I had a great conversation with a really smart sales executive two weeks ago. We came to an interesting conclusion: it would help him sell more if he were an expert.

Seems to make sense right? If you were an expert, wouldn't it help you sell more? "But" a little voice might be saying in the back of your head, "I'm not an expert". Well, good news. Santa is making anybody an expert who wants to be this holiday season!

Anybody can become an "expert" these days. Due to Web 2.0 tools like blogging everyone can publish. And not only that, everyone can get their word out too. So if you can write, have something reasonably interesting to say, can publish it and then can get the word out so some people read it, you are an expert.

An even if you cannot write to save your life there are other tools available to you to be an expert. If you can speak, you can start speaking at events - online (webinars) or offline (physical events). There are plenty of people looking for speakers (I know, I've run plenty of events in my time as well as been a speaker). Again you just need something reasonably interesting to say and the ability to market it. You can also get into podcasting or video.

What's the point? Well, think about how people feel about buying from an "expert" versus a "sales person". Credibility is one of the key factors in selling. We all try to "sniff out" if someone is credible. If you are perceived by your prospect as an "expert", much of the discussion of credibility (perceived risk for the buyer) will dissipate. It will make your prospecting and closing of deals much easier.

I’ve seen that happen for us over the last few years that I have been blogging. And it accelerated when I started combining my blog posts with those of already “recognized experts”. Not only does our website draw traffic from people reading its content but it exudes credibility to buyers before they consider using our services.

So how about it? "Dear Santa I'd like to be an expert next year"...

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

In the movie Jerry Maguire, when Tom Cruise is in the midst of his proposal to Dorothy, she stops him with, "You had me at hello." Every seller dreams of hearing those exact same words when they approach corporate decision makers.

Unfortunately, the opposite usually occurs. Instead of capturing their prospect's attention, most sellers create resistance with their opening remarks and blow the opportunity.

Why do bad things like that happen to good people?
In short, weak value propositions.

If you're running into trouble cracking into corporate accounts, most likely the root cause is your failure to clearly articulate the business outcomes that customers realize from using your products, services or solutions.

A couple weeks ago, I did a new exercise while training a group of sellers. In small groups, they rated common value propositions that sellers could use when prospecting for new customers.

Using a 1-10 (tops) scale, they evaluated value propositions such as these on their effectiveness in initiating change from the status quo:

__     We offer one-stop shopping for all your (fill in the blank) needs.
__     We're the industry leader in (fill in the blank) and have been
         recognized for our exceptional (fill in the blank).
__     We specialize in ( fill in the blank) and work with well-known
         clients such as Microsoft, Best Buy and Kraft.

After serious discussion amongst the sellers, these value propositions received scores between 4-6. Their rationale? They were nice benefit statements about the company, but not quite as punchy as they could have been.

Since my book, Selling to Big Companies, was required reading prior to the session, I assumed these sellers would ace this exercise. Not so! In fact, they were way off.

The truth is that all the above value propositions really deserve a score of one. Not four. Not six. Just a measly score of one.

"C'mon, Jill," you might be saying. "How can that be? They're not horrible statements. They're nice."

Yes, they are nice. I'll give you that. But they're grossly ineffective and that's why they rated so poorly.

Capturing the Decision Maker's Attention
While those commonly used value propositions listed above might be important at some point in the decision process, they're totally and utterly worthless when prospecting.

When it comes to capturing a decision maker's attention, here's what you need to think about:

• Strong value propositions pique curiosity and entice. When prospects hear them, they want to learn more.

• Strong value propositions create a stark contrast from the status quo. When prospects hear them, they're willing to consider making a change.

Consider this: If you were on the other end of the phone and a seller called with this message, what would your impression be?

"Eric. Jill Konrath calling from Selling to Big Companies. We offer one-stop shopping for all your sales training needs - everything from lead generation to closing. We use state-of-the-art methodologies to ensure our training sticks."

Does it entice you? Not one iota. Does it get you to consider switching sales training vendors? Not likely. Does it make you want to invest lots of money that's currently allocated elsewhere? Not on your life.

Statements about your company and what it does are NOT value propositions. Period. They are not value propositions.

If you want to get decision makers "at hello", you need to clearly articulate the results the customers can expect from using your product, service or solution. That's results, spelled R-E-S-U-L-T-S.

For example, a few months ago I trained the national accounts team of a well-known media company. All sellers identified one large corporate client with whom they wanted to set up a meeting.

As a result of the workshop, 87% of the sales force landed an appointment with their targeted account.

Those outcomes are unheard of in my business. Virtually every Vice President of Sales will want to learn more.

That's the power of a strong value proposition. Even decision makers who weren't considering a change will think it's worth their time to find out about the sellers offering.

If you really want to "get them at hello," then make sure you:

Talk results.
Decision makers don't care about your products or services. They only care about the results they'll see. Stress that and you'll catch their attention. Omit those results and you've lost them.

