My Tribute

My grandmother went to be with Jesus this morning. Although she wasn't a sales person in the traditional sense, she had many qualities that salespeople could use. Even at 102 she was always laughing, teasing, encouraging, and complimenting others. Her best quality was quite possibly gratitude. I ran the following post about her during the series of articles on "Attitudes and Perspectives That Serve You" back on April 5th, 2008:

"My grandmother (pictured above) who just turned 101 this year is my model for gratitude. I’m not sure she always had it naturally. Be she has it big time now. Somewhere along the line she cultivated it. It’s even a bit abnormal at this stage of life, maybe even supernatural. She has aches and pains. Her body doesn’t work all that well anymore. She is still sharp mentally for 100, but nevertheless declining as you might imagine. Still she maintains a discernable attitude of gratitude. She is grateful for the littlest things imaginable. A piece of candy, a visit, the smallest gift. She still enjoys, savors, and chooses to be grateful.I have to admit I’m still cultivating this one. I have to work at it. When I do, the pay off is big emotionally. There is nothing worse than a whiney, crabby life. Whining always locks in negative emotions. You guarantee feeling bad. So why do we do it? Why do we whine and complain if gratitude gives us the positive payback of good feelings? I think the answer might lie in the word “delay”. I think there is a quick immediate relief that comes when we whine and complain. We also sometimes get a quick response of pity. Friends and family will play the violin over our sorrows for a time. In the short run this feels good… maybe addictive good. But like a drug that works and gives a short term payoff you start needing more to feel good and then you are hooked, wandering around looking for any pity pusher we can find.The emotional payback of gratitude pays off slowly. Like any good nutrient for our body, it gets in our system and builds up over time. With repeated use, gratitude builds into a positive emotional fire that glows and spreads as we keep it stoked and replenished with fuel.Think about your job in sales. What do you like about it? Do they pay you? Mark that down. Do you have any health insurance benefits? Mark that down. How about a retirement program? Mark that down. Do you have opportunity to earn more as your effectiveness grows? Mark that down. Do you have customers that appreciate the value you bring? Mark that down. Do you have freedom to make your schedule? Mark that down. What else could you be grateful for if you chose to? Even if you’re considering a change or looking for an even better opportunity, you can still be grateful that you have a financial foundation from which to look. Continue this line of thinking into the other areas of your life. What’s good about your faith, family, and friendships? Do you have generally good health? Consider the country you were born into. Few places on the planet offer more opportunity. Most of us have so much more to be grateful for than we imagine. But we have to cultivate the perspective.And one more thing… Something magical seems to happen when you cultivate gratitude. You end up attracting even more things to be grateful for. It’s a virtuous cycle that spirals up. The more you are grateful, the more you have to be grateful for. Positive things begin coming into your life. The rate can even be exponential. Write me and let me know how this happens for you! "

The C.A.R.E. Presentation System

A friend of mine recently shared a system that she was taught working in a successful telephone selling program. She was very successful with it and it fits perfectly with the Servant Selling Philosophy. C.A.R.E. stands for Connect-Attract-Respect-Engage.

Connect- This is just an attempt to establish a personal connection with the individual you are speaking with. Different people do this different ways. When I'm on a face to face sales call I always look for something in the prospects office that I genuinely like, admire, or am interested in. It could be a book, a picture, a decorating item, the architecture or design of the building... anything. I will usually make a comment, give a compliment, or ask a question. On one call I absolutely loved the neck tie the guy was wearing. I complimented him on it and he took it off on the spot and gave it to me. I walked out with a contract and a tie that I wore for several years.

Attract- This is sharing a lead idea or sample. It's like the headline of a newspaper or a really well designed advertisement. It must be something that is attention getting in a positive way.

Respect- Respect is recognizing that everyone won't be interested. The timing, the chemistry, or the fit may just be a little off. It's releasing the prospect to make a decision not to do business with you and doing that without a struggle. You just move on to the next one.

Engage- If the prospect shows interest, you move on into the buying process. It many mean giving a fuller presentation or just writing up the order on what you presented in the attract step.


This is a simple 4 step plan that will work for selling a lot of things. Whatever you sell, you need a repeatable outline that is flexible enough to accomodate the many directions a sales call can go. Give the C.A.R.E. plan a try.

Systemize Your Presentation to Serve

Your presentation is a vital part of serving your customer. I don't really believe in "canned" word for word presentations. I still remember going to work for the Zig Ziglar Company as a 23 year old and being asked to memorize a twenty page presentation word for word. I was the only one in my training class that took the request seriously and stayed up late many nights trying to get it down. The problem was that none of the customers I called on had spent any time memorizing their responses.

