Tell Me Again Why You Hide Behind Your Voice Mail?

Do you hunker down behind your Voice Mail?

A while back I was visiting the President of a company who is a long time client of mine.  His secretary interrupted us announcing a phone call. 

CLIENT:  “Put it in Voice Mail,” was his response.  “Damn Sales People!  I just hate those kinds of calls.  Sales People are always calling here wanting me to buy something.”

ME:  “Was that one of your vendors’ sales staff calling you, “I asked? 

CLIENT:  “Hell no!  I don’t even know what he sells or what he wants. They just keep calling here.  Damn Sales People!”

ME:   “What if every time one of your sales staff made a call into a prospect, they received the same treatment I asked?  How much business do you think you’d have?”

CLIENT:  “Yeah but other businesses [NEED] the services we offer!” 

ME:  “But how did they find out about you if they didn’t give one of your sales staff a few minutes to LISTEN?”

CLIENT:  “YOU damn Sales People are all alike, he said with a half hearted laugh.”

Sadly ladies and gentlemen, this scenario is a daily occurrence throughout the business world.  And for a guy (me) who makes or takes at least 40 phone calls a day, I can truly understand the frustration. 

HOWEVER, with that said, my question is, how do you know you don’t need what the sales person is selling? 

How do you know it’s not an opportunity to get involved in the newest gadget? 

How do you know this person isn’t representing a client who NEEDS your services?

If you believe in the Golden Rule, then this whole message applies to you.  The next time a business sales call comes in, take two minutes to listen to the spiel.  Ascertain quickly if you might have a need and set a more convenient time to talk.  Please don’t tell me how busy and important you are, because that’s a lame excuse.  How about the person who trying to make an honest living through a legitimate business?  Is his or her time not important as well?  We need to respect each other and give credence where credence is due.

I had a salesman contact me last week and his opening line was, “I have services that will double your business!”  I stopped him and asked, “Before we go on, tell me what you know about my business.”  He stumbled and fell because he really didn’t know anything about my business and the conversation was over rather quickly.  But I have a plan in place that I do take the calls and  I give them 2 to 3 minutes to make an impact and if I have an interest, either allow them to continue or set a better time for them to call me back.

The other great  rule is, return all your calls before you go home.  If someone thought you were important enough to leave you a message, respond and deal with it today.  It will save you many more dollars because your staff won’t have to handle additional incoming calls over and over again from the same people you could have put to bed several calls ago.  Stop hiding behind your voice mail America.  Let’s talk to each other, trade fairly with each other and grow ourselves, our companies and our great country!  As American business people, we are in control.  Demonstrate it!

Please enjoy a prosperous week.

Regards,

George F. Mancuso, CPC, CEO

Client Growth Consultants, Inc.

Grinnell, Iowa

 

Of Course YOU want to be Liked.....HOWEVER....

Of Course You Want to Be Liked; HOWEVER……..

Wanting to be liked and one of the guys or gals is natural, especially for a manager or leader.  But as a leader, your team should like, respect and follow you for all the right reasons.

If they like you because you are fair, honest, consistent, communicate, empathetic, positive attitude, care about them and their families and are an appreciative motivator, then I’d say those are many of the right reasons.  But if they like you because you provide them with free stuff, (i.e. food drinks and/or tickets) then I ask, “….what have you gained?”  There is little doubt you will be setting yourself up for failure somewhere through the process.

This is especially true when you are transitioning from team member to manager or manager to leader.  Change can be challenging and if not dealt with properly by understanding the make up of the team, their goals, aspirations and difficulties, you will not be able to fit into a model that is filled with success.  And why go through your daily work life fighting internal battles.  There are enough external obstacles to overcome to go around.

If I have said it once I’ve said it a hundred times…..”It is all about the people.”  Treat people right and the rewards will abound.

Have a tremendous 3^rd week of September.  If I can do anything at all to assist you, your team or your company, just call or write and I will respond immediately.

Regards,

George F. Mancuso, CPC, CEO
Client Growth Consultants, Inc.

What Can You Do About Your Problems?

What Can You Do About Your Problems?

Allow me to offer to you a short discussion for thought:  I would like to invite every single person reading this weekly newsletter to assemble at a large field, at least the size of a couple of football fields.

Then I would like every single person to throw onto the field all their problems.  After everybody has put their problems onto this huge field you will have the option to take any of the problems scattering on the field, home with you no matter to which contributor they originally belonged. 

I am willing to bet that most people would end up picking up their own problems and retreat realizing that they didn’t have it so bad after all.

So much of life is about attitude and how you handle what life delivers to you.  Life is good if you stay positive, deal professionally/effectively with the people around you and address the issues at hand.