Get real.
Refer to actual client successes and include measures or statistics. Success stories from other companies in their industry are especially compelling. By giving specific examples, you really pique their curiosity.

Test your message.
After you've planned what to say, ask, "If I were the decision maker, would this message entice me? Would it make me want to spend an hour of my valuable time with this person?"

If your answer isn't a resounding yes, rework and revise your message till it is enticing. Don't leave it to chance. Don't hope that it will work. Your job is to make it so compelling that your decision makers "get it at hello."

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 06:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” -- Mark Twain

Hit, Smashed, Collided
A group of people were shown a picture of an automobile accident and were asked, “How fast were the cars going when they …..?” The blank word used was variously “bumped,” “contacted,” “hit,” “collided,” or ‘smashed.” Groups that were asked the question with the word ‘smashed” gave the highest estimates of speed. The difference in a single word led to the different reactions.

Words matter.

Words Can Make You Money
Everyone is scrambling to find new ways to help them sell more effectively. Products are updated. Materials are redesigned. Sales processes are changed. Any or all of these strategies may in fact increase business. However, there is one very inexpensive area for improvement that is overlooked by most salespeople: language. Improve your word power and you will increase your selling power.

Language and Business
In this culture, the concept of words as serious sales tools (or weapons, depending on your metaphor of choice) may seem silly. However, I would argue that it is precisely because of our cultural trends that the people who use language with precision, creativity, and thoughtfulness will have a distinct competitive advantage and triumph at the end of the sales day, with or without pretty new support materials.

There is a golden opportunity awaiting the articulate salesperson in a culture where the art of language has deteriorated so. (We could discuss our President, but we won’t go there).

Think of the many times you have heard versions of “We provide unparalleled customer service, innovative solutions and strong follow-up to help you grow your business.” (Just once I’d love to hear someone say, “We provide lousy customer service, vanilla solutions, and haphazard follow-up.” just to see how the client will react.)

Are Words Really That Important?
What words do you use to describe what you do, how you do it, and what the benefits are to your clients?

1. What words do you use to earn an appointment or a callback? For example, do you say you want to discuss “X” (advertising, software, or whatever it is you sell) OR do you say you want to discuss some “ideas” to help this prospect “solve a particular problem,” “increase sales,” or another benefit relevant to his business? When was the last time you taped yourself to rate the effectiveness of the individual words you typically choose to use?

2. When you open a business discussion, is every word designed to engage?

3. Do you articulate presentations in the most appealing way or are they filled with cliches and bland language? For example, do you say you have “very effective tools that are easy to use” or that you have “proven powerful tools that unleash the selling power of a team?”

4. Are your questions crafted to elicit the best information while at the same time creating a comfortable, conversational environment for your client?

5. Are your responses to objections strategically phrased so that your client isn’t put on the defensive?

6. When you move to the next step, do you use non-pressuring language?

"He who speaks well fights well.”-- Proverb

Words matter. Put some thought and care into them. It won’t cost you anything except a little thinking time. The result can mean the difference between a “yes” and a “no".

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 05:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When customers perceive the value of a proposition outweighs the risks, then generally speaking they will go ahead and make the purchase.  Customers will often pay more for added value, which is usually related to one of the ”Three Rs”: Reputation/Reliability/Relationship.

Good sales people are able to paint a graphic picture of what is at stake, quantify the value, and help the prospect understand how it will make them feel.  It’s important to really believe in the value of what you are offering, so that you are better equipped to convince your prospects.

If you are unsure about the value your product or service can provide, you will project this unconsciously onto your prospects. Conversely if you are completely convinced that your product or service offers superb value for money then your entire communication, from your voice tone, your eye contact and your gestures will convey ‘VALUE’.

Present your price using the lowest possible denominator
Break down the price into small chunks, such as cost per use or per week.

“And you can enjoy all those benefits for just $200 a week.” The smaller the number the more attractive it will be to the prospect. And it helps put a manageable context around the prospect’s possible outlay.

If you are producing a quotation for a product or service that has multiple elements, itemise the cost for each element. This helps to build the value because prospects can see at-a-glance all the elements involved and the individual prices for each element will be lower than the total sum.

Offer the correct solution
If you have correctly identified the prospects requirements and proposed aligned solutions then the chances are, you won’t be suggesting a ‘Rolls Royce’ version when the customer requires a ‘Mini’. It’s much more effective to give the prospect something they have asked for and makes it easier for them to compare prices. Once the prospect is satisfied that your prices are pretty much the same, you have created a stronger platform to ‘up-sell’ from.

Focus on the difference
Focus on the difference between what they say they are willing to pay, and what you are asking for. This reduces the amount in their mind and is another opportunity to highlight the additional benefits they will gain. For example, “You’ll get all these extra benefits for just (difference in price) a week more than you’re paying at the moment.”

