Can You Hear Me Now?

 

 

After reading the book, You, Inc., The Art of Selling Yourself, by Harry Beckwith and Christine Clifford Beckwith, I was impressed with the simple ways the authors communicated the major point of the book.  The main point the authors drive home very well, is that in business, what your client are really buying is you.  And what you are really selling is yourself.

One of the key areas the book addresses is the necessity of becoming a good listener.

The authors relate the story of a colleague who attended a party.  After the party the women their colleague had spoken to sent him an e-mail of thanks that stated, “I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation.”  After learning about this women’s comments, the fellow indicated the in the 50 minutes or so that they had talked, he spoke for not more than one minute.  The point:  listening well makes you very interesting to people. 

Listening is not as simple as it may sound. It is a complex process that involves hearing, understanding, and analysis. This will require conscious effort – it is not a passive act, as many seem to believe. You should make sure you are aware of both verbal and emotional data that is being communicated. This will require you to “read between the lines,” as the old saying goes.

So what are some simple ways you can become a better listener? 

• Don’t interrupt – Many times the speaker merely wants to be “heard”, so resist the temptation to put your two cents in too quickly
• Mirror what the other person is saying – A great technique is to restate what you have heard in your own words.  For example, once the person has finished speaking, you can respond with “It sounds like what you’re saying is . . . “  This accomplishes a couple of things.  It allows you to show the speaker that you have been actually listening.  Also, if you didn’t catch the right message the speaker was trying to communicate, this is an opportunity for clarification.
• Maintain eye contact -  This one is easy.  Don’t be looking around the room.  Looking the speaker in the eye shows that you are paying attention and what they have to say is important to you.
• Don’t try to solve problems – Again, many  people just need to be “heard”.  So resist the temptation to solve the speaker’s problem, unless they specifically ask you for advice. 
• Don’t interrupt a “pause” – If a pause arises in the conversation, do not start speaking just because you feel awkward. Use that as a moment to reflect on what the speaker has just said. If you feel that you do not understand some of the points that were just communicated, you can then use that as an opportunity to ask any questions that might arise in your head.
• Don’t judge - Once you start judging the speaker, you lose the title of a “good” listener. 

These tips for becoming a better listener are pretty simple to understand, but like any skill require practice to become skilled at.

Stay connected.

Does Your Marketing “Touch” Your Prospects At The Right Time

One of the most important goals of marketing is to reach your target at the times when they are most ready or open to “hear” your marketing messages.  These moments are called “touch points”.

But, with all the marketing clutter, and choices your clients or prospects have how do you determine the proper “touch” points.  The short answer is you don’t.

Let me explain this a bit further.  Marketing has changed dramatically over the past 10 years  and what used to be a one way exchange from marketers to consumers has shifted to a two-way conversation where consumers can now gather as much information on their own without waiting for a business to solicit them.  The vehicle that has created this situation is the internet.

In fact, the ability of consumers to “pull” information from various sources has become even more important than a marketers outreach to the consumer.  Marketing used to be driven by companies “pushing” their messages through the traditional sources such as direct marketing, newspaper, radio and other channels.

Now customers have the power as they seize control of the process by “pulling” information that will help them make their ultimate choice for the product or service they are looking to acquire.

So, how do you address your target markets decision-making process in this “new” world of marketing?

The best way is to first understand that you must move beyond purely push-style communication and learn to influence your targets touch points when they want the information, namely through internet information sites.

The best way for the small business owner to address this new reality is by having a content-driven website that allows visitors to become “educated” on how your company can solve their problem or meet their needs.  And that’s not all.  Your business must very clearly be able to articulate why a suspect or prospect should do business with you rather than your competitor down the street.    

Unfortunately many business owners still only use their web site as a billboard that really says nothing of any importance and doesn’t educate their prospects when they really want it . . . when the prospect is pulling information.

