Technology and work overload have made it easy to lose the personal touch. Even pushing messages out through social media can be very one way – unless you are in a dialogue.
The good news is that with so many professionals only focused on technology ‘touches’ it is easier than ever to create a memorable WOW experience for your contacts!
Sometimes the small touches matter more! Easy wows that take little time and money:
- Send a handwritten personal note. Attach a copy of something interesting you have ready lately that would be interesting to them. Your note can be as simple as “I thought this would be of interest to you.”
- Share something inspirational. Find a quote and add it to your email signature. Change it often.
- Call someone without a sales reason – thank them for their business and let them know you value their relationship. Keep it short -though often they will want to chat longer if it is all about them!
When you Wow your contacts with the small touches – they will remember you when the BIG opporutnity arises. The 5 minutes you spend on the small things do matter. It’s one of those ‘Just do its’ that we need to make time for.
I suggest you make time today to Wow one prospect or customer. Then do it again tomorrow!
What else do you do to wow your customers?
p.s. Today as I head to the women’s sales experts conference, Shebang, one of our preparation items is to share our “$1 idea” – a small thing we have done in the past year that has helped in some way. I’ll share the ideas discussed with you next week!
Filed Under: Marketing Tips, Sales Tips, Success Tips
Tags: prospecting, Sales Tips
Today I facilitated a workshop with a group of 40+ realtors. Our topic? Referrals! Instead of coming in and telling them what to do – collectively their years of experience FAR outweighed mine – I used a Sharpenz ready-to-go sales training kit instead. 
The format included each person identifying “I wish I knew” items on referrals as a rookie and as they look at what is needed the next six months. I circled the room and listened to what they were sharing…solid reminders and principles of referrals. Here’s a dozen tips for you to ponder and act upon.
- Ask for referrals consistently.
- Have a plan for asking.
- Identify Howto ask in a way that is comfortable for you. Some like humor, some asked in writing, others at certain points in the relationship.
- Have a process of follow-up to the referrer. Lots of discussion around whether you should reward the referrer in some way.
- Tap into the need for many people to help. Ask for their help!
- Assure the referrers of your intentions and what you will do with the contact information.
- Be timely in contacting the referral.
- Do not ask for their entire contact list.
- Be specificin what information you would like.
- Use social media outlets when possible.
- Be sincere and honest (someone suggested saying “I get referrals from every one of my clients.” and the group said if it wasn’t true, then you would break trust.)
- Always be thankful – state your appreciation and then assure them how you will use the information they shared.
Taking action on these tips will increase your ABILITY to earn valuable referrals.
There’s so much more to referrals. What’s your best tip?
Filed Under: Marketing Tips, Sales Tips
Tags: prospecting, Referrals
Wouldn’t it be great if sales opportunities truly ‘dropped in your lap.’ Well, sometimes they can … if you are looking for the opportunity!
Some people call them ‘trigger events’ others call them ‘golden opportunities’ and still others say ‘I was in the right place at the right time.” All great things when you are on the positive end of that luck! But the very successful find their luck – they don’t wait for it!
In my hometown, we are recovering from strong storms and a tornado that hit Monday night. Much of the damage is literally 250 yards from my back door! It was that close! So yesterday as I watched dazed people try to take it all in and stand and ponder,,I also noticed people finding their luck in the situation!
Proactive contractors and ’handymen’ were on the scene, offering help and services. Within hours chain saws were whining, dump trucks were hauling away debris, and roofs were being repaired. Tornados are NOT common in this area – did these people have this included in their annual ‘plan’ this year? Most likely not.
What they did was KNOW the value they bring and when they saw an opportunity – they acted!
How do you use this approach in your work? Well, its time to start FINDING your luck and opportunities! Some tips:
- Set up Google Alerts for terms, companies, names of individuals who you want in your sales pipeline.
- Read the blogs, magazines, publications that relate to the industry, type of business and geographic area that they operate in.
- Set up and then follow a system to regularly review what is going on and then…
- Act and make contact when you can.
A company I had a meeting with a while back was not ready to do anything – they definitely have a need for our sales and leadership training, but they had a Senior Executive who was not wiling to do anything. Last month, there was a Google Alert for the company that said he had left the company! I didn’t pounce right away…I gave it two weeks for the dust to settle and then called the next-in-command. It was the perfect opportunity to open the door of opportunity again!
If you want to make the most of the rest of this year…make the time to find your luck today!
Catastrophe or Opportunity?
Filed Under: Marketing Tips, Sales Tips
Technology and work overload have made it easy to lose the personal touch. Even pushing messages out through social media can be very one way – unless you are in a dialogue. 
