3 Questions To Answer

Do I like you?

Do I trust you?

How can you Help me?

These three questions are asked in our subconscious every time we interact with someone.  Our bodies are hardwired to want to know if we like, trust, and can be helped by the other person.  These questions have been embedded into our survival since the beginning of mankind.   We also are programmed to know if we are safe in an environment, or if we need to run (fight or flight response).  Think about that when you are in the grocery line and someone coughs…

In business, if we are not answering these questions for our customers then we are not helping our customers.  It’s about answering these questions that gets us into meetings to discuss larger topics that the customer needs answers to.  They need us to help them get to a better place.  If they didn’t need us then we would not be in the conversation. 

The great thing that we have going for us if they are interacting with us, then they are actively searching for solutions.  Even if they don’t currently know it yet!  That is right sometimes the customer does not know what they need before they meet with us.  We need to study them and their needs so that we can support them with the best option available to them.

Have you ever been talking to someone about a topic and a great idea pops into your head?  Most of the time though we forget about these ideas 15 minutes after we have thought about them.  The same thing happens with our customers when we are talking with them.  When they do this, we need to take notes and keep asking deeper questions.  At the end of our time we need to summarize the major topics and see which ones the customer really wants to dive deeper into for the next conversation?

Now for an exercise.  I want you to sit back and think of an interaction with a recent customer that did not buy from you and ask the three questions from the customer’s point of view: Do I like you, Do I trust you, and how can you help me?  During that interaction, where could you have done something more that would have likely resulted in an opportunity?  What might you have missed answering for the customer out of the three questions?  Chances are we get comfortable with customers and our sales process and we forget the most crucial buying decision “us” that the customer has to decide on.

In the coming weeks we will dive deeper into each of the three questions, but for this week I want you to ask those three questions at each interaction.  You don’t have to be selling them something either.  It could be a family member, neighbor, coworker, mail carrier, etc.  Focus on answering each of those three questions to the best of your ability, even if you are talking to them while in quarantine via phone call, or web meetings.

Have a great weekend and stay healthy!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

P.S. if you have a need for sales or leadership keynotes / trainings follow the link below.

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Staying Fit While Traveling

Today we are busier than ever with work, family time, and travel.  We are constantly on the go, moving things forward and trying to keep our heads above water. 

Have you ever tried to figure out how to stay fit while traveling?

What fitness program can we do anywhere at any time?

How do we schedule time for fitness with our busy schedules?

I have spent a great deal of time on the road in my career and I can say that it is extremely hard to stay fit when traveling.  I have spent hours trying to plan workouts whether traveling for business or pleasure and was mostly unsuccessful.

Some things I would do was research where I was traveling to in order to find hotels with fitness centers that were not just a treadmill and an exercise bike, map out gyms near hotels, or figure out routes to run.  I would get so exhausted from all of the planning that I would usually just give up and find something on tv to watch.

One day I was watching infomercials when I could not sleep from an extensive business trip.  One caught my attention mainly because it was stating that fitness could be done in a small amount of space with limited workout equipment.  The infomercial was for P90X taught by Tony Horton.  For those of you that don’t know Tony, he is a mix between Ace Ventura and Tony Robins.  His challenging workout with bits of “dad jokes” kept you motivated. 

I bought the program and I have to say it worked.  I was able to get in the better shape than I was in college.  It worked so much that I have done it at least once a year for the past decade.  I was able to travel with minimal workout equipment.  Usually just fitness bands and running shoes.  I could also plan my workouts.  I could do plyometric training, kick boxing, and yoga while I was on the road.  I was even able to use a small 8’ x 8’ space to workout.  Back when I started you just carried dvd’s, but now Beach Body who owns the P90X program has released a new work out streaming service.

This service is called Beach Body on demand (BOD).  There are over 40 different workout programs on this system with different coaches. There is a great variety of workout programs on this service so whatever you are feeling like that day you can push play and get to work easily on your schedule.  Now here is the cool part about this.  You don’t need a gym membership, a bunch of gym equipment at your home, or a great deal of space.  You also don’t have to waste time waiting for people to get done sweating over equipment you need to use.  It’s efficient and wide open for you to decide what you want to do that day.  You can also stream it on your phone from the app, or from a laptop.

No, I am not a beach body coach, I don’t sell the materials, or their magic shake formula (which I don’t use), but I do endorse this format especially if you are a busy individual.  It works if you put forth the effort and push play.  I have used this workout formula which helps me mitigate stress, process ideas, and clears my head.  If it worked for me then it can work for anyone. 

Also, when I finish a workout program entirely, I treat myself to something as a way to set a goal to complete a program.   

I hope that helps any of you that travel, or just don’t have a great deal of time for fitness in your busy schedules.

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

P.S. if you are in need of a sales or leadership keynote / training check out the link below:

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Proximity, How It Will Help You Win with Customers

Have you ever noticed how you react when you are in a crowded space in comparison to walking in a nearly empty mall? 

Have you ever felt uncomfortable with others crowding your space?

There is this principal that depending how close you are to others the more trust is needed.  It is called Proximecs.  This principal basically defines why at different proximity with others we need different levels of trust.  The closer we are to another person the more trust we must have, or we will become uneasy.  There is a reason why stadiums sell out so easily for sporting events, coffee shops have people littered all over working on their Macbooks, and why people will wait for hours on hot summer days in lines for the best roller coasters striking up conversations with strangers.

 The distances breakdown like this:

Public Distance – 12.1’ +

Social Distance – 4.1’- 12’

Personal Distance 1.6’- 4’

Intimate Distance < 1.5’

The most fun and engaging interactions in our lives occur in social and personal distances.  The closer we get to others the more powerful the emotion can be shared during thrilling experiences.  Ever had an experience at a sporting event where you were slapping hands with some unknown individuals celebrating a score seemingly without thought about if they washed their hands or not?  We are wired to have more emotional significance to others we are in close proximity to.  Our bodies actually crave this connection to be understood and these interactions are a way to make that connection.

When working with customers it is extremely hard for us to get in front of them with emails, literature, billboards, etc.  We need to get in touch with them on a closer level.  This means sales professionals need to be in front of customers often.  This is also why deeper relationships are made outside of the office i.e. golfing, sporting events, hands on training, etc.  There isn’t a barrier between us and the customer like that of a desk, or board room table.  Their guard is lowered and in most cases are more willing to share more details that will enable you to help serve them. 

Now that we are in close proximities with the customer and trust is psychologically given as we are in close proximity, deeper discussions can happen and relationships formed.  Have you ever had a customer out at lunch share some deep dark secret about the organization just to vent?

