The "Business Musician's" Blog

4 Simple Things You Can Do Today to Boost Sales

2007-06-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

Call a good customer today and tell them that you appreciate their business

How often do we get wrapped up in day to day activities or in the pursuit of new customers that we forget to appreciate our customers (or our friends and family for that matter). Sure you take them to lunch on occasion and invite them to the box suite at the ballgame, but don't let that be a substitute for a simple, "Thanks for your business."

Ask a customer what events and organizations they use as networking vehicles

If you attend an event or the monthly meeting of a trade group on the referral of a respected colleague, it's a though you have a chance to make a roomful of sales calls that are warm leads.

Invest in Sales or Communications Training for you and your employees
There's hardly anything more effective in driving sales in your organization than getting buy-in from every single employee on the importance of sales and of their value to the organization in that regard. Let them know that every time they interact with someone outside the firm is an opportunity to enhance the perception of your firm.

Write an article on your expertise

If you've been on this planet for at least 20 years, you're probably an expert at something - that's the easy part. Having the discipline to reflect on your accomplishments and to document those keys to success in such a way that the information is useful to others and can be published in a periodical, a newspaper, and Op-Ed, or an e-zine such as this - that's more difficult. Yet in the age of the savvy consumer, such exposure is significantly more effective than advertising.

Super Bowl Ads - The Winners and Why

2007-02-15T20:42:00.000-08:00

The much anticipated and analyzed Super Bowl ads got me thinking about an age-0ld advertising question - do ads that merely entertain actually have an effect on consumer behavior. The key in my opinion is to entertain in a manner that links the entertaining material to the product. If folks enjoy the ads but don't remember the source of the frivolity, then what's the point?

I would guess that if a commercial is so overwhelmingly popular that everyone is chatting about it at the water coolers the next morning or that it spurns some sort of a new catch phrase, then the sponsor will generally benefit regardless of how strongly the material is identifiable with the product. Such a home run is rare, however.

Let's take the VONAGE commercials, for example. You know the one's that were running for some time with videos of a kid throwing a baseball bat through a window or a guy sawing a tree that smashes his car in half. The commercials were funny, but do consumers link the ads to the company in a way that is memorable or that gets people to buy their products and services? I'm not sure.

The Careerbuilder.com ads with the monkeys that began running last year were funny, and they captured office situations and a universal experience in the office place - we've all worked with problem employees at one time or another. And the commercial gives a subtle message through the humor - How much of the annoying or unproductive behavior of co-workers have you tolerated and when is it time to say enough is enough.

Given that criteria, here are a few of the commercials that I felt connected on both (entertain and identify with the product being advertised:

Budweiser

The street dog who feels like an outcast gets a mud puddle splash, giving the appearance of a Dalmation, allowing him to hitch a ride on the Clydesdale wagon as Dean Martin sings, "How lucky can one guy be." You can't go wrong with cute dogs, and the Clydesdales are such an identifiable trademark of Budweiser.

Chevrolet Singers

Celebrities try their hand at singing along with "Chevy" songs, some more comical than musical (notably Dale Ernhardt, Jr.). All of the songs refer to Chevy, some new and some classic. There are 9 brief clips of varying genres, giving the ad universal appeal. "People who love cars love Chevy." Simple and effective.

Blockbuster Total Access Mouse

A rabbit and a guinea pig try to access Blockbuster online by pressing on a live mouse, and Alec Baldwin, the best voiceover specialist going in the biz narrates, "You're just a mouse click away from a better way to rent movies." The scene of a Blockbuster store is visible from across the pet store, underscoring Blockbuster's "unique selling proposition" vs. Netflix - the ability to offer rentals through the store or via the mail.

To see the Super Bowl ads, click here.

Selling Professional Services - Responsiveness Trumps Everything

2007-01-29T20:42:00.000-08:00

A client or prospective client calls in a panic, and you're in the middle of a call, a report, a meeting, etc. What do you do?

