Simply Good - Janice Myint At Technorati
I’ve been fighting for my blogging existance with Technorati for over 2 weeks. Tonight, after reading and responding with several comments to a post at Successful Blog, I found one of the best Go-To people I’ve ever had the pleasure to do business with, as far as the blogosphere goes.
Normally, the blogospherians are not as skilled as the offline business world, due to the fact that anyone with access to a computer can blog for little or no money. That ain’t always a good thing, nor is always true, but it’s a bigger part of the equation than I care for it to be.
I’ve had several emails with David Sifry, the Techno-czar there at Technorati and was not thrilled with the fact that they weren’t able to find the 13 blogs of ours that had disappeared from their index. They did email back and forth several times, but never followed up with me.
Tonight, my blog friend Liz Strauss, the blogging czarina behind Successful Blog, had a conversation with Janice over there and within minutes, she had all of our blogs back in the index. Minutes.
You’d think I should be ecstatic, and I am, but what I would like to know is why couldn’t anyone else perform this magic ? Minutes. That’s all it took.
I’ll tell you why. They didn’t care as much as she did. Plain and simple. And if you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know I can only do simple. I ain’t smart enough to be anything but simple.
Here’s something we can all take away from this… A Guide To Simply Solving Problems.
Here’s the 3 magic steps she took, more or less, and it’s not that big of a secret, but it’s effective.
1) Ask what the problem is. Don’t guess. It takes about 1% longer to clearly identify the problem. Never think you know what they need, ask what they want you to do.
2) Fix the problem. Solve the dilemma. Cure the crisis. Undo the knot. Whatever you gotta do, do it.
3) Let the person know you fixed the problem. Tell ‘em you’ve saved the day. Follow up and make sure you really fixed it. Don’t think you did, find out if you did.
If you care enough to try, go ahead and care enough to get it done. You’ll have invested about 1%, maybe 2% more effort and the payout is exponential.
Now, do me a favor and do a post, Trackback or whatever and let the world know that there is in fact an individual at Technorati who cares and who can get it done.
They’ve taken a lot of flak and some of it rightly so, but at least one person over there cares.
BTW - Do you think we could get some of the blogs tagged ” golf ” to actually be about golf. The #1 blog tagged ” golf ” is about a freakin’ VW car ! And most of the Top 20 is about something other than golf.
How about we find a person who contacts the blog owners and tells ‘em to re-tag their blog and if they don’t, de-index the heck out of ‘em !
Wouln’t that be better for the users who search for blogs tagged “ golf ” and find the #1 blog is about a stupid car ?
Sounds simply smart to me. And you know I like simple.
Sales Gaps - How To Avoid Them
Sometimes it’s the things we don’t do that hurt us more than the things we do. In sales, this is probably more often right than wrong.
Very often, our sins of omission are more penal than our sins of commission. Forget to send a quote or bid and you don’t get the job. Forget to send that fax and someone’s going to be mad. Let that pile of papers sit too long on your desk and see if it doesn’t cost you some business.
We all forget, so I hope those that we forget remember the last time they forgot and cut us a little slack. But don’t bet on it. You’ll never cause yourself a problem by checking and rechecking to see if you’ve completed all of that days tasks, so feel free to do just that.
Sometimes we take a long time customer for granted and lose business that way. My all time favorite TV commercial is the old United Airlines commercial where the boss comes in with airline tickets for everybody. They’ve gotten to used to sending a fax and a phone call, but no personal visits. He’s going to see the old customer who dropped ‘em and started all of this. You’ll never lose a sale by being attentive, responsive and available, so feel free to be all three.
There are many reasons for why we have sales gaps, so over the next few days, we’ll look at those and see if we can learn how to eliminate or at least minimize them.
Hang on, this rides gonna be bumpy !
What Makes A Good Sales Contest ?
What makes a good sales contest is no easier to define than what makes a good salesman. There are obviously far too many factors to consider to say one or two are the deciding ones. And each situation will dictate which factors are key.
But, for those of you whoo need someone to foolishly make a statement, I’ll go ahead and point out a few of the most important factors.
Timing. How often you run a contest, how many you’ve done as of late, the time of year,etc. These are integral parts of the equation of a good sales contest. Most companies don’t have enough and they wait too long in between. Also, they make them last too long, when they do run one. Consider a short, quick, unannounced sales contest to shake up your sales force and their habits.
