I spend a fair amount of time coaching solo-preneurs one on one in preparation for and debriefing real live sales calls. Early in the relationship, it's typically after the fact, but it quickly becomes, "Let's not do it wrong in the first place. Call Rick BEFORE the call!" As a matter of fact, it's not unusual that the pre-call coaching session will happen IMMEDIATELY before my client's appointment with their prospect. This happened yesterday.

7:44 AM - 28 minute coaching call with client in preparation for a 10 AM sales call. He's an authorized "Blank" partner and apparently his prospect had sent in inquiries to three authorized partners and had not gotten any response. So, "Blank" called my client and asked if he would respond to the inquiry ASAP.

My client expected to be on defense from the 'get-go' because the prospect was apparently pretty upset when he complained to "Blank". So, I suggested that he start like this.

My Client: Hi, I'm looking for _____.

Prospect: You got him.

My Client: Hi, ____. My client's name.

Prospect: Yes?

My Client: I'm an authorized "Blank" partner and I understand that you sent in three inquiries to authorized partners and nobody called you back. So, "Blank" called me and asked me to call you. Can I ask you a question?

Prospect: Sure.

My Client: What do they know about you that I don't know?

Prospect: Huh?

My Client: Why didn't they call you back? Do you have a reputation?

OK. Rick's back. That's not where my coaching ended, but it's all that I need to finish the story. At this point you might be laughing. You might be thinking that you would never start a call that way. You might be wondering what happened.

11:33 AM - My client leaves me a 38 second voice mail message. He doesn't start with, "Hi, Rick...." He doesn't say, "Hello, it's _____". This is what he says,

"Not three things. Three words. One. Call. Close."

Then he went on and recapped the high points of his call and told me that he had closed a 12 month consulting contract for $2,000 per month and gotten the credit card number, over the phone with permission to charge the card automatically, every month, starting yesterday.

Here's the lesson.

In real life sales, the length of your sales cycle depends heavily on what immediately follows,

"Hello".

 

Remember the book and the movie, "The RainMaker"? I found a couple of quotes to share.

"Every lawyer, at least once in every case, feels himself crossing a line that he doesn't really mean to cross... it just happens... And if you cross it enough times it disappears forever. And then you're nothin but another lawyer joke. Just another shark in the dirty water."

and

"I'm just wonderin'... do you even remember when you first sold out?"

 

 

How do you use LinkedIn? How do you invite people to connect with you? How do you decide which invitations to accept?

Here's a few recent LinkedIn stories.

---

Hey Rick,

We need to work on that portrait some day.

Joe Photographer

I know Joe. I've seen his work, but does he want to connect with me or sell me?

---

Rick,

I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

JL

I replied with:

J, I hope that I'm not embarrassed by your response, but how do we know each other?

Rick

He replied with:

I believe we met at a chamber expo at the Westin. I could be wrong, but i have your card and i network quite a bit around the Boston area.

JL has 500+ connections. He's out and about. If he had picked up the phone and called me, I'd have connected with him on the spot (as long as he wasn't pushy/salesy). He didn't. Maybe someday I will. I haven't declined or archived his invitation, so I'll be reminded from time to time.

---

Here's a cute exchange...

I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

- ER

My reply (typo and all):

E,

I hope that I'm not embarrassed when I se your reply, but how do we know each other?

Rick

I loved her reply.

Rick - never had the pleasure of personal meetup but have followed your blog - just felt like you would be a groovy guy to be Linkedin 2.

E.

E has 34 LI connections, 16 Twitter followers, 30 tweets. She's also new at her job, has a "my blog is coming" page. I don't know E. Don't know how E found my blog, but I will call E and find out. That conversation will probably lead to a connection/relationship.

---

Last October, I met JR at a networking event. I followed up with a phone call. There's HUGE synergy between us. He and I service the same markets. He invited me to connect on LinkedIn at 6:02 AM.. I accepted. At 6:31 AM, I sent this email.

J,

I hope that you enjoyed the Aloft event as much as I did.

I mentioned that we are hosting a very timely, important and exciting Executive Luncheon on Tuesday, November 3, and I would like you, and a few of your favorite clients, partners, vendors or friends to attend as my guests.  Feel free to forward this invite along with any personal comment that you think appropriate.

