Six Things To Be An Effective Communicator

Effective communication is crucial for any leader. It is through communication that leaders can convey their vision, inspire their team, and build influence. However, being a good communicator is not always easy, and many leaders struggle to communicate effectively with their team. In this blog post, we will discuss how leaders can improve their effectiveness in communication.

1.     Know Your Audience: One of the most important things to remember when communicating as a leader is that different people have different communication styles. Some people prefer face-to-face communication, while others prefer written communication. Some people prefer a direct communication style, while others prefer a more indirect approach. As a leader, it is your responsibility to understand your team members' communication preferences and adjust your style accordingly.

2.     Listen Actively: Active listening is one of the most important skills for effective communication. It involves fully focusing on the speaker, understanding their message, and providing feedback. As a leader, active listening is important because it helps you understand your team members' situation, issues, and ramifications. This can help you build trust and influence with your team, which is crucial for effective leadership.

3.     Be Clear and Concise: When communicating as a leader, it is important to be clear and concise. This means using simple language and avoiding technical jargon or complex phrases. It also means being direct and getting to the point quickly. By doing so, you can ensure that your message is easily understood and that there is no confusion or misinterpretation.

4.     Provide Feedback: Providing feedback is an essential part of effective communication. As a leader, you should provide feedback regularly to your team members, both positive and not so positive. Positive feedback can help motivate and inspire your team, while the not so positive feedback can help them improve their performance. It is important to provide feedback in a timely and constructive manner, and to focus on the behavior or performance, rather than the person.

5.     Use Visual Aids: Visual aids can be a powerful tool for communication. They can help to clarify complex ideas, make your message more memorable, and keep your audience engaged. As a leader, you can use visual aids such as diagrams, charts, and graphs to help illustrate your points and make your message more impactful.

6.     Practice Empathy: Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. As a leader, practicing empathy is important because it helps you connect with your team members on an emotional level. By understanding their feelings and concerns, you can address their needs and build trust and rapport.

Effective communication is essential for any leader. By understanding your audience, actively listening, being clear and concise, providing feedback, using visual aids, and practicing empathy, you can improve your communication skills and become a more effective leader. Remember, effective communication is not just about what you say, but also how you say it. With practice, you can develop the skills you need to communicate effectively and inspire your team to achieve their goals.

“Businesses wonder why it is still hard to be thought of as the brand of choice with customers.  How can our business make more profitable transactions and stay out of the commodity battle with low profits?  I equip your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate explosive revenues with greater profits!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lWIVasmkFsoYL4h0AqIZgH6LC3qaw_gI/view?usp=sharing – client profile sheet

https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Process-Uncovered-Success-Influence/dp/0578421518 - Book

The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page

Why Women In Leadership Is Crucial For Businesses

In recent years, the push for gender equality in the workplace has gained significant attention. One crucial aspect of this is the need for female leadership in the workplace. In this blog post, we will discuss why we need female leadership and the benefits it can bring to an organization.

First and foremost, female leadership brings diversity to the workplace. Diversity is essential for any organization to succeed in today's global economy. Having a diverse leadership team can bring different perspectives, ideas, and approaches to problem-solving, leading to better decision-making and improved business outcomes.

Additionally, research has shown that companies with female leaders tend to perform better financially. A study by McKinsey & Company found that gender-diverse companies were 15% more likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry medians. Having female leaders in top positions can also improve a company's reputation, making it more attractive to customers, investors, and potential employees.

Furthermore, female leaders can serve as role models for other women in the workplace. Seeing women in positions of power can inspire and motivate other women to aspire to leadership roles themselves. This can lead to a more diverse and inclusive workplace, where everyone has equal opportunities to succeed.

Another benefit of female leadership is the ability to create a more collaborative and supportive work environment. Women tend to be more empathetic and relationship-focused, which can lead to a more supportive and inclusive culture. This type of environment can improve employee engagement, reduce turnover, and ultimately lead to better business outcomes.

In addition to the points mentioned above, female leaders are often exceptional communicators and have a unique ability to build trust within their teams. Studies have shown that women tend to have a more collaborative and inclusive leadership style, which can make employees feel valued and heard.

Effective communication is essential for any leader, and female leaders often excel in this area. They tend to be active listeners and are skilled at creating open and honest dialogue within their teams. This communication style can build trust among employees, leading to improved collaboration and teamwork.

Building trust is essential for any leader, and female leaders are known for their ability to establish and maintain strong relationships with their teams. Female leaders often prioritize building relationships and creating a positive work environment, which can lead to greater employee engagement and loyalty.

Moreover, research has shown that female leaders tend to be more emotionally intelligent than their male counterparts. Emotional intelligence involves the ability to understand and manage one's emotions and the emotions of others. This skill can be essential for building trust, resolving conflicts, and creating a supportive work environment.

Female leaders bring unique strengths to the workplace, including exceptional communication skills and the ability to build trust within their teams. These qualities can lead to improved collaboration, higher employee engagement, and better business outcomes. By embracing and supporting female leadership, organizations can create a more inclusive and diverse workplace, leading to greater success for all.

As you can see, there are many benefits women in leadership positions bring to the table. Unfortunately many businesses overlook these benefits and keep moving along with a workforce that is disengaged, a mindset of just keep working hard and we will get there, and failing to hit the full potential of the organization. Women are great assets to the leadership team and unfortunately many leadership teams fail to recognize this.

“Businesses wonder why it is still hard to be thought of as the brand of choice with customers.  How can our business make more profitable transactions and stay out of the commodity battle with low profits?  I equip your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate explosive revenues with greater profits!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lWIVasmkFsoYL4h0AqIZgH6LC3qaw_gI/view?usp=sharing – client profile sheet

https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Process-Uncovered-Success-Influence/dp/0578421518 - Book

The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page

Employee Engagement Ideas

Employee engagement is a critical aspect of any successful organization. Engaged employees are more productive, creative, and committed to their work, resulting in increased overall business success. Employee engagement programs are a great way to boost engagement and create a positive workplace culture. In this blog post, we will explore some ideas for employee engagement programs that can help drive success within your organization.

Recognition and Rewards Programs

Recognition and rewards programs are an effective way to show appreciation for your employees' hard work and dedication. Recognizing employees for their efforts and achievements can boost morale, increase motivation, and foster a positive work environment. Rewards can come in many forms, such as bonuses, gift cards, extra vacation days, or even simple things like a public shoutout or a thank you note. The key is to create a program that recognizes and rewards employees for their contributions in a way that aligns with your company culture and values.

