3 Reasons Why Thank You Notes Work

Posted on April 4, 2011 by

I’ve recently been reminded, several times, just how important hand written thank you notes can be in the business world. When I work with sales professionals as a coach,  or when I meet someone new and start to build a relationship I send them a short hand written thank you card. Nothing extravagant. A brief  note thanking them for something specific (usually their time). I’ve made it a habit—I carry a small bag in my brief case with note cards, envelopes, business cards and a pen. I don’t take for granted the positive affect of these gestures but I do sometimes wonder how they are received.

Last week I got a thank card from the Chairmen of the Board of one of my clients. A note saying “Thank you” for my efforts and stating his support. Two sentences—big impact!

One of the reasons hand written thank you notes can be so effective is the law of reciprocity. There are three key elements to the law of reciprocity which a hand written note usually contains:

1. They’re Significant

Yes in a digital, fast paced, get it done now world a hand written note makes a statement. A statement that the sender took the time to put their thoughts on paper and mail a card.

2. They’re are Unexpected

Again in today’s society getting a card, written and addressed by hand (outside of Christmas time), is typically an unexpected occurrence. Think about the last time you got your mail and found, among all the other “stuff”, something hand written and addressed to you. What got opened first?

3. They’re Personal

When done correctly a hand written thank you note is very personal. By done correctly I mean you actually take the time to compose your thoughts and say “Thank you” to someone in a meaningful and specific way.

So who could you write a hand written thank you card to today?

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Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure

Posted on March 9, 2011 by

Sales Coach International has a team! We (my family and business partner’s family) are running in this years Susan G. Komen Race for Cure in Sacramento. You can help by donating here. And you don’t even have to run!

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So…What Are You Going to DO About It?

Posted on January 18, 2011 by

A few weeks ago I wrote a very short post entitled  “3 Things  Effect Your Growth”.

Pretty straight forward: Who you meet, what you learn and the action you take. So… who did you meet this year?

Who I met: I had the opportunity (and good fortune) to meet Lorne Rubis. CEO by day and blogger by night.  His frequent blog posts about things related back to his “Triangle of Character” are really quit good as well as thought provoking. If I hadn’t met him I may have never found his blog. I also met Jeff Rogers, President at Zap Creative.—funny, funny guy and Second City Alumni. I watched him emcee a corporate event and learned…I’ve got some things left to learn about public speaking. I’m good…this guy’s GREAT!

What I learned: You get what you give, the harder I work the luckier I get and I need to schedule time to learn.

The action I’m going to take: (AKA “What I’m gonna do about it”) Be diligent about scheduling my time wisely, go out of my way to “Go first” and stay on top of my business!

So who did you meet, what did you learn and what are you gonna do about it?

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You Go First

Posted on December 27, 2010 by

Want more referrals from your clients? You go first. Think of your clients, customers and contacts. Can you refer someone in your data base to another someone in your data base?

Looking for more recommendations of your work on the various Social Media platforms? You go first. As you interact with your prospects, customers, clients, co-workers, peers, and anyone else in your network you’ll get a picture of the work they do. If you look you can find quality examples of  their work and recommend it to others.

Would you like your customers to treat you with consideration and respect? You go first. The law of reciprocity is pretty simple. Give freely and without expectation and others are likely to do the same. Said another way: You get what you give. The fastest and best way to get started? You go first.

 

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Take the “Cuss” out of Customer Service

Posted on December 8, 2010 by

I’ve been thinking about customer service a lot lately. Mostly because I don’t seem to be getting much. Not from my bank. Not from the my utility companies, cell phone provider, the list goes on and on. I did get spectacular service at a restaurant recently. Real, memorable customer service. But that’s it.

Yesterday I spent 58 agonizing minutes with my cell phone provider over a $900 error-they made!. We got it fixed but it was not a fun experience.

My real frustration is it shouldn’t be so hard! Customer service is simple and requires little or no cost. It does require training. It does require effort. I read a great article this morning, by Michael Hess, that sums it up far better than I can. You can read it here.

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This Week’s Recomended Reading

Posted on December 3, 2010 by

Jeb Blount’s SalesGravy.com is a “Must Read”. Think of it as a social network for sales people. With hundreds of contributors and thousands of members this site is incredibly content rich.

Jeb’s latest book, People Buy You, should be required reading for anyone in the profession of sales. Give it a look. You won’t be disappointed.

 

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Why Nobody Wants to Go to Your Sales Meetings

Posted on November 30, 2010 by

Most sales meetings are just awful. At least for the sellers. Weekly, monthly, quarterly—it doesn’t matter. Most of the attendees would rather be doing something, anything, else. The reason? There are lots of them, but mostly it’s about value, or a lack of it, for the attendees.

Sales managers, company leaders and HR can easily get caught up in having a meetings just because. A mandate to meet. Cookie cutter agendas with little preparation and no clear purpose. At best any training that gets done is product based and feature focused. At worst it becomes a monologue of sales data, irrelevant updates and new policy.

Want more effective sales meetings? Meetings that stand a chance of moving the dial? Then make it about sales! New sales. More profitable sales. Make it about them. To start with any data (like sales figures) that can be sent electronically should be. Sales activity reports (aka Creative Writing Assignments on Ancient History) should be done one on one or via CRM.

Here are some quick and simple rules for conducting effective meetings:

1. Be respectful.

Start and end on time. Period. End of story. Don’t let attendees disrupt or hijack your meeting.

2. Make it about and for them.

The most effective sales meetings are the ones where people learn. Learn to sell. Learn to sell benefits. Learn how to make more money. Learn how to become better at their trade. If you have to do product knowledge training (and you will) be sure to focus on the product applications and benefits, not just the features.

3. Have a clear purpose.

Know in advance what you’re trying to accomplish with the meeting. What are the expected results of the meeting. If you don’t have a clear purpose, or if the purpose is because you always meet on Friday, don’t have a meeting.

4. Get them engaged.

I attended one of my clients sales meetings recently and one of the standout moments (for me and the attendees) was a dialog between the team about sales books they had recently read.

Another way to get them engaged is to let them run the meeting, or do some of the training. Peer to peer training can be incredibly effective.

5. Take ACTION on the ACTION items!

Someone needs to be assigned the task of taking notes. Anything discussed during the meeting that requires action or follow up needs to be followed up on or acted on. If, as the meeting leader, you commit to something during your meeting you had better take action.

After the meeting send the minutes (including action items, due dates and people responsible) out to all attendees.

6. Have some fun!

There’s plenty of time for being buttoned up, serious and overly professional. A sales meeting should lift people up. Have a few laughs. I was recently given a copy of a great book called Office Sportz! by Jeff Rogers. Tons of great ideas to keep people in a good mood and engaged during meetings.

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