When you give people the

benefit of doubt, they’ll take it!

     If it’s leadership  you seek to provide and succeed with, DO NOT give people “the benefit of doubt”! Just don’t! I think that 99 times out of 100, you’ll be sorry! You’re in sales, or you own your own business, or manage a business or major part of a business… all, one in the same; all require you to be selling something all day every day!

     When you give someone  — a customer, a prospect, an employee, a vendor, a referrer, an investor — the benefit of doubt, she or he will take it. And what creek does that leave you up without a paddle? Why set yourself up for reaping non-performance?

     Isn’t it like having someone  with a poor track-record for reliability telling you the check is in the mail? What’s the worst that can happen by you being an assertive non-believer? You end up making a wrong judgment about some one’s behavior? Then apologize and get on with life.

     It happens every day.  Life is too short to wallow in having made a bad judgment call. On the other hand, by calling the other person’s hand (politely of course; nowhere here am I even suggesting a demanding or arrogant or feisty or pushy or aggressive tone; nowhere!), you will simply be jogging a slow responder.

     My best totally non-cynical guess,  by the way, is that slow responder is a term that probably describes a minimum of half the people on the planet. And many of these folks will actually be grateful for the little prod. So stop annoying yourself with thoughts that you may be annoying to others.

     Your job  is to get your job done, right? And hopefully it’s to accomplish that task in the most respectful and considerate manner possible. But maybe it’s time to examine whether you are in fact getting your just reward, getting what you’re entitled to, and getting your due in a timely fashion.

     I’m not just talking about collecting payments here.  Decision-making delays are at least as big, if not bigger, of a culprit to contend with. It doesn’t take long for a sales pro to learn that “maybe” is the worst possible response to get from a prospect or customer. “No” means you can cut the line and let the customer or prospect drift out to see with a smile and wave.

     “Maybe” means now you have to hang on  to making repeated efforts at repeated expense with repeated energy and still only have 50-50 odds of success. People who say “maybe” or tell you to “call back” next week, next month, next year, are, in my opinion, time-wasters 99% of the time!

     They do not deserve the benefit of doubt.

     And if you give it to them,  repeatedly, you may be looking at some pretty miserable odds for ulcers and business failure. I once had a very successful and highly respected sales manager who kept this sign over his desk:

BE NICE. BE FIRM. BE DIRECT. BE UNDERSTANDING.

LISTEN. BUT DON’T GIVE OR TAKE ANY CRAP!

GET (AND VALUE!) A “YES” OR “NO”!  

# # #  

Consultant: person

from 100 miles away

with a BlackBerry and laptop.

You better believe it  that clients give more respect to consultants from “out of town.” Besides that the out-of-town guy’s perspective is “totally fresh,” clients love to talk about the fact that they have a consultant who’s “totally hosing” them!

Why?  Who knows? And who cares? How to UN-do this unrealistic, warped mindset is what really matters. The best consultants are those who get the job done on schedule, pleasantly and reasonably.

And, by the way,  EVERY client loves consultants who are willing to work on a partial performance incentive basis! Hey, why not? Prove yourself. If you’re so sure you can solve the problem, you should be willing to bet part of your compensation on it, and of course charge more … especially where sales or savings commissions are possible! You can be fairly certain the out-of-town guy won’t do that.

First of all,  if you’re serious about wanting to do consulting work of any kind — regardless of your expertise — start with and communicate confidence (not cockiness!) by recognizing that you know more about the subject than any client, or your services wouldn’t be required.

Second,  roll up your sleeves and get to work being a consultant before you’re even hired to be a consultant. Show the client how you function be getting right to the heart of things. Take any minor issue raised in a discussion and ask questions. Listen carefully. Analyze and make recommendations. Do it in a relaxed manner.

And stop worrying  about giving away your expertise by solving problems that you’re not asked to solve and that you’re not being paid for yet. If you think you can do it, do it!

Avoid getting tangled up  in contracts, long-term agreements, petty lawyer-style compensation terms (Do you want to pay someone by the quarter hour for reading your email or letter or for listening to your phone call that outlines the basic logistics of what the working arrangements will be?) Like NIKE says, Just Do It!

If repeat business and referrals  are important to you (duh!), then focus on getting the job done, instead of telling how great you are. Track-records don’t produce sales unless you’re a major name athlete. Ongoing demonstrations of knowledge and know-how, and resources, and ability to communicate clearly will land the assignment AND solve the client’s problem.