Professional Development Opportunities

Investing in your employees' professional development not only benefits the employee but also the organization. Providing opportunities for growth and development can increase engagement, motivation, and retention. Employees who feel that their employer is invested in their career development are more likely to be committed to their job and work harder to achieve organizational goals. Professional development opportunities can include training programs, conferences, workshops, mentorship programs, and more.

Employee Wellness Programs

Employee wellness programs are a great way to show that your organization cares about the health and well-being of its employees. These programs can include activities such as health screenings, fitness challenges, mental health support, and stress management workshops. By promoting employee wellness, organizations can create a culture of care and support, leading to increased engagement and productivity.

Team-Building Activities

Team-building activities are a great way to foster collaboration, communication, and teamwork among employees. These activities can include things like team lunches, happy hours, volunteer work, or team-building exercises. Team-building activities can help break down barriers between employees, promote a positive work environment, and increase engagement.

Employee Feedback and Engagement Surveys

One of the best ways to understand what motivates and engages your employees is to ask them. Employee feedback and engagement surveys can provide valuable insights into what your employees need and want from their work environment. Surveys can be conducted anonymously to encourage honesty and can cover topics such as job satisfaction, communication, and overall engagement. Use the feedback collected to inform and improve your employee engagement programs.

In conclusion, employee engagement programs are a great way to boost engagement and create a positive workplace culture. By investing in recognition and rewards programs, professional development opportunities, employee wellness programs, team-building activities, and employee feedback and engagement surveys, organizations can create a culture of care and support that leads to increased engagement, motivation, and productivity. Remember, the key to successful employee engagement programs is to align them with your company culture and values and continuously improve them based on feedback from your employees.

Have a great week!

“Businesses wonder why it is still hard to be thought of as the brand of choice with customers.  How can our business make more profitable transactions and stay out of the commodity battle with low profits?  I equip your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate explosive revenues with greater profits!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lWIVasmkFsoYL4h0AqIZgH6LC3qaw_gI/view?usp=sharing – client profile sheet

https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Process-Uncovered-Success-Influence/dp/0578421518 - Book

The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page

Importance of Leadership In The Workplace

Leadership is a critical aspect of any workplace. It sets the tone for the company's culture, influences employee engagement and productivity, and impacts the overall success of the organization. While there are many leadership styles, one that has gained popularity in recent years is Servant Leadership. In this blog post, we will explore why leadership is important in the workplace and why Servant Leadership is key from an employee's perspective.

Leadership is crucial in setting the tone for the company's culture. Leaders are responsible for creating a positive work environment that fosters collaboration, communication, and innovation. A good leader can inspire employees to work towards a common goal, promoting a sense of community within the organization. Leaders who foster an environment of trust and respect can help employees feel valued and motivated to give their best effort.

Leadership style can have a significant impact on employee engagement and productivity. Studies have shown that employees who feel valued and supported by their leaders are more likely to be engaged in their work, leading to increased productivity and job satisfaction. Conversely, a negative leadership style can lead to disengaged employees, which can result in decreased productivity, high turnover rates, and a negative impact on the company's bottom line.

Servant Leadership is a leadership style that focuses on serving others first, rather than the traditional top-down approach. This style of leadership encourages leaders to put the needs of their employees first, creating a culture of service, empowerment, and collaboration. From an employee's perspective, this leadership style can be beneficial in many ways.

Servant Leadership promotes employee engagement and empowerment. When leaders prioritize the needs of their employees, it can create a sense of ownership and responsibility for their work. Employees who feel empowered to make decisions and contribute to the company's success are more likely to be engaged and committed to their work.

Second, Servant Leadership can lead to increased trust and respect between leaders and employees. When leaders demonstrate a genuine interest in their employees' well-being, it can create a culture of trust and respect. Employees are more likely to feel valued and supported when they believe their leaders care about their success.

Servant Leadership can create a positive work environment that promotes collaboration and innovation. When leaders prioritize the needs of their employees, it can encourage collaboration and teamwork. Employees who feel supported and empowered are more likely to work together, share ideas, and innovate to achieve shared goals.

In conclusion, leadership is a critical aspect of any workplace. It sets the tone for the company's culture, influences employee engagement and productivity, and impacts the overall success of the organization. From an employee's perspective, Servant Leadership can be key in creating a positive work environment that fosters engagement, empowerment, and collaboration. By prioritizing the needs of their employees, leaders can create a culture of service and support that can lead to increased trust, respect, and ultimately, success.

Have a great week.

“Businesses wonder why it is still hard to be thought of as the brand of choice with customers.  How can our business make more profitable transactions and stay out of the commodity battle with low profits?  I equip your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate explosive revenues with greater profits!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lWIVasmkFsoYL4h0AqIZgH6LC3qaw_gI/view?usp=sharing – client profile sheet

https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Process-Uncovered-Success-Influence/dp/0578421518 - Book

The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page

Alternative Sales Manager Titles

In today's fast-paced and competitive business environment, organizations need sales managers who can lead their teams to achieve extraordinary results. While all sales management roles are critical, the role of a Sales Leader is becoming increasingly important for organizations looking to stay ahead of the competition. In this blog post, we will explore why a Sales Leader may be better than other sales management roles.

Sales Leaders have a unique perspective on the market and customers. They are focused on building strong relationships with customers, identifying new business opportunities, and developing sales strategies that are innovative and effective. By building relationships with customers, Sales Leaders can gain valuable insights into what customers want, which can be used to develop tailored sales strategies that meet their needs.

Sales Leaders are highly skilled in managing and developing sales teams. They have a deep understanding of what motivates salespeople and how to create a high-performance sales culture. By setting clear expectations, providing ongoing training and coaching, and incentivizing performance, Sales Leaders can create a sales team that is focused on achieving extraordinary results.

Sales Leaders are visionaries and thought leaders in their field. They are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to improve sales performance and drive growth. By staying up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies in their industry, Sales Leaders can develop sales strategies that are ahead of the curve and deliver results that exceed expectations.

Sales Leaders are highly effective communicators. They are skilled at conveying their vision and strategy to their sales team, as well as other stakeholders within the organization. By communicating effectively, Sales Leaders can build support for their initiatives, create alignment across the organization, and drive success.

