Solving Selling Struggling

Think about the last time you walked into a store and the clerk was on you from the second your foot crossed their front door. You probably quickly told them you were just looking because your personal space was crushed by someone trying to sell you something even though you were in their store.

Now imagine you're at a networking event and you meet John who shoves his card in your hand before you can say hello and starts telling you what he has to offer.

You feel yourself backing up and scanning the room for a few gulps of fresh air, a lifeline, a way out.  John's approach is a bit much so you recoil. You quickly realize the room is full of two types of people - sellers and those who are too scared to sell.

Beyond the Elevator

We need to know how best to explain what we stand for and how we help others. Even the painter does more than slap paint on a wall. She may enhance the feel of the office while it blends with the dark cherry desk and black leather chair.

So before walking in a room to sell your wares or greet new customers in your space, figure out how you can help them and the process may be smoother. This isn't an issue exclusive to service providers and small business owners.

Even big companies struggle with this stuff.
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Are You Selling or Solving?

Think about the last time you walked into a store and the clerk was on you from the second your foot crossed their front door. You probably quickly told them you were just looking because your personal space was crushed by someone trying to sell you something even though you were in their store.

Now imagine you're at a networking event and you meet John who shoves his card in your hand before you can say hello. You can feel yourself backing up and scanning the room for a few gulps of fresh air, a lifeline, a way out. Despite being at an event where you are trying to meet potential customers, clients or partners, John's approach is a bit much so you recoil. You quickly realize the room is full of two types of people - sellers and those who are too scared to sell.

Beyond the Elevator

Everyone tells you that you need to get out there and meet people, shake hands, let them know you’re looking and what you offer. Yet few people enjoy networking. It can be intimidating to try and 'sell yourself' in a room void of buyers. Most shun those who pitch their offer on the social web yet I'm unaware of anyone who can pay their bills with followers and a better Klout score.

Perhaps if I was painter, it would be easier to explain. My passion to provide business solutions to owners and managers who want to become better leaders and improve their people and revenue. The process isn't easy to define because it changes with each situation. When you look closer at your offer, you may say the same.

Beyond the Title

We need to know how best to explain what we stand for and how we help others. Even the painter does more than slap paint on a wall. She may enhance the feel of the office while it blends with the dark cherry desk and black leather chair.

So before walking in a room to sell your wares or greet new customers in your space, figure out how you can help them and the process may be smoother. This isn't an issue exclusive to service providers and small business owners.

Even large enterprise stumbles on this stuff.
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The Key Ingredient

There are plenty of data to show we admire people who take chances as well as create and share new ideas. The things we can accomplish are astounding but are we admiring more than doing? It takes effort to have an idea, it takes guts to act on it. But what if you let everyone take more chances, act on ideas, and embrace a more creative culture within your organization?

We often hear of companies that tout their forward thinking attitude and openness. But perhaps cynicism creeps in when those promises are broken or don’t come to fruition in the purest of ways. Life gets busy and we pacify our need for engaging interactions by telling ourselves it only happens elsewhere.

The creation of meaningful experiences is often replaced by fear and inaction. Cutting the budget seems easier than taking more chances. The intersection of people and business requires relationships and one important element...

Desire.
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Are You Fearless?

There are plenty of data to show we admire people who take chances as well as create and share new ideas. Work and business can often get in the way of great ideas, collaborative culture, and true leadership. The creation of meaningful experiences is often replaced by fear and inaction.

The intersection of people and business require relationships and the key ingredient is desire. Sir John Hegarty succinctly sums up the importance of culture and creativity.

Watch this with your team.


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Fearless Culture

There are plenty of data to show we admire people who take chances as well as create and share new ideas.  The things we can accomplish are astounding but are we admiring more than doing? It takes effort to have an idea, it takes guts to act on it. But what if you let everyone take more chances, act on ideas, and embrace a more creative culture within your organization?

We often hear of companies that tout their forward thinking attitude and openness. But I suppose the cynicism creeps in when those promises are broken or don’t come to fruition in the purest of ways. Life gets busy and we pacify our need for engaging interactions by telling ourselves that only happens elsewhere.

Connecting the Human Dots

Work and business can often get in the way of great ideas, collaborative culture, and true leadership. The creation of meaningful experiences is often replaced by fear and inaction. Cutting the budget seems easier than taking more chances. The intersection of people and business require relationships and the key ingredient is desire.

Sir John Hegarty is one of the principles at the UK based agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty and in this short piece succinctly sums up the importance of culture and creativity.

Watch this, then watch it with your team.


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Kneale Mann | Leadership and Culture strategist, writer, speaker, executive coach engaging leaders, collaborative teams, and strong business results.

johnhegarty | omgtoptens

Wearing Your Wares

Think about the last time you walked into a store and the clerk was on you from the second your foot crossed their front door. You probably quickly told them you were just looking because your personal space was crushed by someone trying to sell you something even though you were in their store.

Now imagine you're at a networking event and you meet John who shoves his card in your hand before you can say hello. You can feel yourself backing up and scanning the room for a few gulps of fresh air, a lifeline, a way out. Despite being at an event where you are trying to meet potential customers, clients or partners, John's approach is a bit much so you recoil. You quickly realize the room is full of two types of people - sellers and those who are too scared to sell.

Beyond the Elevator

Everyone tells you that you need to get out there and meet people, shake hands, let them know you’re looking and what you offer. Yet few people enjoy networking. It can be intimidating to try and 'sell yourself' in a room void of buyers. Most shun those who pitch their offer on the social web yet I'm unaware of anyone who can pay their bills with followers and a better Klout score.

