May 20, 2012

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Good Customer Service Gets More Clients

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Recent experience with 3 different companies has made customer service top of mind for me.  We bought furnishings for a Florida winter home from 3 different companies, all to be delivered on the same day.  Not one of the companies has left me with a good feeling of doing business again.
 
After driving 14 hours to Florida last March to shop in person, Company #1 sold me a dining room set, then called me a week later to tell me it was discontinued and they couldn't get it for me. They offered to send me photos via email to buy something else. I asked for credit and bought the same thing at a branch here in Virginia, and drove it down on my next visit.
 
Company #2 sold me a bed with storage drawers in the frame.  When they came to deliver it this week, no storage drawer.  The wrong item had been ordered.  I now have 3 of the 4 pieces propped up against the wall, waiting for some unknown time to get the final piece so the bed can be put together.
 
Company #3 sold me a mattress.  Because of the bed in #2, I needed a "low-profile" box spring to prevent the bed from being too high and fitting the frame correctly. This was noted on the order and on the delivery slip. The box spring they delivered was regular size – so they have given me a temporary mattress and are delivering the correct one 2 days later.  (At least I hope so as this company originally gave me a 9 to noon window for delivery. When no one arrived by 2:30 pm, we called.  They didn't know who we were and asked us to make several calls to become found.) When they finally arrived at 4:30 pm, that's when we discovered it was the wrong mattress.
 
I share these stories not to vent (OK, maybe just a bit) – but to show how vital it is to under-promise and over deliver. Good customer services keeps clients coming back and telling others about you (referrals are always great!)  An American Express Customer Service study showed 73% of customers will spend more with a business providing good service. By providing superior customer service, you stand out from the crowd. It doesn't matter if you are a furniture company, a retail store or a business consultant.
 
The very successful consultant, Alan Weiss says he returns any call he gets within 90 minutes. I believe he does this as I once called him and got a return call in 30 minutes.  The steel drum music I heard in the background supported the fact he was out of the country at the time – and he didn't even know who I was.  I can't say I return all calls in 90 minutes, but I do make it a priority.
 
I freely share my cell phone # with clients and encourage them to use it if they need to. I call it the "bat phone" – and I've never had it abused. Technology has made me even more accessible with Smart Phones and iPads for easy email access. I want to be found – by clients and especially by prospects.
 
What do you do that provides superior customer service?  I'd love any examples you want to share and how they help you get more clients and repeat business.
 
To Your Success!

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The 6 C’s of Marketing for New Clients

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I thought you be interested in some ideas from an internet marketing webinar I attended this week.  While there are some unique aspects of this kind of marketing, the speaker's ideas were practical for any type of marketing.  If you know me, you also know I love alliteration – (the "C" theme below).

Here is my take-away and what I'm keeping in mind in my marketing actions.

1.  Courage
It takes courage to put yourself out there when you are marketing because your consulting practice can be very personal.  This is especially true if you a solo practice consultant. You may worry about whether prospects like you and what you offer. There will be times when they don't get what you do or why they should hire you. So I have to have the right mind set starting out to make sure I do the things that make me uncomfortable.

2.  Compassion
The best marketers get into the minds of their prospects and clients – they know (and understand) what keeps them up at night. People don't buy because they understand you and your offerings. They buy because they feel you understand them. This deeper understanding makes prospects and clients say "they really know me and my needs."

3.  Connection
Marketing is also about building a relationship with your audience. I disagree with marketing out of pain or fear. I want to understand what they fear or causes them pain (that's the compassion) but I also want to be considered a valuable partner by my prospects and clients. As one who loves to build relationships, this is less of a challenge for me than others – but something I want to do better.

4.  Consistency
I've heard this again and again from multiple sources on marketing. Having a plan AND sticking to it is key – you need both and many of us have neither. In addition, you may need to do something 10 or 20 times until you begin to see results. Most people stop too soon – and that's a key difference between an amateur and a professional.  Keep this in mind when starting any marketing strategy such as a blog or newsletter.

5.  Copy
Another repeated idea when studying marketing is the content and titles of your marketing information. I have to admit, this is the area I struggle with the most – making my headlines or subject lines grab the reader and make them want to open and read my content.

6.  Contribution
A speaker at a conference in January challenged us to become famous in our backyard – a challenge I have taken as a mission of mine for 2012.  My goal is to be the best at what I do – by continual learning and practice.  I am also focusing on what I can offer or share with others (prospects, clients, my community) – not just what I need for me to grow my business.

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this – and any other "C" marketing ideas you may have.

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The Day Before Vacation Mindset

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I'm back from Cabo and am taking a little time to get organized and focused before I jump back in into the daily grind. Looking back on my calendar, I realized the week before I left town was highly productive. With time running short, I was totally focused on a tight list of things that had to get done. And they did.

