April 2020

Every now and then we have one of those days. When I'm waiting for a deal to develop I'll calling it "waiting for the ball to travel". Let the ball get deeper before you hit that homer.  Today was one of those days that I waited for the ball to travel. What I mean by that is that I took a much needed mental day from prospecting.

Today was a perfect day for that since I had four meetings on tap. One was our weekly sales TEAMS meeting and the other three were with prospects.  In addition I had to develop another quote for an opportunity that I developed last week.  That opportunity is going to be for the third quarter however they need to get the quote now because one of the DM's will be out for sometime in the near future. 

All of the meetings went well, so well in fact that I received another verbal to move forward with the order.  Developing those docs and getting them out today took a little bit of time also.  Just a small deal for about $6.5K.  Thus this week or starting tomorrow I'm hoping to have docs for $6.5k, $26k & 60k.  Would be a good week right?

I mentioned this in a previous blog that even though you have a verbal they really don't mean you have the order, especially with not being able to visit the clients location.  It's that tortoise mentality that will win the day in these times. Slow and steady with constant points of contact every other day to guide the process to the finish line. I like where I'm at but I also know that anything could go wrong at anytime.

Tomorrow will be a day of prospecting and putting a couple of plans in place to get a few additional opportunities going. The plans are simple, what's the one thing that every company has in common right now?  Give up?  It's all about saving money, all companies what to save money when there is risk or uncertainty in the future.  ROI (return on investment) makes for a great selling strategy and that pitch of reducing costs will get you some attention.

Tomorrow it's back to my list of things to do.  That never ending tasking of adding and deleted from the list.  Prospecting by email, prospecting by Linkedin will rule the day.  It's late and I need a good jump for tomorrow.

-=Good Selling=-

Mondays, whether you hate or love them Mondays can sometimes define your week.  Do you have a favorite Monday song?  Mine is "I don't like Mondays " by the Boomtown Rats.  Yes the eighties, yes I'm a boomer and yes the eighties was an incredible time to cut your teeth in the copier industry. 

I could write some stories that would rock your world because they surely did rock mine. Some of you reading this blog may have heard me tell you about the eighties and it's something I just may put in print once I'm retired or maybe I get around to writing that first book.

We heard from our Governor today and he offered no time frame for when we'll even try to open up the state.  He double talked and backtracked on a number of issues.

While I'm working,  I'll tune into his daily comedy fest and today's was a really good one.  Our Governor starts off with and I'm paraphrasing "The State of New Jersey is unified and stands with me", of course he was referring to his policies and decision making efforts.  While I'm watching the show on my iphone I can see the comments pouring in from everyone else who is watching also.  The amount of angry emojis was frightening!  If I were asked to guess about the percentage of haters to likes, I would say 85% were in the hating mode. I thought that was funny because he was the one who stated "NJ stands with me".

One other interesting item I picked up on was the need for safe places for those COVID19 patients that are quarantined. What I comprehended out of that is that the State of New Jersey would set up safe places.  WTF does that mean?  Did he mean quarantine camps for the sick?  I didn't stick around for the entire show however I did read that reporters were allowed to asked him questions this time around and he offered no reasonable explanations for most of the questions.  Just a real joke here in New Jersey.

This morning I worked on trying to finish up the documents for the verbal order I had a Friday. There was a lot to it since there were three devices and each one needed a configuration page. In addition I had to triple check that my pricing was right.  Even after forty years this old dog can still make mistakes.  Of course I had some interruptions and before I looked up with was time for lunch.

Tim, I had one sandwich that had three slices of chicken breast, one slice of cheese (smoked guoda) with mustard on rye bread. I also downed a couple of dill pickles.  Hope you are happy with the menu!

Forgot something, in the AM I also had to follow up and send those financing rates for the $60K net new deal. That's a deal that could go either way, but as they say you need to be in it to win it.

After lunch while still downstairs (my office is upstairs) I check my email and I had an email from the $60K net new.  The email read, "we'll go with the 60 month term, please tell us how to get this started".  Okay, Monday is getting somewhat better in fact I just may change my Monday song to "Manic Monday" by the Bangles.  Yes, another 80's song for the boomer.

