Launching This Biz: Stupid Naivete and the Chance for Glory

I’ve been tossing around this business idea in various forms for about a year now. And it dawned on me a few weeks ago that, in the 12 months since I first conceived it, that’s all I’ve done: toss it around. Sure, I’ve developed a web presence, honed my writing skills a bit, and refined it a little. But ultimately, I’m only a few baby steps beyond where I was the first day. I’m ready to do something about it.

I’m not sure my business idea is going to make any money at all. I don’t even know if I’m going to find a single client. I kind of have a hunch that my target market has too shoestring-ish of an operating budget to even consider paying for the service I am developing. There is at least one sizeable, previously established organization in my area that does pretty much the same thing I want to do, and they do it for free as a nonprofit. And with the necessarily low pricing structure I think I would initially need, I certainly will not be quitting my day job on that profit anytime soon.

So why am I even investigating what could be a flop of a small business idea? Because I think it would be a blast. It could mean a lot of fun for a lot of people, and some great experience and exposure in a field I one day want to call my career. It could attract customers for businesses I have been dealing with for years. It could eventually mean a location independent lifestyle. It could be amazing.

My point is this: I may have a million reasons why something won’t work. But until I actually try it, I won’t know for sure. And it will eat at me if I don’t know. So what the heck.
Here’s to stupid naiveté and the chance for glory.

Don't Be A Sales D-Bag

Have you ever had the misfortune of meeting that sales guy? You know the one. That sales guy. The one who is always on his cell phone. The one who never gives you his full attention. The one who is loud, boisterous, obnoxious, and even rude. The one you don’t want to do business with. To be accurate, we can call him The Sales D-Bag. If you are in sales, don’t ever be the one I am talking about. Here are some typical behaviors of the sales D-Bag, and why you should avoid them at all costs.

• Making your private conversations public: I understand that we salespeople are trained to project, to be clear in our vocal communication, and to command the attention of our prospects. However, it can be easy to forget that, in a public setting, we must adjust our conversational habits. If you are in the middle of an office, or in public, you are not in the position to be making an effective sales pitch, so be considerate of those around you.
o Why you should avoid this: You are interrupting the work and conversations of those around you, and they will immediately be turned off by your lack of consideration. Disrupting your customer’s employees’ ability to work is not a way to keep their business.
• Name Dropping: When you walk into a customer’s branch office to visit and check on how your products are working out for them, the cute receptionist does not care that you were invited to her CEO’s luncheon. She likely doesn’t readily know the name of said CEO. You are not impressing anyone by knowing the names of the so-called “movers and shakers.”
o Why you should avoid this: Many of the people you are likely to meet or interact with on a client visit are not high-powered career types. Recognize that most employees of most organizations just want to do their jobs and bring home a decent paycheck. They don’t care about corporate politics in the slightest. So stop name-dropping and start providing value.
• Flirting with the staff: I had a Sales D-Bag from one of our suppliers come into my location the other day, and he shamelessly attempted to flirt with one of my directs. She was absolutely disgusted that he would try to turn on the charm in a business setting. Save it for the bar, jackass.
o Why you should avoid this: You will look like a jackass. The end.

Why is this all this so important? Sales D-Bags are one of the major reasons that the sales profession has such a negative reputation. We, as sales reps, are the constant butts of jokes on TV, in comic strips, and in many other media outlets, and we are widely distrusted by end consumers and business owners alike. My main mission here at People Sales is to improve that perception, and getting the Sales D-Bag out of sales is a great start to doing so.

Do you have any particularly inconsiderate, rude, or obnoxious sales people at your company, or companies you do business with? How about rude and obnoxious people in other departments?

Twitter For Sales Reps: Not Just For the Marketing Team Anymore!

The biggest social networking tool that people seem to be talking about these days is Twitter. Bloggers, business owners, and marketing teams everywhere seem to be jumping on the Twitter bandwagon, hoping to use the mini-blogging/text messaging service to connect with consumers, business customers, and coworkers. But what if your company is behind the times, and doesn’t have any desire to use Twitter in any official capacity? How can you, as a sales rep, utilize this unique tool to your best advantage?

While Twitter’s potential as a marketing tool is yet to be decided, there are a number of ways sales reps can use it to drum up business.
• Advertise Special Deals: Offering 10% off tomorrow on orders of a certain size? If you have any special deals or discounts coming up, you can make sure that your best customers are the first ones to know by tweeting about them. As long as your tweets provide lasting value to your followers, you will likely see increased orders almost immediately simply by being able to communicate with your customers.
• Quickly Take Repeat Orders: Your frequent repeat customers, who often have a regular order that doesn’t change much, can initiate the ordering process by tweeting you a short request message. This is an efficient way to take and fill orders that typically stay pretty static. Keep in mind that this approach is not going to be as effective if your products or services are highly customizable, as many of your customers’ orders may change each time they buy from you.
• Customer Referrals: Happy customers are some of your greatest marketing tools. Business owners who are very pleased with your service will tell other business owners who they know. Since Twitter is a potential breeding ground for viral marketing, you can use this to get organic, social network-based recommendations from your current customers.

These are just a few of the reasons I can think of for salespeople to be using Twitter to communicate with customers. How have you used Twitter to expand your business? Have you seen much success with any of these strategies, or others perhaps?

Appreciate Your Customers And They Will Appreciate You

Ever wonder why the best salespeople always seem to retain those huge accounts, even when there may be better or cheaper products out there to which the customers could be switching? While there are a number of reasons for this, one of the really huge, gigantically important ones is that these superstar salespeople make their customers feel appreciated.

I personally find that the number one reason my repeat customers come back is because I make sure they know how thankful I am that they choose to buy from ME. Very few things in life feel better than knowing other people are grateful for what you do for them, and I do my very best to assure my customers that my gratitude is immense, and that I would love to continue serving them in whatever way I can. There are a number of ways to show your patrons that they are your priority, and here are a few examples:

· Private Line of Contact: Create an email address separate from the one you use at work (but also separate from your home email, let’s not get crazy) and use it purely to communicate with your best customers. When a customer sees you as an associate rather than just a representative of your employer, the potential for a long-term relationship grows tremendously, which equates to lasting business for you.

· Periodic Value-Adding Info: Every so often, send your best customers some form of correspondence that provides them with real value. For example, sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer sends his customers a weekly email newsletter that provides sales tips, techniques, and articles from guest writers. A monthly or quarterly letter detailing some of the new products or discounts at your company is a good idea as well.

· Hand Written Thank You Note: Your mom taught you this one when you were little, and guess what? It’s still completely relevant! There is absolutely, totally, hands down no better way to show your appreciation than sending an individual, personalized thank you card written by hand. A printed card with your signature is okay, but if you really want to seal the long-term deal, grab a roller-ball pen and write the whole message.

These are just a few ideas. How do you share your appreciation with your customers? I’d love to hear from some salespeople on this, as well as professionals in other fields.