Sales Caffeine Issue 435
March 9th 2010
Publisher: Jeffrey Gitomer
Contact at: salesman@gitomer.com
Producer: Gill Kilcoyne
Contact at: gill@gitomer.com
FRESH BREW FOR YOUR BRAIN
by: Jeffrey Gitomer
Your best, and most costly lessons are right in front of you.
How good are you, really?
Be your own customer, and find out, really.
Yesterday I got the shock of my life: I tried to buy something on my own website and couldn't.
Funny, I buy all kinds of things on other people's websites. I'm a
one-click buyer on Amazon. I'm a Paypal customer. And I have my credit
card registered and saved on every site that will allow it. In short, I
trust the Internet.
In short, short - if I decide that I want to buy something online, I
want to buy it fast. And I don't know about you, but I'm not crazy
about filling out an online order form (where all the boxes say it's
"mandatory" to enter my information.)
Many of you subscribe to my weekly email magazine and have taken
advantage of the "deal of the week," a special offer on a bundle of my
books and CDs. Last week we decided to present something for the first
time - a $20.00 discount off any of my upcoming public seminar tickets.
Fair enough...
So I went to my own site to test the offer. I put in a request to buy
five tickets. The website (my website) promised fast and easy purchase.
And that promise was ANYTHING BUT the truth. It was a pain in the butt.
I clicked off of my own site in frustration and disgust.
I immediately pulled the offer and we went through an e-commerce
exercise that brought me back to reality. We revamped the purchasing
process to where it IS fast and easy. And easy to understand. It's now
fixed for the short term, and we have a long-term plan in place
(actually in motion) to make it even faster and easier.
MAJOR CLUE: Had I not tried to buy something from my own website, I
would have never known. I would have danced along actually believing my
own words, never realizing that customers were frustrated - and worse -
not purchasing. Clicking off - abandoning the next step in the buying
process because it was slow, cumbersome, and uninformative.
How's yours? Think your e-commerce is great? Ever try to buy something
from yourself, or are you just taking "IT's" word for it. Or worse,
believing your own instructions?
CHALLENGE: Be your own customer at least once a month.
In these "trying" times, many customers (yours and mine) are struggling
to maintain volume, profit, and productivity. Somehow the stimulus
package and bailout have not yet reached them - me either. You?
REALITY: Each of us is responsible to stimulate and bail out ourselves, in spite of what you may be hearing.
If and when your customer calls or goes online, they expect instant
answers, instant service, and instant delivery of whatever they need -
or they will seek a competitor.
And they expect multiple options to connect with you, any time of the
day or night, to get the help they need, or purchase the product they
need.
REALITY: Their need is your opportunity. Your challenge is to turn them
into a happy, LOYAL customer who is willing to repeat purchase, tell
others, and refer others to you.
Not "satisfy" them.
Here's what to do to self-insure your own success:
1. Call your business five minutes before you open, and try to place an order, or get service.
2. Call your business five minutes after you close, and try to place an order, or get service.
(That should be enough to make you angry - but wait there's more!)
3. Go online and try to buy something. How long does it take (how many clicks?) compared to Amazon's one?
4. Call your business during the day and complain to someone. Then ask
for the person's boss - or even your CEO. Make certain you have plenty
of Pepto-Bismol on hand - because I promise your stomach will be
turning upside-down.
4.5 Now call yourself and listen to your pathetic voicemail that tells
me everything I DO NOT want to hear, and DOES NOT tell me the one thing
I want to hear - where the heck are you?
REALITY: Whatever your experience is when you call yourself or buy from
yourself online, that's the same thing your customers, your life-blood,
and your money-line is experiencing. OUCH!
Fix it fast. Your customers need you.
If you want an idea to eliminate the silly computer that answers your
phone before and after hours telling me "how important my call is," go
to www.gitomer.com and enter the words ANSWER LIVE in the GitBit box.
Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The New York Times best sellers The Sales Bible and The Little Red Book of Selling.
