Thank Goodness It's Monday #435

WHAT DO YOU SAY

WHEN SOMETHING GOES WRONG?

The Parker Brothers game "Sorry!" as I remember it from my kidhood.

 

“I’m sorry,” right?

 

►   Isn’t that what your gut instinct suggests is the correct response?

►   Isn’t a contrite “I’m sorry” the reaction adults expected from the moment you were deemed old enough to know right from wrong and the responsible thing to do if things went wrong?

►   Can’t you still picture your second grade classroom and scowling old Miss Potter waiting insistently to hear you say those magic words?

Darn right. (Especially the Miss Potter thing. But that’s for another time and place.)

 

Guess what. I’m sorry to tell you but it’s likely the “I’m sorry” is --

The Wrong Response

 

We’re all adults here. So let’s allow that the underlying idea of being sympathetic and contrite in acknowledging and moving forward to correct an error is a childhood lesson worth conveying.

But it’s probably the wrong response for one adult to give another under most everyday circumstances where something may have gone awry. 

Here’s why:

“I’m sorry” is all about you, isn’t it? It expresses your feelings; your state of being. And that’s weak on two levels.

 

1. Because it’s you-centric – I’m the one suffering and most sorry here -- it’s first and foremost not about the guy or gal on the receiving end of your mea culpa.

2. “Sorry” is a loaded word, packed with a sense of feeling distress and being in a pitiable condition. So it has the potential to misinform your inner you. Express it enough and you chance becoming it.

 

It’s also often the precursor to the slippery slope of lame and blame. “I’m sorry, BUT …. whimper, snivel, sniff.”

Adults don’t need that. Making lame excuses is self-serving. Making lame excuses by assigning blame elsewhere compounds your guilt and in no way excuses or even begins to rectify the error.

So how do you respond when things go awry?

TGIM ACTION IDEA: If the apology-worthy thing that’s gone wrong is your doing, people want to know what you’re going to do about it. So tell them just that in a way that lets them know you sincerely intend to do all you can to make things right for them.

 

When you feel an “I’m sorry” pronouncement bubbling up, put this –

 

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Say “Thank you.” Declare your understanding and sympathy. Apologize. Take personal responsibility for following up. Share a plan of remedial action. Execute that plan, memorably.

 

Big bonus: Do this right and you may actually come out on the other side of “something gone wrong” with an even stronger bond or relationship than you might have had without a misstep.

 

So here’s just a bit more detail on the actionable components:

 

►Say “Thank you.” This immediately puts things in a positive light. Assuming the injured party is all cranked up and ready to have at you for some screw up, it’s quite disarming to hear, “Thank you for telling me …” Thank you for bringing this to my attention …” Thank you for coming forward …”

►Declare your understanding and sympathy. “That’s really awful … deplorable … unacceptable ….”  Expressed with sincere understanding this lets the victim of a wrong know you care about them personally. 

►Apologize. But not with a wimpy “Sorry …” Man up and let the victim know you relate. Say the comfortable-for-you equivalent of “That makes me mad, too.”

 

►Take personal responsibility for following up. “I’m going to personally see that your situation is resolved …”

►Share a plan of remedial action. “… resolved by doing X, Y and Z.” State this action plan in terms of the wronged party, not in terms of you or your operation.

 

►Execute that plan, memorably. The note you end up on is the note the offended party will have ringing in their ears in the future.  ASAP make things right – plus some. Involve others on your team in the response to make clear you’re not taking things lightly or dealing in isolation. Follow up on the follow-up. Confirm the remedial actions personally and touch base again even after you’ve been assured all has been made right.

 

TGIM Takeaway: When you’re able to flip your thinking and address a situation gone wrong in terms of the victim -- not your situation, your excuse or what you felt happened – you may end up with a positive recovery that yields a bond and benefits that extend well into both your futures.

 

And if this TGIM was NOT particularly useful for you –

 

Thanks for reading this far anyway. I hope you didn’t find it a complete waste of time. I know how infuriating some of that kind of information can be. Let me know if there’s subject matter you’d rather be hearing about I will do my best to share some personal experience or find other resources that might be beneficial for you. Until then, I look forward to reaching out to you again next Monday – or sooner.

 

See. The steps make sense.

And not being sorry can work out just fine.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373

tgimguy@gmail.com  

P.S. Speaking of righting wrongs in the business world, our friend, Sales Mastermind and customer care guru Jeffrey Gitomer suggests this –

Reality Check: Business studies show that it takes 12 positive occurrences to overcome one negative experience. (Men know this – it’s why roses come in dozens.)

