RESPONSIBILITY -- TO OR FOR?

By Hank Trisler

Silverback Sellers, a group in LinkedIn, is currently discussing, rather vehemently, the question of whether incomplete disclosure is the same as deliberate deception. I've wrestled with this for more years than I care to admit, and to me it comes down to the question or whether we are responsible TO, or responsible FOR our customers.

Early in my career as the owner of a real estate company, my secretary asked me if I would help her grandmother sell her home. Would I? Is a bear a Catholic? Of course I'd take great care of her grandmother.

Eva Coutinho was a sterotypical grandmother. She was four feet and a bit of change, had a little cap of hospital-white hair and always smelled a little like cinnamon. If you asked Norman Rockwell to paint you a grandmother, he'd paint Eva Coutinho.

Being a professional Realtor, I carefully measured the home, prepared my market research and determined the house was worth $21,000 (that'll give you some idea of how long ago this was). When I revealed to Mrs. Coutinho the results of my labors and told her we should price at $21,950 (to provide a little "wiggle room"), she replied, "Oh, that's way too much."

This is not a response to which I was accustomed. I said, "I've done my research and I'm confident I can get you this much money for your home. I promised your granddaughter I'd take good care of you, so I want to get you top dollar."

"When my husband and I bought this home, we paid only $8,000 for it. I think $16,000 is more than enough." Eva went on, "Prices are getting so high, I don't know how young people will ever be able to buy a home, like we did."

I pulled on my Ferdinand Fiduciary T-shirt, puffed out my chest and said, "I'm responsible to get you the best price the market will deliver and that's what I'm going to do. Now press hard, the fourth copy's yours."

She knuckled under and at that moment I had ceased being responsible to Mrs. Coutinho, and had assumed responsibility for her. In selling and, I submit, all human relationships, this is the kiss of death.

Within three weeks I had a full price offer contingent upon an FHA loan. She readily accepted it. I was RIGHT. I'd rather be right than effective.

We got a low appraisal. Since I was a professional, I had the comps to get the appraisal raised and it only took about a month. During that time, the buyer had bought a boat, so he no longer qualified for the loan. I was madder than a mashed cat, but there was naught to do but put the house back on the market and find another buyer.

It only took about a month to get a new buyer and another couple of months to get the deal closed and I personally delivered the closing check to Eva Coutinho, much like a retriever bringing a duck to his master. After all, I had gotten her a full $5,000 more than she had wanted.

She seemed a little less that totally enthused. Oh, she was gracious, as that was her nature, but she was just a little less than totally tickled. My spirits were a bit damped, but there is no accounting for taste and I had done my level best as a professional.

Shortly thereafter Mrs. Coutinho left this mortal coil. It seems she had terminal cancer and only wanted to get rid of the house so she could live out her remaining days in peace and comfort. I had consumed nearly six months (more than half) of her remaining life in my efforts to get her more money, which she neither needed nor wanted.

I submit to you that we are responsible to be well-educated, diligent, honest to a fault, and industrious on behalf of our customers. We are not responsible for our customers and for the sometimes dumb (in our opinion) decisions they will sometimes make.

Come on over to Silverback Sellers and let us know how you feel about this.

RUDENESS BITES

By Hank Trisler

Last week a young friend of mine experienced an extreme act of rudeness on the part of one of his customers, and it really hurt his feelings.

My friend (we'll call him "Vern," for reasons that will soon become obvious) is the sales manager for a local branch of a well-known national hotel chain. He was on time for an appointment he believed to be at 10 a.m. with the Events Manager for a huge Silicon Valley electronics firm. (We'll call them "Gigantus Corporation.") After a suitable wait, he saw a young woman descending the curved staircase into the crowded waiting room. When she got within five steps of the bottom, she called out in a loud voice, "Is there a Vern Jensen here?"

Striding confidently toward her with a big smile and outstretched hand, he said, "That would be me."

"Your appointment was for 9 o'clock and it is now after 10. I will not tolerate tardiness. I want everyone here to know that Gigantus Corporation will no longer do business with Vern Jensen or the Snore More hotel chain he represents." She abruptly turned and ascended the staircase to corporate heaven, from whence she had come.

