supporting print sales & Marketing Executives
November 2011
Use an effective system for making appointments 10 Reasons You Need to Become a Master Questioner Finding your competition’s Achilles Heel
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Average and below average managers spend too much time solving the wrong employee issues. They make too many assumptions as a result of asking too few questions.
Publisher mark potter
November 2011
Marketing Manager brandon clark MANAGING EDITOR lorrie bryan
P2
ART DIRECTOR brent cashman
I Am
Editorial board keith bax Research Data mike kyle Pace Litho chris petro GlobalSoft tom moe Daily Printing dean petrulakis Rider Dickerson david bennett Bennett Graphics tony narducci O’Neill Printing
P6
Print In The Mix: Fast Facts
Publisher’s Thoughts P4
P10
Marketing Insights
Best of Reflections
SALES BEST PRACTICES — TOP 3 TIPS P12
Use an effective system for making appointments P18
From Manager to Leader “10 Reasons You Need to Become a Master Questioner”
P20
Finding your competition’s Achilles Heel
CANVAS, Volume 3, Issue 6. Published bi-monthly, copyright 2011 CANVAS, All rights reserved, 2180 Satellite Blvd., Suite 400, Duluth, Georgia 30097. Please note: The acceptance of advertising or products mentioned by contributing authors does not constitute endorsement by the publisher. Publisher cannot accept responsibility for the correctness of an opinion expressed by contributing authors.
CANVAS P1
Publisher’s thoughts
I Am
I
n one of my favorite Peanuts’ comics, Lucy walks up to Linus and finds him patting little birds on the head. Lucy says “Linus nobody pats birds
on the head”. Linus responds by saying “They like it”. In the next caption, Lucy repeats “Nobody pats birds on the head”. Again, Linus mumbles “They like it”. In the last caption, Lucy passionately states that “Nobody
pats birds on the head!” to which Linus calmly responds “I do”. Most often we find it easy to follow the crowd or get in line. It is easy and com-
fortable. We don’t stand out when we stay with the pack. It seems safe. In turn, it can seem difficult to take a diverging path. It is uncomfortable and scary. So falling in line becomes our default solution. And mediocrity becomes our destiny. Standing up and standing out are difficult choices. Take for example the survey that was recently posted in the Charlotte Observer. The question asked was, “What is wrong with the world?” As you can imagine, there were lots of answers with countless reasons. Some said that there was too much government. Others said there was not enough government. Some said there was too much religion. Others felt like there was not enough religion. Some said too much immigration, while others disputed not enough diversity. Amidst thousands of answers with remarkable variability and many of great length, only one truly stood out. In response to the question of “What is wrong with the world?” one person wrote two simple words: “I am”. It was signed by Billy Graham. Regardless of religious beliefs, Reverend Graham’s response gives us pause. He reminds us that to stand out you need to take responsibility for yourself. Blame is a waste of energy and certainly cannot help elevate your sales or your business. Taking an “I am” attitude allows you to differentiate yourself. Differentiation creates opportunities. Standing out is not easy these days. However, taking ownership for your fate is both liberating and exhilarating. Selling success in this climate demands people that stand out. In turn, standing out does not mean some wild hair idea like dressing in a gorilla suit and making cold calls. Sometimes, it can be as simple as clinging to real sales discipline and not quoting and hoping like everyone else. Providing value beyond a price may not pay dividends immediately, but it will differentiate you over time. Our November edition of CANVAS Digital is dedicated to the commitment to true sales disciplines. When everyone else is hoping for the chance to quote, we want CANVAS readers to stand out and stand for more. Committing to your clients beyond price can be uncomfortable. It can be downright scary standing up for more. But, when you stand up for a community and selling on a deeper level, you will certainly stand out. So maybe we should ask ourselves “What is wrong with our business today?” See what happens when the answer is “I am”.
Mark Potter, Publisher
P2
CANVAS November 2011
B2B Marketers Moving Toward Online Content Strategies B2B marketers are moving away from traditional
Content Curation
marketing tactics toward online content market-
56% of B2B marketers are now using a content
ing: 82% now use content marketing in their pro-
curation strategy (relying on some content from
grams, making it more popular than search mar-
other sources), up 17% from the adoption level
keting (70%), events (68%), and public relations
reported six months earlier.
