Mike Michalowicz's Blog, page 99

7 Typical Lies Customers Tell Their Vendors

About two months ago I had coffee with one of my closest friends. He was all hyped up, and it wasn’t because of the triple caffeine injected espresso. Well, maybe that was part of it. He was jittery with excitement because that morning he received the call he had been waiting for. A new customer (ahem, prospect) informed him that they had decided to proceed with the project. It was a go! That is, once the prospect got the sign off from his team.

I was excited for my friend, but I had been down the road of broken promises before, so I asked a few questions.

“This guy who just gave you the verbal commitment, what is his title?”

My friend responded, “Not exactly sure, he’s an administrative guy.” Red flag one.

“Who else did they consider for the project?” I asked.

“No one! That’s the best part, we are shoe in.” Major red flag. If you are keeping count, that’s two.

And then I asked the most important question, “How urgent is their need?”

“I would say they are near desperate. They have been waiting two years and can’t push this off any longer. If they don’t do this project now they are toast,” my friend responded. And with that I had three big red flags waving around in my head.

Why all the red flags? Because customers lie. For that matter, prospects lie too. They both lie in the same way, so as you read this use the terms customer and prospect interchangeably.

Before we get started into how they lie, let me explain why they lie. They lie because like you and I they are human. They lie because they are embarrassed, or ashamed, or trying not to offend you, or to control something, or to show their power, or a million other reasons. People are people.

No one is beyond lying. Everyone lies. Everyone. Not just your children. Your customers lie, your friends lie. I lie. You lie. Shoot, Mother Theresa lied too (last time I checked, she wasn’t a mother. See, she’ a liar. I kid. I kid. But you get the point.). Lying is a fact of life, and knowing this gives you the ability to find the truth behind the words. A critical tool for successfully growing your business.

Here are the most common ways customers (and prospects) lie to you:

1. “I think your service is great!” – The next time a customer tells you she thinks your service (or product) is great, she is probably lying. It is socially inappropriate to tell someone else they are bad at what they do. Think about it. How many grade school concerts have you gone to and told the trumpet player he sucks? None! It would be socially inappropriate. So, instead you say the child is good or he tries really hard. You lie as softly as you can, but you lie. Adults lie in the exact same way to each other. You’ll just pretend you don’t see that fuzz ball in their hair and booger on their face and simply say “You look great.” You don’t want to hurt feelings, so you lie. And your customer is no different. They say you are great and then never use your services again.

2. “You got the project!” – Have you ever got a verbal commitment and then it doesn’t happen in reality? This is the customer lying to you. Again, not to be evil or even misleading. They make actually believe you are getting the project and intend to give you the work. But until they get the sign off on the contract and get the check cut, things might change. This is simply a “counting of the chickens before they hatch” lie.

3. “You’re our only consideration.”– You might be the only vendor your customer is considering. That part may be true. But there is always the option of leaving things status quo. Don’t be fooled by the “there is only one choice” lie. There is always alternatives, including the “do nothing” alternative.

4. “I need your references to make a decision.” – This is a confusing lie, since the request for references is genuine, it is the implication of needing it to make a decision that’s the lie. References are not used to make a decision, they are used to support a decision that is already made. Prior to calling references, your customer has an decision on if they will proceed with you or not. The references are simply used to give them comfort in their decision, not to make a decision.

5. “I am the sole decision maker.” – Rarely is someone the sole “yes” decision maker. Even when your customer is a company of one, he will have outside influencers (friends, spouse, vendors, clients, etc.) who can persuade the “sole decision makers” decision. Almost every “sole decision maker” does have the ability, solely, to say no to proceeding with you. They are just lying about the part of saying “yes” to you. There is almost always other outside influencers.

6. “I am weighing all the factors.” – Everybody likes to believe they are completely logical. But no one is, even Spock. Emotion is a major (perhaps exclusive) driver to decision making. When you hear someone say “weighing all the factors” recognize it is a lie. People can’t comprehend all the factors, nor can they put an even proper significance on the factors. Logic is less present then people think, and emotion is an under appreciated driver of decisions.

