Archives for June 2007

The Green Thread – It Works!

June 27, 2007 by Leave a Comment

Everybody seems to be talking about green these days.  What does it really mean to be green?  Well, start by just looking around.  Green is the most predominant color in the universe- and therefore, it is an overriding energy that connects all of us.  From basis physics we all learned colors vibrate at different frequencies – and therefore have different energies.  So you could say there is a green ‘thread’ that connects all of us – an energy that we all share.  Does this sound too ‘woo-woo?’   If you spend any time in nature at all you know it energizes you – it gives you creative thoughts – it nourishes you.  I just can’t believe this is an accidental thing. 

Greenthread_2 We ARE creatures of nature and when we become more aware of that we realize green is about awareness.  It’s about who we are, what we do during our short time on this planet, and why we are doing it.  Green is the awareness that we have a responsibility to ourselves and everyone that is connected to us, which is why the current green movement to save the planet may just work.  The trick may just be all of us making the effort to maintain the connection and not break that thread.  It can work!

Right Way Selling

June 16, 2007 by Leave a Comment

One of the most valuable tools in selling is knowing your customer.  When you engage with your customer on a regular basis, you learn their habits, mannerisms, and generally what they are like as a person.  Yesterday I gave a presentation to the Snow and Ice Management Association.  One of many excellent questions I was asked was how you know how to make the right response with a customer.  For an instant, I thought of Bill Murray – aka Carl Spackler in the film Caddyshack when he makes a decision to kill the gophers on the golf course – he says – "My enemy, my foe, is an animal. In order to conquer the animal, I have to learn to think like an animal. And, whenever possible, to look like one"  —  Of course, it does help if we learn to think like our customers, but we certainly don’t have to look like them! – which was one of the old school tricks.

Caddyshack01_2In my corporate days, I was taught to ‘mirror’ your customer.  If he leans forward, so do you.  If he sits back, so do you.  It often became this hilarious game where I’m sure my customer was wondering what the heck I was doing.  Don’t do this!  Sales isn’t a game – unless you consider relationship a game.  That’s manipulation.  People see through this because it becomes apparent that you aren’t being yourself.  Today, we are surrounded by reality television.  What’s that telling you?  That you need to be real!  You need to be open and honest with your customer.  To the best of your abilities, you need to always try to do the right thing – the right thing for your customer, for you, and for the company you represent.  There’s nothing difficult about this.  All that’s required is a preparation, full attention and awareness on the verbal and non-verbal communication used by the customer, and the natural response will likely follow.  If you don’t make the right response, no problem, your customer will usually give you the opportunity to make it right — if you have built up trust with them.

Sales is dealing with people on the most human level you know.  This is how most of us want to be sold – this is right way selling!

When Something's Not Right its Wrong

June 6, 2007 by Leave a Comment

It occurred to me today that when you work on fixing what is not rightfully your responsibility, you are doing the wrong thing.  Why?  Because your time and talent and energy should be focused on doing the right thing.  It reminded me of the verse from Bob Dylan’s You’re Gonna Make Lonesome When You Go […]

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