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PHONE FEAR SOLUTION

If you have ever been in Sales — or owned a business, or managed a business — you have almost certainly been in the position of having to phone up someone — a person you do not know — to discuss a business issue. Likely the dreaded Sales Call, or worse, the COLD CALL.

Cold call. The phrase strikes a huge number of us, I suspect, as just short of terrifying. Cold call. Cold indeed; that is how we feel, staring at the telephone, writing our notes, trying to organize our thoughts before punching in those numbers.

It ain’t easy, friends. But… what is it exactly that we worry about?? Mostly I think it is our fear of looking foolish, or being rudely rejected, of offending.

Bear with me a second to make a point here that may help.

When I was a young artist just about to go into a roomfull of strangers to draw live for the first time — I was terrified! Yow! This sketching thing had always been done in private, now, just me, and all the time in the world to do it. Not now. No! Gotta get in there and at least APPEAR to know what I am doing and draw real good, and do it real fast, and impress these stone-faced unknown people. Akkk! Scared, baby, I was way scared.

And then… something happened. I do not know exactly how.

Somehow I had the idea of… pretending.

Yes. I was told to just PRETEND TO BE CONFIDENT. What? What is THAT about?? How can that help, or make me draw better or — okay, okay. So I will try it. I got nothing else.

I did not want to look foolish. I did not want to offend. I did not want to be ridiculed or rejected. Lots of ugly results could happen when I went before all those strangers to draw live. They may not be impressed. They may laugh or make fun or criticize.

So I did the Pretending. I actually made myself FEEL confident by Pretending to be confident. And a tiny miracle took place. Within a few seconds I actually WAS confident. I can do this! Hey, I have been drawing most of my life, which maybe none of these people have experienced, so sure, sure, I can do this.

And I did. Have been doing so for decades since then. The crowd was impressed and supportive and fun. It felt fantastic. And STILL does!

And finally my point here — just PRETEND. Pretend you are confident on that call.

You have a good product, a terrific service to offer. That other professional on the line NEEDS to be aware of what you have. It will help their business, help their sales, aid their staffing, improve their bottom line. Sure. That is why you need to make that call.

Sound stupid? I bet. I thought so too, all those years ago. And I was wrong. It is magic, and it will very likely work for you in Cold Calling and in other difficult moments to come.

THE THEORY — The trick is to FEEL the way you will need to BE in the task to come — our subconscious minds do not deal with words that much. But it is accessible to Emotion. The subconscious believes you when you feel strongly, and sends up energy and belief to help you succeed in the task at hand. At least, that is my theory on why this works so well. I do hope it works for you, too, friend.

What Are They NOT Telling You?

Before getting into consulting I had a very interesting discussion with a gentleman about the profession. He had been a highly successful business consultant for years and I asked, “What do you think is the hardest thing about the work?”


He told me a story about being hired by a huge company in China (I think) that brought him in for an extended stay with all the expense that involves. He studied their situation and finally presented his recommendations, carefully thought out and researched of course.

And — nothing.


“They rejected EVERYthing I told them,” he said. Frustration and bafflement. Total waste of time, except for his sizeable fee of course. He achieved nothing but a paycheck. Finally he concluded they had hoped his work would validate their preconceived conclusions.

When that did not happen, they hired yet another professional, he heard later. How that turned out he did not know.


Nice to get paid, he said, but you want to feel like you’re getting something done as well.

Need a Trade Show DISASTER??

There are a LOT of reasons why a given Trade Show can turn into a money-sucking waste of time, but among those are some items Within Your Control. So that’s a good thing, obviously. Here are a few things you might consider — 

GET PROFESSIONAL HELP: Where? From your Best Clients. Yes! Early on in your planning process, contact your top few customers and ask these vital questions:

  • What is the best thing about your product or service?
  • How does your product or service help their business?
  • What trade shows do they usually attend?
  • Which exhibits really got their attention?

Clearly this input can help you choose the right Trade Shows for your company to take part in and help shape your offerings and display materials.