Here are some of the major benefits of a content-driven site:

• Awareness
• Shortened selling cycle - an educational site will help you build credibility and trust even before your prospect talks with you.
• Access to your information
• Automated distribution of marketing information – you can and should offer free information – -  white papers, free reports, etc. to help build credibility and trust
• Ability to capture lead data - your site should provide this free information in exchange for the visitors contact information.    

Stay Connected.

Is Your “Head Trash” Hurting Your Business?

I have a tendency to adopt new words or language and then use them over and over again until I find another word that I like and I do the same with this.

One of my favorite phrases for 2009 has been Head Trash.  I’m not sure where I first heard these words, but every time I mention head trash, I get some sort of reaction from the person or group of people that has heard me say it.

So, let’s clarify exactly what head trash is.  Head trash is a collection of limiting thoughts or ideas (voices) that prevent you from taking specific action that will  help you generate better results.

We all have head trash, but for some business owners this thinking negatively impacts their businesses.  So, while many people have some degree of head trash, keeping it under control or limiting it altogether is critical to achieving success in your business and personal life. 

 To achieve the results you deserve and are capable of it is essential that you dump your head trash. While this is easier said than done, applying a few techniques will help.

First, focus on what you CAN do that will generate a positive outcome.  Instead of thinking of the negative aspect of the task, concentrate on the best possible outcome. For example, most salespeople hate to cold call.  But if you put yourself into the mindset that making these calls will generate new business, or at the very least, that they will help you connect with new and interesting people, your willingness to invest in this task will dramatically improve.

Next, take action immediately. Most people procrastinate when head trash invades their thinking and this prevents them from moving forward. However, taking one step or small action supersedes the desire to remain complacent. I believe it was Confucius who said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” I have learned from experience that making a difficult telephone call eliminates the need to procrastinate and stimulates my desire to take further action throughout the day. And, as I continue to take action, the trash that may have collected in my head is emptied.

It is also important to associate with action-oriented people who support your goals and objectives. I start the week by talking to a good friend of mine every Monday morning. During our conversations we discuss the challenges from the previous week and explore options and ideas. I also belong to a Mastermind group and when we meet each month, where we help each other look for new opportunities within our respective businesses. All of these conversations help eliminate my head trash and motivate me to try new approaches and apply different ideas.

Take out your trash and watch the difference in your results.

Stay Connected.

Lead or Stand Aside!

I don’t mean to get carried away with the title of this post, but since reading John Maxwell’s book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, I’m convinced that one of the key success factors to being a successful business owner is becoming a better leader. 

Here’s the good news -  – becoming a better leader is a learned behavior, just like most other skills we learn.

So, what exactly is this thing we call leadership?  What does it look like?

According to John Maxwell “leaderhip is influence – nothing more, nothing less“.  Leadership may come in all shapes and sizes, but it only comes from influence and that can’t be mandated by a title, position or knowledge.  It must be earned.  The only thing a title can buy is a little time – either to increase your level of influence with others or to undermine it.

I believe leadership is misunderstood.  Many people mistakenly believe that by being a business owner or entrepreneur, you are automatically a leader.  Nothing, in my opinion can be further from the truth.  To be truly successful, a business owner needs to develop (and continue to develop) the necessary skills to not only influence the people in their organization, but their prospects and customers.         

 So what are some of the key elements of effective leadership?

• Relationships - Effective leaders are able to develop relationships – the stronger the relationship, the more potential for effective leadership.
• Knowledge - Information is critical to the success of a leader.  Knowledge alone won’t make someone a leader, but without knowledge, on one can become a successful leader.
• Intuition - Effective leaders have a “gut” instinct when it comes to putting their “finger on the pulse” of others feelings, morale and energy.   
• Past Success - Nothing is more important to a person’s ability to lead than their track record of accomplishment or for getting the job done. 

Here’s a quick method to access what factors you rely upon to persuade people to follow you.  For the following factors listed below, rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10.  (1 means it’s not a factor while a 10 means you rely on it continually)

• Character – who you are
• Relationships – who you know
• Knowledge – what you know
• Intuition – what you feel
• Experience – where you’ve been
• Past Success – what you’ve done
• Ability - what you can do

Now, try to determine ways to better utilize the factors with low scores.

