BY MARK WALKER - www.jmwalkergroup.com

I had an interesting experience with an automobile repair facility.  My car would soon need new tires, so I stopped into a place I had never been before because I was driving by late in the day.  I talked to Bobby.  I said, “I’m going to soon need new tires, and I need some advice on whether I should replace the shocks, too.  The car has 55,000 miles on it.” 

Bobby and one of his associates said, “We’d love to sell you new shocks, but, unless you have a specific problem, you really don’t need to replace them till 100,000 miles.  The quality of shock absorbers has improved so much, that they last longer now than they did ten years ago.”  Well, that was an unexpected surprise, and good news.   

Then we talked about tires and Bobby said, “Let me take a look at them.”  We walked out to my car and he bent down, looking at each tire and feeling the tread depth.  He said, “You don’t need tires yet, but you are close.  This is as front wheel drive car, so you should have your best tires on the front.  While you are here, why don’t you let me do a free tire rotation for you?”  Another pleasant surprise! 

It was the end of the day, so I could take 15 minutes for a free tire rotation.  While sitting in the lobby, I thought, “While the car is on the lift, I wonder if he’d change the oil.  It’s due now.”  So Bobby’s technician changed the oil. The free tire rotation generated a little $24.00 sale, paying for itself.  While I waited, Bobby printed out a quote for new tires based on the kind of driving that I do. 

What’s the lesson?

1.  Bobby established trust with me immediately by telling me I did not have to buy new shocks.

2.  He made a goodwill gesture, almost like saying, “Thanks for stopping to get a quote for new tires,” rotating my tires for free. 

3.  I was going to get the oil changed anyway, so he took care of that with very little extra time consumed for me.

4.  It was the end of both our days, so he spent a few minutes chatting with me, and further developing a friendly, trust relationship, something hard to find in the auto repair world. 

Bobby would probably not have volunteered the free service if it had been the middle of the day, and his waiting area was full of people getting their cars serviced or repaired.  But he had an idle technician, who was getting paid anyway.  He had a genuine prospect for tires, and he wanted me to come back in a few weeks.  So he did a smart thing: he showed that he valued my potential business, and he treated me with courtesy and friendliness. 

Guess where I bought a new set of tires about six weeks later?  From Bobby.

BY STEVEN WINOKUR    www.TPStrategies.com 

For those of you that haven’t been following the news in the beer industry, there has been much consolidation due to the slowdown in US beer sales. People have been increasingly turning to wine and spirits for their alcohol choices. Recently, InBev agreed in principle to purchase Anheuser-Busch, the maker of Budweiser and Michelob. 

I won’t begin to debate the financial ramifications of this transaction nor its impact on the economy in St. Louis. Looking at this strictly from a brand perspective, it’s a big disappointment. One that I’m surprised hasn’t been mentioned more online (or if it has, I haven’t seen it).  

Can you imagine the uproar if a foreign company bought Coca-Cola? While not quite at that level, Anheuser-Busch is a great American brand - as American as apple pie. Their current television ads even proclaim Budweiser as the “Great American Lager”. Now, certainly you can debate the quality of their beer – but you can’t debate it’s stature as an American brand.  

And now it will be owned by Belgium. From an operations standpoint, both organizations feel that the economies of scale make sense and this will make both groups more money. Have they taken into account what will happen to sales in this country? Will people be upset that the King of Beers no longer lives here? Will people turn more to the micro-brews that are owned by an American company? Or will people even care?  

Ironically, Anheuser-Busch had played the foreign ownership card in its battle with Miller, when they were purchased by a foreign company. They mentioned the fact that they were American owned and Miller was not.   

I for one am saddened by this transaction – Somehow the tagline, “Budwesier - Great American Lager now owned by Belgium” just doesn’t have the same ring.

The Prospect Gap

While there is no doubt taking care of existing customers needs to a major priority, new business is the lifeblood of any growth-oriented organization. Unfortunately, many companies go about the process all wrong.

It’s not about just attracting eyeballs, getting people to call you or ask for more information. It’s about getting the RIGHT people to do those things. Now, the RIGHT people will be different for every organization, but the fact remains that every organization does have the RIGHT prospect. I would define that as a qualified prospect.

Does it matter that your website receives 1000 hits an hour or you’ve had 500 requests for information if those people are not going to buy from you - for whatever reason. I would rather have 10 hits a day from qualified prospects than 1000 hits a day from just anyone. And I guarantee you, so would your business development team.

Now that you’ve defined a qualified prospect, how can you figure out who fits that definition. Check out the article from Michael McClellan. Once you’ve determined who fits your definition, how can you cut through the clutter and reach them with your message. Check out Todd Schnick’s article on a new unique tool to do just that.

Zahir Palanpur’s article will highlight ways to keep that prospect engaged with your website. And don’t miss Stone Payton’s treatise on the misunderstood topic of Lead Generation, I mean Incubation.

If you’re interested in receiving our newsletter in your mailbox each month, please subscribe here.

BY DON RIGBY - www.integratedmarcom.com

Last week, I met with a CEO of a $7 million dollar enterprise.  He was open and honest with his dialog; history of the company, personal goals for the firm and concerns for getting there due to current economic climate.  This was a healthy conversation–one that validated everything I discovered from advance interviews with the Director of Marketing and 1 of his 8 dedicated sales professionals. 

