November 2021

This Week in the Copier Industry Five Years Ago

Last Week of November 2106

The first day of the December sales month for 2021 started on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  I was told I would receive documents for a $30K net new order for the three days leading up to the Holiday. Waiting sucks, but it seems I need to wait a few more days since those docs never appeared and what would have been a decent month was a another last luster month.  December awaits me for 2021.

Enjoy These Great Copier Threads!

"The problems in describing a person are essentially problems of knowing a person."

Donald Antrim

Let's all pause for a moment...

How well do your salespeople know their clients and how well do your clients know your salespeople?

How would your clients describe your salespeople?

Are your salespeople creating business betterment or are they more worried about pushing products?

Your clients hold the keys to your success. They're no longer at the mercy of you, your team or your company. In fact, they're more interested in the experience your team provides as opposed to your products or services.

Your clients and their needs are constantly changing, it's up to your sales team to understand how to help?

Would you know how well your team is keeping up with what they need?

Client experience goes beyond service.

I would like for you to pause, reflect and think about the following...

In a few words, how would your clients best describe the experience they're receiving from your salespeople?

Come on, I'm waiting for the words. What would they be?

• Are they personalizing the level of service?
• Are they in consistent contact?
• Are they listening to your clients?

If you are struggling to answer, then I imagine this one will be difficult as well...

How well is your team creating positive experiences and memories?

In this highly competitive business world, how the heck are your salespeople standing out with your most precious asset, your clients?

Whose fault is it that they are being pigeon-holed as a commodity?

When was the last time someone on your sales team has dug deep, spoke from the heart and asked... what words would you use to describe the support being provided to you?

H. Ross Perot sums it up nicely,

“Spend a lot of time talking to customers face-to-face. You’d be amazed at how many companies don’t listen to their customers.”

Are you committed?

Are you willing to do what is necessary?

Then, let's get started down the road towards client betterment.

CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS MATTER

“What we really need is a mindset shift that will make us relevant to today’s consumers, a mindset shift from telling to selling to building relationships.”

Jim Stengel

Deep client relationships turn into long-term, consistent and profitable business.

Can you honestly answer the following?

• How well do your salespeople really understand what your largest clients want?
• Do they understand what they desire?
• Are they even relevant in their eyes?

Gut check time, isn't it?

Now, I would like for you to think about some of your largest client's, got it? Think about how much they mean to you and your company.

What would it mean to you, your salespeople and your company if you lost any of your largest clients?

Your clients are the single most important factor towards your long-term success. Therefore, the more successful your salespeople become in understanding and forming meaningful relationships with your client's, the more successful you will become.

In a world where trust is at rock bottom, no wonder many (yes some of your clients) are skeptical about what your salespeople say, how they say it and why they say it.

Again, I will ask you, how well does your sales team know their clients?

PERCEPTION IS REALITY

Walker Group is a full-service Experience Management (XM) firm. In a report published a few years ago, they went on to say that customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator by 2020.

Let's all pause, now reflect upon the last few years and then read the above statement again.

Client experience and their perception of your salespeople is reality.

Cold doses of raw feedback are necessary to grow. Feedback from your clients are the vitamins and minerals your salespeople need to grow a healthy relationship.

I'm pointing this all out for a reason, as there just might be a monumental gap between what your clients think of your salespeople versus what your salespeople are sharing with you.

How your clients perceive your salespeople might be the key to exponential sales growth.

• How many of you right now, at this very moment, understand the impact this has to you?
• How many of your clients see your salespeople as being available and helpful to them?
• How many of your clients think of your salespeople as being heartfelt, caring and trustworthy or unreliable, arrogant and pompous?

Building meaningful relationships with your client's is not a light switch you turn on then off. It's the emotional connection, the human connection and the heartfelt connection you and your salespeople make with each one of them.

How well are your salespeople connecting with their clients?

Trust me on this one... your salespeople failing to truly connect with their clients will lead to disconnection and we know what happens when this occurs.

THE RIGHT CONVERSATIONS MATTER

"All problems exist in the absence of a good conversation."

Thomas Leonard

Merriam-Webster defines conversation as an,

Oral exchange of sentiments, observations, opinions, or ideas.

"We had talk enough but no conversation; there was nothing discussed."

Samuel Johnson

Are your salespeople talking with your clients or engaged in conversation with your clients?

I'm concerned!