Of course I'm not counting any of these, counting them now is something you never ever do.  The plan now is to keep moving them forward in small steps and to keep working some of the other opportunities.  Am I excited?  Somewhat excited but reserved also, anything can happen when you can't be on-site to get the documents.  I guess it's more about being the tortoise than the hare right now.

Tomorrow?  Couple of meetings, try and move the two deals forward and some prospecting. 

-=Good Selling=-

It's Not About Returning To A New Normal It's About Creating The New Normal

Getting back to a new normal is not a plan! For the normal is not defined, it will instead be created. Entrepreneurial sprit will bring life to new beginnings, and it will be entrepreneurial sprit, which will defeat those things which the circumstances of the virus deemed less warranted. 

The year 2020 will consume the pages of digital history books. The closing of the globe was by far the most impactful thing anyone living today has ever witness. 

The trillions of dollars in new debt, the political vitriol, the different values of the five generations active in the marketplace today, and the absolute unknown. Will cause the entire world to evaluate the realities of many things thought once un-changeable.

In my vision the people of the world will face challenges and opportunities like never in modern history. The opportunities will be a by-product of how the world handles the impending problems born of the virus. 

The technologies available today most definitely eased the pain for many around the world as individuals from nearly every society moved to isolate themselves as the world went home to work. One can only imagine had this virus came 30 years ago how complicated many things which were easily accomplished these last few months would have been. As we all witnessed today, however, unpleasant this isolation was our technologies made for many comforts and conveniences through the madness. 

The rebuilding will come as more destruction takes place. There will be no grand openings. Society will evaluate everything forward with harsh memories of the past three months and their unclear visions of the next 12 to 18. All leaders or decision-makers, with common sense, will now be obsessed with preparing and positioning for a repeat of the circumstances the world just endured. The world can now never say "We didn't see this coming."

Income-Cost-Savings

Nothing can proceed without income, and income cannot be lower than the cost to achieve it, and when it is, one must have the savings to compensate for the difference as they either continue cutting costs or raise income. Unfortunately, for many, they are at the mercy of others for the needed income. 

The individual needs the job; the entrepreneur needs the customer, and this customer is the individual with the job. 

The reality with most businesses and individuals is that both have very little savings. This lack of liquidity will cause a deadly grip on the economics of most of the world. As many companies and individuals personally will either not financially survive or struggle immensely in the recovery phase of the shut-down. The ways to recovery will challenge many status quo programs, policies, responsibilities of governments, companies, and individuals.

The Reset Button

Moving forward will take cash and credit. Unfortunately, obtaining credit may be worse than the experiences back in 2008-09. Remember that crisis was not a total economic shutdown. The probable defaults resulting from this are staggering and many lenders will need to tighten their belts in their approaches to new lines of credit and will evaluate business sectors as desirable or not. The circumstances of the Virus have brought awareness to both beneficial and undesirable industries, products, and services.

These things sound very. Pessimistic, however, Being overconfident in unchartered waters is more deadly in my mind. People must prepare and act with a plan. Those who hope based on overconfidence are leaving themselves vulnerable to drowning. The athletes who won their championships did not show up to the competition, hoping they would win. Instead, they trained and planned their strategy to win. In enhance, winning was a result of the training and the strategy.  

This crisis will bring awareness of new technologies, and with that awareness, the relevance of both products and industries will be questioned by its customers. It will be how those questioned industries, and organizations respond to their needed reinventions, which will position them to prevail. 

"All threatened industries must exit this pandemic with a creation mindset over a saving mindset."

It will be easy to fall back in an attempt to save what was if organizations lose focus on their new post virus customer's desired outcomes. 

Those stubborn to maintain a pre-virus customer based on product-centric mindsets, post virus, will result in delivering a poor customer experience as the post-virus customer's new awareness gains in momentum. This momentum will lead to the search for customer-centric partners, over those still focused on their per-virus product.

Industries and organizations must remember that a product-centric deliverable includes not just the product or services they sell but also consists of the processes used to sell or service what's sold. 

"A true test of leadership is their ability to deconstruct obsolescence, as they construct relevance." 

Those industries needing re-invention, please listen to what your customers tell you and remember, just because a particular customer is not yet aware of a better customer-centric way doesn't mean they won't be made aware. So, shouldn't you bring that awareness?