I do believe in "planned" presentations however. You should have a strong outline and system that keeps you on track and encourages a clear concise overview of your offering. A number of sales trainers and books offer some good outlines. Neil Rackham has written extensively on his S.P.I.N. selling program. It stands for Situation-Problem-Impact-Need Pay Off. You can read a thorough explanation in one his books. In Ziglar on Selling you will find the P.O.G.O. System. It stands for Personal-Organizational-Goals-Obstacles.

One of my 2 or 3 favorite books on selling is Conceptual Selling. It can be ordered at my on line bookstore link at the right. The authors, Miller and Heiman stress that all presentations can be boiled down to Getting Information, Giving Information, and Getting Commitment. They emphasize sequenced pre-planned questions and well thought out presentation modules that can be ordered and re-ordered on the fly.

More in my next post....

Serving With Great Samples

Most great companies give some kind of sample. I love walking around Costco for a lot of reasons but at the top of the list is the food samples. I've often thought if I ever ended up homeless, my first strategy would be to collect enough money to keep my Costco membership and hang out close enough to hit the sample tables each day.

A few weeks ago a sales rep I was coaching called me and let me know he had just lost a sizeable account to a competitor in his industry. Like all good sales people he called the decision maker to ask if there was something he could have done better. He was told the only reason the account chose the competitor was that they left a sample to look at for ideas.

This was a painful lesson.  Most products and services involve leaving some sort of sample even if the product or service is essentially intangible. You can start serving the customer from the get go with the best possible sample of your work. Whatever it is, make sure it is in good condition. If you carry them around in the trunk of your car, make sure that you take the necessary steps to protect them. I always looked at my samples like a piece of valuable jewelry. I tried to handle them and display them in a way that showcased the outstanding features and made sure they were carried in a case that made them easy to access during a presentation. Its a distraction to be fumbling around looking for the just the right sample.

You should also match your samples to fit the individual customer. Every one of you customers are unique. They have different tastes and preferences. If you can learn some of these preferences in advance, you can customize your sample presentation to fit. You might find clues in their office architecture, decorating style, web site, brochures, or even business cards. Do they value traditional or contemporary things and ideas?

Start Serving with World Class Samples!

C.O.Y.O.T.E.

When I was growing up I remember hearing about C.O.Y.O.T.E which I believe was an acronym for Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics. I think it was like a union or something for prostitution... which by the way is not the oldest profession. Selling is and that is just a subset of sales.

...but I digress... When I say C.O.Y.O.T.E. I mean Call Off Your Old Tired Expressions. Have you noticed that the sales profession has embedded language that may be counter productive? How you talk about what you do will eventually work it's way out into how you do it.

Do you "Pitch" your customers? Maybe so, but really great professional selling is something you do "with" and "for" your customers not to them. It should be a dialogue and not a monologue that uncovers genuine needs and wants. If you use the "pitch" word, you may over time move away from interaction and toward less productive one way communication.

Do you "Overcome Objections"? The problem with this phrase is that it conjures up images of winning an argument. How many arguments have you won with your clients? Did you still get the sale? Doubt it. Think about "working with" or "resolving concerns" instead.

Great Servant Selling is a dance and a romance. Start working with your customers to find mutually beneficial solutions.

The Servant Cab Driver

The Cab Ride

So I walked to the door and knocked. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said.

I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness.

'It's nothing', I told her.. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated'.

'Oh, you're such a good boy', she said.

When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly.

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice'.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.'

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now'

We drove in silence to the address she had given me.It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico... Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her. I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.
'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said.

'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life. I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?

What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?
On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life. We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID, ~BUT~THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.

Servant Selling at Savemart

I've gotten addicted to the Gatorade G2 drink lately. I like the grape flavor and the 12oz bottle fits neatly in my gym bag. The only problem is, my local Savemart Grocery Store is always out of the 12oz grape. Apparently this size and flavor is a popular addiction. There seems to be plenty of the other flavors and sizes on hand, but never the 12oz grape that I now must have.

I tracked down a lady named Gail last week to complain. She took care of it. I just got a phone call from Gail assuring me that I have two cases of the product waiting at the store. I don't know about you, but this kind of service tends to buy my loyalty and business for life.

Business Weeks Top 25 In Customer Service

Business Week just announced it's annual Top 25 Customer Service Companies. Check out the link:
http://bwnt.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/customer_service_2009/index.asp

What would it take for your company, district, territory, etc... to be on a list like this?