Crestfallen, Vern went back to his office and rechecked his files. Everything indicated a 10 o'clock appointment, not one for 9. Since he would rather have a good account than be right, he sent the woman a dozen roses and a note of abject apology, assuming all the blame for the misunderstanding and pleading for another appointment. The note was returned, unopened, with a "return to sender" stamp on the front. Vern was baffled by this treatment and called me to see what he should do to regain access to this account, poor misguided soul that he is.

I have no idea what to do to get his foot back in the door. I'm as confounded by rudeness as much as the rest of us. I'm not even sure I'd want to get my foot back in that door. Life is just too short to spend dealing with jerks. My only advice was to keep an eye on the account and contact her successor when she gets blown out. People who behave this way seldom do it to just one person and their evil deeds come back to get them.

That one account isn't really the problem, though. It's the psychic damage that accepting the rudeness of another does to us. I'll bet that in twenty years, long after other, kinder, gentler customers have faded from memory, that act of hostility will return to haunt Vern in the small, dark hours of the morning. I don't know why we forget some of the good times and remember every moment of all the bad, embarrassing times in excruciating detail, but we do.

Responsible to, not responsible for. As professional salespeople, we are responsible to our customers. We are responsible to be honest, punctual, credible and well informed. We must know about our customer's needs and how we can best fill those needs. We are responsible to do the best we can with little bitty tools.

We are not, however, responsible for our customers. We can't help it if sometimes they make bad decisions, in spite of our guidance. We cannot accept responsibility for their actions, or for how they feel about us. Some folks will simply persist in the mistaken belief that we are not the greatest things to come into their lives. They'll have to live with that, as it's just not our responsibility.

The Sympathy Note. I'm sure we can all understand, on an intellectual level, that sometimes people will behave badly and that behavior is their problem, but the intellect isn't where rudeness gets us. Rudeness bites and it gets us in the guts, down deep where it really hurts. I now bring you the Sympathy Note, which can be used to help heal us where we hurt.

Something like eighty-five percent of the people are pretty nice a lot of the time. They won't be rude to us unless they are pressed to rudeness by some external force, often having nothing to do with us. As soon as they have been hostile, the anger diminishes and they often feel a bit badly about how they behaved. The balance of the people are just hostile jerks that constantly employand fully understandrudeness. The Sympathy Note is fairly effective with either type of person and goes something like this:

"Dear___________,

"When I spoke with you today you were rude to me. I know it was nothing I said, as I talked to sixteen people and you were the only one who was hostile.

"I hope that whatever was bothering you is now resolved and that you are feeling better.

"I look forward to speaking with you again soon, with a better result.

"Sincerely,_______"

The nice people who realize they acted badly will very likely apologize when next you speak. The jerks will have a small, grudging admiration for you because you didn't take any crap from them.

"C'mon, does this always work?" Of course not. Nothing always works, but you are writing this after the deal has already blown, so what have you to lose? Besides, you didn't write the note to save the deal, but to save your self-image and allow you to face the next customer with your head held high.

What about Vern? He got his nice note returned. Yeah, and that's the beauty of the high-tech world in which we live. You have e-mail and faxes, which are a lot harder to ignore.

The bottom line: Rudeness bites and should never be used by us, nor should we tolerate its use on us. It is just not good business.

If asked, what would you have told Vern?

BADGES OF HONOR

by Hank Trisler

Most meetings have name badges for the attendees, to allow them to enter dark rooms and hear the "secret stuff." Most of us hate to wear them, as they mark us as tourists to the locals and generally look tatty. Badges can serve several useful purposes, however, and will actually be enjoyed by your attendees, if properly deployed.

Badges must have a LARGE first name. This is what most of us look for. At a recent conference, the badge printing was so small that I couldn't make it out, even with my cheaters on. An old fellow staring at people's chests with reading glasses is an upsetting sight, particularly to members of the opposite sex. The person's company and hometown are also nice to have, but not at the expense of a HUGE first name.

Badges should be worn on the right side, so that they are thrust forward when one shakes hands with another. The natural tendency is to wear them on the left, but people will comply, once they've been told the valid reason.