Thank Goodness It's Monday #433

THE DREADED HOLIDAY SEASON

IS OFFICIALLY UPON US

Halloween’s behind us. So now begins the time of the year so many folks dread. 

Yup. We’re talking about the rapidly-building-speed Holiday Season ahead.

Now don’t get me wrong. There is and will be lots to like about the 60+ days remaining of 2013. And the warm, and generous, and celebratory friends and family parts are as high up on my “like” list as most anything.

But there’s one part that looms ominous for anyone who sells for a living (and that’s virtually everyone reading this when you pause to consider the scope of the concept of “selling”).

And it isn’t the holiday traffic or crowds or repetitive elevator-music renditions of tunes you thought you once loved.

TGIM HOLIDAY CHALLENGE: ‘Tis the season for decision makers to put buying decisions on hold.

By far the scariest thing after Halloween frights are the words –

“Call me after the holidays.”

Sorry to be so shockingly blunt. But you know you’re going to be hearing this phrase and others like it often in the days ahead. As a friend, I just wanted to prepare you.

And maybe share a little --

TGIM SALES INSIGHT: “Call me after the holidays” is NOT simply a sales objection you have to overcome. It’s worse.

It’s a stall.

 

And what makes “stalls” worse than objections is that –

When you bump up against a stall you have to bob and weave and slip around it in some way to at least get to the real objection so you then can deliver the sales-winning KO blow to it.

How do you do that effectively in the days ahead and still keep the happy holiday spirit? 

TGIM ACTION IDEAS: Consider the following proven-under-fire tactics and responses an early holiday gift from us to you:

► Laugh it off. Ho, ho, ho. Just making the other person a bit more at ease can go a long way toward slipping past the after-the-holidays stall. So, perhaps, be funny in your response. 

Call them on the stall. “When did you turn into Scrooge, Mr. Prospect? You think that old dodge can come between us?” Or say in words that come easily for you, “So many people have already asked me to call after the first of the year that I’m booked until April. However I do have a just few opportunities available in 2013 and I’ll make one available for you. How about it?”

► Agree. Then disagree. Say: “I know what you mean … lots of people feel that way … the days are zipping by. But what most folks don’t realize is that …” 

Then unload your compelling buy-now facts, perhaps something like, “… with materials costs rising between now and year end, plus the shipping increases that are inevitable in the new year, there’s probably a 20 percent saving for those who buy now. Are you sure you want to lose that savings?”

►Question the prospect into a corner. Then close when they get there. Just play out the classic overcoming-the-stall sales script: 

“What will be different after the holidays? Will anything change over the holidays that will cause you not to buy?” (And, of course, the prospect can’t provide a specific objection because he’s just stalling and so sputters, “Oh, no.”) “Great!” you exclaim. “Let’s get your order underway NOW and, if you’d prefer, we’ll deliver after the holidays but at today’s locked-in low rate.”

►Close on the stall line. Hey, it’s the archetypal opportunity for unleashing the Assumptive Close. You know how it plays out:

 

As if assuming that the deal’s been agreed to you begin completing the order process while asking: “What day after the first of the year did you want to take delivery?”

►Spell out precisely when “after the holidays” is. Get the commitment to do set out doing business “after the holidays” and “close” at least that. Ask: “After Thanksgiving? Or Christmas? Or the first of the year?”

 

Pick a specific date and time. Then make the prospect put that appointment -- even if it’s just for a callback -- on their calendar (ideally 2013, if not in the 2014 imprinted-with-your-info datebook you give them). That makes your follow-up more definite and the steps to break the commitment more substantial from the prospect side.

►Create reasons to NOT delay. If they’re not already in place, there’s still ample time to make them so on your side of the equation and then sell – and close – on them in 2013. Offer Act-Now incentives and alternatives such as: 

Discounted year-end pricing.  Special 2013-only added-value inducements. Advance peeks at scheduled 2014 price increases. Cash-flow-abetting after-year-end billing. 2013 inventory-reducing delivery postponed until after the new year begins. No-cost technical assistance through December. Explore the idea of favorable tax consequences for them in a year-end 2013 purchase.

► Get past the stall with holiday cheer. You know you’re going to be spreading some no matter what.

Hand deliver that pocket appointment book we mentioned above, then execute your date-making move. Drop in with the small holiday plant (or better) for the prospect’s office. Throw a holiday party and offer invited prospects and customers a tonight-only deal. Enter fourth-quarter buyers in the last 2013 free-shipping Sweepstakes Giveaway.

