“I would, BUT…”

“Right, BUT…”

“I know, BUT…”

“I could, BUT…”

“I understand that, BUT…”

“I should, BUT…”

 

Those big buts above are the precursors to statements like “I’m really busy this month” or “the economy is too uncertain” or “my boss won’t let me.”

The word “but” is the introduction to every rationalization for mediocre performance, inaction, and self-pity I have ever heard.

Most people allow their environment to direct their actions.  If you work for a boss that’s not interested in your new ideas, you stop creating new ideas.  If your coworker avoids teamwork, you retreat to your cubicle.  If your spouse fails to uphold his/her end of the bargain, you stop trying.

That little three-letter word—“but”—creates big problems.  Big but problems.

Your big but is a symptom.  It’s a symptom not of what others do to you, but of a poor attitude. Your poor attitude.  Your poor belief system.

The Problem:  When your buts are bigger than your accomplishments, you will find your wallet a little thin.

 

The Solution:  Get your butt in gear!

 

Here are six steps to getting your big BUT back in line:

1.  Start moving.  The hardest part of any task is starting.  Once you get moving, you’ll find inertia will keep you motivated.

2.  Allow yourself to succeed.  If you give up a task or project at the first sign of adversity, eventually you will convince yourself that your next project is not worth starting.  Instead, focus all of your energy on completing the task at hand—NO MATTER WHAT.

3.  Build you belief system.  Big belief will beat big buts anytime.  The bigger your own self-belief, the more likely you are to overcome your inner-skeptic.

4.  Don’t ask for permission.  You don’t ever need permission to do what you know in your heart is best for your company.  Try walking into your boss’s office after implementing your new idea with proof of success.  “Hey, boss, I just did something a little ‘out-of-the-box’ and our customers loved it.  Here’s a purchase order for $10,000.” 

5.  Exercise your freedom.  Freedom to succeed implies freedom to fail.  The best baseball players strike out two out of three times.  But the runs they score when they do hit far outnumber the runs you score while sitting in the dugout.

6.  Know when to quit. Sometimes you will fail. Don’t blame your but.  Instead, understand that sometimes you must choose to cease working toward a goal.  Quitting is a choice—and sometimes it’s the best choice.  Practice saying “I chose not to complete this project so that I can focus my time on a higher-priority task.”  

The bottom line is this:  your biggest but is in your head.   

Salespeople often tell me that their biggest frustration is with the seemingly unnecessary time it takes to close a sale.  Some salespeople complain that their prospects are “indecisive,” or that their prospects “lead salespeople on, give all the buying signals, but fail to pull the trigger for months and months.”  I have yet to meet a single salesperson that does not want to speed up his/her sales cycle.

 

Customers today are guarding their cash. They’re slower to react than they used to be. And they expect more of you than ever. In today’s economy, all of the power has returned to the customer—and the customer has become impervious to closing techniques.  If you’re still “selling through telling,” and you’re finding that your words are not as persuasive as they used to be—you might want to try using your ears.

 

I ask salespeople regularly, “What’s the most powerful question in sales?” The common response is, “The most powerful question is when you ask for the sale.”  Dead wrong.  Asking for the sale is the most avoided question in sales, but it is not the most powerful.  Salespeople elude asking for the sale out of fear of rejection, out of what they perceive as being polite, out of wishful thinking, out of negligence, but mostly because they’re unprepared.

 

Actually, there is no one most powerful question in sales.  There are, however, specific characteristics of what makes up the most powerful question for your specific sales situation, or a particular sales call.  For example, during one call you may use a question to answer a customer’s question.  “When can you deliver?” the customer asks.  “When do you require delivery?” the perceptive salesperson responds.

 

On another call, you may choose to use a powerful question to begin the conversation.  “Mr. Prospect, how did you get started in this business?”  I have yet to meet a single businessperson who does not like to talk about him/herself.  If you can get your prospect talking, you will find all the opportunities you need to uncover buying motives. 

 

Uncovering buying motives is best accomplished by asking powerful questions, which must be prepared in advance to be effective. 

