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Free Stuff / Monthly Tips Archive
Monthly Tips Archive
Think about it. You've most likely asked your financial advisor, "What do you think I should do ?" And your hairdresser, "What do you think would look best?" Or your wine dealer, "What do you recommend with the salmon?" You may have even said (I have): "Just tell me what you recommend. You decide." Bingo! That is exactly what people want from you: They want you to become them, think for them and tell them what is best to do. They need you to filter everything you know with everything you know about them and tell them what is the best option for them. We all have so many choices we can't choose. We're afraid of the wrong answer. The more you guide people to the (true, authentic, ethical) best choice, the more indispensable you become.
If you can't find a touchpoint, something that honestly connects you and your recipient, cold calling is just an interruption. A touchpoint is how you know the other person and you may be amazed that even when you don't, you do. Even if you're cold calling or emailing from a list, you know something about the names on the list. Tell your truth! Why are they on the list? They're there because they buy widgets, or are experienced meeting professionals, or attend church or synagogue regularly. Whatever qualifications they have, tell them! Begin with:
Start with an authentic touchpoint. You don't need to be pushy, just truthful.
Here are two quick tips to show how important your recipient is to you:
Think of the result you bring to your best customer. Tell them that. For example, in response to "what do you do?" you might say, "You know how organizations are always looking for unique destinations to hold meetings? I work for one of those special places." Clearly, the next move is theirs and you can be sure they'll take it, "Really? Who do you work for?" Bingo, the beginning of an engaged conversation. Move up in the world by focusing on what you bring to the other person.
I'm talking about email! Show your reader love by sending an email that is worth reading. Anyone can write a long, boring email. Give your customers and co-workers the attention they deserve by sending clear, concise and direct messages. Keep them positive and focused on their needs, not yours. Paul McCartney had it right: "The love you take is equal to the love you make." Bring Sexy Back! Write so they know you care about their success and you'll be more successful.
Social networking allows you to accomplish all three. If you aren't already an active user of Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, resolve to start networking now. Social networking isn't about telling people what you had for breakfast. It's about creating a strategy to provide value to your customers by tweeting and posting ideas to help them succeed. (Wanna read that again?) The greatest challenge is to stay active (2-5 tweets 4-5 days a week), offer helpful insights and retweets, and not become addicted. Start by checking out what your competition is doing. Google <search.twitter.com> or download Tweetie2 to see how others are authentically building relationships. What are they doing that is smart business? What are they doing to tell their story, help their customers, and tell their truth? Think of social networking as the new golf course — and start playing. P.S. I booked 3 speaking presentations because of my presence on Twitter. I never would have known about the opportunity, in one case, had I not been following my market. In the other cases, meeting planners contacted me because they were following my tweets. That's ROI I can live with (and no embarrassing golf swing!).
The question used to be, “Is it appropriate to send holiday wishes with an email?” With the economy the way it is, and the need to build stronger relationships more important than ever, now it’s, “What can I say that will make a difference?” Download the free PDF of this article.
I was eating an apple the other day when a colleague commented on how much she loved Gala apples. "Was I eating a Gala?" Who knew? It was on sale at the store, and it was an apple. I had not one clue about the difference between a Gala, a McIntosh and a Fuji. (I do, however, know green and red.) Are your customers buying your services and products the same way? Are they going for cheapest because you aren't educating them, connecting the dots for them, providing a business case to make it easy for them to see the difference, and buy your uniqueness? Customers will choose the lowest price when everything else appears equal. It's up to you to help them see how much happier and more satisfied they'll be with your particular brand. Anyone for a Red Delicious?
To turn prospects into delighted customers, take the time to craft a great welcome/thank you email. Here's how:
For more ideas about keeping customers and clients engaged, schedule SpeakerSue for your next meeting. She'll energize your team and help them sell more, more easily. Don't miss out!
