, are you losing sales because of your first impression? In other words, are the people that are on your front line representative of you and your operation, or are they totally misleading in the wrong way? The following then is a list of 5 techniques you can “review” with your “first impression” staff so that the right impression is left every time!

Technique #1 – Smile – You can hear how someone feels through the phone! So if you are answering the phone with a frown on your face… smile. You might not be on candid camera (i.e., Punked!), but your customers will certainly feel the warmth.

Technique #2 – Serve – Why are you there? You are there to serve others, otherwise you should be in a backroom office with no phone in sight and far from the customers. If you are in the front of the customer experience line, you’ve got to have a serve mentality.

Technique #3 – Refresh – We all get in a bad mood… we’re human! However, when the phone rings or a customer walks in the front door, it is “Showtime” for those frontline employees. So adopt a “Showtime” mentality, but see if you can’t carry that mentality over when no customers are present!

Technique #4 – Clear – Clear the thoughts of workers that you can identify as struggling. It’s natural to want to help, so lend a hand and help them out. I think this is called teamwork or something…

Technique #5 – Get Real! – If you have associates that are not interested in putting your best foot forward, you’ve got to part company with them. There is only so much training and development that you can offer someone. If you notice that nothing is sticking from these sessions, part company with dignity!

I hope that these five techniques will allow you to stop losing sales because of those bad first impressions! If you’ve got other ideas, send me an email at info@pathosleadershipgroup.com .

Sam Palazzolo
Pathos Leadership Group – Home of the Influential Edge!
www.pathosleadershipgroup.com

Who the Hell is James Strock and Can He Save Leadership? 12 Tips on Becoming a More Effective Leader

I had the opportunity to spend time with James Strock, author, speaker, and executive educator on 21st Century Leadership. If the saying “If you don’t know your history, you’re bound to repeat it!” is true, then you must get to know James and his work. He has the unique ability in possessing dual vision, with one eye on the past and the other towards the future.

His next book, “Serve to Lead: 21st Century Leadership System” discusses how leadership today is different. Here are twelve of his thoughts regarding just how different things are for leaders and the serious issues to be challenged with:

1. Technology – Is the vision of Hanna-Barbera and George Jetson very far off?
2. Ethics – We operate in a “transparent” society… Kiss privacy good-bye!
3. Service – Everyone can lead because it’s so easy to serve at the current time.
4. Empowering – Becoming “empowered” is easier today than it ever has been.
5. Consensual – There exists a consensual relationship between the leader/non-leader.
6. Love – The Beatles sang “all you need is love” and so does James!
7. Relationship Transition – There is today a transition from transaction to relationships.
8. Dynamic – Kick “static” relationships to the curb.
9. Custom – There is no universal or “one size fits all” leadership methodology.
10. Convergence – Leadership styles are converging (Think Mr. Cosmo Spacely meets John Maxwell)
11. Imagine – Another Beetle sighting… Think “strawberry fields forever!”
12. Public – There is no leadership in private?

If you don’t know James work, get to! He was motivational, inspirational and at times controversial. When was the last time you met someone that told you that Tom Peters and Jim Collins are wrong?

You can find out more about James at his website… http://www.jamesstrock.com/

If you’d like to see where you “rank” versus the 3,000+ business leaders that we surveyed for our book, “The Influential Leader” please visit http://www.gotinfluence.com/ and take the 2 minute survey. You’ll receive a report that shows where you compare versus them on the 10 critical skills that made them successful!

Sam Palazzolo, MBA, CPLP, RODP
Pathos Leadership Group
www.pathosleadershipgroup.com

Influential Customer Service 101 - XM Sucks !

Many of you have heard me in my "Influential Customer Service" presentation talk about what happens when "Good Companies Go Bad!" For those that haven't seen me in action, Here's an example for you...

Thanks to Joe Vitale and his "Attractor Factor" earlier this year I got a new car. It's a beautiful Acura MDX in that dark burgundy color. The car is perfect, except for one thing... The XM radio. Now XM came with the vehicle for a three-month trial. I left terrestrial-radio behind almost three years ago and got a Sirius subscription. I was delirious with the Sirius Customer Service, the variety of channels, etc... It almost made my commutes bearable (almost!) So when I got this new car I was expecting the same level of outstanding service.

Well...XM sucks for several reasons. There are great customer service lessons to be learned from all this, so here goes:

• My Trial Subscription Had Limited Channels - If you are going to offer your product/service for a "test-drive" like we do, why wouldn't you give prospective customers a feel of your entire product offering? Sign-up for our complimentary "Pathos Platform" and experience what I am talking about!



