Salespeoplehave questions. Jeffrey has answers.
Iget a ton of emails asking to solve sales dilemmas. Here are a fewthat may relate to your job, your life, but most important, yoursales thought process:
HiJeffrey, I love your books. They’re great! I work at a bank and wehave a large Hispanic population in our community. Aside from theobvious of providing things in Spanish and hiring bilingual reps, howelse can we tap into this fast growing market? Or, a better questionwould be, how do we get them to choose our bank over the competition?Thanking you in advance, Didimo
Didimo,People are going to go where they feel most comfortable. And ifsomeone doesn’t speak English very well, they’re not going to come toyour bank unless someone speaks Spanish. And if everyone speaksSpanish, there will be no problems. When you tell me, “besides theobvious” what I believe you’re saying is “not everyone in thebank speaks Spanish.” The branch manager has to be bilingual. Everyteller has to be bilingual. Without these things present, there’s noneed to go further because if your competitor opens a branch nextstore and everyone speaks Spanish, you’ll lose. There are no tricks.There are no gimmicks. There’s only reality. The reality in thissituation is whoeverspeaks the most Spanish wins.If you want to have some fun — get people from the neighborhood tocome in and teach you. Try to get some local publicity in theprocess. That may help. Best regards, Jeffrey
Jeffery,I used to enjoy your column very much and looked forward to receivingit. I work in inside sales and make a very good living. Lately, I amfinding it is disappointing to read your disparaging remarks aboutthe utter uselessness of cold calling. My impression is you feel coldcallers are second-class citizens. No matter how interesting I findyour columns, I have slowly stopped reading them. All sales peoplewant to pass the point of flat out cold calling. To accomplish this,one must learn the basics and grow. Why not offer tips aboutnetworking with my current phone customers? This would be morehelpful than repeatedly dismissing cold calling as useless. Ifcold calling is something you consider not worthy of a salespersons’effort, than say so and leave it at that. Also, I have read yourlatest book. The cold calling information simply mirrors your currentattitude. Nicole
Nicole,The reason I continue to harp on the worthlessness of cold calling isthat it is the lowest percentage sales call. It’s where 99.9% ofrejection takes place, it’s the most difficult for salespeople tomake, it’s not taught properly by management, most of the people whoteach it can’t do it themselves, and other than learning how to sell,it’s a 1 in 100 shot at best. Your challenge is exactly as I stated:invest money in existing customers, build relationships with existingcustomers, provide value beyond your sale to existing customers, sothat referrals, and more sales to existing customers, are apossibility. But let me clear about one thing: I am not disparagingthe salespeople who make the cold calls; I am merely disparaging theprocess of cold calling. In my LittleBlack Book of Connectionsyou will find all the networking and relationship answers you willneed – a free copy of which is being sent to you today. Best regards,Jeffrey
Jeffrey,I am the executive director of a non-profit organization. I know yourcolumn is geared to people in sales, but isn’t that what we all do?I’m trying to sell tickets, and sell people the idea of supporting myorganization. I always find something useful in what you’ve written,and I frequently read sections to our board of directors. Do you haveany advice for non-profits in particular? Alayne
Alayne,Your non-profit organization benefits people in some way. If you arethe Cancer Society, get people who have had cancer and recovered. Inother words, get the people who benefit from what you do to talkabout the value and how it affects them. The stories about what youdo, from the people you serve are a thousand times more powerful thanany message you try to create. Best regards, Jeffrey
Jeffrey,What are the best ways to stay motivated in a home office? Shawn
Shawn,
1.Get dressed like you’re going to work – so you can feel as thoughyou’re working, rather than “sweating.”
2.Keep your workspace separate from your living space.
3.Get rid of all distractions. Turn off the TV. Turn off the radio.Even go so far as to put your kids in daycare for half the day.
3.5Make a to-do list every morning when you wake up. And do it.
Bestregards, Jeffrey
