Mark Jewell's Blog: Selling Energy, page 306

Fluff Words

When you’re working on perfecting your elevator pitches, it’s important to check your verbiage to make sure you aren’t using any “fluff” words. What is a “fluff” word? Things like “Pioneering,” “Leading,” “Established,” “Finest,” “Foremost,” and “Original.” Do any of these words mean anything? No. They are about as meaningful as the word “Natural” printed on a loaf of bread in the supermarket.

Even words that seem very logical to use when talking about efficiency may be fluff, such as “Green,” or “Sustainable.” Sure, your company might help people achieve their sustainability goals; however, these words do not describe what you do or what value you bring to the table.

Remember, you have only fifteen seconds to get your pitch delivered, so any time spent on words that are not clear and meaningful is wasted time. Go over your word choices with a fine-tooth comb and replace any fluff words with ones that will add clarity to your pitch.

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The Comfort Zone

The most successful sales professionals are the ones who are not afraid to step outside of their comfort zone. They have the confidence to talk to anyone (regardless of whether or not they actually feel comfortable doing it). If you find yourself holding back from talking to people because it makes you uncomfortable, you should make it a point to start talking to strangers.

What good does it do to talk to strangers? Well for starters, it helps you develop the confidence to talk to anyone in any setting. Moreover, the stranger standing next to you in an elevator could be your next customer. By simply breaking the ice and starting a conversation, you can make a valuable connection. If you start talking to strangers, you’re going to see all sorts of serendipity. You’re going to find people.

Students often ask me how to start up a conversation with a stranger. I think one of the best ways is to ask a funny question. When I’m in an elevator (particularly in a tall building), I’ll often ask the person next to me, “You know what this building needs?” Most people will respond, “What?” And then I say, “A fireman’s pole. Wouldn’t it be great if this building had a fireman’s pole where you just slide right out of here at the end of the day? All the elevators would only have to carry the people up.” Most of the time, this elicits laughter – which is the fastest way to break people out of their comfort zone.

If you can come up with something clever to break the ice, you’ll be able to start a conversation. If the person with whom you’re speaking seems like he or she could benefit in some way from your efficiency solution, you should then be prepared to deliver a great elevator pitch – ideally one that is relevant to that person’s situation. That’s why I always emphasize how important it is that you have more than one elevator pitch up your sleeve. I like to think of it as having a quiver of sharpened arrows. Each elevator pitch is going to resonate with one particular point along your customer continuum.

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Analyze the Competition

It’s very important to know what your competitive advantage is. One of the best ways to determine your competitive advantage (if you don’t already have a crystal clear idea) is to analyze your competition. What are they doing? What are they not doing? What are they best known for – the good and the bad?

Why is this information valuable to have? It not only allows you to figure out how you differ from the competition, but also equips you with great talking points that you can use when meeting with prospects. I should say right off the bat that it’s unwise to trash-talk your competitors; however, there’s a way to explain artfully why you are better suited than a competitor for a job while staying positive. Here’s an example:

“[Competitor 1] is highly skilled at [insert service] and I’ve heard some good things from their customers; however, if you’re looking for [insert service that sets you apart from Competitor 1], our offerings are the better choice.”

Here’s a list of questions (originally published on this blog in 2013) that can help you determine your competitive advantage:

About your competition:

-What are they doing?
-What are they not doing?
-What are they best known for (both the good and the bad)?
-What do their customers value most about their product or service?
-If you worked for their company, what changes would you make?

About your business:

-Why did my customers choose me over my competitors (for closed sales)?
-Why did my prospects choose to work with a different provider (for lost sales)?
-What do my customers value most about my product or service?
-What do I want to be known for (e.g., great customer service, highest-quality products)?

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Unleashing the Ideavirus

I’m sure you’ve all heard of an article or video “going viral” or “trending.” With the widespread adoption of social media platforms, ideas can spread faster and further than ever before. Simply by clicking a button, users are able share content with their entire social network. Savvy marketers recognize the power of “going viral” and strive to create content that is “share-worthy.”

Unlike traditional marketing in which a business reaches the customer directly, this strategy uses the customer as a vehicle for the spread of information, effectively multiplying the scope of “marketing touches” without requiring additional investment from the marketing team. While this form of marketing is highly effective in the social media realm, the concept can be applied to any form of marketing (including word of mouth). All you need to do is provide the customer with an idea that is so intriguing, they’ll want to go out and tell everyone about it. In the efficiency world, this could be a catchy elevator pitch, a key benefit of your product or service that is memorable and interesting, or a compelling statistic that your customer would want to share with his or her peers.

