There are three ways to pass a referral – Good, Bad and Ugly – and I’ve seen them all! Many people think it is merely a process of passing one’s contact info to another. But that couldn’t be further from the case.

Passing a quality referral truly is an art. And if done right, it can really put you in a very positive light with those that you are passing your referrals to. (More about being a Rock Star referral passer at the end.)

Before we get to that, let’s get the bad and the ugly out of the way. Ugly is how NOT to pass a referral. In a nutshell an ugly referral is one where the person you are referring has no idea they are going to be contacted. You pass along their name and home phone number to someone and tell them to give your referral a call. When they do, it goes worse than a cold call. Thinking they are making a warm call, an ugly referral call goes something like this:

You: “Hello Mrs. Referral. Jim Dudd mentioned that you were looking for a widget and wanted me to give you a call.”

Mrs. Referral: “Jim who?”

You: “Jim Dudd.”

Mrs. Referral: “Oh yeah. Jim. But, who are you?”

You: “I’m a friend of Jim’s that works with him through referrals and he said to give you a call.”

Mrs. Referral: “Oh. Well, I no longer have the thing that needs the widget but thanks for calling.”

So Jim not only knew if Mrs. Referral really needed the widget, he failed to let her know that someone was going to be calling. Ugly!

Now, let’s look at a bad referral. It goes something like this…

Jim Dudd: “Hey there my friend. I ran into a buddy of mine a couple weeks ago and got to talking about the widgets you sell. It sounded like he needs one so I gave him your name and number. His name is Rob Jones so you know who he is if he calls.”

The only good things about that referral is at least the referred person knows who you are and how to get a hold of you. The bad part is it is a very passive referral in where you are relying on the referral to take action.

Switching gears, let’s look at a “Good” referral scenario. When crafting a good referral, the first thing you want to do is confirm there is a definite need and let the referral know you have just the person that can help. Give a good testimonial of his/her service and let the referral know you will have your contact call them. If you have one of your contact’s business cards on you, leave it with the referral.

The next thing you’ll want to do is immediately, or at least as soon as possible, call your contact to pass along the contact information of your referral and give a detailed account of the conversation you had with them. Now, when your contact calls your referral, not only is he expecting the call, he is in a proactive position to begin the buying process.

Want to be a Rock Star referral passer? Schedule a meeting between you, your contact and your referral to personally introduce the two people. It’s been my experience that when this is done, it significantly increases the odds that business will be done between them. Let me give you an example where this recently happened.

I was walking through a Business Expo last week when I was approached by one of the vendors to provide a marketing service. It turns out I didn’t provide that particular service but I knew someone very well that specialized in it and just so happened to also be a vendor at the Expo. I told the gal to hold tight for a couple minutes, went to the other guy’s booth, told him about the referral opportunity and took him over to personally introduce them to each other.

It’s still too early to know if business will be done between the two of them, but from the sound of the conversation, I can almost guarantee it will be.

So there you have it – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly in referral passing. There is one last thing to keep in mind. When it comes time for your contacts to pass a referral to you, are they going to be more apt to remember you and pass referrals to you if you pass bad/ugly referrals that end in frustration? Or would they be more apt to if you are passing Good and Rock Star quality referrals that lead to doing business?

Now, Go Get ‘Em!

“Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness, and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.” — Og Mandino

I recently spoke to a group of young professionals in Central Michigan University’s professional sales fraternity, Pi Sigma Epsilon. Present were over 40 of the most professional, engaging and endearing young men and women that I have ever come across at a single gathering.

Their requested topic for my presentation was Networking. While there are parallels that can be drawn between sales professionals networking for business and college students beginning to network for their careers, the common ground each of them share is building positive and productive relationships.

To illustrate that point, I broke down the presentation into five areas of concentration for building these relationships: Engage, Follow Up, Provide Value, Write and Be “Social.” Keep in mind, these five areas are essential for any kind of successful networking efforts.

ENGAGE – When meeting someone new, the very best thing you can do is be engaging with that person. The ultimate way to do this is to ask them quality questions. When I say “quality,” I do not mean small talk-type questions about the weather, the economy or how their favorite team did last weekend.

Instead, your questions should be centered on building them up and drawing out information about them and their business. Examples of these questions are: How did you get your start? What has been your greatest success story? When all is said and done, how would you want to be remembered with your business?