Reduce the price only by changing the proposition
If you need to lower the price, then change the deal. This can help you to maintain your credibility and justifies the reason for you lowering your price. If you simply comply with their request to match a competitor’s price, you imply that you were asking too much in the first instance. Take out aspects of your proposition to bring the cost within their budget.

Compare initial price with long-term value
Ultimately, the price of something is what the customer invests now. The cost is what they end up paying in the longer term. A product/service that requires a higher initial investment may be more cost-effective and provide long-term better value for money.

For example, imagine two brands of dishwashing liquid. Brand A costs more to buy initially than Brand B, yet because Brand A is more concentrated, (feature) it washes twice as many plates as Brand B (benefit). So, overall Brand A is actually much better value in the longer term. In fact, if you calculate the investment per ‘plate’ then you have reduced the price to the lowest common denominator.

You may also enjoy “Categories Of Buyer Resistance"

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We are keen on data here at Sales 2.0. In our telesales operation we recently reviewed conversion data for some of our projects. From that analysis I can reveal to you today that:

The product you sell influences your prospecting outcomes -- a lot!

OK so that's intuitively extra-obvious. But the way management acts in most companies you would think everything, including a “me-too” product in a very competitive market, could be overcome by the sales force. I've heard countless conversations in senior management meetings and with sales people themselves that imply the sales people are at fault in selling such-and-such a product. I don't think so.

Here's some real world data (and yes, some of it makes us look good and some of it less so, but this is perception as I hope you will see below) Ratio 1: we looked at the number of dials our inside sales people are making to the number of conversations they are having and, Ratio 2: the number of conversations they are having to the number of appointments we could set for outside reps.

Here's what we found "Ratio 1", number of dials to conversations, is remarkably consistent, it ranges from 5-15 but the broad average is 10. So when prospecting to people you don't know ("cold calling" but I have an issue with that phrase) it takes us an average of 10 dials of the phone to speak to a decision-maker/executive (does not include speaking to assistants or others).

This data in itself can spawn a whole discussion, "cold calling does not work" or "cold calling does work" - sort of depends which "party" you belong to. But my belief is this number is going to come out approximately the same for everyone who uses basically this same approach since it’s a function of the buyer not the seller (it’s about how busy and screened we all are today).

Let’s look at "Ratio 2", number of conversations to appointments (aka moving the sales process forward). Unlike "Ratio 1" this number varies widely. For some projects we’ve seen this number as low as three (3) at the other extreme we’ve seen this number as high as forty (40) – big difference. And big (big) difference in the happiness of us and our clients (or if you work in an internal inside sales team, or a team doing your own prospecting, your CEO).

OK, so what was the difference in the projects. Did we do a good job on the projects where "Ratio 2" was good and a lousy job where "Ratio 2" was not so attractive? Did we just have "rock stars" on some projects and "losers" on others? No. We had similar people on each team and we constantly try to improve our processes and results.

Taking a more scientific approach (without the usual emotion attached to sales results) I believe the data shows the main variable in all this was the product. In the cases where we were achieving some great results the products are truly interesting to it's market and at the other extreme the products are in a crowded market and their value propositions are not clearly over-and-above their competition.

Of course, there are ways to improve sales results of even me-too products in crowded markets (we talk about them all the time on this website) through smart sales and marketing strategies but ultimately all firms should realize buyers are smart and sales people are not slackers.

Not every product is created equal. Some products are more equal than others.

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I called on a senior IT manager today who told me, “Our policy is to never buy products that embed open source software.”  She is with a large insurance firm (surprise, surprise). The sales rep I accompanied on this call was unfortunately not that seasoned in objection management, and launched into one of those “Get over it” arguments citing the maturity of the open source movement with comments like “You’re buying open-source products today and just don’t know it.”

Use Open Source to Practice Consultative Selling
This was a great opportunity to practice consultative sales (vs. showing off your superior knowledge to a prospect). If you encounter this argument from a traditional slow adopter of emerging technology (and you should do this homework before you call on your prospect) here are some facts I acquired from doing a little research.

Start With An Objective View of Open Source Realities
Sticking with our insurance example, such IT organizations that ignore or avoid the open source issue are free to do so. But it could put them at a serious disadvantage if their competitors are using mature, stable and well-supported open-source technologies (particularly in those applications that give them business advantage in claims processing or managing customers).

Our sales person wasn’t completely wrong. Open source is indeed entering IT organizations that buy from IBM, BEA, Oracle and SAP, all which benefit from the economics of open-source (but choose to not disclose this information to customers with their own version of “Don’t ask; Don’t tell” ).

These vendors don't lead with the open-source argument, anymore than our insurance firm leads with the economics of its Indian-based call center. 

Oracle, for example, embeds the Apache XML parser in its enterprise ERP solution. In doing so, it directs more resources to functions of higher value vs. lower level system software. Customers get high quality software at lower cost.

