– Hillel (30B.C.–10A.D.)
Babylonian scholar

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Sales time…

Today is 20% of your salesweek.

Two salesdays are 10% of your month. (A salesmonth is made up of roughly 21 days.)

To lose only two salesdays each month to fatigue or a desire to wait for a better day to make the call would be to lose more than a full month of salesdays each year.

Imagine if your income reflected your slow days… and know that in the long run, it probably does.

47 salesdays remain in the quarter. Tic toc.

(Who should you remind? Get your printable salesdays for 2012.)
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What if you checked email only 3 times a day?

Since November 2010, we’ve been doing this as a team at JustSell to see if it helps us.

Here’s what we’ve learned.
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Today is one month out from Christmas day.

In the SalesQuote we published on the day after Christmas, I highlighted some history of the day and suggested that the date itself was arbitrary and that we should carry the holiday’s spirit every day. A few subscribers were a bit annoyed with some of what I said (the original "Merry Today" post is here).

I just came across another piece written about a 100 years ago by a preacher that says what I was trying to say, but so much better. It’s called "Keeping Christmas" – something I plan to remind myself with on a weekly basis (about a 3-minute read). I hope you enjoy it.

Connect with Sam (guy behind this stuff)…

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– Chinese proverb

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Sales reminder…

It took a lot to bring in your customers. Make sure you keep them by continually radiating the sales culture internally. When you see an opportunity, seize it (for the good of everyone).

Sales results can be directly affected by the actions of your entire team – your receptionist, your implementation people, the people in collections, your delivery people. In some cases, you may not even know it.

Be the positive spark to others. It’s the right thing to do and it’ll help you sell (and retain) more as a result.

Get 5 ways to start right now.

(be SalesTough)
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To help you kick off the week… A beautifully shot and scored video of New York (5 minutes). I’ve found it puts me in a great state of mind to make good things happen. (Thanks to Mark Hurst for tipping us off. Surround yourself with good people, you’ll learn about good things.)

Connect with Sam (guy behind this stuff)…

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– Isabel Allende (1942 – )
Chilean-American novelist

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Sales investment…

Moving forward (now), make a conscious choice to flip that internal switch and focus on giving more for the dollars you earn (with your effort, with your product/ service) and you’ll find more will come your way. It may not always happen as quickly as you’d like, but it’s the better bet in the long run.

(pace your expectations… give more… enjoy more… just sell)
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What can you do for me on the price?

A fantastic question when you’re buying. An inevitable inquiry when you’re selling.

How would you and your team respond at this moment? Here are 2 solid thoughts on negotiating.
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When I think about today’s quote, it reminds me of Jon Stewart’s introduction of Bruce Springsteen at the Kennedy Center Honors program a couple years ago…

"Whenever I see Bruce Springsteen do anything, he empties the tank… every time. And the beautiful thing about this man is he empties that tank for his family, he empties that tank for his art, he empties that tank for his audience, and he empties it for his country. And we, on the receiving end of that beautiful gift are ourselves rejuvenated, if not redeemed."

That "every time" is what gets me.

Most of us don’t get the opportunity to empty the tank in such a cool way as Springsteen, but we can work to empty the tank and be rock stars in our own worlds.

As a subscriber to JustSell, you’re obligated to empty the tank (No Gomos*).

Over the weekend or during a well-earned break, you can enjoy Jon Stewart’s hilarious and moving introduction to Springsteen here (9.5 minutes).

*Gomo: Someone who goes through the motions. The Gallup poll people tell us 54% of us are in this category (they corporate speak it using the term… disengaged). Get a No Gomo wristband here. Get a No Gomo or No D-grunt printable reminder here.

Connect with Sam (guy behind this stuff)…

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– Mary Kay Ash (1918–2001)
American businesswoman

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Sales attention…

Beginning at the top of the next hour and through the next 48, challenge yourself (and your team)…

When you begin a discussion with a customer, prospect, or colleague, give that individual your complete attention until the issue at hand has been fully addressed.

Every single discussion. Every single interaction. The entire 48-hour period.

Don’t let a phone call interrupt an in-person conversation. Don’t let your email distract you from a phone call. Don’t let a passerby, instant messenger, ithing, droid, or berry take your attention away from someone standing right in front of you (or on the phone).