While all sales management roles are critical, the role of a Sales Leader may be better suited to organizations that are looking to stay ahead of the competition. Sales Leaders bring a unique perspective on the market and customers, are highly skilled in managing and developing sales teams, are visionaries and thought leaders in their field, and are highly effective communicators. By leveraging these skills, Sales Leaders can help their organizations achieve extraordinary results and drive growth.

Have a great week!

“Businesses wonder why it is still hard to be thought of as the brand of choice with customers.  How can our business make more profitable transactions and stay out of the commodity battle with low profits?  I equip your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate explosive revenues with greater profits!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lWIVasmkFsoYL4h0AqIZgH6LC3qaw_gI/view?usp=sharing – client profile sheet

https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Process-Uncovered-Success-Influence/dp/0578421518 - Book

The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page

Three Leadership Qualities We Need To Develop

Employee engagement is a critical factor in the success of any organization. Engaged employees are more productive, innovative, and committed to the success of the organization. They are also more likely to stay with the organization and contribute to its long-term success. However, engagement is not something that can be achieved by simply providing employees with a paycheck and benefits. It requires a supportive and positive work culture, effective communication, and trust between employees and their leaders.

Developing influence, trust, and communication skills is essential for leaders who want to increase employee engagement within their organizations. These three qualities are interconnected and reinforce each other in creating an engaged workforce.

Influence is the ability to inspire and persuade others to take a particular course of action. For leaders, this means being able to motivate their teams to work towards a common goal. Influence is not about being manipulative or forceful, but rather about understanding the needs and motivations of your team and using that understanding to guide their actions. By developing influence skills, leaders can inspire their teams to take ownership of their work and feel a sense of pride in their accomplishments.

Trust is another critical aspect of employee engagement. When employees trust their leaders, they are more likely to feel secure in their jobs and less likely to be looking for opportunities elsewhere. Trust is built over time through consistent actions and behaviors that demonstrate integrity, honesty, and reliability. Leaders who are trusted by their teams are more likely to create a positive work culture where employees feel valued and supported.

Effective communication is also essential for increasing employee engagement. Leaders who communicate effectively with their teams can create a sense of clarity and purpose that helps employees understand their role within the organization. Communication is not just about speaking, but also about active listening and responding appropriately to feedback. By prioritizing communication, leaders can ensure that employees feel heard and valued, which can help to increase their engagement with the organization.

By developing influence, trust, and communication skills, leaders can create a work environment that fosters employee engagement. This, in turn, can have numerous benefits for the organization, including increased productivity, improved innovation, and a more positive work culture. Moreover, engaged employees are more likely to stay with the organization and contribute to its long-term success.

Leaders who want to increase employee engagement can take several steps to develop these essential qualities. They can seek out resources such as books, courses, and coaching to develop their influence and communication skills. They can also work on building trust with their teams by consistently demonstrating honesty, integrity, and reliability.

Employee engagement is critical for the success of any organization. By developing influence, trust, and communication skills, leaders can create a work environment that fosters engagement and motivates employees to do their best work. With effort and dedication, any leader can develop these skills and create a work culture that benefits both employees and the organization.

“Businesses wonder why it is still hard to be thought of as the brand of choice with customers.  How can our business make more profitable transactions and stay out of the commodity battle with low profits?  I equip your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate explosive revenues with greater profits!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lWIVasmkFsoYL4h0AqIZgH6LC3qaw_gI/view?usp=sharing – client profile sheet

https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Process-Uncovered-Success-Influence/dp/0578421518 - Book

The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page

What Is The Most Important Leadership Skill?

I am often asked what about the most important leadership skill.  People want to know the one thing they need to know to be a successful leader.  This is about the time that I burst their bubble about leadership.

I tell them that there is no one thing that makes you a great leader.  There are quite a few things that we need to be able to do and likely we will not be able to be amazing at all of them. 

One area that we can work on to increase our leadership capacity is learning how to communicate effectively.  That is right communication is a key component to leadership.  We can be brilliant at a specific topic, but if we can communicate it in a way that everyone understands it then we are really not that smart. The best leaders can take a complex topic and communicate it in a way that a middle school student can understand it.  That is the sign of a great leader and intelligence.

The first thing we can do is not use very complex vocabulary (words) to break down a topic.  We don’t need to use $100 words when a 50-cent word will work just fine.  Far too often leaders use these large words that confuses others.  This makes them think they are more powerful because they use these large words, but if people don’t understand, how are they going to move forward?  People need to understand more than we need to see ourselves as brilliant.

The other thing we can do is tell stories.  Ever sit around a camp fire and listen to stories?  We love them.  Sitting hearing someone older tell stories about something and the lesson that was learned is how we as a culture have learned since the beginning of time.  Learning how to communicate and tell stories to help others understand the topic is how we relate to others.  Similar experiences that people have in a story will actually build influence and trust.  Learn how to tell stories and you will be able to bring the audience in and teach them.  A great resource of doing this is Storyworth by Mathew Dicks.  It is a great resource to learning how to tell stories. 

Body language is also key in communicating.  That’s right body language.  90% of all communication is nonverbal.  That means our posture, facial expressions, and how we move communicate more than the words that come out of our mouths.  Far too often leaders stand behind a podium that creates a barrier between them and the audience. 

We need that energy if we are going to make points land so get out from behind a podium.  Take an improv class to learn how to make a point land.  Performers know how to make a point land and how to create climactic moments with their body movements and vocal tones.  Being able to help people understand the point and the excitement at the correct time is key.

There are degrees on communication because it is such a complex topic.  We don’t have to major in communication to be able to communicate well, but if we use some of the tips above we can greatly impact our ability to communicate effectively with those around us making us better leaders.

I hope this read has helped you and if you want to learn more about communication in leadership check out my youtubechannel for some videos on leadership and communication.

“Businesses wonder why it is still hard to be thought of as the brand of choice with customers.  How can our business make more profitable transactions and stay out of the commodity battle with low profits?  I equip your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate explosive revenues with greater profits!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lWIVasmkFsoYL4h0AqIZgH6LC3qaw_gI/view?usp=sharing – client profile sheet

https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Process-Uncovered-Success-Influence/dp/0578421518 - Book

The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page

How To Build Work Relationships

Today with remote workers, the workforce changing over in record numbers, and engagement extremely low, we need to learn how to build networks in our own companies.  Different parts of the organization are located all over the world.  We need to know and build relationships with other parts of our organization while we are not able to do that face to face. 