Work at meeting with the customer if you want to gain more business with your customers. 

Warning!

Keep in mind that the intimate level should be those you should be giving intimate affection to like that of family and spouses.  Doing that with customers is just awkward outside of a casual hug when a bond has been made to wish each other well before, or after a meeting.

P.S. the picture associated with this blog will help you understand visually the distances a little better.

Have a great week!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Short Term Profits Or Fans Which Do You Prefer?

Good morning everyone. 

Last week we spoke about what not to do in generating customer loyalty.  Today let’s talk about how to generate “Fans” which is what we all want.  Have you ever been to a concert standing next to thousands of other people singing the same lyrics as you as the band performs on stage?  Have you ever been to a sporting event where you and the people around you are cheering for your team and sharing memories of how WE beat the rivals?  How about a restaurant experience that you couldn’t help but tell others that they need to go to?  Wouldn’t it be awesome if we had that kind of following for our businesses?  I state it in a question, but we already know the answer. YES, YES WE DO!!!

In today’s world it is easier to get a company launched and with social media it is even faster to come to market with new products.  Business owners are trying to find the quick ways to generate profits and return customers.

Here’s the secret sauce for doing this.  It takes time!  Sad, but true it takes time to generate loyal customers and Fans.  As a business owner we need to define what we want.  Do we want short-term profits or long-term success?

When customers buy a product / service from most organizations that is the end of the transaction.  Unfortunately, the 90 days after a purchase are the most crucial for the customer.  They need us to show them how to be successful with this new investment!  If we simply take the payment and say, “Good Luck!”  we’ll be looking back later wondering how our sales our down.  People talk to people and social media makes it so easy to reach a larger audience with our opinions of a product / service.

The 90 days after a purchase are crucial to make sure the customer is using the product or service to its full potential.  Think about some of the products / services you have bought only for them to be collecting dust because you did not know how to use them properly.  We fell that infomercial we watched late at night lied to us.  What do you wish you had been provided by the organization that you purchased that product / service from so you could have really used it to make and impact on your life?

Today with social media being easily accessed a small business owner can reach all customers with emails, videos, and webinars at the click of a button and with low cost.  Why not make sure the customer has all the tools to help them be successful with our products?  What about group events when you travel to a city to invite those customers out to network and offer support?

No magic, just simply focusing on the customer to make sure they are successful.  They are investing their hard, earned money with us so we need to treat them like they are making an investment in us.  They are taking a risk on our products / service so let’s help them be successful.  Constantly reaching out with successful tips and trick and not just selling the customer something else is how we serve them well!  

I have been reading a great book called “Fanology” by the David and Reiko Scott.  They have great insight on how organizations have generated awesome fan bases that sustain long-term success.  One part of the book that really stopped me and made me think was this quote:

“The relationships we build with our customers are more important than the products and services we sell to them.”

If we want to generate more “FANS” for our businesses we need to focus on how we can make them successful with our products / services that we offer.  If we are not focused on serving the customer and building relationships with them, then our products / services become a commodity.  The only differentiating factor in a commodity is price.  It’s also not sustainable for long term growth for your organization because each day there are similar products coming to market for a cheaper price.

Focus on making the customer successful and building a relationship with them.  Wouldn’t it be awesome serving and connecting with customers so well that they become fans and sell our products / services for us?  Who wouldn’t want that a sales force that we don’t have to pay because they are so passionate about our product / service?

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Customer Loyalty, What Not To Do...

Good morning everyone,

Everywhere you look you see articles on how to build customer loyalty.  Just about every major retailer has a loyalty program.  Offers are given with point systems in hopes of retaining customers.  These are all great things, but there is one area that businesses are falling short.

What about the new customer that does not know your brand and has no idea how awesome you are?  What are you doing for them to attract them?

They have no loyalty to you, or anyone.  These customers are lost in the space of who to pledge their loyalty to.  These individuals want to believe that if they join your “club” you are going to take care of them, but they have been taken advantage of so many times they are skeptical.

One story I share as of recent is from a personal experience with a large manufacturer of automobiles.  I have owned a vehicle from a company that I will not name, but their initials are “G and M.”  I take care of my vehicles with great maintenance to make sure they last a long time.  This current vehicle has roughly 62,000 miles on it.  In relative terms nothing major should happen to this vehicle for quite a while.  I also have a 100,000 mile warranty that had the five years recently expire.

On my way home the truck showed me a message of no oil pressure and to turn off the engine.  After the truck was towed to the dealer it was understood that the oil pump had failed and that a new one was needed for the cost of $2500 for parts and labor.  After some research I have found that this organization has a bulletin out for these oil pumps failing.  This means that this is not a rare occurrence. 

I contacted the factory rep and met with him at the dealership.  We will call him Richard to protect his identity.  When reviewing the case about possible assistance Richard stated that they take in account if the customer has had multiple vehicles from this brand in to account if they would help...  I asked him if I was hearing correctly.  If I had bought more vehicles from your organization in the past then your organization would be willing to help?  He confirmed.  Keep in mind there have been some major recalls on the vehicle including the braking system failing that the government had to step in and force this organization to mandate a recall.

When an organization focuses only on profits and not on serving the customers whether they have been life long, or are new customers, it never ends well.  Doing the right thing consistently is what creates loyalty.

Focusing only on maintaining the customers you currently have loyalty with will erode as they expire.  Yes, I have checked the data everyone expires!  If you only focus on those that have bought several products from you to generate loyalty at the risk of making things right for a new customer, you will LOSE!!!

Profits and losses should be tempered and not focused on for the short term which most organizations think.  Organizations should also not focus on helping only those that have pledged loyalty to their brand, but consistently doing the right thing to generate future loyal “Fans”  When “Fans” pledge their loyalty to you, they tell others how awesome you and your organization are.  They share stories of how you have helped them and rave about your service.  You have sales people selling for you that are not on your payroll.  Would you like that?

The results in 2019 did not fare so well for “G and M” and another OEM outsold them for the first time in the truck market.  I wonder what that means to the stock price?

Do not take the customer’s payment and walk away from the transaction waiting to see if the customer will  buy from you again before you give extra effort.   Give the extra effort up front and every time you engage people!

Next week I will help you with a few ideas on how to grow more loyal customers and some ideas of how to gain more fans that will sell your brand.

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Relationships who needs them?...Everyone!!!

