Jonathan Farrington’s Blog

One of the key tasks of a leader is to continually seek ways to improve the way in which their team operates – constantly challenging paradigms and questioning “the way we do things around here,” will ensure the team remains at optimum performance levels.

However, it is also important to stay within an overall long term strategy and not effect change for change’s sake. Here are some thoughts on moving forward in a structured manner.

First, keep the key management functions in mind:
• Define objectives (your own and others)
• Plan (and time) action
• Communicate (throughout the process)
• Support others’ action
• Evaluate performance (and link to the future)
• Then relate this to the task, the team, and the individual people

Keeping the Overall Management Process in Mind:

Define Objectives:
• Task – Identify task and constraints
• Team – Set targets and involve your team
• Individual Needs – Agree targets and responsibilities.

Plan:
• Task – Establish priorities
• Team – Structure and delegate
• Individual Needs – Assess skills, train, and delegate.

Communicate:
• Task – Brief and check understanding
• Team – Consult, obtain feedback
• Individual Needs – Listen, advise, and enthuse.

Support/Control:
• Task – Monitor progress, check standards
• Team – Co-ordinate, reconcile conflict
• Individual Needs – Recognise, encourage, and counsel

Evaluate:
• Task – Review, re-plan and summarise
• Team – Reward success; learn from failure (and success)
• Individual Needs – Appraise, guide and train for the future

This view encapsulates, and simplifies, the whole process.

With this picture in mind certain key issues are worth a mention:

Link to the Future:

Ongoing success as a manager is influenced by:

• The attitude you take to the transition
• What you do before you move into a new appointment
• The early focus you bring to bear on key issues
• The relationship you thus cultivate with staff
• The working habits you create for yourself (and others) in process

Together, all the above influence early success in the job – and how you take things forward into the future.

Key Issues:

From the beginning, always operate on the basis that managing people:

• Takes time – you cannot get so bound up in your own workload that you skimp on time you should spend with others
• Takes effort – it is challenge, there are no magic formulae or quick fixes that will do the job for you
• Needs thought – the obvious or immediate answer may not be best, things may well need research, analysis and thinking through
• Is not a solo effort – seek and take advice from where you can, including your own staff
• Will not always go right – as Oscar Wilde said, “Experience is the name so many people give to their mistakes”: admit your mistakes (publicly if necessary) and learn from your experience.

Remember too that managing people -
Is a process of helping others to be self-sufficient – this implies trust and that management works best when you take a positive view of what people can do (and do not see your role as a sort of corporate security guard)

Is based on good, regular and open communication.

Needs to be acceptable to people before it can be effective – hence the crucial role of motivation as part of the management task.

Become self-sustaining when it works – i.e. if people find your management helpful (to the job, the organisation and to them) then they will support it and support you.

Overall, management is not what you do to people but the process of how you work with people to help prompt their performance. Work with people from day one, and go on doing it throughout your management career.

At the end of the day success comes down to a considered approach. Charge in, desperate to make an impression, go at everything at once in order to make an impression, and disaster may closely follow.

‘Twas ever thus:

“First organise the near at hand, then organise the far removed.
First organise the inner, then organise the outer.
First organise the basic, then organise the derivative
First organise the strong, then organise the weak.
First organise the great. Then organise the small.
First organise yourself, then organise others.”
General Zhuge Liang

Perhaps we should highlight the last line: “First organise yourself, then organise others”

Last Word:

Being a leader is a challenge but it is also almost infinitely rewarding to create and maintain a team of people who deliver excellent performance and produce whatever results are targeted. It is a task that takes time, requires effort, and needs a considered approach.

All sorts of things can help, but only one person can guarantee that you become a good leader – and that’s you.

Today’s News: In about two weeks time, the Top Sales Experts team will be issuing their latest FREE E-book, jam-packed with fantastic articles from fifty of the world’s top sales gurus. I have had a sneak preview and I can tell you that the quality is extremely high. You can reserve a copy by subscribing over at Top Sales Experts Whilst you are there, please feel free to admire the new site layout and all the new team members

Tomorrow: I have developed a very large collection of articles and I have been planning to update them for some time – with the barometer suggesting more wet weather, this weekend might just be the time. “Oh to be in England now that summer is here”

As ever, wherever you are in this rapidly shrinking world, have a great weekend and be sure to join me again next week. – JF

The JF Guest Author Spot 

 Kelley Robertson

Is your head trash piling up? The term “head trash” came up during a conversation with a colleague and he used the phrase to describe the mental garbage that affects the performance of most sales people. Head trash is a collection of limiting thoughts or ideas that prevent you from taking specific action that will help you generate better results. Here are a few examples of how head trash can affect you.