 

Here are five tips to help you prepare powerful questions for your next sales call:

 

1. Questions must be open-ended. Anything that would result in a “yes” or “no” answer leaves you doing most of the talking.  The goal is to get the customer talking so you can listen for opportunities.
2. Start with friendly, personal questions. Most salespeople foolishly begin with small talk:  “How’s the weather?  How about those Yankees?  How are the kids?”  Save the small talk and ask something that will allow your prospect to connect to something on an emotional level.  My mentor always begins with “Where did you grow up?” Take a moment and think about where you grew up.  Where was it?  I’ve been there!  Remember that great restaurant on Main St?..........Got it?
3. Facts and figures often go unheard, but questions require thought.  There’s a significant difference between the statement, “83.7% of all business professionals fail to properly save for their children’s college education,” and the question, “What are you doing to ensure your child will be able to attend the college of his/her choice?”
4. There is such a thing as a dumb question. Your elementary school teacher lied to you. Actually, she didn’t lie—she simply forgot to qualify the statement.  What she should have said is, “There’s no such thing as a dumb question IN SCHOOL. In real life, however, you will be judged by the questions you ask.”
5. Don’t look to uncover the pain; find the opportunity. Instead of asking questions about problems, pains, or challenges, focus on your prospect’s dreams, hopes, and aspirations.  Get your prospects to connect with what life would be like if and when they do business with you.  “How would my product help you to achieve your goal?  How would our software increase your productivity, your efficiency, your profit? What will you do with the additional cash flow my company will provide?” 

 

Here’s the lesson: Invest your time preparing powerful questions, and your customers will spend their money with you.  It all boils down to these four words: Don’t Ask, Don’t Sell.  

Ever go to a bank where your teller was wearing flip-flops and Bermuda shorts?  Probably not. Would you trust someone like that with your money?  You ask your customers to trust you with their money when you ask for the sale. If you want their money, dress like you deserve it.

Remember what you wore to your last job interview?  You took that day very seriously. You wore your best clothes, spit-shined shoes, and a big smile. In other words, you put your best foot forward. Your clothing was saying, “I’m serious about getting this job. I look good, and I am going to perform well when you hire me.” 

Why not put that same suit back on tomorrow morning before you come to work?  Your clothing would be saying “I’m serious about making this sale. I look good and I am going to perform good (well) when you buy from me.” 

You don’t have to look like a banker, but you should look like you’re ready to do business.

If you don’t have a meeting with a customer tomorrow, look at your co-workers (or your boss) as customers. Bosses like well-dressed employees. Bosses remember well-dressed employees when it’s promotion time. I’m sure you’ve heard “Dress for the job you want…”.  Wearing clothes that “fit” your current role shows that you’re content with where you are and what you’re doing. Wear clothes that show you have the desire to advance.

And then there’s how you feel. Deion Sanders said it best:  “When you look good, you feel good. When you feel good, you play good.”  Nothing helps you play better than a little self-confidence boost. And nothing helps self-confidence more than a nice new shirt and a clean shave (or a new hairstyle for the ladies). When you look in the mirror tomorrow morning, what will you see?  WYSIWYS (What You See is What You’ll SELL).

Here is my Ground-up Guide for Red Carpet Sales:

Wear shoes. Shoes, dress boots, loafers, and dress sandals all work for women.  Men should stick to closed toed shoes, avoiding sandals altogether.  Can you imagine the CEO saying, “Let’s give a big promotion to that guy with the hairy toes!?”  For either gender, casual sandals are unacceptable.  This includes flip-flops, thongs, Birkenstocks, shower shoes, or anything you would wear to the beach.

Don’t be sneaky. Athletic shoes (sneakers) are comfortable. But unless you’re trying out for your company’s basketball squad, leave them at home.

Nice knees. If you’ve got ‘em, flaunt ‘em. You can show your legs, too, but keep your thighs to yourself. And save your shorts for running. Skirts or dresses only, please.

Wear slacks. If you’re not going to wear a skirt or dress, slacks are your only option. Dockers, khakis, chinos, dressy capris, suit pants, pleats, and flat fronts all work well.

Friday is for lovers --  jean lovers. If you work somewhere that promotes casual Fridays, go ahead and sport your best denim.  Dark, solid-colored, well-fitting jeans, as long as they aren’t ripped, torn, frayed, acid-washed, or baggy enough to fit the whole sales team. Got it?

Wear a shirt. Guys, stick to shirts with collars. Golf shirts, polo shirts, button downs, you name it—so long as it has a collar.  Ladies, ensure that shirts and tops are professional.  Tube tops, tank tops, or spaghetti straps are not acceptable (and that goes for both sexes).  Whatever you choose to wear, be sure it’s clean and pressed.

Tuck it in. If your shirt was meant to be tucked in, tuck it in. Shirts revealing too much cleavage, too much back, your chest, or your stomach are a no-go.

Don’t sweat it. If you’d like to wear a sweater, go right ahead. Notice I said SWEATER not SWEATSHIRT. You know the difference.

Hair. Great hair translates to great sales. The decision is yours to slick, spike, perm, straighten, dye (a naturally occurring hair color, of course), comb, brush, pick or tease your hair. Pick a style that compliments your personality -- just wash and maintain your hair regularly.

