Try The Way That Works First

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I am guilty of it. Just as much as everyone else.

Reinventing the wheel.

Why can’t we just try things out the way so many people before us have tried? They used trial and error to create a system for doing something. We can easily learn from their mistakes without having to make them, yet so many people these days would rather start with some creative thought and build from that. Instead, let’s look around at what HAS been working for so many years and start there.

Let’s think about just pressing rewind and play instead of shooting a new movie.

You: Your Hardest Sale

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Have you ever heard a pitch from someone who just didn’t seem to believe what they were saying?  Even if the statistics they were giving you seemed accurate or the results spoke for themselves, you just didn’t feel like they truly bought it themselves?

This single fact will sink you in sales: if you’re not convinced of what you’re selling, neither will anybody else.

The first sale you ever make must be the devil’s advocate, rational, pessimistic side of yourself that doubts all.  If you can get that person to buy into what you’re selling, you’ve already conquered the hardest sale you’ll ever make.

Coincidentally, once you make yourself a believer in your product or service, you will easily be able to refute any doubters or naysayers you come up against.  You become your own best asset.  It almost sounds too good to be true.

Easter Marketing

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Jesus was in marketing.  Think about it.

He had a strong message, satisfied customers, brand loyalty.

It is true though.  His message was clear and easy to understand.  He had excellent brand recognition because he was easily identified from his competitors.  He didn’t listen to the naysayers who tried to tell him he was a fool; he believed in himself.  His product always worked as he said it would so people knew they could trust him.  His customers were always so satisfied, that they told anyone they knew which, in turn, produced more loyal customers to him.  He grew a strong loyalty by always focusing on the needs of his customer.

Are you doing this in your business?  Is your message clear and easy to understand?  Are you easily identified from your competitors?  Do you believe in yourself and your product?  Does your product do what your message says?  Is  your product trustworthy?  Do you produce satisfied customers that spread word-of-mouth advertising?  Do you listen to the needs of your customer and plan your product accordingly?

Seems to me marketing could learn a lot from one of the best marketers the world has seen yet.

Why Am I Waiting?

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One of the first things everyone learns in sales is, “The customer is always right.”  While I concede this may not always be true, as customers can often times be dead wrong, the moral behind this phrase should still be heeded.  It doesn’t matter if the sales rep is your friend, is your colleague, or is working on a Saturday against his will, you are the customer, the client, the payer, and you deserve top-notch service.

Two recent occurrences I’ve had over the past two weeks have really reminded me how true this is.

First, I was out with some clients showing properties.  One of the properties was a building that had been redeveloped into condos.  We arrived in the lobby at 12:10pm; the model was supposed to be open at noon.  Of course, no one was there.  We then proceeded to go to two other properties before coming back to this one.  When we got there, we sat in the lobby for a brief moment and the sales rep came down to meet us.

The sales rep was dressed to the 9s in a suit and tie, looked very professional.  He then asked if we could wait a few minutes while he ran next door to grab a coffee.  ”Uh, sure, we’ll wait for you to get coffee,” was our awestruck reply.  Ten minutes later, coffee in hand, he returned – excited to show us the condos we had been waiting to see.

Did he offer us coffee?  No.  Did he decide to completely disregard his need for coffee to show potential buyers a model?  No.  Did my clients say something about how unprofessional they thought that seemed? Yes, they sure did.

The second occurrence cast me as the customer.  I had an appointment, which I showed up for on-time.  My sales rep was there, and after five minutes of waiting for her to finish what she was doing, she finally turned her attention to me.  During our time together, she did her job, but spent the majority of it talking about herself instead of concentrating on what she was doing… for me.  It left me sitting there, concerned only about whether or not she was doing things correctly.

The moral of these stories is simple.  When your client shows up on-time for a planned appointment, the second they get there, they are automatically your first priority.  They should know that you’ve been waiting for them, that you’re prepared, and that you’re excited to help them.  It’s not much, it doesn’t cost anything, and it makes ALL the difference.