In a sales training workshop I conducted for a specialty retailer, several people stated that they didn’t bother trying to close any business before 11:00 AM because they “knew” that everyone who came into their store before that time was just comparing their price with one of their competitors located close by. A sales person in a manufacturing company told me that her customers would not pay full price for her products because a major competitor sold similar products for less money. As a result, she consistently offered her customers a discount even before they asked. Another sales rep confided that he believed that the lowest possible price was the only thing his customers wanted from him and his company. He had held this belief for so long that nothing could dissuade him from this line of thinking.

Head trash can affect you in different ways. During a morning workout I caught myself thinking that I could not complete a particular exercise and this self- limiting thought prevented me from continuing. Yet, on most other days, I breezed through the workout with much less strain and effort. From a sales perspective, if you believe that a prospect will not be receptive to a new product, idea or solution, your ability to present that idea in a positive manner is greatly reduced. I have seen sales people talk to customers at great length and at the end of their conversation ask, “You don’t want to order this do you?” They have convinced themselves even before they ask for the sale that the customer will not be interested.

The cause of head trash varies. Extreme fatigue from lack of sleep or illness is one common cause because your physical well-being contributes to a less- than-optimistic outlook or mindset. Another cause is associating with negative-minded people. I once worked with an individual who always saw the glass as half-empty instead of half-full and after even a brief conversation with him, I always felt drained and pessimistic.

The most common cause of head trash is the experience you have had with a particular task or assignment. For example, you may be required to cold call to generate new leads and prospect. However, if your experience with cold calling has not been positive and you have failed to find qualified leads then picking up the telephone will be a grind and you certainly will not enjoy making the calls. And, when you do eventually pick up the telephone, your tone will not convey the desired message to your prospect.

To achieve the results you deserve and are capable of it is essential that you dump your head trash. While this is easier said than done, applying a few techniques will help.

First, focus on what you CAN do. With a positive outcome. Instead of thinking of the negative aspect of the task, concentrate on the best possible outcome. Let’s return to the cold calling example for a moment. If you put yourself into the mindset that making these calls will generate new business, or at the very least, that they will help you connect with new and interesting people, your willingness to invest in this task will dramatically improve.

Next, take action immediately. Most people procrastinate when head trash invades their thinking and this prevents them from moving forward. However, taking one step or small action supersedes the desire to remain complacent. I believe it was Confucius who said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” I have learned from experience that making a difficult telephone call eliminates the need to procrastinate and stimulates my desire to take further action throughout the day. And, as I continue to take action, the trash that may have collected in my head is emptied.

It is also important to associate with action-oriented people who support your goals and objectives. I start the week by talking to a good friend of mine every Monday morning. During our conversations we discuss the challenges from the previous week and explore options and ideas. I also belong to a Mastermind group and when we meet each month, we help each other look for new opportunities within our respective businesses. All of these conversations help eliminate my head trash and motivate me to try new approaches and apply different ideas.

Take out your trash and watch the difference in your results.

© 2008 Kelley Robertson, All rights reserved.

Kelley Robertson, author of The Secrets of Power Selling helps sales professionals and businesses discover new techniques to improve their sales and profits. Receive a FREE copy of 100 Ways to Increase Your Sales by subscribing to his free newsletter available at www.kelleyrobertson.com. Kelley conducts workshops and speaks regularly at sales meetings and conferences. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 

Today’s News: Dr. Drew Stevens has been on the front line in sales and now consults for sales organizations. He speaks to some of the current challenges sales forces are facing today. Dr. Stevens is a big advocate of being both a farmer and a hunter. Knowing how to generate your own leads is critical to success. Find out why referral selling is his preferred methodology and how his 25 X 30 X 50 rule can help you reach new levels of success.

I am very interested in some of his unique ideas and I have a call booked with him today – but you can listen in to his conversation with Clayton Shold over at Salesopedia here

Tomorrow: Strong finish to the week……………..

Our style of negotiation will be influenced by the style of the other party. If both sides are adversarial there will be little trust between the two parties, however, if one side decides to be co-operative, there is a danger the other side will use this apparent sign of weakness to their advantage.

Co-operative bargaining has the advantage of being a more efficient style of negotiation; however certain rules have to be followed by both parties for it to work. Let us look at the two styles of bargaining and their features:

Features Of Adversarial Bargaining:
• Each side takes up a position and defends it.
• Opening bids are set at unrealistic levels; too high or too low, in order to give
room for manoeuvre.
• Movement is small or non-existent until later on in the negotiation.
• Tactics are used to gain short term advantage.
• Too much emphasis is placed on trust. .This really is my best price!
• Information is withheld, or misrepresented.
• The outcome is often “win-lose”, or “lose-lose”.
• The more aggressive negotiator usually does best.
• This style does not encourage long term, mutually beneficial relationships.
• Neither side asks enough questions, or explores alternatives in sufficient depth.

