Am I their biggest prospect or client? No, not even close. Am I important to their business? All things considered, they might not miss my business if I never walked through their doors again. Despite that, they treat me as if I am both the biggest and one of their most important customers. It has taken their staff very little effort, yet it has made a big impact. If you treat all of your customers like they are your most important and your biggest, do you think they’ll be likely to go to one of your competitors who don’t give them that same personal touch? If you’re pricing is out of line, they might be forced to go elsewhere. However, you can likely charge a premium and keep them loyal, since they come back for the special treatment. To be effective, however, that treatment has to extend from all staff members who touch their account. For example, if everything is perfect from sales and operations, but your accounting staff treats them poorly or without a strong personal touch, their opinion of your entire organization can become tarnished.

Start with internal communication. In the perfect world, every customer is treated as your most important one. However, some are likely to receive special consideration or handling, so do what you can to maximize the impact:

• Make sure everyone is on the same page internally. Account reviews and recaps are very important and valuable.
• When possible, align clients with staff members they have developed good rapport with or with ones they are likely to build such a relationship.
• At the completion of project work, send a quick thank you note and ask for any feedback.
• Make an effort to get to know your client’s internal staff, beyond just your primary contact.
• Consider offering a special discount on services for loyal clients.

Though I’m not advocating discounting services on a regular basis, making exceptions can go a long way toward creating loyalty. In the example of the golf shop, I had a minor repair done to a golf club, which was going to cost $7.00 + tax. The manager told me there was no charge and let me leave without paying the fee. Instead of leaving, I decided to have them re-grip my putter, which I would not have done otherwise. They gave away $7.00 to make $25.00. Would you do the same? If not, what are you doing to show your clients they matter or are special? They may not be your biggest or your most important, but if you make them feel that way, you’ll go a long way to earning their loyalty. If you want to learn more about my perspective or to learn more, visit www.actusmr.com or email me at paul_kirch@actusmr.com.

The message he sent referenced a situation I’ve seen or heard of multiple times. Is this a trend? Is this a poorly handled situation? Whatever it is, it’s unfortunate. As relayed to me, “I contracted to use a facility at the end of May in a city I don’t normally host groups in. I paid over half upfront for the rental, per their request. They produced a final bill for approximately $1000 for facility rental. In terms of paying the invoice, we were at 55 days out, but it was in the queue and about to be paid this week. They sent the actual bill to my end client today via email. This occurred without having any communication with me or my company about a payment issue. They actually had the nerve to ask my end client if they would talk with us and facilitate a faster payment. Did we pay the bill today? Yes. Will I ever use them again? No. Will my end client ever use them again? No.”

He was very open with me that they were late with payment, but no attempts were made to communicate before going to his client. Clearly, culpability exists on both sides of this discussion. My associate was admittedly late and they were dealing with a supplier they did not typically use. However, the facility broke several business guidelines. Among those are:

1. They didn’t communicate the issue or their plan of resolution.
2. They made no attempts to collect payment directly.
3. They went directly to this person’s client without attempting either of the above steps.
4. They asked the end-client to facilitate in collecting funds.
5. All of this within less than a 60 day window.

The economic environment our industry has faced over the last couple of years has directly impacted how accounts payable and receivable departments operate and respond. However, by not opening communication lines, this facility managed to damage one firm’s reputation and alienate another. We all know many times when procurement depts. are involved, the personal aspect of business is removed and it turns into a structured, impersonal model. It appears that the same is happening with the accounting side of our business, at least in many cases.

We’re seeing a trend among consumers which is driving them away from buying from large corporate entities. They are embracing the customer centric focus smaller firms are able to offer, which only works when the personal touch is at the forefront. The above situation seems to be lacking a personalized approach. How would you have handled this situation if you represented the facility? What if you worked for the supplier firm? What would you have done differently? Do you have other examples that you can share? Also, if you want to learn more about my perspective or to learn more about ActusMR, visit www.actusmr.com or email me at paul_kirch@actusmr.com.

