Tail Gate Selling

Dust In The Wind

2009-09-18T22:12:00Z

It has been a while since the last time I added to the blog. It's been one of those things. I know you understand: a day becomes a week, which becomes a month, then 2 months, and so on.

It's the paradox of time. We all have the same amount of it. Yet some can seem to get so much done, and it seems as though you haven't accomplished a thing. You put something off and soon time has become a Kansas song "Dust in the Wind".

Has this ever happened to you? I don't think I'm the only one.

The lesson I, and many more have to learn, is to not allow this to happen in the sales world. I don't care if you're selling aluminum siding, landscapes or Spacely Space Sprokets; you can't let time slip by when dealing with customers. This is the quickest way to kill a possible sale, or stall it for a long time. And at this time we all need as much as we can get.

Eric, a friend and pool contractor, told me that he kept getting a call from a client whom they had created a pool and backyard design. The customer kept looking for the quote. The client had paid for the design, but Eric's estimator was to quote a price for the project.

The best part is that the guy came to them for the design and install. Much like anyone he wasn't going to start a project without knowing what it was going to cost him. A month went by from the time the design was done to when he called Eric. Eric of course called his estimator who had let it slip, but was now hard at work on the quote. A week later another call from the client. Same thing the estimator tells Eric its almost done.

A few weeks later Eric decides to stop by the clients home, and the project is a day or two from being complete. The estimator never did the quote so the client found someone else to install Eric's design. The new contractor did a good job, and was more than happy to get the work. They were able to start immediately.

The worst part is it was a sale in hand. They didn't send it out to bid. It was Eric's job. They just needed to know a cost. Needless to say Eric's estimator is gone, and so is a $200,000 + project.

So take the time and think back over the past month. Is there anything that you have let slip by? Is there something that you just haven't gotten to? If so, then pick up the ball and run. Run Fast and get that momentum back. Even if you think you may be embarrassed because of the time frame, at least give it a follow up and see if its still there.

You never know, you may get back to it just before someone else installs your design.

What Changes Have You Made to Sell in the New Economy?

2009-08-13T19:20:00Z

Just as the title asks, what changes have you made to sell in the new economy?

It's no surprise that what worked in the past is not working today. As I travel I find many are struggling, and many are doing very well. All in the contracting business, and no most are not due to price. That is one of the first things I ask, are you doing it by dropping your shorts?

If you're still in business, then you have obviously changed something. It could be your marketing, branding message, even your sales technique or tools. Maybe networking or social web sites are working for you? The contractors that have said, "I've done it this way for 20 years," are hurting.

So what have you changed? What is working or not working for you?

Let us know, and I'll create a feature about it.

10 Quick Networking Tips

2009-07-31T16:44:00Z

Networking is not rocket science, however many people make it seem that way. I hear from many people that they aren't outgoing, or that they're just not that type of person. All that may be true, but you can avoid an anxiety attack next time you attend a networking function.

The following are 10 easy tips to make inface networking easier and more rewarding.

The first thing is to be yourself. People can easily pick up on someone being fake. Just be you.
Remember that everyone else at the event is in the same boat. Many others are nervous and unsure of themselves. Once you realize you're not alone it makes things easier.
Introduce yourself first. One of my problems is trying to remember names. I have learned that if I introduce myself first it will allow me to focus on their name, and will give me a better chance of remembering it later.
Always have afew business cards with you when you go to any type of networkingevent. When I say a few I mean at least 10. You never know how manyyou will hand out. I can't tell you how many people tell me to get back tothem about something, and when I ask they don't have a single card. I watch them dig and dig in purses and wallet to no avail.
Always ask for their card. This will help with any follow-up, and remember to write notes on the back of the card as soon as possible.
Youwill need to attend several times. I hear from salespeople on aregular basis, "I went to one of their meetings one time, and I didn'tget any business out of it." Well of course you didn't. You wentthere with the preconceived notion that just showing up will get youbusiness. This doesn't happen too often. Most of the time I leavewith the names of people I need to get information to, and usually thatinformation doesn't have anything to do with what I sell. What I doknow is that if I can help someone out, they are more receptive to dobusiness with me. Your goal is to become a regular, and known byeveryone there. This way they will think of you when they needsomething you provide.
Make sure you have goals. Many times Iwill attend an event, and my only goal will be to meet 3-5 new people. Especially since networking is a who you know scenario.
Don'tbe one of those guys. I have been to many events where there is oneguy that has to give a business card to everyone in the room. He willinterrupt a conversation just to hand you a business card, and willinstantly move on to the next person. You don't want to be thatperson. Try to have a true conversation with whomever you talk to. Ifyou only get to talk to 3 people then so be it.
Makesure you pay attention to body language. If you come to a group ofpeople who are talking and they are all facing each other, and closedoff to everyone else, then you may want to talk to someone else. Ifthey are standing open to the rest of the room, then it is OK toapproach. Now if you already know the people in the group, then itshould be alright to join in to a closed off group.
Create a follow-up plan. When you get back to the car, office or even home sit down, and create a plan on how you will follow-up with the people that you met. It could be as simple as a handwritten note, or calling to make an in person visit.

