Nine times out of ten, however, no one answers at which point I am faced with a series of questions:  “Should I leave a message?” “What do I say?” “How long should it be?” “Do I leave my phone number?” I may have scripted out the call itself, but what about your phone message? While talking to a prospect may be difficult, leaving a message can sometimes be even more of a challenge!

What about you?  Should you leave a message when you are making a sales call and nobody answers? I say YES! By all means leave a message! You can be relatively sure the prospect will take time to listen to it for a least a few seconds. With that kind of captive audience why wouldn’t you want to leave a message?

The key is to think ahead and give your message powerful impact.  My goal is to let them know I have thought of them and that it will be worth their while to call me back.

With that in mind, here are __ things YOU can do to make your next phone message more effective:

1. Rehearse!  Don’t go off the cuff. Know what you want to say and be clear in your tone and diction. Don’t mumble or stumble, and be sure you don’t sound like you are reading a script.
2. Focus on the needs of the person you are calling. That means you will need to do a bit of homework if you don’t know the person. If you know them, check the notes in your contact management system or read their LinkedIn profile to remind yourself about this person. S/he is more likely to return a “personal” call than a “sales” call, so make your message personal.
3. Don’t assume. At the end of your message state your name and phone number slowly. Leave it twice so they will have a chance to write it down.  Don’t assume they already have your information. Even if they do have it, they may have to dig to find it. Eliminate that option by giving it to them clearly.

Go ahead, leave a message. Be as prepared for NO answer as you are for an answer to your call. You will find that your sales calls are more effective when leave a message that focuses on the needs of the person you are calling — so be prepared to leave a message!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Lyrics | Billy Joel lyrics – A Matter Of Trust lyrics

Imagine that you are part of a group of professional bank robbers getting ready to make a heist. The stakes are high for everyone involved. There will be guns involved. Bullets may fly. People could get hurt. The consequences of making a mistake could mean that some or all of us end up in prison for many years. Someone might even get killed.

In this situation, all participants need to feel that they can trust each other to act according to plan. Each of the robbers must do their part – we need to trust each other. If everything goes the way it should, it will be said that each of the lying, thieving B@%tards have been trustworthy. Philosophers call this a “utilitarian” approach to ethics. If you are being trustworthy simply because it’s good for business, you are most likely practicing a utilitarian approach to trustworthiness.

The $10,000 question is, “does it matter?”

Does it matter if you are trustworthy simply because you know your business will gain from it?  Or is it better to be trustworthy due to some internal motivation?

Personally, I think the best approach is to have internal motivations for being trustworthy. Having those internal motivations will give you the strength to make the “right choice” under difficult circumstances. Being internally motivated means you have a strong moral center, and my “Pastoral-self” says that’s a good thing.

On the other hand, there is a hugely practical reason for external motivation as well. My “Businessman-self” says it doesn’t matter what the motivation is so long as my actions are trustworthy. As long as I’m being consistently trustworthy my customers can depend upon my behavior and will be able to trust me. Whether I’m internally motivated or externally motivated doesn’t matter — so long as I’m being trustworthy!

What do YOU think?  Is it better to be trustworthy due to internal motivational forces? Or does it matter?

Is “honor among thieves” good enough?

Is there someone in your work or private life that believes in you? I hope so, because sometimes those people are really all we have to keep us moving when moving feels impossible.

What about that person? Who does that person lean on in tough times? Do they lean on you? If not, why not? DO YOU HAVE THEIR BACK?

Even the strongest people among us need a word of encouragement from time to time. Even our cheerleaders need a cheerleader.

Your parents, your boss, your teachers, your mentor. . . the folks we think are the most “together” and those who provide encouragement to us, these folks need a word of encouragement themselves sometimes.

Put yourself in your bosses shoes for a minute. Think about the pressures they must be feeling.

Or Look below the surface at the life of the person who gives you support when you most need it. Do you the they run into challenges and have a bad day once in awhile? Of curse they do!

When was the last time you went to your cheerleader/support team and offered support or encouragement to them? If its been awhile, I recommend you do it NOW. Pick up the phone. Walk into the bosses office. Write a handwritten thank you note.

Go ahead. Do it NOW. Right this minute. It won’t take you very long, but I bet it will make a world of difference in that person’s life.

Most sales trainers would say something like, “Gee, how do you feel about that being broke thing? Because without self-promotion you are going to be broke.”

That in-your–face attitude may work to motivate sales people, but I find it rarely works with normal small business people who see sales as just one part of their business, and mostly as a necessary evil. Most small business people view sales as the unfortunate byproduct of being in business. It’s something they have to do in order to be able to do what they really love to do – Like help people, serve the community, build a really cool thing-a-ma-jig, or just make a living.

The problem is not with sales per se. It’s true that some sales people and sales trainers have gained a negative reputation by using coercive tactics to get people to buy things they don’t want or need. But it doesn’t have to be that way. What if you could view sales in a different way? What would happen to your business if you had a different, more positive attitude about sales? What if sales wasn’t about self-promotion, but instead about serving the customer? Would that make a difference? You bet it would!

In order to break out of the self-promotion model of selling you must first realize that your customers need and want what you have to offer. Of course, that assumes you are in fact offering something people need – which of course you DO! (Don’t you?)

