Marketing in Real Life

I’ve been selling a lot lately…  not software or services but things like getting in the car, going to bed, or eating a vegetable.  Clearly I have a two year old. And in thinking about what works three universally applicable lessons have come to the top: Think about your audience:  Tell people why it’s good for them, not why it’s good for you… they don’t care. Speak clearly: There’s no faster way to have a bad interaction than by not being clear about what you are offering and what is expected in return. Once the deal is done, stop talking:   There is no faster way to derail a decision than by introducing another option, take the victory and move on. Are you making things harder by being unclear?

In my last blog post about sellers and buyers making the process easier , I really wanted to include a story about a recent sales call – or series of calls rather that I received as a case in what not to do if you want to successfully cold call a business prospect (name and company changed to protect the guilty). I am paraphrasing, but it went a little like this. Voicemail 1: “Hi Josh, my name is George and I am calling from awesomeweb, a local design firm specializing in thought leadership based websites and I would like to talk to you about your website and how we might be able to help you increase your search engine power.” One week later: Voicemail 2: “Hi Josh, this is George calling from awesomeweb again. I left you a message last week and was hoping to talk to you about how we might be able to help with your web design needs.” One week later: Voicemail 3: “Hey Josh. George from awesomeweb. Give me a call.” George started off well enough, but made a criminal mis...

As a regular buyer of business technology and services I am continually shocked at some of the mistakes made by people trying to sell to me. And while I understand how many of the mistakes happen having done the job and read numerous selling books and white papers on the topic, many of those people I encounter would be far more successful if they made a few minor changes by thinking from the buyer perspective. The truth is that anyone who sells any product or service should spend some time on the buying side and anyone who buys should take a turn selling. Or as I always say to anyone who likes to eat out at restaurants, spend some time waiting tables and you'll quickly learn how to get better service and appreciate the value of the slight over tip. Sticking with the dining out metaphor, here are three tips to make buying and selling easier for everyone: 1. Create a comfortable environment: Remember that your job is not to “sell me something,” it is to help the buyer buy. Th...

Yesterday I purchased an LG Voyager - despite my yearning for an iPhone. The iPhone presented a bunch of problems (wrong carrier, not enough storage to replace my ipod) yet I wanted one because I love Apple and I love my iPod. So after three unsuccessful attempts to buy a new phone (stories of bad sales and service for another time) I wound up in a Verizon Wirless located in Circuit City and ended up buying a sweet new LG Voyager. The Voyager and its new brother the LG Dare are clearly meant to cut into iPhone sales. They have a full html browser, music capabilities, and a better phone. The Dare even looks like an iPhone. But the point of my story is that the sales person, Thom, didn't try to sell me an iPhone alternative. He asked what I was looking for and found a solution. I came away excited about my new Voyager and without the feeling that I was "settling" for less than I really wanted. The big takeaway - sell what you have, not what you don't and your shoppers w...

Yesterday I purchased an LG Voyager - despite my yearning for an iPhone. The iPhone presented a bunch of problems (wrong carrier, not enough storage to replace my ipod) yet I wanted one because I love Apple and I love my iPod. So after three unsuccessful attempts to buy a new phone (stories of bad sales and service for another time) I wound up in a Verizon Wirless located in Circuit City and ended up buying a sweet new LG Voyager. The Voyager and its new brother the LG Dare are clearly meant to cut into iPhone sales. They have a full html browser, music capabilities, and a better phone. The Dare even looks like an iPhone. But the point of my story is that the sales person, Thom, didn't try to sell me an iPhone alternative. He asked what I was looking for and found a solution. I came away excited about my new Voyager and without the feeling that I was "settling" for less than I really wanted. The big takeaway - sell what you have, not what you don't and your shoppers w...

Yesterday I was shocked that a colleague of mine hadn't seen any of the great "sales" movies out there so here is part 1 from a movie that doesn't count completely as "classic" but is still a fantastic watch! "And there is no such thing as a no sale call. A sale is made on every call you make. Either you sell the client some stock or he sells you a reason he can't. Either way a sale is made, the only question is who is gonna close? You or him? Now be relentless, that's it, I'm done. " Probably more relevant than my favorite line when Ben Affleck throws his keys on the table and says "I am a f**cking millionaire."

Yesterday I was shocked that a colleague of mine hadn't seen any of the great "sales" movies out there so here is part 1 from a movie that doesn't count completely as "classic" but is still a fantastic watch! "And there is no such thing as a no sale call. A sale is made on every call you make. Either you sell the client some stock or he sells you a reason he can't. Either way a sale is made, the only question is who is gonna close? You or him? Now be relentless, that's it, I'm done. " Probably more relevant than my favorite line when Ben Affleck throws his keys on the table and says "I am a f**cking millionaire."

You’ll all enjoy this… I took a call from a salesperson today – prearranged by him – who spent at least ten or 15 minutes of a 20 minute call telling me why my company wasn’t necessarily a good fit because we weren’t focused enough on cpg – despite my saying its one of our top 3 verticals, showing some long term interest in understanding what they do, and asking questions about it. I am big believer in saying that its not a good fit when its not a good fit, but this was absurd and he was excessively blunt about it. He asked a bunch of qualifying questions which I did my best to answer, but never once did he take what I said and try to turn it into an opportunity for himself. And then at the end he had the guts to ask me if I could refer him to anyone else at other companies. Amazing. Thoughts?

You’ll all enjoy this… I took a call from a salesperson today – prearranged by him – who spent at least ten or 15 minutes of a 20 minute call telling me why my company wasn’t necessarily a good fit because we weren’t focused enough on cpg – despite my saying its one of our top 3 verticals, showing some long term interest in understanding what they do, and asking questions about it. I am big believer in saying that its not a good fit when its not a good fit, but this was absurd and he was excessively blunt about it. He asked a bunch of qualifying questions which I did my best to answer, but never once did he take what I said and try to turn it into an opportunity for himself. And then at the end he had the guts to ask me if I could refer him to anyone else at other companies. Amazing. Thoughts?