Stay connected.

Are leaders born or trained?

 

As I’ve been reading The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell, I’ve become a bit fascinated with the concept of leadership. 

This facination prompted me to pose the following two questions on Twitter:

1. How do you define leadership?
2. Do you believe in the concept of “born” leaders or is leadership a learned behavior?    

Not surprisingly, the responses to question one were very varied,  with definitions of  ”leadership” running the gamut from listening well, managing people, influence, position,  etc.

In sharp contrast, the answers to whether leaders are born or bred were quit similar with one another, with almost everyone answering that they believe the qualities of leadership is a combination of heridity and learning.

What do you think?

I believe and agree with leadership expert, John Maxwell, that leaders can be trained or bred given the right teachers and the desire to learn. 

Maxwell believes anybody can become a better leader, by becoming better at the 21 Laws of Leadership.  Maxwell believes that although we must learn the 21 laws and apply them to be excellent leaders, in reality, none of us does all of them well.  He continues by stating that no matter where you are in the leadership process, the greater number of laws you learn, the better leader you will become.  Each law is  like a tool, ready to be picked up and used to help you achieve your dreams and add value to other people.    

In my next couple of posts, I will outline some of what I believe are the most important laws of leadership required to be a successful business owner. 

Stay Connected.

A Tip of the Glass to Toastmasters in Kingston, MA

 

One of my ongoing goals is to become a better communicator,  public speaker and leader.  Here’s my thoughts on this . . .  not matter what you do in life, one of the secrets to success is being able to effectively communicate your messages, whether that is to a group of one, ten or one thousand.

And what better place to hone your public speaking skills than a Toastmasters club.

For those not familiar with Toastmasters, here some of the facts:

• International organization with over 250,000 members
• 12,000 Toastmaster clubs located throughout 106 countries
• Major objectives are to improve communication and public skills of its members in a friendly and supportive atmosphere  

Now, I am not a card-carry member just yet, but I have been doing a bit of leg-work to investigate a couple of different local chapters.  My first visit was to the Toastmasters Club in Kingston, MA called the South Shore Soliloquy, lead by president, George Boerger.     

Here’s what I found:

• A very diverse group of individuals committed to becoming better communicators 
• A very supportive network committed to making all members feel comfortable no matter what the skill level
• A very open and friendly atmosphere that made me and the other guests feel completely comfortable
• A very fast-paced and interesting meeting
• A very strong leader in George Boerger

Here’s a quote on the front cover of their brand-spanking new brochure, which literally came right off the press .  .  .

“The tongue is the only tool that gets sharper with use”

-Washington Irving

I agree; here’s to The South Shore Soliloquy members in Kingston.

Stay connected.

Do Your Customers Shout From the Highest Tree?

 

Why do your customers call you? What do they want? Customers call for one reason — they want help.

How about taking on a new perspective on an old subject?  Shouldn’t it really be called “customer helping”, rather than customer service?  Wouldn’t you deliver better service if you thought of it that way?  

Here’s what your customers want:

1. They want value.
2. They want excellent communication
3. They expect your attitude to be positive (even if theirs isn’t) 
4. They expect reliability
5. They want assurance and often need reassurance
6. They expect empathy when something goes wrong
7. They expect exceptional service as the norm, not the exception
8. They want in NOW.

Your customers are telling you:  Know me, undertand me, lead me, help me and serve me the way I expect to be served now.

Are your customers happy with your approach to “customer helping?”

How do you even know?   

A surefire way to know if you’re making your customers happy is if they “shout from the highest tree” to sing the praises of your company or an employee in your company. 