Features Of Co-Operative Bargaining:
• Each side recognises that the other has needs and feelings and accepts implicit
rules.
• Objective measures are taken of what is fair and reasonable.
• Trust is not an issue as either side is willing to share information.
• This style is friendly, but not soft. There is a willingness to trade concessions.
• There is a clear, communicable strategy.
• Bad behaviour is punished.
• This style involves creative problem solving.
• It encourages long term, mutually profitable relationships.
• Each side asks more questions and explores alternatives, rather than taking up
fixed positions.
• The usual outcome is “win-win”.

Today’s News: Taking my weekly stroll over to Salesopedia, I discovered some excellent articles on the topic of “Sales Marketing” – “In this week’s issue we look at growing your business and sales marketing. Does branding yourself matter more than your product?” and you can read them all here 

Tomorrow: Kelley Robertson, fellow Top Sales Expert and all round good egg, makes a welcome return to the JF Guest Author Spot

The JF Guest Author Spot

Paul McCord

How often have you heard of someone giving a client or prospect a few business cards, request the client give them to anyone they meet that might be able to use the salesperson’s products and services and then have the salesperson claim they are seeking referrals?  Often in my seminars I’ll have salespeople tell me that they are referral-based because they have clients hand out a card on occasion or the store up the street handed a customer one of the salesperson’s fliers and suggest they call the salesperson.

This is not referral selling.  Rather it is Word of Mouth Marketing.  The two are very different.  Moreover, if a salesperson seeks to market using both methods, they can harm their efforts if they don’t know the difference and use each properly.

The corporate goal of Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM) is to create “buzz” among potential customers and help brand the product or service.  Companies spend millions of dollars to create the “spontaneous” buzz about their goods or services. 

For the individual salesperson, professional or small business owner, the goal of WOMM is far more modest.  The corporate goal of creating discernable buzz and helping to establish a brand generally isn’t realistic—the costs involved are simply too great.  Consequently, the WOMM goal of small business is to help drive more customers and clients into the pipeline.

There are a number of strategies that one can use to help promote their word of mouth marketing efforts.  The most obvious we’ve already mentioned—giving a stack of business cards to a client and asking them to pass them out.  Others include leaving business cards or filers at various businesses, hoping the employees in the store will suggest you and pass on the cards or filer.  Or, you can give your cards to family, friends, acquaintances and others, again hoping they’ll pass them on to people who might be able to use your products or services.  You can give your product or service to a few “influential” users who might be willing to spread the word.  Some have even resorted to going to on-line forums and posing as satisfied customers to give recommendations to those on the forum.

The object of the word of mouth marketing campaign is to get people to become your mini prospecting force.  The theory is if you get enough people carrying your word for you, you’ll realize an increase in sales from their activities.  Although you would hope to create real “buzz” like the major corporations, realistically, your goal is simply to increase your exposure and add some prospects to your pipeline.

Word of Mouth Marketing is a passive prospecting activity.  You simply seek to set the stage and then have others work as your prospecting force.  You control to a large extent whom you seek to enlist as part of your prospecting force, but you have little or no control over the results.

Referral selling, on the other hand, is a very proactive process.  You’re not relying on anyone else doing the work for you.  Rather your goal is to have your clients and prospects identify individuals or companies that they know and have some kind of relationship with that they believe might be able to use your products and services and are willing to introduce you to those individuals or companies.

While you have little or no control over WOMM, referral selling requires you to maintain complete control of the process.  You must fully prepare your client to give referrals, you must give your client a good reason to give referrals, you must earn the referrals by giving the client the exact purchasing experience they desire, you must know who your client knows and determine whom you want to be referred to, you must fully understand the relationship between your client and their referred prospect, you must contact the referred prospect in a manner that gives you the best opportunity to set an appointment, and you must keep your client informed of the process with the people they have referred you to.

And although it is possible to enlist both marketing methods within your business, if you’re not careful, you can do serious harm to your referral selling marketing if you enlist certain WOMM strategies.

For instance, you should never give extra business cards to a client and ask them to pass them out.  Rather than having your client pass out a couple of business cards to people who may or may not call you, you want your client to introduce to that person.  You want to retain control.  You don’t want the other person to have the choice to call or not—because many will not call. 

