So, last week was National Write a Letter of Appreciation Week - woops! I'm a little late with this post, but then again, it's never too late to show someone your appreciation. These tips from sales trainer Nancy Bleeke will be a big help for all of us to begin writing an appreciation note - today!
WRITE the letter. It's not a phone call, email or text. Pen to paper. The recipient can hold it in their hands and for tactile people, that's a good thing!
Last month I got a thank you note from a prospect for the follow-up message I sent - on a quality note card and addressed just to them. I knew this Doer type person appreciated it, or he wouldn't have taken the time.
Be specific in your appreciation. "You are great to work with." is okay - but something like "I really appreciate how you respond so quickly to my messages." is much stronger!
As I completed my drive-thru banking transaction last Saturday, the teller said, "Nancy, thank you for writing your account number of the back of the checks, it made it so much easier to pull up your account." I drove away as the recipient of specific appreciation - and felt how great that is. And the benefit to that teller? I think I will always write the number on the back of the check now.
Do not SELL to them in this letter. The note is to appreciate them and nothing more.
Hand write the address on the envelope. It's much more personal. Making time for writing these letters or notes will set you apart and get your name in front of people again.
If you really want to make it most meaningful, make it personal. Recognize them as a human being, not just about an action they have taken. Examples: Note their integrity, honesty, concern for others, patience.
The hardest part is DOING this. Schedule an hour or two this week to appreciate others. Include customers, your manager, assistants, colleagues, spouse, children, parents - everyone will appreciate it! Set a goal of the number of people you will write a letter to this week and then WRITE them.
Sales expert Nancy Bleeke, The SalesProInsider, helps organizations set aggressive sales goals and achieve them while boosting profitability by hiring, training and retaining the best employees. She shares her expertise with the Timely Tips ezine and her blog. Learn more and download a free ebook at www.salesproinsider.com
Showing posts with label Nancy Bleeke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nancy Bleeke. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Expanding Your Sales Opportunity
One of the best ways to expand your business is to create more opportunities with the clients you already have. Today sales trainer Nancy Bleeke tells you how she does it - and how you can too!
One of the sales calls I had a few weeks ago, I'd like to repeat over and over and over. Why? Because the prospect was looking for one specific service and by the end of our conversation we were discussing multiple. In dissecting why the call went so well (a good practice so we can repeat those actions that worked), I found that I had:
1. Listened to the intent of what he wanted to accomplish, not just WHAT he wanted to do now.
2. Waited. Instead of offering him a recommendation immediately (which I could have on the one item), I expanded the discussion with further questions that uncovered some underlying information that was truly what needed to be addressed first.
3. Asked permission to ask questions that weren't directly related to what he called about.
4. Summarized the broader picture and the frustration and costs associated with it.
5. Presented the solution directly tied into his situation and the value he would experience in the long run.
6. After he said "Yes, this is what we need to do first, isn't it?" I expressed confidence in his choice and what he would gain from it.
It was a lot of effort to keep to task. And it was one of those situations where I didn't have time to prepare - he called me out of the blue. But I had just been preparing for another meeting and quickly pulled my list of questions out. I also have a list of questions that I can quickly adjust on the spot to a situation such as this.
I'm sure you've had some of these 'magical sales moments' too. What did you learn from them? Making the time to dissect and extract what happened and how, will help you repeat it again the next time.
Sales expert Nancy Bleeke, The SalesProInsider, helps organizations set aggressive sales goals and achieve them while boosting profitability by hiring, training and retaining the best employees. She shares her expertise with the Timely Tips ezine and her blog. Learn more and download a free ebook at www.salesproinsider.com
One of the sales calls I had a few weeks ago, I'd like to repeat over and over and over. Why? Because the prospect was looking for one specific service and by the end of our conversation we were discussing multiple. In dissecting why the call went so well (a good practice so we can repeat those actions that worked), I found that I had:
1. Listened to the intent of what he wanted to accomplish, not just WHAT he wanted to do now.
2. Waited. Instead of offering him a recommendation immediately (which I could have on the one item), I expanded the discussion with further questions that uncovered some underlying information that was truly what needed to be addressed first.
3. Asked permission to ask questions that weren't directly related to what he called about.
4. Summarized the broader picture and the frustration and costs associated with it.
5. Presented the solution directly tied into his situation and the value he would experience in the long run.
6. After he said "Yes, this is what we need to do first, isn't it?" I expressed confidence in his choice and what he would gain from it.
It was a lot of effort to keep to task. And it was one of those situations where I didn't have time to prepare - he called me out of the blue. But I had just been preparing for another meeting and quickly pulled my list of questions out. I also have a list of questions that I can quickly adjust on the spot to a situation such as this.
I'm sure you've had some of these 'magical sales moments' too. What did you learn from them? Making the time to dissect and extract what happened and how, will help you repeat it again the next time.
Sales expert Nancy Bleeke, The SalesProInsider, helps organizations set aggressive sales goals and achieve them while boosting profitability by hiring, training and retaining the best employees. She shares her expertise with the Timely Tips ezine and her blog. Learn more and download a free ebook at www.salesproinsider.com
Thursday, July 30, 2009
The Sign of a True Sales Pro - Admitting We're Never Too Good for Coaching
Sales trainer Nancy Bleeke has gotten a lot of phone calls in her time - but someone calling her back after a sales call to ask advice on how to do better? Now that's a new one! Read on for her story, a great reminder that we all need a little help to keep improving our sales.