JB Edward Uniform Company is a three-store retail chain supplying school uniforms to private schools in the New England area.  As you can imagine, the month of August can be “hell” month for the company, as they try to fill last minute orders for their customers in time for the start of the school year.  Beth Veneto, the General Manager of JB Edward Uniforms, related the story of an e-mail she received from a new customer,  complimenting one of her employees, Jen Pfeiffer.  The e-mail is too good not to quote it directly, so here goes:

“I am a new customer.  My granddaughter enrolled yesterday at St. Brigid’s in Portland ME.  My daughter had been waiting for a confirmation of a transfer, so the enrollment is “last minute.”  I place an order on line and called today to find out its status.  Jen answered my telephone inquiry.  In an age when I sometimes think Good Customer Service in an “endangered species”, Jen was outstanding.  She was efficient, called back as promised, and provided me with good information.  She even checked with shipping to assure that the order should arrive in time.  Please share the “attagirl” with Jen.  You definitely have a keeper, and I wanted to take the time to tell you so!” 

Louise H. – Dorchester         

Are your customers giving your employees atta-girls or atta-boys?  (whatever the case may be)

Do your customers shout from the highest tree?  If not, you need to figure out why.

Stay connected.

 

Does Your Marketing Pass The “Purpose Test”?

 

In my experience one of the biggest mysteries surrounding marketing is the lack of understanding by many business owners about what marketing is actually supposed to do or it’s purpose.  I have been asked this purpose question so many times that I have actually devised a very simple test to determine if a business owner is utilizing their marketing efforts in the most productive way.

So, here’s the million dollar question, what is the purpose of marketing?

Marketing’s purpose is actually three-fold.

The first purpose of marketing is to capture the attention of your target market.  It’s impossible to market to anyone, until you can get them to listen to your messages.

The second purpose is to give your target market the hope that by reading or listening to your marketing piece, it will give them enough information to facilitate their making the best decision possible when buying whatever you sell.

The third purpose of marketing is to lower the risk of them taking the next step in the buying process so that you can further educate the prospect about what you do.

So, did you pass the test?

If you’ve answered no to any of these questions, then you’re not getting all you should be from your marketing efforts and probably not turning as many prospects into customers as you should be.

It’s really pretty simple.

All you have to do as the business owner, is figure out what is important to your prospects, educate them about what constitutes the best deal in your industry and then show them quantifiable proof, that you actually provide that best deal in terms of price and value and communicate that all to your target in a way that they will pay attention to you, believe you and take action on your offers.

But, here’s the problem.  Many companies don’t give the consumer what they want.    Instead of using marketing as an educational tool to educate and facilitate the decision-making process, and build a case for why they should choose your company, and give the customer a low-risk offer, most companies fill their marketing messages that basically say buy it from us for no good reason and now, or we don’t have anything for you.  That’s why your prospects resist your marketing efforts.

Here’s a simple method to improve your marketing:

1. Get Attention – with benefit-promising headlines
2. Educate your customers and prospects with educational messages that show them what they need to know about your product or service and why you can deliver this better than anyone else in the industry
3. Provide a low-risk way for them to try you with a free trial, 100% money back guarantee, free whitepaper, etc.

By understanding and applying the three purposes of marketing, you will earn more customers and generate more revenue for your business. 

Stay connected,

Joe

Joe Costantino is owner of Business Marketing Success in Boston.  He is also a certified Duct Tape Marketing Coach and East Coast Regional Guide assisting in recruitment and training of new Duct Tape Marketing coaches.  You can learn more about Joe at www.businessmarketingsuccess.com or by e-mail at joe@businessmarketingsuccess.com

What Every Business Owner Can Learn From Uno Chicago Grill

 

My two younger kids, Vinny, age 13, and Angela age 9 3/4, are big fans of Pizzeria Uno Chicago Bar and Grille.  And guess what?  So am I.

But, my fandom takes a bit more work than my kids, who can be “bought” with a couple of decent appetizers along with an over-sized cheeseburger.  I require a bit more courting and Unos has hit my “soft spot” with their outstanding “system” for interacting with their customers.  And, I think every business, not mater what the industry, can increase customer loyalty, satisfaction and referrals by developing a step-by-step system to customer interaction.