Chief Executive Salesman and President of Buy Gitomer, he gives
corporate and public seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts
Internet training programs on selling and customer loyalty at
www.trainone.com. He can be reached at 704/333-1112 or
salesman@gitomer.com
(c) 2010 All Rights Reserved - Don't even think about reproducing this
document without written permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy
Gitomer, Inc. * 704/333-1112
SELF-TEST FOR SUCCESS
As you finish your presentation to a customer, they say something that
makes you cringe, "I like your product/service and I like you, but I
have had a bad experience with your company." Your best reply should be:
1. I am sorry you feel that way; I guess we will not be doing business together after all.
2. I apologize if we have offended you, could you please tell me what we did wrong?
3. I know, we have offended lots of people but we are doing the best we can, I sure would appreciate the business.
4. I was aware of your circumstance before I made the sales call. And I
have brought a solution with me so we can make a new beginning.
This is a classic example of preparation leading to a sale. The great
sales person already knew what went wrong and made a plan to fix it.
The average salesperson would have been caught off guard and apologize
and try to find out what went wrong. The poor salesperson makes an
excuse and begs for the sale, and the worst salesperson gives up,
blaming the company. The more you prepare, the more likely you are to
make the sale even if something has gone wrong in the past.
-JEFFREY GITOMER, excerpt from Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless
BLEND OF THE WEEK
Last Chance! - Charleston, WV
Jeffrey Gitomer LIVE! March 11th & 12th, 2010
Charleston Managers: Develop your personal plan to find and keep
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leadership, plus self-evaluation to measure your present level of
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Jeffrey Gitomer LIVE! - Charleston, WV: Regardless of the
economy and the current circumstance in your industry, sales are still
being made. The only question is "Who's making them?" This seminar will
provide you with the ANSWERS you need to succeed, and you will learn
new strategies and ideas about how to sell any product or any service
in any economy -- without sacrificing price.
Click here to Register NOW!
Charleston, WV special Managers Event
Jeffrey Gitomer LIVE! - Charleston, WV
Last Chance! - London England
Jeffrey Gitomer LIVE! March 16th, 2010
Join the global authority on sales, Jeffrey Gitomer, for an intimate
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in any economy! This rare seminar will give you the opportunity to get
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Jeffrey Gitomer LIVE! - London England
Jeffrey Gitomer LIVE! - Sacramento, CA
March 31st & April 1st, 2010
Sacramento Managers - Develop your personal plan to find and
keep a winning, loyal, well-trained, and self-directed sales team. This
seminar will provide strategies and techniques about real-world sales
leadership, plus self-evaluation to measure your present level of
achievement.
Jeffrey Gitomer LIVE! Sacramento, CA - Join the global authority
on sales, Jeffrey Gitomer for a seminar on SALES ATTITUDE. Learn how to
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Jeffrey Gitomer's Sacramento Managers Event
Jeffrey Gitomer LIVE! - Sacramento, CA
Want to reach my public seminar audiences of 500+ LOCAL business people
in your community? Would you like your company to receive additional
sales training from me while I'm in your city? Contact Sara or Heather
at 800-242-5388 or email publicseminars@gitomer.com for information.
A SHOT IN THE WALLET
Jeffrey,
I work for an electronics company and I am known as the Queen of Cold
Calling in my office. In your lessons about cold calling, you say to
"leave a message with two ideas and give them the third one once they
call back." What kind of ideas would you give a prospect?
Debbie
Debbie,
Hey, I thought you were the Queen, what are you asking me for, I'm just
a pawn? Leave a voicemail about your electronic widget, tell the
prospective customer that you have two ideas, leave one and ask them
call you back for the other. Don't make it about your product, and make
sure it's something they value and they would consider interesting or
cool. To really establish yourself, this process will take about six
months. In the meantime, keep doing what your doing.
Best regards,
Jeffrey
Jeffrey,
I read in one of your books that you are loyal to the Lexus brand. I
have recently purchased a second Toyota due to the loyalty I hear about
from other Toyota owners. I don't watch the news but I hear something
about a mass recall for a safety issue. Both of my Toyotas have been
"fixed," but I had to be proactive in scheduling the service.
Personally I think it's a media conspiracy to promote American brands,
I never felt unsafe in my cars. Has Toyota / Lexus kept your loyalty?
Dustin
Dustin,
My Lexus dealer, Hendrick Lexus in Charlotte, NC, proactively called me
on the phone and scheduled my recall maintenance at my convenience.
They gave me a car to use and actually delivered my serviced car
completely washed and detailed as part of their unbelievable service.
