September 27, 2009
Q: In your experience, do prospective clients pay attention to testimonials? My company is a sales and service organization with both tangible and intangible offerings and we’ve been in business slightly over 6 years. I’ve told my team they we need to solicit and post on our website comments from satisfied customers both current and past. Do you agree? (Arthur P., Omaha, NE)
A: Remember that selling has a great deal to do with not only the perception of competence, but the concept of confidence as well. A testimonial is one way to lower the [mental] perceived risk that the intangible and/or intangible service a client is about to buy are plausible, realistic and risk free or at least "low risk." When you ask a client for a testimonial, think more about what a risk-averse executive or manager needs to hear and request the testimonial address the risk issues they considered in buying from you.
First, consider the greatest value your clients have received. What have they said was the most important benefit you provided? Then build your requested testimonial around that. Consider including the following, in a sequence that works best for you;
• The project issue or challenge (the preamble for why product or services were required)
• The intended outcome of the engagement (the value provided)
• The actual outcome (especially longer term, in unit terms of dollars, output, or other measure that might translate to a prospective client)
• The reason the client selected your firm (this is the key element to convincing the next client why they should select you, and should include why any reservations were quickly overcome by your performance)
• The core strength you brought to the project (what aspect of your firm's offering you want to highlight)
• The reason the client selected you above other consultants (here is the second most important aspect of the testimonial to induce your prospect to select you)
NOTE: Think about the points above when you are writing your printable marketing pieces or updating the presentation of your website. Use these concepts to make your company standout and demonstrate why “YOU” and not “another firm.”
Tip: There is good value in planning your "testimonial portfolio" to be a working part of your sales and marketing tools. Consider the range of compelling reasons you would like to place before a prospect. Since each testimonial can't realistically present all of these reasons, work with your client to create a testimonial that fills the gaps.
P.S. Clients are less impressed by a testimonial about a firm when it doesn't necessarily relate at all to the buyers proposed needs. If possible, collect testimonials for the individuals on the team rather than the firm in general. People relate to people.
Regards,
George F. Mancuso, CPC
Gman Business Resources, Inc.
Nationally recognized Retained Executive Search and Employee Retention Specialist.
9/27/09
9/20/09
"You're Not In Our Budget"
September 20. 2009
Q: More than once this year I have heard, “….I’m sorry, we just don’t have the budget to fund this project right now.” We are a service organization and after working diligently understanding their needs and defining a proposal, these kind of turn downs dig right into the inner soul. Do you have any thoughts on this subject? (Charlie M., CPA Firm, Columbia, SC)
A: The budget closing objection is similar to several others, including the implicit objection that your price is too high for the work or value proposed. It is about perceived value. This can result from not talking to the person who will benefit directly from your product or service, thus a lower perceived value than you want.
Second, you may be facing a competitive pressure from other vendors of services, even attorneys, accountants and engineers, all of whom may be facing market pressures to lower their fees. Third, this may just be a negotiation technique to see how much money the client can save (we are not the only ones who use "closing techniques").
Assuming you are talking to the qualified buyer and the one whose problem you are solving, it is critical to find out how much your services are worth to the client. One way is to not beat around the bush and just ask, "I understand you are cutting back on many investments, so tell me how much budget is available to improve sales efficiency by 20% (or whatever you are proposing)?" If the answer is "none" then your conversation under these terms is pretty much over.
Another service, another outcome or another buyer is called for. If they say "around $40,000," then you can, without cutting your daily fee if you are charging on a time and materials basis, start the discussion about trimming services to available budget. You should always be prepared with alternative formulations of your project (e.g., what could you do for 25%, 75% and 150% of your proposed fee).
Tip: Budget objections are always tied to value. If your client was sued, they wouldn't say, "We just don't have the budget to defend ourselves," or if there was an office flood, they wouldn't say, "We can't afford to clean up the damage." Your services just need to be altered to find that value.
This begins week four of September 2009. Have you prepared for the defined dash to the finish line? Have a great week and call or write if you need me and I will respond immediately!
Regards,
George F. Mancuso, CPC
Gman Business Resources, Inc.
Grinnell, Iowa
Q: More than once this year I have heard, “….I’m sorry, we just don’t have the budget to fund this project right now.” We are a service organization and after working diligently understanding their needs and defining a proposal, these kind of turn downs dig right into the inner soul. Do you have any thoughts on this subject? (Charlie M., CPA Firm, Columbia, SC)
A: The budget closing objection is similar to several others, including the implicit objection that your price is too high for the work or value proposed. It is about perceived value. This can result from not talking to the person who will benefit directly from your product or service, thus a lower perceived value than you want.
