Common-Sense For Sales

The New Selling of America

I recently saw a fascinating promotion for a new PBS documentary called “The New Selling of America”.  The short video I watched makes the assumption that the best talent that American’s have and value we will bring to the future world economy is our ability to produce a better and higher level of sales professional.  It is an interesting forecast.  Here is the short overview of the upcoming program:

Is sales capable of reinventing itself?

In the 1960s, our counrty dominated the world economy.  Today our share of the pie has shrunk to less than 25 percent.  The global marketplace has undergone enormous changes. 

We are no longer manufacturing powerhouse.  Low cost Asian manufacturers offer high quality products at lower prices.  Some industry experts believe our expertise in selling is crucial for us to continue to compete in an increasingly difficult global marketplace.

The program goes to boardrooms, sales meetings and college classrooms to discover what business experts, corporate executives and educators are doing to make our counrty more competitive by professionalizing sales.

Part of the challenge they face is Americans’ historic discomfort with salesmen. From traveling peddlers to Joe Isuzu, a brief tour of American folk and pop culture reveals a persistent image of salesmen as intrusive, untrustworthy, and even comical figures. Relying on charm, high pressure tactics, or simple faith in their product’s virtues, salesmen have rarely inspired respect or trust in American culture. 

Though Americans have generally not regarded sales as a desirable career, statistics indicate that over 50 percent of all students who graduate become sales people directly out of college -- with no meaningful training to prepare them. The result is a higher turnover rate in sales than almost any other profession.  Experts contend that college level preparation is a must.

The program features interviews of college students and professors focused on the study of sales and top sales executives from such companies as International Paper, FedEx, Global Imaging, EMC, AT&T and IBM discussing the changing face of sales.   These business leaders agree that today’s successful salesperson is a trusted advisor to their customer rather than a pitchman.

As a professional sales person and sales trainer, I like the fact that there is now a focus on creating a better salesperson but I have been troubled by these types of thoughts is that our business owners have been outsourcing our manufacturing, much of our engineering and customer support for several decades.  My concern with this prediction is that by gravitating to this assumption our country will become a nation that is based on a sales economy not production or invention and innovation.  If we do this we are leaving ourselves down a steep slope where our value in the world economic hierarchy is diminished significantly.  As a history major in my younger years I see many parallels to several now second tier counties that followed this same path. 

Click on the link to see ad for the program:

The Future of Sales?

E-mail Marketing Gets Sophisticated

As postage rates continue climbing, many companies have turned to e-mail marketing as a key component of their overall marketing strategy.

"One of the advantages of this medium is that it's actionable," says Jon Parks, S&A Cherokee's online media manager. "It's very easy to access more information, order a product, register for an event or send an e-mail with one click."

Parks offers the following tips to help optimize e-mail marketing.

• Build your e-mail list internally. Buying lists is generally not as effective building your own. Purchased lists may contain a lot of bad addresses, and sending e-mails to people who did not ask for them could label you as a spammer. Improve deliverability by building your list through permission-based marketing. Collect e-mail addresses from customers, registrants, prospects, etc., and let them opt out if they so choose.
• Provide good, concise content. The content should have a hook to engage the reader, whether it's a special offer or call to action. Since most people scan e-mails, don't inundate them with details but provide a link to additional information. An intriguing and concise subject line (49 characters or fewer) will improve the chances your e-mail is opened.
• Don't create the e-mail as a standalone communication. Always pair it with a Web site landing page, e-mail address, etc. Determine what your desired outcome is and make your message action-oriented.
• Enlist a third-party e-mail service provider. Sending out bulk e-mail yourself increases the chances that a spam filter may block your messages from reaching inboxes. Also, if a recipient adds your e-mail address to their blocked sender list, any business or personal e-mails from you won't get through.
• Take advantage of analytical data. New programs can track who opened your message, who forwarded it, who clicked on a link, etc. That information helps build customer profiles and gives you information on how to customize specific messages for segmented campaigns.

S&A Cherokee uses a wide variety of communications specialties to ensure our clients are fully prepared to meet the demands of an ever-changing marketplace. Communications needs differ from one organization to another. S&A Cherokee assists with taking control of the communications process and develops strategies that are uniquely customized for each client.

To discover how S&A Cherokee can help you manage your e-mail marketing campaigns, including setup of mailing lists, writing and designing messages, and tracking e-mail responses, contact them for a free consultation at (919) 674-6020.

A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

Starting May 12th, it'll cost you one extra little penny to mail someone your thoughts. That's right...the US Postal Service is getting ready to make some price changes, and the biggest change for most consumers will be a price increase for First Class stamps from 41c to 42c.

The news isn't all bad, though. That's because for the first time in the history of the US Postal Service, the new pricing structure will include online price reductions, rebates, commercial volume and contract prices, as well as several other new incentives. The heat must be on the USPS to be competitive in pricing, as according to Postmaster General John Potter: "These innovative pricing incentives will make our products more attractive to all shippers, especially small businesses. We're pricing our products to sell in today's competitive shipping market."

The information below can help you plan for your postal expenses - and figure out a few ways that you can save - starting next month.