Giving your product or service to influential people in hopes of getting their endorsement and having them spread the word can be effective, but not in the traditional corporate format.  Corporations give product and service to influential people hoping they will help generate the buzz they are seeking.  Your chances of creating real buzz are minimal to non-existent.  Your goal isn’t buzz but clients.  Therefore, instead of giving the product or service away and then sitting back hoping for the word to spread and investing millions in a marketing campaign featuring these people, you must treat them like any other client and work with them to acquire direct referrals to other individuals or companies they know. 

A corporation may gain an endorsement by Terry Bradshaw, Martha Stewart or Jack Welch and then spend millions of dollars getting the word out that these people use their product or service.  Unless you have the same dollars to spend, you can’t afford to have them simply endorse the product.  You must have them directly introduce you to those they personally know—you have to have a direct referral in order to get significant results.  You may not be able to get Bradshaw, Stewart or Welch on your team, but there are others in your local area that have significant local influence that you can approach and turn into referral machines.

As small business people with limited funds, we must find the most effective methods of marketing.  Learning from and emulating the methods used by major corporations can be very effective—but each method must be modified to the realities of small business.  WOMM in the traditional format is not inexpensive, but is highly effective on a massive scale.  We must learn to take those methods and adjust them to our budgets and make them effective for us.  That means not only implementing them on a small scale, but making them personal and formulating them into a proactive method where we can retain as much control of the process as possible.  Converting WOMM methods into referral selling methods is both cost effective and highly profitable. 

Paul McCord is the president of McCord and Associates, a Houston, Texas based international sales training, coaching, and consulting company. He is the author of the Amazon and Barnes and Noble best-selling book on referral generation, Creating a Million Dollar a Year Sales Income: Sales Success through Client Referrals (John Wiley and Sons, 2008), and SuperStar Selling: 12 Keys to Becoming a Sales SuperStar www.powerreferralselling.com

Today’s News: You can spend a full hour listening to Paul’s words of wisdom today

Mining the Gold In Your Database 
Hosted by Paul McCord 

Although generating referrals from clients and customers is by far the best prospecting tool any salesperson has, less than 15% of ALL salespeople generate enough quality referrals to impact their income and sales.  Why?  Because everything they’ve been taught about asking for referrals is WRONG!  Yet, the mega-producers have built their huge sales incomes almost exclusively from referrals.  Learn how to use and implement the techniques the mega-producers use that REALLY work.  You too can get 5, 6 or more high quality referrals from each of your clients by learning the methods the top referral pros use.

Tuesday, 27 May 2008, 01:00 PM — 02:00 PM (6.00PM – 7.00PM GMT) BOOK HERE

Tomorrow: If you negotiate, and most of us have to, then you will be interested to learn of the different negotiating styles and how they affect the final outcome.

As you can imagine, I am often asked by sales leaders, anxious to recruit the best salespeople they can afford, just what is it that makes a consistently top performer, what are their characteristics, where are their strengths, and what differentiates them?

Over the past fifteen years I have trained and developed thousands of sales professionals, from foundation right up to “master craftsman” level and this has given me the opportunity to formulate an accurate profile of a Top 5% Achiever.

So What Is It That Top 5% Players Do?

They:
• Position themselves with the real decision-makers and avoid those without ‘approval power’. They are able to first identify and then access the formal decision making unit.

• Not only get the order but a satisfied customer, repeat sales, enthusiastic reference sites and constantly increase sales penetration within their accounts.

• Know how to minimise the uncertainties of a cold call on a new account, by careful planning and rigorous opportunity assessment.

• Recognise when to treat an old account as a new prospect and keep the relationship fresh, alive and maintain profitability

• Never entertain business they do not want because they recognise that it takes just as long to work an unprofitable opportunity through the sales funnel, only to lose it at the death, as it does a profitable one. They trust their own judgement but also rely heavily on objective assessment.

• Readily identify and know how to deal with the four different buying influences present in every sale i.e. Economic Buyer, Technical Buyer, User Buyer, and Ally.

• Understand how to prevent sales from being sabotaged by an internal enemy. They insulate themselves by developing strong allies within.

• Are able to recognise fail-safe signals that indicate when a sale is in jeopardy. This comes from experience but also information supplied by their allies.

• Are rigorous in tracking account progress and are able to accurately forecast future sales because they use proven methodology, which allows them to weight every opportunity in the pipeline.

• Avoid ‘dry-months’ by allocating time wisely to their critical selling tasks i.e. Prospecting for new business, covering the bases with existing opportunities and finally closing the best few.