Caution: In the spirit of the season, be a “Wise Man” bearing such gifts: Use your finest judgment; you know best what the limitations here would be. Don’t compromise yourself or your customer/prospect. Adhere to legal limitations and industry-approved practices. 

TGIM REALITY CHECK: Success in overcoming the “Call me after the holidays” stall is directly related to the quality of the relationship between seller and prospect/customer. 

A solid existing relationship allows you more liberty to press for immediate action.

A developing relationship may require that you have to let year-end closing success slide by as you wait for the new calendar year to seal a deal.

So, since we all know the “Call me after …” line of defense is out there, you’re forewarned with 60+ days to go. Hone the ideas reviewed here plus whatever else has worked for you in the past.

And finally, speaking of what’s worked in the past …

►Arm yourself with a testimonial to suit the season. Similar situations resolved in your favor recounted by third parties are more powerful than any pitch you can make to get the reluctant “call me in the new year” prospect buy today.

Ask someone who overcame the seasonal stall mentality and bought from you (and was glad they did) for a quick testimonial. 

If you don’t already have it, get it now. Use it now as needed.  

TGIM Bottom Line: As sure as you’ll be wondering once again why The Barking Dogs rendition of Jingle Bells became a seasonal staple (you can hear it HERE, I dare you), someone will ask you to call “after the holidays” or “in the New Year”. When that happens, don’t get mad – get creative.
 

Woof, woof, woof.

Woof woof, woof.

Bow, wow, bow wow, wow.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373

tgimguy@gmail.com 

P.S.  “After all, the best part of a holiday is perhaps not so much to be resting yourself, as to see all the other fellows busy working.” Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932) said that. Although he’s most famous as the author of the childhood classic The Wind in the Willows, the success of that book came only after his retirement from a nearly 30-years spent rising through the ranks at the Bank of England.

Thank Goodness It's Monday #418

12 STEPS TO IRRESISTIBLE SALES POWER

 

Wow! Last week’s TGIM (#417) really clicked with you guys. The feedback has been rewarding. 

 

And I thank you for it. It’s made me think that perhaps further review of some “classic” sales strategies might be mutually beneficial.

So I’m going to try again -- inspired by you all and especially the recent outreach from an old publishing acquaintance who recalled a memo we both received in – gulp! -- 1971.

Richard Prentice Ettinger
 

The memo writer’s name may be familiar to you. Or at least part of it.

Richard Prentice Ettinger.

From time to time I have alluded to RPE (as he was known) and his protégé and my early boss Richard Neill (and, yup, he was tagged RN and I was GS) here.

RPE built Prentice-Hall, Inc. from a struggling two-person outfit in 1913 into a publishing giant with annual sales in excess of $120 million when he died in ‘71. (By some calculations that’s equivalent to roughly $2 Billion today).

 

Clearly --

 

He knew something useful about selling. And those of us who were fortunate enough to have worked for him/with him would regularly receive some resurrected and re-released memos he had penned across the decades to guide our thinking and behavior.

 

 I’d like to share one with you. As I said, my version is from 1971. Its origins could go back as far as, perhaps, 1913.

 

It’s classic RPE. But by 21^st Century standards the language – bosses assumed to be “him” … receptionists assumed to be “her” … sales “man” -- may be distracting. 

 

Don’t be diverted or misled. I think RPE was simply profit-focused and didn’t think that he was being sexist, just generic. In 1971 a good, well-respected part of the Prentice-Hall sales force and upper level staff were women.

This is powerful stuff. In its day this memo was distributed by managers throughout the organization to employees at all levels – editors, design and production personnel, the operational folks, maintenance crews, printers, financial types, cafeteria staff -- not just to “salesmen.”

The instruction to the management level was:

“See that your people keep the basic rules always in sight.”

 

I guess it was effective. When I was reminded of it, I was able to dig back and find my 40⁺ -year-old copy which I will share with you – word for word – now:

 

***

12 Steps To Irresistible Sales Power

No matter how long a man’s been selling, or what sales tricks he can call on during his presentation, his success boils down to the use of basics.