Makes me remember one of Zig Ziglar's lessons: "Treat every day like it's the day before vacation and you will get more work done!"

Before vacation, I had no time to waste. I had an agenda of exactly what needed to be done and I put all my time and attention into doing it. Now that I'm back home, I already see myself slipping into time-wasting behavior, dawdling over unnecessary emails and spending too much time deciding what to do next.

In thinking back to my pre-vacation mindset, I can easily make a list of behaviors that allowed me to get more done during that week:

1. Make a short list of things that must get done. Don't stray from it. Of course, I have my long list. It goes on and on. But my short list is the "High Priority" version, stripped down to the real necessities that absolutely must be finished this week.

2. Do the hardest things first. When I attack the most difficult item on my list first thing in the morning, I'm working at peak energy, when my mind and body are fresh. Once the hardest task is out of the way, everything else on my day's list seems easier.  I don't have that hard task hanging over me, distracting me.

3. Control communications. Usually I check my email and social media several times throughout the day and take calls whenever they come in. These frequent interruptions are seriously distracting. Before vacation, as I began disconnecting, I saw my focus – and productivity – soar.  On vacation, I did check emails – but far less than usual. The world didn't end.  The Lesson: reduce interruptions by scheduling times to take calls, to check email and social media. Set autoresponders and voice mails to let people know when calls and messages will be returned.

4. Delegate others to act. Before leaving on vacation, most of us enlisted others to take over small tasks like watering the plants and collecting the mail. But as soon as we return, it's back to doing it all ourselves. Take a good look at your business and home life and see what tasks you can delegate to others. That frees you up to concentrate on what really needs to be done to move your business ahead.

5. Set deadlines and keep them. With vacation looming, I knew I had to get that short list completed in a set amount of time – before I got on that plane and left the country. I got very serious and focused – and a lot got done. Setting deadlines helps me stick to my list and avoid veering off in other directions.

What do you do before you leave on a trip that helps get things done? Share your thoughts and best tips with other consultants in the comments section below.

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Laser Beam Approach to Getting Clients

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Here in Cabo, Mexico, time share sales is a big business. From the time you get through customs, everyone you meet is trying to connect with you and get you to come to a presentation.  Asking everyone you meet (not for the faint hearted) is one way of stumbling across new clients. Just as a stopped clock is right twice a day, you'll fall into business with enough activity.
 
But it takes a lot of effort and time. Instead of this scatter gun approach, a more targeted solution would be to know exactly what is on a prospect's mind so you can see if your skills/experience offer a solution.  This is a more laser beam approach.
 
If a pressing issue or initiative is already on the mind of a prospect, your transition from prospect to client is halfway there. Uncovering that issue and connecting it to your solution is the other half. The more you know and understand what the propect feels in the important or urgent issue, the better your chance of getting a new client.
 
Consider using these 5 questions to help you get better understand the prospect's need, how important it is and whether you're talking to the right person or not.
  1. What are the key issues or challenges you are facing this year? Don't just think you know what the prospect deems important – hear it from them.
  2. Who do they impact? This might be key for only one area of the organization, or a more widespread challenge. This might be a bigger project than you would have anticipated.
  3. Who is most responsible to solve this issue or challenge? Make sure you are talking to the right decision maker – the one who will benefit (or lose) the most if this issue is not addressed.
  4. What is keeping (or has kept) you from addressing this issue so far? It is good to know what is currently being done – or not done – to resolve this.
  5. How imperative is it to address or resolve this issue right now?  Using a 1-10 rating scale helps both you and the prospect really see how much of a priority this issue is, especially if there is more than one issue on the table.

How do you uncover a prospect's real need, their commitment to resolving their need, and whether they are the right person to talk to?  As always, I would love to hear your thoughts.

To Your Success!

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Your Call to Action to Get More Clients

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Buenos tardes!  I'm having so much fun in Mexico, I forgot today was Saturday.  Of course, if I was more organized, I'd have these written before I left – but that's a topic for another Saturday.
Part of my personal marketing plan to get more clients includes more speaking engagements and teleclass/webinar marketing.
I'm hearing from other consultants that, like me, they deliver great talks or classes. People enjoy us and our information … and we walk away feeling loved and validated, but with not enough prospects.

I've been reviewing this in my practice, and recently had a conversation on this subject with a consultant coaching client. Too often the control or power in follow-up after a talk/class/webinar is given up to the participant when you need to maintain that control. A common action at the end is "email me if you want a copy of my <whatever freebie you're offering>" or a last slide that says "email me for more information…"

Relying on the participants to take action does 3 things:

  1. It makes you dependent on their actions instead of you being in charge.
  2. It loses the momentum, energy and expert status you have while you are in front of the prospect – they're really high on you at this point. Once they leave you, you've lost them.
  3. A Call to Action is having them take action NOW.

