Thoughtful Thursdays - Building trust without making personal contact

One of the hottest subjects today is the use of social media as a business tool. I would agree that a social media strategy with a well executed tactical plan will increase awareness in a market place. When used in conjunction with other Internet communications services this increased awareness can translate into more prospects and eventually new customers.

Some traditional thoughts about selling tell us that:

• Relationships are crucial to the success of any business
• A key benefit of a good relationship is trust
• Trust is at the top of the list in making buying decisions

Enter social media, and the challenge of building trust with minimal or no personal contact. In my experience, customers now conduct significant research before making the decision to purchase. In many cases the decision is appears to be based more on price than relationship. All things being equal, how will you, without the opportunity of building a face to face relationship, build trust to a level that will result in an order in your favour?

Here are a few suggestions that may be useful in building a trustworthy online presence:

• Do not post or make inane comments
• Contribute to online forums and comment on articles that will benefit from your expertise
• Fully complete your online profiles
• If you like a post, tell the writer why
• Offer constructive criticism not personal shots
• Make it about them, not you
• Thank your readers
• Be consistent
• Assume that anything you post can be seen by anyone, anywhere at any time

I will always be a believer in the value of relationships built on personal communication. Social media presents a great opportunity to grow your list of prospects. When it comes to closing a deal, I prefer to do that in person, but that's just me.

Good selling,
Richard

Thoughtful Thursdays - Two years later

Thoughtful Thursdays is now the ripe old age of two. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to drop by and read my ramblings and occasional rants.


Taking a look back, what was going on two years ago?

• The world was in a midst of financial meltdown due to the subprime mortgage crisis
• President George W. Bush signed the $700,000,000,000 bail out bill
• Canadians elect another minority government returning Stephen Harper as Prime Minister
• The Bank of Canada interest rate was around 2.5%
• One Loonie was worth about $0.84 USD
• The Toronto Maple Leafs won 7 of their first 17 games (Some things never change)
• The first Thoughtful Thursday posts was titled What are Your Sales Challenges?

Going back to that first post, have your sales challenges changed over the past two years? Did the impact of the economic conditions cause your business to change its approach? Is your target market the same as it was?

A lot can happen in two years and we would be very interested in hearing about your experiences if you have a moment to leave a comment.

Good selling,
Richard

November 11, 2010 - Remembrance Day

Thoughtful Thursdays - Great expectations

Oyaku donburi, is a Japanese meal in a bowl consisting of egg, chicken, mushrooms and onions (I have enjoyed it with other vegetables as well) in a delicious sauce served on hot rice. For me it is a great all season comfort food.

My friend and I went to see an early movie the other day and were looking for a bite to eat after. We decided on Japanese food and headed off to a local restaurant where we had dined before, albeit some time ago.

The first thing I noticed when we got there was that the ownership had changed. Not a big deal, it happens all the time. The menu remained the same and the staff were as friendly as I remembered.

I had decided on the way that I was going to order one of my favourite dishes, oyaku donburi. The first warning flag flew when the server was not sure what I was ordering. Once I showed her on the menu, all was good...

... or so I thought. I could not believe my eyes when the bowl arrived. This was not what I ordered, it was chicken teriaki on rice. Maybe I ordered the wrong item? No, in fact this is a short version of the conversation that followed:

Me: "This is not what I expected when I ordered oyaku donburi"
Server: "What is the matter?"
Me: "Okaku donburi is egg, chicken, mushrooms and onions (I have enjoyed it with other vegetables as well) in a sauce served on hot rice.
Server: "Tell me how it is made"
Me: "That would the chef's job"
Server: Would you like to order something else?
Me: No

Many apologies later they did not charge me for the meal I did not eat and promised faithfully that the next time we came in, they will be ready to serve oyaku donburi in the manner in which it was expected.

Next time I thought? I really don't think there will be a next time.

I have a theory about the new owners. They purchased the business and unfortunately did not hire a qualified chef. They did not examine the menu and decide whether or not they were capable of serving all the items listed. As a result, my expectations were not met and they have lost one potentially repeat customer forever.

Learning: Do not offer what you can not serve.

Good selling,
Richard

Thoughtful Thursdays - On persistence

"Be persistent" are words you commonly hear in sales training sessions. They are used often in association with: "don't take it personally" and "no today is does not mean no tomorrow". Good sales thoughts.

It is ironic that when you re-arrange the letters in the word persistent they also spell the two words "pester" and "isn't". Okay, I took the liberty to add the apostrophe. These two words describe what being persistent is not. I don't know how many other words can define themselves so clearly.

There is a line, some may see it as fine, and when you cross it, you transform yourself from persistent to pest. I would think the former characteristic is more desirable.

When you put your mind to it is it quite easy to avoid becoming a pest. Here are a few tips:

• Another 'P' word, be patient.
• Never complete a communication without knowing when the next one is going to take place.
• Listen to your prospect and respect their time.
• If the next contact is agreed for two weeks later, call in two weeks - not earlier and not later.
• When re-establishing communications based on a prior understanding, and the prospect is not available, leave a message and let them know when you will call back. If you call first thing in the morning, a late afternoon follow up call is likely acceptable.
• Have enough people to follow up with so that one prospect does not become your raison d'être.

I have been characterized as persistent, and take it as a compliment. For me, persistence means not giving up or losing sight of the goals and objectives. It does not mean drive someone around the twist by calling several times a day. If I have the time to do that, I do not have enough prospects, and without enough prospects I will not achieve my objectives.

Good selling,
Richard