When I started as a consultant,  I hired a consultant to “sit in” as my “assistant” and then later badger me with devil’s advocate questions to force me to stay tuned in and come to terms with my own problem-solving and communication skills. It was worth every penny! (Uh, you DO remember what a “penny” is?)

Bottom line:  There’s NOTHING can compare to working for yourself! If you’re out of work, have special knowledge and skill, have integrity, communications skills, and confidence … stop making excuses and go for it. You don’t need a BlackBerry and laptop. Just start with a phone, email capability, business cards, and determination!

# # #

Travel in circles

of authenticity!

     I used to teach  my entrepreneurship students to carry their business cards everywhere. I even suggested that a couple of laminated cards tucked into a bathing suit pocket or workout or yoga bag wouldn’t be a bad idea. They thought I was nuts!

     I’ll tell you what…  you find me someone who is a self-made business success who doesn’t always have a business card available, and I guarantee you that an inheritance played some role. Proactive business owners and managers know that most explosive business opportunities come from where you least expect them.

     I’ve had people  track me down with a ten year-old business card that no longer had the same address and phone numbers. And of course you can find anyone these days on Google. The point is to not discount the value of every contact you make every day.

     Networking isn’t about  a great grip handshake, a business card exchange and a teethy smile. Networking isn’t a flashy passing or a thunderbolt. Networking is all about cultivating the relationships you initiate.  Here are four thoughts, and a bottom line…

One:

Take the time and trouble  to jot down the date, event, and some memorable trait or visual or vocal characteristic or attribute on the back of every business card you collect. “Red hair / wire-rim glasses / unbuttoned collar / infectious laugh” are the kinds of comments that will help bring the individual back into focus after a hundred other cards and a hundred hours pass. 

Two:

Write something personal  on the cards you give out, especially to someone you really want to remember you. Scribble a connecting website or 2nd email address that’s not printed on the card, your cell number, or a book title you recommend.

Three:

Follow up. Follow up. Follow up.  Nobody does it. I’m not talking about being annoying or badgering; don’t waste your time. I mean if someone mentions they have a child with a special interest or need, and you run across information that’s related, send it along: “Saw this and was reminded of our discussion; thought you might be interested.”

Four:

The biggest and/or best business deal  you ever get is likely to come –as they say at the ballpark– from out of left field. It may be a contact you never dreamed of being productive, or one that comes as a second or third person referral from someone else who you never thought even noticed you.

The Bottom line . . .

Don’t write anyone off. 

The world is getting smaller every day.

People who like you and what you have to say

will talk about you and make sales for you . . .

when you least expect.

Oh, and expectations, by the way,

breed disappointment.

Value and appreciate everyone you encounter

regardless of appearances or stature.

What goes around, I’m reminded,

comes around!

Travel in circles of authenticity! 

# # #

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Hal@Businessworks.US   302.933.0116

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Many thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

Does “Boardwalk Mentality”

Dominate Your Business?

     In a diner, I might expect it,  but I visited a doctor’s office today where a beautiful, large, flatscreen TV was broadcasting full volume coverage of the funeral of a man with a track-record of highly-questionable morals, who almost single-handedly was responsible for influencing  Federal Government leadership to wreck havoc on the entire US healthcare system.

     It seemed a strange backdrop  for a medical doctor… over-the-top accolades for a leading advocate of virtually dispensing with the entire spectrum of quality physician care. Are you so out of touch, doctor, that you think it just doesn’t matter what impressions you foster in your own waiting room?

     You surely never supported  the fanatical radical ideas that man nurtured, or you wouldn’t even be in practice, yet you choose to promote them to your patients? And don’t make the excuses that your receptionist picked the station. It’s your practice.

__________________________

     As a favor to a friend,  I recently gave a retailer a sample product to consider stocking. This product performed twice as effectively, lasted twice as long, and was twice as efficient, environmentally, as the product he presently sold. Oh, and it was half the price! He refused it.

     Did I mention that this product  also had no shipping costs because it was produced in the next town and that a percentage of the proceeds was kicked back to a community program that the retailer’s wife was engaged with? “No,” he said, “I don’t want it because it lasts too long, and I need repeat sales here so it’s better that the things people buy break down; then they have to come back for more!”

     Are YOU this out of touch?

__________________________

     When I taught business  at Ocean County College, near the famous boardwalks of Point Pleasant, Belmar, Seaside Heights, Asbury Park and Atlantic City, I used to refer to this out-of-touch kind of thinking as having a “Boardwalk Mentality.”