For those of you who haven’t experienced this restaurant, Uno’s is a moderately-priced restaurant chain with 200 locations throughout the United States.  Their menu features the Chicago Deep Dish pizzas along with a wide variety of foods, from salads and burgers to full course meals.  The food is good, but the service and interaction with their customers is outstanding!

I have been to three different Unos in the past two months and the service experience is always the same . . .  . great.

From the warm greeting you receive as you enter the restaurant until you leave, nothing is left to chance . . . . the training and the system is the solution for Unos.  So, what can any business owner learn?  You need a system in order to duplicate the same positive customer experience every time you interact with a customer or client.

Here’s the 3 areas of the Uno’s system – -  Discovery, Presentation and Transaction.  Today, we will take a peak at the Discovery phase and then in my next post, I will review the other parts of the system.

The Discovery Phase occurs when the phone rings, the customer walks into the restaurant.  This phase consists of finding about your client or customer and then communicating what they can expect from you, here’s how we work, etc.  Here is how Uno’s handles the Discovery Phase.

• Upon enter the you are either immediately seated or you are told it will be a _____ minute wait.  (creating proper expectations.
• Once you are seated by the hostess, you are told the name of your wait person.  (sharing information)
• The wait person comes over quickly, introduces themselves and then writes their name on a napkin and places on the table so you don’t forget them.  (attempt to connect with the customer)
• The waitperson asks an important question – “Have you ever been to Uno Chicago Grill before”?  Depending upon the answer, the waitperson proceeds accordingly.  (understanding the customer)
• Kids are provided coloring books and crayons so the adults can breathe for a minute. (creating sanity)       
• Wait person describes menu, takes drink and appetizer order.

So exactly what has happened during this Discovery Phase?  Important information has been provided to the customer to help create the proper expectations of what will come.  Also, the business owner (wait person) has gathered key information about the customer to ensure the experience will continue smoothly.  The same process or system has been duplicated for the three times we’ve visited Unos.  Why?  Because it works; Uno’s has created a professional first impression of their restaurant and also this interaction separates them from other restaurants of this type.

Here’s what’s important for you as a business owner.  You should have a Discovery system for your business that gets your clients off on the right foot:  creates the proper expectations, gathers information and prepares them for what is to come. 

Stay connected.

“It’s On” . . . . well, I should hope so!

 

Shouldn’t it be a reasonable expectation of an airline passenger to go to the airport,  board their plane at the time designated on their tickets and take off to their destination?  Apparently, Southwest Airlines doesn’t think so.

In their most recent television campaign, the employees of  Southwest Airlines, everyone from baggage handlers, customer service reps,  to pilots, loudly proclaim, “It’s On”, as if this was a great achievement for an airline.  I’m not quite sure, but I’m guessing the message to the consumer is that the flight is still on.  You know what I say ”I should hope so!”

Call me naive, but in all the years I have traveled by plane, I don’t remember every being amazed when I went to the airport and the plane went in the air on the date and time scheduled.  Isn’t that what’s supposed to happen?  Has it gotten so bad with the airline industry, specifically Southwest Airlines, that they believe an important message to impart on their potential airline customers is that when you have a scheduled flight, amazingly your flight will take off on the day it’s scheduled?  

I will admit, that I have had way too much time to think about this; for the past week, I have moved in with my mother to help her recover from knee replacement surgery.  At times during this week, I have longed to be on a flight to anywhere on time or not.   I have listened to this commercial many times and still have no clue as the value of this message.   

In my last post, I talked about the importance of educational-based marketing as a method for businesses to deliver their messages to their target market.  In case you missed it, education-based marketing is a powerful marketing strategy that establishes trust and credibility using educational messages.  Your target market is more likely to ”sit up and listen” when you share important facts and expert information that help them make a good decision.

In the “it’s on” commercial, what has Southwest Airlines done to educate me and share important facts or expert information that would entice me to use them on my next flight?

Here’s one thing Southwest did accomplish . . . .  they got me to “sit up and listen”.