FOLLOW-UP – When is the last time you received a hand written thank you card? When is the last time you sent one? In an age of e-mail, it is far too easy and passé to shoot of a quick e-mail to someone you just met. Well, that is, you and the 50 other people your prospect met that week! Want to stand out? Get out that pen and note pad and scratch out a note. Want to really stand out? Remind them of a quip you shared while talking? Want to be a hero? Include a referral with the note!

PROVIDE VALUE – You’re off to a good start with being engaging and following up with your prospect. Your next step in becoming memorable and further developing your relationship is to provide value. This can be done in many, many ways – sending referrals, making introductions, passing along industry relevant articles/information. However, one of the most powerful is the fourth thing you can do to build and strengthen relationships…

WRITE – There is something very powerful about the written word. It’s one thing for someone to tell you something, but if that same information is written and published, it gives the information and the person a heightened level of credibility. It also places the author in a position of leadership in their industry. Two very effective resources to use to write and communicate are blogs and e-newsletters.

BE SOCIAL – Although blogs and e-newsletters are forms of social media, the social interaction you want to include in your relationship building are through websites like Facebook and LinkedIn. Each has its own purpose and appeal, but both also have a great place in your on-line marketing and relationship building efforts.

Facebook will tend to be more of a social-focused tool where you can invite your “friends” to also “like” your business profile. LinkedIn is more professional oriented where you will make “connections” with other professionals in various industries that you would like to do business with. However, each of them provides valuable opportunities to engage your prospects.

Like Og Mandino said at the beginning of the article, extending care, kindness and understanding – along with providing value and engaging exchange – with everyone you meet will be the foundation of any networking and relationship building that you will ever do.

Now, Go Get ‘Em!

I sold a job once that happened to be the largest job our company had ever done. In fact, it was easily twice as large as any job we had done before. This wasn’t really an issue for us, but the customer wanted to know how we would handle such a large job. My response? “Just like eating an elephant – one bite at a time!” Must of worked because we got the joba dn it turned out great!

Most any job, or task, can be broken into smaller chunks. I know I’m not telling you something you don’t already know, so don’t worry; it isn’t another one of “those” articles. Rather than break down how to tackle large jobs into small, manageable tasks, I want to take a look at why we should do it.

Most people may be familiar with the Law of Diminishing Returns that states, “The tendency for a continuing application of effort or skill toward a particular project or goal to decline in effectiveness after a certain level of result has been achieved.”

In other words, a project you may be working on will reach a point where the effectiveness of the additional effort you put into completing it will begin to diminish at a given rate. For some, this may be the reason why they have a file full of unfinished projects. The project reaches a certain level of completeness and it may become “complete enough” because the amount of additional effort to fully complete it may be more that they are willing to expend.

In contrast, breaking large jobs into smaller tasks can reduce the Law of Diminishing Intent. This Law states, “The longer you wait to accomplish what you already know you should do, the more likely it is that you will never do it.”

This Law not only applies to tasks or projects that we need to get done, but also to ideas that we would like to pursue. Have you ever woke up in the morning and have an idea while getting ready for work? It’s a great idea and you just can’t wait to get to the office or shop to get started on it.

Then you get to the office and see that you have six voice-mails and a dozen customer e-mails that need to be handled before getting started with your day. You rifle through all of the return calls and reply to the e-mails, all the while thinking about the new idea you want to develop. But during that process, you receive more calls and e-mails and customers start to come in. Before you know it, closing time is near and the day fades away.

On the drive home, the idea re-enters your thoughts and again stirs your emotions. You pull in the drive-way and the chores of your home world come into view, but not until you spend a little time with your spouse and kids. Before you know it, it’s time for bed and the idea gets shelved for tomorrow. And the process repeats.

What was the first mistake that caused the flame of the new idea to fizzle? It was the failure to take the first step which is write it down and immediately break it down into a few small tasks. Doing this gets the ball rolling and creates the momentum and inertia behind the idea that keeps it alive.

Let’s take a look at inertia. The quick definition as it applies to this article is “The tendency for an item in motion to stay in motion.” Consistently accomplishing small steps and completing small tasks that lead closer and closer toward the completion of a project or idea is critical to its successful completion and implementation.