• The Price Was Nearly Double What I Was Already Paying - If you have similar aspects of your product and your service is equal, how can you justify nearly double the price charged? I had an exchange with the Customer Service Representative at XM that honestly went like this....Sam "That price is nearly double what I am paying now!" XM CSR "Yes sir, that's the price." Sam "What's the logic behind that?" XM CSR "There is none sir."



• There Is No Negotiating With XM - I could have lugged my old Sirius radio with all the wires and everything from my old car to the new one, but I opted to see if I couldn't retain some of the crisp/clutter-free interior styling of the vehicle. As such, I decided to make a run at XM to see if they could at least negotiate (Hey, my 3 month "FREE" trial was almost over!) I talked with an XM Customer Service Representative and asked if there were any "Economic Stimulus Packages" taking place (I had to inform them that I was talking about a discount, apparently the Training Department at XM hasn't had that comedy/humor training session with the economy being as it is!) They told me that if I paid in advance for an entire year that I would receive a month for free. One month? I asked if they could do better. The told me that if I prepaid for two years I would receive two months for free. I couldn't hang-up the phone fast enough!



• My "FREE" Trial Just Billed Me - Imagine the look on my face when I received in the mail today a bill from XM for $7.58. The bill is broken down as follows - Invoice Fee $2.00, Late Fee $5.00, Tax-State $0.44 and Tax-Local $0.14. I called in to see what the deal was, as my official "FREE" trial ended at the end of last month. First I couldn't get to the right department (The automatic operator wouldn't give me the "For Billing Questions, Press 9" option). Next, when I did get to a "live" person, I could barely make out what they were saying (Watch for my "Customer Communication with Marbles in Your Mouth" training series coming soon!) Finally, I talked with someone that informed me that the bill was "in error"... Sure!

So here I am in this brand new car... still smells new even after three months! Unfortunately, I've reverted back to terrestrial radio for the time being (I'll be compromising that clean interior design by bringing over my old Sirius radio shortly!)

Sam Palazzolo, MBA, CPLP

Pathos Leadership Group

http://www.pathosleadershipgroup.com/

Is Cold Calling the Success Key to Sales?

Pathos Leadership Group – Home of the Influential Edge!

Is Cold Calling the Key to Sales Success?
6 Strategies to Make Cold Calling an Effective Part of Sales
By Sam Palazzolo, MBA, CPLP

Another day, another dollar! If you’re like most sales professionals today, you’ve hit the wall regarding locating, identifying, prospecting, selling and delivering to new prospective customers. So what can you do? All of the “Sales Gurus” would tell you that cold calling is a total waste of your time! Why one even goes so far as to say that there is nothing that adds less value to a sales professional’s day than attempting to perform cold calls. I disagree! If your current customers are not referring you to new business (Problem in and of itself addressed in a later article) and you need new sales, you’d better be cold calling and reaching out to new prospective customers!

In this document I will share with you six tips, techniques, and tricks that you can implement into your sales process when you have run out of prospective candidates and need to cold call. After all, we only know so many people and so many people know us, right? We need to break outside of that “circle of friends” or contacts to increase our sales volumes… Here then are six tips to cold calling:

TIP #1 : Proper ID
Properly identifying your target industry and prospective candidates within the organization structure for customer-hood is crucial to your success. If you are targeting potential customers that cannot or won’t write a check for your product or service, then I would have to agree with the so-called Sales Gurus and say that you are wasting your time! Here is an example… I got an e-mail from Joe who is a Sales Pro in Cleveland, Ohio. Joe writes that his customer base has dried up and that he is cold calling prospective candidates within the same industry with little to no success. I picked up the phone and I called Joe. The first question out of my mouth was “Joe, before you even tell me what your cold calling script is, would you mind sharing with me the industry you are targeting, and tell me a little bit about the prospective customers there in?” Joe replied that he was targeting the manufacturing industry and furthermore that they were in a certain dollar annual sales revenue/number of employees range. Sounds like a solid plan, from Joe’s perspective. Unfortunately from my perspective, no one in this industry segment was purchasing now or were they purchasing within the previous 12 months! This revelation to Joe allowed him to see that he was fishing in the wrong pond. There simply were no fish present in the lake that he was fishing in!

Make certain you properly identify your prospects and whether or not they can buy.

Tip #2: Proper Script Please
In order for cold calling to be effective you need to develop the most high impact cold calling script that you can. “What does it look like?” you might ask. The high impact cold calling scripts that we utilize here at Pathos Leadership Group in our Business Development Operation for clients across the country consists of the following eight key characteristics:

• Introductory Statement


• Nice Tone


• Who Are You


• Why Are You Calling


• Get To The Point


• What Are The Benefits?


• “Who Have You Helped” Testimonials


• What Do You Want?