Do I have an answer for this CEO?  Business growth is rarely solved with a one dimensional answer, but if I had to narrow my recommendation with a Silver Bullet, it would be a well articulated Growth Strategy.   

So why would this successful entrepreneur permit me to build their growth strategy?  What gives me the right?  Let me rephrase the question from the CEO’s perspective:  “Why should I choose you?    

The irony and beauty of “Why should I choose you?” is exactly the same for me as it is for his company?  Why does anyone choose to do business with any company?  Ask yourself honestly, in the eyes of your prospects and customers, are you compelling, are you believable and have you positioned your firm above the commodity fray?      

Fact is, we can’t be objective. We’re so emotionally involved in our business, we loose objectivity.  The lens in which we see our value-to-customer has too many blind spots.   

Last week was our first meeting and it was rather one-sided (I asked the questions and listened 80% of the time).  To create a mutual environment of trust, he needs to know who Don Rigby is, why GrowthANSWERS and what he can expect from us that he cannot receive from anyone else on the planet.  In my heart, I believe we’ll work together when his internal need, timing and desire align, but ONLY if I do my job first.  

This CEO has literally invested millions into technology to turn high-quality jobs faster. He’s invested millions into human resources (currently 53 employees).  He’s invested millions into acquisitions (inorganic growth) to broaden scope of service to his customer. He retains customers well (I’ll give him an A-), but his new business development strategy is anemic (I’ll give him a C-). Operationally, he’s excelled, but that’s not what gives new clients the courage to choose his business.  Courage comes from a clearly defined differentiator–something prospects can’t receive from any other resource.  

That’s strategy worth building on and it comes from researching customers, competition and employees. This requires outside perspective, objectivity and a proven method of building exponential and sustainable growth.

1. Object analysis of current Business Development practices.  
2. A system permitting marketing to market, customer service to serve and sales to sell consistently with repeatable processes leading to predictable results.  
3. Compelling messaging that truly distinguishes his company over competitive alternatives and told consistently by every story-teller.
4. A growth strategy based on his industry, competition and corporate culture.

Do I believe GrowthANSWERS is the single best resource on the planet to create and execute a growth strategy?  Without a doubt, but what matters most is what he believes. 

http://www.growthanswers.com/expert/todd.mp3 

Over the years I have done direct response marketing campaigns, my clients and I have made every mistake in the book.  But after producing millions of pieces of mail, I have learned that there are three key elements to any successful DRM program.   

One, you need to aim for the right target.  The mailing list for your DRM program will largely determine the success or failure of your campaign.  The right message will fall on deaf ears if it sent to the wrong targets.  Narrow your focus and mail only to your niche in the marketplace. 

Two, you have to grab the attention of your audience – and draw them in.  You have to articulate a problem you can solve – or fulfill a need or want.  If you do not provide something your prospect wants – you will fail. 

And three, you must have a strong – and simple – call to action.  Once you have made it clear you have something they want – you need to make it easy to take the next step towards purchase. 

Last month, I was the featured program for the GrowthANSWERS Meet The eXpert Live Learning Series.  Click on the link below to listen to the workshop where I discuss the three key steps to success in your DRM campaign.  

http://www.growthanswers.com/expert/todd.mp3 

I hope you find the presentation helpful! 

Todd Schnick, Intrepid

www.intrepid-llc.com

 

 By MARK WALKER - www.jmwalkergroup.com 

 

I have a favorite question that I build into most of my initial sakes interviews with prospective clients. “What do your best people do that you wish everyone would do?” In one two week period, two sales executives answered, “Build relationships.”

What are some of the ways that I and others use to build relationships?

§ Develop trust with people by showing genuine interest in them.
§ Responding to prospect or customer requests promptly is a relationship builder.
§ Look for ways to let customers know you are thinking about the needs they revealed to you.
§ Follow up promptly with commitments you have made or problems a customer has told you about.
§ Avoid obviously self-serving contacts. Make contacts about them and their business.
§ Be interested in their needs. Ask lots of “how, who, what, when and where” questions that can’t be answered with a word, but with information.
§ Talk about your products or services only as solutions to needs they have agreed they are looking to resolve.

Effective use of communication tools. A colleague in

Nashville, TN, Harriet Butler, is a master at relationship building. She is uses voice mail after hours to leave short messages letting a client know she is working on something for them. These little messages often take less than a minute, and they help build trust because she is thinking about them and their business needs.

Look for ways that you can save clients money when they make commitments to you. I sell sales and customer service training programs. A few years ago I saved client thousands of dollars over a three year period by asking, “How many people do you think will be going through this program in the next 12 months?” When they told me, the number was significantly more than needed to get them into our highest discount bracket. I simply asked for a letter of commitment stating their expectations, and my boss extended the highest discount immediately to this valued client.

You can also offer to do “leg work” for a client. I used my schedule flexibility when working with a large client to travel all around the state giving executive and supervisory overviews. These helped the client achieve their training goals at virtually no additional cost to them, and I got to know their people all over the state.

Perhaps the best question you can ask yourself to develop trust relationships is, “What would I want me to do if I was this customer?” Then figure out a way to do it. Whether you are selling, or serving after the sale, these ideas can be relationship builders for you!