I believe very few salespeople are having meaningful conversations with their clients outside of the selling process.

How many new relationships are being developing inside your client base right now by your salespeople?

What's preventing your team from truly getting to know your clients?

How well are your salespeople making your clients feel before, during and after doing business with them?

• What words would they use to describe how your salespeople make them feel?
• What words would they use to describe how your salespeople care about them?
• What words would they use to describe how much they trust your salespeople?

Meaningful and credible relationships matter. This is built through consistent, caring and collaborative conversations.

Your clients should be able to share without hesitation the words they would use to describe your salespeople. If not, then you all have some work to do.

I understand, I get where you all are coming from. Every day, I walk in your shoes. I am fully committed to helping your sales team integrate social aspects and heartfelt strategies into your current sales process to grow new business. I want you to get results. This is why I am passionate about doing this the right way, the genuine way, the authentic way! It's about understanding value before visibility.

Selling From the Heart is making a difference! I poured my heart into every page of this book and I think you're going to love it. You can find it on Amazon in paperback, kindle and in audio. You can click on the book image below and this will take you to Amazon.In a world full of empty suits, I'm passionate about helping sales reps succeed by getting valuable before they get visible. I help sales teams understand the true value they bring to the market.

In a world full of empty suits, I'm passionate about helping sales reps succeed by getting valuable before they get visible. I help sales teams understand the true value they bring to the market.

With great pride I transform, challenge, coach and inspire sales teams to grow new business by helping them share their story and how they communicate it out by integrating the use of social and Selling from the heart inside the sales process. You can follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and on my podcast by clicking on Selling from the Heart.

I believe I captured this video off Linkedin. I'm familiar with print speed and if you look at the amount of prints that exit compared to the seconds that elapse the is no way that this printer prints at the 100 "D" size pages a minute. In fact Canon states the black print speed is 4 "D" per minute.

Watching the video and counting the seconds one would lead to believe that it prints one per second.

Of course we know this is not the case, but what about the client/user that is not familiar with the these devices and the print speeds.

It's a nice machine, however I believe either they the real speed of the prints in the video or don't show the print speed at all.

=Good Selling=-

Any time if a great time to help others and a recent chat with @Brent Martin Arlington sheds some light on how Arlington is helping at this time of year.

“I’d say handling people is the most important thing you can do as a coach. I’ve found every time I’ve gotten into trouble with a player, it’s because I wasn’t talking to him enough.”

Lou Holtz

Let's all stop and think about this quote for a moment... The people on your sales team are your most precious assets, yet how many of you engage in true conversation with your salespeople?

How many of you are coaching your people up?

What are their goals, desires and dreams?

Where do they want to be five years from now, do you even know?

Salespeople are the engine that drives profits, growth and success.

Just like the engine in your car, your salespeople need maintenance on a routine basis to keep them humming along nicely.

Mechanic's will tell you that the best-maintained engine can break down due to the unexpected failure of individual parts.

Let's apply this same thing to your sales team... I will ask you to think about the following:

• When was the last time you conducted routine maintenance within your salespeople?
• When was the last time you gave your salespeople a sales health check-up?

Attention to all sales leaders... The sales health of your salespeople has a direct bearing on the health of their sales pipeline

Are you being proactive or reactive when it comes to the sales health of your sales team?

ARE YOU FUTURE PROOFING YOUR SALES TEAM?

Let's just get this one out on the table, your sales team is not going to close every sales opportunity they are involved in.

A consistent batting average of between .275 and .300 in baseball, and a professional baseball player sets themself up for a huge payday.

Ironic isn't it, they fail to hit the ball 70% of the time?

Reflection time...

• How many on your team are failing 70% or more of the time to close their targeted opportunities?
• How many on your team have holes within their sales funnel?
• How many on your team are carrying the same opportunities every month on their funnel report?

The lack of opportunities can be attributed to one thing - prospecting or shall I say lack there of!

I'm saddened that many in sales have developed prospecting phobia.

Prospecting phobia attacks 1 out of every 2 on your sales team. This doesn't happen overnight. It is a slow growing and self-induced.

Through years of scientific research, I believe I have pinpointed the root cause, and even identified the culprit.

Allow me to introduce you to the culprit... It is YOU!

Hear me out on this before you go and hate on me...