If you’re representing a company, product or service, I’d encourage you find what makes you most excited. In what area(s) are you passionate or proud? Think about how you can position those pieces in a way that matters to your potential customers. When you’re sharing your story, make sure you touch on why you believe in the brand you represent. If you believe in something, not only does it come across with more energy and enthusiasm, there’s sincerity behind the words. You are seen as believable and honest and you avoid being seen as “salesy”.

Identifying areas where you’re passionate is important in all aspects of your life. If you focus on the high points, it can diminish any areas of negativity. Think about your spouse or significant other. If you stop recognizing or identifying areas about them that make you passionate toward them and dwell on the negative, what do you think happens to your relationship? What do you think happens to how you feel about them or how you refer to them? How do you believe others around you view your relationship? If you can’t identify the good points and how to maximize them, it’s hard to convince yourself (or others) that it’s a positive situation. The same is true when talking to clients and prospects. Identify what you believe in and help them see that you’re truly sincere in your position and you’ll go a long way toward opening doors by building trust. Without those positive beliefs, how do you expect to honestly and fairly represent your company to the market place?

I encourage you to grab a piece of paper and write down at least 10 things you like about your company. From that list, identify those items which bring value to your customers. If there aren’t any items, then dig deeper. Look for items which allow you to sell with integrity. Identify those points and write a sentence or paragraph about why you believe as you do. You can then use those points when speaking with customers. If you want to make it really impactful, share the list with them as a leave behind: “Here’s my top 10 list of reasons I love my company.” People love passionate people, so don’t be afraid to share yours, just make sure it’s sincere. Though a simple exercise, if used correctly, you’ll go a long way toward developing solid client relationships built upon trust. More importantly, you’ll move from the ABC (Always be closing) method of selling to, what I like to call, the ABE (Always be engaging) method. It’s a move you’ll never regret. If you want to learn more about my perspective or to learn more, visit www.actusmr.com or email me at paul_kirch@actusmr.com.

If prospects and clients are inquiring if you’re talking to them, then that means they’re actually paying attention to you, which is a great start. Unfortunately, most marketing and advertising fails to resonate or make an impact. Why? Often it’s because the message isn’t really reaching the intended recipient in the way intended. Sales letters, direct mail, advertisements, web copy, blogs and other forms of marketing communication often miss the mark. Here’s just a few of the reasons why:

• Creativity – often there’s far too much emphasis on catchy headlines. Yes, you want to be creative, but if you’re headline isn’t touching on an issue or problem with your prospect, are you really impacting them? What impacts you when it comes to marketing?
• Mechanical – it’s important that you offer the same 10 services your competitor does, but is that really what you want to focus on when messaging? If it’s the main focus of your message, avoid the mechanics and talk about the benefits doing business with you provides
• Differentiation – if you can show how you’re truly different, and in a way that matters to the buying audience, you’re much more likely to break through barriers. Differentiation matters today more than ever.
• Call-to-Action – if you’re not asking for the audience members to take some action, are you missing out on a golden opportunity? An offer, a survey, a request for more information, or some other item that requires them to take action moves them closer to being a customer.
• Perspective – most marketing material is created without understanding the real needs or desires of the buying audience. Often the focus is mechanical and creative, but not on actionability. To learn more about understanding your audience, visit A Model Prospect.

When writing, there’s a simple model that can help you create an impactful message, especially if you understand the needs of your buying audience. The model consists of four questions:
• Why – Why is your company different?
• What – What can you do that others can’t?
• How – How do you do it?
• What If – What will happen if they work with you?

Take this approach and you’re creating actionable, differentiated messaging. Obviously, an advertisement my not include detail on each point, but the focus should be on making sure they understand all four questions and what it means to them. Use these questions when planning your marketing and you’re going to go a long way toward providing real value driven messaging.

Clearly, you don’t want your audience standing in front of a mirror imagining a confrontation with you, like De Niro. However, if you can get them asking “you talkin’ to me?” you know they’re listening. Get them listening and they might just become new clients. If you want to learn more about my perspective or to learn more, visit www.actusmr.com or email me at paul_kirch@actusmr.com.