In summary, the very best sales performers do not achieve that status overnight. They work tirelessly to develop and hone their skills-sets, insist on regular top-up coaching, and seek out those who are outperforming them, so that they may learn and improve still further. They have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge of their industry and sector.

Finally, they concentrate on eliminating any weaknesses and are anxious to be assessed and receive feedback on a regular basis.

Today’s News: We have a big week ahead, with lots happening and I will share all of the news as soon as I am able to. My guests this week are both best selling authors and senior members of the Top Sales Experts team – Paul McCord and Kelley Robertson. Ok, let’s get cracking………

Tomorrow: First up on The JF Guest Author Spot is good friend Paul McCord

I am re-publishing this post in honour of a very good friend of mine who died this week – he was genuinely a great leader and I learnt so much from him. My thoughts are with his incredibly brave widow and his family.

Shakespeare was good about leadership, as about most other things. The spoof letter which caused poor Malvolio to make such a fool of himself contains words that say a lot about the subject. “Some men are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” Greatness and leadership are so closely akin that the words give us a useful point of departure.

“Born great” has two possible meanings: either being born to a great position, such as that of an hereditary monarch, or possessing natural talents and/or virtues of an exceptional kind. Clearly not everyone born to a great position is worthy of it, and relatively few have the qualities of a great leader. But the greatness of certain offices can rub off on their occupants, who may not otherwise have qualities out of the ordinary.

Some appear to have the gift of leadership, but are found to lack it when tested. Tacitus wrote of an early Roman emperor that he would have been thought capable of ruling if only he hadn’t actually been called upon to rule (capax imperii nisi imperasset). Others are recognised as “born leaders” and exercise effective leadership up to a certain level, but prove disastrous failures beyond that level. It is very hard to judge the point beyond which a person will be overpromoted.

“Some achieve greatness” denotes, above all, those whose greatness is self-made. But all of the really great leaders must be regarded as achievers, whatever their advantages of birth and training. Alexander the Great was born to kingship and inherited a strong army. With Aristotle as his tutor, he was perhaps the most privileged person educationally, that there has ever been. Nevertheless, what he achieved in his short life was beyond anything that could remotely have been expected of him.

Much the same is true of Julius Caesar. He was a young Roman aristocrat whose career began as a demagogic politician, but who turned out to be a military commander of genius. The trajectory of his career could never have been predicted.

Napoleon is the supreme example of the utterly self-made leader – the man who “achieved greatness” by his own unaided efforts. When he was on his way to St Helena, he was still slightly younger than John F. Kennedy at the time of his assassination. And Napoleon was not a millionaire’s son. Of course, he was privileged in another way, having the good luck to be born in a revolutionary period, when opportunity beckoned to a man of his phenomenal talents. But luck is a precondition of most human achievements. Natural leaders know how to exploit their luck.

Most of those who achieve anything in the world are ambitious, and some have very exalted ambitions which they have never the chance to realise. A few rise higher than they or anyone else could have imagined, and then prove equal to the challenge. Like those born to great offices who prove, against the odds, worthy to hold them, such people have “greatness thrust upon them”. A case in point was Harry S. Truman. He was not born great, and seemed unlikely to achieve greatness beyond the level of a US Senator. Only Franklin D. Roosevelt’s incredibly casual, last-minute choice of him as running-mate for the 1944 election, soon followed by Roosevelt’s death, precipitated him into a situation where, as he said, he felt that the moon and stars had fallen on him. But he grew in the office of President and achieved a stature that surprised everyone, including probably himself. He was a man who seemed to be overpromoted, but was not.

Churchill and de Gaulle, two of the greatest leaders of modern times, also depended upon chance for the fulfilment of their potential. But they had formidable talent and limitless self-belief. Destiny seemed to wait on them. They were manifestly above the ordinary run of humanity, and made no attempt to conceal the fact.

By contrast, Mahatma Gandhi, though no less extraordinary a person achieved his appeal to the Indian masses by seeming to identify with them. His style was studiedly anti – charismatic, yet it gave him a charisma that was quite unique. Like many effective leaders, he used dress (or in his case relative undress) as a weapon. His loincloth was the PR equivalent of Napoleon’s black hat and grey overcoat, or Churchill’s boiler suit. (When Gandhi met George V at Buckingham Palace, and was asked afterwards if he felt at a disadvantage wearing only a loincloth, he replied cheerfully: “Oh no, His Majesty was wearing enough for both of us”).

Leadership is partly a confidence trick, and those who practice it cannot afford to be too predictable. Some have alternated ruthlessness with generosity. (This was one of Caesar’s trademarks). Others have appeared at times to be listless and drifting, only to spring suddenly to life. (This was Stanley Baldwin’s style).

