Starting a sales call by talking about your product is easy…particularly if you believe in what you do. Having a rehearsed opening, and listing all the benefits, is a standard approach for many salespeople. The problem is… only if you are lucky, will one of those benefits actually be of interest to the client. You may find that a fair percentage of your calls languish or fail if this is how you start.

Try starting a sales call with a question. Do your homework first so you know some answers before you ask the question. For example: look at their website, read a brochure, do a Google search, walk their store, quiz the receptionist…and more… Knowing the answer before you ask it will prevent you from asking the wrong question that ends a conversation. The best questions will hook your prospective client into a relevant discussion.  Get them talking about the problem you can solve and what life will be like for them when that issue is checked off their “to-do” list.

Master salesmen never ask a question they don’t already know the answer to…and they have also already thought of the follow-up question(s) they will ask next. For example, a simple opening question might be about how business is going.  Ask — what do they see are the opportunities and problems today? You will learn a lot and it will help you frame the rest of your whole sales presentation. 

The next question is critical…it must be specifically about an area where you can help them and establishes why you are taking their time. You need them to tell you why they want you there and how to proceed. Good questions will tell you what benefits to emphasize later. 

I always like asking the question, “What do you like about the current solution you want to replace?”…then head towards the “don’t likes.” It creates a more positive feel to the discussion.

The baseball season opens in a few short weeks…and for me and many baseball fans, life begins on opening day.  It seemed appropriate that I saw a message today that read:

“Progress always involves risk. You will never make it to second base with your foot firmly planted on first”

 Go for it!

The internet is a great place to look for inspiration.  Besides having great information about how to design websites, Smashing Magazine is a very-cool-place to see what is new in graphic design.  Have fun getting lost in this website!

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”

                John Wooden

The character of a person, business or nation is defined by its value system.

When we do a Ninety-day Strategic Brief we start with mission, vision and values.

• Mission — is what you do
• Vision — is what you are striving for
• Values — are the guiding principles or deeply held beliefs that you conduct all business by

What are values that define you, your business or the people you choose to elect or follow? Here is a list to ponder.  How would you order these, starting with the most important ones first?

• Respect
• Responsibility
• Commitment
• Perseverance
• Integrity
• Discipline
• Trustworthiness
• Patience
• Compassion
• Fairness
• Cooperation
• Courage
• Cleanliness
• Loyalty
• Helpfulness
• Friendliness
• Cheerfulness
• Reverence

Check out this video!

 http://ramblingraiders.blogspot.com/2008/02/i-am-wes-welker.html

 When Wes Walker of the New England Patriots was a lad, I bet his mom read him the following poem…he certainly acts like it!

 Here are the famous first two stanzas:

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
But, he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.

So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, as he did it….

For the whole poem go to:

http://www.whitedovebooks.co.uk/inspiration/poems.htm

Every business (and individual) needs to set a goal or two every so often and then accompany it with a plan that includes a way to publicly measure progress. It is not hard if you break the goal down into little FIRST steps. It is time to stop fighting fires, step back and take action for the “long term” of the business or yourself. This includes all businesses…even you doctors, lawyers, consultants, salesmen and programmers! 

Here are just a few ideas for a 2008 goal:

• Write down what keeps you up at night
• Make a plan for last year’s goal that includes a progress graph
• Think of a small and easy first step towards last year’s goal
• Increase your company or organization sales/customer base
• Become more efficient in what you make or do
• Find another larger account
• Explore a foreign market
• Expand your local service area
• Develop a new product
• Communicate better with your staff
• Learn a new skill
• Acquire deeper knowledge in a business area
• Upgrade your staff with training
• Replace weak links in personnel
• Find more personal time
• Share your knowledge
• Start an exit or succession plan

It is most healthy to start this process with a personal plan:

• Write down what keeps you up at night
• Make a plan for last year’s goal that includes a progress graph
• Think of a small and easy first step towards last year’s goal
• Become more financially secure
• Spend more time with family
• Help a friend
• Become an expert in something
• Read more
• Exercise more
• Lose weight
• Find more personal time
• Get a hobby or learn an instrament
• Go for more walks with your family/partner

Doctors say half the battle for recovery is identifying (or admitting) you have a problem…taking action and measuring progress is the only way to reach that goal.

When I was young, and cutting my teeth in sales, I noticed something…When the boss came to my sales territory, sales went up. Was it me or the boss…? I say me because it forced me to do my job more thoughtfully. I planned and organized better and was forced out of my routine. I wanted to impress management so I made sure we made only good sales calls.

I also enjoyed the one-on-one time with the boss; it was great to learn more about the company and share ideas as well as watch how he sold. When I moved into management, I saw other good salesmen act the same way. If they didn’t, I took it as a warning sign of a bigger problem.