Good morning everyone,

I remember a story of a successful business owner that had sold his company and stayed on to support the transition.  This owner had a pretty large company that was sold to an organization with a Chief Operating Officer that hated salespeople.  This COO also believed anything done by salespeople could automatically be done through a business transaction from an internal call center.

This same CFO also discussed that business school professors from some of the elite universities even teach that relationship building outside of the professional transaction are not a good idea.  People that are scholars in theory, but unfortunately not life application.

Golf outings were not allowed, customers meals were frowned upon, and basically anything that was not transactional was outlawed.  I have also worked for companies that the focus was purely transactional and there was no focus on growing customer relationships, unless they had a purchase order attached.  Now I am not saying you have to validate a golf outing with this blog, but the fact that relationship building is important. 

If you are not meeting with customers regularly to learn about their needs, then how are you going to build influence?  Sales is influence and the more influence you have the more sales you make.  A lack of influence will quickly turn you and your product into a commodity!  The only differentiating factor for a commodity is price.  Then starts the race to the bottom where there is no margin and likely no quality.

Some of the most successful business owners that I have had the chance to sit with state that it is imperative to build the relationship with the customer.  I have also been able to visit some of my old customers that I have not called on in years.  They will smile, ask me out to dinner, and sit with me for hours to discuss where they are at with their current business situations.  They even have asked for insight on what I might recommend still to this day!  It is a great feeling that I was able to influence individuals enough that they will take time to catch up as well as look for my advice.

These conversations would not have happened had I not worked on the personal side of the business as much as the transactional side.  Knowing your customers on a personal level and understanding their aspirations is a huge benefit.  People want to know that they matter to you.  Building that relationship is extremely important. 

It is almost an art form watching an old sales professional work the personal relationship and send birthday cards for the customer’s family, as well as celebrating wins that the customer has had.  Meetings on the golf course have transacted in large business deals that cannot be instantaneously measured.  Looking back on the sales process and building relationships will allow your business to grow with your customers.   The transactions do happen, but after work on the personal side.  People will not buy from you if they do not know, like, and trust you. 

I encourage you to leverage the personal side of business along with the professional side.  If learning about people was not important than why do Amazon, Facebook, and your smart phones listen in on your conversations as well as track your searches?  Statistics have shown that when there is a relationship in place between organizations a great deal of growth has happened as well.

Send a card for your customer’s birthdays, kids’ birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, etc.  It is a great feeling to celebrate with your customers and form lasting relationships. 

Remember the first buying decision a potential customer makes is the Salesperson.  Grow that relationship!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

www.kevinsidebottom.com

How Even Busy Parents Can Prep for a Home Sale

Good morning everyone, I had a request from someone to write a guest blog for me and I am happy to provide to each of you. As we get into the season of buying and selling houses while balancing work at the same time, this becomes a relevant topic. I hope you enjoy this blog from Kristin Louis. I hope you enjoy this post!

Being a parent is a full-time job, but so is getting your house ready for sale. Thankfully, there are ways to successfully juggle both of these monumentally important tasks. Here are some tips for preparing your property before you put it on the market.

Declutter and Open Space

The goal is to make your home look as spacious as possible to a buyer, and this requires letting go of things. Decluttering is difficult, particularly for children, so start early and let them have the final say-so. After all, they may not be ready to part with many of their toys, and that’s okay. Instead, ask what they can tolerate being put into storage, and then emphasize that they will get their treasures back. Once you have helped your children, look to the rest of the house. As a start, limit furniture, as too many large pieces can make a room seem smaller. Don’t overlook places like the kitchen since potential buyers will probably go through your cupboards. So, use canned goods when possible and decide which kitchenware can be kept or put away.

Think Curb Appeal

The first thing a buyer will see is the outside, whether looking at your property on a realtor’s website or when stopping by for an open house. Making it as glamorous as the inside will mean tending to your garden and keeping everything in pristine condition. However, you may not have time to spend hours each weekend pulling weeds, so take what measures you can to cut corners without sacrificing style. A stone pathway (which can cost on average between $13 and $17 per square foot to install) can make mowing a lawn easier, and drought-tolerant plants need less looking after than others. This may seem like work, but maintenance is minimal, and you can involve the family as a way to bond and have fun. Even small changes can make a difference, such as replacing your mailbox or repainting your front door.

Keep the Kids in Good Spirits

Moving is rough on kids, even if you’re not taking them out of their school or making them leave behind their friends. A home represents security, and the unknown can be scary. Try to get them excited by turning things into an adventure, but don’t force the issue. Allow them to say goodbye in their own way, and let them plan out their new room. If all else fails, distract them with fun activities during your downtime. Go to the library and let them pick out a new book to read, have fun playing together at the park in your new neighborhood, or take them for a picnic over the weekend. The options are endless and don’t have to cost a dime.

Stay Clean

Maintaining a clean property will be one of the most difficult parts of putting your house on the market. We cannot avoid the messes kids often make, and piles happen even when we habitually pick up. Unfortunately, everything needs to look spotless to attract a buyer, including things that don’t come with the home, like the refrigerator. That can take work and time, so it may be best to hire a housekeeping service to come in once or twice a week to keep your house in top shape. In addition to cleaning, a housekeeping service can also help you with other tasks, such as garbage disposal, some pet care, and running a few errands.

Stage the Property

Like the exterior, your home's interior needs to shine and look flawless, and the best way to achieve that is through staging. To start, use as much natural light as you can to expand space, and make sure furniture does not block walkways. Avoid bright colors, especially on walls; instead, use them as accent pieces. One last touch is to set your table with your best dishware and keep everything smelling lovely and fresh. You don’t want to rely on scented sprays, so open windows to air out your property when you can.

It’s a busy time of life, and children may have a hard time processing the change at first.  However, you need to find the right balance between family life and preparation. With patience, teamwork, and help when needed, you can have a successful sale.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Let's SEE

Good morning everyone,

I hope you are still following along from the first few steps to building influence and that those that we are working on influence buy off on us.

Let’s review the steps:

C.I.A – stands for being curious, intentional, and asking questions.

Developing questions to pull out the needs from those we are building influence with

Today we are going to SEE if we are on the right track to building influence.

We want to make sure that what we believe the needs are resonate with those around us.  If we are trying to gain influence with direct reports based off organizational title to keep the team following our lead we will fail.  We don’t simply want to use a title as leverage to make people do what we want.  We want them going the extra distance and having our back and eagerly wanting to learn and grow under us. 

If they chose to leave at some point better than they were when they were under our influence that is something I can live with.  Don’t be afraid if you are raising up leaders that are influencing others and doing good.  That is better than keeping people under you that do nothing to grow and just push the ball so they can collect their paycheck and go home.