 

1. Don’t let the receptionist turn you away. You’ve got to get past her if you expect to make the sale. Convince her that what you have to offer could mean a big cost-saving for her company.
2. Know how to sell an appointment. You must sell that before you can sell a product. The harder a man is to see, the better a customer he is likely to become.
3. Get the facts. Before you attempt to sell a prospect anything, find out what he wants or what he needs. Then find a way to fill that need.
4. Sell time and/or money and/or avoidance of trouble. Show the prospect how he can save time. Show him how he can increase his profits by using your products.
5. Be brief, confident, positive. Don’t stoop to knocking the competition. Sell your product on what it CAN do, not what the other product allegedly can’t.
6. Present information honestly. Avoid tricks, exaggeration. Or false claims. Be ready to back up your claims. There is nothing more convincing than the truth.
7. Answer questions. Get the prospect involved. By answering your questions, the customer helps to sell himself.
8. Field any objections cheerfully. Chart the answers in advance. The prospect who voices objections is “ventilating” in preparation to buying.
9. Be a name dropper. If big and successful companies have enough confidence in your product to use it, their confidence can inspire others to buy.
10. Know how to spot a buying signal. Be alert when the customer asks to take another look at the product or when he asks about delivery. He’s really saying, “I’ll take it – ask me.”
11. Don’t wait for the order. Ask for it. Then when you get it, escalate it. Many a salesman walks away without an order simply because he didn’t ask for it.
12. Don’t be discouraged by a call that ends up without a sale. Failure’s not a signal to give up; it’s a signal to work harder. Use the events of the meeting to cement your relationship so you can prepare for the next call.

IMPORTANT: Don’t blame the prospect when you lose a sale. Consider what you did wrong – or what you failed to do.

And profit by your experience.

***

Wow! (again). That’s a real blast from the past for me. A true golden oldie, full of significance and emotion -- if a little light on precisely how-to-do-it.

 

But, of course, Prentice-Hall and its subsidiaries published many now legendary books and seminal authors with sales and self-improvement substance. Norman Vincent Peale … Frank Bettger … Elmer Wheeler … Charles Roth … Maxwell Maltz … W. Clement Stone.

Woe betide any sales-minded, would-be career employee who didn’t become familiar with the substantial content set down by these luminaries in their classic guides.

 

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Always be learning. Always be building your skills and your library. Get wisdom. And get understanding.  Put what you acquire into practice.

Finally: Share your successes as we try to do via this TGIM. 

 

Hope you “profited by this experience.”  I’m looking forward to sharing more next Monday – if not sooner.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com

P.S. “I still work hard to know my business. I'm continuously looking for ways to improve all my companies, and I'm always selling. Always.” Celebrity “shark” and businessman, investor, and philanthropist Mark Cuban said that.

Thank Goodness It's Monday #417

HOW TO USE THE

“BEN FRANKLIN CLOSE”

IN THE 21^ST CENTURY

American Commissioners at the Treaty of Paris Conference  by Benjamin West

 

Sealing the deal are, from the left, John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and Franklin's nephew and secretary.

The right side of the painting is unfinished because the British commissioners to the conference refused to sit for their portraits.

Perhaps if Franklin had used his vaunted "closing" technique we could have had a completed painting.

We came away with a new nation instead. 

Someone actually unloaded the legendary Benjamin Franklin Close on me recently.

You know what that is, don’t you?

Of course you do. It’s a classic espoused by many legendary sales trainers and personal development folks -- Dale Carnegie, Zig Ziglar, Tom Hopkins and other less-known folks. There are abundant explanations and demonstrations only a mouse click away. 

But don’t leave here. Because even if you don’t know the technique –

 

I’m about to sum it up for you. With commentary. 

The Benjamin Franklin Close is also known as “The Balance Sheet Close” or “The T-Bar Close” and, from the seller’s point of view, it goes something like this:

You’ve made your usual masterful presentation. But the prospect appears to be unable to make up his or her mind. You feel as if you’ve tried just about everything in your sales kit but still can’t get them to commit. So, as the seller in my recent experience did, you say something like:

“We all know how smart old Benjamin Franklin was. He was a very thrifty fellow and like you concerned for getting the most value for every dollar spent, wouldn’t you agree Mr. Steck?” 

(Award one-half point for seeking agreement. Deduct one-half point for heavy-handed use of my name. Deduct 2 more points for not noticing all the books about Ben in my office.)

“Back in the day, whenever he was faced with a decision – and he had some pretty big ones – he would take piece of paper, draw a vertical line down the middle and head one column with a ‘plus’ (+) and the other with a ‘minus’ (-).” 

(No points here either way, but there should be deductions in the name of historic accuracy as we will see momentarily. And the lazy-brain phrase “back in the day” grates on my ears, but …)

“In his genius he discovered that by listing all the positive attributes on the plus side and all the negative aspects on the minus side, the decision would become obvious. Pretty sound concept, agreed?” 