Provide Risk Management Advice
Open-source does present risk and to not acknowledge this is naive. But this is where consultative sales people can help. If you’re selling IT consulting services, or even open-source products, advise your client to ask vendors how they support technical issues of products that embed open source. Ask how they provide the same level of legal support (for example, with warranty and indemnity issues).

Talk About Business Advantage
If you let Miss Insurance know that her competitors are benefiting from open source, and how, you’re helping her make an informed decision about how she buys. You become a more trusted adviser if you explain it in terms that are as objective and unbiased as possible. Even if you’re selling products with open-source qualities, hence appear biased, you’ve given your prospect some important information about a competitor.

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 05:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Are you pitching your services to you? Or to customers? I still see ego-centric sales pitches coming from even the most seasoned veterans. So here's an important tip: Rather than begin sentences with you -- trying starting sentences with them. It's easy. Just replace words like We with Clients, You, or Your.

For example:

We provide corporate housing in the world's major cities. Our inventory is managed by our central office to help us track availability.

Better

Clients that staff professionals on short term assignments throughout the world benefit from our large inventory of corporate housing. Clients like you access temporary housing in 65 cites across 35 counties. Click here to see what we have available, right now.

Take a look at this ego-centric pitch:

We have used a range of pricing models throughout our history. Our experience in managing different types of projects assures you get the model best designed to fit your needs.

Not bad, but try a more customer-oriented pitch:

Your portfolio of projects doesn't fit into a single pricing model. You need a contract that will deliver the greatest return, based on your desired business outcomes. Talk to us about your project's requirements, constraints and its goals. You'll get a recommendation based on what is best suited to deliver, including customer testimonials and references.

Most sales people have a knee-jerk reaction to begin their point-of-view with where they're coming from.

Why? Because it's natural to think about what we need to be successful. Another way to solve this auto-reaction: Make the first half of your sentence about the customer, the second half about you.

If you make it about them, your prospects will start seeing themselves as customers.

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 05:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Imagine this scenario: The CEO of one of the companies you've targeted gets on an elevator with you. She recognizes you from a networking meeting you both attended and says, "Nice to see you. Tell me what you do again?"

Ah, you've lucked out. She's not getting off until the 10th floor.

Ah, but maybe you're not so lucky. One of my clients recently lamented, "Our elevator pitch requires a building with 700 floors." Not uncommon for IT companies that easily get sidetracked into their deep technology stories, at the expense of their lead business story when faced with an elevator pitch opportunity.

If you're leading with a long story about your underlying technology, you could be losing the business buyer (the one with the checkbook).

Why you should lead with your business story
I'm not saying your technology story isn't important. It is, for the right type of buyer. But your lead story should always be centered around the business problem you solve, even when you pitch the technology buyer. Why? Because it's the IT buyer's job to sell the business.

Once you've told the business story, you should have your technology story ready to go, if it's appropriate -- or if the buyer asks you to tell it.

How many floors does your elevator pitch require?
Designing an elevator pitch that will get you to the 10th floor is optimistic. You should assume your prospect is getting off at the fifth floor.

How do you write an elevator pitch?
Simple. Use the SIR method (situation, impact, resolution). Cite the common situation faced by your prospects, the impact it has on their business and how you resolve it.

For example:

Acquisition is a common strategy for achieving aggressive growth. But the time and costs of integrating a new acquisition are huge. Our services consistently cut integration time in half, in many cases up to 70 percent.

Or

Southern California's water problem isn't going away anytime soon. Lawns and gardens are getting brown and unattractive as municipalities limit water consumption. Our landscapes require 90 percent less water than traditional approaches - and they don't compromise beauty.

Use your elevator pitch to tell a story
Notice that these pitches tell a story, by framing your solution within the impact your prospect's situation is having on them. A story is more compelling than one liners, for example, "We are landscape architects" or "We do post-merger integration."

For a variation, switch things around. Start with your "seven word blurb" then support it with situation and impact.

For example:

We help companies avoid employee lawsuits. Over the past 10 years, such law suits have risen 500 percent as companies merge, get acquired or downsize - costing business over $80 billion last year.

With the S.I.R. technique, you'll get your elevator pitch to three sentences. You'll easily get it out by the time your prospect reaches the fifth floor - or even the mezzanine.

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 06:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Imagine that you have a business problem and are evaluating companies to help you solve it. You can choose a generalist that claims to do everything for every scenario or an expert that focuses on solving exactly the kind of problem you have, for companies just like yours, with a track record of success.

I’ll bet you pick the expert, which demonstrates the advantage of vertical or niche marketing.

If you’re a general service provider or reseller, whether you like it or not, your company is probably perceived by prospects as one of a large group of possible suppliers, perhaps one of thousands. This makes it a struggle to break through the noise. Prospects will find it difficult to determine whether your company may be their best choice.