As a leader, if you want to make things happen get out in the field and travel with your sales reps or dealers. The good ones will welcome it and you will help them close more business. Moreover, you will learn first-hand what is really going on “out there.”

Finally, when you are with the rep, be excited about your product. (It is shocking how often people forget this!) Before the call, review with the salesperson the important benefits of your product, or service, that is unique to that customer. Think of questions to ask during the call that relate to those benefits. Let your rep respond to the answers. Make mental notes during the presentation about the sales call. Once you are away from the customer’s business, review your notes in an encouraging way – beginning with what went right.

See the fumy looking guy in the center of this picture….that is Santa alright! I had the privilege of representing the golly old elf at the Holiday Movie children’s event for the Venice Family Clinic this year. Above you can see me, my trusted elves and some children who enjoyed the show and Christmas gifts. It was really fun and all for a great cause!

Here is some info on the event if you would like to learn more.

Merry – Happy!

The Children’s Holiday Movie event benefits the pediatric programs of the Venice Family Clinic. We are pleased to report that this year’s event has raised over $110,000 in proceeds and growing! It’s not too late to make a contribution, if you would like to donate to Children’s Holiday Movie and the Clinic’s pediatric programs please go to www.venicefamilyclinic.org or call my direct line (310) 664-7940. Proceeds are used to improve the lives of over 6,000 children who rely on the Clinic for their medical care. The Clinic provides a wide range of services, from well-baby and well-child exams to chronic diseases management for illnesses such as asthma and diabetes. Venice Family Clinic cares for children year-round, helping them to grow into healthy adults.

Think it over….You want an email address on your website so customers can contact you directly and before you know it you are getting 100 email SPAMs every day.  How do you “make the bad man stop?” 

The problem is SPAMers use little spiders (or bots) to crawl the internet locating emails to SPAM from websites. The people who bring you SPAM have been collecting emails for years and once they get yours it takes a lot of work to turn it off. It is a pain, but worth doing.

If you are an individual or small business here are some suggestions:

1. You can host your own emails. This means buying a dedicated PC and purchasing a hardware solution installed on that computer to stops SPAM.  Besides buying the computer you need someone to set up this PC and maintain it. This will require having an IT person on staff or finding an outside support service. Outside support seems to cost about $120 an hour right now.

2. You can purchase Postini software which is the best online SPAM protection software. You buy a Postini license for each email address in your company and it cost between $5-$10 dollars per email address per month to use.  Every email sent runs through this online software and it sorts out what is SPAM and what is legitimate email. It does a very good job but can slow email transmission speed down.  All email SPAM is saved in a virtual folder which you can check and delete from time to time.

3. A less expensive way to get Postini is to have your website hosted by Clever Concepts http://cleverconcepts.com/ (a Reynolds Group affiliate) who will host your website for under $30 per month and provide Postini for $1.50 per user email address per month. This is a very good solution from a reliable company.

4. Finally, you can try my trick. I was getting 40 spam messages a day on the tom@reynoldsgroupweb.com web email address that is on both the contact page of my website and my calling cards. First, I went to the control panel on my website and changed the email address from going directly to me to being forwarded to my newly created Google Gmail email account. This email service is free from Google but you have to be invited to join. (Call or email me and I will invite you.) Google has outstanding SPAM protection and acts like a filter, stopping all the SPAM I was getting from that account. It was very easy to set up and Gmail does a great job of sorting the good email from the bad.

The only downside to this trick is that I had to set up a new company email address that I can use from my computer. I will not publish this email on my website.

The SPAM has stopped! I will miss receiving the hundreds of emails a week about drugs, lonely women and enhanced body parts…not!

Every website design starts with the company’s logo. The logo dictates the graphics, colors and fonts of the website. It is the cornerstone of every page and must communicate who you are and what you do quickly. Most websites have the logo in the upper left hand corner of every page because that is where the eye begins scanning a page.

Wikipedia defines a logo as follows:

A logo (Greek- logotipos) is a graphical element, (Ideogram, symbol, emblem, icon, sign) that, together with its logotype (a uniquely set and arranged typeface) form a trademark or commercial brand. Typically, a logo’s design is for immediate recognition, inspiring trust, admiration, loyalty and an implied superiority. The logo is one aspect of a company’s commercial brand, or economic entity, and its shapes, colors, fonts, and images usually are different from others in a similar market. Logos are also used to identify organizations and other, non-commercial entities.

Most business logos were not designed with the internet in mind. They were designed to look attractive and print well on calling cards, letterhead, catalogs and brochures. These logos don’t always translate well to a computer monitor. The wrong logo looks dull and can take up to much space on the screen. In short, the wrong logo will lessen the impact of the entire website.

Before you start designing a new website, it may be a good idea to have your logo either “freshened up” or redone to maximize the effect of your website. The cost of a new logo can range from $150 to $2,500. There are advantages to either depending upon your overall marketing plan and budget.