When your salespeople spend unquantifiable amounts of time baby-sitting their client base, moaning and groaning about how busy they are, not paying attention to growing new business, cross-selling or referral opportunities because of all the "stuff" they are doing while subsequently being rewarded extravagant President's Club trips, I call this Enablement by Management.

My sales leader friends, you're the reason why many on your team fail to close more new business!

Sales leadership, you have hypnotized yourself into believing what you are not doing doesn't work.

COLD GLASS OF WATER

Article upon article tells us how it's harder than ever to sell. Let's layer into this the current business climate, and where does this leave you and your team?

How many on your team are 'at' or 'above' their plan number year-to-date?

Now let's just stop here for a moment... You might be saying "YES" to question but how much of this was "lay me down" and "recurring" I challenge you on this one.

It concerns me, as many of you have been bitten by your sales management sins of the past.

You have let complacency, your ego and yes fear set in. You have allowed it to get the best of you!

The way it was is the not the way it will be

When was the last time you reviewed how your team engages with their clients?

Is it possible they could sell smarter and more effectively than they are at this very moment in time?

You see, the status quo, it's not working and it’s getting worse! This is the time to rise-up and look for ways to improve your sales results.  Rather than lamenting, bitching and moaning - do something about it!

It is not 2019 any longer!

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR TEAMS RESULTS

Growth and comfort, they do not play well together

Mindset plays such a critical role in your ability to succeed or fail. If you’re afraid to fail, you’ll prevent yourself from trying new things. You will miss out on the opportunity to broaden your skill set as well and gaining new experiences to help your team grow.

Ask yourself:

What can I gain, what do I want to learn, and what opportunities will be lost if I prevent myself from taking new actions?

How will this affect my sales team?

“Most people miss opportunity because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

Thomas A. Edison

Helping your team to grow their sales is work, are you up for it?

YOU MUST DEVELOP A NEW MINDSET

Right now, what are you feeding your mind?

What new ideas and trends are you uncovering within your specific industry?

You must continuously be adopting new competencies and skill sets. In turn, it is your responsibility to coach and teach this to your team in order for them to become better.

Imagine the head coach on any professional sports team... if they aren't enhancing the level of their teams' play, what usually happens to them? Need I say more?

We all can agree, being open to new ideas does not come easy. In fact, change plays mind tricks but without the right mindset, learning will not occur. Your team will not grow!

"When the leader lacks confidence, the team lacks commitment."

Craig Groeschel

Do you believe that you can cultivate your team's ability to learn?

It’s not about getting things right the first time, it’s about learning over time. You must realize, for your team to succeed within this hyper-connected, rapidly changing business world, you must adopt a new mindset.

YOU MUST ADAPT TO CHANGE

The gap between relevance and obsolescence is growing wider. If your salespeople are to remain relevant, they must adapt to change. They must do so before "change" beckons the call. This means you must adapt to change yourself.

Relevancy... You must foster an environment of self-education. You and your team must immerse themselves in emerging trends within your industry; to anticipate new direction and foresee the writing on the wall which demands innovation.

Coach-up your salespeople to remain relevant by:

• Welcoming and learning from failure
• Asking for help and soliciting feedback
• Becoming voracious learners
• Becoming focused on self-growth
• Becoming focused on self-accountability
• Checking their ego at the door

"If you don't like change, you're going to like irrelevance even less."

General Eric Shinseki

YOU BUILD SOCIAL NETWORKS

Reality, like it or not, the presence of all types of social is here to stay.

Social networks offer an excellent opportunity for your team to demonstrate their expertise.

Your clients have social networks. Your targeted accounts have social networks. Prominent people in your marketplace have networks.

Are you starting to smell what the social networks might be cooking?

Failure to cultivate social networks will become a recipe for disaster within your team.

Sales managers and leaders... You are responsible to ensure all your salespeople meet or exceed quota!

Coach or find a coach to help your team create the mindset and skill set to develop their social networks to help augment growing their business.

Salespeople are one degree of separation from their best sales opportunity, many fail to capitalize on this as they are poorly connected to their client's networks.

Questions to ponder right now...

Are your salespeople building networks or finding excuses?

Are your salespeople looking for and actively listening to their client's networks or finding excuses?

Are you salespeople starting new conversations and building new connections or finding excuses?

Social networks might be the key to unlocking new conversations and new opportunities.

ONE FINAL THOUGHT

Are you accepting a failure to adopt and adapt growth mindset, thus settling for status quo?