How do we as managers of new individuals, new employees, new teammates grow relationships with others inside of the organization.  It’s complicated, and will take time, but it can be done if we are intentional about it.

This is the time that we have to put on the sales hat and think about how we grow influence and trust with others.  That is right, we need to think like sales professionals.  No not an evil sales person that does not care about customers and just cares about golf and selling products.  The good sales professional is the one that cares about understanding those they interact with.  They want to serve those they interact with so that they can move forward.

These sales professionals actually focus on the relationship and how they will be able to help their customers win and be the Hero of their own story.  That is the type of hat I am saying we need to wear.

The first part in building relationships is to learn and understand the individual that we are coming in contact with.  We want them to understand that they are heard and known.  We do not want to treat them as a commodity, but as an individual.  Someone that matters.

That’s what we all want right?  We want to know that we are known, heard, and that we matter.

We need to focus on others in the same way.  We have needs, but we really need to work for them an serve them if we want to obtain our better way forward.  We need to take the focus off ourselves and focus on learning about them. 

See the others we work with have situations, issues, and ramifications that if not fixed will result in poor performance, disengagement, apathy, and likely them leaving for another job.  If we can create a culture of helping each other and learning about each other.

When others know that we are not just trying to use them then we will build trust and out of that we get relationships.  That is right we build trust and relationships when we build influence with others.  Businesses move on trust and we need this if we are going to build relationships. 

Today in business we need to make sure that we are going out of our way to build relationships if we are going to move forward in business. If we do this, that we will have a better quality of life as well as success in business.

Focus on putting on that sales hat and building relationships and so we can succeed with others. 

“Businesses wonder why it is still hard to be thought of as the brand of choice with customers.  How can our business make more profitable transactions and stay out of the commodity battle with low profits?  I equip your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate explosive revenues with greater profits!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lWIVasmkFsoYL4h0AqIZgH6LC3qaw_gI/view?usp=sharing – client profile sheet

https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Process-Uncovered-Success-Influence/dp/0578421518 - Book

The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page

Does Free Shipping Increase Sales?

Will I increase my sales if I offer free shipping?  Amazon does it so does it generate more sales?  How do I compete with Amazon and other big retailers?

These are some of the questions that I hear when I am coaching sales organizations with becoming the brand of choice.  It’s something that sales organizations ask all the time when it comes to generating more revenues. 

This is about the time that I burst the bubble about free shipping and making more sales.  Amazon does offer free sales and they sell quite a bit of products on their sites every day.   Sometimes I even buy too much on their site.  

Yes, Amazon does offer free shipping, but they offer fast shipping, with great updates on their app that you can see how the product moves through their delivery system.  They also offer really simple and low effort returns.  The third thing that they do is offer free two-day shipping by a use of a subscription. 

This is more than just simply offering free shipping.  We need to look at our business and our product offering to understand what we can offer as a solution to our customers so that they will want to do more business with us.  Likely we have more than one product / service offering that will benefit our customers far better than just free shipping.

This is the time we need to open our file cabinets and study our customers.  What we can do to benefit our customers better?  When we really understand our customers, we can start building partnerships with them to buy more and more of what we offer instead of one off sales.  We want returning partners that will benefit the more they do business with us.

What I teach in the sales process is that we need to ask a great deal of questions at the beginning of the sales process to understand our customers.  This is also the time that the customers start to believe we are really looking to help them and not just sell our products / service. 

We need to get the customers to buy into us if we are ever going to sell them more.  We need to make sure that we are building that influence and that is why it is crucial that we ask a great deal of questions to truly understand our customers. We need to understand their situation, their issues, and the ramifications. 

If we can solve them and get the customer to a better way, then we will reap the rewards of more sales and increased revenues.  Each customer has an acquisition cost and we need to make sure that we are selling enough to cover those costs to manage those customers.  If we do not, then it does not matter as much about the revenue because we will have too high of costs resulting in lower profits.  In the end profits are what keep businesses moving forward.

“Businesses wonder why it is still hard to be thought of as the brand of choice with customers.  How can our business make more profitable transactions and stay out of the commodity battle with low profits?  I equip your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate explosive revenues with greater profits!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lWIVasmkFsoYL4h0AqIZgH6LC3qaw_gI/view?usp=sharing – client profile sheet

https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Process-Uncovered-Success-Influence/dp/0578421518 - Book

The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page

What Else Could The Customer Buy?

Far too often money is left on the table by sales professionals because they are so giddy about making a sale.   As soon as the paperwork is done, they are running off into the sunset to celebrate their victory.  Only the great sales professionals know that if they are truly going to be successful, they are going to understand the customer so well that they can turn customers into partners buying everything they can from us.

You may be asking, what does that look like if I sell houses, or one main product / service.

It’s a fair question, but likely there are other products or services that are overlooked by sales professionals.  Are there other solutions that our organization offers to help individuals with financial help, insurance, software, inventory management, etc?  We should make sure that when we are at the beginning of the buying stage that we understand all the S.I.R.’s that the customer are experiencing.

S stands for situation.  The customer is in a situation that they need a solution to avoid obstacles they are facing or will face in the future.  During discussions it will be revealed the full scope and our organization has solutions to not only help with the surface level situation, but uncover the deeper level situation that are not truly recognized yet.  Ever been to a therapist to talk about something and they ask questions and by the end you feel even worse because there was a blind spot you didn’t see?  That is why we really need to ask a lot of questions at the beginning to dive deeper into the situation for our customers.  When we do this, it will open up a great deal of possibilities for us to help them.

I is for issues.  The situation that the customer is in has issues tied to it.  Something is not working like it should because of the issues that are creating roadblocks for success.  Just like the situation there are usually underlying issues that are not totally recognized yet and it is up to the sales professional to ask deeper questions to uncover those issues.  When sales professionals do this, they can they help the customer even better than initially thought.

R stands for ramifications.  That’s right, ramifications are the results if the issues for the situation are not resolved.  It could be profit losses, job losses, or worse death.  This is why doctors ask a great deal of questions because the ramifications are life and death.  Most likely in sales the ramifications are not as severe, but the ramifications still have huge impacts on the customer’s performance.  If the customers do not succeed in finding solutions to avoid the ramifications, they may be promoted to customer from their organization.  That’s just a nicer way of saying fired 

It is up to the sales professional to make sure they understand the customer fully and deeply if they are going to help them.  Most of the time if the sales professional does a great job up front they will make more sales and have a customer turn into a partner buying even more from them repeatedly.  We don’t want one-time sales, we want repeat partners buying more and more from us if we are going to be successful in our sales careers.  When do we do that well, we will have a better quality of life.  Typically, that means larger bank accounts that we can do more trips, family memories, philanthropy, etc.     To become the brand of choice we need to serve the customer well through the sales process.  For more on that I have created my online member site for learning the sales and leadership concepts I teach without the price tag of having me in person.