There are people out there looking for you. They have needs that only you can fill. They have desires that you are uniquely qualified to help with. The pain they are experiencing is real, and you can help them…but you have to engage them in a sale first.

Stop thinking of sales as something that is negative or coercive. Think instead of it as being a way for hurting people to find you. In other words, stop “selling” and start “serving!”

Sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer is famous for saying, “People don’t like to be sold, but they sure love to buy.” If you don’t help them buy from you they might just get “sold to” from someone else. . . and it probably won’t be what they really need.

What can you do today to help you change from a sales mode to a service mode.

Every successful sales person knows that building trust is the quickest way to  strengthen loyalty and get people to do what you want them to do.  So does every successful manager, teacher and parent.  Build trust and you build a relationship that pays off.

Here are 3 quick ways to build trust with another person:

• Show appreciation. It is said that “people don’t care what you know until they know that you care about them.” The same is true of trust. Pay attention to the other person and show them that you appreciate what they have done for you. Your appreciation of the other person will get the trust ball rolling.
• Show that you trust them. When we trust the other person we make it is easier for them to trust us. It turns out that there is actually a bio-chemical explanation for this. Dr. Paul Zak and his team have identified a “moral molecule” that is found only in mammals — oxytocin. You can watch his TED Talk about it here: “Dr. Paul Zak – Trust, Morality — and oxytocin.” Showing our trust for the other person is one way to increase oxytocin in the other person — which turns on their trust for us.
• Be trustworthy. If you want someone else to trust you, you have to prove that you are worthy of their trust. Show integrity. Follow through on your commitments. Be honest.  Don’t talk behind another person’s back. Little things add up, so pay attention to them.

In this challenging economy it is tempting to slash prices or cut corners just to get the business. Do not (I repeat — DO NOT) go there! It’s a race to the lowest common denominator, and nobody wins. Instead, I suggest you focus on the most important aspect of any business — relationship!

People want to do business with people they know and trust, so If you want to have loyal customers you must first build trust. Make trust a vital part of your personal and corporate brand, and you will reap lasting benefits.

That point can be a tricky time in the sales process unless you have thought it through carefully.  Here are some tips to help you take the awkwardness out of a potentially awkward situation.

1. PRIOR to any sales conversation take time to identify ALL of the details that will be required during the close. This ahead of time — NOT when yo are meeting with a potential client.
2. Write a script that answers these questions in a logical sequence.  Begin with a transition statement like, “It sounds like we will be able to work together to accomplish ___________.  Here’s how it works…” Then work out all of the details including the price, how and when to pay (do you take checks? credit cards???), any payment terms, what they client needs to do to get started, where to sign the paperwork, etc.
3. Gather together (or create) any forms or other materials you will need into a “New Client Packet.” Be sure to take this packet with you to your sales meeting.
4. PRACTICE.  PRACTICE. PRACTICE.  You want to be able to go on auto-pilot while maintaining your cordial relationship with the client.  Any hint of confusion or hesitation on your part may cause your client to back away from the arrangement — which means YOU LOSE the sale.

Closing the sale doesn’t have to be difficult. Plan out all the details ahead of time, prepare your materials, and practice what you will say. This kind of preparation sets you apart as a professional who knows what you are doing.  It will help your client feel comfortable and excited about buying your product or services.

Well today is a day the whole world has been saving up for for three years.  LEAP DAY!  February 29 only happens once every 4 years.  Here’s the Wikipedia explanation of how and why.

So how do YOU feel about spending this day?  Excited? Victorious? Will you use it for good?  Will you celebrate?  Will you spend it wisely? As for me, well, I’ve got meetings and regular old work to do. . . but I plan to take time out at least a couple times today to celebrate the gift I’ve been saving up for.  How about you?

Happy Leap Day everybody!

My good friend Patty Marmann is an RN and an “Intimacy Expert.”  (Yes, it is exactly what it sounds like and you can check her out on Facebook) 

Patty reminds us that, “First and foremost, intimacy is not always about sex. We have intimate conversations with our partners, our children, our friends, and our customers. Intimacy in business and personal life allows for a deeper, stronger connection and understanding.”

What would it mean for you to develop an intimate relationship with your clients?  How would it help your business?

In business your reputation is built on trust. All things being equal, people would rather work with someone they know and trust — even if the fee is a little bit higher.

In order to take an accounting of how much your business depends on trust, just think about two key numbers:

1. The first is the percentage of your business that rides on your clients trusting you. In other words, what percentage of your business comes from the fact that you are trusted by your clients and customers?  I bet it’s close to 100%!
2. The second key number is your annual revenue goal.  How much money do you want or need to make in your business this year?

Now consider this, if most of your revenue depends on your ability to be trusted, what would happen if you could increase your trust-ability even by as little as 10%?  Theoretically you would increase your revenue proportionately.
So what is YOUR trust worth?  $500?  $5,000? $500,000,000? Or more?

In the past 20 years of working with individuals, families, and businesses to help improve the quality of their relationships, I have found one thing to be universally true: trust is an essential factor to the quality of relationships and business dealings. Improve your ability to be trusted and all sorts of good things happen.  Trust is one of the most important factors of doing business.

What can you do today to increase your trustworthiness?