Loyalty would be a weak word when describing my relationship with my
car dealer and my passion for the brand. In this whole Toyota mess it
will all boil down to the dealer and the dealer's relationship with the
customer. For 25 years car dealers were fat and happy in this country.
Toyota is not the first brand to have a recall and they will not be the
last. GM just announced 1.6 million cars and Mitsubishi just announced
half a million, but somehow this did not make news. The fact is the
dealers are going to have to be more service oriented then they are
sales oriented. My dealer has always been about service and it's not a
coincidence, they are one of the ten top Lexus dealers in the United
States.
Best regards,
Jeffrey
SHOT IN THE BUCK
Safety vs. Opportunity
by Jason Seiden
I asked my daughter point blank if she'd rather have me be strict and
keep her totally safe, or give her opportunities to try new things,
even if it means she'll occasionally get hurt. Her response: "I
would rather, every once in a while, get hurt. Because if you were
strict I would never have the chance to try anything new and have
limited experiences."
The thing that surprises me is when employees answer just like my
daughter but then, when given freedom by their bosses, rather than take
the opportunity, they complain about why they can't take the
opportunity.
What's truly interesting about this is that by complaining, they're
actually trying to choose both safety and opportunity. By complaining,
people can convince themselves that they have embraced opportunity
while keeping it just far enough away that they don't actually have to
give up their safety. This lets them feel secure, while also feeling
close to their dreams.
Of course, it's an illusion, which is probably why maintaining it comes with so much drama and heartache.
The next time someone seems to have all the reasons in the world not to
do something, recognize that they're not necessarily being
mean-spirited, they're just trying to keep safe. (After all, with
opportunity comes the possibility to get hurt--better to avoid having
to try!)
If you find yourself trying to keep safe by complaining, do this to break out of the cycle:
1. Learn to spot opportunity. It rarely comes gift-wrapped in a box
labeled, "opportunity." A hands-off boss, a new project, or a slacking
coworker can all be catalysts to spread one's wings and do something
great.
2. Learn to recognize how you keep safe, too. Like opportunity, safety
rarely comes in a labeled box. Instead, safety looks like
responsibilities that are too narrow, responsibility without authority,
or organizational problems. Basically, any excuse you use to explain
why you can't do something may be a thread in your security blanket.
3. Ask, "So what?" frequently. So you take on the project and a coworker gets annoyed. So what?
4. Ask, "Why?" Someone thinks your new process won't work? And keep asking until you get a real reason.
5. Accept yourself. Some people need lots of freedom and opportunity,
others need less. Recognize and accept who you are. Otherwise, you'll
find yourself leading a string of failed projects, or you'll find
yourself regretting that you passed on projects that turned out to be
winners.
If you're like most people, my guess is that you are hungry for
opportunity, but at the same time, you have some fear of the unknown
that opportunity comes with.
That's OK. Everyone has some fear. It's part of the human condition.
So what?
Go for it anyway. Get your hand slapped. Dare to fail spectacularly!
You can't have freedom and opportunity without risking getting hurt now and then.
Jason Seiden is an author and speaker who takes the fear out of
work. His book, How to Self-Destruct, shows employees at all levels how
to embrace risk and what happens when they don't. His latest book,
Super Staying Power, gives people specific tools for handling the
stresses, politics, and uncertainties inherent in their jobs. To
purchase his books, visit www.jasonseiden.com or email
jason@jasonseiden.com.
DEAL OF THE WEEK
Say YES! To Yourself And To Your Customers To Cultivate Loyalty.
Start with your own attitude, adjust the way you think to incorporate
YES! Start with YES! to answer all of your customer's questions. Be
creative in your business to make YES! a reality. Study your business
relationships to find the loyalty driving factors. And do it all from
your car! This weeks deal includes two of Jeffrey's best audio programs
Got Attitude? and THE BEST OF Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless. All for $49.00 (A $79.00 value).
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Customers talk...to their associates, friends, and neighbors. Here is
the number of people they will talk to based upon how well you handle
their complaint.
3 if you do a good job
10 if you do a great job
25 if you do a bad job
50 if you get into an argument
If the argument develops into a fight, and your lawyers get involved, you will be on the 6:00pm local news.
How are your customers talking about you?
