People Lose Business Because They Fail To Follow-Up

     I was working with a client and they shared with me how frustrated they were that some of their prospects weren’t calling them back. First, I asked “when was the last time you made contact with the business?” And then my second question was going to be “what value did you give them when you called?” One can’t expect people to want to do business with you if you don’t follow-up with them and let them know that you want to EARN their business.

Earning the business is a process of rapport and relationship building. Building a business relationship is like dating. A person meets another and you speak and exchange business cards. One agrees to follow-up with the other. By the way, you must be the one to always follow-up. Never assume or wait for anyone to have a positive or negative impact on the potential of a new client. You control your destiny when you do the work that is needed to earn the business. I recommend, follow-up with a card within three days after the initial interaction. The card should mention when you would like to get together or connect face to face. You must follow-up on the day that you mention in the card. When you meet, allow them to share their goals, roles and responsibilities with you. If they are a good business person, the conversation will be reciprocated and you’ll have the opportunity to share as well.

Now you both must think about the potential of a business relationship. A business relationship isn’t always about earning the business financially. It could mean that you may have a client that could use their services and vice versa. It could also mean “not now” but there may be opportunities in the future. Following up isn’t always about asking if they are ready to do business with you. But, follow up with them and give them something that they will appreciate and use. That’s how people remember you and want to do business with you if they see that you sincerely care about their propositional value statement and mission. What do you think are some reasons that prospects are not returning your calls? What value are you giving them? Do you care about their business? I’d love to hear back from you. 

Happy Relationship Selling!

 

Carried The Bag, LLC is a personal and professional development company designed to customize coaching approaches on sales effectiveness, strategies and presentation skills for individuals and organizations that assist in building long-term relationships and generate revenue.  Visit us at www.carriedthebag.com and listen to Sixty Seconds of Sales. 

All Business Isn’t Good Business

As professionals we have a responsibility to prospect, market, communicate and build relationships.  We are faced daily with having to be the brand and ambassadors of our companies.  When we are out to lunch with a prospect or client, the expectation is that we may see someone who we know and we must always be prepared.  When we are networking, there is an internal inclination that we will run into someone who we have met before.  Sometimes, after the initial business meeting, we find out that this prospect may not be a good fit for our organization.  In other words, they may not fit our ideal target client list.  Guess what, that is okay.  The good thing is that you recognize who is and who isn’t a good fit for you.  It’s like dating, after the first date, you have a pretty good ideal if this is someone who you want to continue “courting.”  Business relationships are compared to the dating game.

We have to become comfortable with our service offerings and ideal target client in order to say “no” to the prospects who may want us to service them.  In other words, it’s okay to tell your prospects, “thanks but no thanks.”  We don’t have to always be on the side of receiving rejection letters or emails.

I recently met with an organization who reached out to me for help with Customer Service Strategies.  After multiple meetings and addendum, I had to respectively decline the offer to help them.  It wasn’t because I didn’t want to help them but in my gut, I could tell that I would exhaust more time than they were ready to invest or commit to.  They didn’t see the value that I could bring and I wanted to make sure that our working relationship would be positive experience for everyone.

I encourage you to evaluate your best clients and tally what you like about each of them.  Those are the clients that will inspire you to wake up every morning to serve them.

I’m curious, what are those characteristics that you like in a client? Please share.

Happy Relationship Selling!

Yvette

Carried The Bag, LLC is a Business Sales Coaching Company designed to help individuals and organizations with sales strategies, sales effectiveness, customer service skills and sharpened presentation skills that build long-term business relationships

There is Power In Presenting Your Pricing In Person

“Can you email me your pricing?”  ”Don’t worry I’ll just email you my pricing and get back to you.”  Does this sound familiar? You are either being asked for pricing or you are doing the asking. I’d like to share with you why you should not send, email or fax your proposals to your prospects without reviewing it with them first. Notice that I said “prospects.” When you are trying to earn someone’s business, it is mission critical that you make every attempt to “earn” their business.

Let’s go through some steps that I hope you are taking to earn the business and why the proposal part is just as important as getting the first meeting.

1. You’ve met someone at an event and you both connect, and you agree to follow-up to schedule a meeting.

2. Since you are trying to earn their business, you should follow-up first with both the handwritten thank you card and gaining the appointment.

3. Like I have stated in the past on some of my previous articles, this first meeting should be face to face at a business office not over lunch.

4. When the initial meeting is over, schedule the second meeting right then and there. Why are you waiting to get back to the office send an email?

5. You are now recapping the meeting and preparing to present your recommendations. Remember, you are the trusted advisor and the expert so you can’t ask the prospect what they need, you must recommend what they need based on your expertise.