Do you work with a manager who doesn't respond to your emails? Breaking news: It may be your emails. Here are 3 tips to help:
How engaging are you? The easiest way to be more compelling (and sell more) is to tell stories. Give me less information and more emotional bonding. For example, you can tell me that you have a 24 hour hotline and a 100% satisfaction guarantee, but that information is just boring. Instead, tell me about the person who called your organization in the middle of the night and how you helped them. Tell me what the person said after being helped... maybe how thankful they were or how surprised they really could get help. Bring your information to life by telling the story about it. Consider the boring site visit. Instead of opening the ballroom door and saying, the ballroom is 32,000 sq ft with removable walls, tell me a story. Maybe it's about why the color or pattern of carpet was selected, or about the trade show last week that needed a racing track designed around the outside of it in this very space, or something real and interesting that will help me remember what your ballroom looked like. Stories are everywhere. Think of the points you want to make and start looking for stories that make those points. As that famous New Yawker, was asked, "What's the story, Jerry?" "That's the story!" Want more tips on finding stories that create predictable, positive experiences? Email Sue@SpeakerSue.com today!
Want more? Sign up for my free e-newsletter, check out the blog and follow me on Twitter. Nearly forgot, you can schedule me to speak to your group. Benefits? Higher sales and a more powerful brand.
You are most likely using social media to get your message out. If you aren't, you're missing an important link to your customers and prospects. And if your competition is tweeting and posting, they're competing smarter, and you're losing business to them. Imagine this: Social media gives you the chance to get your name out there. You may not make an instant sale, and you'll need to visit their website to learn more, but you have the opportunity to warm up a cold call. Priceless. Social media helps you position yourself as an expert, and as a solution to your customers' and prospects' pain. On sites like LinkedIn, you list your credentials and expertise. What a wonderful way to be able to present yourself without bragging. You discover stuff about customers who know other customers and can make introductions. You come across people you dropped from your data base, and may now have business for you. You learn from your competitors (and you learn what they're doing). Most important for you to know: Social media's potential depends on your creativity. Use it to define your brand, extend your hand and grow business. Want to manage your on-line reputation? Let's talk about creating a keynote or workshop that will engage your attendees and give them specific tools to increase sales. Follow me on Twitter and visit my blog, too. * OH stands for Over Heard. It's what people say when the person who really said it may not want to be quoted. But you can quote me quoting Mr. Kaushik (RT@avinashkaushik via @SpeakerSue) because I think the person who said it is brilliant.
The meeting planner broke down crying and all I could hear her say was: "Of course I planned for this." Her boss answered, "Well, it's not the first thing you've forgotten." She became hysterical and could no longer talk. All this in the lobby of the hotel. Where did the conversation go wrong? The conversation took a downward spiral as soon as the meeting planner became defensive. The meeting planner could have managed the conversation by stepping back and making the other person (in this case, her rude boss) feel safe and smart. Whether he deserved this is beside the point. She would have maintained her dignity and looked good. What would the outcome have been had she responded to his initial (unknown to me) accusation by saying, "Thank you, I appreciate the reminder. I had arranged for it to be in Salon A. Is that okay?" We may not be able to control another person but we certainly impact the way they react. Step back. Help the other person feel safe and smart and you win. Think of it as a dance. You lead and they follow. Want more? I'd be honored to speak at your next meeting. We'll work together to focus on the communication breakdowns in your office and with your customers. Until then, please enjoy my blog posts at SpeakerSueSays and occasional tweets.
If you're still sitting in training classes and meetings where you aren't allowed to use your iPhone/Blackberry, it's because the presenter or exec is afraid that he or she isn't compelling enough and that you'll disappear into cyberspace. Challenge them to create a presentation that is meaningful and you'll either put your phone down to listen, or start twittering and spreading the great stuff you're hearing. When you text for business purposes:
Follow me on twitter! Let's party!
February 2009 / How to handle on-line complaints
January 2009 / If you hate cold-calling… |
"Thank you for helping me close more business than I would have closed without your tips and strategies." David Sandifer, Staples Business Advantage |
©2010 Sue Hershkowitz-Coore, CSP; High Impact Presentations E-mail: Sue@SpeakerSue.com |
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