(64%), according to a report by HiveFire. Among surveyed B2B marketers, content mar-
Is content curation part of your content marketing strategy?
keting is more than two times more popular than advertising (print, TV, or radio) (32%). What strategies do you use in your marketing programs? (Check all that apply)
100
I don’t know 16%
80 60
No 28%
82%
40
55%
44% 43%
20 0
Yes 56%
29%
Engage customer/ prospects
Drive sales
Educate the market
Increase web traffic
Stay up-to-date on competitors
19%
2%
SEO
Thought Leadership
©2011 HiveFire, Inc. B2B Marekting Trends 2011 Survey
©2011 HiveFire, Inc. B2B Marekting Trends 2011 Survey
Objectives With Content Marketing
Moreover, among those now using content curation,
Among B2B marketers, the top two objectives of con-
74% say the program is successfully driving results.
tent marketing programs are engaging customers
Lead Generation Top Marketing Objective
and prospects (82%) and driving sales (55%).
100
What are the main objectives of your content marketing program? (select up to three)
most important marketing objective in their organi-
80 60
zations (78%), followed by establishing thought leadership (35%), and boosting brand awareness (35%).
82%
40
55%
Increasing Web traffic (28%) and improving 44%
search results (24%), at least for the time being,
43%
20 0
29%
Engage customer/ prospects
Drive sales
Educate the market
Increase web traffic
Stay up-to-date on competitors
19%
2%
SEO
Thought Leadership
rank lower among B2B marketers. Not surprisingly, B2B marketers are faced with
©2011 HiveFire, Inc. B2B Marekting Trends 2011 Survey
financial pressures, and cite limited budget (28%)
Nearly one-half of marketers are focused on
and limited staff (23%) as their top two challenges.
educating the marketplace (44%) and increasing
However, 16% of B2B marketers say their big-
Web traffic (43%).
P4
Overall, B2B marketers cite lead generation as the
CANVAS November 2011
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Fast Facts “Professionals Not Replacing Print with Digital” http://printinthemix.com/Fastfacts/Show/487
October 19, 2011 – When professionals were asked which media they use regularly in their work, search engines, print magazines, and e-newsletters came out on top. Readex Research, survey specialists serving publications, associations, and corporate researchers, conducted Media Usage Studies between September 2010 and May 2011. The study results, examining the use of 9 forms of media, are based on 2,095 responses. Media used regularly by professionals to keep current:
74% 77%
Depend on e-newsletters related to their industry
Regular use of search engines
74%
Rely on print editions of magazines
30% 55%
Web sites of professional publishers, associations, or others informing the industry
Use social media regularly
The survey also asked about regular usage of digital editions of print magazines (54%), webinars, podcasts or videos (49%), conferences/trade shows/industry related events (43%), and web sites of suppliers/vendors (36%). Of the nine forms of media listed, 55% of respondents indicate they use five or more; only 5% indicated they used only one. Steve Blom, Director of Sales and Marketing at Readex, explains the purpose of the surveys, “With many advertisers feeling that they have to ‘place their bets’ with certain media offerings, it became clear that helping publishers illustrate how the market uses media would help their sales efforts.” He goes on to say, “These results maintain that marketers need to gain exposure over a variety of media, and that focusing on a single medium neglects a portion of the market.”
P6
CANVAS November 2011
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s, Regard
te t o P k r Ma
P8
CANVAS November 2011
r
Sales best practices Top 3 Tips
1 2 3 P10 CANVAS November 2011
Use an effective system for making appointments 10 Reasons You Need to Become a Master Questioner Finding your competition’s Achilles Heel
TIP
1 Use an effective system for making appointments By Dave Kahle
The best sales people have created a system to consistently acquire appointments with prospects, and continually work to improve that system.
A
ll routine, sophisticated work is most effectively accomplished by implementing a system. That’s one of the observations I’ve made in my 20+ years of experience in consulting. It doesn’t matter what area of work we are considering. For example, cleaning teeth, paving a road, painting a house, laying carpet, creating your income tax returns, etc. are all routine, sophisticated jobs that are best accomplished systematically. The job of the professional sales person is crammed with such tasks – sophisticated tasks which need to be done over and over again. Making appointments is one such undertaking. A system is composed, in its simplest expression, of processes, practices and tools. Processes are the step-by-step series of events that eventually lead to a goal. Practices are the behaviors which are part of the process, and tools are the specific things we use to accomplish the process. So, for example, when it comes to making appointments, the process may look like this: 1. Create a list of prospects. 2. Research the list, and determine the highest potential. 3. Acquire their names and contact information. 4. Deliver a pre-call touch. 5. Make a phone call to acquire the appointment. 6. Repeat at least five times, if necessary. 7. I f necessary, send a personal snail mail letter. 8. I f necessary, make a personal cold call.
CANVAS P11
Sales Best Practices
To improve the end results of your process, you improve each of the practices you use along the way. The best sales people understand that, and work on improving them forever.
