GrowthANSWERS » 2009

June 27, 2009

Todd Schnick Recommends Ignore Everybody

Filed under: Recommended Reading, Resources —

I was recently posed this question:

Q: Todd, what’s the best business book you have read recently?

A: Ignore Everybody by Hugh MacLeod. It’s an easy read, it will only take an hour or two. But man oh man, is it profound.

I’ve been a fan of GapingVoid.com, Hugh’s blog, for quite some time. Hugh makes you think about marketing in a whole new light. For me, he makes marketing fun. I’m actually inspired after I spend time with his material.

As for the book, it makes you appreciate the need and the value of creativity. As a natural follow-up, the person I told this to asked: “What does creativity have to do with my line of work?

My answer is here. Enjoy the book!

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June 16, 2009

EQUIP EMPLOYEES TO CONVEY VALUE WITH ONGOING TRAINING

Filed under: customer experience, customer service, eMERGE!, sales team development, sales process optimization —

BY MARK WALKER

In the May 8-14 edition of the Atlanta Business Chronicle there is an on-target opinion piece written by Tim Bentsen, the Managing Partner for the Atlanta office of KPMG, LLP. He discusses the opportunity in this economic downturn to step back from the short-term focus, and think for the long-term. He suggest three areas for this long-term focus, but leaves out an important fourth – building up your people by training them.

If your phone is not ringing off the hook, then you have available time to invest an hour a week training your people, at all levels, on the key ways your company creates value and makes money for your clients.
• Work with your executive, management, sales and service teams to identify the areas in which your products and services bring value to your clients. What do you do for clients that helps them create value for their customers?
• When you gather them for weekly training, invest 10 – 15 minutes talking about client success stories in applying your solutions.
• Focus on teaching your employees how to uncover ways to build additional value through your offerings for your clients.
• Help them create the diagnostic questions they can ask to uncover needs that you can fill, and share those questions with everyone.

When you meet for your weekly sessions make sure to:
• Equip your employees to really find out what your clients need. Help everyone learn how to uncover what the clients can do now to grow their businesses, and look for needs that your products and services can fill.
• Train your employees at all levels to make your key products and services known to your prospect and clients as solutions.
• Rehearse ways to show clients how your solutions will help them get business, now and for the long term.
• Convert your solutions in to dollar savings to demonstrate to your employees direct value for clients.

When the economic times are uncertain, people become fearful about a lot of things. They stand around the coffee pot or water cooler and commiserate about the troubles – unless you give them something good to talk about; something challenging to focus on in helping your customers succeed at their businesses.

The organizations who are now focusing on the basic issue of building value for their clients in this tough market, will be in the best position to break through when the recovery begins.

If you liked that post, then try these...

Innovate the Customer Experience (Part 5 of 5) by editorga on February 14th, 2009
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Create a Customer-Centric Culture (Part 2 of 5) by editorga on January 31st, 2009
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It's The Experience, Stupid (Part 1 of 5) by editorga on January 26th, 2009
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Customer Experience: Empowering Employees (Part 4 of 5) by editorga on February 8th, 2009
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Are you a good marketer? 17 questions to ask yourself every day. by editorga on April 12th, 2009
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