My bestadvice is to attend every networking event with an open mind. Younever know what you will get out of it, both personal and business. And above all try to have fun.

Door Hangers

2009-07-27T18:09:00Z

I know, you're thinking - door hangers? Why would I want to use a door hanger? Why do I want to hang something on a person's door to get thrown out like the pizza guy, the maid service, and the Chinese take out menu? Has he gone mad? Maybe, but hear me out.

They're not sexy or original in any way, but the door hanger has been an essential in the contractors marketing arsenal for a long time. Most manufacturers in the contracting world make a generic door hanger that you can self stamp your contact information on. The draw back is that's not very professional looking. They look great for the manufacturer, but the contractor has to worry about things like: did you get the stamp straight? Did the stamps ink come out evenly? These are a couple things that can quickly make you look unprofessional.

So what is a contractor to do? Many go through the expense of printing their own, or using a marketing service to develop and print hangers. The draw back is they all tend to look alike. If you use one of the online marketing services, then your hanger may look just like the other 20 guys in town. If you develop your own, then what do you print on it? What do you put as a compelling messing? You don't want to sound like everyone else.

Now you're thinking the more reason not to even deal with hangers, but there is an original alternative. I wish I could take credit for this one, but I have to give credit where it is due. You may have already seen a version.

This idea came to me from Kevin Burns, a landscape contractor out of Burlingame, CA. His company Maximum Service Landscape uses a door hanger with a little twist. The best part is they work. His twist is they say "Pardon Our Dust". Simple tag line, but it gets your attention. It then goes on to tell you that they are working in the area, and where they are working. This gets the homeowners interested in what their neighbors are doing.

People will drive by the house, and get a good rubber-neck look at what's going on. It get's them curious. The best part is they see your company name on the hanger, they see it on your truck, and your employee's shirts as they drive by. One simple marketing piece gets them to view your company name several times.

The results are far better than a standard door hanger. People stop at the job site, and ask questions. This gives you a huge advantage over the next contractor. They may not need their job done today, but they remember you. Best yet, they get to see your work in person, and every day. Each day they drive by the neighbors house they see your job, and it's a built in marketing piece for your company. What a way to give your company a leg up in a neighborhood.

Make sure you put out a few "Pardon Our Dust" hangers when you start the next job.

Do you have a great little marketing secret? Is there a message that you have used that gets a response? Please share below.

Don't Get Stiffed - 4 Simple Steps to Help Get Paid

2009-07-02T21:57:00Z

As a business person collecting past due accounts was not what I put on my list as a "pro" for going to work for myself. I assume you didn't have it on your list either. However, collecting from clients has become a hardship for many contractors over the past year. We all know the tough toll the economy is taking on our business. We don't need to be adding the weight of reduced cash flow because of slow or non paying clients.

Let's face it, it's hard enough to get a job today let alone not knowing if you will get paid. Even if you have a contract that covers performance payments, you can still get stretched out. Most contractors say they will just shut the job down if they don't meet a payment. That's harder on your cash flow than it seems. Yes, you don't want to keep doing work if there is the likely hood of not getting paid, but what about the money already lost in the job. You have already made payroll, bought supplies, and continue to pay your fixed or hard costs. If they're behind on their payments by all means shut things down, but be ready for the fun to begin.

The secret behind all this is being proactive. Making sure your clients don't move into the 30, 60 or even 90 day range is more important now than any other time in the history of your company.

Fortunately I found an article by Entrepreneur.com that gives you 4 simple steps to make sure you get paid.