Second, you may be facing a competitive pressure from other vendors of services, even attorneys, accountants and engineers, all of whom may be facing market pressures to lower their fees. Third, this may just be a negotiation technique to see how much money the client can save (we are not the only ones who use "closing techniques").
Assuming you are talking to the qualified buyer and the one whose problem you are solving, it is critical to find out how much your services are worth to the client. One way is to not beat around the bush and just ask, "I understand you are cutting back on many investments, so tell me how much budget is available to improve sales efficiency by 20% (or whatever you are proposing)?" If the answer is "none" then your conversation under these terms is pretty much over.
Another service, another outcome or another buyer is called for. If they say "around $40,000," then you can, without cutting your daily fee if you are charging on a time and materials basis, start the discussion about trimming services to available budget. You should always be prepared with alternative formulations of your project (e.g., what could you do for 25%, 75% and 150% of your proposed fee).
Tip: Budget objections are always tied to value. If your client was sued, they wouldn't say, "We just don't have the budget to defend ourselves," or if there was an office flood, they wouldn't say, "We can't afford to clean up the damage." Your services just need to be altered to find that value.
This begins week four of September 2009. Have you prepared for the defined dash to the finish line? Have a great week and call or write if you need me and I will respond immediately!
Regards,
George F. Mancuso, CPC
Gman Business Resources, Inc.
Grinnell, Iowa
9/12/09
Reinvent Your Team
George a friend of mine works for a company where you recently got involved in reinventing their organization. He did share with me some of your philosophies, but I would appreciate you providing me/us with a few salient points that I can share in the process of strengthening with my team.
My mantra hardly changes much from company to company. I say this because I have always contended that in most any company, it is PRIMARILY about people. All of the people, customers included. So here is the short version of this concept:
1. ACCOUNTABILITY; Every employee must take ownership and accountability of their actions. No excuses, YOU MUST BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS. I don’t accept finger pointing and my method of resolving issues is simple. I get both or all parties of conflict in the room immediately upon being aware and then it starts something like this…..”….He said that you said XXX. Is that true?” Then I turn it around. Believe me once the word gets spread that people can’t pass the buck, the buck passing stops.
2. PROPRIETARY SPACE: We have to be very careful here as people who are insecure seem to take invasion of their space, very personal. But on the other hand there are employees who just want to have their nose stuck in everybody else’s business. The later reminds me of the great big arm at the waste treatment plant…..continuingly stirring the matter! Spend your concentration and effort in YOU doing a good job and if one of your fellow employees is in some difficulty, offer to help don’t just impose yourself upon them. You can get more bees with honey than you can with vinegar.
3. YOUR REPLACEMENT; I am a firm believer that we should always be training our replacement. And when I state that, I inevitably hear, “well if I train her to do my job then they won’t need me here.” This of course is ridiculous and counterproductive to any professional team. What happens if someone experiences a catastrophic event in their lives and can’t work? Why not have the replacement trained and ready. Or what if a promotion comes along and you don’t get it because there is no one to take your place? In this day and age, it is very common and pretty much expected that loyal employees are willing and able to function in multiple roles. The more you know and the more you contribute, the more valuable you become.
4. COMMUNICATION; In most companies, communication is at an all time low. One almost has to pry or extract in some way, needed information. Communicate via Email, written notes, telephonically or in person, but communicate with each other. Don’t believe that just because you’ve been employed at your company for a long period of time, you can come and go as you please. Communicate with each other. Learn about each other. Have healthy open discussions to help each other understand the goals, paths and/or expectations. And did I mention, “communicate with each other?”
There are 3½ months left in 2009 and this is arguably, the most important 100 days of the year. This is the time people and companies make decisions to spend before the year comes to an end or what they are going to buy in the first quarter. Be sure to set yourself in position to get your piece of the sales pie as well.
Have a tremendous week. I know those are my plans as well. Call or write if I can assist you in any way.
Regards,
George F. Mancuso, CPC
My mantra hardly changes much from company to company. I say this because I have always contended that in most any company, it is PRIMARILY about people. All of the people, customers included. So here is the short version of this concept:
1. ACCOUNTABILITY; Every employee must take ownership and accountability of their actions. No excuses, YOU MUST BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS. I don’t accept finger pointing and my method of resolving issues is simple. I get both or all parties of conflict in the room immediately upon being aware and then it starts something like this…..”….He said that you said XXX. Is that true?” Then I turn it around. Believe me once the word gets spread that people can’t pass the buck, the buck passing stops.