Conferences often unite people from diverse regions or divisions of a company; people who seldom know one another. To stimulate interaction and camaraderie, try writing another person's name on the back of each badge, preferably from another region or division. Any person finding the person whose name is on the back of their badge gets a small prize. Something you were going to give them anyhow. Find the person whose name is on the back of your badge, get their business card and win a prize. How simple. In order to find that person, you might have to introduce yourself to a couple of dozen other people. Think of all the people you'll meet. Badges can be fun and informative, rather than a necessary evil. Your people will never again say, "I don't got to show you no steenking badges."

How do you feel about badges at your meetings?

IT DON'T COST NUTHIN' TO BE NICE

by Hank Trisler

A good friend just sent this to me and I thought it of sufficient value to re-print it here. Unfortunately, I don't know the name of the original author, but I admire his discernment.

At a Touchdown Club meeting many years before his death, Coach Paul Bear Bryant told the following story:

I had just been named the new head coach at Alabama and was off in my old car down in South Alabama recruiting a prospect who was supposed to have been a pretty good player and I was having trouble finding the place. Getting hungry I spied an old cinder block building with a small sign out front that simply said, Restaurant.

I pull up, go in and every head in the place turns to stare at me. Seems I'm the only white fella in the place. But the food smelled good so I skip a table and go up to a cement bar and sit. A big ole man in a tee shirt and cap comes over and says, What do you need?I told him I needed lunch and what did they have today? He says, You probably won't like it here, today we're having chitlins, collared greens and black eyed peas with cornbread. I'll bet you don't even know what chitlins (small intestines of hogs prepared as food in the deep South) are, do you? I looked him square in the eye and said, I'm from Arkansas , I've probably eaten a mile of them. Sounds like I'm in the right place. They all smiled as he left to serve me up a big plate. When he comes back he says,

You ain't from around here then?

I explain I'm the new football coach up in Tuscaloosa at the University and I'm here to find whatever that boy's name was and he says, yeah I've heard of him, he's supposed to be pretty good. And he gives me directions to the school so I can meet him and his coach.

As I'm paying up to leave, I remember my manners and leave a tip, not too big to be flashy, but a good one and he told me lunch was on him, but I told him for a lunch that good, I felt I should pay.

The big man asked me if I had a photograph or something he could hang up to show I'd been there. I was so new that I didn't have any yet. It really wasn't that big a thing back then to be asked for, but I took a napkin and wrote his name and address on it and told him I'd get him one.

I met the kid I was looking for later that afternoon and I don't remember his name, but do remember I didn't think much of him when I met him. I had wasted a day, or so I thought.

When I got back to Tuscaloosa late that night, I took that napkin from my shirt pocket and put it under my keys so I wouldn't forget it. Back then I was excited that anybody would want a picture of me. The next day we found a picture and I wrote on it, Thanks for the best lunch I've ever had.

Now let's go a whole buncha years down the road. Now we have black players at Alabama and I'm back down in that part of the country scouting an offensive lineman we sure needed. Y'all remember, (and I forget the name, but it's not important to the story), well anyway, he's got two friends going to Auburn and he tells me he's got his heart set on Auburn too, so I leave empty handed and go on see some others while I'm down there.

Two days later, I'm in my office in Tuscaloosa and the phone rings and it's this kid who just turned me down, and he says, Coach, do you still want me at Alabama ? And I said, Yes I sure do. And he says OK, he'll come. And I say, Well son, what changed your mind? And he said, When my grandpa found out that I had a chance to play for you and said no, he pitched a fit and told me I wasn't going nowhere but Alabama, and wasn't playing for nobody but you. He thinks a lot of you and has ever since y'all met. Well, I didn't know his granddad from Adam's housecat so I asked him who his granddaddy was and he said, You probably don't remember him, but you ate in his restaurant your first year at Alabama and you sent him a picture that he's had hung in that place ever since. That picture's his pride and joy and he still tells everybody about the day that Bear Bryant came in and had chitlins with him.

My grandpa said that when you left there, he never expected you to remember him or to send him that picture, but you kept your word to him and to Grandpa, that's everything. He said you could teach me more than football and I had to play for a man like you, so I guess I'm going to.

I was floored. But I learned that the lessons my mama taught me were always right. It don't cost nuthin to be nice. It don't cost nuthin to do the right thing most of the time, and it costs a lot to lose your good name by breakin your word to someone.