6. Now it’s time to present the proposal.  Let me pose some questions to you: Do you know your competition? What makes you differentiate yourself from your competition? Are you offering a service or are you selling widgets? How important do you think it is to have face to face communication with business decision makers? Do you want to make yourself available to answer questions.

Why are some service providers so easily persuaded to give a prospect their pricing when asked? You mean to tell me that you don’t want to finish the race of building a relationship?  If this were track and field and you were running the 400 meter race, you just quit at the last 100 meters by emailing your pricing.  Just because someone asks for what they think they want, doesn’t mean that this is what you give them or what they need.

When you schedule a meeting to review the pricing with your prospect, it is essential that you observe the nonverbal.  The nonverbal is that facial expression from the prospect that could exhibit: they don’t understand your fees, they don’t agree with the fees or  they are pleased with the fees and they are ready to do business.  You must be there to address these nonverbal objections or affirmations.  The last thing that you want to do is wonder why someone isn’t ready to do business with you.  You should always know “the why.”  What was important to this business to do business with you?  Why would they change service providers and why wouldn’t they.  Do you know “the why?” You definitely aren’t going to know the reason why if you don’t meet with them face to face and ask for the business after you present the pricing.

There is power in presenting your pricing in person. Don’t be so eager to get the business.  Take your time to show the value in your services and earn the relationship.

What do you do when someone asks you give them pricing without having a meeting to review.  Are you open to trying something new or maintaining your current process.  Let me know your thoughts.

Happy Relationship Selling!

Yvette

Carried The Bag, LLC is a personal and professional development company designed to assist individuals and organizations on Sales Strategies, Sales Effectiveness and sharpened Presentation Skills that earn long-term business relationships and generate revenue. Visit us at www.carriedthebag.com and listen to Sixty Seconds of Sales

You Can’t Break Bread With Everyone In Business

I’ve come across several people who have indicated to me that they prefer to do business over lunch.  This is, in my opinion, so common in the marketplace for people to conveniently say  “let’s do lunch.” Why? I know I have your attention now if you are reading this.  Well, let me preference the context in which I’m referring.

Scenario #1: If you are trying to earn a business relationship with a new prospect and they have agreed to meet with you to hear about your service offerings, you should not meet them over lunch for the first meeting.

Why? The purpose and objective of the first meeting is to get to know the person.  They are scoping you out and so are you.  This gives you the opportunity to learn about their roles and responsibilities within the company.  This gives you time to understand how they evaluate what’s important to them personally, organizationally and financially.  This is the time to find out how they chose their current provider.  This is your opportunity to determine if this is the type of company that you want to work with and if they want to work with you.

Scenario #2: You are scheduled to meet with a prospect for the second time after the initial meeting.  This is the appropriate time to “break bread.”  At this meeting, you are talking very little about business and more about their interests.  These interests could be family, hobbies, personal goals as well as community service initiatives.

Why?  Can you imagine having lunch with someone in which you don’t have anything in common with?  You see, if you meet someone for lunch for the first meeting and you try to talk about personal interests, don’t you think that would be a little intrusive.  Even in a business setting, you still need an exit plan if the prospect is not a good fit for you and you aren’t a good fit for them.

I know this is going to perk some eyebrows but just think about it.  When you are having lunch you are compelled to entertain some personal questions which could invade into someone else’s personal space.  How can you possibly ask or answer personal questions of those you really don’t know.

Having lunch with someone gives both parties the opportunity to relax and build upon common interests without the threat of feeling like you are being interviewed, judged or evaluated.  That’s why it’s important to take the relationship building process slow.  Having lunch is just another touch point of communication. You still need five more. (That’s another topic).

I challenge you to have your first meeting over coffee at best, their office or your office.  Make sure you use this time to qualify your prospects.  If everything makes sense, then move forward on scheduling the second meeting.  And guess what?  The best time to schedule the second meeting is when you are right there in front of one another.  Don’t delay progress by playing email tag.  Pull out your blackberry, iPhone, or whatever latest piece of technology you have to communicate and get a date on the calendar.  The perfect sign to determine if there is a connection is if you both agree to meet again.

Happy Relationship Selling!

 Yvette Alexander Slate, Founder and Principal Member of Carried The Bag, LLC.  Carried The Bag, LLC is a personal and professional development company specifically designed to help individuals and organizations on sales effectiveness, sales strategies and sharpened presentation skills that build relationships and generate revenue.

I Think I Know Why They Aren’t Returning Your Calls

I sometimes have, not just clients, but also friends tell me how frustrated they are when the prospects that they are trying to earn business from, don’t return their phone calls.  Sometimes even when I’m not coaching, I feel like I’m always coaching because I truly care about helping people overcome some common barriers to building a relationship.  I will then ask the question, “what did you say on the voicemail?”  They then, go into great detail as to why this person should call them back and I just sit and listen.  My first form of feedback is to let the client or friend know that if I received that message, I wouldn’t call back either.  After the initial the shock and when the eyebrows come down, they are open to hearing what I have to say.