- Jeffrey Gitomer, Customer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless
RECOMMENDED READING
Customer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless
by Jeffrey Gitomer
"The thing I like about this book is that Jeffrey stresses the
importance of little things. Improving customer service is not about
planning and executing a massive, company-transforming project. It's
about doing a lot of little things every day with every customer, to
make their experience better. This book is full of useful ideas anyone
can understand and put to work right away. It works." - Kevin
Higher Grounds
It's Time for Toyota to Visit the Truth Doctor.
My wife and I have two young daughters. Before our first was
born, we transformed our house into a child safety zone. Goodbye
glass coffee table, hello cushy ottoman. All of our cabinets
suddenly required a college degree to open, and our electrical outlets
became impossible to use. We wanted to do everything to ensure
that our kids would be safe and happy.
When our second daughter was born, my wife felt it was time for a new
car. She needed a new car because hers didn't have the LATCH
system. (For any parent who raised children before this millennium,
this is probably a foreign term). Also, her car was a sedan,
rather than a big SUV like most other suburban warriors were
driving. I live by the philosophy that a happy wife equals a
happy life; and so began our search for an SUV.
We put the same effort into our new car search as we did with
baby-proofing our house. And after an exhausting process, the
Toyota Sequoia appeared to be a great vehicle for us. When we
went to pick it up, we were surprised how BIG it was in person! I
could tell that my wife was a bit frustrated with the size of the
Sequoia, but she kept it because she felt safe. She perceived
that it was the best option for our girls. It was the best
option... until that fatal day several weeks ago when the news about
the Toyota accelerator pedal hit the airwaves. We anxiously
waited for a response from Toyota, the most trusted brand. And
then it happened. Decades of trust were wiped away in a matter of
days by Toyota's pathetic attempt to maintain credibility.
While Toyota instantly lost corporate trust, I found a beacon of hope
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I was several states away at the time
the news hit, and was concerned about whether or not the Sequoia was
safe to drive -- so I immediately called my Toyota dealer, Andrew
Toyota, to ask for advice. To my surprise, I reached the owner of
the dealership on my first attempt. Andy Schlesinger (Andy is
short for Andrew, THE Andrew in Andrew Toyota) gave me his best advice
on how to take precautions while continuing to drive our Sequoia (what
to do about the floor mats, what to do if the accelerator sticks, etc)
and then assured me he would have our recall procedure done
quickly. I've known Andy for a few years and my family has been
buying Toyota's from his dealership for three decades, so I assumed
that when Andy offered to schedule the accelerator fix the very next
day AND PICK UP the Sequoia from our house he was giving me special
treatment. Not the case. Andy kept his service center open
seven days a week and longer hours each day to be sure that he took
care of EVERY customer. If you live in Milwaukee, you may have
seen Andy's TV commercials that always end with "Andrew Toyota--Where
customer service is not a department, it's our passion!" Andy and
his staff live by that maxim and it shows.
I used to trust Toyota quality and value. Today, I am
skeptical. Millions of others have written off Toyota
forever. But I trust Andy Schlesinger. Had Toyota followed
Andy's example of being proactive, admitting fault, and offering
answers and solutions, then Toyota would have strengthened its
reputation as a responsible and customer-focused automotive
manufacturer.
So what can we learn from Toyota's poor decision? Here are five takeaways about trust:
1. It always costs less to fix the problem than to not fix the problem.
2. Trust takes years to earn, yet only moments to lose.
3. There is nothing more valuable to a company than trust.
If your customers trust you, selling is easy. If you lose that
trust, you will eventually lose the customer.
4. Being known as trustworthy is far more important than being known as clever, smart, innovative, or trendy.
5. Trust is all about consistency, reliability, and
truthfulness. If you are consistently truthful, your customers
will feel that they can rely on you.
Is your company trusted? Are YOU trusted?
EDITOR'S NOTE: Noah will be presenting on the topic of TRUST as
it relates to non-profit organizations at a community event on March
24th in Charlotte, NC. This event is sponsored by the American
Red Cross and more details can be found here.
www.carolinapiedmontregion.org/index.php/regional/newsroom/light-the-challenge/
Noah Rickun is the CEO of Jeffrey Gitomer's TrainOne and a Gitomer
Certified/Audience Approved speaker. Noah delivers customized and
personalized seminars on sales, customer loyalty, and personal
development. To book Noah for your next event, visit
www.GitomerCertified.com or contact the friendly folks at Buy Gitomer
via email or by calling 704-333-1112.