When I went back to sign that boy, I looked up his Grandpa and he's still running that place, but it looks a lot better now; and he didn't have chitlins that day, but he had some ribs that woulda made Dreamland proud and I made sure I posed for a lot of pictures; and don't think I didn't leave some new ones for him, too, along with a signed football.

I made it clear to all my assistants to keep this story and these lessons in mind when they're out on the road. If you remember anything else from me, remember this. It really doesn't cost anything to be nice, and the rewards can be unimaginable.

~ Coach Paul Bear Bryant ~

Note: Coach Bryant was in the presence of these few gentlemen for only minutes, and he defined himself for life. Regardless of our profession, we do define ourselves by how we treat others, and how we behave in the presence of others, and most of the time, we have only minutes or seconds to leave a lasting impression. We can be rude, crude, arrogant, cantankerous, or we can be nice. Nice is always a better choice. I like what Stephen Grellet, French/American religious leader (1773-1855) said, I expect to pass through the world but once Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness I can show to any creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer it, for I shall not pass this way again

INVICTUS: A SALES MEETING?

by Hank Trisler

Having a problem achieving your sales goals through your splintered team?

Ever experience infighting, back-stabbing or simple bickering among the members of your team?

The competition just whaling the tar out of you while you wallow in a stagnant market?

You need a dose of INVICTUS, the new flick from Clint Eastwood, starring Morgan Freeman (as Nelson Mandela) and Matt Damon (as a guy you never heard of).

Here's the quick and dirty. South Africa is in one hell of a mess, a condition to which I can attest, as I was there shortly before this film occurs. Mandela has just been elected President and isn't really sure what he ought to be doing, as so much needs to be done. The country is bleeding from every pore.

Exemplary of the condition of the country is the national rugby team, the Springboks. They are getting their collective ass kicked by everyone, including the neighborhood dogs. Matt Damon is the captain of this dispirited collection of losers. The governing sports body is so sick of them they have voted to dump the Springbok name and Green and Gold colors.

Mandela sees rugby as a microcosm of his country and feels if he can solve the problems of the team, it will help the country heal.

He applies stirring rhetoric, group song, the creative use of hoopla and equal treatment of everyone, regardless of race, creed, or sexual persuasion. The Springboks win the World Cup, the fiscal stability of South Africa is restored and peace and brotherhood sweep over the land, accompanied by liberal acapella singing.

You find yourself shouting and marching out of the theater.

Here are just a few thought gleaned in an hour and a half:

• There is no substitute for leadership. No news there.

• Hoopla can work magic. The more dispirited the team the more effective the hoopla.
  
  
• Almost everyone will resist change right up to the last possible minute. Only the bull-headed will prevail.
  
  
• If you can generate enough charisma, things will work out pretty well. The trick is generating the charisma.
  

Oh, there was some other stuff, too, but there's the high spots. If you're looking for sales meeting ideas, or sales management suggestions, don't miss this show. It'll beat hell out of most of the seminars you'll attend.

RECiRCULATING THE MEDIOCRITY

by Hank Trisler

Whenever you advertise for an "experienced salesperson," you run the risk of recirculating the mediocrity. The only people who read those ads are those who are looking for a job and those are the LAST people you want in your sales force. If they aren't happy and productive where they are, what makes you think they'll be happy and productive in your store?

Oh, I see. You're a better manager, offer better sales tools and a far more positive sales atmosphere. Of course they'll succeed where heretofore they have failed.

BULL!

If they haven't been making it before, you're not going to materially change them. You're just not that good. None of us are. Good sales critters will produce in any environment and bad sales critters will fail in any environment. Your efforts will affect the ultimate outcome only marginally, in that you can often help a good salesperson become truly excellent, while being unable to make a bad salesperson good.

When I was an automobile sales manager in San Francisco, back when the earth was still cooling, the union salesgrunts would come by and say something like, "I just thought I'd see what you guys have going on." A variation on the theme was the "Three Ds:" "Can I get a Draw? Where's my Demo? When's my Day off?" If you were silly enough to take one of these slugs, they would give you nothing but grief.

Many years ago I determined that I was far better off taking people with good people skills and teaching them how to sell, rather than take retreads from my competition.

