How many emails do you get starting —? “I know you are busy, could I have 10 to 15 minutes of time to explain how our company can help you?” 

These types of emails come in over and over. Always assuming I want to give the time without having heard anything about who they are or what they do. Then, maybe a few days later or a week, I get a follow-up email asking if I saw the first one and would I give them my time. 

This type of selling effort never has worked but has been used forever. We need to change this type of sales canvassing and learn to approach the new realities of selling. We need especially to understand the new realities of selling that CORONAVIRUS has presented to us. We are going to need to learn new methods and procedures. 

We are not going to be able to have as many face-to-face meetings. We need be better at remote presentations and offering true value to our products.

I am learning new presentations and follow-up techniques. I am getting ready to start video emails. I will let you know my early results.

Feedback is welcome. What are you seeing?  

As a Salesperson, Marketing manager, Sales manager, President and CEO of various companies during my career, I am finding an unusual and disturbing phenomenon happening in sales.

There seems to be an unusual emphasis on salespeople demanding attention, without providing a reason. 

Widespread use of Email marketing is causing an assumption of readership and expected response.  I get more or less belligerent, sometimes even harsh emails telling me I need respond or give them another person’s name in my company.  Many incoming emails state that I must have missed the last email sent – respond to this new one. — BUT — They fail to give me information why I should respond. 

Salespeople are using the faceless system of email to demand action.  I find this sad. 

I would respond to emails that give me useful information or have a compelling body of information and a call to action, if I see a need for the products or services.

Many, many emails start with – “I know you are busy, could I have 10 to 15 minutes of time to explain how our company can help you.”  From my perspective they have not told me what they do and they assume I am waiting by the inbound email just hoping to have someone help me.

We are not teaching good selling. 

I have spent many years trying to get away from the mentality that selling is “Trickery” and worse selling is looked at as “The slick used car salesman” ready to do anything to get a sale and commission. 

What are you seeing?  I welcome feedback. 

We are certainly in some interesting times.  Your sales may be and are probably down.  You may be laying off employees or you may have been laid off.  You may be figuring out how to work effectively from home, etc., etc.  I hope for the best for us all. 

Now is the time to Think, Plan, Act and Do.  Make time to see where you were in the economy, where you are now and where will you position yourself for the future.

The following two lists, not totally all-inclusive, present the Symptomatic mindset of how bad it is and the symptomatic mindset of staying the course and making things happen.  Where are you?

Do you have the following thoughts or symptoms for your current state of affairs? 

1. Do you blame the economy?
2. Do you have a well defined marketing plan?
3. Did you experience fluctuations in sales even before this economic situation?
4. Do you know who your top customers are?
5. Do you regularly communicate with customers?
6. Are you looking for and introducing new products and regularly?
7. Are you actively pursuing referral program?

Salespeople and companies thriving and surviving are doing the following:

1. Looking for new markets to expand their product line.
2. Reviewing changing as needed and updating marketing plans all the time.
3. Building customer loyalty through good on-time consistent service.
4. Forming strategic alliances with other companies and competitors.
5. Know their customers and have regular communications with them.
6. Communicate and work on a referral network all the time.

Get going and make the remainder of this year go really well. 

There always have been big ups and big downs and there will be more to come. 

Where do you plan to be when this economy turns the other way?

Good Luck!

I hope all Dads and non-Dads have a great day!  It’s not necessary to recount our pandemic disruption.  However, having us all recognize a good holiday FATHER’S DAY has to be uplifting.

My kids and grandkids have been checking in all morning. 

The DFW area is having some much-needed rain.  We still look forward to a great outdoor dinner later this afternoon.

I received my worst joke of the day:  “Why don’t you see elephants hiding in trees? Because they’re very good at it.”

And here is a quote for the day: “My father didn’t do anything unusual. He only did what dads are supposed to do—be there. ” – Max Lucado

Happy Father’s Day!

Now we all need to invest more time, energy and imagination for the success and growth of our businesses.  We are beginning to see light at the end of this pandemic.  At least I hope we are.

Businesses are being allowed to reopen.  We will most likely never be back to the “WAY IT WAS”. 

We will be redefining our methods.  We will have to redefine what success looks like.  Our goals and end results will remain the same.  However, new methods and means of getting there will need be thought out and implemented.

In selling, I use a cookbook of behaviors that must be done every day.  My particular cookbook provides a point system for daily behaviors. I absolutely know, that if I don’t do the daily behaviors, I can’t meet my goals. 

Now with everything shut down and businesses trying to get work done differently, many people will continue to work from home.  This will require new ways of doing business.

Our entire sales process will be changing.  Getting in to see people has been a challenge and already was getting harder and harder to do.  Now I believe it will be impossible.

So how do we sell?

I am redoubling my online efforts.  I am building a marketing newsletter discussing what we are doing and that we are staying strong and are open for business.

Now is the time to put a lot of thought in how to stay in contact with current customers and begin rethinking how we acquire new customers.

Basics for success will not change.  Success in goal setting and completing goals is in the measurement and doing.  Reset your specific goals, focus and measure everything. 

My personal plan is to think about and implement ways of doing business with us easier and easier and relentlessly stay in touch without being overbearing.  That will be a challenge.

Let me know what new actions you are beginning.  What is and is not working.

Good selling and stay safe!

As a salesperson –

When is the best time to stay in contact?

When is the best time to follow-up with a customer?

When is the best time to follow-up on a recent quote?

A lot of people are trying to figure out how to work from home.  Many are trying to reconfigure the daily routine and keep workflow moving forward. Many people are not sure what is next.

“However, as Jim Rohn, a great business philosopher, would say, “What’s simple to do is also simple not to do.” The magic is not in the complexity of the task; the magic is in the doing of simple things repeatedly and long enough to ignite the miracle of the Compound Effect.”

We need not sit around and make the world more complex.  I am staying in contact with current customers and reaching out to prospective customers. 

Here is what I am doing:

Write a one-page short info-letter that I send to customers and my potential customer list regularly. 

The Info-Letter is not a big sales pitch, it includes:

1. A short note about how our company is doing with this pandemic.
2. How we are figuring out how to keep moving forward. 
3. Provide a “Quotation, Inspirational saying or motivational quip”.
4. Provide a short summary of our capabilities,
5. Thank them and ask that our company is kept in mind.  Tell them we are here and plan to be here after some form of normalcy comes back.

I have received many complimentary responses; “Thanks”, “Good to hear from you”, stories of how they are surviving, and best of all – New quote requests and purchase orders.

Put this to work in your daily sales routine and you will see great results.

Good sales and selling!

Stay calm, stay on course, stay safe!