Perhaps if I was painter, it would be easier to explain. My passion to provide business solutions to owners and managers who want to become better leaders and improve their people and revenue. The process isn't easy to define because it changes with each situation. When you look closer at your offer, you may say the same.

Beyond the Title

We need to know how best to explain what we stand for and how we help others. Even the painter does more than slap paint on a wall. She may enhance the feel of the office while it blends with the dark cherry desk and black leather chair.

So before walking in a room to sell your wares or greet new customers in your space, figure out how you can help them and the process may be smoother. And if you think this is an issue exclusive to service providers and small business owners, even large enterprise stumbles on this stuff.

Think about whether you're selling or solving.

Kneale Mann

image: flickr | original: nov 2011

Shopping More or Less This Year?

As millions race around today to do their final shopping and preparations for the big day tomorrow, some interesting statistics were released last month from Nielsen.

Of the online survey participants from fifty-six countries, almost half planned on spending around the same on Christmas as last year and a quarter expected to spend less. Eleven percent claimed they will spend more than they did in 2010.

Some More. Some Less. Some Same.

Of those who expected to spend more in 2011 for Holiday gifts, the majority are in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions while Europe dominates the top countries where survey participants were planning to spend less this year.

Asia Pacific participants listed technology, apparel, books, vacations and jewellery. European participants listed books, toys, technology, apparel and vacations. Latin America included apparel, vacations, technology and bedroom/bathroom accessories.

Middle Easterners and Asians had technology, apparel, books and bedroom/bathroom accessories. North Americans listed toys, gift cards, technology, apparel and video games/consoles. And online shopping continues to increase which may surprise you if you are shopping today in the last mad dash so be careful out there!

If you celebrate, have a great Christmas!

Kneale Mann

image credit: Nielsen

Networking or Pitching?

Beyond the Threshold

Think about the last time you walked into a store and the clerk was on you from the second your foot crossed their front door. You probably quickly told them you were just looking because your personal space was crushed by someone trying to sell you something even though you were in their store.

Now imagine you're at a networking event and you meet John who shoves his card in your hand before you can say hello. You can feel yourself backing up and scanning the room for a few gulps of fresh air, a lifeline, a way out. Despite being at an event where you are trying to meet potential customers, clients or partners, John's approach is a bit much so you recoil. You quickly realize the room is full of two types of people - sellers and those who are too scared to sell.

Beyond the Elevator

Everyone tells you that you need to get out there and meet people, shake hands, let them know you’re looking and what you offer. Yet few people enjoy networking. It can be intimidating to try and 'sell yourself' in a room void of buyers. Most shun those who pitch their offer on the social web yet I'm unaware of anyone who can pay their bills with followers and a better Klout score.

Perhaps if I was painter, it would be easier to explain. My passion to provide business solutions to owners and managers who want to become better leaders and improve their people and revenue. The process isn't easy to define because it changes with each situation. When you look closer at your offer, you may say the same.

Beyond the Title

We need to know how best to explain what we stand for and how we help others. Even the painter does more than slap paint on a wall. She may enhance the feel of the office while it blends with the dark cherry desk and black leather chair.

So before walking in a room to sell your wares or greet new customers in your space, figure out how you can help them and the process may be smoother. And if you think this is an issue exclusive to service providers and small business owners, even large enterprise stumbles on this stuff.

Are Selling or Solving?

Kneale Mann

image credit: fooduncorked

Difficult Clients

I had a heart-to-heart with a colleague last week about one of her tough clients. She prefaced the conversation with “this is just my side of the story".

After half an hour of railing, I asked her what she was going to do and she said she was going to leave them alone.


You can’t get ‘em all

This is not to suggest you give up during the sales process – and yes, we are all in the sales process – but once you can be completely honest with yourself that you did your best then perhaps you need to leave them alone.

Early in my media career I worked with a fantastic sales manager. This guy got the product as much as anyone creating it. He priced it properly, he didn’t bow down to difficult clients wanting a better deal and he was fiercely protective of the entire team.

Not right now

Years later, as I began my consulting career, I called him up to get his advice on prospecting and he simply reminded me that most people you speak with won’t want to buy from you, today. And he’s right. That's why it's called a process and you need to earn their trust before you can sell anything.

If you bat 1.000 with every prospect meeting, you must be counting your billions. It simply doesn’t work that way. That is even more so in our customer driven economy.

This does not mean the client is always right or has to be rude. Conversely, it doesn’t mean they will buy today – or ever.

Here's a list of ideas from eHow

Listen carefully. 
By asking calm questions, see whether you can discern what is bothering the client.

Don't interrupt immediately.
Unless the client is abusive, it pays to hear what they're saying in full. If someone is abusive, politely ask them to tone down their language.

Keep records.
Document all your dealings with difficult clients and steps you have taken to deal with their concerns. This will help you with future difficult clients.

Client's point of view.
No matter how unreasonable or how irrational he or she seems. What seem to you to be nagging, repetitive phone calls may simply be an expression of the customer feeling stressed for reasons that have nothing to do with the work you're doing.

Avoid arguments.
Your goal is to come to an understanding, not to win a confrontation.
Acknowledge different viewpoints.

Be encouraging.
Often people become hostile when they feel frustrated or confused.

Stay calm.
If you can't stay calm, terminate the call or meeting until you can respond less heatedly.

What do you do about difficult customers?

knealemann

image credit: thinklikecenter