7. “We have an urgent need!” – This lie is particularly confusing because urgency changes. The customer is not only lying to you, but also to themselves. Urgency is relative to other urgency. For example, if a person has severe muscle pull in their leg, they may urgently seek rest on the couch. Then if they start experiencing a fire in the house. The urgency will no longer be about laying on the couch, it will now be about getting out of the house and the leg pull will be forgotten (at least for now). Pain is the driver of many decisions, and the urgent need your customer tells you about today, may no longer even matter tomorrow.

The lesson here is not that people have bad or ill intentions (albeit some do). The lesson here is that you should expect your customers and prospects to lie to you. Your job is to anticipate lies and determine what the truthful message is behind the lies. Paying close attention and responding accordingly will pay off with big returns!

Oh, and regards to my friend. . . it is two months later now, and he still hasn’t gotten the deal. But there is an upside to the story. He recognized that his prospect was likely (and unintentionally) lying to him, so he kept aggressively prospecting and didn’t slow down his sales efforts in the least. He landed four other projects in the meantime and is having an banner year. Nicely done (I am not lying about that)!

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Episode 6: How To Be Profitable In Web Design With Liz Dobrinska

Show Summary 

Liz Dobrinska, founder of Innovative Images, joins Episode 6 of the Profit first Podcast. Liz explains the importance of having the right accountant and tailoring to the needs of your client.

Our Guest

Liz Dobrinska, founder of Innovative Images, provides consulting, marketing communication, website and design services to a diverse number of clients including universities, private clubs, food service, manufacturing and technology companies. In addition to her consulting and design work, Liz is also an expert in e-commerce and brand adherence where she manages behavioral optimization rollouts for a variety of corporate and e-commerce clients. Liz received a B.F.A. from Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1999, and has been operating Innovative Images ever since. When not behind a computer, Liz can be found competing her horse in the dressage circuit or setting balls on a local volleyball court.

Show Quotes

If you have a system in place and ensure that the client follows that system… that  is where you get to be profitable.

It’s important to custom design the website for your client, specifically targeting their audience and what message they want to get across. It’s not just about having a website and throwing your logo up there with a bit of text and a picture that kind of slides back and forth.

When the clients expectation is not met, or the end goal doesn’t end up where the client thinks it’s supposed to be…  that’s where you start potentially losing profit. It can get out of control.

Profit is in the systems.

Networking is huge and being exposed to people who appreciate the work that your doing is important.

Profit = piece of mind.

Liz’s favorite quote about Profit: “Many receive advise, only the wise profit from it.” – Harper Lee

Show Links

Liz Dobrinska’s Website (Innovative Images)

Liz Dobrinska on LinkedIN

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Improve Your Leadership Skills in 10 Unexpected Ways

John F. Kennedy once said, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” And, as an entrepreneur, it is important to remember that! Running your own business takes being a leader. But just how does one improve their leadership skills? In more ways than you probably realize!

 

Beyond the Books

There are many ways in which you can improve your leadership skills, and a variety of them are probably right under your nose, only you don’t recognize that quality in them. Here are 10 unexpected ways that you can improve your leadership skills:

1. Take race car training. You may think it is a solo sport, but you are so wrong! It is all about the radio communication with the pit crew. Master communications during intense (think 210 mph turns) situations and you can do it anywhere.

2. Join a rowing club. They make it look easy, but the skills you will gain here are timing and consistent team execution, valuable in any business. You will also gain some team-building skills, and your biceps will probably even see some improvement.

3. Volunteer. Spend some time learning how to motivate a group of volunteers when you can’t use a paycheck. You may be surprised at the people skills you come away with, on this one.

4. Engage in organized sports. Take up something like soccer, football or softball, and you will learn to find people’s strengths and build on them. It will give you an eye for picking up on assets you might otherwise have missed.

5. Go skydiving. Seems risky, right? That’s the point! You will learn all about taking risks and what all is involved to have a successful jump. Just like in the business world, there is more to it than simply taking a leap.

