Two-Way Communication: The Difference Between Winning and Showing Up

Mar 6

Posted in Sales strategies & techniques | Comment

I am a Very Proud Canadian!

As a very proud Canadian, I felt a little disappointed when the Canadian Olympic women’s pursuit skaters made the decision to not communicate with their coach during such an important race. That decision may have cost them the podium. The Canadian men’s team used trackside signs to communicate with their coach which told them how far ahead or behind they were from their opponents with winning results. An unexpected Gold medal was won. The women decided to focus on their own instincts to assess their performance.

Not being an Olympian, I won’t criticize the approach, but as a trainer and salesperson I see this approach taken far too often. Sales people often do not want feedback on their performance. Often we think, “I have been selling for so long, there is little more I can learn”. This method should not preclude checking in to see how well we are doing so we are able to measure our performance.

I often coach very experienced business developers. Their superiors force some into the sales training environment; some make the choice to improve their performance; and others just want to know how they are faring. Under any circumstance, I admire the individuals who look into the mirror to see their performance.

The sales people I admire most are the ones who are the most accomplished; like the Canadian women’s pursuit team prior to the Olympic race. These sales people are the individuals that know they have performed well historically. Unlike the women’s team however, the sales people I admire are the ones who know that sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. Without feedback on an ongoing basis, they will never know how they fare. I too attend training in a number of areas, sometimes to learn a skill or a new business practice, sometimes to check if I have covered all my bases.

If no one ever provides us with feedback how will we ever know if we are doing everything in our power to be successful? Some managers are hands-on and you will get that continued feedback. Others are not. Whether a part of, or your entire job is focused on building business, you will need to get feedback in order to perform at your best.

When it comes to the biggest business opportunities, you don’t want to find out that you don’t know what you don’t know after the business is awarded…or while you are watching your biggest competitor receive the Gold.

Action: After every meeting ask yourself, what went well, what could I have done better? If you are with a colleague, as them for the two things that they thought you did well, and the two things they thought you could do more effectively next time. By asking for two things, you will receive specific information, rather than vague — “it was good” or “you were fine.”  This type of feedback will limit your ability to perform better the next time.

A Rose by Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet. But Why Not Call it a Rose?

Feb 22

Posted in Sales strategies & techniques | Comment

My name is Suzanne F. Stevens. Not Sue Stevens, not Susan Stevens, not Suzanne Stephens, not Suz, not Sam, not Susan, certainly not Mr. Stevens, and definitely not Suzanne Somers!

Now that I have that off my chest, how many people will actually remember my name? Over the course of my life, I always thought I was blessed with a simple name, yet just different enough because I had the more ‘formal’ variation of “Susan”. But my blessing has now become my demise.

If you Google Suzanne Stevens, you will find thousands of results. As a speaker, this makes it very difficult for people to find me. Now I go by Suzanne F. Stevens. Beyond being difficult to be found, there is a bigger challenge – people continuously say my name incorrectly. Over the past year, many people have decided to call me something different, whether I am in a professional or personal environment or whether they have known me for a day or for years. The good news is I do believe they are trying to call me by what they think my name is, rather than using less flattering adjective.

What happened? Have people stopped paying attention? Are we moving so fast that we are not listening to each other anymore? Do our iPhones, Blackberries or expansive to-do lists distract us? Or are we just too shy to ask, “Can you please pronounce or spell your name?” None of these excuses are acceptable when it relates to establishing a business relationship.

Dale Carnegie said in his book How to Win Friends and Influence people: “Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”

Mispronouncing a name can happen, and social environment, for the short-term, I let it go. In a professional environment however, you are tampering with a person’s brand, and this is where I hear mispronunciations happen most often.

I think the only thing more inexcusable than saying someone’s name improperly is writing it incorrectly. Although, writing my name incorrectly has a lot less impact, in my environment. I am amazed how often people will start emails to me with “Hello Susan”, even after I have sent them an email signed “Suzanne”, or “Dear Mr. Stephens”; someone entered this name in a database incorrectly. I do not respond to the emails addressed to Mr. Stephens; in my view, that is a surefire way of alienating the recipient.

I can only imagine if my name were Dolores, Leah or Zain…

These observations of distracted, lazy, or just uninterested human behaviours are less about getting my name correct than conducting a due diligence when it comes to clients’ names. These missteps can be obstacles to winning business. If you repeatedly get your client’s name wrong, you may leave them with amnesia of your name when they need your services.

Action:Stop. Make sure you have the correct name. If you can’t get it right, your clients may ask themselves, “What else are you not paying attention to?”

“That’s not my name“ – a great tune that says it all.