Only you know which priorities come first in your business. I can't tell you to walk out of the meeting with your largest client to take a phone call. Just remember, though, you don't have to solve the customer's problem right away - you just need to acknowledge it as soon as possible. When a customer leaves a message or a voice mail that's in regard to a pressing matter, the clock begins ticking. Their perception of you and your firm drops with each moment that passes before you get back to them.
A call back to say, "I received your message, and as soon as I get back in the office/get through with this meeting/or have a chance to review your files, I'll get back to you," if it's done expeditiously, can really impress a customer.

The same theory applies to e-mail. Respond to an e- mail message by acknowledging that you received the info and will address the issue as soon as it is practical.

There's a saying that, "Clients don't care how much you know 'til they know how much you care." It's not about where you rank them on your priority list, it's about whether or not they "feel" that you share their concerns. If you don't seem to find their problems important, they'll find one of your competitors who does!

Selling Professional Services - Give the Buyer Options

2006-05-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

(This article is an excerpt from the book Selling the Fuzzy Widget: Secrets of Selling Professional Services, by Craig Cortello)

Many people say that you should put yourself in the client’s place to get a better perspective on how to proceed. Actually, you must go beyond that. You must put yourself in the place of each and every client, not just any client in general. Why? Because every client’s perception of success in terms of your project performance, level of detail, timeliness, deliverables, and autonomy is different.

Giving the buyer options is one way of catering to the client. Some clients consider an executive summary of an audit an acceptable deliverable, while others want every detail. Some have information technology staff on their payroll and can maintain a computer automation product that you provide, while others prefer to buy the maintenance contract and have nothing to do with customization or computer code.

Providing options gives you a more accurate picture of how the project will unfold, and you can plan accordingly. If a client is asking to meet a difficult deadline that will require you to shift considerable resources and perhaps disrupt the flow of work in your organization, you can provide an option in the budget for expedited service. If a client accepts, you’ll be compensated for the extra effort and will have some advance notice that will allow you to schedule your staff appropriately. If the client declines, they’re acknowledging that within reason, they will be patient with the project’s progress.

If you break a proposal out by tasks, noting which are optional, you make the client a collaborative partner prior to the project, and that’s where you want to be positioned. You’re not compromising quality of your product or service. You’re simply giving your clients what they want.

BURGERS & STEAK
For example, a restaurant will often offer everything from hamburger to a filet of the finest aged beef. While the filet has a higher profit margin than the hamburger, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take time to pick fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, served in a visually pleasing manner, to the hamburger client.

Even though you will generate greater revenue and profit from the client who orders the steak, the fact is you will probably have five hamburger sales for every steak sale. The hamburger client may even order a steak the next time he or she comes into the restaurant. That one client may also tell three friends about the restaurant, and those friends may be either hamburger or steak clients.
You never know where one client’s business will lead. So serve burgers to the burger crowd, steak to the steak crowd, and value each and every client.

see http://www.fuzzy-widget.com/ for more sales resources. Happy selling!

Podcast - Business Meeting Creativity Ideas

2006-03-25T15:32:00.000-08:00

Podcast - Formal Education; Prepared for Success?

2006-03-19T18:40:00.000-08:00

Podcast - Creating "Brain Balance"

2006-03-17T06:38:00.000-08:00

Podcast - Selling Professional Services; Overcoming Human Error

2006-03-16T21:01:00.000-08:00

Podcast - Creativity & Initiative

2006-03-16T20:23:00.000-08:00

Formal Education - Prepared for Success? (cont'd)

2006-03-02T18:49:00.000-08:00

Invest in Yourself

A co-worker once asked to borrow a book he saw on the shelf in my office. I kindly explained that I was not completely finished reading the book, but revealed where he could purchase the book and noted how much I paid for it. I could see the look of disappointment in his eyes and sense of resignation in his voice when he thanked me for the information. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he wasn’t going to plunk down $17 and take the initiative to make the purchase. What a shame. The sad part is that there are so many people like him.

Determine where you want to go in your career, what skills you need to get there, what books, CDs, seminars, courses, or other vehicles you can use to acquire those skills, and make the investment whether it’s out of your pocket or not.

There’s nothing you can do better to impress a prospective employer than to indicate what action you’ve taken to improve yourself professionally or otherwise. I ask that question (“What books, tapes, or seminars have you found helpful in your development?”) of every candidate that I interview, and if they can’t come up with anything, their chances of getting a “thumbs up” from me are slim.

Find a challenge

If you don’t feel challenged in your work, let your boss know it. Most bosses find it refreshing when employees express a desire to be continuously challenged, and will try to find ways to incorporate new tasks into their job. Sometimes a challenge that can add to your skill sets comes from outside of your primary job. A home-based business can provide tax advantages, supplement your income, and help you develop skills that might be useful down the road.

If you’re in a dead-end job, have expressed a desire to be challenged and received no commitment from management, and don’t see any opportunity for advancement or transfer, get out. Don’t fall prey to the myth of job security.

Communication, People Skills, & Sales

The ability to communicate effectively is perhaps the greatest prerequisite for success and the area in which formal education most notably falls short in preparing students for the “real world.” Find opportunities to network with business professionals, community groups, or charitable organizations. Any chance you get to communicate with others either in a formal speaking role or in informal groups will provide a tremendous opportunity for growth.

If you can take on a “sales” role within an organization, that’s even better. Activities such as fund-raising, selling sponsorships, or rounding up volunteers are in essence sales roles. And you can make yourself more marketable in any profession by getting exposure to sales. We’re always selling – our products and services, our ideas, our value to the organization, our rules of the house to our children, or our belief in a political candidate.

Take advantage of any opportunity to share ideas, interact with others, or speak in front of an audience. Learn to express your ideas convincingly, clearly, and succinctly.

See http://www.ldv-enterprises.com/ and http://www.fuzzy-widget.com for more business innovation and sales resources.

Formal Education - Prepared for Success?

2006-02-22T19:57:00.000-08:00

A senior manager of a professional service firm in a very technical field consistently gives the same response when asked about the most significant courses completed in college, in terms of career preparation. “Without question, Speech I and Speech II,” he says. Advanced mathematics, physics, chemistry, and other core curriculum courses take a back seat. Ask any successful professional in a technical field to assess the role of technical aptitude in career advancement, and you generally get a 10-20% estimate. In other words, they owe 80-90% of their success to other skills. Yet 80-90% of the course requirements are technical in nature - either within or closely related to the core curriculum.

I had the great pleasure of taking a college course years ago instructed by Dr. Tim Ryan, respected Economics professor and Chancellor of the University of New Orleans. Dr. Ryan, in a moment of candor, offered this sidebar to a lecture one day – “Ninety percent of what we teach you in college is good for cocktail party conversation only. Hopefully what we teach you is how to think.”

Let’s just say that it’s a consensus – there’s a significant gap between what we need to survive in the business world and what we are given in our formal education.

You’ll pick up skills along the way, but don’t just leave it to chance. Here are a few suggestions on how you can get ahead of the crowd in developing your skill sets and filling in that 80-90% needed to succeed.

Talk to Successful People

There’s no better way to accelerate the learning curve than to talk to others who are successful. By all means, talk to others in your field, but don’t limit yourself. You might gain fresh perspectives by talking to people outside your chosen field. Ask them what were the keys to their success, what were the mistakes they made early on and what they learned, and what books, seminars, or other tools were useful in their professional development. It’s great to learn from your mistakes, but why not learn from the mistakes of others and avoid the aggravation altogether.

More pointers in the weeks ahead.

See http://www.ldv-enterprises.com/ and http://www.fuzzy-widget.com for more business innovation resources.

Creating “Brain Balance”

2006-02-09T20:47:00.000-08:00

Ask the average person who aspires to be an artist, musician, or writer, but has never taken action on their aspiration, and they’ll tell you, “I’m not the creative type.” Nothing could be further from the truth. We’re all creative.

When you were in first grade and the teacher asked you and your classmates to get out the crayons, how long did it take you to get started? My guess is that all of you kids had started putting something on paper within 30 seconds of your teacher’s directive. How long do adults who aspire to be artists take to get started? Some of us take a lifetime! We’ve developed creative ability “filters” over the years.

Filters are the negative thoughts that prohibit us from taking action. “What will people think of my painting? Will it be any good? Will I have time to finish what I started? Do I have the right materials? Maybe I just don’t have the innate creative talent to do this, or Will my “left-brain” (logical, analytical) friends think I’m a “flaky” or “artsy” type if I decide to seriously pursue my artistic dream?” All of these thoughts are potential filters that keep us from starting on our creative journey.

Chuck Berry learned 6 chords on the guitar and became a pioneer of Rock n’ Roll. You could learn to strum one chord a week and be proficient enough to play 40-50% of the songs of the rock n’ roll era in a few months. Another filter – the one that says, “Don’t attempt anything unless you can be the best” stops us in our tracks. I’ll never play golf at the Tiger Woods level, but I’m not going to let that stop me from getting in a round every once in a while.

Filters also stop creative or “right-brain” types from developing the necessary skills to succeed. It’s easy for an artist to avoid taking steps to become commercially successful by claiming to be deprived of the metal agility to study accounting, business administration, or time management. Claiming to be only capable of creative thought is often the excuse of the lazy artist.

Everyone has certain strengths, and each of us should search for the common ground across 3 of life’s truths: those talents that we have been given, those that when fostered will provide a valuable service to mankind, and those about which we are passionate and enthusiastic. Don’t change the essence of who you are and cheat the world of your individuality.

But each of us must assess the roadblocks that we place in our paths of personal development. We must look in the mirror and determine which of those mental impediments are simply false perceptions that we have fabricated to avoid challenging ourselves to achieve greater heights. You may consider yourself a left or right brain person. Don’t let that stop you from creating a greater “brain balance.”

See http://www.ldv-enterprises.com/ for more creativity & business innovation resources.

Selling Professional Services - Overcoming Human Error

2006-02-06T18:11:00.000-08:00

A sale in professional service industries is simply a transaction based upon a promise – a promise that your firm and its employees will perform in a manner that is consistent with the client’s needs and that offers value to the client organization.

Yet we know that people are flawed, and performance levels will vary from project to project and from employee to employee. The average customer probably couldn’t detect even a slight difference in hundreds of widgets coming off of an assembly line. Put a dozen of your consultants, attorneys, or accountants in front of a potential client, however, and odds are they’ll come away with very distinct opinions about who is best qualified or with whom they would prefer to work.

So how do you contend with the realization that your firm’s primary product – its people, are inherently flawed and will drop the ball on occasion – that your customers are human and might be personally incompatible with staff members – even in the absence of substantive performance issues. The answer is communication. Make that over-communication!

Clients understand the fallibility of people. What they don’t understand is poor communication and tardy notification of performance issues. They can’t understand a service provider explaining why they missed a deadline instead of clearly explaining how they will remedy the situation.

They understand employee turnover. They can’t understand why they only discovered that their favorite point of contact at your firm is gone by placing a random phone call 3 weeks after the fact and being told, “That person no longer works here. Can someone else help you?”

Your greatest strength as a service provider is the ability to inspire trust in your customers. Have faith in those customers as well. Trust that if you are courageous enough to explain issues clearly and promptly, your candor will help solidify client relationships and stimulate loyalty in your clients.

see www.fuzzy-widget.com for more sales resources. Happy selling!

Creativity & Initiative

2006-01-26T17:00:00.000-08:00

Are you sitting around waiting for the next brilliant idea, breakthrough, or artistic whim to strike you like lightning. You're only procrastinating - so get to work!

In truth, inspiration has a more practical reality. In his book The War of Art, author Steven Pressfield quotes English dramatist and novelist W. Somerset Maugham. When asked if he wrote on a schedule or only when struck by inspiration, Maugham responded, “I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.”

Similarly, Pressfield himself states, “There’s a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don’t, and the secret is this: It’s not the writing that’s the hard part. What’s hard is sitting down to write.”

Creativity is merely the the elimination or refinement of bad ideas until you identify what is successful. Thomas Edison said, "If I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is often a step forward."

What creative pursuit, business venture, or new direction in life are you putting off today in the hope that you'll be "inspired" tomorrow? Get to it!

- excerpt from The War of Art (by Steven Pressfield, 2002, Warner Books, Inc.) reprinted with permission from the author.

see www.ldv-enterprises.com for more creativity & business innovation resources.