I’ve seen several styles and ways of doing business. For the people I have directly managed or coached, I often teach something which also served me well in my own career. Today, marketers call it building an Avatar, but I always called it modeling my prospects. Many of you view an Avatar as an animated character which might appear on a website or survey. Others think it refers to the blockbuster movie. The Avatar I’m actually referencing is the practice of designing and building a model of who you believe is your ideal prospect and client. The deeper you can go the better, get as specific as how they dress, what their work environment looks like, what motivates them, what are their fears, what are the issues they face, etc. Map out this person and build your message to meet his (or her) needs and you have something to develop your marketing or sales strategy to. If you’re reading this and thinking this is a waste of time, then you’ll probably always focus on the mechanical. Being empathetic to the people you’re catering to is a great way of relating to their needs, wants and desires. Without that, you’re basing it on things which may or may not matter.

An Avatar doesn’t preclude getting to know each individual prospect or client’s needs. What it does do, however, is give you the ability to build powerful strategies; strategies that will drive success for you and your company. It also gives you a means of training staff to deal with issues before they come up. It means you’re getting closer to understanding why people choose to do business with you and why they choose to go elsewhere. If you know those things, then building a plan to overcome the hurdles and objections is a much simpler task.

For me, it started as an exercise in a college psychology class. It has turned into a tool which has helped me get a leg up on my competition and it’s helped others who embrace the concept. The fact that it’s formalized within certain areas of marketing affirms my thinking. I encourage you to start to identify who your model prospect and client is. It doesn’t have to be one person, but get specific with the details. Then, develop your strategies from there. As Jeff stated, you are not your market. However, you can go a long way toward understanding what it takes to dominate within yours. If you want to learn more about my perspective or to learn more, visit www.actusmr.com or email me at paul_kirch@actusmr.com.

There is, however, a form of paper money many people do tend to carelessly leave lying around. It’s a form of money without a fixed monetary value, though some of it is worth thousands, or even tens of thousands of dollars. It’s given to express interest in business or it’s given to spark more dialogue, which ultimately translates to financial gain when used properly. I’m talking about business cards. If you have a stack of business cards on your desk you haven’t followed through on, you are guilty of wasting valuable opportunity. Opportunity that equates to money lost. If you don’t have a stack on your desk, then, clearly, you’re tidier than some… Of course, there are exceptions, but almost anyone collecting business cards has either neglected to follow through, or done very little with a significant number of the cards collected. You wouldn’t ignore other forms of paper money, but these gems often depreciate to the point of no real value due to neglect.

When someone gives you a business card it’s a warm lead with great potential, but only if you work to establish a relationship. If you simply add the contact to your database and send a follow up email, is that really capitalizing on the opportunity? Turning warm leads cold takes no effort, and leaves you with a stack of worthless paper. While turning warm leads hot also takes very little effort, turning the lead into paper money is where the real effort comes in. Believe me, it’s well worth the effort. Below are some pointers on how to turn business cards into currency you can use:

1. When you are personally given a business card at an event, ask for a follow up meeting right then and there. If the person can’t schedule a time, tell him you’ll call him the next day to schedule an appointment. Now, all you have to do is follow through.

2. If you have a business card, follow up immediately with any items you’ve promised or discussed. If there are no tasks, send a PERSONALIZED message that recaps what you discussed when you received the card and ask for a meeting. No response? Follow up with a call.

3. If you collect business cards at a booth, call to discuss what you can do for the owners. A personalized email or letter can also be effective, but expect a small percentage of responses. Call the non-responders to discuss setting a meeting.

4. If you have business cards that have been lying dormant for a long time and you know where you collected them, I personally believe its ok to call and explain you neglected to contact when you should have. Some may argue this, but I’m a big believer in owning your mistakes. Be sincere and focus on re-engaging them. It may lead to a dead end, but that’s proof that warm leads should be heated up before going totally cold. If your intention is to send an email or letter, expect a very low response rate. If you committed to follow through and didn’t, making a call now shows that the relationship still matters, even if your lack of follow through, originally, made it appear as if it did not.