The answer is to position and communicate your company’s expertise within particular verticals or niches. Rather than try to market to the whole world, pick particular industries, applications, geographies or companies of enough size that you are best suited to serve–then focus your marketing.

Get familiar with your market
Find out where decision-makers, recommenders and influencers from these companies hang out. What trade shows or conferences do they attend? What associations do they belong to? What newsletters or magazines do they read? What websites do they visit? Use what you learn to determine the best lists, databases and marketing tactics for delivering your lead generation messages to these key people.

Speak directly to your market’s needs
Next, create one-to-many marketing messages and one-to-one sales materials that directly address the vertical or niches you intend to pursue. Mention the specific problems and business pains they face. Use lots of key words and images in your materials to let these prospects know you are speaking directly to them. Even your slogan should speak to your target market. Examples include: “Specializing in accounting services for small and midsize retailers in the greater Chicago area;” “Software Solutions for the Restaurant Industry;” “The Healthcare Supply Chain Experts;” and “Retail Displays for the Wine and Beverage Industry.”

Use a variety of offers
Be sure to include lots of offers in your marketing materials, designed to elicit a response and start the sales process. Educational offers such as how-to guides, buying guides, white papers, case studies and invitations to events on relevant subjects are the basic tools for eliciting responses from prospects.

Consider multiple stages of the buying process
Consider tailoring your lead generation offers to appeal to people at different stages of the buying cycle. This could mean offering a white paper or executive information kit for prospects who are early in the process vs. a seminar invitation for those in the middle and a free consultation or needs assessment for those who are closer to being ready to buy.

Demonstrate your niche expertise
Leverage your certifications and other credentials, your client list and case studies that specifically address your vertical or niche market prospect’s industries or applications. And liberally season all your marketing and sales materials with testimonial quotes from happy customers in specific situations your prospect faces.

Vertical marketing will help your company be perceived as the right solution that your prospects need. The result will be a competitive advantage and more sales.

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 05:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If you disagree with the statement, you're a corporate-centric organization. And you may be one of the reasons only 12% of IT buyers surveyed by the CMO Council believe B2B technology vendors are customer-centric.

If you don't think you're part of the problem, take this little test.

Go to your own web site. What's the first word of the first sentence? If you're like most organizations, it's the name of your company, the word "we" or "our." Now look at the next sentence or paragraph. Ah, there you are again. It's a problem easily corrected, by simply flipping the focus of your messages from you -- to what you do for customers.

For example: Cisco says, "Our IOS Software delivers a seamless integration of technology innovation, business-critical services, and hardware support."

A quick study of their solution reveals that "IT managers quickly scale 24/7 environments, maintain high availability - and protect their existing investments with self-healing Cisco routing systems."

Check out Accenture. They love to talk about themselves. 

"Our proven change management approach enables organizations to identify the changes needed to achieve high performance. Our research and insights bear this out."

Okay, Accenture - bragging points are fine. But you could have just as easily said,  "Many organizations achieve higher performance from process change using the proven business transformation techniques of Accenture." 

Organizations like Accenture and Cisco are not alone. Go to any web site and you'll see corporate-centricity is everywhere despite what we were taught in Marketing 101.

And of course, the mother of all software companies (Microsoft) says:

"We take on big challenges, and pride ourselves on seeing them through. We hold ourselves accountable to our customers, shareholders, partners, and employees by honoring our commitments, providing results, and striving for the highest quality."

Certainly admirable stuff, but again, it's all about Microsoft. Check out microsoft.com and you'll see most sentences begin with the name of a Microsoft product. It's rarely about you.

It's an easy habit to break. Just remember, when a prospect says "What do you do?" they are really asking what you do for them.

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 06:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When you make an offer to a prospect, you have to give them something to believe in. This something is evidence in support of them realizing the benefits of your offer. In other words, you have to convince your prospect you can deliver everything they are buying – not your physical goods and services, but the benefits they expect to enjoy.

Here are eight reasons your prospect can believe in you and your business:

• Risk reversal guarantee. Take the risk out of being a customer. Get creative. Offer a guarantee only someone who is supremely confident in their abilities would ever dare.
• Industry awards and recognition. If you’ve won any relevant awards, display them.
• Testimonials. Testimonials from relevant sources are extremely convincing of your ability to deliver your stated benefits.
• Pedigree. If you have a rich heritage, relevant to your offer, tell everyone.
• Degree. If education counts in your business and you have a lot of it on staff…let us all know about it.
• Publication. Wrote a book? Had an article published? There are few things that impress or say you’re qualified like having something in print.
• Industry Affiliations. You are known by those you keep company. Be sure you participate in a meaningful way, not just pay dues and attend meetings.
• Case studies. Write a paper on a success you’ve significantly contributed to.

