This week's Marketing Jackass Award goes to... me.
Why? Because I just conducted one of the WORST sales calls of my life. Yes, it was that bad.
Let's count the ways so that YOU can apply these 7 lessons to YOUR sales process. And so you never have to blow it like I just did.
1. Wrong prospect. I knew it in my bones even before we got on the phone. He doesn't fit, he's missing a lot of the DNA markers of our most successful clients, he's sort of "out there."
2. Wrong process. Did he read the material I sent ahead of time? No. Did he know what business we are in? No. Did he understand how we work and what we do - and WHY? No. Is this my prospect's fault? HELL NO - it's my fault for not following my own process (and not making SURE the prospect followed it too). The only thing worse than "wrong process" is NO PROCESS. And as a marketing coach, I've been guilty of that in the past as well, but this time it was all on me that I had a process that my prospect did not follow. I should have rescheduled the moment I found this out. But I didn't.
3. Wrong budget. Why, why, WHY do I keep having sales conversations with people whose initial inquiries start with the phrase "money is tight" or "I don't have two nickels to rub together." (I've gotten both of these - verbatim - in the last 5 days). If they claim poverty on the approach, they will not suddenly become millionaires on the call. Bring up money FAST and EARLY. Not your fees but THEIR own pricing, their ROI, their average sale, their customer lifetime value. Do that and you'll set the context for your fees as an investment and you'll be able to avoid the sticker shock when you drop a number on someone before you've established commensurate VALUE for them.
4. Wrong words. Do you listen (TRULY listen) to what your prospects say in the first few minutes of your sales conversations? Can you identify when they are using the "right words" vs. the "wrong words" to indicate their readiness to move ahead, their understanding of the value that your products and services bring, and their level of sophistication as an educated consumer? If you did, you'd make more sales faster - and you'd stop wasting precious selling time with price shoppers, tire kickers and broke-ass losers.
5. Wrong questions. Do you listen just as carefully - maybe more so - to the kinds of questions your prospect asks YOU during the sales call? Can you tell from THEIR questions if they are tracking with your best clients and customers? Can you identify their underlying urgencies and priorities based on the questions that they ask? Have you ever gently redirected a "bad" question with the phrase, "The real question I'm hearing you ask is... And the answer to that question is..." Examples of bad questions include fear-based questions that fixate on guarantees, warrantees, all that could go wrong, insignificant details and irrelevant metrics.
6. Wrong bravado. When a prospect spends any significant amount of time telling me how successful they are, how financially lucrative their business is, how much money they make, and what kind of car they drive, I know we're not a fit. Here's the truth, folks: Successful people ARE successful. They don't TALK about being successful. Someone who brags like this suffers from low self-esteem - or even worse, he is a mental child who is still psychologically trying to impress their Mommy and Daddy who never loved them enough in the first place. Move on - and quick!
7. Wrong fit. Put your current prospect in an imaginary lineup with your very favorite clients and very best customers - both past and present. Does this prospect fit? Do they belong there? Are they a natural extension of your business family? If not, that should be enough to get you to hang up the phone right then and there. Like attracts like. If your prospect would stick out like a sore thumb in your lineup of current clients, that means there is something seriously wrong and you should NOT allow that prospect into the circle of the clients whom you love working with - and who love you.
Fail to heed these 7 warning signs and the best case scenario is that you'll waste a lot of precious time, energy and effort on the wrong prospects who won't do business with you anyway. And the worst case scenario is that you'll end up with a goofball client - or at the very worst, a "nightmare client from hell."
Friends don't let friends blow up their sales process.
You're welcome.
I love you.
Thoughts? Insights? Reactions? Please use the COMMENTS section below to share...
Avish Parashar has just released a new book titled, "Say Yes, And!" and he has a great special offer for people who buy the book by midnight tonight, Feb. 28.
The book takes a fundamental principle from improv comedy - saying "yes, and" instead of "yes, but" - and shows you how that one simple idea can help you improve your career, your business, your relationships, and your life.
As a special promotion, if you buy the book today, February 28th, you'll get access to over $200 in free gifts, including PDF versions of two of Avish's other books and over 8 hours of MP3 recordings of some of Avish's most popular audio programs. That's over $200 in gifts in return for buying a $12.95 book.
First I have to tell you - I'm a business book junkie. I read 'em all. Big ones, little ones, famous ones, and hidden gems. All topics including sales, marketing, leadership, strategy, the how-to, the what-to, and the why-to kind.
And this books stands out.
Plain and simple, Avish Parashar packages essential wisdom, insights, and practical advice into a small concentrated form factor.