6. Go to karaoke. And while you are there, be the first person to get up and sing. Nobody ever wants to be the first person to get up on that stage, but doing it will make you feel empowered and more like a leader.

7. Go undercover. The television show “Undercover Boss” has demonstrated that company executives can become better leaders when they understand what their employees face on a daily basis. So go deep and see what you find out!

8. Face your fear. What is your biggest fear (other than dying, of course)? Take on that fear and face it. You will be amazed by how empowered and in control of your life you feel afterward. It takes courage to face a fear, just as it takes courage to start and run a business.

9. Watch movies. Hold a movie night and get a couple of movies that demonstrate great leadership, such as “Miracle,” or “Remember the Titans.” There are many good ones to choose from, and hey, it gives you a legitimate excuse to sit around in your jogging pants, munching popcorn!

10. Learn body language. One of the biggest determinants for being a successful leader is communication skills. They are essential! But most people focus solely on being able to talk and write, when nonverbal communication makes up the majority of how we communicate. Focus more on what is not being said, and you will have a better idea of where to go when leading. Whether you read a book, take a course, or tune in each week to “Lie to Me,” learning about body language can be really helpful in business.

 

Great Leaders

The list of interesting ways to improve your leadership skills could go on and on. You may find that there are many activities you can do right now that will help you improve those skills. As Kennedy said, leadership involves learning. So your challenge is to keep finding ways to improve your leadership skills. And, as you see from this list, you can actually have some fun at the same time!

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How To Get Your Creative Juices Flowing

If you were to study some of the most creative people throughout history, you would find that each of them had little rituals. There were things that each of them did to help keep their creative juices flowing. Whether it was working standing up, taking a bath, or sitting in a particular spot, there are things that can spark the imagination and help you find the ideas you have been looking for!

 

Finding What Works

If you recall the hit movie “A Few Good Men,” it was Tom Cruise’s character that said he thought better with his baseball bat. It worked for him, and it can work for you. The key here is to find what works for you, so the next time you are stuck, you can immediately turn to that thing that will help you get things going.

There are many ways to get the creative juices flowing, and what works for one person may not for another. You have to try a few and see what works for you, but here are 5 places to start:

1. Take a walk. Alternatively it could be a bike ride, jog, etc. But just get outside and change the scenery. When you do this, you will stimulate your senses, get your blood flowing, increase the oxygen to your brain, and before you know it, you may find the ideas start flowing as well.

2. Keep a journal. Sure, you may be thinking that just having things in your mind is good enough. But trust me on this, when you keep a journal going and just log ideas and things that come to your mind, you will be processing the information differently. This will help with sparking new ideas. Plus, you can always go back to older pages, which can also spark new ideas.

3. Do something different. If you stay in the same rut day after day, you may find that you have a difficult time thinking creatively. You need to stimulate your mind, and one of the best ways to do that is to change things up a bit. Take a couple of hours to go to a museum, sit in the park and people watch, or go to the local library or bookstore and just walk the aisles, looking at the books.

4. Take a media break. If you think about the world we live in today, it is easy to see that we are inundated with the media. Everything from the television to computers to iPods and more. Sometimes you just need to take a break and let your mind work, rather than to continuously process all this “stuff.” Shut all the media outlets off and just be with your own thoughts for a while. You may just be surprised at the flow of ideas that come to mind!

5. Clean your office. Sure, you may not like the idea of cleaning off your desk and tidying up your office, but many people believe that with an uncluttered office you will have an uncluttered mind. Start with a blank slate and see what happens. If you are having a difficult time drumming up ideas, it is worth giving it a chance to see if it produces any results.

 

Ideas Flow

You may find that you get the best ideas come to you when you have a brainstorming session or you drink a big coffee. And that’s okay! The important thing is to find what works for you, or have a list of these things you can try. When you do that, you will be ensuring that when lack of creativity strikes, you can fight back!

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Turn An Argument Into A Productive Discussion

If you think about how many hours you spend with colleagues per week, it is easy to see why you may sometimes find yourself smack dab in the middle of an argument. As much as we would like to think arguments can just simply be avoided, the truth is that at times, we just need to, well, have it out. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a right and wrong way to go about having that argument because there is!