Democratic leaders have the difficult task of both guiding the people and seeming to respond to the popular will. Autocrats  are obviously freer to exercise leadership, but among them the most successful have been aware of the need to be loved and admired as well as feared, just as many of the best democratic leaders have been natural autocrats, restrained only by conscience and realism. The essential qualities of a good leader are much the same, whatever the environment.

Of all the qualities needed for leadership, only one is indispensable – courage. Without it, all the others are more or less useless. Courage has been shown by all who we recognise as true leaders, from Alexander to Thatcher. A leader must have the ability to take hard decisions and calculated risks. This rule applies at all levels and in all situations – in school, factory, boardroom or sporting arena, no less than on the battlefield or in the council chamber.

Leaders have to give courage to others, while creating the illusion that they know exactly what they are doing. In Shaw’s Caesar and Cleopatra, when one of Caesar’s officers says something intended to lift his spirits, he replies witheringly: “Do you presume to encourage me?” Shaw, like Shakespeare, knew what leadership was about.

Today’s News: We have almost completed the site makeover for Top Sales Experts and if you haven’t been over there recently, I urge you to visit. By September, we will have a daily blog, monthly newsletter, a fantastic resource centre, packed with articles, white papers, ask the experts section and so much more.

We are also launching the next edition of the free E-book at the beginning of June – more details soon. Finally, you will also realise that the team has expanded considerably and will continue to do so.

The press release for my first book, “Tougher At The Top” goes out today and you can catch it here

Finally, as I promised on Wednesday, if you missed my interview with leadership guru and good friend Kevin Eikenberry, you can simply click on the banner in the left-hand column

Tomorrow: We have already begun work on giving Top 10 Sales Articles a makeover and that work will continue over the weekend, plus of course we have a new E-book to prepare – so we will not be slacking!

Wherever you are, as ever, have a great w/e and be sure to join me next week – JF

The JF Guest Author Spot

Maureen Blandford

What if your favorite products performed as well as, say the Chicago Cubs? How loyal would you be?

To pick on the Cubbies a bit more (as a native Chicagoan, it’s a birthright), what if your vendors or partners performed as well as the Cubs? How loyal would you be?

Loyalty. What a concept. My dictionary says that loyalty is “a feeling of devotion, duty, or attachment to somebody or something.” Of course, there are varying degrees of loyalty.  Dogs are loyal to us on good days and bad. Many British subjects are still loyal to the Crown.  And Chicago Cubs fans – now there’s a loyal bunch.

Wouldn’t it be great to find a loyalty panacea so that all our customers would be loyal to us forever in good times and bad?

Back to reality…

The concept of loyalty is worth examining to determine if it applies in your industry. Research shows that loyalty plays a strong role in the consumer sector.

Now, I’m not a consumer expert, but I am a consumer, and I can’t help but wonder: does loyalty lead to consistent purchasing or does a great product lead to consistent purchasing?

I really like my favorite consumer brands and buy them repeatedly, when I’m thrilled with the product. I guess I even feel loyal to the products. But, if the product were to become mediocre or under-perform to my expectations, would I be loyal regardless? Not a chance. Would you?

I’m probably not alone here.  What appears to be loyalty is most likely product satisfaction that leads to repeat business.  But, again, I’m not an expert on consumer behavior.

So, in the business-to-business (B2B) world, what drives customer loyalty?  Does it even exist? Most marketing gurus believe that marketing and (heaven help us) branding drives customer loyalty. And, they believe, loyalty leads to consistent purchasing.

Do you have Cubs fan-like customers?  Even if you do, if your product or service became substandard or mediocre, how loyal would your customers be?  Not that loyal, huh?  That’s what I thought.

Hopefully most of our customers will stick with us through the occasional hiccup or error. Great relationships can withstand hurdles.

The bottom line: In B2B, product or service satisfaction is what drives the long-term relationship.  In B2B, I’ve found no proof that true loyalty even plays a role. If you serve your customers well, they’ll continue to buy. If you continue to solve their pain for less than the pain is costing them, and you and your team are pleasant and easy to deal with, you’re probably looking at a long-term relationship.

Billions are spent every year in this country in the pursuit of customer loyalty.  Unfortunately most of that money is spent in marketing campaigns. And although marketing dollars can create awareness and interest in your target audience, marketing can’t keep customers coming back to you again and again. 

But your performance can.