(I've replaced the text of the Luncheon explanation with this text.)

Rick

At 6:58, he replied with:

Rick,

Thanks for the invitation and offer to share with some clients. I'd like to be sure I understand the agenda and purpose.  Do you know what % of this event is business analysis, and best practices from Dave, and what % is a Hubspot demo?  I would like to send a few clients to something that is thought provoking, yet if it ends up being 50% "here's why you should buy Hubspot" my clients may feel duped. I am sure you understand what I am asking.

-J

At 7:30 AM, I replied (full unedited response):

J,

The agenda on the site should say that Brian will speak from 11:30-12 and Dave will speak from 12-2. I've seen Dave do his thing many times. He talks about weaknesses, sales process, recruiting, best practices, etc., answers questions and is very interactive. He typically ends the talk by asking attendees for their biggest takeaway or ‘aha' moment and there are plenty. We're all sales guys, but this event isn't a selling event. 80% of the room will take a ‘to-do list' back to the office. 20% of the room will give us their business card and ask for a follow-up call.

I've seen Brian twice and know his company well. They're attitude is that content sells without sales tricks. Expect him to share concepts, actual features (but not a demo), excerpts from their new book, but don't expect him to sell. Here's a link to give you a feel for his personality. Try this comparison.

In everyday life, if I see a prospect start to raise his hand, I'm on them.

In everyday life, a Hubspot prospect has to be waving both hands before most of their salespeople will recognize that it's time, but Hubspot is generating 15,000 leads a month, so they can afford to cherry pick.

Bottom line, anyone that you invite will enjoy and benefit.

Any questions, or if you want to hear tonality, you or your guests can call my cell.

Rick

At 7:45, he replied, "That helps, thanks."

We had 731 people register to attend the Luncheon or the stream. Not JR and nobody indicated that they were invited by him.

On November 13^th, I received this email.

Hello Everyone,

We've got an opportunity for an experienced (his industry) sales pro. Experience selling to (his market) would be a plus, but not required. Know any proven colleagues that might be interested? Location must be in New England.

Cheers!

~J

508-(his number)

I ignored it.

On February 21^st, I received this message.

Hi Rick,

I met you a few weeks ago a networking function at Loft in Lexington. It looks like your office is in Westborough. Mine is in Southborough. I thought I'd suggest a cup of coffee or lunch in the next few weeks.

~J

JR

HisCompany, Inc

508-his number

jr@hisemail.com

I replied, "No thanks." And disconnected from him.

---

During this same time frame, I connected to Heather Ryan, Kim Harmon, Mark Shea, Ed Ross, Phil Arsenault, Mark Kilens, Cindy-Michelle Waterfield, Chinenye Aguoji, and Eric Kraieski.

So, it's not like I'm IMPOSSIBLE!

 

Seriously! Forever! Read on!

Have you ever walked into a restaurant and left before you ate? Rude hostess. Cockroach runs across the floor. Saw somebody that you didn't want to talk to. Whatever. You were hungry enough to go to a restaurant, but something happened and you left without eating. You weren't hungry enough to overlook the rude hostess, cockroach, etc.

Different scenario. Flying from SLC to BOS through MSP. Your 1 hour layover turns into a 3 hour delay. So you say, let's shop a little then grab a nice dinner. You shop, then hear that your 3 hour delay has turned into we're boarding immediately. So, you forgo dinner in order to make your flight. Then you sit on the runway for an hour. Arrive in BOS at 10:30 to learn that your luggage is on the next flight. Your wife doesn't trust the airline to bring the luggage, so you wait for the next flight to arrive. Nothing open except a coffee shop with muffins that have probably been there since 7:30 AM. But you haven't had dinner and you're starving, so you eat a muffin purely for bulk.

In the first case, it didn't matter what they were selling, you weren't eating. In the second case, your reason was compelling and you ate.