Some suggestions for creating a new normal

Create the income, control the cost, and save more than ever before. Regardless of what products or industries you represent, reevaluate the deliverable. Through this reevaluation, phase remember the end-user customer will also be creating their new normal. It will take entrepreneurial leadership to align needs and desired outcomes based on those newly created normals.

"Status quo is the killer of all that will be invented." 

Ray Stasieczko CEO - TEASRA, The Innovation Channel and Host of End of The Day With Ray! https://teasratic.com/

An Excellent message from my friend Chris Polek & John O'Leary

“We must give more in order to get more. It is the generous giving of ourselves that produces the generous harvest.”

Orison Swett Marden

Can a giver of heart succeed in a sales world riddled with unscrupulous, fake, and disingenuous people?

Is giving, the secret to long term sales success?

“The reason I’ve been able to be so financially successful is my focus has never, ever for one minute been money”

Oprah Winfrey

Unfortunately, many within the sales focus on the almighty dollar. Ask a group of salespeople, why they got into sales and often you'll hear "for the money".

For the record, I'm all for making money. It allows us to feed our needs, wants and provides for our family. Making money isn’t evil, nor is being wealthy. The evil happens when you place commissions over compassion for people and their visions.

Selling From the Heart professionals lead with heart, dignity and pride, not their wallets.

According to Wharton Professor Adam Grant in his book "Give and Take", there are three types of people in the world when it comes to reciprocity styles: givers, takers, and matchers.

What would you believe is necessary in sales?

"Givers are more successful because they establish reputations and relationships that enhance their success over the long term."

GIVERS BUILD NETWORKS

We live in a digitally driven and socially connected society. How we leverage and influence networks becomes important because they give us access to information, skills, relationships and influence. 

The common denominator with networks is people.

Here's a sales 101 tip, if you want to increase your sales, the human connection is always the place to begin.

Givers give, are you giving of yourself to those who need it the most?

Maya Angelou said,

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Givers give of themselves in building deep social connections based upon love, compassion, caring and the emotional bonds they build.

It's never been as easy as it is right now to connect. The question becomes, are you truly connecting?

Givers give of themselves, their knowledge, their heart and mind. Are you making yourself memorable by finding a way to connect on a personal level? If you can make it personal, I promise you will never be forgotten.

GIVERS GIVE THEIR MIND

In turbulent and troublesome times, it's no surprise that kindness, compassion, gratitude and giving to others is really good for our immune system.

Adopt a giving mindset and your sales world will dramatically shift. This all goes back to the golden rule of treating others how you'd like to be treated. 

You must GIVE in order to GET.

Sales is about the art of the help. Focus on helping others. Help others achieve what you have. Help your fellow team members, help potential clients, help your current clients, and most of all... help people in your community.

What's inside your heart?

The more you give of yourself the more you find yourself

In the weeds of chaos, we must be willing to give. What's does a relationship with your clients look like without giving? A relationship is a two-way street. Don’t just talk about yourself to your clients, truly give yourself to your clients. And don’t be shy about it. Being afraid to share the deepest darkest secrets will prevent you from revealing the heart and soul of who you are and the potential fruit that relationship will bear.

• Are you willing to give of your knowledge?
• Are you willing to give of your time?
• Are you willing to give of your resources?

Let's all think for a moment... Would small acts of generosity, thoughtfulness and kindness make a difference in the lives of your client's?

GIVERS GIVE THEIR HEART

Heartfelt professionals focus on making a real difference while having a positive impact on others.

Heart is a place where one develops and gains strength. Those who embrace their heart will grow in purpose, profit and impact. Those who embrace heart will strengthen their client relationships with many stakeholders, producing long-lasting results.

In order to give of your heart, you must commit to serving others. This means you must walk, talk, live and breathe every aspect of a servant.

If you can't become transparent with yourself then how can you be transparent with your clients?

Givers of the heart are humble, genuine and sincere. They roll up their emotional sleeves.

Givers of heart measure success not by their commission check but on the impact they've made on their clients.

• Compassion over commission.
• Empathy over empty suits!

Right now, at this very moment, your clients are asking so much more of you than they ever have before. They're holding you to a higher degree of accountability. If you fail to nourish and continually bring your mind and your heart, I flat guarantee somebody else will eagerly step right in.