“Businesses wonder why it is still hard to be thought of as the brand of choice with customers.  How can our business make more profitable transactions and stay out of the commodity battle with low profits?  I equip your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate explosive revenues with greater profits!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lWIVasmkFsoYL4h0AqIZgH6LC3qaw_gI/view?usp=sharing – client profile sheet

https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Process-Uncovered-Success-Influence/dp/0578421518 - Book

The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page

Most Important Leadership Qualities You Need To Succeed!

Leadership has so many aspects to it.  There is so much that a leader needs to know to be effective in their position.  Their frame of mind, their ability to gain influence, their ability to build trust, communication, and the list goes on to what leaders need to do well.

Today let’s talk about the most important leadership qualities that a leader must excel at if they are going to be effective in their position.

Leaders first and foremost must know that being a leader does not mean that they get to sit up on a throne like a king and order others around to do all their bidding.  Leaders actually have to flip their frame of mind to be one of a servant leader.  That is right, they are serving their organization and their teams by being a servant leader.  That does not mean that they are doing their team’s bidding, but that their decisions are to support their teams do their tasks better. 

How can they institute a process to help the team work more efficient.  Not too many processes though because that will just grind the organization to a crawl.  How can they help guide the teams to move efficient through their tasks to get their jobs done well and on time.

The next thing that a leader needs to be able to do is build influence with those they work with.  That is right they need to be able to build influence.  This is where knowing the sales process and how people buy will enable them to succeed. That is why typically someone that has been in sales is an effective leader. 

Leaders don’t have to be the greatest sales person, but the fact that they understand the process will help them lead well.  Knowing how and why people buy and buy in is crucial to building influence.  That is why I wrote the book for people to be able to have a simple process they can repeat over and over to grow higher levels of influence.  Without being able to build influence the leader will not be able to get the right people on the bus to move the organization forward effectively.

The third crucial quality that a leader needs to have is the ability to communicate effectively.  That is right we can be the smartest person on a specific topic, but if we can’t communicate so that others can understand the topic and be able to action that topic we will fail. 

Communication is key for instilling the vision, building trust, and moving others forward.  This does not mean that we use big words to make ourselves seem more intelligent either.  The best communicators can take complex topics and break them down into a simple language that even a child could understand.  If we can’t do that then we really are not that intelligent and are not going to be effective leaders.

Being able to understand and action these three qualities is imperative if we are going to be effective leaders for our teams. 

If you have questions about either of these three crucial leadership qualities feel free to reach out.  I would be more than happy to help you gain more traction as a leader!

“Businesses wonder why it is still hard to be thought of as the brand of choice with customers.  How can our business make more profitable transactions and stay out of the commodity battle with low profits?  I equip your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate explosive revenues with greater profits!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lWIVasmkFsoYL4h0AqIZgH6LC3qaw_gI/view?usp=sharing – client profile sheet

https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Process-Uncovered-Success-Influence/dp/0578421518 - Book

The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page

Team Trust Building Games

Team trust building is crucial to an organization.  Without trust we don’t move forward.  High trust organizations thrive while low trust organizations flounder.  When trust is high in an organization speed goes up and costs go down.  That means more profits!

Trust is key if we are going to survive in the economic climate that we are in.  We need to have trust with our teams so we don’t have to keep following up to see if tasks got completed on time.  Too many organizations waste resources because they do not have high levels of trust.

Team building is one of those topics that leaders in their organizations always ask for ideas.  Some ask for the large expenses because they have decent budgets while others look for more economical solutions.  This week’s post will help with some ideas that will be lower investments for team building.

These ideas are under $50 per person on the investment side.

Questions for humans

This is a card deck that gets people sharing about their thoughts of a topic.  Ramsey solutions has come out with this and they are not just for adults but for families as well.  It’s a great resource because when we listen to how others answer some of these questions, we start to get a perspective and insight into who they are.  Remember if we don’t know someone, we don’t typically trust them.  We need to get to know people before we can trust them.  When we are sitting down for lunch together, or the first few minutes of a weekly team meeting open up the deck and ask a question or two for everyone to answer.  We will laugh and get to know each other which leads to building levels of trust.

Escape rooms

I love escape rooms not only are they challenging for puzzles, but by doing them we typically have others helping us.  Someone has a different perspective to the clue and helps solve the puzzle typically.  This results in us being able to communicate to solve things together which communication is key for trust.  They are also fun because as we solve things together, we build confidence in each other.  Bonds start to form and trust increases.

The third option is laser tag.  Yes, I said laser tag.  There is a place in Brandon Florida called CQ tactical.  It’s laser tag, but with a twist.  Two teams enter, one team wins.  The teams are set up on missions like protecting a diplomat while the other team is looking to capture the diplomat.  There is another where there is a bomb that has to be deactivated while you are being shot at by the other team.  So many kinds of scenarios, but what happens is people have to work together, strategize together, and execute the plan to complete the missions.  It is a lot of fun and laughs, with people building trust together to accomplish missions together.  Just watch out for those girl scout troops, they are ruthless and sharp shooters!

Get out of the office and do some of these to build trust and communication with your team and you will see the benefits of a high trust environment.

“Businesses wonder why it is still hard to be thought of as the brand of choice with customers.  How can our business make more profitable transactions and stay out of the commodity battle with low profits?  I equip your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate explosive revenues with greater profits!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lWIVasmkFsoYL4h0AqIZgH6LC3qaw_gI/view?usp=sharing – client profile sheet

https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Process-Uncovered-Success-Influence/dp/0578421518 - Book

The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page

How To Sell More!

How can I sell more?  How can I make more sales?  How can I hit my goals?

These are questions that sales professionals often ask me.  They are looking for a quick answer, pitch, or some kind of leverage to get their customers to buy more of their products / services.

Unfortunately, that is the incorrect lens to look through.  Simply wondering how I can sell more of my product / service is not the question we should be asking.  That makes the sales professional do and say things that are not true, and will likely come back to bite them in the long run.