I’m not suggesting that this is the only process you could use. I am
send, etc. Like your approach to practices, your approach is to refine these tools forever.
suggesting, however, that the best
Let’s review. The best sales people have thought
sales people have created a similar
deeply about the best way to acquire appointments, and
process, designed for the specifics
have put together a system made up of processes, prac-
of their business.
tices and tools. Then, they consistently implement that
Within that process, there are certain key practices. For example,
system, and forever work on improving each piece of it. That’s one of the things that make them the best.
the phone call that you make to the prospect asking for the appointment
Here are some of our resources to help you master this
is a key practice. To improve the end
best practice:
results of your process, you improve
•F irst Steps to Success in Outside Sales –
each of the practices you use along
Chapter Four: Acquiring Appointments.
the way. The best sales people understand that, and work on improving them forever.
•V ideo – Victory over Voicemail. Visit www.davekahle.com/notch.htm.
The final piece of a good system is the set of tools you use to imple-
If you are a member of The Sales Resource Center ™, con-
ment the system. The pre-call touch,
sider Pod-32: How to create a system to develop new cus-
for example, is a tool, as is the script
tomers, Pod-38: Mastering the Creative Cold Call, or Cluster
that you use, the letter that you may
CL-87: Making appointments. (Managers Exclusive)
About the Author: Dave Kahle has trained tens of thousands of distributor and B2B sales people and sales managers to be more effective in the 21st Century economy. He’s authored nine books, and presented in 47 states and seven countries. Sign up for his weekly Ezine , or visit his blog . For a limited time, you can purchase his latest book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime, and receive $534 in FREE bonuses.
P12 CANVAS November 2011
Sales Best Practices
TIP
2 (Managers Exclusive)
From Manager to Leader 10 Reasons You Need to Become a Master Questioner
I
n the mid 90’s, the company I worked for asked me and two other associates to put together a new sales training program that was to be rolled out to the entire organization. I believed in the material in this program and felt that it was vital to the continued success of the company. After being promoted to Regional Sales Manager, I felt more positive than ever that it was my duty to
make sure every employee I touched communicated effectively. The only problem was that while I was jamming the program down their throats, I was breaking every communications principle I was teaching. The more I “sold” the program, the more people felt like they were being sold. Then one day, as my
It was that day I realized that leadership
frustration reached a
is sales. The same skills needed to engage
peak I sought out one
a customer are the same skills needed to
of the most respected
engage an associate. It’s not about telling
leaders in the com-
the “customer” what they need to hear.
pany, a fellow named
It’s about using your greatest weapon of
Dave Reddig. I ap-
influence to move people towards you.
proached Dave with
That weapon is…QUESTIONS.
this, “Dave, why the hell are people so resistant to the program? Don’t they understand that it will
Why Ask Questions?
with, “Brian, how do you think people
1. Questions Get Them to Tell You What They Want and Need
feel when you sit in that car seat next
Average and below average leaders TELL the people
to them and tell them all the reasons
they are leading what they should want and need. The
why this program is so important to the
PRECISE Leader instead asks the employee what they
company, without ever really finding out
want and need, and then delivers their coaching focused
what they think about it?”
on fulfilling those wants and needs.
make them better?” Dave responded
P14 CANVAS November 2011
2. Q uestions Isolate Real Issues from Bogus Ones
with questioning techniques. If you
Average and below average managers spend too much
of the infamous Casey Anthony case,
time solving the wrong employee issues. They make too
you saw how adept some attorneys
many assumptions as a result of asking too few ques-
are at subtly “leading” a witness. The
tions. As a result, they deliver the wrong feedback and
key word here is subtle. The most
coaching. The next time an associate comes to you with
successful attorneys are ones that
an issue, FIRST understand that the problem he is com-
empathetically question their wit-
ing to you with is NOT the real issue. There is anoth-
ness, get them to share information,
er one that is waiting for YOU to uncover. Be patient,
and then help lead them to the attor-
ask more questions, and you will uncover the problem
ney’s predetermined conclusion.
had the opportunity to watch some
BEHIND the problem.
3. Questions Reduce Resistance
6. Q uestions Get Them Fired Up
How do you feel when somebody is telling you what to
When great leaders, speakers, and
do? Do you stand firm and keep your walls up? Do you
motivators want to get their audi-
have a tendency to be skeptical of what that person says
ence fired up, the way they do it is
to you? Remember, statements cause resistance. Ques-
by asking a question that demands
tions, on the other hand, allow others to express them-
a response. Evangelical ministers
selves. When their lips are moving and yours are not, the
are masters at using questions to
“coaching” environment changes.
stir emotions in their congrega-
Average and below average managers spend too much time solving the wrong employee issues. They make too many assumptions as a result of asking too few questions. 4. Q uestions Make Employees Feel in Control
tions. If you ever have attended
People feel in control when they are talking. When you
one on TV, you know that when the
ask questions of your employees, you are inviting them
pastor asks, “Can I get an amen?”
to talk. The more they talk, the more in control they feel.