Remember… Sales is an interpersonal profession (and you’re a grown-up).

(Dig deeper and get 5 tips to giving better attention.)
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If you’ve not seen them or need a reminder (on the weekend or a well-earned break)…

A quick (2.5 min.) video made by Chick-fil-A to remind their employees that their customers are people and they may have things going on in their lives (a good thing to remember as you sell and service your prospects and customers). It’s lightened me up more than once.

A great little 15-minute video on the value of a smile, being encouraging and resilient, and the impact we have on others (even when we don’t realize it). Save this for outside your money hours (and maybe watch it with your kids over the weekend).

Connect with Sam (guy behind this stuff)…

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– Albert Einstein (1879–1955)
Swiss physicist

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Sales ego…

ego: noun: 1. the self 2. an inflated sense of self-significance

Imagine a world without ego. No…

• Toes to step on
• Feelings to hurt
• Fair shares to grab
• Territory to defend
• Fault to allocate
• Back to watch
• Last words to get
• Ideas to hold back
• Embarrassment to bear

• Battles to win
• Knowledge to prove
• Entitlement to have
• Encouragement to withhold
• Credit to seek
• Grudges to hold
• Jealousy to feel
• Revenge to take
• Hidden meanings to construe

Speak no ego. Be no ego.

(5 quick points to getting closer to less ego)
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So many of our SalesQuotes are hidden within greater thoughts and passages. The quote above is pulled from the excerpt below from Einstein’s essay, The World as I See It (in his book Ideas and Opinions).

"How strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he sometimes thinks he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people – first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependent, and then for the many, unknown to us, to whose destinies we are bound by the ties of sympathy. A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving." (Got kids? Pass this one along.)

Einstein was a Smover.
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Sometimes we get feedback from people who feel Einstein was German or American.

Here’s what we know… He was born in Germany and moved to Switzerland at the age of 17. Five years later (1901), he acquired his Swiss citizenship. Apparently in 1914, he became a German citizen but "renounced his citizenship for political reasons and emigrated to America." In 1940, he became a U.S. citizen. (according to the Nobel Foundation).

That combined with the following quotation in a letter he wrote to Alfred Kneser in 1918 had us believing he would much prefer being referred to as Swiss rather than German.

"I am by heritage a Jew, by citizenship a Swiss, and by makeup a human being, and only a human being, without any special attachment to any state or national entity whatsoever."

Connect with Sam (guy behind this stuff)…

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– George Lucas (1944 – )
American film director, producer and screenwriter

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Sales evaluation…

Do your actions…

1. create a positive buzz about you and your work?
2. make others want you as a part of their team?
3. make your employer cringe at the thought of losing you to a competitor?
4. make your customers excited about referring you to their colleagues?

You want your actions to scream value without the need for you to say a word. This is where you want to be – with those in your company and industry – and with those to whom you’re selling.

This is what creates true economic and job security – the value you and your team create for others.

This is care (what it’s all about).

When you have the opportunity over the next few days, set a reminder to review these four questions at the end of each month. Then, give yourself a little (objective) attention by reviewing them and creating an action plan to improve in each area where you feel you should.

Easier said than done… still needs to be done.

Use this link and dig deeper and learn the 6 fundamentals of sales value (SalesTough Principle #8 – What’s SalesTough?)
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"Work is about a search for daily meaning as well as daily bread, for recognition as well as cash, for astonishment rather than torpor; in short, for a sort of life, rather than a Monday-to-Friday sort of dying."

Studs Terkel (1912 – 2008)
American writer, journalist, broadcaster
Pulitzer Prize winner (print it)

Outside the money hours, enjoy this clip from NPR – the story around Studs Terkel’s book "Working" – actual recordings from a few of his interviews for the book.

Particularly heartwarming (seriously… if you don’t get a little teary-eyed with Therese, check your pulse): Delores the waitress Loving Her People (at 1:50 to 3:00), Terry the newspaper boy on collections and his spending problem (at 3:30 to 4:45) and Therese on being "just a housewife" (at 6:45 to 8:10). I’m playing it for my kids.

Connect with Sam (guy behind this stuff)…

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–Bill Gates (1955 – )
American businessman
Co-founder and chairman of Microsoft

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Sales thought…

You can draw value from a naysayer or cynic by remaining objective and positive in your thinking (yes, it can be tough).