Sorry about the science lessons there, but I thought they’d paint a pretty good picture for not only how, but more importantly WHY it is important to break things down into small, manageable pieces – bite size pieces that will help you eat your elephant!

Now, Go Get ‘Em!

“A picture is worth a thousand words.” – Many People

This famous quote has been attributed to several people from Napoleon Bonaparte and Russian author Ivan Turgenev all the way back to the Godfather of Chinese proverbs, Confucius.

The premise is that a single picture can say as much as a considerable amount of text. (But for those that are long winded, don’t get too excited, it does NOT mean that 1001 words are better than any single picture!)

Here’s my slant on this old adage. An orally painted picture is worth more than any brochure or PowerPoint you could ever present.

“An orally painted picture?” What the heck is that!? It is an emotionally enhance visual that your prospect or customer develops as you descriptively tell them a story about how your product or service will save their world – or at least provide the solution to their dilemma.

Why is this important? Because many people make their purchases either emotionally or on a gut feeling. Also, if the person you are trying to sell needs time to review the information before making a decision, they will remember the emotional visual they had while meeting with you more strongly than the actual information that you shared.

So how do you orally paint a picture? The first three ingredients are passion, passion and passion. If you want to be a top-notch salesperson, unless you can passionately speak about your product or service, you may as well leave a brochure and go home.

Next, you need to lead them, or encourage them to create their visual picture. Something as simple as “How would your day look if…” is a great start to get the visual juices flowing. Once you have them visualizing your story, be sure to use visually descriptive words while telling your story.

When telling your story, and orally painting your picture, also try to use descriptive words that covers multiple senses. Your goal now is to paint a visual picture that also includes sounds, smells, touch/textures and tastes. Now every picture you paint may not include all five senses, but the more you can include, the more memorable it will be and the more emotion they may create.

Let me share with you a personal example of one of my most successful stories I’ve told. It may not be as effective in written form because you can’t see my passion and excitement while telling the story, but I’ll describe the details the best I can. This story wasn’t told to sell a product or service, but it sold me and my abilities to my boss well enough to get a promotion after only one year to a position that typically requires five years of service to attain.

The story is about a foul ball I caught at a Detroit Tigers baseball game. It was a scorching hot Saturday afternoon and three of my friends and I decided to take in a ball game. We got into the stadium and found our seats – facing smack dab right into the early afternoon sun! After a couple innings of sitting in the oven, we looked around to find some empty seats in the shade.

It was a pretty crowded game but we eventually found a few seats in the upper deck about halfway between third base and the outfield wall. In old Tiger Stadium, these seats were perfect as the roof overhang not only shaded us from the sun, but felt noticeably cooler.

On the way to our new seats, we stopped off at a vendor for a snack. My treat was a vanilla sundae with chocolate syrup and crushed nuts served in a miniature Tigers baseball helmet – perfect for cooling off on such a hot day!

Soon after we settled into our new seats and about half way through my tasty treat, with the pop of the bat, Tony Phillips sliced a towering foul ball in our general direction. In what seemed like slow motion, one-by-one, everyone jumped to their feet in anticipation the ball would land in their vicinity. As the ball
started its decent, we rose to our feet as it was coming right at us. As it got right above us everyone began reaching for the heavens for a chance of catching the prize!

So picture this…I’m leaning forward with my thighs pressed tight against the seat in front of me, my right hand is stretched up as high as I can push it and my left hand is deftly cradling my delicious treat up close around my chest. The ball drops and hits the fingertips of first my buddy, then me and the next thing I know, chocolate and ice cream is splattering all over my arm and face! I look down and discover that I “caught” that foul ball in the very helmet that once contained my sundae!

If you couldn’t tell from a couple of the Tiger references (Tony Phillips and Tiger Stadium), this story happened about 15 years ago. Some of the details are a little more fuzzy than they were the Monday after it happened while telling my boss, but five descriptive paragraphs paint a heck of a better picture of what happened than a couple sentences that anyone would forget about a minute after hearing it.

Your challenge now is to look at how you present your product and service and develop a way to present it, or part of it, with an emotion eliciting story that orally paints a picture that will stick with your prospect and compel them to buy from you.

Now Go Get ‘Em!!

Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right!”

If our thoughts mold our attitude, and our attitudes dictate the words we speak, then Mr. Ford could have also said that “Whether you SAY you can or can’t, you’re right!”