     Boardwalk stand owners  and operators fostered the attitude for years (and some, unfortunately, still do) that it’s okay to rip people off to get their money because –first of all, they’re on vacation and don’t really care how much they spend and –second, because those people will never be back again anyway, and even if they are, they won’t remember getting bilked.

     Obviously this kind of “screw the customer” thinking  doesn’t cut it anymore… neither does the suggestion of support for the antithesis of quality patient-care standards and your professional career, doctor!

# # #  

When paper planes

fly like the wind…

     This is NOT  about being on one knee with a ring in your pocket in front of the girl of your dreams! This is NOT  about responding to some ridiculous government or academialand RFP, where you’re dealing with people who –and I don’t mean this arrogantly; it’s just a fact– have no clue about the real world of business.

     This is NOT  about adhering to RFP rules and restrictions (that only those with enormous self-restraint and no imagination will succeed at accommodating). This is about  my contention that most proposals worth their salt will fly best as a single-page paper plane!

     You’re not so sure?  When’s the last time you got a 10 or 20 or 30-page proposal to lift off? It was a nose dive into the floor, right? This is a BlackBerry/TXTMSG/WIFI/IPOD world we’re in. Twitter Tweeters do it in 140 characters!

     So stop  re-writing War & Peace to answer every request and pose an offer to every prospect!

     Let me  roll my sleeves up and put it this way (and, yes, I know it’s not a real word!):

CONCISER IS BETTER!

     Three or four one-page  proposals of some kind every week will land you more and better quality clients, jobs, accounts, projects, sales, interviews, than one 8-10 page proposal every two weeks.

     Leave the fancy binder  and tabs and Introductions and Addendum and Exhibit 2a-3 junk for the floundering corporate giant managers and lawyers and investor solicitations and business plans and R&D studies and ROI assessments.  

     You’re a small business  seeking new customers, clients, patients, associates, referrers, sales reps, suppliers, product or service sales, increased website traffic, locations, business or branding launch… seek it in one page!

     David Balasco,  the famous theatre producer, used to tell sales reps to write what they wanted on the back of a business card and if he was interested, they could meet with him. Nearly no one ever rose to the occasion.

     Of course in those days,  people didn’t think in headlines, but the point is that WHEN you can get to the point promptly, you will increase your odds for success. If you own or manage a small business, don’t try to act too big! Keep your proposals short and sweet. If prospects are reputable and want to know more, they’ll ask! If they don’t, they’re not worth your time.

     And time,  after all, is all you really have, and you have less every minute of each day.

# # #  

A Propensity for Cantankerosity

     Not only have hard economic times  wrought hard times for business, they’ve also turned a lot of previously pleasant customers into snot-nosed, demanding, arrogant, cranky brats! In their worrisome preoccupation with getting the most value for their dollar, many customers have become much more demanding and unreasonable.

     The bad, low-trust reputations  of big-business bankers and automakers —underscored by the sea of incompetency that’s home to government administrators and politicians who haven’t a shred of business experience or know-how— have trickled down to a point where beat-up consumers are distrusting even the small, local supermarket and neighborhood newsstand.

     The manager of an upscale hotel,  who is as honest and customer-attentive as anyone who’s ever walked, reports his Guests have been getting increased service and complaining more. Service demands on the hotel’s already high-performance-level staff have no direct bearing on  accommodations, amenities, or services.

• One man created an uproar because he parked under a tree overnight and ended up with sap on his windshield. The staff spent an hour trying to clean off the sap, but their efforts weren’t sufficient or quick enough for the man’s liking. He left in a barrage of complaints and threats.
• A visiting couple made a ruckus over not having enough to do because it rained so much during their stay. Their access to movie selections, spa, fully stocked library and fully-equipped game room, plus endless nearby attractions was apparently not sufficient.

     A local farmer  tells me people are taking thirteen ears of corn and paying for twelve.      

     A retailer  known for offering discounted merchandise, much of it with minimal markup has been besieged lately with customers looking to make price deals below his costs.

     Yes, there are many examples  of the new consumer pushiness, but the bottom line remains unchanged for business owners and managers:

     The Customer Is ALWAYS Right!

     Unless physical harm  is represented, or someone is clearly breaking the law (unfortunately, it’s not worth the phone call to sic the police on someone who’s stolen one ear of corn!), you and your people have to suck it up and cater to the cantankerous.

     Like it or not,  we have to accept that it’s all part of the change of life on this planet that’s surfaced with the bad global economy. There is really only one solution if you expect to stay in business today and tomorrow: “KILL ‘EM WITH KINDNESS!” 

# # #  

Faster Than A Speeding

Twitter Tweet . . .