A status quo mindset, it's a sales death sentence.

Set aside and squash “that’s the way we’ve always done it” mindset.

This would be acceptable if your current sales conversion rates for profitable new business was 2-3X higher year over year.

The growth of your sales department rests with your ability to grow yourself.

What will you do about it?

I understand, I get where you all are coming from. Every day, I walk in your shoes. I am fully committed to helping your sales team integrate social aspects and heartfelt strategies into your current sales process to grow new business. I want you to get results. This is why I am passionate about doing this the right way, the genuine way, the authentic way! It's about understanding value before visibility.

Selling From the Heart is making a difference! I poured my heart into every page of this book and I think you're going to love it. You can find it on Amazon in paperback, kindle and in audio. You can click on the book image below and this will take you to Amazon.In a world full of empty suits, I'm passionate about helping sales reps succeed by getting valuable before they get visible. I help sales teams understand the true value they bring to the market.

In a world full of empty suits, I'm passionate about helping sales reps succeed by getting valuable before they get visible. I help sales teams understand the true value they bring to the market.

With great pride I transform, challenge, coach and inspire sales teams to grow new business by helping them share their story and how they communicate it out by integrating the use of social and Selling from the heart inside the sales process. You can follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and on my podcast by clicking on Selling from the Heart.

Note the picture of Governor Phil Murphy from New Jersey.  Our beloved Governor was in attendance at the New Jersey State League of Municipalities today in Atlantic City, NJ giving a speech to those guests pictured.

I'm thinking this was a select group of guests he was speaking to. However let me regress a bit.  Each year the NJLM holds a conference in Atlantic City, NJ and in most cases that conference can attract 8K-16K attendees and vendors. I was in attendance for three days working the Stratix booth with my buddy John.

I've never been involved with a show that featured 600 vendors and a multitude of attendees.  The attendees was off this year because of COVID19 and along with the restrictions still in place.  All attendees, vendors and speakers were required to show proof vaccination before entering the convention, show ID (don't need ID to vote but you need it to prove the vax card is yours), in addition everyone was required to wear a mask at all events.

Throughout the convention there were many announcements over the PA systems that stated due to CDC guidelines and the mandates from our Governor that everyone had to wear a mask while in the (NJ State owned) Atlantic City Convention Center.  In fact there were mask police (security) that were walking the floor asking everyone to wear the mask the right way and remind them to put the mask back on when they were finished eating or drinking.

Now let's get to the picture I posted in the title and below. This picture was posted on his facebook page tonight.  I suspect these pictures are from today since there was not event last year and our Governor loves photo ops.

I confirmed that these pictures are from today since he did another photo op earlier in the day and he is wearing the same tie.

NO ONE IS WEARING A MASK

Not one person that I can tell has a mask anywhere close to their face.  This goes on while the general order is for everyone to where a mask and there are no exclusions. Eight to Ten hours with no excuses.

Things like this have happened before with this guy. He it the epitome of DO WHAT I SAY, but not as I do.

What a shame we have four more years of this joker to deal with.

-=Good Selling=-

Very short blog tonight. It was almost 11 years ago when I was turned on to a new net opportunity.  I felt the account was right in my wheelhouse since they liked wide format as much as I did.  However this opportunity was not for wide format but for those awesome down the street copiers in a decent SMB account.

My first appearance resulted in a loss and thinking back I'm not sure I can remember why I lost.  I entertain the reason I lost was because the client was happy with the current brand and service provider. Nothing against me or the dealership I work for.

My second attempt was a little more that five years ago and that resulted in my second loss. I do remember the reason I lost and it was because one of the Admins did not want to have training outside of their office for my new brand (that was the objection) of copier.  Of course without notifying me or me probing the edict came down that they would stay with the same brand and service provider again. I was told that my product was the pick to move forward with if it wasn't for the training glitch.

The third time around came somewhat sooner (3 years into the 5 year lease) and after a follow up call I was brought in to quote new devices because the client was fed up with the support and service.  It was on again for the third time to secure this account, after performing another great job I was told we won again, however the account needs to by down the remaining lease payments.   A few months later COVID19 struck and it was inevitable that the lease would go all the way down the last frigging payment.

After three competitors and more than eleven years I was email a few hours ago that they are good to move forward with the new 5 year lease.

This made by day and is the reason why all of my losses go back in the hoppper when the next opportunity us ready.

-=Good Selling=-