We met with a couple of entrepreneurs (founding partners) today. One had been laid off and was working in the business full time. One was working a full time job and helping nights and weekends in their business. We made a list. No real business plan. Want to beef up their website. Do more blogging. Need more customers. Need to sell more to the customers that they have. Need to raise their rates. Need to define their market. Need to identify and work trade shows. Need more opportunities in the pipeline. Need to spend more time on business development. Need to prioritize business development. Eventually need to hire a GM so founders can keep doing "the work". These are all valid reasons to do something. This is a good list of things to do and honestly, it's probably enough so that we could have 'pushed' a little, sold up hill, handled objections, and closed the deal.

But

We learned that every spare dollar was being put aside to get the partner who still had a job into the business full time. We learned that his wife said that he could quit his job when the pipeline showed that it could fund three months of his salary. We learned that most days he goes to work hoping that he gets laid off so that he can chase his dream full time. That was it! That was the why. That was compelling. We could stop selling. They knew what they wanted. They wanted both partners working on the dream full time and they wanted it yesterday. That was their compelling reason. All we had to do was help them get it. Everybody knew that they needed more customers, more dollars per customer, and all the other things in the last paragraph, but once everybody realizes how compelled they were to have both partners working in the business full time, they'll do whatever it takes to get it. They closed themselves.

So, focus on finding what's compelling and you can stop selling, forever.

 

Originally, I was thinking about this title. 

How to Lose Your Stake Holders, Best Customers and Evangelists

but I realized that some business owners don't know that they have Stake Holders, Best Customers and Evangelists and they don't know how important they can be.

So, what's a Stake Holder? Look at this diagram. That's a lot of people that depend on you doing a good job. Let's focus on Customers. Your customers depend on you delivering, staying in business. You may be part of their offering. Your service may keep them up and running. Some of your customers invest their faith in you.

Who are your Best Customers? Are they the ones that buy the most from you? Are they the ones that pay you on time? Are they the ones that don't complain? That appreciate your efforts? That thank you for being you? Have you thought about who your Best Customers are and what makes them best?

Evangelists: Compare this definition to some of these. Notice the similarities in the biblical and the business definitions. Religion, speading the word, way of life, love the cause, good news. Evangelists use, love and tell the world about what you do for them.

Have you heard of the 80/20 Rule? So, my simple explanation is that if you look at any business, club, association, or any other organization, 80% of the good will come from 20% of the members. 80% of your business will come from 20% of your customers. By the same token, 80% of your problems will come from 20% of your customers. (I try not to sell that 20%. and focus on the good 20%.) In any referral group, 80% of the referrals will be passed by 20% of the members. They get it. They believe. They make it happen. I know who my evangelists are. They believe in me. They do anything that I ask. They work on my behalf without me asking. All associations, whether they're a chamber of commerce, charitable non-profit, or industry or trade group has members and donors that pay dues and make donations. Some pay big dues or make big donations. They're important. Some members donate their time. They evangelize. They spread the word. They believe in the cause. They find new members and new donors.

So, you want a great business? Focus on the 20% that bring you the 80%.

You want to go out of business? Focus on the 80% that bring you the 20% and watch the Stake Holders, Best Customers and Evangelists go to your competition.

 

I've got three blog topics in my head.

"LinkedIn Boo-Boos"

and

"How to Lose Your Stake Holders, Best Customers and Evangelists"

will come later, tonight it's "Why sales training won't work".

"I didn't come here to learn anything. I just want to be told that I'm doing it right."

"Oh, that's easy for you to do, but I could never do that."

"I just want to know how low my price has to be."

"I've got lots of people that have promised to buy, I'm just waiting for them to say, 'Yes.'"

"I've got a great product and I know everything about it. I just need some tricks for closing time."

"Prospects lie and there's no way around it."

"I just need to write better proposals."

"I'm a natural born salesman. Everybody says that I have the gift of gab."

"I don't need to prospect. I close everybody that I sit with. I just need to sit with more people."

"Product knowledge is everything."

"I'm a networking animal. Everybody knows who I am, what I do and will send me referrals."

OK. Rick here. When we start working with someone, we first have to learn what our client believes that's gonna get in the way of us helping them. Have you figured out why each of the beliefs above could be a roadblock? Can you think of any others? Leave it in the comments.

Got five more minutes? Wanna have some fun? Click here.

