Winston's e-Newsletter - August 2006

Learn How to Sell BIG! 

Yes, that’s right. I’ll be explaining How to Sell BIG in a 1-hour teleseminar on Tuesday, 5 September at 11-00 AEST and if you want to boost the sales results you and your staff get then this is for you. This telephone seminar is a great way of getting the nitty gritty sales stuff you need without having to waste time driving to a seminar, finding a parking spot, and all the other hassles. All you do is make yourself comfortable, relax and listen in over the phone. You and your team could organise a speakerphone and make the hour part of a team meeting. For more details visit here

 

Dogs are my best friend

This strip I've borrowed from The Age sums up how I feel about Sharnie, the Border Collie, and Millie, the Groodle, (Photographs are available on request). In a nutshell, they get me out for some exercise very day and provide a patient, agreeable audience for me as I solve the problems of the world.

 

Date for your Diary

I understand that September 19 is "International Talk Like A Pirate Day" and it might be fun to recognise the date in your business whether you just talk like a pirate or tell your customer that you have some "Buried treasure" deals. At least all sentences should begin with "Arr, me hearties" and eye patches and bandanas are de rigueur.

 

25 thoughts to get you through almost any crisis

1. Indecision is the key to flexibility
2. You cannot tell which way the train went by looking at the track
3. There is absolutely no substitute for a genuine lack of preparation
4. Happiness is merely the remission of pain
5. Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
6. Sometimes too much drink is not enough
7. The facts, although interesting, are irrelevant
8. The careful application of terror is also a form of communication
9. Someone who thinks logically is a nice contrast to the real world
10. Things are more like they are today than they ever have been before.
11. Anything worth fighting for is worth fighting dirty for
12. Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler
13. Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate
14. I have seen the truth and it makes no sense
15. Suicide is the most sincere form of self-criticism
16. All things being equal, fat people use more soap
17. If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame
18. One-seventh of your life is spent on Monday
19. By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends
20. Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious
21. The more you run over a dead cat, the flatter it gets
22. There is always one more imbecile than you counted on
23. This is as bad as it can get, but don't bet on it
24. Never wrestle with a pig: You both get all dirty, and it annoys the pig
25. The trouble with life is, you're halfway through it before you realize that it's a 'do it yourself' thing

 

Give people what they expect at least

The native Americans had a beautiful definition of empathy. They say that you cannot know a person until you have spent at least three moons in their moccasins. The problem therefore for many business people is that they haven't walked in the moccasins of their prospects. They think like the person who owns the business, manages the business or works in the business instead of thinking like the prospect.

So what is it that prospects expect from you?

Well, when they do business with you the top three criteria by which they will measure you are:

1. Did you make me feel welcome?
2. Were you interested in me?
3. Did you solve my problems?

And of course the "you" referred to here all of your team, whether they are members of your sales, admin, technical or service team. It doesn't matter either whether it occurs at your place or theirs, or whether it's a face-to-face encounter or by telephone, e-mail, fax or mail.

So, how good are you and your team at making people feel welcome? Do they all know how to greet people and make them feel special or are you just leaving it to luck? Maybe you should spend sometime with the team making sure that your welcoming processes make people say "Wow!" and become the "way we do things around here."

Secondly, does each member of the team know the questions they should ask to build rapport, create confidence, gain information and set the prospect at ease? If not its worthwhile creating a script of the questions that could be asked depending on the prospect and the situation. In creating a script bear in mind that your prospect probably knows very little about your product or service so its worth asking "How much do you know about widgets?"

Finally, the reason that most people become prospects is because they have a problem and they're looking for a solution. So it's always important to find out what their real problem (need) is… and ensure that you solve it! You've got it made when they know you, like you, trust you and take your advice.

 

What great retailers do

David Jenkin, AM, started his retail career as a sales assistant and worked in every facet of retail until he was appointed a region chief executive and a director of the Myer emporium Ltd. Later in his career he has created innovative retail concepts, consulted on large scale shopping complexes, advised government on retail strategy and retail projects, and has been a board member of three national specialty chains. With all that knowledge and experience, it would have been a grievous oversight if he hadn't recorded his thoughts to the benefit of people in business. And he's done just that in a great book titled What Great Retailers Do, which I love for his down-to-earth practical advice and that it's full of fantastic Aussie examples.

In this audio clip David explains who he wrote it for:

I reckon that it's compulsory reading if you are in business, no matter what sort of business. Order it at www.bobsbooks.com.au

 

Great TV commercial

I like commercials that get the point across with a minimum of palaver… in other words their message is bleeding obvious. This one fills the bill and is funny too!

 

Business Growth Centre
ABN: 96 709 037 261
Postal: 110 Coleman Road, Boronia, Vic, 3155, Australia
Phone: +613 9887 5511   Fax: +613 9887 5581

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