Sales professionals have gotten a bad rap because of this lens they view selling through.  Why do people associate Used Car Salesmen as evil?  I’m sure not all of them are evil. Some may be, but the majority are just there trying to make an honest living. 

Ever walked into a clothing store and someone ask you what brings you in today?  Likely your response like most customers is something like, “Umm, just looking.”  That is because we have put sales professionals in a category low trust and to be avoided if possible.

When I talk with organizations and sales professionals, I tell them if they want to grow their numbers, they need to build influence.  That is right influence.  Influence is the ability to have an effect on others and their decisions.  This means that if we want to have influence there has to be trust involved. 

If customers trust that we are there to help them with their situation, issues, and ramifications, then they will be open to our help.  If not, they will just say, “just looking” and move on.  We need to build that trust so that we can have influence with our customers if we want them to buy more of our products / services.

True if we only want a one-time sale we can lie and not worry about building influence, but unfortunately each person that we are selling to has influence over 100-150 other individuals.  That means we are jeopardizing a lot more when we just focus on a one-time sale.

If we focus on building trust and influence with our customers, serving them well, then we will have the opportunity at more sales with others in their influence.  If we focus on serving customers to solve their situations, issues, and ramifications with a great experience, then they will tell others that they need to deal with us. That is like having our own salesforce that we don’t even have to pay.  Who wouldn’t want that?

Here is the interesting thing.  I have served customers well with a great experience and they did not buy my product / service.  Because I served them so well, I have had others that I have never met reach out to me and bought from me because they were referred by the person that I didn’t make the sale to.  I have also had that same person reach out later to buy something else in the future. 

To succeed in sales, we need to really focus on serving the customers to the best of our ability.  If we serve them well even if we do not make the sale this time, they will remember what we did for them and how we served them.  They may come back at a later date, or tell others that they need to deal with us. 

Remember Sales is a marathon, not a sprint!

“Businesses wonder why it is still hard to be thought of as the brand of choice with customers.  How can our business make more profitable transactions and stay out of the commodity battle with low profits?  I equip your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate explosive revenues with greater profits!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lWIVasmkFsoYL4h0AqIZgH6LC3qaw_gI/view?usp=sharing – client profile sheet

https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Process-Uncovered-Success-Influence/dp/0578421518 - Book

The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page

The Benefit Of Having Mentors

Why do we need mentors?  Why are they called mentors?  How do you become a mentor?

Why is it that we think we can just do life on our own and that we have all the answers?  Why do we time and time again struggle with the same issues and not reach out for help?

I spent the majority of my life doing things on my own and finding the correct answer to my situation with tons of research and exploration.  Hours and hours were spent to solve the issue I was facing.  By doing this I ended up wasting a great deal of time and effort with little progress.

That is when I finally relented and started asking for help.  That is when mentors stepped in to help me avoid many pitfalls, increase my speed and efficiency, and grow my success faster.  I have had mentors in business, finance, faith, and in relationships. All key to my success today.

Mentors are people that have experience in the area that we are trying to walk through and have the scars from the battles we will face.  They have experienced a majority of the similar trials that we will see on our journey.  They have likely fallen into some of the traps that we will encounter.

Mentors are people with a servant heart that want to help the next generation succeed.  These individuals do not do it for the notoriety either.  They are just wanting to help others succeed. 

Mentors have helped me greatly when I sat with them to share my situation, issues, and ramifications.  They will usually share a story about how they were in that similar situation and what they did as well as the results.  Some happy ending stories, some not so happy ending stories. 

When I was going through my dad’s final year of life, I met with a mentor regularly to talk about what I was going through and the stresses involved.  This mentor was able to help me with coping, the grieving curve, and understand all that I was going to be losing as this chapter closed in my life.  This was a tough time and I am glad I had a mentor in my life to help me see through it while managing every day stressors..

I have also been mentoring a young man who is at the stage of his life where he is trying to figure out his career path.  He is an intern at a very well-known local organization and trying to figure out what doors to walk through.  The discussions we have had and stories I have shared have helped him rethink his possibilities. 

He has a bright future and I look forward to seeing where he goes professionally as well as relationally.  The hope is that he avoids some of the pitfalls that I have experienced in my life with the stories and insight that I have shared. 

Mentors are great resources to help us with questions we have about what we are going through.  They are people that want to help poor in and serve us with their knowledge.  Finding a mentor for a particular area of life that we need help is going to benefit us more than we can ever imagine.  Seek out a mentor today if you are struggling with a decision, or offer to be a mentor.  You will feel a sense of purpose when you lend a hand, or a story to help someone else avoid the pitfalls of life.

One of my favorite quotes: “Do or do not. There is no try…” - Yoda

“Businesses wonder why it is still hard to be thought of as the brand of choice with customers.  How can our business make more profitable transactions and stay out of the commodity battle with low profits?  I equip your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate explosive revenues with greater profits!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lWIVasmkFsoYL4h0AqIZgH6LC3qaw_gI/view?usp=sharing – client profile sheet

https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Process-Uncovered-Success-Influence/dp/0578421518 - Book

The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page

Does Free Shipping Increase Sales?

If I include free shipping, will it automatically increase my sales?  Does free shipping make people buy more?

These are a couple questions that I have been asked about the free shipping topic.  Unfortunately, the answer is, it depends…  With Amazon selling so many things people have been accustomed to being able to get free shipping on a great deal of their orders at a lower dollar amount.  Amazon does a fantastic job of customer service with free shipping, easy returns, and ease of shopping. 

Just adding free shipping on a product that we offer does not mean that will automatically generate more sales.  We need to look at our products that we are offering and understand the current customer buying habits first.  How often do we receive returning customer purchases for the same product.  Who is buying our product.  Why are they buying the product again and again. 

Before we just pull the trigger of offering free shipping, we should understand what our business is doing and understand our customers.  This will help us understand if free shipping is worth it.  Simply adding free shipping is not going to be the end all save all either.

We may need to know how to get customers to buy add on products so that we can generate more sales as well.  This means that we will need to set the dollar amount high enough to get add on sales.  If we simply add free shipping for one product we will lose the opportunity to sell more accessory products to our customers that they may be missing out on.

We likely have a great product line that the customers have not tapped into yet so we need to find ways to get them to buy more or our offerings.  Typically add on products that are smaller in purchase price have higher profit margins as well.  How can we entice others to buy these add on products. 