But what really comes first – our words or our attitude? If our thoughts mold our attitude, then I’d argue that the words of our inner monologue that we use in our thoughts are the ultimate driving force behind not only our attitude, but our resultant actions. Let’s take a look at several perspectives of how our words drive who we are and how we perform.

How many times have we heard someone say “Be careful what you wish for?” Spiritually, we are taught about “Speaking things into existence.” Both of these examples show undeniable belief that our words have power.

Scientifically, depending on the article or study you read, the average person has anywhere from 12,000-60,000 thoughts per day. And of those thoughts, the studies show that half to two-thirds are negative. Wow!!

Anecdotally, here is a great example that could happen at any business, at any time. I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine, Lisa Lee who, with her husband, David, own Wendel’s Home Furnishings in Mt. Pleasant, MI. They do an exceptional job of fostering a very positive environment and culture within their business and provide superior support and training for their staff. We were talking about leadership, but here is a relevant part of one of her stories.

At the beginning of one day as the sales reps were coming into work, she greeted one asking, “How are you doing today?” The response was, “Fine.” She then asked with a smile, “Just fine?” And again the reply was, “Yep, just fine.” As another one came in, she again asked the same greeting. This time however, the response was “Excellent!”

Long story short, the Fine rep had 10 “ups” or prospects that day and made zero sales. The Excellent rep had 7 ups and helped all but one with making a purchase. We both are convinced that the difference was the mindset each rep had that day with the words they chose to use early on. So even in the very best of environments, the effect of words on performance can be very adverse.

The scary thing is this could easily happen to anyone that may have a day start off on the wrong foot or allows a negative thought creep in and take root. When those negative thoughts take root, they affect the words we use and the demeanor we display throughout the day. If it happens when dealing with customers, it can quickly put the kibosh on any hopes you’d have on making a sale.

So what can we do with these negative thoughts that seem to be stacked against us? The first step is to be cognizant of them and when they pop up, be conscious of the words you choose to counter the thoughts. When consciously using positive words, you can be confident in what you wish for as well as the things you speak into existence.

And always remember the 10/90 rule. Everything in life is only 10% what happens to us (thoughts) and 90% how we react to it (the words we use). When you consider that, the deck doesn’t seem to be stacked so one-sided now does it!?

Now Go Get ‘Em!!

Last week I threw down the gauntlet and challenged you to write down five reasons why you like to work with referrals. At the end I threw out a personal challenge for me to come up with 20 reasons why I like working with referrals. I had no idea exactly how many I actually had, but figured I could come up with 20 – and I did!

Some of the reasons I like working with referrals are similar to others, but there is a unique component to each. So, in no particular order, and without further adieu, here is my personal Fav 20!

1.  Easy to Obtain – Provide your customers with greater value than your competition, along with a great product and excellent service, and you’ve positioned yourself to generate referrals.

2.  Confirmation – Receiving a referral means that you are doing a good job. It is the highest compliment a customer or someone that knows how you do business can give you.

3.  Warm Lead – A referral is the exact opposite from a cold call where people have no idea who you are or what you do. Referrals know exactly who you are and what you provide!

4.  Low Cost – Unlike other forms of lead generation, receiving a referral does not cost you a dime. Referrals are a byproduct of your superior service and value combined with a strategic and proactive mindset to generate them.

5.  Transferred Credibility – When a referral comes through your door or calls you, they have no idea who you are. However, they do know and respect the person that referred them to you. The referring party has a high level of trust and respect for you and a certain level of that trust and respect is transferred to the referral through your customer’s recommendation.

6.  Pre-Sold Customers – When your referral first meets with you, not only do they have that transferred credibility, but your customer has already sold them on you as well. They have shared their successful experience with you and talked you up like no advertisement ever could!

7.  Immediate Need – When a referral walks through your door, they aren’t there to browse around; they are there with a purpose – to make a purchase.

8.  Increased Conversions – Studies have shown that, on average, 90% of referrals turn into customers. I kind of like those odds!

9.  Spend More – Referrals will spend more with you than someone off the street. The referral is doing business with you for the quality product and superior service you provide and because their friend told them they can trust you. As a result, they are not there to kick the tires and shop you on price. They also will be more open to additional products and services you provide.