5. If you use a structured auto-responder to send out emails for sales or marketing purposes, still take time to engage those people with a personal touch.

6. If you have a blog or newsletter, invite them to receive a copy, explaining that it’s value-added and not salesy. If it is the latter, you’re approach needs to be revisited.

7. Start working on relationship building and engaging with that first call. Identify what pain points are and find a way to ease their suffering.

One of my favorite stories about business cards was told to me by a former manager. A senior executive he worked with was handed business cards at a meeting with a prospect that they both attended. After the meeting, he asked the executive what he was going to do with the cards. He said, “I threw them away. What am I going to do with their card?” My manager was shocked since he understood that those cards were a potential reward for a successful meeting. For him, they could turn into a trophy if he could convert them to a client. Business cards can be trash or trophies. It’s your choice. Trophies go to winners and winners capitalize on opportunities. Trash on the other hand, has little value and looks better in a trash can than on your desk. For me, I prefer the trophies, especially when they come with a cash prize. If you want to learn more about my perspective or to learn more, visit www.actusmr.com or email me at paul_kirch@actusmr.com.

I remember when I started to understand that I had to learn to let the client do the talking. I was at a meeting in Southern California. I spent 5 days on the road, attending 26 meetings in that whirlwind week, which included three networking functions. I was joined by my manager at the time and into the second day of the trip we had a meeting which looked to be very promising. I had done my homework, I knew what I wanted to uncover and I felt I was ready. There was one crucial piece of information I was hoping to take away from the meeting. When I had the opportunity, I asked a pivotal question, which the client started to answer. At the end of the meeting, my manager asked me if I knew a certain piece of information. I said, “She never answered me.” That’s when he pointed out that she tried to answer me, but I cut her off and jumped on another topic. I was embarrassed, I had missed out on something critical to winning their business away from a competitor and I could have totally controlled the outcome. Instead, it was a failed meeting. It was at that moment, I realized a critical piece I was going to focus on: listening. Over the years, I’ve learned to become very skilled at asking thought provoking and engaging questions. I have also learned to let the people in the meeting answer and let them drive the conversation, while I use questions to keep things on point or focused where I need them. It’s something that has become a talent, but it came from hard work and self scrutiny. I became my own toughest critic.

If you’re in a client-facing role, such as project management, business development, or some other position where you’re directly communicating with prospects and clients, focus on becoming more engaging. Learn to ask better questions and find ways to uncover those critical pieces of the puzzle. If you’re not good at listening, find ways to get better. What worked for me? I actually practiced. On my own time, two friends of mine who understood sales helped me role play meeting scenarios. I was determined not to embarrass myself or miss another clue. It made a world of difference. In addition, I used to record myself on the phone so I could hear what I sounded like. There is nothing more embarrassing or enlightening. Do you suffer from saying, “um” repeatedly when you present or conduct meetings? Do you have some other nervous habit when you speak? Break out a recording device and you’ll be surprised what you can learn.

Everyone has been guilty of interrupting someone during conversation at one time or another. Though often not intended to be, it’s considered rude and can be disruptive. When it comes to prospects and clients, not only are those two things true, in addition, you might just have missed the answer you were waiting for. Want to make sure it doesn’t happen to you? Your new mantra should be “Shut Up and Sell.” Learn to master that and you’ll never miss that crucial answer again.

If you want to learn more about my perspective or to learn more, visit www.actusmr.com or email me at paul_kirch@actusmr.com.