1. I believe that when one leaves a voicemail, that the information left should be exciting.  It should have the prospect’s best interest in mind.  It shouldn’t be why they should call you and what “you can get.”  It should demonstrate what you can do for them to help them achieve their goals.

2. “Well, what are their goals?” you might ask.  The average person has personal, professional and financial goals.  Sometimes, they are intertwined or connected to some degree with one another.  So when you are getting to know a person, you might want to casually ask them “what are you trying to accomplish and how will the outcome affect your personal, organizational or financial goals?”

3.  Now that you know what their goals are like spending more time with the family, being promoted so that they can mentor and train their replacement or even with the promotion, give back to their favorite charity and volunteer with a purpose.

4. So when you leave a voicemail and it’s not about “you.” Make sure that your goals are not the subject matter of the message. If you are saying, “Hi Marge, this is Lisa and I was wondering if you had a chance to review the proposal and see you’ve made a decision on doing business with us?”  Please give me a call back so that we can discuss the next steps.”You trying to get their business is not in line with their motives or objectives.

5. If you were to leave a voicemail with enthusiasm in which you invited them to an event in which the leader of that organization they were telling you about was going to be there and that they could bring their family, then now they see you as an advocate, good listener, a resource and passionate about their goals.  They are then more likely to return all your calls in the future because now they know you care and you have their best interest in mind.

6.  Remember and I’ve said this in previous blogs, “people do business with people they like.”  They like those who care about them.

So before you follow-up and leave that dreaded voicemail to see if they will say “yes” to your service offerings, take a moment to really evaluate the purpose of the call.  Ask yourself, did I take the time to get to know them or did I tell them more about me? Do they know my needs or do I know theirs.  Because when you know their goals, exceeding your goals is the benefit from understanding theirs.

We don’t get anything on our own.  But if we take the time to understand people, everything we need, that is appropriate, will fall in line with our objectives.

Make a difference today and everyday in the lives’ of others.

 

Yvette Alexander Slate, the Founder and Principal Member of Carried The Bag, LLC, a personal and business development company designed to assist individuals and organizations on sales effectiveness, sales strategies and relationship building in order to make a difference in the lives’ of others.  So that, one can achieve the personal, organizational and financial goals for themselves.

Email Is For Confirmation Not Conversation

How is one ever going to build strong business relationships if they don’t communicate appropriately with others. We have become so comfortable with email as the fastest and most efficient form of communicating that we have lost or will lose the effectiveness of verbal communication. This blog is going to be short because it’s very simple when you follow these tips.

1.  If your email message is more than five lines long, pick up the phone and talk to the person.

2.  After five lines, the recipient is starting to interpret the tone of the email as rude and condescending.

3.  If you feel like you need to explain something to a person, don’t use email.

4.  Step out of your comfort zone,build a strong communicative relationship and pick up the telephone. Your efforts for doing so will earn you “respect” points.

5.  A person’s perception of you will change when they hear what you are trying to say as opposed to decipher what you mean.

What you mean is not always how it is perceived.

“You Gave Me Your Card, But I Don’t Know Who You Are?”

It seems like we need to really talk about the proper business etiquette of handing out your business card at a networking event.  I was recently at a luncheon with about one hundred fifty people in the room.  The group consisted of business owners, bankers, attorneys and those who are thinking about starting a business.  When I came to my table that was assigned to me, I noticed that there were some business cards placed on the table in front of where I was going to be sitting.  There were professionals already at the table, conversing and such.  Well, being a Business Sales Coach, I immediately saw an opportunity to coach.  I was wondering why someone would place the most important part of their business on a table without having the opportunity to introduce themselves and have some type of eye contact.  I was actually empathic to the concept of “convenience” that this business person felt was needed in order to rush in the relationship building process.

As always, I like to give solutions:

1. Always, hand out your business card to the person that you are introducing yourself to.  You have a small window of opportunity to impress them. Your business card is the bait to a long-term relationship.

2. Don’t assume that everyone wants your business card.  It is best to ask them, “do you mind if I give you my business card?”  And then, you mirror that by asking for their business card.

3. When you hand out your business card, remember to say or do something of value to your potential client that  would be memorable like: smile, the infamous handshake with confidence, your value position statement or even small talk over lunch.

4. If you are earning the business, you need to initiate the follow-up.  You can bring “Old School” back by writing a handwritten card or make a phone call to meet again. Ultimately, it’s up to you not them.