Effective Arguing

If you look it up in the dictionary, the term “argue” means such things as to give reason to something, give evidence of, and to consider the pros and cons. It also means to try to prove or persuade. Unlike popular opinion, it doesn’t mean to banter insults back and forth until someone finally yells uncle! There is a right way to have an argument with a colleague, and it is one that will have you both come out better from it!

Here is how you can have a productive argument with a colleague and have you both come out ahead:

1. First, always go into the argument with the idea that something positive is going to result. Because, after all, if nothing positive is going to result, then what is the point in having the argument at all?

2. Next, you both need to know what you are really arguing about. You have probably done it yourself. People often argue about something that isn’t really the issue they are mad about. Sometimes they harbor other resentments or feelings and snowball it all together. You have to know what the real argument is about to really be able to solve any problems. To do this, you can write the issue down or verbally say what the actual argument is about. Avoid dragging anything up that is not about the here and now. Forget what they did before and stick to the present.

3. Make sure that you both get a chance to speak about what you think the problem is. The argument cannot be one sided if it is to be effective. Have each person take a turn sharing their position. And when you do so, use “I” statements, rather than “you” ones, which only puts people on defense. Also, avoid interrupting when the other person has the floor, as it will only create anger.

4. Be prepared to offer a solution to the problem. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to get into an argument about something if you have no suggestions for improving the situation or cannot provide a suggested solution.

5. Determine a compromise that you can both live with. That way there is not one person “winning” the argument, but both of you will walk away feeling better for having said your piece and for compromising.

6. Move past the argument. If you hold a grudge, you will just further damage the relationship. People argue, but once it is over, just focus on moving on.

One Sided and Beyond

As much as you work to master these steps in being able to have an effective argument, you may find that the other person doesn’t want to play by these rules. There is not much you can do about that, unfortunately. But you should still try to follow them yourself because you will know you have done the right thing, and you may find that you help to diffuse the situation by being more diplomatic about it all.

Keep the old American proverb in mind, that says “The more arguments you win, the less friends you will have.” It’s not about winning the argument; it’s really about having an effective outcome and having both people walk away feeling like the situation or relationship is better as a result.

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How To Get Countless Amazon Verified Reviews (and Rabid Fans!)

If you’re selling products or services online, you know how incredibly important reviews are to getting new business. Your potential customers can’t pick up your product and look it over before they decide to buy, but they can get opinions from others who already bought your product through online reviews. Good legit reviews make a world of difference in making sales.

Fig 1. The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur has 561 reviews as of December 9, 2014.  During my prior post on September 6, 2012 the book had 400 reviews.  This new Amazon Verified Reviews strategy is a long term, persistent method... providing you with a continual stream of reviews, even for a 'product' that is from 2008 (in my case).

Getting reviews is so important that a few years ago I shared my ‘secret” method of how I generated a lot of legit Amazon reviews for my books on Amazon. If you haven’t checked it out yet, it’s a step-by-step system for finding people who may be interested in receiving a free copy of your book, and asking them to leave an honest review in return. I’ve generated tons of reviews using that system.

 

An Almost Perfect System 

There was one thing that I found missing in that plan. When you send someone a complimentary book or other product, their review on Amazon won’t be marked as an Amazon Verified Purchase. Any review is valuable, but a review on Amazon that’s marked as a verified purchase is the “gold standard” for reviews. If the reviewer received their item directly from you instead of buying it through Amazon, Amazon won’t be able to verify their purchase.

There is a hack for this, though. You can buy your own book, gift it to the recipient, and now when they post the review it will post it as a verified purchase. But this prior system I came up with, even with that “gifting” hack for verified reviews still isn’t representative of true readers of your book. I thought, what if there was a way to get more – like way more – real customers and readers of my books to post reviews?

This question inspired this point. I found a method to get more reviews from actual readers and have been using this method to generate hundreds of legit Amazon reviews and thousands of new fans for years. Now that I know it works, I feel it is time to share it with you. This method works for more than just book authors, it can be adapted for almost anyone selling a product online and looking for reviews on any platform (Amazon, Yelp, etc.).