There are eight ways to provide proof to a prospect that you can deliver the benefits you offer. Through a combination of these eight ideas, you need to provide your prospect overwhelming evidence you are the right business to engage in a relationship with and become a customer.

And don’t give a prospect one reason to be a customer, give them more reasons than they require.  When convincing a suspect to become a prospect or a prospect to become a customer, it's not a good time to be modest or hint at the confidence in your offer.  

What would you add to my list?

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 04:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

You may think your message is good, and perhaps it is. But is it unique or does it sound like everyone else in your space?

Take Accenture. Its message about business performance improvement is not unlike the other six million hits you get when you Google "business performance consulting."  However, as colleague Ron Hubsher (of Sales Optimization Group) likes to point out, "You don't have to be good if you're a premium brand." Ron argues that companies like Accenture tolerate mediocre sales people since seasoned consultants and brand equity really do the selling.

But, if you don't have brand recognition on par with global giants - and your message isn't that different from those that do - you'll remain stuck in the noise, particularly if you're in a mature market. Sales people get quickly discouraged when they work for boutique firms or startups that have little message distinction from the trusted brands.

When I did the "seven word blurb" exercise last night for a bunch of Wharton grads, they did some good work.

By way of review, I ask workshop participants to tell me what they do in seven words or less, in language their grandmother would understand. These Wharton guys (which included some crashers from NYU, Columbia and MIT) did some good work. But you certainly don't have to attend B-school to get good at this. You just need to know what you do.

Here are some of last night's "before and afters".

Before: I provide legal advice.
After: I help employers avoid employee law suits.

Before: I'm a CPA.
After: I'm an accountant that helps business people make money.

Before: I'm a financial planner.
After: I help people organize their financial lives.

Before: I'm in competitive intelligence.
After: I help companies take market share.

I really loved the last one, but they are all good because they 1) address what the individual does for customers and 2) encourage the listener to ask a question.

This last point is especially important - because the goal of your seven word blurb isn't about being conclusive in what you do (after all, how could you really do it in seven words or less?) but more about titillating one's curiosity.

Is there anyone out there that doesn't want to know how they can take market share? Anyone? I couldn't wait to ask Bill Feuss (who heads William Feuss & Associates) how he does it. And he had some fascinating ideas and techniques that I didn't know about - that help companies take share faster and with less cost than you might think.

Good messages encourage prospects to engage in conversation. And isn't that what selling is all about?

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 04:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I often ask sales people to describe what they do in seven words or less. Many initially say they can't possibly communicate the complexity of what they do in seven words. But they can - and they do.

For example:

> We help you comfortably retire. (Fidelity)
> We protect companies, lives and reputations. (GE Insurance)
> We help companies do business online. (IBM)

When I did this exercise for a bunch of Wharton graduates recently, someone asked, "Why seven?"

Studies have shown that there's actually a natural rhythm and ring to the number seven. George Miller (a cognitive psychologist) in his 1956 paper, The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two, details why seven is pretty much the cut-off point when it comes to recalling things like lists or quotes.

One account executive pitched the services of his firm to me the other day - telling me how his company could conduct leadership coaching for the CEO - and offer management techniques for developing greater influence with boards of directors. The company also helps its clients develop recruiting strategies to attract top talent and develops programs for employee retention. They help companies create innovative techniques for improving HR performance - and "oh yes," he concluded - "we also do HR outsourcing and we have unique insight into change management and succession planning."

Without looking up, how many of these services can you recall?

If you're really good, you'll remember seven, but most people will recall three to five. To improve retention, Miller suggests we put things in categories, something the human brain responds to quite naturally. So the next time you articulate a barrel of benefits, take a step back, think of natural categories - and you'll make a more memorable impression.

The next time this eager account executive calls on someone, he's promised to focus on two things: Leadership and Talent. Now isn't that much easier on the memory?

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 05:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 02:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If I asked you to write a brochure for Fortune 500 CEOs, you'd probably keep it at a high-level (one of those terms I despise, but use anyway) and you'd likely use words like competitive advantage, bottom-line business performance, innovation and globalization. All issues that your CEO audience faces everyday.

But let's tweak the assignment a bit. Write the brochure for Jeffrey Immelt. (If you don't know who he is, get out now).

Your bullshit barometer may come down a bit. You won't be quite so patronizing in your language. You'll read your standard CEO-type phrases and realize how pedantic they've become. Why?

Because when you picture someone like Jeff Immelt reading "Today's corporation needs to build innovation into its everyday culture to stay competitive in an increasingly global economy," you might even groan, because you know that's what he would do. After all, you haven't told him anything he doesn't already know (the number one failure of most marketing communications). You've haven't educated him. You haven't even said anything profound. So why should he continue reading?