10.  Motivation – The more referrals you receive, the more they are on your mind to go generate. They also provide motivation as a sign of you doing something great and valuable.

11.  Larger Net(work) – On average, everyone knows at least 250 people. When you gain a new customer through a referral, you also gain exposure to at least another 250 people in your potential referral network.

12.  Leverage – With each referral’s personal network of at least 250 people, and with the proper actions, you can leverage your latest positive customer experience into additional referral introductions.

13.  Grow Your Army – As you wrap up a positive experience with each new referral customer, remind them how they came to know you and “train” them to go out and do the same. You’ll be surprised at how willing and motivated they can be to duplicate the experience.

14.  Existing Follow-up – Working your business through referral generation gives you another opportunity to make contact with your existing customers. A quick, simple call to check in, say hi, and ask if they happen to know anyone at that time that may also need your product or service not only may generate a referral or two, but keeps you in the front of their minds the next time they need your product or service.

15.  Marketing Focus – When you begin to see the impact referrals can have on your sales and profits, you begin to re-focus your marketing attention to activities that generate more referrals rather than tire kickers that may try to beat you up on price.

16.  Giving Referrals – The flip side of getting referrals is looking for opportunities to give referrals to others. Sometimes giving a referral that turns out great feels just as good, if not better than the referrals you receive. As such, you will also begin to develop that side of the referral mindset as well.

17.  Connecting – Altruistically, referring someone you know or even bump into to a person you trust and respect feels great as you know that referral is going to have a great experience.

18.  Arrow in Your Quiver – As a referral generator, you need to have a good network of business owners, employees, sales reps, etc. to be able to refer people to. Some referrals you receive may turn out to be good people that you can add to that “database.”

19.  Being a Resource – The more and more your give and receive referrals, the more people will approach you for referrals. “Hey, who do you know that does a great job on ______?” If people can rely on you to refer them to someone to do business with, how much more confident will they be to do or continue to do business with you? Exponentially!

20.  Opportunities to Give – More than making a sale, or the specific acts of designing a website, writing an article or leading a training event, I really enjoy giving and helping others. Working with referrals, both on the receiving and giving ends, provides the opportunity to do just that. I guess I left my best reason for last!

So there you have them, 20 things that I really like about working with referrals. Some of them may not relate to you. However, some of them may turn on a light and provide an “A-ha Moment” for you as well. Hopefully there will be a few that you can run with to increase your sales and enrich your life and the lives of others.

Now Go Get ‘Em!!

Thomas Edison once said that “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

Jonas Salk once said “The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more.”

Those are two of my all-time favorite quotes for together they embody our entrepreneurial spirit whether we are small business owners, sales reps, consultants, inventors, innovators or a combination of any of these. I have a third one that I will sprinkle in later that will wrap things up with a very exciting opportunity.

For the sake of this article, let’s define “hard work” as doing more than what is expected. Conversely, there are basic work expectations that are placed on us. These basic expectations can come from a boss, a written job description, or a colleague that depends on us so they can do their work. Basic work expectations can also be placed on us by our customers. Successfully meet these basic expectations and your customers will be satisfied.

But satisfied customers are not what we want, right? (Stay with me for a sec!) Let’s use ourselves for an example here. We all have countless products and services that we consume and use every day. And for the most part we are pretty satisfied with these products and services as well as the people we buy them from.

For each product or service we buy, we have several choices from whom to purchase them. And for many of them, it really doesn’t matter where we go to get them, as long as we get them. With these products or services, we are “satisfied customers.”

But for a handful of things, you just couldn’t imagine going anywhere else but that one special place to buy it. With these products or services, we are LOYAL customers. Why? Because someone saw and took advantage of an opportunity to provide additional value to their product or service. It may even just be the experience of getting it from that particular place or from that particular person. Whatever the reason, it brings you back without consideration of shopping elsewhere.

It is this distinction that I believe is one aspect of what Edison and Salk refer to. It is the opportunity to give the extra effort to go above and beyond that brings the reward to do it again and again for all of our loyal customers.

The third quote I mentioned earlier comes from Steve Pavlina, a leading expert on personal development. Steve writes that “When you discipline yourself to do what is hard, you gain access to a realm of results that are denied everyone else.” When reading that, I envision the doors to opportunity slamming open for those that put in the hard work rather than slamming shut on those that deliver basic expectations.

