Engagement | A Sales Guy

Ideas Don’t Come with Titles

I recall a story early in my career about the intern who saved the 1988 movie Gorilla’s in the Mist (I haven’t been unable to confirm its truth, but still a good story.) The story goes something like this. Gorilla’s in The Mist starring Sigourney Weaver as Diana Fossey a famous Mnt Gorilla expert living in the jungle studying the gorillas was hugely over budget. The studio was about to cancel it. The problem was they couldn’t get the gorillas to act in a way that fit the story line. Only allowed to shoot for an hour a day, days would be lost if the gorillas didn’t behave accordingly. To solve the problem and save the film, the producers, cast and director got together to determine what could be done. Ideas come in from using electronic gorillas to men in costumes. While the ideas were flowing back in forth a sole intern continually attempted to interject her idea. Continually over talked no one noticed her or paid attention. After several hours and little progress, she spoke up again. Exacerbated with little progress the group turned and asked her what her idea was. She mildly spoke up and asked a simple question. “Why can’t we scrap the story line, shoot as much footage as we can and then build the story around the footage?” Gorilla’s in the Mist saved.

I like this story because it illustrates the fact that good ideas sit everywhere in an organization. There should be no weighting of ideas based on title. Yet, many companies fall victim of this. Ideas are given priority based on title, operating from the assumption that best ideas come from the most senior people. Is your organization guilty of this?

It’s not enough to say your not. It’s not enough to say you value everyone’s opinions. Companies need to have the processes in place to actively seek out everyone’s ideas and opinions.

Companies who capture the knowledge of the entire organization develop ways to bring everyone to the table. Processes are put in place to engage employees at all levels. They are given a seat at the table and are encouraged to speak up. Hierarchies are broken down, formality is tossed aside and replaced with participation and expertise. “Sandboxes” are created to allow employees to test their ideas with out fear of failure. 3M has been known for creating one of the best environments for this. Enterprise 2.0 is also changing the landscape in this area.

I think Enterprise 2.0 is going to drastically change how organizations collaborate. This change is going to make it easier for companies to tap the “intern” and save the movie. Enterprise 2.0 doesn’t require permission to speak. It doesn’t require an invitation to the meeting. It doesn’t require validation of title. Enterprise 2.0 and many of its collaboration tools dig deep into a companies knowledge base and extracts once locked information and puts it in play. Whether or not your company includes the “intern” or not, Enterprise 2.0 and the next generation of collaboration tools WILL and everyone will be the better for it.

Information, ideas, and knowledge are not strictly attached to the board room. They are everywhere in the organization. Like a mine, the key is to find the valuable stuff and make at as easy as possible to get it out. Start digging!

August 4, 2009 | Filed under: Business Performance,Leadership | View Comments |

It’s in the Questions

How long can you carry on a conversation without making a statement? Have you ever tried? We almost always start conversations with a question. It’s usually, “What’s up,” or “How are You?” or “What’s going on?” After that, with most people, it goes to statements. We start telling.

Questions give us information. They give us processing fuel. Questions make people feel you care. Questions create control?

How long do you engage before you stop asking questions. How many questions do you ask, before your first statement? At the very least it should be 5. The next time you talk with a customer, engage your spouse or talk to your boss try it. Before you make a single statement ask 5 questions.

Make the questions open ended. Make them about them. Make them engaging. Questions are a powerful tool for building relationships, learning, growing, understanding and sharing.

Teach yourself how to use questions. You’ll become a better listener, a better friend, a better spouse and of course a better a sales person.

The ultimate, a 30 minute conversation only asking questions, without the other person ever noticing. Could you do it?

July 5, 2009 | Filed under: Personal Development,The Chase | View Comments |

You Don’t Sell Vaccum’s . . .

. . . you sell time.

If you’re a vacuum salesman, you’re not selling a vacuum. You are selling; time, comfort, cleanliness, status (see dyson), simplicity or ease of use. vacuuming

People don’t buy vacuum’s they buy what a vacuum does for them. A vacuum gives people more time, because it makes the job easier. It does the job better and it makes the job faster. People buy vacuum’s because it gives them a cleaner house faster.

As sales people, and yes you marketers too, we need to remember customers don’t want our products they want what our products do for them. Until the vacuum, or I-Pod was created we didn’t even know we wanted (or needed) one. What drives innovation is the same thing that drives sales and marketing; getting to what the customer really wants. Great Salesman are able to establish this vision better than anyone.

Understanding what our customers and clients want can be tricky. As people, we are complex. People want for different reasons. Does the guy buying the Porsche want it because it is a fast, high performance, well made, street hugging machine, or because he is a single, successful, entrepreneur and he wants everyone to know it. Each of these men will buy same car for different reasons. As sales people it is up to us to quickly and effectively understand “Why” they are going to buy the car.

I think there are 4 clear motivators for why people buy:

1) Personal – by buying your product their life will be easier, more enjoyable, simpler, or they will feel better about themselves. This is almost always an emotional decision
2) Financial – by buying your product money can be made, or saved. It is a simple math equation, does your customer believe their financial position will be improved by buying what your selling
3) Cultural or Philosophical – Buying your products helps others, colleges, day cares, nursing homes, etc are examples.
4) Strategic – (B2B, selling to businesses) Buying your product creates a competitive advantage, speed to market, increases market share and more.

If your product is selling, it’s doing one of these things. To sell more of it, find out what it’s doing and to whom.

To tell the gear head that “chicks” dig Porches will not only irritate the him, but if his wife is in ear shot, he won’t be buying a Porsche anytime soon.

Know what your selling; HINT: it’s not what’s in your bag!

April 3, 2009 | Filed under: The Chase | View Comments |

Yes or No, Still The Wrong Answer

No matter the question a customer asks, yes or no is not an answer. It’s not the first word they want to hear, it’s everything after that matters.

When a customer asks if you have a warranty, yes isn’t what they to hear but, the terms of the warranty, how long it is effective, what it covers, what it doesn’t cover and more. Yes is an empty answer, it doesn’t help your customer. It doesn’t provide information.

If yes isn’t an answer, NO is even less an answer. If a customer asks for something you can’t provide NO is nothing more than an introduction to the real answer. The real answer is an alternative, a suggestion, an explanation of your policy or a recommendation.

Yes or No aren’t answers. They are shortcuts. Delivered by themselves they tell your customer they don’t matter. They say you’re not engaged, indifferent, and apathetic to their needs. We have customers because we meet their needs. Whether the answer is “Yes” or “No”, without the rest it just doesn’t matter.

March 19, 2009 | Filed under: Customer Service | Comments Off |

It’s About the Interaction

Getting the sale, in it’s simplest form, is about the interaction. How we interact can vary and will impact the outcome. Regardless of the “how”, interact we must.

Seth Godin and his encounter with a pan handler tells a good story. What do you think? Get this panhandler’s name, clean him up, get him a little training and add a new rainmaker to the team?

Anyone need 4 quarters?

March 1, 2009 | Filed under: Customer Service | Comments Off |