The response is usually a resound-
The more in control they feel, the more comfortable they
ing, “AMEN.” If that pastor wants
are, and the more willing they will be to bring down the
to stir just a little more emotion, he
defenses that make it difficult for you to do your job.
will ask again. “I said…could I get
one of these services or have seen
an AMEN!” If he has to ask twice,
5. Questions Give the Leader Control
watch out, that second amen will
Lawyers are notorious for manipulating their witnesses
blow the doors off heaven.
Sales Best Practices
Your employees can sell themselves even better than you can sell them…if you let them. Ask them a question that allows them to tell you how and why something can be improved.
7. Questions Allow Employees to Sell Themselves Leader: How do YOU think we can make the team
major influence with the team and are extremely important in the successful implementation of your message. Make it a habit to ask them questions that will better prepare THEM to deliver YOUR message when you are not around.
more productive? Leader: “Mike, what part of our solution do you Employee: Well, I really think it
think will resonate most with the team?”
would save us tons of time and …
Captain: “Well, while I think they may initially be skeptical, I think if we remind them how it will make
Your employees can sell them-
our lives easier, they will buy into it
selves even better than you can sell them…if you let them. Ask them a question that allows them to tell
Leader: “Mike, how do you think it will make our lives easier?”
you how and why something can be improved. And watch how their
The more the Captain talks, the more he is selling him-
conclusions are often exactly what
self. And don’t be surprised if he gives a better rendition
you were thinking and feeling. But
of the presentation than even you!
because they “thought” of it, they own it. And if they own it, you don’t
9. Questions May Get You Better Answers
have to “sell” them on anything…
A common mistake amongst rookie managers is that
because they sold themselves.
they believe that they have been given a leadership role because they know more then the next guy. That may be
8. Questions Prepare Them To Sell to Others
the case; it may not. So don’t assume you know the best
While you may be the leader of
person or team you are coaching has input that you nev-
your team, there are Captains that
er considered. By believing that the person you coach is
make up the team when you are not
as smart as you, you will be more inclined to ask more
around. These Captains often carry
and deeper questions.
P16 CANVAS November 2011
way to handle everything. Believe, and expect that the
10. Q uestioning Yourself Will Give You Confidence Confidence is essential in communication, and the first person that needs to be sold on an idea or corporate directive is you. So before you ever enter the team meeting or individual coaching session, ask yourself the questions that your employees might ask you. Play devil’s advocate in as many ways is possible. If you don’t have the answers to your own questions, find them. Once you are able to answer most of your own questions, you will then feel more certain in your mission. So this month, stop making so many statements and start asking more questions. By understanding and using your greatest weapon of influence you will no longer be a Supervisor, Manager, Director, VP or CEO. The people who matter most will now consider you a Leader.
Brian Sullivan, CSP teaches salespeople and leaders how to influence more people in his PRECISE Business Development Programs. Sign up for a FREE Online Training Module on How to Become a Master Questioner by going to www.precisesellingonline.com. Or visit him at www.preciseselling.com.
Sales Best Practices
Finding your competition’s
Achilles Heel
P18 CANVAS November 2011
TIP
3 By Peter Ebner
U
nless you plan on hanging out in front of the company registration office and soliciting everyone who has just registered a new business – there are no virgin markets for you to conquer. Everyone you approach is already dealing with a printer and the vast majority - about 80% are happy with their supplier. Print sales involves more than offering the prospective
that is easily identified. For example,
customer new and better solutions to their business prob-
if your competitor is a large shop
lems. To be successful in sales you need to continuously
you could exploit the fact that large
steal accounts from your competitors and you can be cer-
shops are usually preoccupied with
tain that they’ll do everything in their power to stop you
their major accounts so they don’t
from chipping away at their client base. However, even the
have time to give their smaller clients
largest, most entrenched, competitor has an Achilles Heel
the attention they deserve. On the
and once uncovered they are susceptible to a takedown.
other hand, if your competitor is a small family run printer you could at-
Apparent weakness rarely present an opportunity
tack their limited purchasing power
There’s no doubt that every one of
problem with attacking an apparent
your competitors has an ap-
weakness is that it’s apparent. In oth-
parent weakness; that is
er words, the competition knows that
to say a weakness
the weakness exists so they’ve most
and shortage of equipment. But the
likely devised a strategy to address their weakness and thereby counter your attack. I’m not suggesting that you shouldn’t exploit your competition’s apparent weakness but rather that this tactic is rarely effective because apparent weaknesses are usually too well defended.