Building a client list takes time and often comes at a significant financial cost. Unless you’re using a structured database or CRM system, how well is that list being managed or preservedI joined a firm a few years ago as their Vice President of Business Development. Two days after coming on board, a sales person left the company. The firm was using an ACT contact management tool. The employee was working remotely and had his database running locally on his machine. When he sent his laptop back to the home office, he had deleted the database, which was not retrievable. The file wasn’t being backed up (though everyone believed it was) and the tool they were using put them in a vulnerable position. Not only was there no record of any client interaction, a sizeable portion of the current client contacts was lost. Accounting had record of any clients billed, but that didn’t give the correct operational contacts or any other sales related information.

Beyond how the data are stored, how such information is used is often an issue. So few companies keep their clients engaged through a newsletter or some sort of structured marketing campaign. With today’s email services and auto responders, it’s possible to even automate a touch system which is professional, powerful and seamless. Still, most companies in marketing research don’t take advantage of such methods. The argument I hear is that it’s impersonal or it doesn’t work. If it’s impersonal, make it personal. If it’s ineffective, go back to the drawing board. After all, there are a lot of successful businesses that leverage these methods of engaging customers and they see a huge return on investment. Often impersonal and ineffective campaigns stem from lazy approaches or sticking with a poor system. Both are bad practices.

If automation isn’t right for you or your firm, you can still leverage your database to drive more business. Send out emails with tips and advice, or perhaps you can even ask your clients/prospects questions to determine how to better serve them or what voids you can help fill. If you can convert just a handful of prospects, or even customers who have lapsed, to new clients by proving you bring value to the relationship, its worth a great deal to your company and the proverbial bottom line. Many service providers live and die off of the business from as few as 20-30 clients. They may have more, but even if it’s 60 clients, adding 5 new firms or turning lapsed users back into active accounts is a monumental impact. How many of those companies living off a small base of clients have thousands of contacts in their database? How many are not effectively engaging even a small percentage of those companies? Shocking and disappointing, the answer to both question is a lot of them.

So, stop saving those contacts until a rainy day and reach out and get them engaged. Focus on value driven messaging and avoid sales pitches, but start to reach out. Maybe you can share content, white papers, reports or some other item you think they’ll value. Though the Colonel kept his recipe secret, he left no stone unturned when he grew his business. Use your list right and you’ll learn to fry your competition, just like he did. I’d aim for nothing less than extra crispy!

One of my favorite things about living in Dallas is the airport. I spend my fair share of time on an airplane and I find it easy to get anywhere in the US non-stop on American Airlines. One thing I typically dread, however, is the parking. The three options I rely on most are terminal parking, valet and Express parking, with the latter being my begrudging default choice. The express lots are cheaper than the other two, but are still on airport grounds with a brief shuttle trip to get you to and from your car. Unfortunately, waiting for the shuttle can be irritating. One of my recent trips consisted of too little sleep and way too many delays. I finally landed at DFW, dreading the wait for the shuttle to get me to my car, only to be followed by a 15 minute drive home, which I was certain, would last much longer in my mind. I walked to the waiting area for the shuttle which showed up a few minutes later. The young lady who was driving stopped and quickly jumped out of her seat and greeted me with a smile and grabbed my bags before I could say anything. She was equally friendly while driving. Though I was tired and not feeling very social, she struck up a nice conversation with me. When we arrived at the lot, she asked me if I wanted a bottle of water. There is always cold water available when you arrive at the lot, but almost none of the drivers stop to get you water when you arrive back in Dallas. She stopped and grabbed me one and proceeded to drive me to my car. Once again, she had my bags in hand and was off of the shuttle before me. She took a stressful trip and turned it into a pleasant experience, with her refreshing approach. In fact, I drove home with a smile, feeling great and that water tasted especially good.

Over the years I’ve been in Dallas, I’ve parked at that lot a number of times and have had mixed experiences. Most of the drivers are friendly enough, but this time, the impact was extremely positive. Though she’s not in sales, she created a more loyal client. So, if you’re not in sales, don’t think you don’t impact your business’ strength, image and revenue stream. What type of impact you make is up to you. And, remember, small things make a big impact. A shuttle bus driver and a bottle of water impacted my loyalty. What are you impacting? Or more importantly, who?