Set up a meeting or a time to review with those that we are working on influence with.  Don’t do a drive buy ambush to validate you understand their needs.  Let them know that you value their time and respect.  Look at their calendars and set up a meeting with the purpose in the title or go one step further and walk up to them asking for a good time to meet.  I know some introverts will say, but I don’t like engaging people…stop whining and grow yourself by stepping out of your comfort zone.  I am an introvert by nature, and I speak to groups of people because I took small steps each day to grow. 

Show them respect and they will typically respect you as well to be prepared for the meeting.  You can also give them a few details you would like to review so they have time to prepare for the discussion.

Be Engaged.  Turn off emails, close doors, and pay attention. Be engaging with this meeting as best you can.  Ask them questions to pull out their needs as you have drafted from last week’s blog.  Let them do most of the talking like a 70/30 ratio with you mainly asking questions and them answering.  Find out deeper needs than just a paycheck and insurance benefits.  Find their why they are doing what they are doing.

Encourage those that you are working on influence to come to you with questions, help, ideas for their growth, and to keep an open dialogue.  Let them know you truly care by encouraging them.  You don’t need to have parties for them but showing them that you care and encouraging them to take steps for growth and reaching out will help you gain influence.

Now if they have needs that you have not already identified from your prep work, then this is your homework to review and make sure that you can answer those needs.  It is better to know that you are not meeting needs now so that you can either work on being able to meet those needs, or help those that report to you find somewhere in your organization, or another organization that will allow them to find their place best suited for them.  Keeping someone that limits them is not a long-term play.

Helping those that you are influencing know that you care will build a great foundation to help you in the future.

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

Sales and Leadership Enterprises

Understanding the Needs is crucial to Building Influence

Last week we talked about C.I.A. and how using these three letters are essential in growing influence.  Today we are going to really grow your influence with those around you.  Today you are going to find out the needs. 

Whether it is a customer, a team you lead, or the nonprofit you are in charge of.  You need to truly understand the needs of those around you.  Needs that go deeper than just food, water, clothing, and a paycheck.  People have many different levels of needs.  Some of my therapist friends refer to the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs for personal needs.  It is a great diagram to understand need levels.

There are also business needs that need be addressed.  If you can help people with both of these needs, you are going to be generating so much influence that you will be sought after as the go to guy or girl.  Now that is the influence I love to have.  Not for the power aspect, but that I am helping people.  That is why I wrote my book and write this blog every week.  To help people understand sales and influence so they can be more effective with others around them.  I want to help as many people as I can get better and serve those around them by helping them get to where they need to go. 

So…where do we begin with that level of influence you ask?  You ask deep questions to really understand what people need.  Most people do not think too deeply that is why when you ask them how they are doing most people instantly say “good,” and ask you how you are doing.  Going deeper with those people you want to address some of the deep-rooted needs they truly have.

For a salesperson they are trying to make sure their product truly answers the needs of the customer.  Yes, most salespeople miss this concept, but that is why I am in business to change that behavior.  For an employee that you are leading, they may need to feel a sense of belonging and that they are doing something meaningful.  Especially with Millennials!  Millennials align with a purpose for everything.  Help them understand how they are making an impact and then watch out.  They will be on fire and work with you till death, or…until another purpose that is even greater to them shows up.

Take time to understand the needs that your organization addresses to help society, the need your product addresses, the need that your team’s role addresses to help the organization grow stronger.  Build up a list of needs that are addressed. 

Let’s say you are an IT group, that is tasked with monitoring organization computers against cyber-attacks. The features are the software and team members in your group.  The benefits your group provides the organization is protection from attacks, support if someone is attacked to fix the computer to keep moving forward. 

I remember a phishing scam that had employees giving away their log in credentials and changed the location to where the employee checks were delivered.  The IT team quickly closed the loop on this and saved dozens of employees from losing their paycheck in the matter of hours.  Do you thing that people were grateful for that help?

After we have understood the benefits, then we need to understand the needs that are answered by these benefits.  Using the above example, the benefit creates a sense of security and peace of mind for the users of the computers which are powerful.  The users of the computers typically do not understand all of the code used to create a virus and how to remedy.  Your team does and your providing security and peace of mind for the organization.  Your team is also enabling the rest of the organization to function efficiently and safe.  You are like ninjas jumping around helping those regular people. 

Cascading what you are doing for others and how you are helping others is very motivating to your teams.  Take time to think of some of the needs that you and your teams answer.  The larger the need the more you can impact.

Now that you have the needs figured out, structure questions to ask so that you can start finding out if you are answering the needs of these individuals.  If you are asking the individuals their needs and you are answering their needs your influence will skyrocket!  Keep in mind that everyone is different, so being intentional and sitting down with individuals to make sure you are understanding their needs and if you are identifying them on a deep level, you will have deep rooted influence.

Have a great week everyone! 

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

www.kevinsidebottom.com

picture used from pixabay

Why We Need To Get Buying Decision 1 For Building Influence

Last week we talked about why leaders need to know sales.  The answer is to understand how to build influence with those around them.  This morning I want to focus more on building that foundation in building influence.  We are now in the office looking around seeing how we can learn more about our relationships and find ways we can relate to each of them.  Does this sound familiar?  This is rapport in the sales process.  It is also the building block for influence.  Unfortunately, rapport is only the beginning of building influence and not the end all. 

Most people believe that you just need to build rapport with the individual so that you can influence them.  Rapport is building up some relational collateral with the individual so that you can step in a little more and grow the relationship.  It takes time to build good rapport and relational collateral in order to get the person to start working with you more.

When you start taking a deep interest in other people, you will gain influence with them.  You’ll take interest in their hobbies and things that make them come alive.  That person will start to open up in areas that they feel they can share as well as ask for input. 

I use the 3 letters when trying to learn more about others to build influence.  The letters are C.I.A.  No, not the government agency. 

C-stands for being curious.  Be curious like a child that never stops wanting to know more.  Be curious to learn more about your relationships whether they are customers, teammates, family, friends, people you just met, etc.  Be curious to learn about them as much as you can.  People love to talk about themselves and are craving that connection.

I-stands for being intentional.  Be intentional about your relationships.  While you are asking questions do not stare at a phone while the other person responds.  Look them in the eyes and pay attention to what they are saying and how they are saying it.  You’ll learn a lot about a person when you pay attention to their posture, their tones, their words.  Even when someone is saying they are fine… if their tone sounds like they are about to scream, they are not fine.  Pay attention and see if there is a way you can help.