HOUSE BLEND
Your Success Strategy.
I moved from Israel to Canada with my wife and two toddlers. I landed a
job "selling" International Freight Forwarding I knocked on doors, with
the goal to sit down with three people per day. Not knowing a thing
about the business. I "sold" a lot of freight (in one day I "sold" two
major accounts, each worth over 1.2 Million dollars to the company). I
never sold anything, but lots of people bought. I always knew if a
customer said no they really mean 'They do not know enough to say yes,'
and that was my responsibility. At the age of 60 I began working on
straight commission in an unrelated business continuing to help others.
The lessons of my youth will always hold true. Play - Have fun - Love
what you do - Help others - Give your loyalty - The game, of life is
about what you give, not what you take away. - Murray
TrainOne
Introducing TrainOne CUSTOM COURSEWARE equipped with self-assessments
to enable tailored training, interactive selling situations and
simulations, pretest and posttests to monitor improvement. The
objective of this process is simple; build stronger relationships with
your customers, better prepare you to make productive sales calls, and
help you make more sales to new and existing customers. TraineOne is
tailored to fit your specific issues and needs!
"I can directly attribute tens of thousands of dollars of
incremental sales to TrainOne, easily a 10X return on the subscription
price. I wish all my investments had that type of performance impact."
- David
Napoleon Hill
Yesterday and Today.
Some individuals appear to be "allergic" to honest work, but opportunity is equally allergic to them.
In any business, profession, or occupation, there comes a time when you
have to deliver. You may fake it for a time, pretending that you're
giving an honest effort, but eventually you will be measured by your
deeds, not by your words. If you are more of a talker than a doer, make
a vow today-right now-to change your behavior. You may be able to drift
through life if you never do more than you are required to do, but you
will never know what you might have achieved if you had only been
willing to give a little more. The greatest opportunities always go to
those who have an affinity for hard work, not an allergy to it.
To subscribe to Napoleon Hill Yesterday and Today weekly email magazine please visit http://www.napoleon-hill-news.com
Jeffrey's Upcoming Public Seminar Schedule
Charleston, WV
03/11/10 Managers Seminar
03/12/10 Sales Attitude! Seminar
London, UK
03/16/10 Special Sales Attitude Seminar
Sacramento, CA
03/31/10 Managers Seminar
04/01/10 Sales Attitude! Seminar
Grand Rapids, MI
04/08/10 Managers Seminar
04/09/10 Sales Attitude! Seminar
Pittsburgh, PA
04/22/10 Managers Seminar
04/23/10 Sales Attitude! Seminar
Houston, TX
04/28/10 Managers Seminar
04/29/10 Sales Attitude! Seminar
Hartford, CT
05/13/10 Managers Seminar
05/14/10 Sales Attitude! Seminar
Greenville, SC
05/24/10 Managers Seminar
05/25/10 Sales Attitude Seminar
Philadelphia, PA
06/09/10 Managers Seminar
06/10/10 Sales Attitude! Seminar
Cleveland, OH
06/17/10 Managers Seminar
06/18/10 Sales Attitude! Seminar
Reno, NV
09/01/10 Managers Seminar
09/02/10 Sales Attitude! Seminar
Minneapolis, MN
09/09/10 Managers Seminar
09/10/10 Sales Attitude! Seminar
Harrisburg, PA
09/16/10 Managers Seminar
09/17/10 Sales Attitude! Seminar
San Jose, CA
09/30/10 Managers Seminar
10/01/10 Sales Attitude! Seminar
Murfreesboro, TN
10/07/10 Managers Seminar
10/08/10 Sales Attitude! Seminar
Birmingham, AL
11/11/10 Managers Seminar
11/12/10 Sales Attitude! Seminar
Albuquerque, NM
11/18/10 Managers Seminar
11/19/10 Sales Attitude! Seminar
To learn more about any of these seminars, visit our web site at: http://www.gitomer.com/index.cfm?GitAction=Seminars.Public
Sales Caffeine is a weekly email distributed by Buy Gitomer, Inc. and TrainOne.com
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