 

Last week we got tips from a professional writer that makes her living with her pen. Today we reflect on a joke that was in my inbox. I hope you enjoy! 

One : Don't miss the boat.......Be on time?

Two : Remember that we are all in the same boat.......Prospects tell us that they're favorite salespeople seem to be on their side.

Three : Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.......Read this post about being ready.

Four : Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.......Practice. Learn. Stay sharp. Stay current. Stay relevant.

Five : Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.......Is anybody still waiting for the economy to turn the corner? Have a conversation!

Six : Build your future on high ground........Be special. Differentiate. Avoid "Me too!".

Seven : For safety  sake, travel in pairs........Have a 'buddy' that's different from you, that you'll listen to, that will stand up to you and test you to hold you accountable.

Eight : Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs........Develop and follow a proper process and do every step thoroughly at your prospect's pace.

Nine : When you're stressed, float a while.........Days off, vacations, exercise, meditation, the water cooler, controlled breathing, the Secret. I'm not suggesting that making excuses is appropriate, and a little stress is a good thing, but we need to have a way to keep our energy level where it needs to be. It's called RE - CREATION.

Ten : Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals........For this I looked to Genesis 6:1 - 9:17. It would be easy to talk about Noah's righteousness, but God gave him the plan (Cypress, cubits, pitch, etc.) Noah followed the plan.

Eleven: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting........The Secret!

While doing the research for #10, I found this. "...the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever...."" So, should #12 be, "Get to it. You don't have forever."?

 

Every author gets this question at every interview.  The answer lies in everything I've mentioned here: research, creating relationships, studying persons, looking at the world through children's eyes.  And it's the key to unbounded opportunity.

Authors get ideas from everywhere.

What makes authors different is that we realize this.

Esther Friesner, international bestselling author, gives the example of driving by a shoe in the road and wondering, "I wonder how that got there?  Maybe there's a monster that simply can't eat feet..."  and then selling the story to a humorous anthology.  Anything can be inspiration; nothing is too crazy to consider. 

What do you see every day that you can turn into a new idea to explore?  What mundane event or location can become an opportunity for you to meet a client, promote a service or product, or make a connection? 

Challenge:  Using these five tips, find at least one thing every day for the next thirty days that can make you better at what you do. 

Hint:  The words "what if" are one of the Best. Tools.  Ever.

Oh, and if you want more writerly advice, imaginings on relationship-building, and ideas that have a non-Euclidian relationship with Schrödingers box (forget this outside/inside the box thing!), feel free to drop by my website at www.anovelfriend.com or visit my blog at novelfriend.blogspot.com

 

Children are full of wonder; everything is new and interesting.  And there is always hope.  And magic.  When all that is true, there is always opportunity.  Children's fiction and YA (young adult) literature have not always been "book shelf genre" items, but they have always been some of the most popular books read by the widest audiences.  They are also some of the most timeless and best known stories.  Why?  Because they hold the truest of truths - things you know are real even as a child.  People create magic.  Hope and Love hold magnificent power.  A pure heart can be the strongest defense and weapon ever.

(Look: More reasons to spend quality time with kids.  Ask them about the world and see what they have to say.  Have fun!)

What Real Magic, hope, and love do you offer your clients?  Is there a sense of real truth in what you do?  Could a child trust your words?

Tomorrow: A surprise subject with a great hidden (?) lesson entitled

"Where do you get your ideas?"

 

You may be interested that it's 85 again today at the Moon Palace in Punta Cana (4th day over 85 in a row for us). Played golf today with Elaine and hit single digits on one of the holes.

Here's #3 from Trisha! Enjoy! 

People relate to... other people.  It's not necessarily what happens to a person, but how the person deals with it.  Bella and Edward may just be literary descendents of Romeo and Juliet and an other romantic archetypes you can think of, but they are real to fans of Twilight.  It's not so much their struggles, but how they react and who they are.  Can you remember all the adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn?  But do you know who these people are?  People want a relationship with another person - fictional or otherwise - above all else.

What is it you offer that people can connect to on a human level?  How are you a real person to your clients - or are you just a means to an end?

(Do you have a character you've fallen in love with?  Why?  What is it you loved about that character?)

Tomorrow: Never grow up.