 

More Fans, Step By Step

The simple idea behind this method is that you are going to under-promise and over-deliver on your product to customers who are looking to buy. Then, once you’ve staged them to be over-the-top happy with what you’ve delivered, you’ll ask them for an honest review. And who’s better to give you a good review than a customer who you’ve personally made sure had an extraordinary buying experience? Let’s get started!

 

Step 1: Open Your Own Store

The first thing we’re going to do is to open an Amazon Store. It’s simple to get started. Amazon makes selling nearly anything on their platform very easy to do. To get started, visit Amazon.com and click the “Sell” link at the top of the screen:

Fig 2. A screen shot from Amazon.com

 

Or, you can visit this link directly: Getting Started Selling Online With Amazon

Amazon will walk you through setting up your store easily. As you may know, Amazon is not just for books. You can sell almost anything there, and Amazon will notify you with all of your buyer’s information when you make a sale, including an email address and shipping address to send the products.

Since I sell books, I’ve started a bookstore on Amazon called . If you want to see my store, visit the page for any of my books (like my most recent book Profit First), then click on the “Used” link below the Hardcover listing:

Fig 3. Profit First has 115 customer reviews as of December, 9 2014. My experience is that a newer book (Profit First was released on July 8, 2014) will have less used copies in circulation. That means, you can sell your own used copies for a premium (in this picture it is selling for $11.99 and I am constantly price testing, so the price is different now). The higher price also means more people default to buying a new book instead. Those new book sales directly through Amazon cannot be affected through this process, hence fewer reviews.

 

Then, you’ll see Mint Quality Books as the best offer for sale in the used category:

Fig 4. Displays the current 268 ratings of my used Amazon book store, Mint Quality Books.

 

You’ll notice the 100% positive seller rating, and the (typically) best price in the listings. Remember, I want to make my customers into rabid fans, and I work to do that with outstanding service. We make buying a used book from Mint Quality Books such a great experience that some reviews have compared us to Zappos! More on this in a later.

 

Step 2: Under-Sell

There is an old business principle of being awesome: To wow customers you must under-promise and over-deliver. It makes a lot of sense! What if you go into a car dealer thinking all you can afford is a used Ford Fiesta, but then the dealer shows you a brand-new Chevy Corvette you can afford instead, complete with that expensive “new-car smell.” Wouldn’t you be way happier? Like, kiss-the-dealer-on-the-lips happy? Sure you would! And the dealer would benefit from your happiness, if not from the kiss.

Now maybe a new copy of one of my books isn’t as good as a new Corvette. But, if you’re expecting a used copy of my book and get a new copy instead, wouldn’t you be happy?

If you click on the “Read More” link under the Condition heading on the Mint Quality Books listing for Profit First, you’ll see this description:

Fig 5. A description of the "used" book Profit First on Mint Quality Books. Notice the plug (for myself) "Best Business Book of 2014." You should do the same. I mean, why not?

 

Notice “dented corners”, “scratches” and “possible markings or highlights inside”. Not great, right? But, you’re trying to save a few bucks, so you’ll make the sacrifice and buy the book used. What you don’t know is that you are about to get an upgrade.

 

Step 3: Over-Deliver

Now comes the fun part. We’re going to make our customers love us!

When their order arrives, our customer doesn’t get a used, banged-up copy of Profit First. Instead, Mint Quality Books ships them a brand-new copy of the book they thought they were buying used!

But, as they say on the infomercials, that’s not all! We also enclose a copy of Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, along with a personalized note explaining the switch. The letter starts like this:

“Hi Lauren,

Surprise! This is Mike Michalowicz here, author of Profit First. I am closely connected with the folks at Mint Quality Books (it’s my favorite online bookstore) and when I stopped by the shop I heard about your book order through Amazon.

Well, I am so flattered that you ordered Profit First that I am including a brand new copy of my first book, The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur. This is my little way of saying “Thank You!” for your interest in my books, and to thank you for buying through the Mint Quality Bookstore on Amazon.”