A-stands for asking questions.  Ask a great deal of questions.  This being paired up with curiosity and being intentional helps you really learn about the relationships.  What is really going on with your teammates, your customers, your family members?  Similar to the sales process where you do a needs analysis in my book “The Sales Process Uncovered”, you will ask questions to see if there is a way you can help the person get to where they want to go.  People of great influence are not those that take from people, but are people that give as much as they can without expecting anything in return.  That can be time, money, clothing, etc.  Dale Carnegie, Mother Teresa, Jesus Christ are all people of great influence.  These people started most of their conversations with questions.  These individuals wanted to learn about the situation and where they could help.  They stepped in.

For today, focus on using C.I.A. when you interact with people you come in contact with.  Not for the sole purpose of gaining influence.  You will as a bi-product, but because you want to really interact with people on a deeper level.

Have a great week everyone! 

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Why Leaders Need To Know Sales

When I first started in sales it was on the premise that if I wanted to be a great manager, business owner, lawyer, president, I needed to know sales.  That is what a successful business owner told me after I had told him that I wanted to be a manager when I grew up.  He was a great leader and still has people working for him that were with him since he opened his company in the mid 1980’s.  I was not sure why I needed to know sales to be a good manager to be honest, but I knew I would figure out why. 

At first, I was hesitant to change careers.  Six months of hesitation and discussions to be exact.  I did not want to be a salesperson because all life had taught me was that they were evil.  All I had ever been told was bad and experiences were also proof to that same point. 

When I did decide to try this sales thing out, I figured that sales would be easy.  The first year of sales was a rude awakening.  It literally looked like a heartbeat of someone that just took their last breath.  I thought the ruling of do not resuscitate was going to be handed down meaning I was going to have to find another job.  I was fortunate to have a chance to keep going and learning from the successful business owner in what he called “hands on training.” 

Hands on training meant that I was to help him with projects after hours, gain training from peers, and hours of trainings to perfect my craft.  I did weekend deliveries, helped him with personal projects, etc.  Basically, anything he needed extra help with I was the man to help.  This was valuable time with the big guy himself teaching me all he knew about sales business.  It was training that really helped me gain traction in sales.

I excelled from then on to become a great sales leader in my industry and even relocated to another part of the United States to help grow a new territory.  We did very well there with great purpose.  Customers started opening up fast to me and sales were increasing as the years went by.  I was awarded the prize of top salesman for the United States and had taken the territory to where it had never been.

I literally had customers asking me about which digital cameras they should purchase, what software would work best on their computers, and other things that had nothing to do with what I sold.  Some of the responses when I asked why they were asking me about the topics was, well I trust you and you were an electrical engineer.  You should know all about this stuff, right?  I thought to myself, if they had seen my exam grades in college, they might rethink asking me for electronics. 

None the less, business was increasing at a rapid pace even in a down economy.  We were taking over market share from our competitors.  I won’t give all those secrets away today on how we did this, but I can tell you it was not because we were the cheapest price or by doing anything unethical. 

It was because of Influence.  As influence increases people trust us more and are willing to go deeper in relationships with us.  This can be in business ventures, nonprofits, community support, etc.  The more influence someone has the more they excel in whatever they are doing. 

What I found is that the sales process that I keynote and perform trainings on helps people build amazing amounts of influence fast!  That is right selling correctly helps us build great influence!  Keep in mind that selling is not just a product or service.  It can be selling a vision, idea, or that we are going to lead those that report to us.  By building influence using the sales process leaders gain more engagement from those around them.  Utilizing the sales process to sell your vision and your mission will grant you more influence and greater buy in from those around you.

As you look around your organization look at those relationships of those that go out of their way to help you and those that don’t.  See how much influence you have with these relationships.  Ask yourself, “Why do I have more influence with this person as opposed to another?  What is different with each of these individuals?”  What you’ll learn is that the level of your influence determines how much you can say and do with each individual.

The more influence you have the farther your organization can go.

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

www.kevinsidebottom.com

The Way To Keep Focus On Your Goals

Good morning everyone,

Back on November 9th when I talked about setting goals, I stated that I would spend December creating my goals for 2020.  An interesting thing happened during that time that I think may benefit you as well. 

I read a book called “Get a Grip” which is a business book for their entrepreneurial operating system.  In the book the leadership rights down the core values, the core focus statement “mission statement” and a great deal of other details.  It’s a great book if you have not gone through a process to create a mission statement for your organization / family yet.

While reading the book and understanding the concepts I thought about how this could work for our Family, my business, and my personal goals.  My wife and I took time between Christmas and New Years to discuss what we would want out family to look like and our core focus.  We decided that using this format to provide purpose and direction for our family would be worth the effort.  We drafted the following below Focus and Values:

Core Focus

To know our worth in God and be a bright light to those around us of hope, help, and encouragement

Core Values

·        Grow Relationship with God and Each Other

·        Financially Smart and Generous Giving

·        Fit and Healthy Choices

·        Helpful and Encouraging Each Other and Celebrate Each Other’s Wins

·        Fail Forward Fast for Constant Growth

·       Great Communication

From there each of us in our family can point our goals towards these Core Values and Focus we have as a family.  When we want to give up on a goal, we will have these values and focus to keep us moving forward to achieving those goals.

See goals independent of each other are usually not as strong and can’t sustain for long periods of time.  The Core Focus and the Core Values are your WHY we are doing what we are setting out to accomplish.  Having a strong WHY will give us that added boost to keep going when the obstacles of the year come flying at us.  Now we have a compass to use when I want to give up on a goal, or when distractions happen.

The other things that are nice from this process is that we have set the sheet up (pictured as the background for this blog post) to be reviewed every quarter.  Each Quarter we can sit down and review the goals to see where we are at achieving the annual goals and the goals we set out to accomplish that quarter.  We can also look at the issues that might come up this quarter, or from the last quarter that may try to limit us from success.

Last year I had 31 independent goals that I set out to achieve.  I achieved about half of them.  This year I have less goals and goals that are derived from the Core Focus and Core Values.  These goals will fit in the following areas:

Fitness, Family, Business, and Growth in myself. 

What are your Core Values and Focus for 2020?   What will you use to keep you motivated when the obstacles of life come hurling at you?

If you would like a free copy of the goals sheet we used post a comment, or email me and I will send a copy out to you.

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

www.kevinsidebottom.com

How are you Coaching?

How are you at coaching your team and your family? 

Are you like a college football coach constantly sending in directions?