Amazon in their app makes it so easy to get to the dollar amount by getting customers to order multiple things.  They also offer prime service subscriptions so that people can get their orders faster, but the customers pay for this.  Amazon also makes it easy to return products which is why people keep coming back.

It revolves around customer service.  How we serve the customer affects our sales more than free shipping could ever do.  If we want to generate more sales, the customer experience with us has to be high.  The customer has to know that we are there to help them be the hero of their own story.  If we do that then we will win more sales. 

Free shipping alone will not drive more sales unless we are doing other things to enable the customer to win when they do business with us. 

How can we serve them better should be the filter we use to drive more sales.

“Businesses wonder why it is still hard to be thought of as the brand of choice with customers.  How can our business make more profitable transactions and stay out of the commodity battle with low profits?  I equip your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate explosive revenues with greater profits!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lWIVasmkFsoYL4h0AqIZgH6LC3qaw_gI/view?usp=sharing – client profile sheet

https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Process-Uncovered-Success-Influence/dp/0578421518 - Book

The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page

Communication is Key for Success

It’s not what you’ve said, but how you’ve said it.”  How about, “All you needed to do was communicate and we could have avoided this issue in the first place?”

No one is perfect with their communication, but we have to be good at communication when we are in a sales position or in a leadership position.  Communication is a key ingredient in a successful business.  It is actually the most important quality as a leader as well.

We may be the most brilliant leader, but if we can not communicate with those we lead, then we are not going to be able to go anywhere with anyone. 

Leaders need to focus on building up their communication skills if they want to go far.  There are many different ways we can grow our communication. 

The first way we can become a better communicator is to check our posture.  That is right, the majority of communication is nonverbal.  That means what we say and how we say it are affected by our facial expressions and posture.  If we are walking around like EOR (from whiney the pooh) and are trying to present good news, how does that land? 

When we communicate to communicate a point, we can use stories.  That’s right, stories are what we humans gravitate to when we are learn lessons.  Stories allow the listeners to become a part of the story and learn the lesson that is being communicated with us.  We love stories to learn lessons.  We love to hear a good story and when we add the point to it, we grasp it better.

 Another way we can become better communicators is to not use $100 words.  That’s right too many people like to seem more intelligent by using large words that others may not understand in order to seem smarter.  This is actually counterintuitive.  The best leaders are able to take complex topics and communicate them in a way that a middle school child could understand them.  Being able to break complex topics down into easy to understand language is essential.

There are many ways to improve our communication.  We can record ourselves when we are practicing our speech, we can go to toastmasters to learn how to tell stories better, and we can go to acting / improv classes to learn how to present better.  Using a little humor is like giving a little sugar to let the medicine go down smoother. 

We need to become great communicators if we are going to lead organizations into the future.  Without it we will lose engagement, influence, and profits.

For this year I would highly recommend making it a goal to get better at communicating if you want to excel in your career.  It will pay off greatly when you reach the next level in your career and your future self will thank you.

“Businesses wonder why it is still hard to be thought of as the brand of choice with customers.  How can our business make more profitable transactions and stay out of the commodity battle with low profits?  I equip your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate explosive revenues with greater profits!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lWIVasmkFsoYL4h0AqIZgH6LC3qaw_gI/view?usp=sharing – client profile sheet

https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Process-Uncovered-Success-Influence/dp/0578421518 - Book

The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page“

Let's Not Make Excuses For Poor Performance Shall We

If so and so would have done this, or that then I would have we would have won.  I could have done this if it weren’t for somone else… 

I had a conversation with my son while teaching him to drive a car right after I screamed stop.  We were in the left turn lane and he had an obstructed view.  I could see that a car was coming and if we had turned in front of the car I would likely not be here typing today. 

The car was traveling over 50 mph.  His response was that he could not see around the car in the opposite turn lane.  I informed him that if he had turned in front of that vehicle that vehicle would have likely would not have had time to react resulting in that person being injured and the result of the crash meaning that my son would not have a father. 

We pulled over and had the discussion and a few tears were shed about the incident.  It shook me and caused me to not trust his ability to drive for some time.  I was more on edge when riding in the vehicle with him.  Scrutinizing every mistake and pointing them out.  This lowered the trust level with him and delayed his ability to obtain a license.

Now this was an extreme situation compared to most of our lives.

We all have done this from time to time.  We learned this as children.  When we did not do something that we were supposed to do, we made an excuse for why we were not able to do it.  Sometimes the reasons that seemed logical in our minds made our parents laugh at our response that really did not make much sense. 

We make excuses for underperforming at our jobs, fitness goals, financial goals, etc.  We are constantly making up excuses for our underperformance.  Unfortunately, when we do this, we actually give away our power. 

That’s right when we make excuses, we actually give power over to something or someone else.  We actually give our power to achieve away when we do this.  That means that we can not actually look at ourselves in the mirror and say that we are in control of our lives. 

We also affect our relationships with others when we give excuses for poor performance.  We tell others that they can not trust us to perform and that we will need to be watched more closely when given a task.  This puts more work and effort on their plates slowing them down on what they need to do.

Trust is the currency that relationships and businesses function on.  Without trust we will affect the organization’s profitability.  When trust is high, speed goes up and costs go down in the organization.  When trust is low, speed is slow resulting in more effort and higher expenses for similar tasks. 

This also affects stress on the organization’s most important resource.  The people that work for the organization are it’s most important resource.  Without high levels of trust then we will falter and lose money. 

We need to stop making excuses for poor performance if we want to increase trust and profitability. Today make the agreement with yourself to stop making excuses for poor performance and own your setbacks. 

“Businesses wonder why it is still hard to be thought of as the brand of choice with customers.  How can our business make more profitable transactions and stay out of the commodity battle with low profits?  I equip your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate explosive revenues with greater profits!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lWIVasmkFsoYL4h0AqIZgH6LC3qaw_gI/view?usp=sharing – client profile sheet

https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Process-Uncovered-Success-Influence/dp/0578421518 - Book

The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page

Why Selfishness Affects Trust And Profits

When I teach organizations the trust equation and how to build influence, I run through the variables that affect trust. Why some people seem to be able to gain trust and influence better than others.  It consistently comes back to one main variable in building trust.

it does not matter how competent, how reliable, or how vulnerable we are with others.  If we are only out for our own gain, willing to step on others for our accolades, then we are going nowhere.  That is right selfishness affects trust.