STAFFING TRICK:  One item seldom addressed is the people you choose to be at the booth. The top sales hitters might be the obvious choice — but is that ideal for that environment? Few sales can be closed at the show, which is likely their strong suit. Consider this finding from a recent study on — bear with me now — a recent study on dating habits. Really. The big surprise: the MOST attractive quality of all, regardless of other factors, is simply Happiness.

No joke. Simple, genuine Happiness is far, far stronger in its overall attractiveness to others than good looks, nice clothing, fame, income or even health. We really enjoy being around people who love their lives and consistently enjoy themselves. They’re fun! Probably we hope it’s contagious, and to a point it is. Sure.

That subject was the dating world, but clearly it applies to huge numbers of human interactions. 

Faking it does not work. We see through the cold, grinning sales shark in an instant. Genuine happiness will carry the day.

And your bouncy, good-humored, happy crew makes the long hours at the show easier for everyone, maybe including you. In the meantime, your strongest closers are where they SHOULD be — at your business, on the phone, on the road, bagging more sales for your company.

FOCUS, NOW, FOCUS:  Your company’s most valuable asset to your customers must be positioned Front and Center. That seems obvious, I know, but a huge number of Trade Show exhibits fail to highlight their best feature, oddly enough. Why? Hard to say, but it does happen.

Think of your booth display as a billboard — it must instantly reach a prospect as she strolls past and must address a problem she faces often. So what shall you present, what should be your display’s main focus?

Are you faster on turnaround? Less expensive? Better service? A stronger warranty? Find your strong suit and sell THAT. Your company’s other selling points will come up in later discussion.

GIVEAWAYS THAT WORK:  Time was, pens and coffee mugs with your logo were THE obvious choices. And for good reason, too, being useful and (to a point) durable.  These days, what would be your best bet? Maybe thumb drives, software, portable device chargers or links promoting giveaway items at your website. 

In any case, with strategic planning and an eye toward the current state of the economy and other factors, you can still have a killer Trade Show. If we can help with ideas on that, tailored to your specific professional needs, please get in touch.

The PROBLEM: Closer Than You Think?

As a veteran of thousands of company gatherings, it often impresses me how closely the core company staff reflects the views, attitudes and values of their top management officers. And over the years that has been obvious in many other groups I have had occasion to observe.

Even kindergarten classes are examples of that dynamic, with one class quiet and happy and sociable at their assignments and another class almost out of control, loud and in constant motion. The teachers were the problem — and the solution as well, of course.

We tend to influence those we spend time with, for good or ill. Hardly a news flash, I know, but one that bears repeating, perhaps now more than usual as we look around at the various crisis issues playing out across our nation and our economy and the world in general. But I am getting ahead of myself here.

The point is this: we must remember we are leaders. Those working for us take their guidance from us whether we choose to guide them or not — our attitudes and values and actions have immediate impact on their decisions further down the line and there are further actions in others. We affect a lot of people as we go through our day, and must take responsibility for it all. As the saying goes, “The Buck Stops Here.”

Those of us in top management are responsible for the greater success or failure of each project our companies take on and the overall fortunes of the business itself. We know that. But it’s actually possible to hide that fact from ourselves, personally and professionally. Strange but true: some CEOs never seem to understand the frictions and problems in middle management actually stem from themselves. One of the more difficult problems to deal with for an outside consultant, trying to help things work more smoothly.

I am reminded of a moment at a company party some time back, talking to a young mother and her teenage daughter at the sidelines. Both beautiful, intelligent, charming, great fun to chat with. We were discussing toxic work environments.

“Those jobs are awful,” I was saying, “the kind of thing where you just dread going to work, hating to see Monday morning roll around… Have you ever had a job like that?”

The young mom leaned in very close and whispered — “THIS is that job!”

Whoops!

To her credit, we had a good laugh about that, and I do hope she found better employment soon after. And her obvious talents and attributes were likely lost to that company as she moved on.

Plan Your Trade Show NOW —

This current state of Virus-panic and freeze-frame will not last forever, obviously. So let’s plan for success down the road a bit. When, exactly, can we HAVE the next trade show?? Okay, that is not certain at this point — but let’s be ready to rock when the green light finally shows, right?

Right?