5. Have a consistent follow-up process so that you are truly “earning the business and building the relationship.”

Happy Relationship Selling!

Yvette at www.carriedthebag.com

Your Business Card Is Your Business Resume

When I meet people, I’m always intrigued by the way they talk about their business.  Some are clearly passionate about what they do and others sometimes just want to hurry through their benefit statement of what they do and why.  I encourage everyone to write a value proposition statement that they truly believe in and is unique and created for them.  When the time comes to exchange business cards, I too, am amazed at the lack of “business card exchange etiquette.”  The attention to detail isn’t there and the desire to make a lasting impression is completely nonexistence.  When you want to hand out your card, first you ask if the person “would like to have your card.”  Never assume that someone wants your card.  Second, make sure that the business card is presented to them in which, their eyes can immediately see the business contact information and what you do.  It’s great to have a creative logo but have a memorable business description that defines your business service offerings. Always, have a business address of some sort. I believe when you have a PO Box, it shouts “micro business.”  Take the time to look like your business has some stability along with your experience and expertise. Moreover, never give more than one business card during the first meet with. If you were interviewing for a job would you give the interviewer multiple copies of your resume if they had not asked for them?  Then why would you hand out a stack of cards for someone else to hand out to other people who never had the opportunity to meet you, like you or trust you.  That’s a discussion for later this week.  So until next time, make a first good business impression and hand out your business card as if its your last chance to earn business.  You do want the second meeting right?

Where Did the Time Go?

Here it is Tuesday, September 28, 2010 and I haven’t written in awhile on my blog.  I realize that my life is not my own.  The hats that I wear sometimes prevent me from juggling them in the right order.  I’m sure so many of you can relate that there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done.  As a servant leader of God, wife, mother, entrepreneur, daughter, sister and friend, I sometimes get overwhelmed.  Why is that?  Why do we allow the tasks and pressures consume us and sometimes put a sour taste in our mouths about what truly is important.  A few months ago, I needed to take some time to truly evaluate my purpose with an organization and perhaps my time or season was over.  I was more dedicated to it than I was with family and that’s when I knew that something needed to go. The things that I used to do, I no longer had time for.  I had made an emotional deposit into helping this organization and it was a very hard decision because I was so committed to serving and helping.  But at what cost?  Aren’t we here to truly enjoy, appreciate, give and take the things from life that can make an impact on the lives’ of others?  I am grateful that I was able to discern and put things back in order and appreciate “down time.” What about you?  Are you exhausted and you can no longer sit and smell the beautiful roses, go for a walk in the park with yourself and just be content, sit still and just appreciate the beauty of life? I encourage you my friend, don’t let life pass you by and then one day, you ask yourself, “where did the time go?”

When Is It Ever Appropriate To Use The Speakerphone?

I called a person not too long ago to respond to an email that was written.  Since it is so critical to utilize our verbal communication skills, before we lose them to social media, I wanted to reach and have a good ole conversation.  Well, the discussion was in-depth, getting to the root of the problem and solutions were quickly being identified when all of a sudden, the person put me on speakerphone.  I thought my head would blow off from the lack of tact and respect the other person had.  As you can probably tell, this is a thorn in my side as it relates to business etiquette.  I don’t believe that society understands the proper etiquette for when to use or not use the speakerphone.  Before I tell you the “when to”, let me share with you the “why not.”

1. When not to use the speakerphone: When a person has to press the speakerphone button while on the phone, it is usually because they are multi-tasking and they aren’t able to give their full attention to the other person.  This is disrespectful and you should probably excuse yourself and ask if you can call them back.   This person is easily distracted and they are trying to put out too many fires.

2.  One should never use speaker phone when the other party has not been informed of the sudden echo noise in the background.  And never put someone on speakerphone when someone else is in the room without the party knowing about it first.  Talk about obtrusive and unpolished!

When to use the speakerphone: When there is a meeting and not all parties are able to physically attend the meeting and they may have to dial in, then use the speaker phone.  Or, if you are physically challenged and you are unable to hold the phone.  These are exceptions to the rule.

How to use the speakerphone: The proper speakerphone etiquette is to always ask for permission if you must put someone on speakerphone and when you do, do so briefly.  The entire conversation should not be on speakerphone.  Doing this encourages the opportunity for miscommunication, mistakes and lack of clarity.

Solution: Don’t answer the phone when you are busy.  Allow the call to go to voicemail and find time to speak with them when you won’t be interrupted.  Send an invite to schedule a phone call, turn away from your computer, look into a mirror, smile and enjoy the conversation that could ultimately add some wisdom to your bag.

I share with you my pet peeve in the business world.  What pet peeves do you have that could help others?

Happy Relationship Building!