Here are 2 options of what I've been doing at the end of my talks – and I'm getting more cards to follow-up with than in the past.  At the end of your talk, ask them to take out a business card. 

Option 1:  Offer information post event
On the back of their card you want them to write #1 and #2.

Next to #1:  Write YES if they want you to email them your slides/freebie/whatever.

Next to #2: Write YES if they want you to call them to do a Free Strategy Session – call it whatever you want.  A free consulting session, a free analysis, etc.  Whatever makes sense for your practice.

Option 2:  Have a drawing

Is there something you can offer post event?  As an assessment specialist, I often offer a free assessment.  What could you offer?  A marketing analysis?  A Free strategy/consulting session (give away if you don't use Option #1).

In either of the options above, you can also ask them to write YES if they want to be added to your newsletter list (if you have one).

Make sure to gring some blank cards for those who might not have one with them – (index card or cut out business card size paper).  Collect all these at the end.  This makes them take immediate action while they're excited, and insures you get their contact information rather than waiting for them to contact you.  This builds your list AND puts you in control.

To Your Success!

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The Challenges of Getting More Clients

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Last week I shared your survey responses on the challenges of being a consultant.  This week I'm sharing your responses on the challenges of getting clients.

Your reported most clients come from referrals – either from referral partners or word-of-mouth.  Many of you have a desire to add more this method by learning to get more clients from online classes, live workshops or speaking.

 Ways to Get Clients
 Use Well Would like to do better
Podcasts 7% 43%
Webinar/Teleclass 0% 80%
Live Workshops
 6% 75%
Speaking 33% 60%
Referral Partners 44% 56%
Word of Mouth
 53% 47%

Getting appointments is important and most seem to feel they are good at doing that.  Having more prospects to call, either for new business or to do more with current clients, is the thing you want to do better. 

Pricing services and shortening the sales process are also important to you.
 
Challenges of Selling Consulting Services
 Do Well
 Would like to do better
Attitude – I hate to sell 47% 35%
Finding Prospects 32% 58%
Getting Appointments 53% 35%
Appointments with the right people 47% 47%
Pricing My Services 33% 61%
Shorten time to get client 19% 69%
More business w/current clients
 27% 73%
 
My thanks to those who completed the survey to help us better understand your needs.  We plan to incorporate these needs into upcoming clinics and Sales Boot Camps. 
 

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts – do any of the survey results surprise you?  Do they match your views on this subject?

To Your Success!

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The Challenges of Being a Consultant

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Several weeks ago, I emphasized the importance of knowing what your target audience thinks are their challenges and compelling issues vs. what you think they are.

I wanted to know more about what's on your mind so I created a survey to learn more of your thoughts on selling your services and getting new business and clients.  The results were interesting – some things have changed in the past few years and some things have stayed the same.

Social Media:

More of you are using social media with 84% of you reporting you have both a Facebook account and a LinkedIn account. It doesn't appear you feel you're using them effectively as most reported they would like to:

  • Be better at their general use as well as using them with more relevance
  • Become a topic thought leader
  • Use them to network better
  • See a better conversion rate with prospects found online
  • Be more consistent with online activity
  • Better balance the time involved vs. the revenue generated

Overall, you felt the challenges of being a consultant included:

  • Finding new business  -               57.9%
  • Pricing Services  -                       52.6%
  • Conflicting Priorities  -                 31.6%
  • Procrastination  -                        26.3%
  • Gaps between projects or jobs  -  21.1%

Finding new business challenges include:

  • Meeting qualified prospects (poor referrals or no money to buy topped the list of poor prospects)
  • Consistent marketing efforts
  • Having a clear verbal and written message of what you do – that the prospect relates to
  • Time to do it all
  • Taking clients you shouldn't because you need the income
  • Staying top of mind with current or past clients for repeat or extra business

When I first had the idea for Consultants Gold in 2009, finding new clients and banking more money were the key needs I heard. Talented consultants were struggling or going out of business because they ran out of money.

Three years later, this need is still strong from consultants – regardless if they are just starting out or have been in business for a while.  It continues to confirm the need for what we do at Consultants Gold.

That's why we offer a FREE monthly TeleClass called Focusing Your Message to Get More Clients to help you better identify your ideal client.  Armed with this focus, you can seek out better prospects, fine-tune your marketing message and activity, and increase your referrals from others because they know who to look for too.  If you haven't registered for this yet, why not?  The only thing you have to lose is the business you would be getting.

To Your Success!

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Does Multi-Tasking Help or Hurt?

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I read a great article by Tony Schwartz in the Harvard Business Review this week entitled "The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time".  He started out by asking the question "Why is it that between 25% and 50% of people report feeling overwhelmed or burned out at work?
 