No hair. Shine your noggin and remind yourself that some of the most successful people look their best bald:  Michael Jordan, Bruce Willis, Kevin Eubanks, Paul Shaffer, Vin Diesel, Jesse Ventura, and Jeffrey Gitomer.

Facial hair. The key here is “neat.”  Beards, goatees, moustaches, sideburns, etc. are all acceptable. Look fresh and well groomed. Note: forgetting (or not having enough time) to shave for a day or two does NOT count as a “beard.”  That’s scruff. Beards are trimmed and grow in an organized fashion. Scruff means you don’t care.

Hats. Certain religious practices require head coverings. If your favorite team’s baseball cap does not fall under that category, save it for a ballgame.

A little goes a long way. Jewelry, cologne, perfume. Be tasteful. Don’t wear loud or gaudy jewelry, or anything that can be described with the word “bling.”  Nothing is worse than when your watch speaks louder than your sales pitch!  And you would hate to pitch a prospect who can’t stop sneezing because your Aqua Velva is too thick.

Upgrade your image -- and you’ll upgrade your sales!

I don’t know exactly where to begin.  Perhaps I should begin with how inspired I am by unGeeked Elite--even after a week has passed and even after I attended another conference in Chicago with 9,000 attendees.  Perhaps I should begin with how impressed I am with Cd Vann and her ability to pull together the social media A-list that visited our fair city last week.  Perhaps I should begin with how proud I am that this event happened in Milwaukee (yes, Milwaukee!!), or how surprised I am that over 100 of the coolest people I’ve met live in this city…and that I’ve never met ANY of them before. (I did know one of the attendees fairly well, but he was the photographer, Scott Curty, so I’m not sure that counts). 

 

But I think the right place to begin is with my disappointment.  Not in the speakers, not in you, not in the event, not in the weather (though I wish it had been a little warmer so our visitors could have enjoyed the lake a bit).  My disappointment is with myself.  Months ago a coworker from my office in Charlotte, North Carolina called and asked if I had ever heard of “unGeeked Elite—a social media conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.”  I quickly replied, “Nope.  Never heard of it.  And, if it’s in Milwaukee it can’t be that good.” 

 

You see, I had fallen into the trap that many Milwaukeeans do.  Over the years I have fallen in and out of love with Milwaukee for one reason or another.  I grew up here, and all I could ever dream about was leaving.  Then I left.  First for school (Madison), then for my dream of being a rock and roll star (New York).  When my wife and I decided to have kids, Milwaukee seemed like a great place to start a family, so we bought a house and we’ve been here since.

 

Don’t get me wrong; Milwaukee is one of the best places in the country to raise a family.  And over the past nine years I have seen many new additions to the city that rival Chicago, New York, and other major cities.  We have great restaurants, parks, festivals, sporting events (well, at least the venues are great…the teams, however, are another story), museums, and we have great people.  Friendly people.  Friendly, but boring.  Or so I thought until last weekend.

 

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend unGeeked until Saturday, and even then I could only make half of the day.  Ironically, I may not even have attended but for the face that my friend, Sally Hogshead, would be speaking.  Sally and I met several months ago in Toronto at a marketing conference and I then introduced her to my mentor, Jeffrey Gitomer, with whom Sally will be speaking at several upcoming social media events.  Think about that for a minute.  It took a woman from Florida, whom I had met in Toronto, to get me to show up to an event in my own city!  How many other people should have/would have come to unGeeked had they known what a powerful experience it would be?

 

So that’s my story.  I’m disappointed in myself.  Disappointed that my own prejudice against my hometown almost caused me to miss one of the most inspirational days of my life.  Perhaps, then, I should be grateful instead.

 

Grateful to Sally Hogshead, grateful to theother speakers (many of whom are running tremendous companies right here in Milwaukee), grateful to Cd Vann for having the vision and the chutzpah to pull this event off, and, most of all, grateful to YOU.  You, my fellow attendees.  My fellow Milwaukeeans.  Thank you for allowing me into your circle, for showing me that I had been wrong about this city all of those years, for bringing a level of vibrancy and intelligence and contagious enthusiasm that was unmatched by 9,000 people two days later in Chicago at the ASTD conference. 

 

There’s a big difference between motivation and inspiration.  Motivation lasts for a day, but inspiration lasts for a lifetime.  Thank you—all that attended unGeeked Elite—for inspiring me to become a little better, to work a little harder, and to see Milwaukee in a different light.