Here is the exciting piece to these three quotes – Opportunity does not discriminate! It is there for all of us to grab. And opportunity doesn’t always have to lie somewhere else. We all have hidden opportunities in what we currently do to slam the door open and turn our satisfied customers into loyal customers. Discover and commit to what you are going to do today to slam open your doors to opportunity!

Now, Go Get ‘Em!

This week we are going to pull together a few articles from previous weeks to provide some tips on increasing your sales without compromising your profits by selling your value rather than your price – especially your discounted price. (To review the articles that are referenced below, visit our Archive Page.)

When it comes to sales, one of the biggest challenges business owners and sales reps deal with is selling to price-oriented customers. These customers look at purchasing products and services through green colored glasses and are always looking for the discount. If handled correctly, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing!

As price conscious as these customers are, they typically also have a greater sense of value for the dollar they spend, or the dime that they actually want to spend. This gives you a great opportunity to earn their business – their long-term, loyal business – with a profit, rather than turn a quick sale with a slim margin and move on to the next one. Let’s take a look at a few tips that will get you there:

Tip #1 – Ditch the Pitch: In article #12, we talked about conversational selling. In a nutshell, it talks about the importance and value in having conversation with your customers and prospects to uncover what their real needs are. It is very rare that you will begin any meeting with a pitch about the features and benefits of your product or service.

There are many times that you may not even present the benefits of your product or service during that initial meeting. The prospect may not really need what you have to offer. This is the time to find out what their problem is and if you have a solution for them. If you can provide a solution, it’s now time for tip #2.

Tip #2 – Turn the Tables: Once you’ve had your good rapport building conversation and earned the opportunity to continue with the solution you can provide, telling them the benefits of your product or service can still be met with skepticism and a pair of arms folded across their chest. The key here is to ask strategic questions that, with the answers they give, will sell the value that you know you can provide. With their answers, you can now speak freely about your product or service’s benefits without any resistance from them.

If you’ve had a good conversation and uncovered their dilemmas, these questions should easily be pulled out of your quiver. (See article #25) The difference here is these questions will now be designed to elicit an answer that describes the specific benefit and value you provide while reinforcing the need they have for it that you discovered earlier in your conversation.

Tip #3 – Super Size It: Once they have “sold” you on their need for your product or service, sprinkle in a few more benefits that they may not have thought about. It’s best if you keep them relevant to their basic concerns, unless they have not mentioned anything about a major point of value you can provide. (See Killer #4 in article         #26) Doing this solidifies your value stance and elevates you to the trusted advisor they are looking for that will solve their problem and continue to look out for their needs.

BONUS Tip #4 – Higher Education: This is where and when you see their light bulb go on. Often, your prospect has researched other product or service providers and is still searching for the right or best solution. They’ve talked to other companies and sales reps, but had nothing close to the experience they’ve had with you. They talked and you listened. You took their comments and answers and enhanced them with your input and insight. They feel important (as they should and are!) and you can see the excitement in their eyes and hear it in their voice. If you need to meet again, they will look forward to your return. Not only that, they understand the value you bring to their table and will be willing and pay you for it.

Now Go Get ‘Em!!

Cadillac. Burger King. Staples.

What do these companies have in common? They are each very well known for something. What they are known for may not be unique to them, nonetheless, they each have a calling card that precedes them in the minds of most consumers. While some of it may be due to a focused marketing effort, they all back it up with the quality and service they provide.

Cadillac. They are known for being the best. For the longest time, when you were going to buy a new car and you wanted to buy the best, you bought a Cadillac. Even though new players like Lexus, BMW and Mercedes have entered the game and have their loyal following, the Cadillac is still the gold standard when it comes to quality and luxury.

In fact, Cadillac has become so ingrained as the epitome of greatness that it has almost become adjective-esque in our vocabulary. Whenever you want to describe something as being the best, it is always said to be “the Cadillac of all widgets!”

Burger King. BK is known for providing your hamburger exactly the way you want it. For example, you can simply order a Whopper and you’ll get a burger with all the fixin’s. BUT WAIT! You’re on your way to a presentation and your stomach is growling louder than the radio. You’re crunched for time so you’ll have to hit a drive-thru. You can’t water the eyes of your prospect with funky breath so you have to eat something without onions. Well, luckily Burger King allows you to order it without the onions!! Phew! Saved by the King!