In the picture attached to this blog post I want you to notice the team in blue looking towards their sideline waiting for the coach to send in the call.  Meanwhile the other team has snapped the ball (look at the center #71) effectively putting the team in blue a few crucial seconds behind for the play.  

Business leaders think being a coach means constantly sending in orders like a coach on the sideline of a football game.  They believe they should tell the team what to do and how to do everything and then the team will just execute.  The issue is that these people just become “yes men” and do not learn to not think for themselves.  Instead they constantly come to the coach for the answers for everything and anything essentially slowing the organization down.

This style of coaching does not promote effective thought in individuals and does not allow them to break through ceilings.  What I learned in 2016 from John Maxwell about coaching is that coaching is not about telling people what to do.  Coaching is instead asking questions for the individual to produce their best answer for the given situation.  It’s encouraging them to look within for their best answer.  Not telling people what to do, but allowing them to look deep inside to derive their answer.

Most of the time in business we are trying to answer questions and get to solutions fast.  We are looked upon by our peers, or reports to provide the course that is needed so much that we get used to coming up with the answer all of the time.  When we arrive home at the end of the day, we are still dictating what needs to happen, how it needs to happen, and when it needs to happen to our families if we are not careful.  Will that help our families thrive?

We are getting things accomplished, but we need to grow others around us so that they can make decisions so if we were to be “hit by a bus” they could still move forward.  If we are not coaching these individuals correctly, we are actually hurting them.  We are not allowing them to grow their confidence in decision making, and growth from within.

As coaches, we can not be the sole source of answers.  We need to help cultivate within those around us to find those answers if we want to move forward fast together. 

Coaching is also the act of giving more and more trust to those around us as they exhibit those traits we are working to grow in them.  We do not give a ten year-old child keys to a brand new Ferrari and say you’ll figure it out.  We need to guide them and train them before they are free to make those decisions.  We need to continually ask those thought provoking questions to help them come up with better and better decisions.  Even if those decisions do not align with what we believe is best at the time, we still need to trust the process to help them grow. 

Ultimately, we will expire and it is on us to grow those around us. 

I hope this year has been good for you and your organization and that this blog has helped you well this year. 

Next week I am going to take the week off to focus on vacation, time with the family, and goal planning.  I will be back January 4th to provide my Goal Setting Strategy and share with you how this works. 

Looking forward to a great end of 2019 and a great start for 2020.  Have a great Christmas and New Years everyone!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

www.kevinsidebottom.com

What Wealthy People Do

What do Wealthy individuals do that people living paycheck to paycheck do not?

I have sat with quite a few millionaires and learned this one cool thing. 99% of wealthy individuals did not inherit their wealth. Yep, that is right, they built it from the ground up.

One of the ways that wealthy individuals do this is by using a Budget. Yep, I used the B-word! I know that your hearts is beating faster and palms are getting sweaty, but keep reading.

The majority of people believe that budgeting as the equivalent of torture device that they don’t have time to mess with. People believe the B-word as a taboo discussion topic when it comes to family resources. I get it. I fought against using budgets until I took a class that helped me understand that if I tell my money what to do, it actually does what I want it to do.

When I learned how freeing budgets can be, I was pissed at myself that I didn’t do this when I graduated college. I would have had so much more money at the end of the pay period and would have been able to invest more money. Had I started earlier on investing into retirement I would have millions more when I retired. Not a million…Millions! Click this link to see how compound interest works.

My wife and I started out our marriage with the monthly budget meeting and the monthly budget has helped our communication greatly as a by-product. Communication is huge in relationships. We go through all of the line items including clothing budgets. What has been nice is that my wife gets a set amount of money that she can use to buy whatever clothes (shoes) she wants whenever she wants. It is freeing. Yes, budgeting can be freeing for you and your loved ones. A total contradiction to what people think about budgets.

She can use her money to buy whatever she wants with it. If she decides to buy a whole bunch of coffee, she is free to do so without me condemning her because it is her money to budget for whatever she wants! Have you ever had a fight over your significant other buying something that you haven’t agreed on? It sucks having those fights and ending up on the couch for the night, or worse the cold shoulder!

Budgeting has been one of the single most effective ways for my wife and I to prepare for emergencies, taking vacations, date nights, etc. This past Spring, we had to pay for the foundation for our house to be fixed which cost tens of thousands of dollars which we were able to pay cash for because we budgeted. It has brought us closer as we talk about our future dreams and budget to make it a reality. That is right budgeting gives you HOPE for a better future.

We give the kids a budget for clothing and after school activities that they can manage how they choose. They just need make sure they can afford it. If they don’t have enough money, then they don’t do the activity. Now the emotion is taken out of the discussion and the focus is on saving up so they can do that activity in the future. My hope is that they will keep budgeting for the rest of their life so they can retire with even more money that my wife and I.

What is keeping you from sitting down and doing a budget?

Do you not have the time?

Does it seem like you don’t know where to start?

What if I told you that if you emailed me, I would send you a FREE excel file that you could budget. It does all of the calculations for you.

Would that be helpful for you?

If you want to become wealthy and have HOPE for your future, email me today and I will send you a copy of the budget file we use so that you can get on the road for a better future.

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Do You Have My Back?

Has anyone ever asked you the following question…Do you have my back?

Chances are if you have direct reports, they are asking this question about you.  They were trying to figure this out the moment they start working for you.

Your direct reports want to know that when the chips are down that you will have their back as long as they are doing what is right and ethical.  Far too often in big business employees feel they have to CYA because they do not trust their manager.  CYA stands for Cover Your Assets.  The A is sometimes shortened. 

I have experienced in the issue of having to CYA myself in communications due to a lack of support from managers.  It agitated me greatly because I believed I was left to fight for myself.  It is a lonely position to be in as a report.  Here’s the thing, relationships do not thrive in this kind of environment.

Employees want to know that their managers have their back when the chips are down and that they can reach out to their managers when they need help.  Far too many managers are so busy themselves they forget to establish ground rules for trust and communication at the beginning of the relationship.  There needs to be a set of ground rules of engagement set up from the beginning.  Leaving it up to assumption is a recipe for a bad relationship.   There are a few managers out there unfortunately that don’t really care about relationships with their reports and should look to either move on from their position or retire. 

When trust and communication are not flowing it becomes like a body of water with no movement.  It becomes toxic and everything in it dies.   When trust and communication are absent fear sets in.  When Fear takes hold, trust and relationships do not flourish, they die.

If reports don’t trust their manager, then where does the employee bounce ideas off of to move forward in the correct direction?  Where do they expect to get mentored?  Where do these reports learn the correct way of operating for the organization?