Selfishness is in the denominator of the trust equation and just like any fraction, the denominator has the most leverage.  Now every individual is selfish to a point.  It’s in our fight or flight mechanism that keeps us safe.  We want to make sure our needs are met and that we are safe.  Sometimes we take it a bit too far.

We all want to succeed at what we are doing and become successful in our careers, relationships, etc.  We want that nice house, nice car, top of the line phone.  No one wants to fail at their endeavors.  Unfortunately, that fear of failure takes over and we start focusing how we can step on others to get to that next level then we are going to sacrifice trust.

If we are willing to sacrifice others for our gain then we are not going to be able to build trust with others.  They will be able to see our intentions.  We can hide our intentions for a short amount of time, but ultimately our selfishness will be like a light shining bright in the night sky.

When we act in selfish ways, people learn that they can not trust us to do what is right, just what is right for ourselves. Selfishness is a filter of how we see the world and how we function in it.  We see our view of the as a means to an end for our own success.

Selfishness does not value others.  It only values our gain.  When others realize this, they understand that they need to interact in a way that protects them.  Which means now they start acting in selfish ways as well.  That means that others are affected and now trust really starts to erode in our organizations. 

When we have low levels of trust, speed goes down, extra meetings happen, extra tracking files are needed, constant reporting, etc.  Costs increase, from all of this excess tracking, resulting in lower profit margins. 

When we have lower profit margins, organizations will then have to start cutting costs everywhere they can.  That means layoffs, using lower quality materials in our of our products / services, making our offerings worth less.  This then starts the downward spiral of lower revenues and accelerates the speed of bankruptcy.

We need to avoid this pattern if we want to stay in business for the long haul and we need to stop being selfish.  We need to serve those around us and as a result we will be able to generate trust which will reverse this spiral and keep us profitable. 

When speed goes up, costs go down.  That means more profits.  That all is affected by the trust and selfishness levels we have at our organizations.

“Businesses wonder why it is still hard to be thought of as the brand of choice with customers.  How can our business make more profitable transactions and stay out of the commodity battle with low profits?  I equip your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate explosive revenues with greater profits!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lWIVasmkFsoYL4h0AqIZgH6LC3qaw_gI/view?usp=sharing – client profile sheet

https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Process-Uncovered-Success-Influence/dp/0578421518 - Book

The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page

Want Customer Loyalty? Then Change Your Focus

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 when they try to build customer loyalty.

All of us are familiar with Starbucks and Chick-Fil-A who both host lines for the drive through wrapping around parking lots and disrupting street traffic flow.  What we need to do is think about ways to serve customers so well and consistently that they want to keep coming back.

Both Starbucks and Chick-Fil-A do one thing really, really well.  It’s customer service.  That’s right, they are always going above and beyond the call to serve the customer. This is resulting in customer loyalty, a Fanocrocy, and great business success even during pandemics.  People will literally wait in 20 min lines for a cup of coffee, or a chicken sandwich (with waffle fries of course.) 

Chick-Fil-A also has one thing they do every time they serve us when we say thank you.  They respond immediately with “it’s my pleasure.”  They literally ingrain each employee to be customer service focused.  It does not matter which location we to go, we still get great consistent service.

When an organization focuses only on profits and not on serving the customers it never ends well.  Doing the right thing consistently over time creates brand loyalty.  Making sure we have set up a customer experience mindset, we will see customers return again and again.  Even if we sell and inferior product / service, by serving the customer we will see returning customers.

Too many organizations focus on short term profits.  One main driver for this is publicly traded companies focusing on making their stock holders more money as their main goals.  All organizational goals serve this one main goal.  How do we make shareholders more money?  Unfortunately, these large organizations forget about the investments needed to keep the customers happy who are actually paying the bills.  Investments to maintain quality, delivery, and customer focused service.

Organizations should consistently do the right thing for the customers to generate loyal “Fans.”  When “Fans” pledge their loyalty to us, they tell others how awesome our organization is  They share stories of how we have helped them and rave about our service.  We have sales people selling for us that are not on our payroll.  Wouldn’t you like that?

Do not take the customer’s payment and walk away from the transaction waiting to see if the customer will buy from us again before we give extra effort.   Give the extra effort up front and every time we engage people and we will be rewarded! Consistency over time equals more profits and more customer loyalty.

I am also not sponsored by either organization discussed in this blog, but if they want to give me free food, I fat Kevin would be glad to accept it :)

“Businesses wonder why it is still hard to be thought of as the brand of choice with customers.  How can our business make more profitable transactions and stay out of the commodity battle with low profits?  I equip your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate explosive revenues with greater profits!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lWIVasmkFsoYL4h0AqIZgH6LC3qaw_gI/view?usp=sharing – client profile sheet

https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Process-Uncovered-Success-Influence/dp/0578421518 - Book

The Sales Process Uncovered Membership Page

Relationships who needs them...?”

Good morning everyone,

As we venture deeper into the 21st century, and AI is now becoming a crucial part of our businesses.  People wonder if we really need to have relationships with customers anymore.  Do they care about who they buy from?  Do customers just think of our businesses as commodities? Why do we need to have focus on relationships?

Each person that we come in contact with has influence over 100 to 150 other people.  That’s right when we have conversations, meetings, etc. we are affecting how we are talked about to other people.  If we have a bad interaction with a customer, guess what can happen?  They can tell everyone they know in a quick post on social media, tweets, live videos, etc.

We have to be at the top of our game when we engage people each and every day because their friends and family that they interact with will also know how we treated them.  People no longer step in to help stop fights, they instead pull out their phones and hit record.  I guess it’s easier…?

Having relationships with others is how we get things done.  We have influence with those people and that influence carries over to all the people they too influence.  If we have bad experiences with a sales professional, we will let everyone know.  If we have a great experience, what do we do?  We rave about the experience and why others need to do it to.

Putting on our sales hat when we engage others is how we start to set the stage in the correct order.  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 us.

Grow that relationship!

“Businesses wonder why it is still hard to be thought of as the brand of choice with customers.  How can our business make more profitable transactions and stay out of the commodity battle with low profits?  I equip your sales team to walk with the customer through the five buying decisions, and in the correct order to generate explosive revenues with greater profits!”

www.kevinsidebottom.com

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lWIVasmkFsoYL4h0AqIZgH6LC3qaw_gI/view?usp=sharing – client profile sheet

https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Process-Uncovered-Success-Influence/dp/0578421518 - Book

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