2. PROPRIETARY SPACE: We have to be very careful here as people who are insecure seem to take invasion of their space, very personal. But on the other hand there are employees who just want to have their nose stuck in everybody else’s business. The later reminds me of the great big arm at the waste treatment plant…..continuingly stirring the matter! Spend your concentration and effort in YOU doing a good job and if one of your fellow employees is in some difficulty, offer to help don’t just impose yourself upon them. You can get more bees with honey than you can with vinegar.
3. YOUR REPLACEMENT; I am a firm believer that we should always be training our replacement. And when I state that, I inevitably hear, “well if I train her to do my job then they won’t need me here.” This of course is ridiculous and counterproductive to any professional team. What happens if someone experiences a catastrophic event in their lives and can’t work? Why not have the replacement trained and ready. Or what if a promotion comes along and you don’t get it because there is no one to take your place? In this day and age, it is very common and pretty much expected that loyal employees are willing and able to function in multiple roles. The more you know and the more you contribute, the more valuable you become.
4. COMMUNICATION; In most companies, communication is at an all time low. One almost has to pry or extract in some way, needed information. Communicate via Email, written notes, telephonically or in person, but communicate with each other. Don’t believe that just because you’ve been employed at your company for a long period of time, you can come and go as you please. Communicate with each other. Learn about each other. Have healthy open discussions to help each other understand the goals, paths and/or expectations. And did I mention, “communicate with each other?”
There are 3½ months left in 2009 and this is arguably, the most important 100 days of the year. This is the time people and companies make decisions to spend before the year comes to an end or what they are going to buy in the first quarter. Be sure to set yourself in position to get your piece of the sales pie as well.
Have a tremendous week. I know those are my plans as well. Call or write if I can assist you in any way.
Regards,
George F. Mancuso, CPC
9/6/09
Follow Up To Last Week's Newsletter
September 6, 2009
Last week I presented 7 not so nice Emails and asked you to vote on the worst one. Email #5
was the winner with #3 being a close second. I did receive 57 responses with comments and
decided to share two of those as they seemed to echo what most of the Emails to me were saying.
Next week we will get on to another subject, but I do hope you have enjoyed the last couple of weeks of this newsletter.
George,
“I think my favorite one is number 5 for two reasons. First of all, it starts with the classic “It has come to my attention…”, secondly it assumes that communication with customers and suppliers is bad and not even worthy of qualifying as a “daily task.”
I can see the point that needed to be made behind most of the messages though, and each one strikes at the same general failure – addressing the entire population when one or two people might really need direction or assistance. I’ve seen this over the years in managers who are conflict averse – it’s easier for them to address the entire population and hope peer pressure or anonymous embarrassment will take care of the issue instead of having to speak to anyone directly”.
Good stuff
Allen
“Hi George, I find most of these, offensive because in our work place, our employees are all of the caliber of top notch, work ethic driven people with good minds and trust-worthy work habits. We treat our people like adult, responsible and caring persons.
When I hear about managers or business owners who treat their employees like children or slaves, (which I thought most of these notices did) I think that they have only the profit motive in mind and forget that people all have minds and desires that aren't all that different from themselves. So I rely heavily on the Golden Rule, and I don't mean the rule which says, “He who has the gold rules"! Thanks for your sharing”.
Galen
Have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day, not to mention a tremendous week!
Regards,
George F. Mancuso, CPC
Gman Business Resources
Last week I presented 7 not so nice Emails and asked you to vote on the worst one. Email #5
was the winner with #3 being a close second. I did receive 57 responses with comments and
decided to share two of those as they seemed to echo what most of the Emails to me were saying.
Next week we will get on to another subject, but I do hope you have enjoyed the last couple of weeks of this newsletter.
George,
“I think my favorite one is number 5 for two reasons. First of all, it starts with the classic “It has come to my attention…”, secondly it assumes that communication with customers and suppliers is bad and not even worthy of qualifying as a “daily task.”
I can see the point that needed to be made behind most of the messages though, and each one strikes at the same general failure – addressing the entire population when one or two people might really need direction or assistance. I’ve seen this over the years in managers who are conflict averse – it’s easier for them to address the entire population and hope peer pressure or anonymous embarrassment will take care of the issue instead of having to speak to anyone directly”.
Good stuff
Allen
“Hi George, I find most of these, offensive because in our work place, our employees are all of the caliber of top notch, work ethic driven people with good minds and trust-worthy work habits. We treat our people like adult, responsible and caring persons.
When I hear about managers or business owners who treat their employees like children or slaves, (which I thought most of these notices did) I think that they have only the profit motive in mind and forget that people all have minds and desires that aren't all that different from themselves. So I rely heavily on the Golden Rule, and I don't mean the rule which says, “He who has the gold rules"! Thanks for your sharing”.
Galen
Have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day, not to mention a tremendous week!