Hugs & Kisses: A Valentine’s Gesture for Client Loyalty

Feb 16

Posted in Business Strategies | 2 Comments

My husband and I were enjoying a wonderful Valentine’s Day afternoon and decided to stop by our local pub.  When we arrived, we received a personalized Valentine’s Day card and a Hershey’s Hugs & Kisses chocolate from our waitress.

I was flattered and impressed. As a businessperson I could not stop but think about the implications of receiving this gesture. Did everyone get one?  Did Jenny know we were coming in today? Did she have some spare cards and chocolates in her purse just in case a particular customer came in? The biggest question – did it matter?

Here is someone who took some time to think of her patrons and bought a little something to show her customers that she appreciated them. A little time and a little money I believe created a huge result. I couldn’t help but feel a little more loyal to Jenny as a result of her kind gesture.

What are you doing in your business to create that same sort of loyalty? You may often feel as if you are interrupting your clients if you give them a call to inquire how they are doing.  If you don’t have a purpose for the call or an established relationship, you could be right about your call being an interruption.

Think about your clients. What would they appreciate?

  • An article that is focused on their business
  • A referral
  • Insight into their business
  • A note of congratulations on an achievement
  • A hand-written note, perhaps thanking them for business
  • Setting-up a conversation that discusses strategy
  • An invitation to an event that is important to them

The more personal the gesture, the more meaningful it will be to the recipient. If you are sending articles about business, be sure to mention to your client that you remembered they had expressed an interest in a particular subject and thought you would enjoy this article.

I tend to keep it simple. Over the years, whether I was bartending in my younger days or now leading an organization, I send thank you cards to demonstrate appreciation. Many of my clients with whom I have the best relationships, often say, “It was so nice to receive a hand written card”.

When was the last time you gave a client a Hug or a Kiss? Symbolism is important here.
What are you doing to keep client loyalty? I would recommend that you make it genuine. People want to connect; they don’t want to feel like they are a means to an end.

Action: Call a client that you haven’t spoken to in a while, or send them a note. I promise, your genuine consideration will pay dividends.

Hearing is Believing: Presenting to What an Audience Wants

Feb 8

Posted in Presentation Skills | Comment

In my last entry, I spoke about looking in the mirror, knowing when to look closely and when to avoid constant scrutiny. In this entry I am asking you to look closely at who is in your audience when you are presenting to win business.

Let’s say you decide to buy a new computer. The sales person starts explaining to you all the bells and whistles of the Mac OS X (my latest purchase). While he is giving his sales pitch, you are growing noticeably impatient. At no point during the one-way data dump does he find out how you plan on using the computer; what you do for a living; who your clients are; if you need to share information internally; what you may need to be successful; or why are you are considering a Mac, when you have been a long-time PC user!

By finding the answer to such specific questions the sales person would be able to learn that:

You work in a business environment;

Yes, you need to share information with PC users (affecting what software you buy);

You are using it for video editing;

You plan on creating DVDs;

You will be editing pictures.

He would be finding out your expectations for a new computer, why you feel a Mac would meet your requirements, and whether you are impressed with this Mac. These important details might secure the sale of not only the Mac, but also all the related software.

Now, you may think: “I wouldn’t want my retailer to ask me so many questions”. On the other hand, if a sales person is going to help you with the “right” solution rather than just “a” solution, then why not? This information might save you time and money as you try to set up the Mac to meet your business needs.

Let’s take this philosophy and apply it to your high-stakes business presentations.

I often find myself at the back of a training room critiquing very qualified individuals making business presentations that could potentially win them lucrative contracts. No matter what industry I work with- finance, engineering, media, architecture, research, or public relations – it seems presenters always start their presentations with “our company, its history, and what we can do for you”. It’s like watching ‘Ground Hog Day’. Many of these companies are very successful in their own right, so they must feel confident that their presentations are effective. But will this approach work some of the time, most of the time, or all of the time? My experience tells me it works some of the time. Nothing works all of the time, so I will focus on most of the time.

To increase the chances of winning business, “influencing tools” are the magic wand. The power of influence comes from knowing the other party. If we don’t know who we are speaking with, how can we influence them? We can’t.

Learning about your audience by looking online, searching their name, and asking your network are all good places to start, but your preparation is far from complete. To find out what clients want (notice, the intentional use of WANT, not NEED—“need” is to survive, “want” is to prosper), you need to ask questions about their previous experiences and listen to how they are motivated emotionally (ego, trust, safety), politically (hierarchy, how we do things), and culturally (their unspoken biases).