Theme. Old theme, new theme, one theme, two theme. Who knows which will do best ? Not I, that’s for sure. I don’t know your market or team. Try ‘em all. Try a ” The Search For Missing Sales ” contest. Challenge your team to find new business with old customers. Or how about a sales contest themed ” Lost ” ? Find the missing sales ! It might be just what your Lost ( the TV show ) addicted sales team needs.
Showmanship. Do you have you a multimedia presentation that doesn’t seem to excite your prospects anymore ? Have a contest to see who can come up with the most addictive, powerful, exciting, informative multimedia presentation and then give the winner’s presentation to your whole force. I’d pay to have mine done professionally, just to try and win and not have to use someone else’s presentation. Might work. Might not.
Follow-up. If you don’t follow your contest all the way thru and execute all the details exactly, you’ll end up with a sales team that doesn’t get excited by your ideas, because they know you’re all bark and no bite. Put the busiest, most anal-retentive person you employ in charge and let ‘em torture your sales force with follow-up !
Payoff. It’s as important how you pay as it is what you pay. A presentation in front of everybody is 100 X more powerful than an envelope thrown on a desk. If I thought everybody was gonna have to watch me collect my loot, I’d work like a wild beast to win the contest. If I know from past years that all I’m gonna see is a company memo, well, I’m not gonna get too excited. A dinner is worth 3 X as many sales, at least, so put up, then follow up.
I’m sure you guys can come up with more good info, so leave me a comment and help this conversation spread. You could also do a Trackback, a post on your own blog or email it to everybody you know !
Thanks in advance for any help you provide.
Email Marketing Secrets Exposed
I just received a copy of a free ebook on email marketing and I’d like to pass it on to you.
My friend Matt Callen wrote it and it’s got some good info in it. It also has some branded links to several products. If you don’t like to click affiliate links, don’t click ‘em. If you don’t mind, go ahead.
He uses his link to services like Aweber, which is the autoresponder service we use to take care of our many lists. There’s also a link to his product, Instant PopOVER, which we use to create popups that give away products and capture names for our lists.
We have 29 sites/blogs and we have multiple lists with many thousand subscribers.
This free ebook will help you learn :
Why presenting the right offer the WRONG way will NEVER increase your email list and sales.
Why changing 1 thing in your marketing plan will turn one-time visitors into your best customers - Immediately!
How to generate more income from an itzy-bitsy list. And how to take that list to the NEXT LEVEL!
The single most important thing you must do to skyrocket your opt-in subscribers !
The “secret” that all top email and internet marketers have in common!
How adding one marketing tool can dramatically increase your opt-in rate by up to 10 times !
Some of the chapters include :
Why Your Site Needs An Opt-In Email List
The Top 10 Strategies To Fatten Your Opt-In Email List
How Using One Single Marketing Tool Can Skyrocket Your Email List By 500% !
Do This And Your Lists Will Make You Money … And Lots Of It !
Pages 7 - 9 in Chapter 1 will give you 5 ways to add subscribers and traffic to your blog, as well as build your list.
Chapter 2 should be required reading for all bloggers.
Chapter 4 is as relevant to bloggers as it is to list owners/newsletter publishers.
Chapter 5 has 10 rules that would work for bloggers as well as they do for list owners/newsletter publishers.
Chapters 6 - 8 are all about Pop-up’s and their uses. It’s also about Instant PopOVER and how it can be used to make you scads of money or create large lists.
Chapter 9 could be as informational for bloggers as it is for list owners.
Chapter 10 is a nicely done recap.
Do yourself a favor and download your free copy today and by tomorrow you’ll know more about lists and how to use them than any of your competitors.
That could be a good thing.
Download your free copy of the eBook ” Email Secrets Exposed ” by Right-Clicking HERE, and then selecting ” Save Target As…” from the drop-down menu.
What Do Sales People Think Of Sales Contests ?
Up til now we’ve only looked at theoretical reasons and facts about sales contests. Now let’s look at some real world info.
Do salespeople like sales contests ? Your financials will tell you yes, I’m sure. The salespeople themselves have always told me yes, as well.
Do they induce more work ? Yes. Are they worth the extra effort ? Yes.
Here’s some of the answers I found, with regards to actual thoughts of sales people :
” Contests keep a live salesman on his feet - always alert to take advantage of every sales opportunity….. However, the prize won is the lasting symbol of successful participation. ”
One company I was with, years ago, let the leading salesman from the previous month keep a dog bowl on his desk to signify him as the ” Big Dog “. After winning that bowl for 11 of 12 months one year, it disappeared ( jealous co-workers ), so I had a name plate made that said ” Big Dawg “. My Sales Manager, who had up til then called me ” The Living Legend “ and/or ” The Total Package ” started calling me Big Dawg and it’s still with me to this day, when I see someone from Louisville.