Regards,
George F. Mancuso, CPC
Gman Business Resources
8/29/09
Condesending Emails
August 30, 2009
Q: As I promised in last week’s newsletter, here are only a few of the condescending ACTUAL Emails and/or posted notices that have been sent by upper management to their employees. Some are laughable, some are sad but most all are demeaning, uncalled for and ridiculous. The mannerisms, the wording and the intended content could have been more professionally stated, but because these folks think they are omnipotent leaders, they get away with this. And they wonder why employees resign.
1. A: "Just a reminder to take care of all personal matters before you punch in. This includes personal hygiene, morning beverages or food, or any other personal task that is not directly work related. You should not be attending to any of these matters once you have punched in to start your work day."
2. "I RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT EACH OF YOU PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR WORK AND IF YOU SHOULD HEAR SOMEONE ELSE'S PERSONAL BUSINESS, THAT YOU IGNORE WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD."
3. "DRESS CODE - THE DRESS CODE IS FOR EVERYONE TO FOLLOW… IF YOU ARE UNSURE WHETHER OR NOT YOUR OUTFIT MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS, IT PROBABLY DOESN'T… WE ARE BUSINESS CASUAL… IF EVEN ONE PERSON CANNOT FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES, THEN EVERYONE WILL DRESS BUSINESS."
4. “I want all the folks here to prioritize their time when responding to emails. Write them out when you have quite time and your thoughts are focused other than during the responsibilities of the day.”
5. “It has come to my attention that most of you are receiving lots of Emails from customers and vendors. Please notify those people to keep their Emails to business issues only and I’d appreciate it if you’d respond to them during breaks or after hours so it doesn’t take away from your daily tasks.”
6. “Clear your desktop of all distractions when you plan to respond to Emails. If you don’t have time right now, send the person and Email and let them know when they can expect to hear back from you. Then wait to respond to the Email when you are free of distractions.”
7. NOTICE: Office will be cleaned on Saturday. Each employee is responsible for dusting, cleaning their own desk and surrounding furniture as is written in each office employees’ job description. Also each employee is responsible for picking up around his or her area if they want their floor vacuumed. The shelves on unit by water cooler where coffee pot and supplies are located are to be cleaned by office employees who use the coffee area.
Let’s take a vote…..Which one above is your favorite. I will post results in next week’s newsletter.
September is here, I hope it turns out to be a great one for you both personally and in your business life. Call or write if I can assist in anyway.
Q: As I promised in last week’s newsletter, here are only a few of the condescending ACTUAL Emails and/or posted notices that have been sent by upper management to their employees. Some are laughable, some are sad but most all are demeaning, uncalled for and ridiculous. The mannerisms, the wording and the intended content could have been more professionally stated, but because these folks think they are omnipotent leaders, they get away with this. And they wonder why employees resign.
1. A: "Just a reminder to take care of all personal matters before you punch in. This includes personal hygiene, morning beverages or food, or any other personal task that is not directly work related. You should not be attending to any of these matters once you have punched in to start your work day."
2. "I RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT EACH OF YOU PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR WORK AND IF YOU SHOULD HEAR SOMEONE ELSE'S PERSONAL BUSINESS, THAT YOU IGNORE WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD."
3. "DRESS CODE - THE DRESS CODE IS FOR EVERYONE TO FOLLOW… IF YOU ARE UNSURE WHETHER OR NOT YOUR OUTFIT MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS, IT PROBABLY DOESN'T… WE ARE BUSINESS CASUAL… IF EVEN ONE PERSON CANNOT FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES, THEN EVERYONE WILL DRESS BUSINESS."
4. “I want all the folks here to prioritize their time when responding to emails. Write them out when you have quite time and your thoughts are focused other than during the responsibilities of the day.”
5. “It has come to my attention that most of you are receiving lots of Emails from customers and vendors. Please notify those people to keep their Emails to business issues only and I’d appreciate it if you’d respond to them during breaks or after hours so it doesn’t take away from your daily tasks.”
6. “Clear your desktop of all distractions when you plan to respond to Emails. If you don’t have time right now, send the person and Email and let them know when they can expect to hear back from you. Then wait to respond to the Email when you are free of distractions.”
7. NOTICE: Office will be cleaned on Saturday. Each employee is responsible for dusting, cleaning their own desk and surrounding furniture as is written in each office employees’ job description. Also each employee is responsible for picking up around his or her area if they want their floor vacuumed. The shelves on unit by water cooler where coffee pot and supplies are located are to be cleaned by office employees who use the coffee area.
Let’s take a vote…..Which one above is your favorite. I will post results in next week’s newsletter.
September is here, I hope it turns out to be a great one for you both personally and in your business life. Call or write if I can assist in anyway.
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