(Lose 2 points for working the “get agreement” strategy too often. Add back one-half for NOT using my name again.)

“Let me show you how it works. Since you seem to be having a tough time deciding, let’s list the plusses – some of the reasons you may want to do business with us. Then we’ll list the minuses. Fair enough?” 

(This getting-agreement thing is getting a little irritating although it might have been OK here IF it hadn’t been overworked earlier.)

Now, if you’re like the guy pitching me, you get out a clean sheet of company letterhead and your company-logo giveaway pen and begin to list everything good about the offer, product, service, whatever. In your best leading-the-witness style, you get the prospect to say most of them. You take your time to develop a comprehensive list.

Then you say –

“OK, let’s list the minuses.” And you hand the pen to the prospect … and push the list toward him … and you say nothing more. 

Bing-o/Bang-o! Usually the prospect can only think of objections couched in terms of price or affordability. And you’ve got the answers to those down cold, don’t you?

Start calculating your commission!

Or not. If I’ve done my writing job right, you should be thinking, “But Geoff … do we detect in your tone and presentation that you have a problem with the Benjamin Franklin Close?”

Kee –rect! It’s Old World selling that is –

 

Destined to fail. In fact, as an Old World kinda guy myself AND a Ben Franklin fan, while I was almost entertained by having it trotted out, I was mostly and ultimately annoyed.

 

The reality of 21^st Century selling is: In this computer-info-powered age, any real customer …

… seriously intending to buy

… who has done their prep before you call

… and who has allowed you in but isn’t responsive after you’ve presented

…has pretty much made up his or her mind. 

 

You’ve just not been told the decision.

And I maintain this Death-of-a-Salesman-era closing ploy is unlikely to swing things in your favor.

 

So do you just forget about the Benjamin Franklin Close and never use it?

No! No! NO! I wouldn’t waste your time reviewing it if I didn’t think there was some more-than-cautionary –

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Be like Ben. Do what Ben really would have done. Use the Ben Franklin PRINCIPLE to prepare to get the sale to “Yes!” before you even walk in the door.

No mystery, it’s in the history: In a letter to Joseph Priestly (the English scientist who discovered oxygen), Franklin commented about a perplexing decision that Priestly was wrestling with.

Franklin wrote to his chemist friend that the problem of deciding inexplicable situations is that "all Reasons pro and con are not present to the mind at the same time...." As a result, our minds are like a pendulum swinging back and forth, swayed by whichever aspect of the decision seems to be primary at the time without being able to arrive at a solution.

 

To help solve the dilemma at hand, Franklin informed Priestly that he (Franklin) would divide a sheet of paper into two columns, listing one Pro and the other column Con.

Then in the course of three or four days he would write in each appropriate column brief hints about the motives that at different times occurred to him for or against the decision. If, after careful evaluation, the Pro column contained more positive features, he would make his decision accordingly. The same evaluation process applied to the Con column.

 

Franklin admitted that his decision-making method was purely procedural, and that it could not advise him what to do, but only how. He did inform Priestly that "when each (Pro and Con reason) is thus considered separately and comparatively, and the whole lies before me, I think I judge better and less likely to make a rash step...."

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Use the Pro-and-Con Column mindset as a sales preparation tool. Use it as a strategizing device. Use it to get yourself ready to make the big sale. Create those columns on a piece of paper or your digital device, and then start listing …

►   … the prospect’s needs

►   … the decision makers

►   … the questions you want to ask

►   … personal “things in common” to discuss

►   … the benefits and main points you want to cover

►   … why you believe they will buy

►   … the reasons this particular prospect may not buy – and your responses 

Thus prepared with Ben’s help, you are now ready to make the call and the sale without resorting to a default gambit.

And, if on the call you see a bunch of Ben Franklin books in the prospect’s office and you want to bond with him (or her), relate your knowledge of the real Ben Franklin PRINCIPLE and lock up the deal.

One more point in, well, closing: 

Is it stating the obvious? The decision tool aspect of the Ben Franklin PRINCIPLE is not limited to business choices. It can be helpful in most areas of daily living. It works to keep you rational. Taking the time to deploy it correctly also discourages rash “I want it now” acts.

If you would not be forgotten

As soon as you are dead and rotten,

Either write things worth reading,

Or do things worth the writing.

Ben said that (in his Poor Richard persona). And did both.