Be Proactive. Entrepreneurs don't go through the difficult work of planning and launching new companies to become bookkeepers or bankers. However, proper invoicing and collections are just as important to the success of. . . Read more
Watch For Signs. When a customer offers partial payments or is not answering calls, it's a warning sign, says William Dantin IV, president of the Corporate Investigations Bureau, a national collections agency. Dunn concurs."Businesses should be watching their. . . Read more
Do-It-Yourself Recovery. If an account is past due, business owners may be able to collect by paying a personal visit. Dunn says, "Go see them at work, at the coffee shop, anywhere you know they will be." She believes the next most effective way to get paid is. . . Read more
Seek Professional Help.When delinquent payments are piling up and you spend more time trying to recover the funds than run the company, Dantin says it's time to call in a hired gun, preferably one with . . . Read more

By maintaining proper invoicing and being proactive with your collections, you will be sure that your company and your lively hood don't become a statistic.

New Blog Logo

2009-06-26T13:57:00Z

Over the past week I have had a logo contest company developing a logo for my blog. It's a great service, you get many different designers submit ideas for you to choose. There are currently 58 different entries.

I have picked the 5 that I like, and thought it would be a great thing to have you pick the logo that I use.

Keep in mind that the logo will be used for this blog (which I am planning on changing so it doesn't really need to match this format), and for print material that I have been developing.

The Click on the links below to see the logos, and leave a comment as to your favorite. Thanks for the help.

Logo 1

Logo 2

Logo 3

Logo 4

Logo 5

*Please remember to vote for your favorite in the comments section.

7 Habits Of The Successful Entrepreneur

2009-06-25T15:37:00Z

I recently was "tweeted" a blog post by Dave @themarketmaker (if any of you use twitter, then you understand this part).

The post is a story of spending time with a successful entrepreneur he met in London. Now these 7 habits I have heard all before, but as most I have forgotten them or they are pushed so far back into my mind that I don't think of them.

We sometimes have to be reminded of the basics. Getting back to the basics is what keeps us grounded and focused.

Here are his 7 Habits of The Successful Entrepreneur (in the short form):

Don’t let anyone tell you it can’t be done. Find that out for yourself.
Believe in yourself or no one else will
Everyone will not be your friend.
Enjoy the struggle, it won’t last.
Never give up – adjust your motivation.
Do something now.
Talk to everyone

Again these are just the talking points. If you want to read the whole post then Click Here.

I hope you enjoy it!

Treat Every Customer Like It's Fathers Day

2009-06-22T22:30:00Z

This past Father's Day was incredible. My 5 year old daughter went out of her way, all day, to make sure it was great, and she accomplished her goal. The best part, I did not want for anything.

In the morning, she had coffee, and a bagel ready for me on the back deck. It was a perfect morning, cool and sunny. She read several books to me while we all sat on the deck and enjoyed the beautiful morning. I told her that I needed to mow the lawn. Next thing she was pushing the mower around the corner. Of course I was the one that mowed, but she helped. When I finished with a few other little things with my son, I walked into the house and there she was making me lunch.

As I sat down to watch the US Open she climbed behind me, and gave me the best back massage a 5 year old could. Later there was dinner, and a great sundae for dessert. All along mom was helping her, but she was the one making sure dad was as pampered as can be.

The key to her success was not fawning all over me, but that she new what I was going to need, often before I knew what I needed. Her other success was she told me what I was going to need, and what she was doing to take care of my needs. You see she knew I would be hungry, so she came out told me she was making me the "most wonderfullest lunch ever".

The point is what are you doing to give your customers or prospects the "most wonderfullest lunch ever"?

The key for you to win new customers or fully help the ones you currently have is to get to their needs or expectations before they get to them. You are the professional. You already know before you get there what many of their needs will be.

Think about it this way, everyone wants to be comfortable with the decisions they make. It's especially true for anyone buying your services. They want to know that you are the one for them, and they want to know, after the contract is signed , that you are still the one for them. At every stage of the sale be aware of what they may need, or what issues may arise. Be sure to let them know what may come up, and what you are already doing to take care of their needs.

A few areas to communicate to your clients their needs and wants.

The First Meeting: When you first arrive at a project, you already know what issues will come up. Some of them are trivial, but some may be big. You need to communicate to them quickly and effectively what they are, and what you will do to take care of them. If you have been in the contracting business for more than a year, then you know what issues you will have with a project before they arise. Make sure your client understands them, and what you will need to address them.
Go over the process: Make sure you go over the process with them, and the stages involved in the process. Let them know what they should expect, and the steps to complete the project with you. Remember most people have not dealt with a contractor before. To them it is all new, and you must walk them through it.
Ask For Expectations: You can never anticipate every expectation, so ask what they expect. Ask if they have any special needs. You may be surprised at what they are expecting.
After Signing the Contract: Continue to remind them what to expect next (during all stages of construction). Tell them what issues they may encounter, and let them know what you are already doing to take care of their needs. Above all else communicate any changes or issues immediately. It is important to have crews that communicate to you any issues that may have come up in the field.