First and foremost,  I hope that the “Twitter Tweeter” who is  responsible for the 9 words I plucked off of Twitter (to feature in my blog post tonight) steps forward. I’d like to put a gold-medal ribbon around her/his neck.

Staring blankly at the rampaging scroll  of recent Twitter trash, I was reading:

“Gosh” and “Golly” and Obama this and Rush that; how to get 14 zillion followers in 24 hours; who’s listening to Jeremiah Was A Bullfrog;what stale peanut butter tastes like; when did Jesus last appear in midtown Manhattan; what the weather is in Southwest Padula; the now infamous “I did not…” quote by Clinton; and how cool Ban-Ray sunglasses are; THEN 9 words rolled by that caught my eye . . .

WHY?

WHY NOT?

WHY NOT ME?

WHY NOT NOW? 

     Whoa!  I said to myself, “Self, these four questions, these nine words, could turn the business world around.” Then I scribbled them down quick before they fell off my screen into Twitter oblivion (Yes, some people do still write things on paper! And, yes, Virginia, there IS a Twitter Oblivion!).

     When I looked up,  sure enough; they were gone. Was it a mirage? NO, I had them on this little scrap that I stuck in my pocket. For days, I kept pulling it out to think about. Guess what I figured out? These 9 words could be the official Mantra for Entrepreneurs.

     These 9 words  are the reason that upstart business startups get started! I mean you’re not likely to see this grafittied on nursing home walls, or in the men’s room at your local bar. This is heady stuff here.

     WHY? WHY NOT? WHY NOT ME? WHY NOT NOW?  works big-time as a thought-provoking motivator for salespeople. And aren’t we ALL salespeople? Well? Aren’t we? When did the last day ever pass in your life that you were not trying to “sell” something to somebody?

     If you’re honest,  the answer may be “never.” Even babies and puppies try to get attention. The blessed difference is they don’t have hidden agendas! So, back to the question, and back to the four questions, and 9 words:

WHY?

WHY NOT?

WHY NOT ME?

WHY NOT NOW? 

     My humble suggestion:  Write them down, paste them up, and think about them everyday for 3 weeks. I’m betting that you will astound even your skeptical self!     

# # #  

“People go only to places

they have already been

in their minds.”

Roy Williams, The Wizard of Ads

     Just when you think you’ve thought about it all, along comes another thought, but–as the above quote suggests–the human body will only go where the human mind has journeyed repeatedly already. Purchases only happen when people have or believe they have already owned the product or service.

     What does this mean for business owners, managers, entrepreneurs, PR people and publicists, marketers, salespeople, advertisers, branders, website developers, promoters, communicators, media and management consultants?

     First of all, something we’ve said here a hundred times: Repetition Sells! Repetition Sells! Repetition Sells! Repetition Sells! Repetition Sells! (okay, a hundred and five times!) But what else?

Every purchase

is the result of an

emotional trigger!

     In any form of selling, marketing, advertising, communication, if your goal relates to persuasion, then your process is limited to some form or combination of forms earmarked by approaches that hinge on educating, entertaining, boring, screaming, or seducing…engaging the imagination.

     A couple of three-little-words examples: “It’s in you” and “I’m lovin’ it” both sounded like retarded campaign theme messages when they first came out, didn’t they? Do you remember saying: “It”? What the heck is “It”? Ah, but look at what “It” has accomplished. What’s the old expression: “Say something often enough…”? (Spare me saying the RS words 106 times)

     Okay, so where do we start with the imagination seduction stuff? One way may be to take a lesson from stage and screen actors…and WHISPER! What happens next? People lean forward in their seats. What an envious position to have a prospect in, for delivering your sales pitch.

     And what else? Great pictures are great, but they don’t sell! They plant images in the mind that allow words to rush in with for the kill. (With apologies to all my artist and designer friends): One great word is worth a thousand pictures. Think of the artwork/words thing as a one-two punch.

[And if you’re reading this, looking for input about the importance of words in websites, click the 3% tab on the top right of this page!]

     Seduction is the name of the game. Every purchase is the result of an emotional trigger! A past president of Revlon once confided in me that they weren’t selling hair-coloring products, they were selling “the promise of sex to single, young girls.”

     Great, you say, some products can sell themselves anyway; it’s selling intangible services that presents the real challenge. Y’know what? That’s true. And it’s all the more reason that service-based businesses–especially–need professional marketing and professional copywriting help.

     Contrary to the “step-in-and-out-of-the-closet-with-the-magic-idea-and-words” concept that many have, professional marketing and professional copywriting are time-intensive pursuits.