Oh, and did I mention that the copy of of Toilet Paper Entrepreneur is autographed? (I autograph books while listening on conference calls.) My customers love the bonuses!

Now, while we have a happy customer, we move on to…

 

Step 4: Ask To Stay In Touch

Now, I’m not through with the surprises for this new customer, but I’m going to start asking for a little quid pro quo.

My personalized note goes on to say:

“Also, I have another surprise. I’ve set up a page on my website, specifically for you, to get free additional stuff (including my 10 most popular Wall Street Journal articles). Enter this URL into your web browser to check it out: http://bit.ly/MintQB (There is a super-cool video there too… you know, minus the ‘super-cool’ part.)

I really believe it is entrepreneurs like you who are “saving the world.” My hats off to you for following your passion and being a leader. I am rooting for you and wishing you tremendous success.

Sincerely,

Mike Michalowicz”

If you go ahead and click the link for http://bit.ly/MintQB, you’ll see yours truly once again thanking you for your purchase, and offering even more free stuff if you sign up for my mailing list.

This is known as a squeeze page or capture page, and it’s been customized specifically for people who’ve bought from Mint Quality Books. This way, I can keep my new fans “in the loop” when I’ve got any new books, speaking engagements or videos that I think they may be interested in.

So, we’ve hopefully made a very happy customer with a surprise upgrade and gotten them to sign up on our mailing list. Now what we really want is reviews, so let’s get to our final step!

 

Step 5: Ask For The Review

There is one more part to the letter my Mint Quality Books buyers receive, and it’s the most crucial part of this Amazon hack. It’s in a P.S. at the bottom:

“P.S. A critically important part of getting the word out about my books are reviews on Amazon. If appropriate, would you mind posting an honest review of Profit First on Amazon.com?

It is really simple, and won’t take more than a minute or two. Just pull the book up on Amazon, click on the “customer reviews” link to the right of the book cover and then click on the “Create your own review” button. Your review can simply be a sentence or two if you wish. If you can’t or don’t want to do it, I completely understand that too, but hope you do.

Thanks again. I’m wishing you massive entrepreneurial success and all the profit in the world to help make it happen.”

You’ll notice that I only ask for an honest review. This method is about getting legit reviews, after all. But we’ve gone to a lot of trouble to make sure our customer is as happy as possible, so now is the time to ask them to review.

No amount of positive staging will make up for a bad product, of course. But you can’t possibly make a product good enough to overcome a bad buying experience. And a great buying experience just makes your great product look even greater!

 

Mmm…Pudding!

Does this work? Well, as they say, the proof is in the pudding. (What the hell does that mean, anyway?)

You can see the 5-star reviews for Profit First to see the results. Here’s one of my favorites:

Fig 6. A 'Verified Purchase' review of Profit First that was generated through this process.

 

Notice the “verified purchase” designation? Because the buyer purchased their book through Mint Quality Books on Amazon, Amazon was able to easily verify that they actually bought the book. Listing the reviewer as a “verified purchaser” makes the review that much more credible in many shoppers’ minds. And, because we spent the extra time working to make our Mint Quality Books customer happy with their purchasing experience, they often carry that good feeling over to their review of the book.

 

Everybody Wins!

Opening an online store might seem like a lot of work just to get better reviews, but after I got things set up, it doesn’t take me any more than 15 – 30 minutes a week to send out all of the orders, and that’s on a busy week.

But, for that little investment of time, the payoff is huge. And the best thing about this little system is that everybody wins.

First, your customer wins. They came in really wanting to buy your product, and looking to save a few bucks by buying it used. Instead, they not only got a new product, but they got a bonus product, too! They also got a personal “thank you” from you and got signed up on your mailing list for even more freebies.

Second, you win. If you’ve delivered a quality product (of course you did!), then you’ve probably got a new fan who is very happy with you, and looking forward to your next offer. It might seem like you’ve increased your marketing costs, but really you win here, too.