Sales people love plaques, trophies, certificates and such. Use ‘em to your advantage. That little bit of wampum will get you lotsa sales.
” … act as a stimulant and contests at regular intervals are very desirable. “
” … promotes rivalry among men, induces extra effort and makes them more money …”
” Can do no harm and makes extra money for those willing to work. “
” … are inspiring in that they offer rewards for extra effort; they show initiative and since nobody cares to be a failure, more enthusiastic results are created. ”
” Contests make the salesman unconsciously work harder. They like the glory of seeing their name as prize winner. “
” Although I always work hard, I find a deep desire to win every contest. This makes me work harder still. ”
” The salesman who is not interested in a sales contest doesn’t belong in sales. Salesmanship is a game of matching wits, both with the customer and your fellow salesmen. It is the race that you run and lose that inspires you to make yourself better fit for the next race. “
” I know they are valuable. Some salesmen do their best at all times, still a contest brings out the best that there is in a fellow, and in most cases enables him to accomplish more. There are salesman who never win a contest, but even so, they are able to see what the other fellows do, and in many cases will make an extra effort which strengthens their will to win and makes them better salesmen thereafter. ”
Seems to me that there is a lot of good karma created by a sales contest and very few drawbacks. Start one next month and see if they work for you.
Sales Contests - Other Objectives
Mostly we think of sales contests as ways to increase sales. There are other reasons to hold sales contests, and we’ll look at some of those today.
New or Neglected Products
If you’re introducing a new product or if you have a surplus of a product that didn’t really sell like you thought it should have, then you’ve got a reason to hold a contest. You’ve also got a reason to send out a news release, but I’ll let you click that link and get the info you need on that from someone better educated than I, David Meerman Scott.
New Advertising Campaign
Do you have a new way to advertise your product ? A new display for all your dealers ? A new tie-in with another company ? If so, you’ve got a reason to have a sales contest. And you have a reason to send out a news release. See above.
How about these objectives.
Collecting bad debts. Give your salespeople .03 of every dollar they collect that was over 30 days old. .05 on every dollar that was over 60 days and .10 for all over 90 days old. I’ll bet your receivables drop dramatically within 30 days.
If you have a manufacturing facility, spend some time finding ways to create parameters that will pay the employees who reduce waste or downtime, as well.
Finding new uses for products. Is there a segment of the business world that might use your product if they knew it exisited. Ask your salesforce. Ask your customers. Ask your vendors. I’ll bet one of those segments will come up with a new list of clients in no time.
Do you struggle finding new salesman ? If so, have a contest to allow your salesforce to find you some new recruits.
Raising money for charity. Have a contest to see which part of your organization can get the most dollars donated to a charity you support.
Downtime caused by accidents. You should always have incentives for you employees to work safely. You’d be surprised how badly people want those T-shirts and hats.
Non-selling incentives. Give incentives to employees to tell people where they work. Have them get the signatures of people that they told about where they work. I’ll guarantee new sales from this. Award prizes to the top 50%.
These are just a few ways to increase profits very inexpensively and they’ll also improve morale. Which also happens to increase profits. Which normally improves morale. You get the picture yet ?
The Indie Virus - It’s Actually A Good Thing
I woke up this morning and had gotten bit by The Indie Virus. Don’t worry, it’s actually a good thing. My friend Chris Pearson, over at Pearsonified, has started this viral linking campaign to see how far, how wide and how deep we can go. It’s harmless, easy and should be easy to track, so I’m gonna go spreadin’ it with him.
First I’m gonna head up North towards my blog friend Paul Short. He’s also known as the Canadian Bad Boy of Blogging, but really, that’s just a nickname, he won’t hurt you…not much anyway.
Paul writes a blog called ” The Indie Virus “ and from there he reports on all things bloggy.
Next we’re gonna head towards another blog friend of mine, Blair Warren. He does some fine work over at ” The Indie Virus “ and you should Bookmark his blog or subscribe to his RSS feed.
Lastly, ’cause I figure three’s plenty of spreadin’ for today, we’re gonna head to Chicago to see my blog friend Andy Wibbles. An ex-patriate from the Metro Louisville area who has left there for bigger and better things. Andy can be found doin’ his thing at ” The Indie Virus “.
I hope I did those right. Links, Trackback and all that jazz always befuddle me and the two fingers I type with.