Sure thing. Because a lack of planning is clearly the dumbest mistake any professional can make and trade shows are easily one of the most expensive moments in the coming year, for a lot of us.

There are a LOT of reasons why a given Trade Show is a money-sucking waste of time, but among those are some items Within Your Control. So that’s a good thing. Here are a few items we think are worth considering —

GET PROFESSIONAL HELP: Where? From your Best Clients.

Yes! Early on in your planning process, contact your top clients — maybe a dozen or so of your best customers. And ask these vital questions:

  • What was their decision point on choosing your company?
  • What is the best thing about your product or service?
  • How does your product or service help their business?
  • What trade shows do they usually attend?
  • Which exhibits really got their attention?

Clearly this input can help you choose WHICH would be the right Trade Shows for your company to take part in, and help shape your ideas on what to offer and your display materials.

STAFFING TRICK:  One item seldom addressed is the people you choose to be at the booth. The top sales hitters might be the obvious choice — but is that ideal for that environment? Few sales can be closed at the show, which is likely their strong suit. Consider this finding from a recent study on — bear with me now — dating habits. Really. The big surprise: the MOST attractive quality of all, regardless of other factors, is simply Happiness.

No joke. Simple, genuine Happiness is far, far stronger in its overall attractiveness to others than good looks, nice clothing, fame, income or even health. We really enjoy being around people who love their lives and consistently enjoy themselves. They’re fun! Probably we hope it’s contagious, and to a point it is. Sure.

Faking it does not work. Any professional will see through the cold, grinning sales shark in an instant.

And your bouncy, good-humored, happy crew not only will charm and entertain your prospective clients, they will make the long hours at the show easier for everyone, maybe including you. In the meantime, your strongest closers are where they SHOULD be — back at the ranch, making calls and emails, bagging more sales for your company.

FOCUS, NOW, FOCUS:  Your company’s most valuable asset to your customers must be front and center. That seems obvious, I know, but a huge number of Trade Show exhibits fail to highlight their best feature, oddly enough.

Think of your booth display as a billboard.

Remember the rule of thumb for billboard ads by the interstate? Something like it must reach that motorist within seven seconds to be effective.

Your prospects are moving a bit slower of course, but still your graphic display has to almost  instantly reach a prospect as she strolls past and must address a problem she faces often. So, think: What is really your company’s strong suit?  Are you faster on turnaround? Less expensive? Better service? A stronger warranty? Find your focus and sell THAT. Your company’s other selling points will come up in later discussion.

GIVEAWAYS THAT WORK:  Time was, pens and coffee mugs with your logo were THE obvious choices. And for good reason, too, being useful and (to a point) durable. Thumb drives might be a good option these days.

So, we hope you are planning that big trade show for later this year, after the madness has abated a bit and we can get back to some level of normal business. This too shall pass, right?

New Ideas INSTANTLY??

NEW CONCEPT NEEDED?? 

Recently in a discussion on how to develop new product ideas, someone said it should be possible to come up with new concepts for any specific industry — in less than a minute.

Sure, why not, eh?

Okay, someone else said, here’s your product line: PEPPER. Table pepper, ground black pepper. Sixty seconds — go!

Uh…

And we did it! In forty-one seconds this idea presented:

Fresh ground pepper at the fast-food drive-through.

Sure! A little piece of aluminum fashioned to create a spring-mechanism with one or two peppercorns inside. Grind your pepper for that sandwich!

Okay, we admit it’s not a feasible product. It would be way too expensive for the drive-through price parameters. Sure, we know that. But the quick idea was pretty cool, maybe. What do you think??

In any case, whatever you need in your product line, we can create marketable items for your consideration immediately.

Logo Design; a Bit Different

We were recently asked to create a logo for an unusual enterprise — two apparently terrific young men who go out on weekends, riding their motorcycles and working to provide needed social services in their community.

How cool is that??

So we worked with them a bit and came up with drawings of the gentlemen — Joe & Tito — and their Harley-Davidson mode of transport. The image was placed on T-Shirts.

They loved it!  See what you think…

Creative logos created on demand
       Logo on red T-Shirt              Social worker Harley guys