Occasionally, they’ll point out valid hurdles or challenges you haven’t seen (even if they present it like an @ss). With their help, if you can remain objective (and keep your ego in check), you’ll have a better chance of getting something valuable from the interaction.

Stay objective. Be no ego. Get value.

(5 ways to get your ego out of the way)
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annoy: (uh-’noi) verb: to disturb or irritate especially by repeated acts

The last thing we want to do is annoy them (our prospects & customers).

It’s never our intent. But our intent doesn’t matter.

What we do matters.

Here are the sales facts… 16 things that annoy our prospects and customers and the 5 things they really want.

(Leaders: Let your team in on this one and be sure to consider the replacement activities.)

For many salespeople (especially those that classify themselves as hunters), service and follow-up activities are often the most overlooked part of the sales process. But if it’s less cold calling you want (does anyone want more?), it’s your service and follow-up that’ll get you there. While prospecting is something that should always be done, it doesn’t need to be done cold in all cases. Implementing a deliberate and proactive service and follow-up schedule can help you get closer to that utopia where business comes to you by word-of-mouth and referral rather than through the 100 dials = 50 contacts = 10 appointments = 3 proposals = 1 sale formula.

Nothing fancy here. It’s simply a matter of taking a look at what you feel should happen after you close something, writing it down, and making a checklist so that you’re sure you’re maximizing the value of your existing base of customers. Keep in mind, these activities also will not only help you get more non-cold calling business but will also help you retain your current customer base.

On your own or with your team (preferably outside the money hours), work through the guidelines and thought prompts below to create a service and follow-up schedule that pertains to your particular sales world.

Start taking full advantage of a pool of prospects who are more likely to take your call… your customers. You’ll be doing the right thing from a service standpoint, getting to know upcoming needs to make additional sales, locking out your potential competitors, and getting business from their colleagues. After all, it’s your paying customers who should get the majority of your saleslove – give it to them. Shake and bake (and Just Sell).

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Your service & follow-up schedule

Objective:

• Show gratitude
• Affirm buyer’s decision
• Minimize potential buyer’s remorse
• Address potential challenges as they arise (before they grow into something worse)
• Identify upcoming needs to develop more sales
• Retain customers and lock out competitors
• Obtain referrals & word-of-mouth prospects

(be sure to work through this using pen to paper or fingers to keyboard)

What is my current service & follow-up schedule?

What happens once a contract is signed or a sale is made? Be sure to include the time intervals when each of the service and follow-up activities take place (e.g., thank you email is sent upon verbal commitment, thank you note is mailed upon receipt of signed contract, etc.)

What service & follow-up activities would I like if I were the buyer of my product/ service (activities not currently done)?

• Thank you call, email, note, and/or gift
• An initial feedback phone call following implementation
• A technical and/or customer service inquiry by another department
• A feedback phone call or letter after some period of time of usage of product/ service
• An annual/ quarterly/ monthly feedback call or letter
• An annual/ quarterly/ monthly breakfast/ lunch/ dinner to address needs or for continued relationship development

What service & follow-up activities could I add to my schedule that would potentially drive additional sales from my customer?

• Send a helpful third-party book addressing another area where you have a solution
• Send a customer newsletter with helpful ideas for their particular world (business or home)
• Send relevant industry news stories or trade magazine articles
• Give a plant or headquarters tour

What service & follow up activities could I add to my schedule that would potentially drive referrals and word-of-mouth prospects?

• Send a note asking for referrals
• Call or arrange a meeting where you can ask for referrals
• Send several pre-done postcards with stamps for your customer to send to friends/ colleague
• Who might benefit by talking with you about your product/ service
• Send referrals to your customer

Once complete, bring your current service & follow up activities together with the items you developed from the final three questions and create your formal service & follow-up schedule. Put it in a spreadsheet or create a binder with an individual checklist for each new customer/ sale. Keep a small box of individual checklists on index cards. Bottom line… Make it something simple so it gets done and you can drive more sales.

Handled as an account management function of the sales department or by another department altogether, customer service is another opportunity to enhance your company’s relationship with existing customers and prospects. To improve service is to improve the experience at each and every point of interaction that customers and prospects have with your company. (For simplicity throughout this guide, customers and prospects will be referred to only as customers. Both should be treated equally well because it’s the right thing to do. But remember, customers keep the lights on.)