For more info on The Indie Virus, click that link and it’ll magically transport you to a page that explains it all.
Ask And Ye Shall Be Told ?
I just read the best blog post done by a Texan today ! And it’s about selling ! And it’s my blog friend Thom Singer !
Over at Some Assembly required, Thom wrote a post titled ” Make The Ask “.
In it, you’ll get some sweet nuggets like :
” I am equally amazed at how many professionals never ask prospects for their business. They meet with them, pitch their product or service and wait. And wait. And wait. And then wait some more. “
” …there is no bad answer. If they say “yes”…well, CONGRATULATIONS !…you got a new client. If they say “no” that just means “not this time”….so, Congratulations, you know that this company is not buying today (so you can focus you attention on another company). “
Hearing ‘ No ‘ doesn’t bother me near as bad as a wimpy SOB that won’t answer his calls, won’t return calls and won’t answer a VoiceMail I leave.
I’m a busy man. Probably busier than 90% of the people I leave VoiceMail with. Busier than all the people who would rather I call everyday for 2 weeks, rather than answer 1 of those calls and say ” We’re gonna go a different direction. ” Okay, that’s fine, I understand. I’ll check with you the next time I think you need some of my product. What I don’t understand is the inability to say ‘No’. The complete and utter disregard for my time. The utter lack of respect you’re showing me.
Don’t waste my time. Don’t waste your time listening to all the VoiceMail’s I’m gonna leave until you answer one.
Just ask for the sale. And if you’re on the other end, just tell me yes or no. Either way I can move to my next step.
Lastly, Thom gives us an action step. I like directions. Stay within the lines. They’re your friends.
” I challenge you…find three things to ask for before Friday. Ask co-workers for help, ask clients for referrals, and asks prospects to give you their business. “
I did all 3 today, within 5 hours of having read this post. See if you can get it done within 24 hours.
Do Sales Contests Have Drawbacks ?
Since Doug mentioned in his comment on the previous post that there are negatives to sales contest, I thought I’d add to that thought.
Yes. Sales contests can have drawbacks. Just as any other business tactic, they can have bad, as well as positive effects.
Three of the most obvious disadvantages are :
1) Pre-contest stalling
2) Over-selling
3) Post-contest slump
It’s a well known fact that if you announce a sales contest too early your salespeople will hold off on some sales and putting them into actionable orders.
One way to defeat this is to announce a contest as retroactive to a prior date. That way your sales team will always sell to their potential, knowing that you’ll never penalize them.
Over-selling can also cause your organization some goodwill and can do harm to relationships that are well established and very profitable.
Make sure your sales team uses the Hippocratic Oath - First, do no harm. Or something like that. You get the picture. Or if you know what it is, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.
Lastly, we look at The Slump. It’s gonna happen, so you might as well plan for it.
Is there a period during the year that’s historically slow ? In my business it’s January and February, so if it ended right before that, we could use the down time to recharge our batteries and take a vacation to a warmer clime and it wouldn’t hurt as bad, manpower wise.
Also, it’s not uncommon for a rash of new business to come in as soon as a sales contest is over. You might find that a separate contest for the bottom 50% of the previous participants, held as soon as the first one is done can be a very profitable venture.
There’s some of the drawback and a few ways to overcome them. If you can add anything to this conversation, I’d appreciate some help in making this profitable for all of us.
What Could A Sales Contest Do For Us ?
So far, all the posts have ( mostly ) been about what a sales contest does for the salesman. Now let’s look a bit at what it does for the organization.
First, someone could ( and has ) write several books about sales contests and what they do for your organization, but let’s look at some of the successful stats anyway.
Insurance companies used to do sales contests almost continually. So what, you ask. So how about the fact that an insurance policy is something that pays the company and the salesman over and over and over. The company paid the salesman a wee bit extra and profited for years.
Does your product pay over and over ? If it does, you might profit more than anybody from a sales contest. Subscription ? Membership site ? Monthly pay ? Yearly renewal ? All of these models are prime candidates for sales contests.
Do you ( foolishly ) believe that your sales people don’t need a sales contest, because they can sell without one ? You’re right, BUT they will sell even more with one. Guaranteed.
Look at the National Football League. Every week two teams meet with equal talent, equal size, equal speed. Who wins ? The team with more motivation and more emotion. That’s what a sales contest does for your people. Gives them that emotion and motivation.
Sales contest have been proven to work in publishing, retail, wholesale, distribution, laundries, manufacturing, bakeries, etc. You can’t name a sales force that can’t benefit from a sales contest.
Try one today and profit forever.
