Make up Your Mind and Improve Your Sales Techniques, Part 5

The forth segment of this series highlighted the importance of keeping our sales presentations and proposals simple, straightforward and focused on the benefits we provide to our customers. It also stressed the importance of guiding the customer’s decision process effectively through solid planning and organization.

Sales techniques for winning businessIn this final installment of the series you’ll see how connecting with your customers by demonstrating your understanding of their challenges and goals, is the cornerstone of building enduring loyalty. We’ll end with showing you the joy and success that comes with a continuous commitment to learning and self-development.

These are points 9 and 10 from the Make Up Your Mind essay…

9. That people buy today, not nearly so much because they understand your product thoroughly, but because they feel and believe that you understand them, their problems and the things they want to accomplish.

Here’s the cold, hard truth; what customers have to say to us is more important               than what we have to say to them. One of my cherished mentors put it this way, “God gave us two ears and one mouth so use them accordingly.”

Early in my sales career I needed to hear that wisdom. I needed to hear it a lot. I consider myself a relatively bright fellow, so I reasoned that I needed to prove it to my customers. I couldn’t understand why I was losing business! I learned the hard way that only my customers had the information I needed to know.

That information alone would help me recommend the right solutions to overcome their business challenges and improve their business productivity. They had what I needed and without it I couldn’t provide to them what they needed.

How you get this critical information is simple. Ask. Effective questioning techniques are the most important skill any sales professional can develop. I’ll say it again: Learning how to ask probing questions that uncover customer needs is the most important skill you can develop as a sales professional.

Only questions will allow you to uncover what you don’t know. Only questions will help you dig deeper into a customer’s business and learn about what makes it tick (or not tick). Only questions will help you learn what your customer is really thinking.

How do you feel about the importance of asking questions? What types of questions have you found effective in identifying customer needs? Who do you question within a customer’s organization to obtain key information?

See what I just did there? With three questions I would have learned a great deal about you and your approach to effective questioning techniques. I would have learned how you feel about the concept I’m trying to sell to you in this article. I would have gotten a better sense of the types of questions you use when interviewing your customers, and I would have better understood where you go to get the information you need from your customers.

You just told me enough about you so that I can better help you become better the questions you ask, why you ask them and who you ask to get the info you need.

One last thing on the importance of asking questions and this is critical. You have to listen for the answers.

10. That almost all development is, in fact, self-development and that personal growth is the product of practice, observation and self-correction.

Learning is a journey, not a destination. Since change is constant, learning needs to be as well. Mistakes are essential to effective learning. If we don’t make mistakes, we can’t learn how to avoid them in the future. I’ve learned from my success too, but failure has taught me a lot more.

What is the solution for learning better questioning techniques? Ask more questions. Learn what works and what doesn’t. Learn what types of questions work best with different customer personality types. Learn and then apply what you’ve learned. I love this line from the Clint Eastwood movie Heartbreak Ridge: “Improvise, Adapt and Overcome.”

Don’t be afraid to try new things. Study different selling methods and approaches. Strive not only to replicate, but to innovate. If you’re not learning, you’re losing.

I hope you’ve found this series informative and helpful. Make up your mind to help, not sell to, your customers. Make up your mind to listen more than you speak. Make up your mind to never stop learning. Make up your mind. It’s the key to being an invaluable asset to your customers, your organization and yourself.

To read Part 1 of this series, click here; for Part 2 click here; for Part 3, click here; and for Part 4, click here.

Until next time…

Make up Your Mind and Improve Your Sales Techniques, Part 2

In the introductory article of this five-part series, I introduced a sales motivation piece I uncovered years ago entitled Make Up Your Mind and the positive impact it’s had on me as a sales professional. I elaborated on the importance of being sold on yourself, your company and your products as a foundation for sales success. I also covered how critical it is to focus on the needs of your customers versus any compensation you might receive from them for doing business with you.

Effective time management techniquesIn this installment I want to cover the importance of efficient time management and knowing what your time is worth. These points, which are the third and fourth points in the Make Up Your Mind essay, are the next key building blocks you need to put in place as you work to join the elite corps of sales professionals.

3. That time is money and that learning to manage your time productively will be one of your most profitable achievements.

Many salespeople make the fatal error of mistaking activity for productivity. Even worse, they go through their entire career believing this illusion.

Let’s look at two salespeople we’ll call Jim and Joe. Jim wonders, “I’m just as busy as Joe is, but I don’t understand why Joe makes more sales, earns more money and has more satisfied customers than I do.” While both make a to-do list each day, Jim doesn’t prioritize his list and is constantly distracted by what he thinks are burning fires or “deal-with-it-now” emergencies. Jim is reactive, rather than proactive. He has what I’ve come to call Sales A.D.D. He lacks focus, organization and flexible efficiency.