Ringggg. Ringggg. Not my favorite sound in the evening when I am in the midst of all kinds of fun mothering activities - homework, cleaning, and moderating disagreements between teenagers. And yet I picked up the phone...
"Hi Nancy, it's Virginia."
Oh, okay, I know who this is...and after some pleasantries...
"I'm calling to tell you about my work because you asked me about my new job the other night."
Hmmm. Okay.
She continued..."I'm so excited and want you to meet the guys I work with."
And so the discussion went. Me justifying I didn't need to meet these "guys" as I don't need their services and Virginia giving me more and more options on time and location because I should meet them. She was determined that I needed to do this because they are so great! And I was determined that I wasn't taking a half day of my life to meet with anyone that I didn't need to meet with.
I hung up feeling like I had dodged the bullet for now...and went on with my evening.
Forty-five minutes later ... Ringggg. Ringggg. Now who?
"Hi, it's Virginia again. I'm calling to get some advice. Do you have a few minutes?"
Of course...
"I don't think the conversation went the best before and I want your advice on what I can do to have different outcomes in making my calls."
What??? Calling a sales expert who trains people to be more successful in sales to ask for advice? Now THAT got me involved! We then had over an hour discussion on the objective of making calls, how to put the focus on the caller instead of our own excitement about what we do, asking good questions and being a great listener. Fortunately, all of these actions are critical skills she had already developed in her years in the medical profession! Now she needed to apply them to her new career in sales.
Virginia showed great professionalism. She did what so many sales professionals will not do. She:
•Evaluated her call objectively - putting aside her emotions and focusing on process and outcome
•Acknowledged that it could have gone much better - admitting that first to herself and then she
•Asked for coaching to do better next time - can you imagine how hard it was to pick up the phone and call me back?
She realized that these first calls in her new role - to the people she had existing relationships with - could make or break her future. She didn't get defensive. She listened to the advice, asked for clarification and drilled down to specific actions she could take. And finally Virginia then committed to those actions.
What a great demonstration of strong emotional intelligence!
Rookie or not, her willingness to call me back sets her apart from a lot of seasoned sales professionals. I think she has a great career ahead of her with that type of mindset.
What about you? What are you currently doing that isn't producing the results you want or need? Who can you call for advice or coaching so you can do better?
And the challenge...pick up the phone and call them...you'll be glad you did.
Sales expert Nancy Bleeke, The SalesProInsider, helps organizations set aggressive sales goals and achieve them while boosting profitability by hiring, training and retaining the best employees. She shares her expertise with the Timely Tips ezine and her blog. Learn more and download a free ebook at www.salesproinsider.com
Ringggg. Ringggg. Not my favorite sound in the evening when I am in the midst of all kinds of fun mothering activities - homework, cleaning, and moderating disagreements between teenagers. And yet I picked up the phone...
"Hi Nancy, it's Virginia."
Oh, okay, I know who this is...and after some pleasantries...
"I'm calling to tell you about my work because you asked me about my new job the other night."
Hmmm. Okay.
She continued..."I'm so excited and want you to meet the guys I work with."
And so the discussion went. Me justifying I didn't need to meet these "guys" as I don't need their services and Virginia giving me more and more options on time and location because I should meet them. She was determined that I needed to do this because they are so great! And I was determined that I wasn't taking a half day of my life to meet with anyone that I didn't need to meet with.
I hung up feeling like I had dodged the bullet for now...and went on with my evening.
Forty-five minutes later ... Ringggg. Ringggg. Now who?
"Hi, it's Virginia again. I'm calling to get some advice. Do you have a few minutes?"
Of course...
"I don't think the conversation went the best before and I want your advice on what I can do to have different outcomes in making my calls."
What??? Calling a sales expert who trains people to be more successful in sales to ask for advice? Now THAT got me involved! We then had over an hour discussion on the objective of making calls, how to put the focus on the caller instead of our own excitement about what we do, asking good questions and being a great listener. Fortunately, all of these actions are critical skills she had already developed in her years in the medical profession! Now she needed to apply them to her new career in sales.
Virginia showed great professionalism. She did what so many sales professionals will not do. She:
•Evaluated her call objectively - putting aside her emotions and focusing on process and outcome
•Acknowledged that it could have gone much better - admitting that first to herself and then she
•Asked for coaching to do better next time - can you imagine how hard it was to pick up the phone and call me back?
She realized that these first calls in her new role - to the people she had existing relationships with - could make or break her future. She didn't get defensive. She listened to the advice, asked for clarification and drilled down to specific actions she could take. And finally Virginia then committed to those actions.
What a great demonstration of strong emotional intelligence!
Rookie or not, her willingness to call me back sets her apart from a lot of seasoned sales professionals. I think she has a great career ahead of her with that type of mindset.
What about you? What are you currently doing that isn't producing the results you want or need? Who can you call for advice or coaching so you can do better?
And the challenge...pick up the phone and call them...you'll be glad you did.
Sales expert Nancy Bleeke, The SalesProInsider, helps organizations set aggressive sales goals and achieve them while boosting profitability by hiring, training and retaining the best employees. She shares her expertise with the Timely Tips ezine and her blog. Learn more and download a free ebook at www.salesproinsider.com
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