Take a look at my example here. Books cost me somewhere around $3 a copy, and I’m sending two, so let’s put that cost at $6. It takes some extra time to autograph the books, but as I said, I can do that while I’m doing other things. Packing and mailing takes some extra time, but they paid for the shipping of one book, and the second doesn’t cost that much more to add in the same package. And the customer paid $11.99! This is marketing that pays for itself!

This can be used in other places besides Amazon. Restaurants could run a “Buy One, Get One” special, but then give some customers both meals free along with a second “Buy One, Get One” offer for later, printed on a note asking for a Yelp review. If you sell a product, offer some used on eBay, but ship a new product instead with a free code for a second product from the website of your choice with a request for a review there. There are tons of possibilities, and I’d love to hear your ideas and experiences. Give me your suggestions and questions in the comments below!

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Episode 5: Profit And Social Media Strategies With Cyndi Thomason And Brent Robinson

Show Summary

Cyndi Thomason, certified Profit First Professional bookkeeper, and Brent Robinson, founder of Modthink, join Episode 5 of the Profit First Podcast. Cyndi and Brent discuss driving profit in social media.

 

Our Guests

Cyndi Thomason, president and founder of bookskeep, has channeled her energetic nature and passion for her work into the perfect business model for assisting small businesses, entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations. Cyndi understands what this special group of business leaders needs when it comes to  marketing their business, managing their operations and accomplishing their goals.

Backed by a B.A. in Economics from North Carolina State University (where she  graduated Cum Laude), along with over 25 years of experience in administrative  business systems, Cyndi Thomason is a senior-level executive with the proven  ability to achieve significant results through leadership, teamwork and individual initiative.

 

Brent Robinson is the Chief Thought Officer and Founding Partner of Modthink, a strategy firm where we focus on your people, culture and  systems to impact operational efficiency, change management, transparency, and meaningful human relationships with customers through social networking.

He is a design thinker and “recovering” architect, and  spent time in Silicon Valley providing technology solutions to professional  service firms and start-up companies during the Dot Com Boom… and Bust.  Since boomeranging back to Arkansas in 2003, he picked up another degree  (University of Arkansas MBA) and start-up experience at several companies:  Springline Consulting Group (small business consultancy), Ben & Jerry’s Ice  Cream (Branson, MO), Rockfish Interactive (digital agency later acquired by  WPP), and was employee No. 7 at Collective Bias (social media agency).

 

Show Quotes

When you take ‘media’ out of social media, you realize it is about creating and maintaining connections.

Good systems drive accuracy in your reporting, which enables good money making decisions.

Put off getting an office as long as you can.

Think big. Start small. Scale fast.

Always ask yourself “By what method?”

 

Show Links

Cyndi Thomason’s Website

Cyndi Thomason on Linkedin

Brent Robinson’s Website

Brent Robinson on Linkedin

Brent Robinons’s Twitter handle: @modthink

The post Episode 5: Profit And Social Media Strategies With Cyndi Thomason And Brent Robinson appeared first on Mike Michalowicz.

Give It All Away, Increase Sales

Want an easy way to start increasing your sales figures? No problem. Start giving it all away. Of course, I don’t mean your product or service! I mean give away all your advice, tips and information. That’s right, you should just freely give it away. Now, before you click the X on the screen or stop reading, let me explain to you why you should be doing that.

Run and Return

You are probably thinking that, if you give all your advice away, you won’t be needed anymore. And on one level you are probably right. There will always be a few people who will take your advice, say adios, and not look back. They probably weren’t going to be your repeat customers anyway. Giving them a little advice for free wouldn’t keep them from needing you, if they were.

But there will always be a sector of the population that will take your advice and remember you when they need more, or when they need something else that you can help them with. And it doesn’t mean that they will just come back looking for more free advice. They are going to come back willing to pay, as well, because they are growing to trust you. After all, you have even helped them out for free.

Why Just Do It

There are many reasons why you should give away the advice and enable people to navigate doing something for themselves. Consider sites like AllExperts.com. Why do you think that professionals in a wide variety of categories sign onto that site to be the one who dishes out the advice to people who have questions? For starters, it establishes them as an expert in their field.