Maureen Blandford is CEO of MindTime® Group, a B2B marketing firm, and author of “Branding Doesn’t Work in B2B.” Her team helps B2Bs align their marketing and consultative sales efforts to drive more profitable revenue. You can reach her at maureen@mindtimegroup.com For more information on her book: brandingdoesntwork.com

Today’s News: Yes, I do have a sore head, and yes Man Utd won

Over on Salesopedia  today, you can listen to networking guru, Michael J Hughes talking about “Resources and Relationships” – just click here 

Tomorrow: “Leadership & Greatness Or Greatness & Leadership – That Is The Question”

There is ultimately no better way to start networking than to try it for real.

The easiest way to do this to commence with the clients you already have, rather than to find new ones.

One highly beneficial task you can undertake at the outset is to map or chart your contacts. This mapping can be done in a number of ways.

Network Mapping Methods:
• Write a manual list of who you know and what they do
• Build an electronic database of contacts
• Keep a journal or diary of who you meet, where and when
• Draw (and keep updating) a contacts map

Mapping Your Network
Whilst you may eventually choose to adopt two, three, or all of these methods, in the early stages it is the last of these options that is often the most helpful and potentially revealing.

A network map is simply drawn (using squares or circles). You start by putting your name in the centre of the page in a circle and commence drawing connecting lines to people you know, before drawing connecting lines from these people to others that they know.

Mapping Conventions
This is very basic map demonstrates how a visual and dynamic chart can be created, which can help both to record quite complex data (and how it is related) and reveal possible avenues that were not obvious before.

One convention is recording four pieces of information for every contact in your network (apart from their name). These are their location, where or how you met, and any other useful information that you think is relevant. Whilst this may seem a bit strange and unnecessary for close family and friends, it is remarkable how useful this will be as you build your network over time.

Finally, don’t forget, these charts can be used three-dimensionally. When one side or part of it gets too big, transfer a major hub name to the centre of another chart and start to use all the new space you now have for extra contacts.

Today’s News: To those of you who listened in to my interview with Kevin Eikenberry last night, I very much hope you enjoyed it? To those of you who couldn’t make it, I will make it available here for you to download early next week.

Now a word from my good friend the “Queen of Cold Calling” Wendy Weiss.

This is your LAST chance to register!  Teleseminar tomorrow!

**  How to Bypass Prospect Stalls, Respond to Prospect Objections and Close the Sale  **

Would you like to know how to speed up your sales cycle?

Would you like to speak only with prospects who are likely to take action and buy?

Would you like to know how to overcome resistance and gain your prospects’ commitment to moving forward?

Would you like to hear “yes” more frequently?

Join us tomorrow, May 22, 2008 at 4:00 PM Eastern for an amazing and thought provoking teleseminar with:

Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling.

Don’t delay.  This call is your opportunity to hear valuable information on how to prepare for those objections we all face.

To your success,

Wendy Weiss

PS – Can’t make the live call?  That’s ok!  We’re recording it and sending a copy (along with an exclusive handout) to all those who register here
 

Tomorrow: It is going to be a tremendous pleasure to welcome one of the more recently recruited members of the Top Sales Experts team onto The JF Guest Author Spot, Maureen Blandford.

The JF Guest Author Spot 

Jill Konrath

I could tell something was terribly wrong the moment she walked into my office. Karen, an extraordinarily bright and talented young woman, usually exuded vitality and confidence.

But that day she dragged herself in and slouched into the chair, all the while shaking her head back and forth as if in disbelief.

“I might as well be selling wastebaskets,” she said, totally discouraged. “No matter how much I try, customers just don’t see any difference between our system and the others. All they want to know is how much it costs.”

In today’s marketplace, this scenario is repeating itself over and over again. Karen wasn’t selling cheap products; she was selling systems that cost thousands and thousands of dollars. And even when companies really do have product or service superiority, customers believe it’s a short-lived situation and expect the playing field to be leveled again soon.

So how can you achieve and maintain competitive differentiation when everything in the marketplace is working against this?

That’s truly the $64,000 question that everyone who sells should be asking themselves every single day.

We’ve entered into a new sales paradigm – and most salespeople have no idea that the rules of the game have changed. In this new sales paradigm, sellers must create business value with each and every customer interaction.

That’s right – value creation is what it’s all about! It’s the only way sellers can differentiate themselves in today’s economy. So how do you go about doing that?

First of all, I want you to think about a prospect you’d love to have as a customer or an existing client with whom you’d like to do more business.

Write their name down: ______________________.

Now imagine you’ve been granted a meeting with an all-powerful, all-knowing genie who is willing to answer any one question you might have related to achieving this goal. What would you ask this genie? Perhaps you’re thinking:

How can I get their business?
What do I need to do to convince them we’re best?
How can I get the main decision maker to support my proposal?
What can we do to get them to buy now?

