My former business was a franchise. One of the benefits of being a franchise was that we had semi-annual conferences where we got together to share ideas and learn from each other. (We've also been known to do the "chicken dance" at Joe's Crab Shack but that's a different story for a different time!) We shared a lot of great ideas on how we can grow our businesses and help our customers do the same. Here are some of the ideas you might find useful. Talk to a lot of people This sounds simple and it is. But it's easy to get distracted and focused on other things. Most of us (and our businesses) can benefit from connecting with a lot of people. The more people who know us and what we do, the more good prospects we'll have in our sales pipeline. Ask for the order Again, this sounds so simple that it should go without saying. But, as imperfect people we can easily forget simple and basic things like asking people to do business with us. It's not hard and it does work. Make it easy to do business with you The busier we get the less we tend to think about how easy or hard it is for people to do business for us. We tend to think about things from our perspective, not our customers. If we want people to keep working with us, we need to focus on their needs. Follow up right away Even with all our high technology, people still slip through the cracks. The best way to follow up with a new contact is to do it right away. To this end I've started keeping postcards and stamps in my briefcase. After each meeting I jot a short note on a postcard and drop it in the nearest mailbox. Be present Too many emails, phone calls, meetings and tasks. Too many deadlines and too many plans. Our days are filled with too many ways to prevent us from being in the present. Often we need to stop and stand still mentally for a moment and just be present right now, right here. Forget everything else and just focus on the moment. It's a nice change! Sometimes the other person is just having a bad day When you think you're doing a lousy job because the other person is not buying what you're selling, maybe they're just having a bad day. One of my colleagues recognized this in a selling situation that was quickly going nowhere. So, she used her special brand of New York humor to break the ice. And, in an instant the ice melted, they connected and she closed the deal. |