I hate that frustrating feeling at the end of an office day when I don't feel I accomplished anything – and the day got away from me.
 
It seems life is forcing us to multi-task more often.  My plans to work on something are interrupted by a meeting I have to go to or a phone call from a client that completely changes the plans I had for that hour.  I felt I had handled this better in the past than I am doing lately.  Why is it I get so much more done at 10 pm – after the family is asleep and I'm in my home office? Tony Schwartz's article seems to provide the answer.
 
He writes "It's not just the number of hours we're working, but also the fact we spend too many continuous hours juggling too many things at the same time."
 
What we've lost, above all, are stopping points, finish lines and boundaries…..Wherever we go, our work follows us, on our digital devices ….
 
YES!  It's not simply I'm getting old as my son tells me.  Discussing this today with my personal Yoda, Bonnie Boots – I think it started with the Fax machine.  When you used to tell someone you'd send them something, you had until the end of the day to get it into the mail.  With the Fax machine, we suddenly had to stop what we were doing, walk to the fax and take action immediately.  This has continued to accelerate with first email, and now cell phones and texting.
 
Tony's article peaked my interest, so I decided to research what others thought about the idea of multi-tasking. I was amazed at the amount of data against the idea. When you switch away from a primary task to do something else, you increase the time it takes to finish the task by an average of 25%.  Other research indicated that regular multi-tasking may have negative effects on the brain – impairing focus, learning, personal effectiveness – and even short-term memory.
 

Have you noticed multi-tasking is taking a toll on your memory?  How do you stay focused in a distracting environment?  I'd love to hear your thoughts!

 
To Your Success!
 
 
 
 
 
 
PS:  If you haven't done it already, please "Like" Consultants Gold - and tell your friends.  Thanks!
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Salesperson is Just a Word – You Give it Personal Meaning

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At the beginning of my Sales Boot Camp, we tackle one of the biggest hurdles I see consultants (or anyone who has to wear the hat of Sales in their organization) struggle with.  I call it "Having the Right Sales Attitude".
 
It's important to start here because your Sales Attitude can make or break you.  We are what we think.
 
Sales Person is just a word.  It inherently doesn't have a negative or positive connotation.  It is our perception that gives it a positive or negative connotation. What is your personal image of a sales person?  When asked, many will respond with:
  • annoying
  • pushy
  • just want to get my # so they can get me to buy
  • make me uncomfortable
We all wear a little flat screen TV that sits on our forehead and projects the TV show that runs in our brain.  So our sales attitude affects how we see ourselves in that role – and is projected out to the people we call on. 
 
What does my TV flat screen on my forehead project as my mental image of a salesperson?
  • problem solver
  • resource
  • partner or helper
  • here to help you

Sales Person is not a negative word – it's certain behavior in that role that creates the negative impression.

What is your flat screen projecting to others? Do you struggle with your role as Sales Manager of your company? I encourage you to share your comments below.
 

To Your Success!
 
 
 
 
 
 
PS:  If you haven't done it already, please "Like" Consultants Gold - and tell your friends.  Thanks!
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Consultants – The Positive Energy of Solid Activity

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I have to be honest. My networking and sales activity in the past year had not been up to my usual standards. For a variety of reasons (excuses) that I won't elaborate on, my activity had slowly spiraled down. The results of this slowly reduced activity was more than a reduced income level. I was starting to have doubts about doing this and at times felt a bit discouraged.
 
I was caught in this spiral until the beginning of 2012. Something about the fresh start of a new year snapped me out of it and I went back to basics – sales basics. Almost like a Sales Boot Camp.
 
There is a sales process that works every time – if you do it. After a month of sticking with the basics, I am so excited about my business right now. As a local good ol' boy says, "If I was any better, I'd be twins!"
 
Let me tell you what I learned …
 
Sales Basics + Activity = E3

 

  • Energy – the more activity I do, the more motivated I become.  I see AND run into more opportunities.  And this generates ….
  • Enthusiasm – I see results for my efforts.  It's a great feeling to see my prospect and sales pipeline growing and growing.  And this generates …
  • Earnings !!!  While many of us do this because we love it, until we win the lottery, this is not only a motivating factor in what we do but also keeps us in business.
I share this because I know I'm not alone. I hear it when I go to consulting meetings.  I see great consultants leave the profession – sad for them and for the businesses who won't benefit from their talents. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject in the comments section below.
 
So I'm launching a few virtual sales "clinics". Webster defines clinic as a brief, intensive session of group instruction in a specific skill. I hope you'll consider joining me for a few or all of them.

      If you have any interest and want me to keep you posted on topics and times, email me.

      To Your Success!
       
       
       
       
       
       
      PS:  If you haven't done it already, please "Like" Consultants Gold - and tell your friends.  Thanks!
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