Work on the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ will come

Why the kids pictures on the website? I hear you ask…

Focus on the 'why', not the 'how'. Talk about it often and make it happen...

My daughter is currently just 6 years old. And she has mentioned on several occasions that she’d like to work with animals when she gets older. So we got talking about things and she also said she wanted to have a business card, just like daddy.

We talked more and I explained that she needed to think about all the things she thought ought to be on the card. We came up with pictures of animals and agreed to have a go at drawing some of the animals she wanted to work with.

Just like a child, she did exactly as I suggested and her excitement continues to develop. We have since worked on a business card – OK, I know she’s only 6, but the seeds are being planted when they’re most likely to germinate.

At no time did she come up with reasons why she couldn’t become a vet. I’ve already mentioned that there will be lots of hours of learning, working and difficulty in the process. Her response was ‘I know daddy, but I want to help animals be happy’. Because her ‘why’ is bigger than her ‘how’ I think we may have to get saving big-time for those university fees!

My point? be like child – focus on what you want, not what you’ve got to do…

Dreams are fun to chase – work is, well work. Make every day an opportunity to chase down your dreams (goals, target, ambitions, mission or whatever phrase works for you) in the pursuit of winning and you’ll find the hard stuff becomes part of the process of winning…

What is Selling?

From where I sit there are two ways you can approach selling:

Try to convince people that they all need your product or service OR find people who want your product or service and show them why you’re their best option

I prefer the latter…That’s why alongside crediting myself at the bottom of every WordPress website I design, I also credit the people who design the technical back-end bit of each site; WordPress.org and OrganicThemes.I realised a long time ago that I have two types of visitor – the person who wants to design their own site and the person who wants to let someone else do it. My role is to establish whether the ‘person who wants to design their own site’ really wants that or is there a hidden need driving it. If, after checking their needs, it still looks like they need to design their own site, then why would they ask me to do it? (If you’re one of those people, I’d recommend WordPress to run it and OrganicThemes if you want a premium theme).

as one of my American influences used to say: Mat, you can’t push noodles…

I embraced this idea and have found that noodles are easier to move if you pull them! So I spend my time looking for people who want control over their web (for this example) but don’t have the time or inclination to learn web design. They’ve already decided how they want to deal with their web requirements – in this case, my job is to establish exactly what they want their site to achieve and then guide them through the process to make it happen.

If you want to move spaghetti, pull it…

They don’t have the script…

For anyone who’s sold anything to someone else before, you’ll hopefully understand the difference between the facts and the perceptions of the other person. This post is a continuation of the discussion I often have about what people think.

All too often, we assume that what we know is common knowledge. Well common sense isn’t very common and I’m here to tell you that, when it comes to your business, products and services, people probably don’t know as much about it as you do. So don’t forget to tell them about little things that might seem obvious… 

For example, I’ve had customers ask me why their coffee is going to take a few minutes. Now, because I know all the aspects of the process, I realise that to expect the order to be ready in the 60 seconds it takes to make their coffee is foolish. But wait a minute – they don’t make coffee for a living do they? So why would I assume that they know?At this point, I would be mentioning a couple of things to explain the quality and processes we use to ensure their drink is the best it can be. Plus the fact that there might be another 50 or 60 people in the building who are also waiting for a drink. All of a sudden the customer realises the facts and now, they feel like it’s going to be worth the wait!The alternative is not to spot this opportunity and the customer may be misinformed and possibly a bit disgruntled. What I’m trying to say is that in every encounter we have, there is an opportunity to add value to the customers’ experience and to market ourselves at the same time.So next time you’re selling to someone, remember that they don’t have the script and let them in on a couple of things that will add to their understanding of your offer – you’ll both feel better and you’ll be breaking down barriers for the next time they come to buy from you.

ACTION…

Why not make a list of things you could talk about in your sales pitch that might seem obvious to you but, actually would add value to the customer. Make a note of a few key things and specific buzz words that you’ll use when talking to them. And then have a practise!