Additionally, people appreciate those who help others, and this makes them more willing to return to you in the future. Other reasons to do this include the way it helps you become known as the go-to person, helps you create a platform, helps you solidify what you know, and helps you remain current regarding what you know about your field. Plus, when you interact with your customers in order to give them advice, you will be getting to know them. And knowing more about your customer base is always helpful!

By taking the time to get to know your customers, you also help yourself learn more about what they want and need. This information may even steer your business in a new direction, one that has an audience waiting in the wings.

The Easy Route

After you give away tips and advice, you will find that your sales increase as a result. This is because people, by and large, would rather not have to do things that they can have done for them much more easily. That’s why companies such as landscaping and barbers even exist. We could do those things ourselves. We can easily learn how to care for our lawns (and many of us do), or use our own clippers to keep our hair buzzed, but we like the ease of having someone else do it for us.

Become An Authority

If you want to establish yourself as an expert and keep people coming back to you time and again, just give it away! Giving away what you know will help you get there and, in the end, will bring good things your way.

By giving it all away, you will feel like an expert, be seen as an expert and be treated like one. And experts are professionals in their field who are paid for their knowledge, in one way or another. So give freely, and flourish!

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What Is The Most Effective Closing Technique?

Of all the things I have done in my entrepreneurial career, selling has been the one constant. Ever since my first job out of college I had to sell to make a salary. And then, when I started my first business, I had to sell to survive. Even after I wrote a book, it was nothing without a huge selling effort. I’ve been a lifelong fan and student of great selling techniques.

My favorite technique used to be the 1-to-10 close. This is where you ask your customer, “On a scale of 1-to-10, where do you stand on deciding to proceed with us?” And when they answer you say, “What do I need to do to make it a 10.” It worked occasionally, despite the fact it is exactly what I should NOT be doing.

Here’s why—people resist suggestions. If you’re a smoker and I say “You need to stop smoking, it’s bad for you,” you’ll say, “Yeah, I know.” Then you’ll light up a smoke and blow it in my face. We automatically do the opposite of what people suggest. If you have kids, you know how true this is.

If you tell me you are a 5 on the scale, and I say I need to make you a 10, you’re naturally going to resist anything I do while trying to make you a 10. You might even drop your ranking to a 4 or 3, just to show me. And while you might not say it, you will feel the resistance and blow the proverbial smoke in my face. It didn’t work, but sales people, including me, kept doing it.

Then I stumbled across another 1-to-10 technique, which is the most effective closing method I have ever experienced. When asking people where they stand on a 1-to-10 scale with me, no matter what they say even if it’s a 3 or 4, I say something like “I didn’t expect you to pick a number so high. From our discussion and your body language I thought you were actually lower. Why do you pick a number that high?”

By suggesting a number lower than what they said, people naturally resist my remark and want to go higher. Now they argue about why the number they picked, say 5, is not that high, and they may even change their number to a 6 or 7. But no matter what, the conversation in their own head is arguing why they should go with you.

If you’re not convinced, think about how we all use this method in our lives. I mean, you can tell a kid to go mow the yard and they’ll never get off the couch, but if you tell them you’re going to go mow the yard because they’re not old enough to use the mower yet, they’ll fight you to prove you’re wrong. Play it right and you won’t be able to get them off of the mower and you’ll never mow the yard again.

Remember Tom Sawyer? He was punished and made to paint a fence all day. But, he got his friends to paint the fence for him using this same technique. His buddies were teasing and ridiculing him when they first came up and saw him painting the fence, but he didn’t care. He kept painting and said wisely and a bit snobbishly, “Not just anyone can paint a fence.” That shut them up. By the time he convinced them they weren’t capable of painting a fence, they began begging him to let them paint it. Only then did he let them while he relaxed in the shade. It’s called “reverse psychology,” by some, but whatever you call it, it works.

When you use the same technique with your customers, they will follow their natural resistance to suggestion and persuade themselves to work with you! Beautiful.

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