Far too often employees have enough of this lack of trust and communication and elect to leave the department, or worse the organization.  The intrinsic knowledge that the employee has is also following them right out the door.  This then puts the team and management back to start the process over to onboard another employee.  If the cycle keeps occurring the manager will be found out and their management will have to discuss options.  

The cost of onboarding is excessive, so why not work to make sure your reports know that you have their back, how to communicate with you, and build trust.

The answer is setting up guard rails with your direct reports from the beginning to make sure they understand how the trust and communication can work together.  Setting these guard rails up will keep everything moving better and work life to improve.  Employees need to know that they can trust their managers.  Having that trust and communication will allow the employees to excel and thrive with you.

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

www.kevinsidebottom.com

That Time…I Got Schooled

Have you ever noticed those racks at the checkout line of your local grocery store?  You know the ones stacked full of candy, gum, and chocolate that your kids can’t seem to keep their hands off.  Those small items that don’t cost that much enticing you to just buy them. 

There is a reason why those little goodies are located at the checkout line.  It’s because they work.  See Grocery stores are one of the best volume sales entities.  These little goodies are low priced which typically lowers the resistance you have towards them.  People think, its not that much so why not if it makes my kids stop screaming.  If we are honest the kid in our head also thinks we deserve some as well.  These are great add on sales that give you extra margins.

I remember when I had just made a large sale when I was in Florida and thinking that I was the best salesman in the world…  spoiler alert…I was wrong!  I was at the International Mall in Tampa Florida.  I walked into the Clarks store to buy a brown pair of dress shoes that I had been looking at for a while.  They were my prize for being the best salesman ever… 

I picked out the ones that I wanted and headed to the register with my prize.  That is when I got schooled in the art of upselling!  This nice old lady behind the counter that was ringing up my purchase said, “You know these are a big investment, have you ever thought of getting one of these shoe sponges to clean and condition the leather?”  I asked, “Do I need one?”  she nodded so I added it on for the small price compared to the shoes of a few dollars.  Then she said “you know your wallet is looking a little worn…”  I then a wallet.  Then she told me about their amazing socks and their lifetime warranty.  Before I knew it, this nice old lady was piling up the point of purchase sales like crazy!  When she asked to see my belt, I yelled, “STOP! I’m done, I can’t take any more of this beating. 

I walked out of that store like a dog with my tail between my legs.  This nice old lady took me to the cleaners and upsold all of the point of purchase products.  These extra point of purchase items didn’t cost as much as the main purchase, but their margin is more than the original purchase.  She was like a special-ops of sales people.  She did it so nicely that I didn’t even see it coming! 

That life lesson has stuck with me ever since.  

I have even coached many sales professionals about upselling the point of purchase products after the main sale.  I have even helped hair stylists upsell their point of purchase products.  Those special hair products that are not easily found at regular grocery stores.  These products that they put in the customer’s hair during their hair styling sessions.  It’s an add on sale that the hairstylists were missing out on.  Extra profit that is an easy sell.  Just like the pack of gum at the grocery line.  They are there for a reason!

Point of purchase sales are a way to help the customer and keep them buying more and more from you as long as it is something that will benefit them.  They will grow more trust for you if you are helping them solve problems and allowing them to buy more from you instead of having to search all over town for the same product.  It’s right there! 

Next time you have a customer in front of you and you are selling them an expensive product think of the other items that may benefit them.  Why send the customer elsewhere for products that you can help them with?

Happy selling everyone!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Three F’s You Need to Utilize!

When I am on stage speaking, I bring the audience in to where I began in sales.  I was working for a 6-foot 5-inch ex-Navy Seal.  He was a successful driven business leader.  He was intense and was always moving forward.  He also flipped my thought process upside down.

Growing up in my blue-collar family it was always pressed to do my best and do it perfect.  I am also a “one” on the Enneagram so I naturally trying to make things better and as close to perfect as possible.  I was devastated when I got into college and my best would however only generate B’s and C’s.  Highschool was easy to obtain A’s, but college was a whole different ball game.

I was failing to get A’s and I was pissed off and angry throughout college.  I graduated with an electrical engineering degree and had a great job right out of college, but I always looked back that I was not perfect in college.  It left a feeling that I was not good enough back then.

In reality no one is totally perfect.  We all have flaws.  No one can do everything perfect the first time either.  What we do is Fail Forward Fast.  Fail Forward Fast is a phrase that navy seal operators use quite often in training.

Navy seals as I was taught by my mentor are okay with set-backs.  Fail Forward Fast works like this.  Apply action -> review -> apply action for a constant loop for improvement of whatever the situation is.  Failure is not about making a mistake, failure is giving up. 

It’s okay to have a set back and learn from it so that when you are attacking the same activity the next time you move through it more efficiently.  The cool part is that the action does not have to be a massive game changer.  It is small incremental adjustments as you go through the loop.   

Another benefit from this small action is that doubt is eliminated through action.  Figuring out the next small step will keep doubt from tackling us from behind and stopping us from moving forward in our process.  How awesome is that!  A small step of action puts doubt on its butt and allows us to move forward.

Do you remember riding a bike without training wheels for the first time?  Most of us as children would fall, get back on the bike and moved a little farther, fall again, get back on the bike and moved farther and farther each time until we were riding the bike without assistance from anyone.  It took a progression and learning how to balance while pedaling and occasionally stopping before running into something.  It is rare for someone to just jump on a bike for the first time and get it perfect. 

I love the Fail Forward Fast because when I am working on a project and the “Have to be perfect” phase pops in my head, and I am able to remind myself that it is okay.  Sometimes I also find out that the desired outcome that I had was not the one I needed to be shooting for.  I am able to pivot towards the better desired outcome instead of coming to the end of the experience and learning that I am nowhere near where I truly need to be.

Fail Forward Fast is essential in all growth and I have applied it to my life so that I can keep going when tough times happen.  Sometimes we just need to focus on one small step at a time to keep moving forward instead of looking at the long path that is ahead of us. 

I hope this blog is helpful to you.  If it is, please leave a comment below of how this or another blog post has helped you!

Have a great weekend everyone!  

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Please Don’t Use The Elevator Pitch!

Have you ever been subject to an elevator pitch?  You know where the person says all these great things that they do and how you need to do business with them.  Some time ago elevator pitches came into existence because business people needed to be able to tell someone what they did in the time it took to reach your destination on the elevator.  Quick and be effective were the requirements of an elevator pitch. 