Our colleagues in User Interface Design create User Personas to avoid this scenario. They already know users want computer-based applications that are intuitive and friendly. They know users prefer simplicity over complexity. Good GUI designers don't waste time on creative briefs that deliver historical analyses of what they already know. They conduct fresh "user research" to intimately understand what their audiences expect, but more importantly, how they behave and how they've changed.

Sometimes the person is real (based on some laboratory style observations) or fictitious. But even if they are imagined, the interface is designed around the known personality and behavior traits of an individual, not a bulleted lists of responsibilities  and tasks.

Dave Clark, a user interface designer for TandemSeven explains it this way: 

"Applications and portals that are based on user attributes alone often become overwhelmed with too  many features as baffled designers and developers cram in more capabilities and complexity. Personas bring the focus back to real people -- with a fresh view that can be a source of innovation. User research typically uncovers insights into unarticulated, unimagined new services and capabilities."

If you write for executives, try to get above the usual cliches. Do some digging and read about executive attributes that are personal and real. For example, read what Executive Coach Rich Gee said about senior executives in our recent interview:

"As individuals advance to executive levels, development feedback becomes increasingly important, more infrequent, and more unreliable."

Or what Eliza Collins, a frequent writer about executive success, has to say in her book Making it in Management:

"Successful executives have the capacity to tolerate ambiguity as well as possess the fortitude to be tough when necessary and to not give in to others' ideas of what is right."

These two observations of people who work with executives everyday show us that it is "lonely at the top" -- not in a cliche sort of way, but with some insight that is based upon their personal experience with executive interaction, not just something they've read or heard.

If you do some deeper homework about your audience using practices our colleagues in GUI development employ, you'll see your communications become more relevant, and more insightful.

Rather than write a brochure for a mass CEO audience, try speaking personally to just one of its participants. Think of an executive you know personally or read one of the many Jeffrey Immelt interviews. Then write him a letter. You'll be surprised at your more
conversational, more personal style. 

You might actually knock your copy up a notch or two with something like, "Several leading executives recently shared the techniques they use to burn their visions into the minds and spirits of their boards of directors. And you know what? They don't use board meetings. They don't depend on golf. And not one of them has ever engaged PowerPoint."

That might inspire a CEO to keep reading more than recounting something he or she already knows. By doing some audience homework, you'll become a source of insight, not a history lesson.

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 05:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Nobody wants to buy your product, service or solution. Nor do they even want to hear about it - unless they're desperately in need of a solution.

So what do most sellers do to remedy this situation? They try to convince prospective customers just how wonderful their offering is. As I repeatedly mention in Selling to Big Companies, this self-serving pablum actually turns customers off.

Six months ago, David Meerman Scott, in partnership with Factiva, wrote The Gobbledygook Manifesto. This blog post analyzes business terms used in over 388,000 press releases sent in 2006. Like me, David  has a real aversion to  companies who describe their offering as flexible, robust and world class.

When you use these types of terms, you may think you stand out from the crowd. Instead you sound just like everyone else - including all your competitors. You'll be shocked when you take a detailed look at his Gobbledygook Volume Analysis.

If you want to be successful in sales, use value propositions. Focus on the tangible business results your product or service offers. For more info on this topic, check out:

•  Making a Difference
•  Stop Sounding Like a Self-Serving Salesperson
•  Developing Strong Value Propositions

You might want to also check out David's follow-up article to his initial gobbledygook post on "Online viral thought leadership works - here is the proof."

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 04:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

"93% of business owners who have used the system have experienced a 34% increase in their total number of clients and a 42% increase in sales in the first year alone."

This comes from the dust jacket of a new book (Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port).  I chuckled when I read it because it may be a little over-the-top but it does demonstrate the value of using numbers in a value proposition.

I have found over the years that adding numbers to my phone or in-person introductions greatly increases my success in getting a “tell me more” reaction (usually what I want).

This works for cold-calling scripts, networking events, presentations and printed collateral. So when developing something to say consider finding some statistics to incorporate into your message. 

$$$ figures work best - since everyone understands money. 

Most companies struggle to find hard monetary payoffs from their clients’ use of their products/services.  However, you can often approximate payoffs by considering some operational improvements you made to your client's business and then estimating $ savings attributable to these improvements.

So next time you want to get through to someone consider the power of numbers.

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 05:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here are several excerpts from The 7 Deadly Sins of Marketing Professional Services Online:

Selling intangibles is hard work. Putting together a successful Web site that peddles intangibles is even harder.

Lawyers, architects, engineers, designers, ad agencies, physicians, and other professionals don't, however, seem fazed. That's particularly true of the legal world, where no self-respecting law firm would be caught dead nowadays without a Web site.

Here's a look at the top sins that many professional services sites—maybe most—commit:

1. Self-centeredness - This is the deadliest sin. Buyers come to sites for assurance, not ego trips. What buyers want is comfort. That means offering a site that shows "We know you, your business, and your industry—and we've solved the kind of problem you have.