Before getting up in front of a room to present, you should know as much as possible about everyone in the audience. Seems like an insurmountable task? Maybe, but remember these tips as you plan your next presentation: the more you know, the more you can address their specific issues; the less you know, the more fatal assumptions you will make. Without information or understanding of your audience’s perspective, the more you are throwing information against the wall in the hopes that it will stick.

Your next presentation will be improved if you can answer the following questions:

  • Who is in my audience?
  • Who are the decision-makers?
  • What is their decision-making process?
  • Who are the key influencers?
  • What are their experiences with providers?
  • What does my audience value?
  • What is the level of understanding of my topic?
  • What are their key issues?
  • How do they like to receive information?
  • What do I have in common with them?
  • What are their expectations of the presentation?
  • What will motivate them to accept the information or recommendation? (Emotional, rational, political & cultural, motivators)
  • How will they describe my presentation to peers?

Even if you know how only one member of the audience would answer these questions, it will help, but it usually is not enough. In any presentation, it is the unknown that is your enemy; you don’t want to find yourself in a pack of wolves as you describe “our company, its history, and what we can do for you”!

Next Steps: When preparing your next presentation, take the time to ask your clients what they want, in order to increase your chances of winning the opportunity. What are their experiences? What do they hope to gain from your presentation? What is important to them? Why are they changing providers or starting a new initiative? Watch how your audience listens to your entire presentation. Better yet, watch them take positive action after your presentation.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Sales and Business Strategies You Can See

Feb 2

Posted in Business Strategies | 3 Comments

After the holidays, I was chatting with a girlfriend about the gifts our husbands had bought us. I was quite impressed with the amount of care my husband put into my gifts; but I must admit, one of my girlfriend’s gifts gave me more thought.

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Proceed with Caution!

She received a mirror that acts like a microscope highlighting all the facial flaws. I too have this mirror. I have found that, when I take a peek, I ask myself: “Where are the years going?” “Where did that line come from?” “When did I get that age spot?” Looking into the mirror is almost like an addiction: I am not perfect! OH I KNOW… but who else will find out?

Then I realized no one looks at me that closely, except myself. I realized that flaws are there because of the years of living and without all these experiences, I would not be the person I am today.

My girlfriend decided never to look in the mirror. She told her husband to return it. Perhaps a wise decision.

As we look at our goals for 2010, we cannot help but reflect, with some satisfaction, on the past year and what we have achieved; then we look, perhaps with some regret, at what we were going to achieve and never did. This is the process I went through personally and professionally.

I always challenge myself to do better. Last year, I puzzled over how much time I should be spending on social media. As a speaker, trainer and coach, other speakers questioned me not once, not twice, but a hundred times: “Aren’t you on Facebook yet? Do you have a blog? How often do you tweet?” Between the social media inundation and the learning curve of Search Engine Optimization, I was a sales person gone mad.

I listened to their advice and considered every possible way to improve the marketing of Ignite Excellence to our potential clients. I can see now that I was looking too closely in the mirror at our social media presence. I was trying to hide every age spot, hydrate every line, and pop every pimple.

Then I took a holiday. I turned off my computer and cell phone. The world was going to wait while I took a well-deserved break.

I returned to work on January 11th, looked at all my marketing initiatives and discovered that nowhere do we say that Ignite Excellence is a sales development company! How could I have missed that? All our marketing initiatives promoted how Ignite Excellence works with people to influence, differentiate, and engage more people and more business. But nowhere was it clear that we are a sales development company.

For the first time I saw the problem clearly. There were no lines, (ok, a 40-something woman can hope), my skin was clear and I felt great.

This epiphany opened other channels of discovery. For months I was challenged with coming up with a way to position Suzanne F. Stevens as a keynote speaker. I looked at our client list. All our clients are highly educated, smart people. I was challenged at positioning how our sales training takes us beyond the process and to understanding the real emotions, culture and politics of individuals and an organization. Even the highest producers in organizations would say “Ignite Excellence Programs are different” but I couldn’t come up with one title to bring it together. Finally, it came to me…Suzanne F. Stevens – Maven Sales Mobilizer!

So bring on 2010! Go ahead… set your goals and make your plans on how you will achieve them. But I caution you: don’t be so focused on your goals that you stop seeing what is right in front of you. Back off once and a while. Turn off the phone, and clear your head.

And please, put that that nasty mirror away, at least temporarily. Often, what you need to improve the most is so obvious that seeing all those imperfections may only distract you from an inspiration waiting to be discovered.

Today I launch my blog. It may not be perfect, but, for now, I am stepping back from the mirror.

Next Steps: Be cautious about over-analyzing your faults. Take a break, refresh, and come back to the problem with fresh eyes. Then, insights that were masked by day to day flaws will appear obvious.