So it goes it in business as well.  Why not assemble all the department heads in one large room and ask them to share (throw into the ring) their most pressing problems from within the work environment.  Trust me when I tell you that when I’ve facilitated this type of exercise with mid level to “C” level personnel, the results have always amazed me.  The instant change and long term affect is almost mind boggling. 

Why not try it?  What have you got to lose?  More importantly, what have you got to gain?  I’d love to hear the results of your exercise.

Regards,

George F. Mancuso, CPC, CEO
Client Growth Consultants, Inc.

Change and Survival

I have been reading your newsletters with interest and my employees are pushing me to “make change.”  But we are a 15 year old manufacturing company and we gross about 8 ½ million, year in and year out and we are profitable.  Why would I want to consider making changes?   L.M.., a CEO in Kansas City, MO

First off if your revenues have been the same year in and year out, your growth is not only flat but most analysis would agree that you are going backwards by not going forward!  Allow me to share a true story with you about the Golden Eagle and maybe this will help make some sense of “why change.”

 The Eagle has the longest life span of its species.  It can live up to 70 Years

But to reach this age, the eagle must make several very hard decisions.

In its 40’s its long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey which serves as food.

It’s long and sharp beak becomes bent and difficult to use.

Its’ old-aged and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, become stuck to its’ chest and make it difficult to fly.

Then, the eagle is left with only two options:  DIE or go through a painful process of CHANGE which lasts 150 DAYS!

The process requires that the eagle fly to a mountain top and sit on its nest.

 There the eagle knocks its beak against a rock until it plucks it out.

After plucking out its beak, the eagle will wait for a new beak to grow back and then it will pluck out its talons.

When its new talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking its old-aged feathers.

And after FIVE PAINFUL AND UNCERTAIN MONTHS, the eagle takes its’ famous flight of REBIRTH and lives for 30 MORE YEARS!

Why is changed needed you ask?

Many times, in order to survive we have to start a change process.

We sometimes need to get rid of old memories, habits and other past traditions.

Only freed from past burdens, can we take advantage of the present!

Rebirthing or reinventing yourself and your organization has never arrived at a more critical time.

The Eagle is a wise, powerful and magnificent bird of prey.  Truly an imposing force to be dealt with in the wild.

Perhaps a lesson from the Eagle is a great lesson to be learned about change in 2008!  What option would you choose?

 I get many Emails every week when one of our readers truly identifies with the message.  You are welcome to utilize our newsletter as a tool.  Forward it with a personal message and say you thought they might enjoy this newsletter as well and that signing up is easy.  All they have to do is go to our Home page and on the left side put in their first name and Email address.  If you’d like me to address an issue or question, please Email me at George@ClientGrowthConsultants.com .

Regards,

George F. Mancuso
Client Growth Consultants, Inc.

While Going For The Home Run, Have You Forgotten What It Takes to Get On Base?

While going for the home run, have you forgotten what it takes to just get on base?

I know a young sales professional who I have mentored over the years who sold a huge account about two years ago.  He is a 100% commissioned sales person and this brought him a six figure annual income.  The problem is, he stopped working.  He told me his only job was to take care of this account and bragged about working less than 8 hours per week.  Many times I called him, he would be on the golf course, fishing, hunting or other activities not related to continuation of his selling career.

He felt confident that all he had to do was keep them happy and they would keep him in money.  Well guess what?  The company moved their operation to another city and no longer need to utilize his services.  Today he is scrambling in an attempt to recover from a serious tactical error.  He has no smaller accounts to sustain him.  No prospective accounts at all in the hopper.  Now there is nothing to do but start over or look for another job.

Don’t get me wrong, there isn’t a sale or business professional that doesn’t dream of hitting the huge home run like my friend did.  But to lie back on your laurels once that has been achieved can be the kiss of death to your earning potential and maybe even your career. 

2012 is seven and a half months old and you’ve got only the next 4 1/2 months to hit the home run.  But you can never forget that it takes getting on base in order to round the field and touch home plate.

A.    Have you set your goals in writing to carry you to the end of 2012?

B.    Are you planning to track your accomplishments?

C.   Have you shared your goals with your spouse, peers or managers to help keep you on track?

D.   Have you fully learned your product and services and are ready to take on any business challenge within your selling theatre?

E.    Have you demonstrated your leadership ability and are working your way through all of this negative media hype?

F.    Do you care about people?

G.   Do you have a positive attitude?

H.    Are you a deal maker or a procrastinator?

I.      Are you a non-stop networker?

J.     Do you give your business card out several times a day?

K.    Do you tell your business story several times a day?

L.    Always ask yourself, “If not today than when?”

 Please accept my wishes for a tremendous week.  Call or write if I can be of any assistance.

George F. Mancuso, CPC, CEO
Client Growth Consultants, Inc.