January 2012 Jokes

Starting off the new year with some punny jokes!

Where can you buy British rail bubble gum?
On a chew chew train!
What do you call a row of men waiting for a haircut?
A BarberCue!

Why did the witch put her broom in the washing machine?
She wanted to have a clean sweep!

Why did the rooster crow before daybreak?
His cluck was too fast!

Thanks for laughing!
Ev
"A Heck of A Nice Guy"

Keep Digging to Help Your Clients

Sales on hand is pretty easy. Some say you find a "customer's pain" and solve it with your product. No matter what your product does, it will work for your client. 

I say that approach is only partially right.
1. The client may have a "pain (i.e. lack of customers),"
2. but unless you get to the root of what is causing that lack of customers (i.e. no advertising)
3. it doesn't let you get down to reason there isn't any advertising (i.e. client got burned too many times by sales reps that over promised and under delivered).
4. You have to keep digging to see if the reason they are gun shy is because of all the bad reps they have had, or does it extend to all the decisions made by them for the company.
5. Then you have to find out why they make decisions that way ("because that us the way it is, and no smart aleck young salesperson is going to tell me different!"). 
6. Once you find the real reasons behind the pain, then and only then can you see if your product will work. If it relieves the symptoms and the root cause of the pain, you're probably on your way to a sale.

An easier way to say what I've said above is to imagine this scenario.
Many people have back pain.
They go to their doctor.
Doctor prescribes pain meds and physical therapy.
Pain meds relieve the pain for awhile.
Phyical therapy might make movement easier.
Meds and physical therapy don't ultimately solve the back problem.
Your body isn't in pain because of a lack of pain meds.
The problem is a subluxation of the vertebrae in the spine?
What is a subluxation?

The person goes to a chiropractor. 
Chiroprator gets the bones in the spine back in alignment giving the body the chance to heal itself.
What caused the subluxation in the first place? Lets say it is stress causing muscles to spasm and "pull" the one vertebrae out of alignment with the rest of the vertebrae.
What is causing the stress?
Relieve the stress and odds are the subluxation won't happen again and the body will naturally heal itself faster.   

As a salesperson you have to be the chiropractor and get to the ultimate cause of the pain. Not just the subluxation, but the stress.

Thanks for reading, and yes I endorse chiropractic care whenever possible.
Ev

January 2012 Newsletter

Happy 2012!

Granted it would be better if we had a Super Bowl to look forward to with the Packers, however there is always a potential World Series with the Brewers!

Below are some quick articles I thought you might be interested in:

Many of you have asked me what Brian Weis, former owner of WisconsinJobs.com has been up to. He granted me a two part interview:
http://everetsblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/brian-weis-interview-pt-i.html
Part 2:
http://everetsblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/brian-weiss-interview-pt-ii.html

The goofiest local job ad of the year in my opinion:
http://everetsblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/for-real-goofy-job-ad.html

Jokes clean enough to tell your mother:
http://everetsblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/december-jokes-2011.html

There are other articles as well so please feel free to search my blog.
Thank you for everything!
Have a great January!

Everet Kamikawa
"A Heck of A Nice Guy"
http://www.linkedin.com/in/everetkamikawa

Referrals: If You Don't Ask - You Don't Get

Wouldn't it be wonderful if every call you make to a customer was set up in advance and led smoothly to a sale? Ideal world right? Referrals can lead you towards that goal.
The more referrals you have the less cold calls you have to make. The trick: You have to ask for them.
You have to make It a habit to be successful.
I've known this for years, chances are so have you, but I don't always remember either. SO as a way to remind myself and you how to ask for referrals, here are some ways to get started:

=When you begin working with a new customer, make referrals part of your initial agreement. Ask, "If I do a great job for you will you refer me to others that I can help?" Get their agreement on the concept first. Then drop it. Prove yourself first before asking for referrals otherwise your client might think you don't care for them just the referral.

=Set a weekly goal for yourself. Keep track of the number of referrals you ask for. Ask anyone in your network.

=When planning client meetings make a note to ask for referral. Sometimes writing something down is better than trying to remember it, so include it as an agenda item.

=Make a goal at networking events to talk to at least three new people beyond the usual number of people you usually talk to.

=Be specific when asking for a referral. Let your client know who you are looking to reach so they can make a qualified referral. Even if they don't have someone right way to give you, by proving yourself to them they will remember you when they do meet someone that can use your service.

=Givers get or in other words give and you shall receive.
One of the most powerful ways to elicit referrals is to give them generously yourself. Whenever you have the opportunity to refer an associate or bring two contacts together, do so. And when you're attending the aforementioned networking event, make a point of introducing people to one another. Most people will appreciate the referral, and it may inspire them to respond in kind.

=Always thank someone who has given you a referral. Send them a note, keep them informed of your progress and maybe even treat them to lunch. Let them know you appreciated their effort.

Getting into the habit of asking for referrals is a great way to gain new prospects and clients. The more you ask and give, the more referrals you will receive.

Is there anyone in your network looking to hire entry level IT or graphic design graduates? See how I did that? Good habits start with one step.

Thanks!
Ev

Make More Sales: Call Them Back!

If you want to make more sales this year, here is an easy yet often overlooked way of doing it, call your prospect back and do what you are going to say you will do!

This winter I had to need to hire a snow removal service for a small property I own.
I asked for referrals from friends and colleagues. I received nine names and numbers.
I called all nine companies at least twice (because no one returned my call after the first time).
Out of the nine companies eight called me back. 
Of the eight companies, three said they do not plow properties on that side of the town I live in.
All of the remaining five companies said they would send a salesperson to look at the property and get back to me within two days.
Two companies followed through.
The other three never returned a follow up call by me to get their decision.
Of the two companies both passed on the job, however one company called me back with a referral to a partner company that would do the job.
This last company looked at the property within two days and agreed to take the job.

How long did this process take, TWO WEEKS!

If all nine companies had answered my call on the first day, six would have taken a look at the property within two days. I would take one day to decide and follow up with the winner of the contract that same day or the next. Total time would be at MOST five days. A savings of none days of consternation and running around looking for companies and answers.

Return your prospects calls right away:
1. You might be the only one who does and win the account
2. The sooner you get to your customer the sooner you can beat off the competition
3. You save your customer time and consternation which they will love you for

Thanks for reading!
Ev
"A Heck of A Nice Guy"

2012 Focus

Image by Everet Kamikawa

2012 is here. A time for new beginnings on some things, continuation of others. New ventures and tried and true. Where the road of this year will take you is up to you.

With that in mind you will notice a slight change in the format and content of this blog. I've been getting lots of comments and emails from recruiters and HR salespeople who like reading my sales advice. Many of these comments are centered around the fact that they don't feel they get enough training on how to initially sell their clients. They say they are fine once they get the relationship started, but want to know how do they get to that point of building the relationship. I hope to answer some of those questions as I've spent the better part of 20 years as a salesman in the HR industry and recruiter. I may not have all the answers, but judging from your responses over the years I have some!

I will still write and post articles for the job seeker and manager when relevant so don't feel like you can't keep reading, in fact I hope you do!

The monthly jokes will still be there as well.

Thank you for reading and Happy New Year!
Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy