Sales is more than just a numbers game...

Innovation: Pouchee – Clever Christmas gift with inspiring back-story

With countless stories of gifts that hit off-center, it never ceases to amaze me how some people can hit the mark with simplicity and ease. Although this may seem a story for the ladies, if you guys are looking for a smart and practical gift, the Pouchee should top your list. The Pouchee is one of those useful ideas you are left with the thought, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Although most purses incorporate some level of organization in the form of pockets, zippered pouches, and card slots, the Pouchee takes it to a new level in the form of a transportable purse organizer. Rather than transfer all your many cards and items by hand, you can transfer your organized Pouchee from purse to purse. You simply grab the attractive rings and remove it from one purse, then slide it in place into another.

The Pouchee was clearly conceived out of necessity – you know the drill, “Necessity, who is the mother of invention.” Anita Crook, business owner and entrepreneur, tells a delightful story on the Web site of how, “It was Christmas, 2004. At our usual Christmas Eve family celebration I opened the gift from my oldest son. It was a great, trendy shoulder bag which I loved but knew I would never use. There were no pockets, just one, big, empty bag. I had to have my pockets.”

The Pouchee I saw was from their Outback collection; my daughter had chosen it for my daughter-in-law as an attractive and practical gift - watching the exchange between the two of them was more like sisters who had been out shopping together. They were excited about the possibilities of the Pouchee; within moments, it was put to use.

But, part of what I enjoyed most of this experience was the back-story of the company and it’s creator. The practical gift had pushed my curiosity to learn more about the company and who came up with this idea. After doing so, I think we should all be encouraged by Anita’s closing comment of, “So, here I am 60+ years old, marketing, selling, shipping and still having a ball, organizing women, one purse at a time. What a great life!!!”

Watch some of the videos that are linked on the Home Page under News & Announcements. Anita’s up-front and candid style is refreshing and should offer inspiration to anyone who has an idea, but has never taken the time to pursue it.

Podcast: Quota, Forecast and Budget; an easy explanation

You hear the words Quota and Forecast used interchangeably. Are they the same thing? What about Budget; is this applicable to Sales, too? In the simplest form, Forecast is what is thought to be possible, Quota is what needs to occur, and Budget is what it takes to keep the lights on in the business. In this episode of the One Goal - Revenue Generation ® series, Peter Kusterer of NvestNtech explains, in an uncomplicated way, how each one of these important sales measures should stand on their own. Download this episode - “Quota, Forecast and Budget; an easy explanation.”

Offer your comments, questions, or initiate general discussion with other listeners of the One Goal - Revenue Generation ® Podcast series. Use this LinkedIn Group to discuss your own personal selling situations as they might relate to an individual podcast episode, or in a broader sense of the profession of Sales.

Click on this link for the Podcast directory that includes the One Goal - Revenue Generation ® series, as well as additional Podcast episodes and related topics. Our podcasts are featured on iTunes, Odeo, and Podcast Alley.

Podcast: Become a trusted advisor

You know you should be calling on higher levels of management, but you are not sure of their needs when compared to those who may use your product or service. How can you best meet their needs and further your success in their company? In this episode of the One Goal - Revenue Generation ® series, Peter Kusterer of NvestNtech tells you how to move the sales objective from merely selling someone to becoming a long term trusted advisor, and play a key role in their decision process. Download this episode - “Become a trusted advisor.”

Offer your comments, questions, or initiate general discussion with other listeners of the One Goal - Revenue Generation ® Podcast series. Use this LinkedIn Group to discuss your own personal selling situations as they might relate to an individual podcast episode, or in a broader sense of the profession of Sales.

Click on this link for the Podcast directory that includes the One Goal - Revenue Generation ® series, as well as additional Podcast episodes and related topics. Our podcasts are featured on iTunes, Odeo, and Podcast Alley.

Podcast: The introduction to Disc One - Manage the Sales Cycle

The One Goal - Revenue Generation ® series is grouped into discs and tracks. Each Podcast is a track, and the discs are arranged much like a chapter in a book. As you download each Podcast, you will find additional information embedded in the file that will help you navigate across the discs and tracks in the One Goal - Revenue Generation ® series.

Disc One - Manage the Sales Cycle. This disc includes those topics on managing the sales cycle and following a disciplined process to secure an order. In this episode of the One Goal - Revenue Generation ® series, Peter Kusterer of NvestNtech introduces Disc One - Manage the Sales Cycle. Download this episode - “The introduction to Disc One - Manage the Sales Cycle.”

Offer your comments, questions, or initiate general discussion with other listeners of the One Goal - Revenue Generation ® Podcast series. Use this LinkedIn Group to discuss your own personal selling situations as they might relate to an individual podcast episode, or in a broader sense of the profession of Sales.

Click on this link for the Podcast directory that includes the One Goal - Revenue Generation ® series, as well as additional Podcast episodes and related topics. Our podcasts are featured on iTunes, Odeo, and Podcast Alley.

When U. S. auto companies get the bum rap, it can trickle down to dealers

Since I have both domestic and foreign autos in my family fleet of automobiles, I feel comfortable in making comparisons between the two. When I have turned to the dealerships for support, I have been fortunate in having mostly good experiences. It wasn’t that long ago that I told the story of “BMW dealer’s vehicle “porter” turns into frontline salesperson”.

With the press going on about Chrysler, and their reduced performance in sales and production quality, it’s no wonder their dealers may seem a bit skittish with a headline like “Dealers Anxious as Chrysler Stays Mum on Car Plan”. From my vantage point, it doesn’t seem fair.

With three Jeeps having gone through our garage doors, and two left in service, I don’t see changes in brand anytime soon. We reluctantly parted with the Wrangler, but the Cherokee and Grand Cherokee continue to perform well. The Cherokee has over 150,000 miles on it, and is still running strong. The Grand Cherokee is a little over half that much and I don’t regret any maintenance costs with it.

I have always felt comfortable about my local Jeep dealer relationship, especially with the parts department. Regular readers know that I like to tackle a few repair jobs along the way. Although the location is the same, the name has changed; the receptionist now greets incoming callers with, “Welcome to the all new Leith Chrysler Jeep”.

The parts department continues to deliver helpful and patient service, along with a willingness to offer some advice. This morning was another good example as I commiserated with one of the parts staff who shared my fondness for the ’96 Cherokee; he told me the story of running one of his Jeeps for nearly 300,000 miles.

It’s this level of service and satisfaction that keeps customers coming back; and not just for parts. Good customer service in the parts department can carry forward when it comes time to purchase a new car.

Having experienced Chrysler’s past troubles in the early 70s - I was selling steel in Michigan back then to many of the auto plants – I have confidence that if they put their minds to it, they can turn it around again. But, they need to treat their dealers well. After all, that is the customer-facing arm of the company.

What the business world needs now is another email newsletter company

While working out the details to a new series of podcasts last night, we found ourselves talking about the proliferation of companies trying to make money with near identical solutions; in this case, we were talking about Internet browsers and how do you make any money at it. Yes, we went down the route of ad revenues, etc., but it still left a void in our minds.

As I looked through my Webmail account early this morning, trying to ignore most of the banner ads, one ad catches my attention. It is an advertisement for a new email newsletter service. My mind meanders to the thought, “Another one (of these)? Why?”

Seeing this ad flash by made me think of all the ways companies are trying to get information, usage tips, and new product information across people’s desk(top)s. In our case, we have used an eNewsletter for many years, with Constant Contact as our current provider.

I have noticed a drop-off in ‘Opens’ and ‘Clicks’, most likely a result of firewalls, spam filters, and other screening devices. Even though we use a Spam Checker before we send the email – to which we normally score a ‘zero’ (as in, it should easily get through) – subscribers are telling us that the eNewsletter is being trapped.

I have experienced the same thing with inbound email. It seems no matter what format or medium, be that a PDF attachment, hyperlinked text, or a well-mannered HTML presentation, more emails end up as ‘Junk’ in my Inbox.

With yet another email newsletter company looking for customers, I am now wondering what means do companies use to send their information to customers and prospects. Without including the likes of YouTube videos, and regular advertising, I created a simple five choice selection poll.

The choices are:

• Plain text email with hyperlinks
• Attach a PDF file to an email
• Use an eNewsletter provider like Constant Contact
• Send something via regular (snail) mail
• We don't send anything via email or mail

I’ll hold the poll open for a couple of weeks, then post the results as a Comment to this Post. We’re going to send this to our eNewsletter subscribers, too – many of which get our eNewletter and subscribe to this blog. You can take the poll by clicking here.

Where do I know you from; a lost art?

Long before all the fancy social networking sites and contact-sharing tools we use today, the old-fashioned encounter between two people was more like tripping over each other than a refined, planned approach. Recently I happened to see someone in a group setting and was troubled that although I knew this person, I couldn’t place where I had met them before.

I approached the woman and said, “You look very familiar, where do I know you from?” She didn’t know. So I proceeded with a few places we could have met – neighborhood, church, children’s school, etc. In the end, we couldn’t make the connection. Oh, well, maybe it will come to me later.

Thinking about this for a moment, I began to wonder why I don’t see this interaction in public as much as I used to. I reflected on my days in a sales territory where this was quite commonplace; from the casual encounter in a restaurant, the airport, a store, or at a larger group setting like a conference or event, you would overhear this opening dialogue from people, trying to become reacquainted with each other.

Early in my career, I can remember the uncomfortable feeling of not wanting to approach someone for fear I would embarrass myself, or them, with rapid-fire questions, trying for something to hit home in either one of our minds. As time went on, and after a job transfer to California, a customer of mine helped me overcome this reservation of mine.

We used to enjoy lunch at a small diner called Bette's Oceanview Diner, in Berkeley, CA. Man, I loved this place. It was small and on the noisy side, not to mention crowded at most any hour – but certainly worth the wait. We would be talking outside waiting for a table. Since his business was located nearby, it was not unusual for someone to come up and begin talking to us. But, if he happened to recognize someone and could not remember who they were, he would go up to them and say, “I don’t remember your name, or where we have met before. Who are you?”

The first time this happened, I thought the approach a bit rough and discourteous. But, when I saw the other person’s positive reaction, I decided that maybe he was on to something. There was no need to waste either person’s time in polite chitchat hoping to trigger your memory. Over time, I refined my own approach by offering possibilities of a location, or people in common, similar to the example at the beginning of this Post.

But this recent experience has got me wondering. Are people more reluctant to approach each other in-person when it’s not intended to be a “social networking event”? I haven’t changed my approach, but it sure seems like others are more reserved; even more so when approached by someone they see as a stranger. Is it just me; or have we reached a point of hiding behind screens tossing out endless digital requests, that we have lost the fine art of getting to know each other, and renew an old acquaintance.

Simple online add-ons make for a better customer experience

As an online purchaser, I would probably rank pretty low. I am still a ‘touch it, feel it, take it for a test drive’ kinda guy. But, when it comes to interactive chat in tech support, or product inquiry/clarification, I don’t hesitate to burn the wires with rapid-fire keystrokes.

Two recent ‘retail’ experiences have shown me that an emphasis on having a good Web site can be augmented with the addition of some extra communication add-ons for higher customer satisfaction.

After a recent purchase at the local Sears store, I sought some information on my order. It was going to be a pricing inquiry and membership discount question. Since the receipt only had the store phone, I decided this would probably be something that should be handled at the corporate level. I poked around Sears.com and found the customer service numbers. Calling the first 1-800 didn’t offer any choices that sounded like my need. Instead of going back to more phone numbers, I opted for their “Click to Call” vs. “Click to Chat”. I was greeted with a Pop-up window that offered two choices – talk by phone, or talk by computer.

I was eager to try the talk by computer choice to see how this might work. Much like using this in GoToMeeting webinars, I wanted to experience this as a customer service event. It didn’t go anywhere; an error code popped up to say there was an application error. On to Plan B, Talk by Phone. In this case, you insert your phone number and choose the delay timeframe to call the number. I chose the ‘talk now’ selection. No sooner did I finish hitting the enter button, and my phone was ringing. That works!

Ah, but not altogether true. There is no telling what department or category of customer service request is calling you back. Within a short period, I could see that this was not the right destination for my inquiry. Nor was there any offer from the customer service person to transfer me to another department or individual. This quickly hit the bin of “Good plan, flawed execution.”

On to the second example, Netflix. Again, I have been slow to adapt. When it comes to movie rentals, I still frequent my three top options: Blockbuster (local store), Redbox (local grocery store), and Time Warner Cable OnDemand. Having helped others with their Netflix accounts and movie choices, the pressure was on for me to do the same for myself. Since I am not a big movie watcher – especially now with the (USTA) US Open on ESPN2 – I never felt pressured to join Netflix.

I was finally ‘voted off the island’ and have succumbed to a subscription to Netflix – more like, I am trying this out to see if it works at the pace I rent movies. As before, the account setup and Free Trial was completed in short order; kudos to them for the ease to set-up an account and get started. With movies on order, I was a day or two away from the first one.

The movie arrived as advertised and I turned it around for return in minutes – poor choice on my part - on to the next one. Although I had experienced email confirmations from them for movies of arrival and departure, this morning a survey-style email arrived. They wanted confirmation on their delivery turnaround by offering choices of when they expected it to arrive. A couple of clicks later on my part gave them valuable customer service information on their part. Why couldn’t more companies do this?

With a little extra thought and effort, I am willing to bet that many businesses could make small investments in online add-ons and reap better (customer) results. Also, you probably have some good examples of your own. What is your company doing to improve the customer experience with online add-ons?

Channel Management is more than just pushing product

One of the topics I am asked about most is Channel Management. Distributing products through a third-party is not just another sales channel. It requires a different mindset and often a separate sales team. Done well, it can become a very good outlet for your company, and your products. Poorly managed, it can easily become a burden and one that returns little on investment.

In place of a direct sales force, companies will often turn to manufacturers’ representatives as their primary (or secondary) sales arm. Manufacturers’ reps will normally represent a range of manufacturers, companies, or products, but usually stay within a line of distribution or sale, i.e., a vertical or horizontal market, or industry (specific).

It’s not unusual for the manufacturers’ rep to represent products for the manufacturer to wholesale distributors and other retail channels. This multi-tiered approach could get unwieldy if it wasn’t managed well. The key to success comes from the way in which communication happens between the various parties.

A case in point surfaced this week as I looked into some specifics surrounding an AC disconnect box manufactured by Midwest Electric Products – founded in 1945 and became a part of GE as a wholly owned subsidiary in 1975. From their Web site, I could get some idea of layout and capability, but not the specifics I needed surrounding the installation and basic construction of the box. For these types of questions, they direct you to the “local area Manufacturing Representative”.

Here’s where Farmer Electrical Sales enters the picture. With nearly the same number of years in business as Midwest Electric, they cover the Carolinas for a number of manufacturers in the electrical industry. Typical of a manufacturers’ rep firm, they maintain an inside and outside sales and support staff that is broken down into product lines or manufacturers.

From my initial call, I had a good feeling about this experience. They were prompt in routing my call to the person responsible for Midwest Electric. I left a voice mail with some detail about the reason for the call, and sent a follow-up email – putting the unsolicited email risk aside, that’s the benefit to having an individual’s email address available from the Web site. In less than 24 hours, not only did I have the information I sought, I could also bear witness to the high quality of communication between Midwest and Farmer.

Working in partnership, Midwest and Farmer demonstrated the key to Channel Management is more than just pushing product. In our current competitive and volatile economic climate, especially for those who sell to the building and construction trade, this reaffirms my belief that high quality customer service can go a long way toward success. With their long-standing service to the industry, and the markets they serve, I am confident these two firms will be around for some time to come.

The unwritten laws of sales management for the newly appointed

While reviewing some resumes recently, for people seeking sales positions, I reflected on my first assignment as a sales manager, and many other assignments since then. In any job, or activity, there are certain unwritten laws or conventions that seem to hold true, but you do not learn them until actually experiencing one, after the fact. During the aforementioned reflection, I came upon six – and there are many more – unwritten laws that will surface shortly after any new appointment to sales management.

Low Sales Numbers – When asked why a candidate’s sales performance numbers appear low - this happens with some salespeople inherited in a new appointment, too – they will respond with the unwelcome “I was wondering about that, too.”

Inverse Performance – The first 90 days sales performance of a newly hired salesperson will be the inverse of prior performance prominently displayed on their resume.

Cold Calls – The amount of time available to make cold calls is directly proportional to the availability of an Internet connection – be that Wi-Fi at the coffee shop, or wireless via a cell phone. The more time available to surf the Internet, the less time there is to make cold calls.

PowerPoint Rangers – When a single page of bullet points in a Microsoft Word document will do, hours (if not days) will be spent creating a PowerPoint presentation with animation and graphics.

CRM vs. XLS – When asked to submit a forecast for the coming month in the company’s CRM (or contact management system), as a substitute, a highly polished, colorful, and multi-tab spreadsheet will arrive as an email attachment.

GPS vs. old school map – The more sophisticated and capable the GPS, or Smartphone-enabled navigation, the salesperson owns, the greater the odds you will arrive late and to the wrong location for your prearranged sales call. The expanded version of this unwritten law includes a complete demonstration – by your sales rep - of the capabilities of the device, before you embark on your trip; you will become an undesirable benefactor of additional lost selling time.

Now it’s your turn. What are some of the unwritten laws you have found to hold true as a sales manager?