Hope this TGIM helps us do the same.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com 

P.S.  About those column headings: As Ben says, they should be Pro and Con, not Plus (+) or Minus (–) although –

Ben the Scientist did make the choice of which type of electricity is called "positive" and which "negative" around 1750. In the end further discoveries established that he misunderstood just how electricity flows, but he was ballpark right for his day. We should all be that clever.

Thank Goodness It's Monday #395

HOW TO REACTIVATE

LONG-DORMANT ACCOUNTS

Now that prosperity appears to be stirring anew in many parts of the economy, it’s a good time to take a look at old “dormant” accounts. These are the customers who once did a greater volume of business with your company than they do now. 

Watch this: Some business people tend to ignore dormant accounts, treating them as a lost cause. Others, who have power over such things, succumb to the urge to reassign the accounts to the most novice players on the team. 

Big mistake. No matter where you stand or how you feel about the subject, here’s how to turn the enterprise’s inactive/barely active historic clientele into bigger sales dollars and profits.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Consider dormancy as hibernation – a prolonged period of sleep – at least as far as your business is concerned. Since the “official” observance has only just passed, take a “Groundhog Day” approach.

 

 

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Initiate a great reawakening. Be aware that, although it’s asleep with you, an account may still be doing a lot of business with competitors. If you (or the folks you lead and/or manage) want to revive the full potential of the dozing previous purchasers and  get them back on the track to more sales and profits, try these steps:

● Become a detective. Find out all you can about the current state of the accounts. Perhaps start in accounting and review old records. 

Some Qs to review:

Q: What was the account buying and why?

Q: Is it clear why the account is dormant?

Q: What was its annual volume?

Q: Who in your organization had last contact?

Q: Has anyone got “exclusive” responsibility now?

Q: Is the account’s industry moving up or down?

Q: Has growth been evident?

● Narrow your list. Fire up the computer and start searching. Pick up the phone and start dialing for dollars. Your primary objective at this early stage: Eliminate (or postpone pursuit of) accounts that don’t show promise. And put the balance in descending order of 2013 potential. Then go after the top of the list.

● Develop an action plan tailored to each account. If the account was yours and you once knew their hot buttons, push them again and see what happens. If they don’t click, default to the “We’ve got something new that may be beneficial for you” approach. (Just be sure you can back it up.)

● Try the old contact first. If the account went sour because of something that went wrong on your side and an apology is in order, issue it on behalf of your company. Or recognize that there were differences that you feel can be easily resolved. 

Bad news: Expect some rejection and be ready to respond to: “We’ve got new sources we’re quite happy with.”

Good news: You won’t always get rejected. Some accounts will welcome you back with open arms, especially if you’ve apologized. That may be all some of them have been waiting for.

● Ask for an “update” appointment. If you feel you don’t really understand them or their needs at this point, say you’d just like to be brought up to speed during this interview. If you have something new to share, tell them you’d also like to keep them updated. 

Emphasize that it’s an “information sharing” call, not a sales pitch. That takes the pressure off and makes the first reconnection easier to get.

● During the appointment listen, listen, LISTEN. Go with the intent to learn anew. Be interested. Take notes, it shows interest. Don’t overstay your visit unless asked. Be prepared to share your own “what’s new” but don’t press and insist on leading with it or even revealing it until you’ve got a clear picture of the account’s current state of affairs and interests. 

● Before leaving -- Seek to determine what your potential competitors are offering (best price, easier terms, faster delivery, etc.) that holds the biggest appeal to your would-be-revived account. Then --

● Ask for permission. To continue the dialogue … connect with more specifics … to work up a proposal. At the very least, if you determine to go forward, lock down a precise “who will do what” and “when” – specific date and time -- you will reconnect. 

● Deliver on your part of the bargain – and then some.

Wrapping it up: Why look backward to and invest so much time and energy in clients who have faded and all but abandoned a working relationship over time? 

TGIM Takeaway: Because it’s still at least one step closer, and at least one step easier than starting from scratch, zip, zero, zilch and cold calling a total stranger. 

Even if the last contact with the long dormant account was totally acrimonious, at least you have that acrimony in common.

And that’s a great starting point for progress.

 

It doesn't matter what the shadow revealed. Get digging for those Groundhogs NOW!

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com

 

P.S. “Let’s take this opportunity to honor the movie Groundhog Day and pretend everything I did the last time we saw each other never happened.” That’s an unattributed quote floating out in the blogosphere. It appears to be referring to personal relationships. But it also seems also like a pretty good mindset (and maybe even opening line for someone with a wry movie-wise sense of humor) for reestablishing long-dormant business relationships.