 

I left Milwaukee last Sunday for Chicago, then on to Charlotte.  Upon myreturn to Milwaukee yesterday morning, I approached the city with a new zest for all that it has to offer.  I took my daughters to the art museum, to Bartalotta’s North Point Snack Bar, to the lakefront, to the Edgewater Park Beach, and then we went for a drive.  It’s funny how many great things I had forgotten about in my “there’s nothing cool about Milwaukee days.”  Actually, it’s not funny.  It’s sad.

 

It’s sad because my family and I are moving to Charlotte, North Carolina in three weeks and I am now filled with bittersweet thoughts.  What comforts me, however, is the fact that I will leave here an advocate for the city and that I will return to visit with a renewed sense of energy and excitement. 

 

So that’s about it.  Enough about me.  I have made many new friends as a result of unGeeked Elite, and I hope to make many more.  Please email, DM, IM, call, ping, or send smoke signals my way…I’d love to connect with any and all of you.  That is, if you can hang with a former Milwaukee-hater.

 

Signed,

Noah Rickun

CEO of Jeffrey Gitomer’s TrainOne

Sales Guy

Daddy

Newly converted Milwaukee evangelist

 

We love unGeeked, too!

 

 

Almost every Monday morning I find myself walking through security at the airport just before 5am.  Yes, it’s early.  Yes, it’s a pain in the tush.  But by flying that early, I am able to make it to my office by 9am and I get to spend Sunday night with my kids.  Reading stories to my girls on Sunday night is worth every bit of lost sleep.

 

I normally eat a Clif bar on the way to the airport, but today I left mine at home.  So I decided that after getting through security I would stop at the Alterra coffee shop in the C terminal.  It’s a locally owned coffee shop, and in Milwaukee, Alterra has built a fanatical customer base.  As I approached the counter I inhaled the comforting aroma of coffee, bagels, and baked goods, American Express card in hand.  Surprisingly, the first thing out of the barista’s mouth was, “5:15.” 

 

“I’m sorry?” I asked.

 

“We don’t open until 5:15,” replied the stoic young woman.

 

“If the coffee is not ready, it’s no big deal.  I’d really just like one of those muffins,” I said with a smile.

 

Without looking up, the barista snapped, “Then come back at 5:15.”

 

I quickly scanned the other employees behind the counter, hoping to find a sympathetic soul who might serve one of the muffins in the case (which had been laid out fresh just minutes prior).  What I got instead were blank stares that almost said “Don’t bother us, we’re not on the clock yet.” 

 

Stunned, I spun around quickly and headed toward the gift shop next door.  What I had not realized, however, is that during my brief interaction at the counter, a line of four or five people had formed behind me.  All waiting for coffee and breakfast.  All ready to spend money.  Ten minutes before Alterra opened. 

 

The woman at the front of the line asked me what had happened.  I told her Alterra wouldn’t serve me because they don’t open for ten more minutes.

 

“That’s dumb,” the woman said loudly.

 

And, as if the Alterra barista could make herself (and her company) look any worse, the barista barked, “We don’t serve before we open.  That’s the policy!”

 

An amazing thing happened next.  All four or five would-be customers and I walked to the gift shop and each purchased drinks, snacks, and other items.  I bought a magazine.  Eleven dollars total.  If the other would-have-been-Alterra customers spent even half of what I did at the gift store, that’s just shy of forty dollars.  Forty dollars that wound up in the wrong hands.  Wrong because we had wanted to spend our money with a locally owned, oft-recommended coffee shop and were not allowed.  Wrong because we wanted coffee and muffins and instead we got a negative experience.  So negative, in fact, that I’m writing about it now.

 

I am not disappointed in the young barista who was so rude to me.  I am not disappointed in the other employees who chose to ignore the situation instead of taking action.   I am, however, disappointed in the fact that the manager of the store had not properly trained his/her employees. 

 

There’s an old customer service mantra, “Customers aren’t an interruption of our day; they are the purpose of it.”  Why wasn’t that motivational poster hung up behind the counter?  Why wasn’t this concept burned into the minds of every employee who worked at the airport Alterra?  More importantly, why would every employee not feel empowered to act on behalf of the customer rather than reciting policy?

 

Alterra has the best reputation in Milwaukee.  Alterra has the best marketing.  Alterra has the best branding.  Unfortunately for Alterra, however, none of that mattered this morning.  What mattered this morning is that the girl behind the counter was rude, short, and more focused on herself than on serving a cup of the best reputation.

 

There’s a lesson here:  Your marketing dollars are only as good as your frontline employees.  Before you go spending money on attempting to create a perception in the minds of your customers and prospects, you might want to start by investing in training your people.