The points above will quickly separate you from the competition. You will be seen as the true expert, not the guy who just shook his head and tookmeasurements. Believe me your competitor is not thinking about the customers needs and expectations. They are thinking about signing a contract no matter what and this will show.

The quickest way to sour a customer, or even a prospective one, is to let them expect or want for something. Much like my daughter, your goal should be to take care of their needs before they need anything.

Delivering Value That Sells

2009-06-15T17:54:00Z

Everyone in sales, whether you work for a Fortune 500 company or yourself, must differentiate themselves from the pack. This differentiation, or separation, is your value proposition a term widely used in the professional sales world. The more compelling your value proposition the better.

Wikipedia defines the value proposition as: consisting of the sum total of benefits which a vendor promises that a customer will receive in return for the customer's associated payment (or other value-transfer). Put simply, the value proposition is what the customer gets for his/her money.

Dave Brock examines 5 critical elements about developing and communicating differentiated value propositions in his article for The Customer Collective.

Numbers count, quantifying your value is critical.
If your value proposition isn’t differentiated, the only differentiation apparent to customers is price.
The value proposition must change as you progress through the customer buying cycle.
You have to address the customers’ top priorities and issues.
You win by focusing on each customer’s top 5 priorities.

Element number 4 is very important. Many people forget to look for and address the customers top issues. If you are selling against a company that simply uses a cookie cutter approach to the situation you will win out most times by only following #4.

Want to read the full article? Click Here

Have a great week!

Lessons to Learn from the Economy

2009-05-29T21:15:00Z

Found a great article at Industrial Distribution that gives 6 lessons to learn from the recession.

Cutting prices can kill business.
Figure out that tough is normal.
Get the right vision.
Give customers a reason to have confidence in you.
Give the customer a solution pitch.
Improve customer experience.

Each one of the 6 lessons can be used during a good or bad economy. They are each something that we should all use all the time.

I like the Solutions Pitch idea. I will expand more on that later.

Want to read the article? Click Here

Have a great weekend.

Back to TailGate

2009-05-29T20:53:00Z

Even with how the economy has been, I have been very busy with everything else. However, I am done neglecting this blog.

Keep checking back for more.

Thanks.

How does your book read?

2009-02-01T22:59:00Z

Everyone has heard the old adage that you can’t judge a book by its cover.

Let’s face it, the perception that people have when they first meet you is what sticks in their head. If you make the wrong impression to start, then you will be plagued with it for a long time. It may even keep someone from doing business with you. And in today's market all of this is more important than ever before.

To see what your book’s cover says to people, look in the mirror. Are the clothes that you wear for business suitable for what you do? If you’re a lawyer you wouldn’t wear jeans to work. Make sure that you dress to your clientele. You don’t want to be over dressed, because you may make them uncomfortable or look out of the norm, but at the same time you don’t want to be under dress.

Don’t forget to be presentable at all times. This includes after hours. After hours is what most people forget. You never know if you’re going to meet an important client at the supermarket. If you are in the freezer section in torn shorts and an old-ratted shirt when you meet this person then that’s what they will remember.

Your cover doesn’t only apply to your appearance. There are several things that a person sees that they judge you on other than your appearance. These include business cards, voice mail and answering service.

To many of us, our telephone systems represent the first impression our prospects have of what it is like to do business with us. To find out whether your phone system and procedures are a sales booster or sales buster, try giving yourself a call. There are several things to take into account when calling.

· How many rings did it take until your call was answered?

· If a person answered, were you getting the individual’s attention, or was the greeting rushed and impersonal?

· If you were put on hold, how long did you have to wait until you reached someone who could help you?

· If it were answered by an automated system, would a prospect who was unfamiliar with your company know which option to choose?

· Did your automated system offer the caller an easy way to get to a person?

· Overall, if you were a new prospect, would the handling of your call make you want to do business with this company?

If your phone system failed any of these questions it may be time for a change.

Next look at your business cards. Do they explain what you do? Are they simple and easy to read? Do they have more than three phone numbers listed? If you failed any of these questions then you may need to redesign your cards. Simple is always better, and always remember to somehow explain what you do. Remember when handing out cards, to only hand out crisp new cards. Your cover will be read wrong if you hand out bent or crumpled business cards.

Just remember that even though you may not personally be in front of customers your book’s cover is always being read. Make sure you look as professional as possible at all time. People want to do business with professionals, whether they admit to it or not.