Jim does more than just make a to-do list. Jim creates a daily plan that accounts for possible emergencies. His plan allows for flexibility when prioritizing daily selling            activities, but inflexibility on commitments he’s made to his customers. Jim manages his day rather than being managed by his day. Big difference.

4. To believe in the law of averages and the wisdom of knowing the dollar value of each of your primary activities.

What is meant by “the law of averages?” LexJet co-founder Art Lambert told me many years ago that sales isn’t complex math; it’s simple arithmetic. You start with the never-ending task of prospecting for new business. How many prospecting calls will I make today? Write it down.

Next, keep a record of how many no responses it takes to get a yes response. Write it down. Now, measure how many yes responses it takes to hit your assigned quota, or even better your personal stretch selling goals. Write it down.

Finally, adjust your prospecting call volume on a regular basis to get the number of yes responses you need. Pretty simple, huh? It’s the managing of your time, focus          and attention to constantly changing priorities that separates the average from the top sales performers.

Make your daily task list. Prioritize that list according to must dos, need to-do’s, and if I can get to it, do’s. Plan for possible emergencies in your timeline and re-evaluate your list after each task is completed.

Remember that anything having to do with satisfying customers and keeping commitments always come first. If necessary, that cigarette, water cooler conversation, or picking up your dry cleaning can wait. If you put your customers first, it’s a pretty good bet that they will do the same for you.

In part three of this series, I’ll cover the importance of working smart versus working hard and the benefits it will deliver in sales results. I’ll also share ways to make each customer encounter a win for your customer and for you.

Until next time…

A Trade Show about Trade Shows: EXHIBITOR2012

A trade show about trade showsThere’s a trade show for just about everything, including one for trade shows called EXHIBITOR2012, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, March 4-8. The show is geared toward exhibit and event managers looking for new products, ideas and solutions they can use when they plan trade shows for their companies.

In addition to the exhibit hall, EXHIBITOR2012 features a conference offering more than 220 seminars, workshops, field trips and Peer2Peer Roundtables in seven different learning tracks. Sessions include information on creative strategies, organization and time management, maximizing sales leads, social media, pre-show planning, case studies, a Graphics Boot Camp and more, grouped into seven main categories: Measurement and Results, Planning and Execution, Marketing and Communications, Corporate Events, Personal and Career, Exhibits and Experiences and Global (the effects of globalization on the trade show industry).

Whether you provide graphics for, or exhibit at trade shows, EXHIBITOR2012 might be worth a look this year. The show is hosted by EXHIBITOR Magazine, which reports that this year’s show has grown from last year.

“This is the second year in a row that we have needed to expand the floor plan to make more room for large exhibits. Already, more than 65 island exhibits have been sold for EXHIBITOR2012,” said Carol Fojtik, managing director of EXHIBITOR2012. “We had 53 island exhibits in 2011. This year’s expansion allows us to accommodate the needs of both large and small exhibitors who are now on our waiting list for space.”

For more information about the conference sessions and to register to attend, go to www.EXHIBITOR2012.com. If you’re interested in exhibiting, contact Jeff Naccarato at exhibitor2012@heiexpo.com or call 877-394-2114.

Breaking the Mold with Large Format Inkjet Printing

Printing and framing at American MouldingIt wasn’t a stretch for Melbourne, Fla.-based American Moulding to re-direct its business into large format inkjet printing, but it did break the mold and continues to do so with great success. American Moulding started out about 12 years ago as a distribution company for picture frame moulding and supplies. When the economy took a turn for the worse, American Moulding’s primary distribution business took a hit.

Rather than mourn the decline, American Moulding took a proactive approach and decided to start printing. Since that time three years ago the company has tripled its revenues, outpacing its original picture framing distribution business model. In other words, American Moulding’s product line has shifted almost entirely to large format inkjet printing for artists, corporations and interior decorators, while leveraging its previous expertise in framing by offering a fully finished, high-quality product.

“We do art reproduction and framing, so now it’s the total package. We had brand equity in the American Moulding name and we didn’t want to lose that with companies we were already working for. We have one large client who helped drive that for us. We did most of the framing for their art galleries and other venues. The door opened up for us when they asked if we could print a small background for them, so we bought an Epson 3800. Then the requests came in more frequently and that’s when we expanded into a 24-inch [Epson 7880] and two 44-inch printers [a Canon iPF8100 and an Epson 9900],” says Chris Bryant, owner of American Moulding. “Cutting out the distribution business was nerve-wracking at first, but we’ve been able to exceed our revenues. We’ve managed to grow it and continue to grow it by introducing new products and becoming more of a credible source with our clients. Every day and every week we continue to win more business.”