When I think about an elevator pitch, I see a picture of the old sales guy wearing a three-piece suit and playing with his pocket watch.  For those of you younger readers, a pocket watch is not your phone that is in your pocket. 

I remember when I first got into sales this was the language you needed to use when someone asked what you did.  People came up with all sorts of weird pitches.  After a few years came the unique selling proposition that you needed to craft so when you talked to customers you could use this to differentiate yourself from the competition.

Now there is a new approach that is called positioning statement.  I have used this approach when speaking to organizations for speaking and it goes like this:

“I work with organizations just like yours who want to increase sales and influence, so that they can improve profits and elevate their people.” 

This positioning statement is to position yourself as an authority and how you actually benefit people at a 10,000 ft view of what you do.  This positioning statement is to also pull the prospective customer into asking more questions to learn a little more.  This is a way to start the conversation to learn about the customer which is a better way to approach selling.  I mean how do you know what to sell someone if you don’t know what they need?

This Positioning statement flows well with my company which  “Sales and Leadership Enterprises.”  I emphasize the fact that I help people walk through the sales process and how salespeople can intentionally understand where they are at in the process.  Using the same process helps leaders gain influence with employees and customers. 

Today we no longer use the elevator pitch, and as we move into the positioning statement where we want to be in our customer’s minds.  We want them thinking about how they need more help and how we can help them through conversation.   We are not making quick closes, but we are having the conversation to help our customers move forward to a better place.

What is your positioning statement? 

Leave a comment below and tell me what your positioning statement is.  I like learning about my readers and how I can help them achieve more.  I will give a free signed copy of my book to the winner the best positioning statement!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

www.kevinsidebottom.com

Setting Better Goals for 2020

What do your goals look like for this year?

How many have you hit in 2019? 

Do you have goals that focus on all aspects of life such as finances, relationships, work goals, fitness, etc?

As we are head into the last part of the year, I bet if I asked most would say we have not hit all of their goals.   Each year people start with new year’s resolutions in hopes to having a better new year.  Most people fail to keep those resolutions past the first 60 days.  Some go a step further than a resolution and set goals, but those goals are abandoned quickly as well.

I was sitting in the audience a couple weeks ago for a message that revolved around setting financial goals.  There was a smaller part of the message that I think went unnoticed by most of the attendees about how to set solid goals.  It was so intriguing that I am putting it into practice for 2020.

Currently I have a list of goals in my workout area so I can look at them every day I am working out.  As you can see in the picture with this blog post I have hit a few and missed on others.  I have quite a few goals for different areas of my life.  Actually I have too many goals that are all independent of themselves for the most part.

This year I will take December to plan my goals again as I have done in the past couple of years, but with this simple new strategy.  Instead of thinking about goals I want to achieve for the next year individually, the focus will be on goals that help me get to the future self.  I will put the focus on where I want to be in five years from now and what goals will help me get there.  Having this frame of mind when creating goals will allow me to look forward into where I want to be in the future instead of just hitting a goal.  The goals will align and contribute to my future self. 

The future vision statement will be my compass pointing to true North.  I will have goals for spending time with the kids and my wife in their interests, but it will be because my goal in the next five years will focus on having a closer family.  When my goals are challenged, I can look at the future self and keep the vision of where I want to go which will fuel me to hit that goal.

Instead of the goals being independent, they will work together to achieve my vision of my future self.  Using this strategy will allow me to pull meaningful goals that have more substance to keep me going when challenged.  I will have goals to grow my business by a certain number of engagements, but that is because my future self will have a certain financial level associated with speaking engagements, trainings, and consulting.

Keeping a vision of our future selves will help us to focus on hitting those goals today so that the vision becomes a reality.  Yes, there are obstacles and roadblocks, but with our vision we can still chart out course to success.

Stay tuned and I will share my goals and how I have set it up with you this December.

Until then enjoy the fall weather!

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

www.kevinsidebottom.com

What is your Talk Trigger?

Where do you go when you are looking for a product / service that is new to you? 

Where do you get your knowledge from in order to make a decision?

Have you ever used a service / product that one of your friends or family members recommended?

Most of us spend hours searching for what products / services we need on Google, Bing, maybe Yahoo, etc.  We then pull together data on what features and benefits that meet our needs.  The challenging thing to know is where to get the product / service from.  Most will next move directly to price as being the main differentiator when figuring out who to buy from.  This typically ends up with an unsatisfied customer experience.  Remember the old saying, “the cheapest price is not always the best option.” – some very wise and very old person 

There is however a way to mitigate a bad customer experience when buying a product / service.  That is to obtain a recommendation from those we trust.  A recommendation of where to buy the product / service is a very essential part of the buying process and is actually the second of five buying decisions that customers have to make.  I’m not talking about small purchases like socks here.  I’m talking about purchases of $50 or more. 

Think back to the last time you received recommendations.  Did you first start with friends and family members for recommendations, or did you just use the first supplier that showed up on the internet?  Recommendations from friends and family members are valued at 27% more than advertising and online ads when making a larger purchase.

People would rather buy from someone they know, like, and trust rather than a big box store.  This is also why when looking for recommendations people will consult with their friends and family members first before picking a place to buy from.  It’s because the customer trusts their friends and family members more than any other advertising.  Even the top-rated celebrity that people use for product recommendations is only 4% effective.  Sorry Oprah…

If you are a business owner, sales professional, or marketing professional, understand that a customer experience that creates a “talk trigger” is worth more than all the marketing combined.  Focus on providing exceptional service and an experience to your customers and watch your customer base grow.  Repeat customers are where profits are made, not on the one-time sale.  Repeat purchases from the same people lowers cost and helps you with stability.  These repeat customers will also act as your free sales force and they will generage a larger impact when they refer their friends and family to you!  Advertising that you cannot pay for!

Customers want a great experience and it is up to us to provide such an experience that people want to talk about to their friends and family.  It’s not about making that extra percent, its about helping our customers have a better experience so they win when they buy from us. 

Some examples of companies killing it in this arena are Five Guys (so many fries dumped into your bag), WindorONE lumber (call kirk for a shirt), Holiday World (free pop for all guests), Skip’s Kitchen (free lunch if you pick the joker), and New Zealand Airlines (seats that fold up to a couch for long flights).  These examples are what people share when the do business with these organizations.

What are you currently doing to achieve that goal of exceptional customer experience driving repeat sales?  

For more information on talk triggers pick up the book called “Talk Triggers” and start generating yours with your customers!

Have a great weekend everyone.

Sincerely,

Kevin Sidebottom

www.kevinsidebottom.com