New Prices as of May 12

Consistent with The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, the average increase of the prices is at or below the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index. Here's what the new pricing will be:

First-Class Mail letter 1 oz. = 42c (current price = 41c)
First-Class Mail letter 2 oz. = 59c (current price = 58c)
Postcard = 27c (current price = 26c)
Certified Mail = $2.70 (current price = $2.65)

Ways to Save...

Forever Stamps — Last year, the US Postal Service introduced Forever Stamps... and this is your chance to reap the rewards! You can purchase Forever Stamps prior to May 12 at the lower 41c rate, and then use them even after the price change. Forever Stamps are widely available through Post Offices, Contract Postal Units, and consignment locations and The Postal Store^®.

To help meet increased demand before the price change, the US Postal Service plans to have 5 Billion Forever Stamps in stock. So you shouldn't have any problems getting your hands on them.

In addition to Forever Stamps, the US Postal Service is introducing all new ways to help you save, including the following new incentives:

Express Mail — With the new "zone-based pricing system," you'll pay less when you send a letter to a nearby destination using Express Mail. You can also save 3 percent when you purchase Express Mail online or through a corporate account. Finally, additional price reductions are available if you ship quarterly minimums.

Priority Mail — The new pricing structure includes a provision to help you save an average of 3.5 percent when you use electronic postage or meet other requirements.

Parcel Select — Large- and medium-size shippers will receive pricing and volume incentives under the "last mile" delivery provision.

Parcel Return Service — A new weight-based pricing system will result in significant price reductions for the return shipping of lighter packages.

You can learn more about the new pricing structure at www.usps.com/prices, and you can purchase Forever Stamps at your local Post Office or online at The Postal Store^®.

What Would You Do?

As I read the morning business section of the newspaper I noticed that there were a couple of stories about CEOs receiving large payouts.  In the articles each of their companies is performing poorly in the fragile economy. This does not look good to the stock holders, the employees, or the population in general.

But is this wrong for a CEO to take a large payout that is allowed by their contract if the company under-performing? I can find no one saying that it wrong to do so legally - it’s part of their contract - but is their something wrong with it morally? Would a CEO who decides to scale back, or even refuse, their payout be a grand gesture, or a foolish decision?

Later today I saw this poll on line:

What do you do? You’re the CEO of a large company, and you’re due for a large payout for your work despite the fact that your company is having a bad year.

What Do You Do?

·                                 71% of people polled said that a CEO should Pro-rate their payout. They should Tie their earnings to the company's performance, and send the message to employees that you all sink or swim together.

·                                 16% said that CEO’s should take the money. These people feel that since the CEO has risen to the highest level of the business world, and that's their reward. If the board doesn't like it, they'll show you the door, and then you'll really need that money. 

·                                 13% said leave the money in the company coffers. It's a grand moral gesture, and could help kick-start things in a new direction toward better years where more money will be waiting. 

What do you think?

Does a Customer have a Responsibility to Ethics too?

I was talking with Chris Mangeno of last week and he said “I was thinking about our conversation the other day and got me thinking about how I wish there were a class or seminar on say “Sales Ethics 101”

"No matter what industry you’re in, selling is selling and we ALL confront and hopefully overcome the same hurdles

When a sales person is asked to call on a prospect that is interested in an opportunity to use the sales person product or service; one that determines that a significant cost savings could be had, the person they meet with agrees.  Then nothing is purchased,  I guess it can be chalked up 2 ways:

(1) You weren’t in front of the decision maker or

(2) The person you met with handles that stuff for the company and just doesn’t feel like dealing. 

I bet the guys that are in charge of budgets and finance for the company would like know about a big savings per month, especially this economic climate.

Long story short, when sales folks can’t get directly to the decision makers, sometimes we have to work with who we have access to.  When you know in your heart and gut that what you’ve proposed is the best solution, should you ever bypass your contact and go over them to the decision maker?

As we both know you run the risk of again, two things:

(1) Ticking off your given contact

(2) Spinning your wheels since the Decision Maker will push you back down to your contact. 

It’s an endless cycle that drives me crazy…do you do the right thing and let the financial people for the company know they could save XYZ per month which will probably tick off your contact, or just wait around?

I’m not one to twiddle my thumbs in most cases, but when you’re talking about a decent size deal, no one wants to jeopardize it….then again, if you courting the wrong person, you’re not gaining any ground anyway.

There is power in numbers, the more information we all share with each other, the better!!  All industries have changed over the past couple of years, some for the better, some for the worse, but the fact that we all have a job to do hasn’t.  We just need to tweak the way we sell sometimes. 

Technology for example, it’s changed more than most over the past few years than it did in the 30 years before.  And I’m right up in the heart of it so I’ve had to learn how to sell different ways…and it will change again, and continue to, so that means my style must also. 

Selling requires a person to change your style constantly, try new things, identify what works and doesn’t work, and keep a journal or log so you don’t forget.  I actually ask my customers after the close them what it was that I did for them or what it was that I said that got me in the door to meet with them. 

There’s no better way to learn as to what works or doesn’t work than to ask a customer what you did or did not do right.  Obviously this is all just my opinion, but it works for me, it’s my style and the only thing I am sure about is that it will change.  It has to, because I know my industry will."

"Hmm, maybe I should just open a Chinchilla Farm??"