But don't be fooled - this is life-changing stuff.
One small turn in what you think and what you say CAN and WILL make a huge impact. Example after example pours out of this book and will soon spark ideas and memories in your own mind of times you took charge and created success - and other times when you chose the "Yes but" path and created your own obstacles, limits, and barriers.
Whether you are a business owner, corporate executive, sales professional, association executive, or non-profit leader, this book is for YOU. Filled with immediately actionable insights and concrete take-aways, this little book may trigger the biggest and best changes your team, your organization, and your results will ever experience.
Tell you what - STOP reading Amazon reviews of this great little book, say "YES AND I'll buy it right now." In fact, you may want to buy three - one for yourself, one for your boss, and one for the significant other in your life. Yes (and) the ideas in this book work as powerfully at home as they do at work!!
Yesterday, you were promised some thought-provoking questions for creating your best 2012 - and here they are. Once again, these are from the Soul Purpose Institute and they struck me as especially relevant for business owners, entrepreneurs and independent professionals.
Not only will these questions help you clarify your goals, focus, and themes for 2012 - they will also help you narrow down your choices, remove some overwhelm, kill some unnecessary "shoulds" in your marketing mix and generally help you focus on what matters most to your business, professional, personal and financial success.
13 Questions for Creating Your Best 2012
What would you like to be your biggest triumph this year?
What advice would you like to give yourself?
What is the major effort you plan to do to improve your financial results?
What would you be most happy about completing?
What major indulgence are you willing to experience?
What would you most like to change about yourself?
What are you looking forward to learning?
What do you think your biggest risk will be in 2012?
What about your work, are you most committed to changing and improving?
What is one as yet undeveloped talent you are willing to explore?
What brings you the most joy and how are you going to do or have more of it?
Who or what, other than yourself, are you most committed to loving and serving?
What one word would you like to have as your 2012 theme?
====
Please use the comments area below to share your 2012 successes, goals, plans and strategies. What's working? Where could you use a bit of help?
Want to kick it up a notch in your business for 2012 and tackle your most important marketing, sales and business growth TO-DO items all in a single, super-focused day? Check out DO IT DAYS and join us for the next one.
This just came across my email inbox from the Soul Purpose Institute and these 14 questions struck me as a powerful marketing concept to help you close out your 2011 and prepare you to launch into your next level of success in the new year.
I'll post some equally powerful questions about your 2012 - tomorrow!
What was your biggest triumph?
What was the smartest decision you made?
What one word best summarizes your 2011 experience?
What was the greatest lesson you learned?
What was the most loving service you performed?
What is your biggest piece of unfinished business?
What are you most happy about completing?
Who were the three people that had the greatest impact on your life in 2011?
What was the biggest risk you took?
What was your biggest surprise?
What important relationship improved the most?
What compliment would you liked to have received?
What compliment would you liked to have given?
What else do you need to do or say to be complete this year?
====
Ready to launch your speaking, consulting, or solo professional practice into its next level of success? You'll get 30 days of specific tools, tactics, templates AND the structured day-by-day guided implementation to remove the overwhelm and make it "paint-by-numbers easy" -- Details are waiting for you here: http://www.SpeakerLiftoff.com
====
Got 2011 thoughts and reflections to share? Use the COMMENTS area below and...
29. Rather than doing many things at mediocrity do just a few things-but at mastery.
30. Honor your parents.
31. Commit to doing great work-whether anyone notices it or not. It's one of life's best sources of happiness.
32. Give more than you receive (another of the truths of happiness).
33. Have your 1/3/5/10/25 years goals recorded on paper and review them weekly.
34. Be patient. Slow and steady wins the race. The only reason businesses that went from zero to a billion in a year or two get featured in magazines is because 99% of businesses require a lot more time to win.
34. Underpromise and then overdeliver.
35. See part of your job as "a developer of people" (whether you work in the boardroom or the mailroom).
36. Wear your heart on your sleeve. When people see you're real, they'll fall in love with you.
Marketing concept for today: Storytelling for Business. This infographic came across my desk recently from the folks at Fathom Business Events. Whether your preferred method of telling your story is LIVE, such as speaking and seminars, or other online/offline channels, THIS is exactly what you should be spending your time doing:
What do you think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to (wait for it...) share YOUR STORY about how these strategies have worked for you!
As a marketing speaker and marketing coach for thought-leading professionals and professional services firms, I'm continually amazed at the stupidity of firms who just DON'T get the fact that their marketing messages are NOT about THEM...