What would happen if you got to the heart of what matters with your clients? Think about that one for a moment.

Grab a sheet of paper and write down the following:

What are three ways I can connect at the heart level with my clients?

GIVERS ESTABLISH HUMAN ENGAGEMENT

Givers of the heart establish reputations and rock-solid relationships enhancing their success over the long term. Their human approach to relationships builds trust, encourages open conversation, and creates value for their clients rather than simply claiming value.

A giving approach may not be fruitful in the short term, but I will tell you this... it’s incredibly valuable and powerful in the long run.

"From a relationship perspective, givers build deeper and broader connections."

Adam Grant

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.

You can find more material inside Selling From The Heart.

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. 

I appreciate getting the opportunity to share my stories. Integrating the use of social and sharing my story on LinkedIn was my “game-changer” in the highly competitive office technology world. 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 inside the sales process. You can follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and on my podcast by clicking on Selling from the Heart.

15 years, what were the hot topics in the copier industry? Better times for sure, take a peek at what was cool, what stunk. Take a trip back in time to remember some of the good ole days.  You'll be glad you did!

Most popular threads from 15 years ago this week!\

Interesting about what a difference 10 years can make in an industry.  Just this week Canon profits will drop 80%.  Ten years ago they had posted a profit that had tripled.  Ten years ago clients and sales people alike were all concerned about latent images left on copier hard drives.

Enjoy these threads from ten years ago this week!

Below are some of the threads that were popular 5 years ago this week.  One thread that's great for newbies is State of the "Art" Sales Technology. 

Enjoy these awesome threads from 5 years ago today!

Multiple Copier Pricing Spreadsheet

Art Post · 4/30/1511:12 PM

Another day another dollar, you never know what tomorrow will bring you, the harder you work the luckier you get. 

If you're a consistent follower of my blogs you'll see that I use those statements quite often when blogging.  I've never shied away from hard work in fact I quit high school in mid-way through the 11th grade because I wanted to make money.  Yes,  I had the desire and the determination to make money but I was missing one key factor.  At sixteen I didn't know how to work hard or maybe better yet I had no idea of what hard work was.

It was luck that one night David came over to me and asked me if I wanted to help unload a produce truck one night.  For the next 5 years I put in 12 hours days 7 days a week except for Sundays. Sundays were half days working from 6AM until Noon.  That first real job was were I learned what it's like to work hard and how to work hard.  I took many bruises and bumps in that journey while working for that family.  They were hard workers, they knew how to make a profit and never lost sight of their goals.  It was the work ethic that they taught me that carried me for the rest of my life.  I know I'm not the smartest person out there but given the chance I will outwork everyone else.

All of this leads me to this morning.  Remember the $36k deal that was still in the weeds?  That deal produced a verbal in the AM to move forward and 5 minutes before 5PM I had the order docs in hand.  Even before I had the verbal on the $36K deal I had an email a little after 9AM for a verbal on the $26K deal.  The $26K was the one I thought would move next week.  There was still a few odds and ends I needed to work on for that deal and there will be one more meeting on Monday. It's not done yet but looking good.

Not a bad day right?  Too bad it was a day late to count for the month.  On the bright side it's a nice jump start for April.  Just maybe by Monday night I'll be at $62K and I still have another $60K to try and wrap up for next week.

If some one were to ask me how I got to this point (which no one has), I would tell them that it's about the effort you put forth on daily basis.  In addition I could not have gotten to this point without the support of the people I work with and the dealer principal.  While other companies in our industry have laid-off and furloughed sales people, our dealer principal put his faith in the team and we have responded.  In uncharted territory and unparalleled times our sales staff nearly notched $200K for the week! 

We will continue to work, continue to make the effort, and garner new accounts while our competitors shrink. Bad news travels quicker than good news and those companies that did not place their faith in their team will soon be distant memories in the eyes of their clients. 

Yeah,  I kinda went off there for a bit. I'm no soothsayer but I've been around the block enough to know what the future can hold.  Right now I think we've turned a corner and we're not looking back. There's no reason why we can't turn this event of a lifetime into a positive business initiative.

Everyone have a great weekend.  Bring on Monday!

-=Good Selling=-