2. Wordiness - There's way too much black on most professional sites, and way too little white. Long words in long sentences making up long paragraphs stuck in long bios, long service descriptions and the like. Gray. Dull. Boring. That's how most pages on professional sites look.

3. Jargon - Technical jargon doesn't provide comfort. For starters, it doesn't get read. Too hard. What it does—read or not—is send a message to those of us who aren't blessed with a medical degree or whatever: It says arrogance. "We matter. You don't."

4. Staleness - It takes a lot of dedicated resources to keep a site fresh—something the top firms and practices have begun to recognize. Web sites cannot be maintained out of a part-timer's back pocket.

5. Cliché images - What few images you do find on a lot of professional sites are typically worn out and predictable.

6. No images - I know. Lawyers are going to argue that they're not in a world that lends itself to being visual.

7. Rigidity - Too few sites knit their pages together. The best ones let the user graze on information, a bite here and a bite there.

Let's be fair. Web sites for professional services have a limited purpose. They principally help architects and lawyers and such get found. Not get picked.

But even if they exist mostly to soften the sale, shouldn't professional service sites do that well? A good site might or might not win work. But a bad one might lose an opportunity. Or, at best make it harder to cash in.

And, who needs harder?

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 01:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I come across many IT companies that are struggling to teach their sales people to sell to business executives rather than to IT people.  Meanwhile the CIO (who nearly every IT sales person claims to sell to) is becoming more and more of a business person and less and less of an IT manager.

In his blog Richard Fouts gives a good overview of the modern CIO (this is the 25th anniversary of the coining of the term "CIO") and points out that most CIO's now report to the CEO and rank defining corporate strategy as one of their top three responsibilities.

So whichever way you slice it, sales people in IT companies are going to have to sell to business executives not just "techies".  Clearly with the CIO's role changing to focus on business issues IT sales people will have to thoroughly understand their prospect's business even when talking to the CIO.

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here is my plea to business communicators everywhere  -- please take another look at your corporate descriptor. Would your grandmother understand it well enough to tell her friends "what you do?"

Consider this descriptor from an up-and-coming software company:

"We market enterprise mobility solutions that let you capitalize on the powerful new advantages of the real-time enterprise - accelerating revenue growth, productivity, operational efficiency and profitability, helping you make faster, better decisions."

Yikes. I challenge anyone to tell me what this company does (in words my grandmother would understand).   

What's Your Seven Word Blurb?
Ilise Benun mentors business executives and marketers in the art of self-promotion. Her seven-word blurb exercise has you express what your company provides in seven words or less. By keeping it this short, you're not tempted to throw in a bunch of words that don't add value. For example:

Good: We sell retirement plans.
Better: We assure you retire comfortably.

Good: We offer vacations the whole family will enjoy.
Better: We market family leisure and fun.

Good: We make movies.
Better: We market entertainment

I know what you’re thinking. Consumer communicators have it much easier than we B2B types and you’re not entirely wrong. Business is complicated. And IT companies, in particular, are challenged.  Here are some that are good, but could be even better:

Good: M5 Networks outsources IP phone systems.
Better: We relieve you of managing telephone systems.

Good: GEInsurance sells a wide range of insurance products
Better: We protect people, property and reputations.

Good: IBM helps small companies get on the Internet.
Better: We help small companies do business online.

If organizations as big and complex as IBM can do it, so can you.  Remember, it's hard to write short so give yourself a break. Just keep asking yourself if grandma would get it.

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 05:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

This is a good concept for all services firms.  A way to make your services mean more to your buyers, from John Jantsch's blog...

What's in a Name?
I discovered long ago that there is a hidden tool in most small businesses that can aid in this task.  The tool is so simple you may be tempted to ignore its value, but read this post, look around and bit and give it a try. You may find that it immediately adds impact to your marketing efforts.

And the tool is...Give every customer-based process you engage in a name. Name every service, every add on and every checklist no matter how utilitarian.

So now instead of just telling a potential client that you will do a good job listing their home for sale, tell them that you have the "Super Power Seller 18 point Home Listing Process" that guarantees no stone is unturned when listing their home.

It may just be semantics but it makes the prospect come to the conclusion that you really have it together. You probably have just such a system anyway, you simply aren't using its existenceas a marketing tool.

Your product/service names can help drive home your core marketing messages too. I have a client that develops software for organizations and they found that many of their engagements came when another software developer couldn't complete a project. (a very common industry challenge)

So, they created a product named "Perfect Rescue" The product is really little more than a formalized description of the various types of rescues and the procedure the ensure a smooth transition to their services, but the impact with prospects is significant. The name goes in a family of solutions such as Perfect Coaching and Perfect Vision.

Giving something a name makes it feel more important and more valuable to your prospects. Packaging a service or process with a name generally allows you to charge more too.

Posted by Sales 2.0 at 03:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)