"On" vs. "In"

http://www.elaint.com/blog/?p=200

Watch Your Slow Variables

"Slow Variables." That's what Marshall Thurber calls them. Slow variables are the little things that seem inconsequential, seemingly not worth your time, yet if you ignore them, they'll sneak up on you. Often it's hard to know which ones to ignore, and which merit attention.

For example, if you decide not to brush your teeth today, will you get a cavity tomorrow? Not likely. How about if you skip a couple days? A week? Longer? Short of the potentially socially awkward halitosis consequences, sooner or later you'll have to pay the price for poor dental hygiene.

Here's another. Let's say you have teeny, tiny gap around the frame of your front door. In the winter, you might feel a small draft. But it's not much, and you have other things to deal with. It can wait.

Now let's do the math. If that gap is, say 1/16 of an inch wide, and it runs the height of the door, and along the threshold, that is approximately (36" W x 80" H) 116 inches in length. Multiply by 1/16" wide, and you have a gap of 7.25 square inches! That's equivalent to a hole approximately 3 inches in diameter! If you had a hole that big in your house, would you ignore it?

Consider your daily (?) workout, dessert after dinner or snacks in between. On the positive side, consider all the little things you should be doing, that add up also: Blogging, sending greeting cards, sending a "thank you" for a referral. Little "touches" all add up too.

We're told not to sweat the small stuff. I get that. But sometimes the small stuff is incremental, and it's actually big stuff.  Watch your slow variables!

Being A Human


This may be one of my own idiosyncrasies, but it strikes me that many people turn into something they are not when in certain situations. For example, when dealing with clients, why do some people turn into "Sales guy"? When speaking in public, some suddenly turn into "Game show host guy."  I don't get it. 

It is a well-known fact that people do business with people they like. Assuming that people like you for who you are, why not be who you are? 


Early in my career I didn't get it. I was all business. Maybe it's maturity—not sure my family will go for that one, but stay with me—or experience, but over time, client conversations evolved into asking about the kids, the vacation, the new car....HUMAN CONVERSATION. 

If you want to be good at sales, first of all BE LIKABLE. BE A HUMAN. Build rapport and human connections, and trust will follow. You can't sell without trust.

Sales Savvy

Many people have collections. Among other obscure things, I collect bobble heads from major league ballparks, magic tricks and books, and quotations. I try to organize the quotations by category, though many fit into more than one. Following are some of my favorite thoughts on selling and sales. If attributions are missing or wrong, it's from bad note taking, so apologies in advance for any errors.

• If you try to compete on price, then you become a commodity. Differentiate.
• Move from product pusher to trusted adviser.
• You cannot sell without trust.
• Trust comes from familiarity which comes from frequency.
• Relationship sales: They buy you, not product.
• "If you can differentiate a dead chicken, you can differentiate anything." --Ralph Perdue
• People buy 2 things: Solutions to problems and good feelings.
• People buy first emotionally, then rationalize later. 
• People buy what it does, not what it is. 
• People do not like to be sold to. But they LOVE to buy!
• "I'm not good at selling. Therefore I must make it easy for people to buy." --F.W.Woolworth
• "Salesmanship is the gentle art of letting the other person have YOUR way." -- L.C. Thoelecke

Do You Have A Style Manual?

Folks who know me know that I like words and have high regard for people who know how to use just the right word to communicate a specific idea. Writers who write for certain publications are often held to standards that come from a specific style manual. Examples include Strunk's Elements of Style or the Chicago Manual of Style. These are essentially the "Rules of the Road" for writing.

Businesses need style manuals too. I'm not talking about Procedure Manuals, although those are important too. I'm talking about a big picture vision. 

Who are you and what are you all about? 

Once you know that, decisions in the business are easier. We commonly call this a Mission Statement or a Vision Statement. 



Here's an example: Let's say that part of your company's Vision Statement is "to provide high end residential clients with high quality, custom landscape design." The phone rings and it's a developer who asks you to come up with a landscape plan for a strip mall. What do you do? Does it fit the company's Vision? Of course not. Perhaps the developer is a high-end residential client, and you are obligated; but if not, you really ought to think twice before taking on the project. This is, of course, a very simple example, but you get the idea. 

A well-thought-out Vision or Mission Statement can provide direction for all kinds of business decisions.

 Building on the example above, we use the phrase "high end clients." Perhaps that provides some guidance as to how representatives of the company ought to dress, how the phone ought to be answered and what company vehicles ought to look like. It can also help you decide the best way to promote your business. A Vision provides guidelines, not rules. Does your company have a Vision?


The Power of Words

My last post had to do with sales. That is, presenting your message in terms that persuade your target, for lack of a better word, to WANT TO BUY. That concept is completely different from coercion. When selling is performed with thought, there is no buyer's remorse.

Selling is a methodical process which, properly executed, puts the potential buyer in the position of buying.  I've said it before and will say it again. People NO NOT LIKE TO BE SOLD TO. But THEY LOVE TO BUY! Put them in a position where they feel they cannot do without your product or service. Make them feel as if it's their choice, their decision. Using properly chosen words is an essential part of that.

A recent Wall Street Journal article by Duke Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski illustrates the power of words to persuade. Coach K is the best for a reason. Among many other skills, he understands how to communicate with his kids. I did not use the word "players" because he rarely, if ever, refers to his players as his players. They are his "kids." Words have power.

Read the article here. WSJ Coach K.

Watch Your Language

Salesmanship is the gentle art of letting the other guy have YOUR way.



These are the words of my grandfather. Sales is not about forcing someone to buy your product. It's about getting them to WANT it. It's about getting them to want your product RIGHT NOW.

Recently I was dealing with someone who wanted to sell me something. A big something. It really doesn't matter what it is. Selling is, well, selling.

When he was introducing his product, he said things like, "I've sold 4 of these in the last couple months, so I know this product really well." That was his whole tone. It was about him and his sales, not about me, and what I might want to get out of it.

When it got into the negotiation phase it became even more apparent that his goal was not to help me, or even to help his client (he's a broker), but it was to get his commission. Trust? None. He lost this sale.

For me, I want my client to be happy with what he buys from me. Nothing bad can come from that. He gets what he wants; I get what I want. Win-win. I also get referrals and a good word every now and then. I also get paid on time.

The sales system we created at Garden Concepts eventually came to be called The Ten Step Design Process. It's goal was to make the potential client a BUYER. 

After all, people DO NOT LIKE TO BE SOLD TO. BUT THEY LOVE TO BUY!