If you’re interested in the topic of customer-to-customer marketing, I recommend reading Unleashing the Ideavirus: Stop marketing AT people! Turn your ideas into epidemics by helping your customers do the marketing thing for you, by Seth Godin. This book teaches you how to create ideas that your customers will want to share with others, and how to find the right audience (which he calls “sneezers”) to help spread those ideas.

Here’s a summary from Amazon Books:

“‘This is a subversive book. It says that the marketer is not – and ought not to be – at the center of successful marketing. The customer should be. Are you ready for that?’ - From the Foreword by Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point.

“Counter to traditional marketing wisdom, which tries to count, measure, and manipulate the spread of information, Seth Godin argues that the information can spread most effectively from customer to customer, rather than from business to customer. Godin calls this powerful customer-to-customer dialogue the ideavirus, and cheerfully eggs marketers on to create an environment where their ideas can replicate and spread.

“In lively detail, Godin looks at the ways companies such as PayPal, Hotmail, GeoCities, even Volkswagen have successfully launched ideaviruses. He offers a ‘recipe’ for creating your own ideavirus, identifies the key factors in the successful spread of an ideavirus (powerful sneezers, hives, a clear vector, a smooth, friction-free transmission), and shows how any business, large or small, can use ideavirus marketing to succeed in a world that just doesn't want to hear it anymore from the traditional marketers.”

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Weekly Recap, January 25, 2015

Monday: Read  Leap!  101 Ways to Grow Your Business, by Stephanie Chandler, and learn some actionable strategies for growing your business.




Tuesday: Learn why it's important to ask potentially deal-breaking questions upfront (as opposed to waiting until your prospect is ready to buy). 




Wednesday: Trim down your talking points when meeting with a prospect face to face to avoid "talking past the sale."




Thursday: Discover a handful of email best practices that will allow you to maximize the effectiveness of your written communication.




Friday: If your prospect is too busy to talk, consider suggesting a phone meeting during his or her commute.




Saturday: Read this article from the New York Times blog and learn about the benefits of taking a short walk during the workday. 

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Take a Walk

When you have a lot on your plate, you may be inclined to sit at your desk for hours on end and slug away at your work until it’s finished. While this may seem like the logical way to complete your work, it’s not necessarily ideal for productivity. So how do you optimize productivity to make the most of your limited time? Get up from your desk and take a short walk.

According to an article published this week on the New York Times blog, taking a walk during lunch can reduce stress and improve your mood and ability to focus. While getting up and taking a walk requires you to pause your work (which may seem like a terrible idea when you’re really busy), the simple act of getting a little fresh air and exercise allows you to work more productively when you return. In addition to the abovementioned benefits, walking is great for creative thinking. Who knows, you may come up with your next big idea simply by putting your work aside for a few minutes! For more on this topic, read the full article below:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com//2015/01/21/stressed-at-work-try-a-lunchtime-walk/

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Too Busy to Talk

One of the big barriers of selling efficiency, particularly to busy professionals, is that they simply don’t have time to talk to you. I’d like to share a strategy that you might choose to use in this situation. Here’s how to conversation might go:

Prospect: “I’m swamped with work right now. I don’t think I have any windows of time to discuss this project.”

You: “Do you have a headset for your cell phone or Bluetooth in your car?

Prospect: “Yes. Why do you ask?”

You: Well, perhaps I can share with you how this project would bring value to you and your organization while you’re driving home from work? Since you won’t be able to write during the call, I promise to take notes and send them to you.”

Some people don’t like talking on the phone while driving; however, many people are happy to use their otherwise mindless commute time toward something productive. One word of caution: be sure to verify that your prospect has the means to talk on the phone hands-free. You surely wouldn’t want to be responsible for an accident or cell phone ticket! And of course, be sure to keep your word and send the promised conversation notes after the call.

You may be thinking, “If my prospect only has time to talk to me while he’s driving, how is he going to have time to review and approve the actual project?” In my experience, even the busiest people will make time for something once they see the true value in it. If you can get that value across in your ten-minute commute conversation and your prospect realizes how valuable the project is, he’ll make time in his busy schedule to see it through. 

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Make Your Emails Compelling!