Printing fine art and photographyAnother key component of American Moulding’s success has been customer service. Bryant has a simple explanation for American Moulding’s customer service philosophy: “We become an extension of who they are.”

Bryant explains that their concept is to be on call as if they were in the office next door, ready for action at a moment’s notice. “That way, if there’s a problem, they can call us as if we were right there on their property with them. The more we do that the deeper we ingrain ourselves in the fabric of what they do, so it makes us more in line and in tune with their philosophies.”

The most difficult part of the transition to large format printing was getting the workflow and color management issues down pat. The team at American Moulding buckled down, learned the software and utilized the technology to its fullest so that it was print-ready almost from day one.

“That was probably the biggest adjustment – making sure we had a critical eye in evaluating the art and colors and that we were getting it right every time. We’re still learning every day, but we did a good job from the beginning. The feedback we were getting from our clients was that we were getting it right the first time, rather than having to color proof it two or three times to get it right. They started having confidence in what we were doing and began shifting more work our way. We have a three-person signoff on each piece of art we produce just to evaluate color,” explains Bryant. “We went from printing small jobs of one or two prints to running limited editions. Now we have about 150 pieces of art that are still active and it grows every day.”

Building a large format inkjet printing business
Chris Bryant and Heather Bailey of American Moulding. Their customer service philosophy is simple: To be an extension of their client's business.

Bryant adds that keeping up with the latest technology and printable media has played a crucial role in the company’s growth. American Moulding is not afraid to experiment and try new media out, much to the delight of their clients.

“Canvas always comes out great, but I like playing with the fine art and watercolor papers. We also love the Sunset Photo Metallic Paper and the artists we work with love it as well. We don’t put it on everything and overuse it, but the art we print on it just jumps off the paper and the artists jump at the chance to work with it. Some paint specifically for that paper,” explains Bryant. “LexJet is constantly introducing new products to us, and they have lot of the same philosophies we have in customer service. They touch base regularly to learn more about who we are and what we do so that they’re able to give us new product ideas to effectively move our business forward. Our customer specialist, Rob Finkel, and his team have been awesome and helped us get over some of the learning curve. LexJet has been a catalyst in our growth.” 

Affordable Inkjet Printed Posters Contribute to Cash Flow

Posters fine art inkjet printing

When you think “Colorado vacation” you normally think of skiing and other snow sports, but Colorado’s busiest tourist season actually occurs between Memorial Day and Labor Day. That’s when it starts really hopping in Georgetown, an old mining community – now a tourist destination – that sits in a valley on the approaches to the Eisenhower Tunnel and the alpine areas for which Colorado is famous.

In downtown Georgetown you’ll find Grizzly Creek Gallery and its proprietor, Gary Haines, featured here at the LexJet Blog previously for his high-end, award-winning outdoor landscape photography and printing.

The problem, if you can really call it that, is that Haines’ work fetches a high price, as well it should. The stunning work of masterfully captured light in beautiful alpine meadows and woods from around Colorado is painstakingly rendered on the finest LexJet Sunset fine art and photo papers and framed to perfection.

Posters inkjet printing fine art photographyFor those who can’t afford finished fine art pieces but love the images, Haines started printing and offering posters of his high end work earlier this year. It’s the proverbial win-win. Haines captures buyers who would have otherwise walked out empty handed, while retaining those who want something of exquisite quality and at a much larger size hanging up in their home or office.

He prints the 19 in. x 38 in. panoramas with his Epson Stylus Pro 9900 on LexJet 8 Mil Production Satin Photo Paper. The paper is an excellent choice because it dries quickly for long runs and retains a quality look you simply don’t get from a typical poster paper.

“It’s relatively inexpensive to print when you’re designing and printing them yourself, they dry quickly and people who buy the posters really like it. We just roll them up, put them in a nice tube with an attractive sticker that displays the image, along with the price and bar code,” says Haines. “They’re designed in Photoshop and printed through the driver. I have a LaCie monitor calibrated to the printer, so whatever I see on the screen is what will print out.”

Haines is currently offering six different panoramas on posters, including the image that won the Landscape/Nature/Fine Art category in LexJet’s Shine On! photo contest, Winter Serenity.

“Since the posters are such a new item, I’ve seen a small uptick in sales of five to ten percent,” explains Haines. “As spring and summer approaches I expect to see more sales, especially from the tourists who purchase images of Colorado at a more affordable price.”