Case in point - a Philadelphia area communications and design firm whose list I have been on for more than 7 years. They have never - NEVER as in NOT ONCE - sent me a single solitary message that was relevant to me, my business, my marketing, my design needs, or my ANYTHING. Not a shred of value in sight. Zilch. Nada. None.
Every single flippin' email blast they send out is about THEM, THEIR awards, THEIR staff, THEIR media mentions. I mean it's over-the-top ridiculous. I could go on and tell you - but I'd rather SHOW YOU...
For some bizarre reason, I'm removing their name to protect the guilty. I dunno - maybe it's the holiday spirit of thankfulness that I'm not this big of an IDIOT myself. (See previous post on the Real IDIOT's Guide to Social Media for the backstory on this acronym.)
I've used green bold text to show each instance of "I, me, my" syndrome in this incredibly self-centered, years-long and completely ineffective email marketing approach.
=====
Subject: Good things come in three for IDIOT Design+Communications
Good things come in three for IDIOT Design+Communications 25th Anniversary, ranked 7th and scholarship winner
[Unnamed town], PA - November 21, 2011 - IDIOT Design+Communications (ID+C), a brand design firm, is proud to announce three major milestones for the company.
ID+C celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2011. What started as a freelance graphic design job in 1986 has grown into a full service design agency serving the Northeast corridor from Virginia to New York. Their expertise includes integrative brand campaigns that span internal and external audiences. Branding initiatives include brand touch points that create and spark perception of brand positioning. ID+C specializes in employee communications and internal branding. According to President and founder, Susan Idiot, "I would have never imaged owning my own graphic design and communication business. It is the support of long-term clients and friends that has allowed me to do the work I love and for that, I am grateful." ID+C built their reputation in the industry on strong partnerships and would like to take this opportunity to thank each of their clients.
Ranked 7th Among Philadelphia Design Firms In July, the company was ranked Number 7 in the 2011 Philadelphia Business Journal among Graphic Design firms in the Philadelphia region.
[Blah blah Name Changed here too] Executive ScholarshipID+C wishes to extend a special thank you to Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) for their continued support and for awarding Susan Idiot the [Blah blah Name Changed] Executive Scholarship. Idiot used the opportunity to attend Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management's Executive Program on Branding. From elite scholars in marketing to an international contingency of fellow business owners and branding professionals, Susan Idiot gained invaluable insights into branding strategy. As a result, ID+C can assist its clients to discover and express their brands' positions and future direction in a dynamic, global marketplace.
IDIOT Design +Communications address block website phone number Susan Idiot
=====
Questions for YOU:
Is this the kind of email you would pass along to your best business colleagues?
Would you be motivated to go through your database and see who else could benefit from such a terrific email newsletter?
Would you rush to your web browser and immediately check out their site to see what OTHER valuable resources they have to offer you?
Finally, would YOU give these people your email address so they could spam you with their accomplishments, awards, milestones, and anniversaries and spend nary a second in 7 whole years talking about branding, advertising, communications, or marketing ideas that might help you, your organization, or your career?
Yeah... me neither. Click. Unsubscribe. Bye, bye.
BOTTOM LINE: Don't let this happen to you.
What do YOU think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your thoughts on "I, me, my" Syndrome or share a success story of more prospect-centered email marketing!
As a marketing speaker, I can safely say that meeting planners are the reason we have SUCCESSFUL meetings.
Courtesy of Cvent, here are the 10 reasons why everyone loves planners. We've also included some stories to aid in planning your next meeting or event.
1. They're always prepared.
No matter how compact the bag, if you need something, a meeting planner can reach into a "Mary Poppins" bag and produce it in a matter of seconds.
While others scramble if things don't go according to plan, meeting planners never let you see them sweat. They're armed with a Plan B... and a Plan C, D, E and F, too.
Where others see obstacles, meeting planners see potential. They can take the biggest hurdle and turn it into something positive in a matter of minutes.
Wondering where to go on that next vacation? Go find a meeting planner and you'll have destination suggestions to fuel vacation choices for the next decade.
Meeting planners always have a keen eye for protecting the environment, taking the green path at every opportunity. They waste not, yet manage to do so with great flair.
If you have a meeting planner in your circle of friends, you're just three degrees from anyone in the world. They know people who know people and they take great delight in helping others make meaningful connections.
Meeting planners are go-givers. They're always looking out for others, even the quietest sheep in the flock. They see the unseen and they will do whatever it takes to help others in need.
Do you need to get something done? If a meeting planner commits to do something, there's no need for reminders. It will get done, on time (or ahead of time) and in the best possible way.