If you’re like most sellers, these are the kinds of questions that pop into your mind. They’re all focused on strategies and techniques you can use to tip the scale in your favor.

While those questions are still important to ask during the sales process, in the new sales paradigm they are not the Defining Questions.

To be successful selling your product or service in the new sales paradigm, here’s what you need to be constantly asking yourself:

How can I help my customer be more successful?
How can I provide value to my customer?
How can my company contribute to making my customer successful?

This singular change in focus immediately affects your thinking. It’s not about your product or service anymore. It’s not about any particular sales strategy or technique.

In today’s market, it’s all about you providing value to your customers. So turn your brain loose on this question. New options and ideas that you never considered before will begin to emerge. These new alternatives can have a dramatic impact on your relationships with existing and prospective customers.

To be a Value Creator, your must change your focus today. Now. Immediately. It’s the first step – the foundational step – to being successful in the new sales paradigm.

Jill Konrath, author of Selling to Big Companies,  is a frequent speaker at national sales meetings and industry events. For more articles like this, visit http://www.SellingtoBigCompanies.com. Sign up for the newsletter and get a BONUS Sales Call Planning Guide.

Jill is also the founder of the Sales Shebang, and you can catch up with the latest news on this year’s event here:  You can be sure I will be keeping you updated here on a regular basis.

Today’s News: Almost last chance saloon – if you want to tune into my conversation with Kevin Eikenberry – 2pm ET (7pm GMT) I think you will enjoy it – it’s normally $49 but this one is on us and you can register here

Tomorrow: Everybody understands the importance of networking, but how do you begin to create a networking map? Tomorrow, I share some of my secrets with you, so be sure to join me.

All forms of stress have an emotional element, but the emotional energy created by stress can be used to your advantage.

Essentially, emotions are resources which when used skilfully, will have a positive effect.

To begin with it is important to distinguish between thought, intuition, sensation, and emotion. You will find those four distinct aspects of human functioning.

When your intention is to communicate emotions but you find yourself talking about thoughts, intuition, or sensation, you will probably cross messages with the person you are communicating with.

What are emotional skills?
Emotional skills can be developed and there is a popular misconception that once a person reaches maturity, they are supposed to have learned all there is to know about emotions. However, just as you can develop new sales, technical or intellectual skills, you can, in exactly the same way, continue to build on your emotional skills.

These skills include:
* Control – emotional control is essential in many situations
* Awareness – including being aware of your own emotions
* Communication – self-disclosure helps to build trust
* Catharsis – being able to let go of your feelings where appropriate
* Transformation – transferring the emotional energy constructively

How to build emotional skills:
In order to improve and build on these important skills there are a number of steps you can take . Some may be familiar to you whilst others will need some practice.

• Control
- learn breathing and relaxation techniques
- remove yourself from stressful situations
- change the subject to something you are comfortable with
- focus on the positive aspects of your life

• Awareness
- accept that you have every right to be emotional
- recognise the areas of tension in your body
- understand that you can feel more than one emotion at a time
- notice how particular emotions affect your actions

• Communication
- practice finding the words to describe your feelings
- share your emotions with other people
- when you feel vulnerable find a good and trusted listener
- when you feel uncomfortable with someone, tell them how you feel
- take an interest in how other people feel

• Catharsis
- pick an appropriate time and place to let off steam
- practice catharsis – initiate yourself gently
- don’t expect it to be spontaneous to begin with
- only use inanimate objects!

• Transformation
- use physical activity to unlock energy reserves
- put your feelings into something creative
- gradually increase your body fitness
- consider using meditation

‘People are not disturbed by things, but the view they take of them’ Epictetus

Today’s News: Phew! Where to begin: First up, please tune in to my interview with leadership guru and very good friend, Kevin Eikenberry on Tuesday. Registration is free and you will find full details over in the left-hand column.

Then of course, Business Experts Webinars launch this week - details over in the left-hand column.

My team, who I have supported for fifty years, Manchester United, take on Chelsea in the European Club Final on Wednesday in Moscow – big, big, game; you may not get a post on Thursday, because I will either be sulking if they lose or recovering if they win

Finally, good luck to my two youngest children who have a tough week of exams: Alice is taking her AS Levels, all crammed into five days (only the English education system could be that incompetent and unrealistic) Joe, who is already up at Cambridge studying astro-physics, has his end of second year exams – just two more years to go Jobo!!

Tomorrow:  My “crazy sister” best selling author and great friend Jill Konrath, will be making a welcome return to the JF Guest Author Spot – I did say this is going to be a big week!