Remember, quality customer service is defined by the individual experiencing it, not you (and perception is realitiy). Your goal is to exceed expectations (you’re a Smover, aren’t you?)

The customer service checklist is your guide to deliberately identifying your points of customer interaction and scripting the experience – orchestrating something wonderful (mediocrity is for your competition and the airline industry). It begins by identifying the points of interaction and then asking…

1. What does the customer want at this moment?
2. What experience does the company want to provide the customer?

And remember, it’s not only the people in sales and customer service that can get, lose, or retain a customer. It’s everyone.

Be sure to radiate the sales culture.

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Before the sale…

Identify all possible points of interaction between your prospect/ customer and your company before the sales process even begins…

• Brochure received
• Letter received
• Telephone call answered
• Others?

As a team, identify your points of interaction and decide what experience you want your customers to have at each point. Write down what you feel that experience should be and create a script to orchestrate the desired outcome. For example…

Interaction: Inbound telephone call

Experience: All inbound calls are answered before the third ring with a pleasant greeting (smiling) using the company name and the person’s first name.

“Thank you for calling ABC. This is Tom. How can I help you?”

Some thought prompts to help you…

• How easy is it for customers to contact the correct department/ person/ office?
• How easy is it for customers to contact your company by phone/ fax/ email?
• Is your phone number clearly listed on all your collateral materials, including your web site (on all pages)?
• How quickly is the phone answered? Does everyone strive for the same standard (e.g. all inbound calls will be answered before the third ring)?
• Are customers greeted with a smile (on the phone or in person)?

During the sale…

Identify the typical interactions between your customers and your company during the sales process…

• Need account information to place an order
• Asks about product
• Asks about delivery times
• Others?

As a team identify the typical interactions during the sales process and decide what experience you want your to have at each point. Write down what you feel that experience should be and create a script to orchestrate the desired outcome. For example…

Interaction: Customer doesn’t remember her account number

Experience: People are trained how to efficiently look up an account number using another piece of information.

“That’s not a problem. Would you mind confirming the spelling of your company name for me?”

Some thought prompts to help you…

• Are your people smiling and pleasant throughout the process? (Are they Smovers?)
• Are your people fully attentive to the customer?
• Are your people efficient in conducting the transaction?
• Are your people trained to “lead” customers through the transaction so it’s easy for the customer?
• Is the transaction process efficient? Does it require unnecessary information or duplicate information?
• Is the customer ever required to wait too long to finish the transaction?
• Do your people sincerely thank customers for the transaction?

Script the desired experience for the top three transaction types and common interactions. Train your people who handle these interactions on how to deliver the ideal customer experience from greeting to thanking the customer for the order.

After the sale (problem resolution)…

Identify the typical challenges or mistakes that might occur after a sale…

• Order received incomplete
• Order did not arrive yet
• Account was over billed
• Others?

Create scripts for how each of these typical problems should be handled. Remember that with problem resolution, each problem is unique and the process should include opportunities for your people to handle the problem efficiently (by doing things right) and serving the customer effectively (by doing the right things). For example…

Interaction: Customer calls with a technical question and can’t find the right person to help

Experience: People are trained to handle the call with a sense of urgency and minimize downtime for the customer.

“I’m sorry we’ve not made it easy for you. I’m going to personally make sure I find the correct person for you. Would you like me to call you back in five minutes or do you want to stay on the line while I do this?”

Some thought prompts to help you…

• Does the resolution process begin with a sincere apology? (I’m sorry you experienced that. I’m sorry the purchase didn’t meet your expectations. I’m sorry, I’ll take care of you.)
• Are your frontline people trained to solve basic problems?
• Do your frontline people know how far they can go to resolve problems?
• Do your people take ownership of the problem and ensure it’s either handled or personally make sure the correct person handles it?
• Do your people listen attentively (never interrupting) and apply that information to the resolution? (This helps make the customer feel understood and better served.)
• Does the process make sure your people are communicating next steps to the customer and explain how the problem will be resolved?
• Is there a sense of urgency to the resolution process?
• Do representatives make and keep commitments (no matter how small)?

Remember, sometimes it’s how well you handle a mistake that creates a loyal customer.

Now go serve someone.~>