In keeping with yesterday’s blog about trimming down your talking points during in-person interactions and staying focused on the value proposition, today we’re going to discuss some email best practices that will allow you to maximize the effectiveness of your written communication.

The following was originally published in August 2013 on the Jewell Insights blog.

It is not uncommon for a busy professional to get 50-100 emails every day. They can’t read and respond to that many. You need to make an effort to tailor your communication so that your email is both read and responded to. The following are some tips and tricks for writing a compelling email:

The DOs...

1. Make sure your subject line is both catchy and informative. 

Take a look at the newspaper to understand which headlines are catchy enough to get a reader to read the article.  

2. Make sure that it is clear at the beginning of the email what it is about, particularly if there are multiple people on the email string. This will help the recipients decide if they need to “read” on or not.  

3. Put the most important stuff first. Your prospect is unlikely to read the entire email.  Moreover, the top is the part that will show up in the Outlook Preview and on their smartphone as they sort through their daily emails. 

4. Make it extremely obvious what you want the reader to do. You don’t want your reader to be confused about what you need from them. 

5. Put the call to action clearly at the top AND at the bottom, particularly if there is a deadline associated with it. If the call to action is buried in the middle of your message, you’re unlikely to get a response you’re seeking.  

6. Carefully choose the day and time you send your message to customers or prospects. Monday morning is generally a time when people sift through all the emails that have piled up since Friday, so you probably want to send your message at a time that it isn't competing with dozens of other messages for your prospect's attention. 

7. Send separate emails for different topics, even if they are going to the same person. Emails get filed or deleted based on topic, so keep them separate.   

8. When using Out of Office replies, put an alternate way to contact you or someone else for assistance, rather than just saying that you are out of the office. If you are listing an alternate person, include their email address (rather than just their phone number). If the prospect wanted to email you, then they can just forward the email to your alternate contact rather than having to pick up the phone. 

9. Get into the habit of completing the “To” and “CC” fields of email messages as the last step before sending a message.  This prevents you from prematurely hitting the send button before you've carefully proofread your message. You should complete your email, proofread it (including double-checking attachments), and only fill in the “To” and “CC” fields when you're absolutely ready to hit “Send.”

The DON’Ts...

1. Don’t automatically keep the reply title on an email thread if the title is no longer applicable.  

2. Don’t be known for sending too many emails (people will tune yours out). 

3. Don’t flag all your messages as urgent, because it is often overused and the reader has a tendency to think, "Urgent to whom?" Instead, opt for a detail about what action you are needing. “FOR MTJ INPUT: Review this awesome proposal,” for example. 

4. Don't send things via email that you wouldn't want forwarded to someone else. Juicy or emotional emails always get forwarded.

 

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Trim It Down

I talk a lot about being concise and honing in on the real value proposition, particularly in the context of written proposals. While it’s vital that your proposals are short, persuasive, and understandable, it’s equally important that you trim down your talking points when meeting with a prospect face to face.

Most salespeople like to talk, and this can be a real asset when building rapport with prospects; however, talking too much – particularly about things that are not going to move the conversation forward – can cloud your message and jeopardize your chances of demonstrating the value of your product or service.

So how do you ensure that you’re not “talking past the sale?” Outline your key talking points and rank them based on importance. If the items at the end of your list are not really necessary, make a mental note to leave them out of the conversation. Additionally, when you’re actually conversing with your prospect, think about where you want to move the conversation and avoid anything that will sidetrack that goal. Be sure to also monitor your prospect’s body language and facial expressions as they can tell you a lot about what is going through your prospect’s mind as you speak to them.
 

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Ask Upfront

Many salespeople are afraid to ask potentially deal-breaking questions upfront. They think that these questions should be avoided until they know the prospect is ready to buy (and that it won’t matter because they have already made up their mind). What happens when you ask an important question at the end of the proposal process? If the answer to the question is in fact a deal-breaker, you’ve simply wasted both your prospect’s time and your own.

So what do I mean when I refer to a “deal-breaking” question? I’m talking about questions like, “How are the utilities metered and billed? Do the tenants pay directly for their energy usage?” or “Would you be able to be shut down this facility for a day during the installation process?” Perhaps your prospect would be fine shutting down the building during the installation process; however, if their building MUST remain operable 24/7, it’s best to know that immediately. If you ask these tough questions upfront, believe me, they’re not rapport-busters. They are time-savers, and your prospect will appreciate the fact that you asked them before getting too far into the sales process.
 

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