(Pssst! You can also order sans-onion at McDonalds with the Quarter-Pounders and at Wendy’s with their hamburgers as well. But it is Burger King that is synonymous with catering your specific hamburger needs.)

Staples. “That Was Easy!” When you need office supplies and need them without any complications, you go to Staples. When you need something printed or copied on the fly, you go to Staples. When you need assistance with purchasing a piece of technology (e.g. computer, printer, camera, software) you go to Staples. Why? Because they make it easy.

Could you also get excellent products, service and technical assistance at your local downtown office shop? Sure you can! Are they “known” for it? Maybe. But in our hectic day-to-day schedules, when we need something for the office, Staples has made it EASY for us to decide where to go.

So what are YOU known for? Is your answer based on what you think you’re known for, or is it based on what your customers have told you? If you’re not sure, ask some of your best and loyal customers what it is about you that they continue to choose to do business with you. It’s possible their answers may surprise you.

For example, there is a company I work with whose product is the “Cadillac” in their industry. It carries a great warranty and is installed by a crew with incredible work ethic and attention to detail. For the longest time, the benefits of the product, the warranty and the hard working crew were believed to be the major selling points. Although these things were important, when their customers were asked what they valued most about working with them, it was the professionalism and communication from everyone in the organization that resonated throughout every response. It was those two qualities that really separated them from any other company their customers had ever worked with.

So, again I ask you, what are you known for? Here is your homework assignment. First, either call or ask just ten of your best customers the next time you call on them what it is about you or your company that drives them to continue to loyally do business with you. Second, ask them to take a couple minutes to put it in writing.

Now that your calling card is identified, utilize it with new prospects when giving your presentation and by providing them with copies of those customer testimonials.

Now Go Get ‘Em!!

Have you ever received a phone call that started something like this? “Hello, my name is Chris. I am from ABC Company and don’t worry, this isn’t a sales call.” Instead, they want to give – yes, GIVE! – you a free trial (that turns into a purchase if not canceled after thirty days) or are looking for a donation of your time or cash. Either way, there is an effort to part you from your dollars – aka: a sales call.

For most everyone using a phone that no longer requires your finger to travel in a clockwise direction to dial it, most any call from anyone other than a friend, family member or doctor’s office calling to remind you of an appointment is probably a sales call. And to preface it with a statement like that above borderlines on insulting our intelligence.

The same holds true whether you work at a retail sales store, call on businesses to provide a product or service or hustle your rump in any number of other arenas where sales take place. For the most part, people are too savvy anymore to be “sold.” They will buy from you if they trust you and you provide a level of quality and value above that of your competition. Lay a corny sales technique on them and you might as well escort them or yourself to the door because everything you say thereafter is “muh-nah-muh-nah!”

Instead, try a little transparency. The customer wants to buy. They know you are the person that is going to conduct the transaction of their purchase. And they are ok with that. Certain purchases are understood to provide a commission and they are ok with that, too.

Rather than focusing on a sales technique or which of the top five closes you’ll use to make the sale, focus your efforts on what you can do to provide them with value (way beyond that of the product, service or your competition), gain their confidence and earn their trust. Do this, and do it well, and watch them pull out their paper or plastic.

An excellent example of transparency is me sharing with you part of my motivation for writing these articles. I have no delusions that readers think I am putting time and effort into these weekly newsletters just because I’m a swell guy. I really do enjoy writing and providing nuggets of good information. I also know that by providing something of high value on a regular basis will help position me at the forefront when the time comes that someone is in need of sales training or help with developing and communicating their image brand with a new logo, website or e-newsletter just like this one.

Transparency is not merely being open about your intentions, but backing it up with your commitment and sincere willingness to help others. Not everyone has the time or desire to publish a newsletter. There are several ways you can transparently provide value. Find twenty-one minutes today to identify what you can do in your business that will help you become transparent and bring down the “sales” wall between you and your customers and prospects. Work on that idea each day until you are ready to implement it.

Being transparent is not being presumptuous. It is not being arrogant. It is being truthful with yourself, your customers and your prospects. Being transparent in a world of high-pressure sales and stiff competition is a breath of fresh air and greatly appreciated.

Now Go Get ‘Em!!