Stand out from the crowd

marketing

mar·ket·ing [mahr-ki-ting]–noun

1. the act of buying or selling in a market.2. the total of activities involved in the transfer of goods from the producer or seller to the consumer or buyer, including advertising, shipping, storing, and selling.

sale (sales pl. of)

[seyl]–noun

1. the act of selling.2. a quantity sold.3. opportunity to sell; demand: slow sale.4. a special disposal of goods, as at reduced prices.5. transfer of property for money or credit.6. an auction.

—Idioms

7. for sale, offered to be sold; made available to purchasers.8. on sale, able to be bought at reduced prices.

So, for the detailed amongst you, whilst the above definitions are accurate in their description successful sales & marketing is so much more.

Firstly, my definition of marketing is :Find a need and fill it…

The first step in that statement is to find a need - but how many of us have come up with the best solution in the world but haven’t taken enough time to find out if there’s anyone out there who actually needs it? My favourite illustration of this comes from Ann Martin ( http://www.annmartinassociates.com) who recently wrote: “Prescription BEFORE diagnosis is Malpractice”You can’t do enough research to find out what people need. Once you’ve established their problem, you can start working on the solution. But it needs doing in that order.

And please remember – start thinking about what the customer wants and how they want it – NOT what you sell and how much you need to make. If you can’t get the first bit right, you won’t get the second bit (which I realise, is the most important in reality)…

(more…)

Leaders are readers…

Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day -teach a man to fish & he’ll eat for a lifetime…

I’m opting for teaching people to find the answers themselves so here’s a short list of some of the books I’ve read that have impacted on my life in a positive way.

People Skills/Leadership:

• Why men don’t listen and women can’t read maps– Allan & Barbara Pease – How we’re different and what to do about it!
• Body Language – Allan Pease – The original body language book
• The art of dealing with people – Les Giblin – Master the art of dealing with people and start reaping the rewards!
• Questions are the answer – Allan Pease – How to get to ‘YES’ in sales/marketing situations
• How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie – The master of people skills

Attitude:

• Attitude is everything – Jeff Keller – Change you attitude and change your life!
• The magic of thinking BIG – David Schwartz – Set your goals high… and exceed them!
• Who moved my cheese? – Dr. Spencer Johnson – An amazing way to deal with change in your work and in your life
• The Fred Factor – Mark Sanborn – How passion in your work and life can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary – based on a true story
• Tough times never last, but tough people do! – Robert H Schuller – inspires and motivates the reader to a more creative lifestyle
• Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill – contains money-making secrets that can change your life
• The Richest Man in Babylon – George S Clason – Principles to help you keep more of what you earn
• Feel The Fear and Do It Anyway! – Susan Jeffers – Overcome the negative thoughts that have been holding you back and start winning in business and in life

Business Skills/Management:

• Raving Fans! – Ken Blanchard – A revolutionary approach to customer service
• Meet, greet and prosper – Roy Sheppard – A pocket guide to powerful networking techniques
• The on-time on-target manager – Ken Blanchard – How a ‘last-minute manager’ conquered procrastination
• How I raised myself from failure to success in selling – Frank Bettger – the most inspiring book on salesmanship you’ll ever read
• You call that $elling?- Tim Connor – 91 dumb things salespeople say and do to sabotage their success
• Developing the leaders around you – John C. Maxwell – How to help others reach their full potential
• 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader – John C. Maxwell – Becoming the person others will want to follow
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad – Robert Kiyosaki – What the rich teach their kids that you can learn too!

Goal Setting and Vision:

• Beyond the summit – Tod Skinner – Setting and surpassing extraordinary business goals
• Goal Setting 101 – Gary Ryan Blair – An easy, step-by-step guide for setting and achieving a goal
• Tipping Point – Malcolm Gladwell – How little things can make a big difference (trends – Mat)
• What to say when you talk to yourself – Shad Helmstetter – Learn to change your inner ‘self-talk’ to achieve things you never thought possible

the Nitty Gritty:

• the prodigal God – Timothy Keller – recovering the heart of the Christian faith
• Freedom in Christ – Steve Goss – blows away many of the myths about God, Jesus and that man-made phenomenon ‘Religion’