CANVAS P19
Sales Best Practices
The secret to bringing down the
possible, thereby opening the door for an outside
competition is to attack them at the
salesperson to steal the account by offering the client
point of least resistance. It is when
new ideas and better solutions to their business and
your competitors believe that they
marketing problems.
are doing an excellent job and that allegiance that they are most vul-
Achilles Heel #2 Low-level relationships
nerable to an attack. All too of-
Here’s how the salesperson/client relationship usu-
ten, when things are going well,
ally evolves. Smart salespeople realize that when try-
their clients are unlikely to change
salespeople will sit back
ing to land a new account
and enjoy the rewards of
they must prospect near
their efforts and in doing
the top of the corporate
so expose the company’s
ladder. So initially they’ll
Achilles Heel.
contact the president or marketing
manager
and
Achilles Heel #1 Processing their client’s order
show these individuals how
A mandate that with few ex-
keting problems. But once
ceptions, every one of your competitors has embraced is to provide their clients with fast efficient service. And although this mandate has been established with the best intention in mind, the all too common strict implementation of this directive overrules a much larger and more important mandate;
ensuring
that
each and every one of their client’s jobs are being run in the best possible way. Fortunately for you, this more important mandate is rarely embraced. Most of your competitors are exposing
their
Achilles
Heel by simply throwing their client’s jobs into the system and processing them as quickly as
their services can help them solve their business and mar-
Although, building strong rapport with the purchasing agent is a vital part of the sales process, in doing so most salespeople neglect the real decision makers.
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upper management has been sold most salespeople shift their attention to purchasing. Since the purchasing agent is the individual that will authorize most orders they believe that their time is well spent nursing this relationship. Although, building strong rapport with the purchasing agent is a vital part of the sales process, in doing so most salespeople neglect the real decision makers. By focusing their attention on getting orders processed, instead of earning jobs by solving business problems they expose their company’s Achilles Heel. As their relationship with the decision maker begins to wane an opportunity arises for another printer to fill this void.
Sales Best Practices
Achilles Heel #3 Taking their clients for granted
don’t have the desire to nurse them. They perceive giving
If I were to contact your expired cli-
often than not, they expose the company’s Achilles Heel by
ents; those that no longer give you
treating, even their best clients, with indifference.
their clients the day-to-day attention that they require to be a tedious and non-productive use of their time, so more
their printing business and ask them would say that they were satisfied
Achilles Heel #4 Thinking like a printer
with your service, price and quality.
Although the printing industry has undergone dramatic
In fact they would be hard pressed
changes over the past 15 years, for the most part, sales
to give a reason for leaving because
and sales management has not. The vast majority of sales-
65% of your prospects left for no
people are exposing their company’s Achilles Heel by
reason other than your indifference.
thinking like printers. They still believe that they can hold
Only 15% left because they were dis-
on to their accounts by providing outstanding service,
satisfied with your service.
great quality and a competitive price when in fact these
about your company, most of them
are the minimum requirement for
The vast majority of salespeople are exposing their company’s Achilles Heel by thinking like printers.
doing business not a reason for a client to remain loyal. But there is a new breed of salespeople on the horizon who are stealing accounts at an unprecedented rate by positioning themselves as industry experts instead of printers. Instead of selling printing, which is a price sensitive commodity, they’re differentiating their services by of-
The
reason
that
indifference
fering their clients expert advice. Instead, of quoting a job
abounds lays in the psychological
they provide new ideas and instead of thinking like a printer
make-up of successful salespeople.
they think like their clients and offer them what they really
Most top salespeople are success
want, better solutions to their business problems.
driven and they measure their success
Although identifying your competition’s Achilles Heel
by their ability to close sales, but they
will open the door to opportunity there is a truism that
quickly lose interest once the account
says “Don’t throw stones if you live in a glass house” and
becomes active. In other words, the
this certainly holds true here. So before focusing your
best salespeople are usually the worst
attention on exposing and attacking your competition’s
CSR’s. That’s not to say that they ig-
Achilles Heel, ensure that your accounts are not suscep-
nore their clients but rather that they
tible to a similar attack.
Peter is a professional sales trainer and marketing consultant with over 25 years of experience. He is the author of 12 industry specific books and audio programs including Earn over $100,000 a year Selling Printing. He can be reached at (905) 713-2274 or visit his website at www.ebnerseminars.com.
P22 CANVAS November 2011
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