Meeting planners aren't just experts at creating delightful experiences for others. They are natural born party people, smiling and finding fun even in the least likely places.
Today's marketing concept for you is simple - check this out:
Your marketing and sales process should be easy, effortless, and enjoyable.
Period. End of sentence.
If it is not - and if you're attracting difficult, high-maintenance or non-enjoyable prospects - here's another marketing concept for you:
If the dating doesn't go well, it won't get better once you're married.
As the great business sage, Donald Trump, once said:
"Sometimes the best deals are the ones you don't do."
Amen, brother Trump!
5 Signs that Your Prospect is Giving You Too Much Bullsh*t
1. Agreeing to sign on and then backing off at the last minute or the next day to ask for references, birth certificates, blood tests, or guarantees.
2. Bargaining. Namely, asking for a price reduction with no corresponding reduction in services, terms, value, or relationship. (Asking for a price concession "just because" is a classic form of prospect bullsh*t!)
3. Undervaluing your services, track record, and expertise. "I could do this myself, I just don't have time..." or "We've outsourced this to several vendors and have never been happy..." (Run, my friend, run!)
4. Telling you upfront, "We're notoriously difficult to work with / a control freak / a perfectionist / highly demanding - but don't take it personally." (This means they've been fired by other service providers in the past and they're prepping you for the same eventuality while playing BOTH sides of good cop / bad cop. Nice!)
5. Using terms of false affection like "Big Guy'" and "My dear" or false compliments like "You are a great salesperson!" (Obviously, if you were a great salesperson, you would not be wasting your time with this narcissistic sociopath nightmare client from hell, would you?)
As poet Maya Angelou has so eloquently said, "When someone SHOWS you who they are, believe them."
Finally, a cautionary (and VERY funny) video to illustrate the point about Prospect Bullsh*t and how it looks in everyday life:
And then leave a comment below with your questions, thoughts, and advice on the ideas above.
Are you a DO IT freak? Welcome to the club!! Please use the social media buttons at the top of this post to share it with your network. YOU are a rock star!
Every day here at Do It! Marketing HQ, we work hard to make sure the clients we love are extremely happy with our work and our results. At the same time, we work hard to keep OUT clients who will make us nuts, sap our energy, or for whom it will be impossible to do our best work.
In this spirit, here is today's marketing concept: Your Client GPS tool (Goofball Prevention Screening)
A client may well prove to be a Goofball if they…
Lack high standards of excellence – Good enough is good enough…
Don’t care about increasing their knowledge – Not committed to becoming valuable resources to their own clients and customers…
Refuse to work hard and commit to their own success – Lack persistence and are unwilling to try new things to achieve results…
Think they already know everything – And are unwilling to accept help in expanding their skills, expertise, or capabilities…
Resist investing in themselves and their business – They fail to understand that this is the best investment of all…
Operate from a mindset of fear and scarcity– They can’t make good decisions long-term because they are so risk-averse in the short term…
Won’t (or can’t) pay their bills– Their lack of financial responsibility spills over onto others in the form of late payment, non-payment, and endless excuses…
Exude negative energy– Negative self-talk, pessimism and cynicism repel new opportunities, new partners, and new ideas (all vital to success)…
Can’t commit to mutually supportive relationships – In business and in life, the most successful people don’t make it alone…
And then leave a comment below with your questions, thoughts, and advice on the ideas above.
Are you a DO IT freak? Welcome to the club!! Please use the social media buttons at the top of this post to share it with your network. YOU are a rock star!
This week's Marketing Jackass Award goes to... me.
Yesterday, you were promised some thought-provoking questions for creating your best 2012 - and here they are. Once again, these are from the Soul Purpose Institute and they struck me as especially relevant for business owners, entrepreneurs and independent professionals.
This just came across my email inbox from the Soul Purpose Institute and these 14 questions struck me as a powerful marketing concept to help you close out your 2011 and prepare you to launch into your next level of success in the new year.
Kindly donated by Mr Robin Sharma, World Class Business Coach 
As a marketing speaker and marketing coach for thought-leading professionals and professional services firms, I'm continually amazed at the stupidity of firms who just DON'T get the fact that their marketing messages are 
As a marketing speaker, I can safely say that meeting planners are the reason we have SUCCESSFUL meetings.
Today's marketing concept for you is simple - check this out:
Every day here at Do It! Marketing HQ, we work hard to make sure the clients we love are extremely happy with our work and our results. At the same time, we work hard to keep OUT clients who will make us nuts, sap our energy, or for whom it will be impossible to do our best work.