This simple formula for creating a cold calling script has left many a person on the other end doing exactly what we hoped to achieve, set an appointment! Unfortunately, most cold callers are hoping for dramatically different results than what can realistically be expected (i.e., Sell a product/service). So let’s get real before we even pick up the phone!

Make certain you’ve got the proper script which drives towards realistic results please.

Tip #3: Working with The Gatekeeper
There are several techniques that one can use to successfully work with the dreaded Gatekeeper. There job is to keep you out, and remember that your job is to get in! You have four choices, you can either navigate around the side (Left or right) or go up and over or below them (Joe would argue there are actually five, that they could stop you! Poor Joe…) However, nothing, let me repeat that, nothing is as important as forming an ally relationship with the Gatekeeper! One of the key characteristics identified in step number two (Proper Script Please) was that of being a nice.

Being nice? It is a given that we will be nice to the person whom we are attempting to reach (in the event that we ultimately do reach them!) However, I am always amazed when I listen in to recorded cold calling attempts when I hear that the cold caller is “not so nice” to the Gatekeeper! This leaves little doubt in my mind regarding why it is that so many cold callers are unsuccessful in their efforts and attempts today! If you are going to be nice to the prospective customer, then you had best be nice to the Gatekeeper of that prospective customer. It just makes sense!

In order to work effectively with the Gatekeeper, play nice!

Tip #4: Voice Mail Strategies
There is a school of thought out there by the Sales Gurus that says not to leave voicemails when cold calling. I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Guess what the Sales Gurus staff does when they reach out to prospective customers that they want to do business with? Lean in, here is the secret… They leave voicemails when cold calling! Now you may be thinking, “Well Sam, if I was a Sales Guru I would leave voicemails too because I would expect people to return my phone calls.” I’ll give you that! Being a Sales Guru has many advantages and this just may be one of them from many people’s perspective. However, from my perspective cold calling is a “level playing field” for all to operate on. While those Sales Gurus may have the name recognition that you desire, there is nothing that says that a prospective client will return their phone call any quicker over yours! What they may have that you don’t is a compelling reason in to return your phone call.

Give your prospective customers a reason to return your cold calls.

Tip #5: Consistency
The difference between below, or average sales and exceptional, or outstanding sales levels is caused primarily by your performance in the “consistency” arena. Most sales professionals attempt to perform one process or one procedure on day one. Those same sales professionals attempt to perform a different sales process, or procedure on day two and a third on day three. In other words they have no consistency when it comes to their “game plan.” They rely instead on their sales managers “Program of the Month” or “Good to Great Idea of the Day” to move them towards greater sales success. Don’t fall victim to the temptation of straying from the path in front of you. You must remain consistent and you must see the process through. What may turn out to be a decrease in productivity and profitability may in the end results in your success!

Be consistent for exceptional sales results.

Tip #6: Seek Help
I run into sales professionals all the time who ask me how it is that I know what it is that I know. I tell them it’s because I have failed far more often than they have. I always make a point of saying “Ask me how I know an idea won’t work or perhaps needs to be fine tuned, it’s because I’ve attempted it!” I say this not to brag, but instead to show that I am humble and that sometimes our best learning opportunities come from failure. Salespeople, always the skeptical bunch, often follow that up with a secondary question something like “Well if you fail so much, how come you are so successful?” The answer is simple, I was fortunate to have a great coach that took interest in my development and my income in that order. I learned the value of successful sales coaching and training early on and I would not be where I am today had I not had someone mentor me. If you think that I am above reproach when it comes to coaching and training, I continue to believe that I will never know it all and as I write this article today I have just completed an e-learning session with SalesForce.com on “Successful Sales Productivity, Efficiency, and Cooperation.”

Contact a Sales Coach to move your game to the next level!

Summary
I am convinced that there is no way that you will succeed in sales unless cold calling is a part of your process. While I do agree with the Sales Gurus when they say that referrals are a “better” way to get customers, what if you don’t have any? You’ve got to start somewhere! The six tips, techniques, and tricks identified above are the key to successful sales cold calling.

Copyright © 2009 Pathos Leadership Group. All Rights Reserved

Got Influence? You’re either an “InfluencerR” or you’re being “InfluenceD”! Take the “Influential Leader Inventory” at www.GotInfluence.com and see where you rank against other leaders who have the “Influential Edge!” Sam Palazzolo, MBA, CPLP is the author of “The Influential Leader: 10 Critical Skills You MUST Possess For Success” as well as “Influential Sales: How to Achieve Selling Supremacy in the New Economy!” As President and Chief Influence Officer at Pathos Leadership Group, Sam conducts Influential Keynotes, Workshops, Webinars and one-on-one Coaching. Discover more at www.PathosLeadershipGroup.com, e-mail sp@pathosleadershipgroup.com or call 817-605-1942.