The best time to recruit is when you don't need any salespeople. When you have all your desks full, you tend to be fussy and that's terrific. If half your cylinders have no pistons, your discrimination weakens as you're just tired of being alone. Halitosis is better than no breath at all.

Constantly look for good sales candidates among the people you do business with. People with big smiles, bright eyes and hustle will usually excel wherever they go.

What about your past customers? They're already sold on you and your company and your product. Why not convert them to paid ambassadors? A mother who has just hit the "empty nest" phase of life may be just the ticket for you.

Take a good look at the kids of your friends and the friends of your kids. Yeah, they're just snot-nose punks today, but they'll be blossoming into honest to goodness, full fledged adults before you know it. You needed good people five years ago, you need them today and you'll need them in five more years. Start sowing the seeds of your future sales team today.

How about sharing some of your recruiting secrets and thoughts with our group? Let's focus on new talent, rather than recirculate the mediocrity.

SOCIAL PROOF - THE MOST POWERFUL PERSUASION TACTIC

by Zeke Camusio

Social proof is showing your potential clients that other people think that what you want them to do is smart. When you say something, what you say is obviously biased. But, if someone else is saying it, it's much more credible.

Although this is extremely powerful, very few business owners actually use social proof. My goal here is to show you the different kinds of social proof and how you can use them to skyrocket your sales.

Testimonials

This one is a classic. However, most testimonials out there are really bad. This is my formula for getting killer testimonials every time:

1. Find the most common objections your potential clients have. If you have salespeople, have them write down all the reasons why people don't buy ("too expensive", "what if it doesn't work?", "a friend of mine tried that and his ear came off", whatever)

2. Send your happiest clients guiding questions (not "what do you think about us?" but "how did our customer service handled your complaint? Were they fast? Did they solve your problem? How?")

3. The idea is to tie testimonials to the main objections. If one of the main objections of your prospects is your high price, include a few testimonials from clients that address the issue of why you're more expensive than your competition. Remember the "loaded" questions: "what did you think of our price before making the purchase? How do you feel about hiring us? Were we worth the extra $50?"

A few extra tips on getting killer testimonials:

* Don't ever make them up. Your customers are smarter than you think, you can get in trouble and you won't feel very proud about yourself.

* Consider "third-party testimonials". This is when someone other than the product user gives the testimonial. This works very well in B2C markets. An example: "Since my husband started using StopSnoring Pro I sleep a lot better and he wakes up full of energy."

* Try to get VIDEO testimonials if you can. They're extremely powerful! The second best kind of testimonials is the audio/photo testimonial. Regular "text" testimonials are OK, just make sure they're not signed by "C.M., New York"; include real names and cities/company names/websites.

Celebrity Endorsements

If you're a small business owner, chances are you can't afford to pay a celebrity to endorse your product. So, here's a way you can do it for free: just mention what celebrities do and say. Some examples:

* "Oprah and Larry King talk about the law of attraction and believe in it" (your reader thinks: "I admire Larry and Oprah; if they believe in this, this might be a good thing".

* "This tuxedo is the same style Pierce Brosnan wore to the Oscar Awards last year"

You get the idea, right? The good news is that the celebrities don't need to be talking about YOUR specific product. If Oprah says she eats 4 eggs each morning and you sell eggs, profit from that, even if Oprah doesn't buy the eggs from you.

Expert Reviews

Again, you don't need an expert to review YOUR product. If you sell a weight loss supplement that contains Vitamin X and the Mayo Clinic and WebMD.com said that Vitamin X has been successfully used for years to lose weight, use that in your copy!

Find the authorities in your industry and borrow their credibility by quoting them.

As Seen On...

Once again, if CBS features a news on a special kind of massage technique that you happen to offer, add an "As Seen On" badge to your site. (Note: talk to your lawyer before doing this; make sure you're not breaking any law. Most of the time, if you give credit when credit is due, it'll be fine.)

Case Studies

Case studies are very powerful because you're not just showing what other people are saying; you're showing actual results. Show before and after photos, charts, screenshots or present your evidence in the best way possible.

If you say something, it might be true. If someone else says it, it's likely to be true. If you SHOW EVIDENCE, it IS true.

Read more about Zeke Camusio at:

http://www.TheOutsourcingCompany.com/blog