     Both functions require considerable experience and exceptional skill. Don’t cut corners on finding and securing this kind of talent. Not everyone  can make “It” such a big-selling word! 

# # #  

Input: Hal@BusinessWorks.US or comment below.

Thanks for visiting. 

Go for your goals, good night and God bless you!

Obama, Hallmark, Rush,

airlines, surgeons, tourism!

     What do Obama, Hallmark Cards, all of the airlines, Rush Limbaugh, plastic surgeons and tourism councils all have in common? Whoa! Now that’s a question and a half, right? I mean what could such a collection of diverse interests possibly have in common?

     They paint pictures with words and sell them from a stage that’s literally dripping with seduction. And of course there are others. I just picked these because they’re such unlikely bed partners. Okay, here we go. Follow along. Yes, if sales are important to you, there IS a valuable lesson here.

     It’s not too big of a stretch to see how the traditional approach to schmaltz-layering, that Hallmark has so wisely (and effectively) invested of itself over the years, has rung up spectacular success. Here’s a business that makes bigger profits than bagels.

     The company buys up a zillion tons of paper, much of it scrap, folds it into four zillion tons of little envelopes and message cards, prints a few mushy words on the cards and sells the card and envelope for $5 each or thereabouts, times four zillion! 

     What’s the value enhancement? The messages they put in these cards appeal to our psyches. They seduce our egos. What did Obama do to get elected? The same thing. What’s he trying to do now with his go-for-broke healthcare fantasies? The same thing. 

     What do the airlines sell? The seat and space you are actually renting and the transporting expertise to get you where you’re going? Are you kidding? They sell you the destination! They sell you smiling hand-holding couples skipping through the surf, cliff divers in Mexico, pubs in Ireland, koala bears in New Zealand.

     Plastic surgeons selling elective procedures present us with(carefully air-brushed) photos of the killer bathing suit-clad model that we all could no doubt be. We know we could be because the word description with the picture tells us that just a few little nips and tucks here and there can give us the same results. No mention of course of the anesthesia and procedural risks, the recovery sacrifices, the expenses. 

     Rush Limbaugh sells us concepts; he’s a genius at seducing our brain frustration centers by painting verbal pictures of how good it can be if we simply think and act more conservatively, more fiscally responsible and more respectfully of the vigilence that gives us our freedoms and the values that give us our American heritage. (Now THERE’S a unique thought!)

     Island resorts: “Ooooh, let’s get together and feel alright…” Regardless of the location or message, you can be sure they’ll be nothing about the expenses, the lousy transportation, the pricey rooms and meals, the bad water, the pickpockets, the badgering street vendors, or any of the other lovely amenities you only learn about too late or sometime after your psyche has been sold. 

Selling the psyche requires you to paint pictures with words because the right word…is worth a thousand pictures!

# # #  

Input aways welcome: Hal@TheWriterWorks.com (”Businessworks” in    subject line) or comment below. Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals, good night and God bless you! halalpiar  

# # # 

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When your back’s

against the wall…

lean!

     That’s right. Let the wall hold you up. It will keep you standing, give you a better position to fight back, and allow you a place to push off of. Besides, being backed against the wall is more likely to make you a tiger than a pussycat.

     Tigers win at business. Pussycats do not. Tigers growl and claw. Pussycats purr and head for the litter-box. [And who said a business blog couldn’t be like Animal Channel?]

     I read and hear and see it everyday. It’s as if a thin coat of discouragement Spackle has been swiped across America’s small businesses. There are not as many smiles. [Please don’t stop smiling. Even forced smiles will eventually lead to real ones, maybe even produce a laugh or two!]

     When your back’s against the wall, turn around and examine the wall. Odds are it’s stronger than you. It’s probably been around a few years, without food or water, or without even using the bathroom…though it does likely have a roof over its head.

     Next, talk to the wall (especially if it’s brick, so you finally will know what all those people mean who claim to liken their discussions with their hi-tech-self-absorbed teenagers being “like talking to a brick wall!”).

     Okay, so now you’ve leaned against the wall that your back’s up against, you’ve looked at and appreciated and respected the wall, you’ve talked to the wall…what’s next?

     We need only drift back a few wonderful years ago when that question was never openly posed for worldwide consideration but received an earth-shattering response nonetheless.

     Are you thinking back and remembering? The assertive response to a none-question, offered in a stern but reassuring tone of voice by none other than the great leader of the free world, who is clearly a “one of our greatest presidents” candidates:

“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”  

I say to you here and now once more, in the immortal words of Ronald Reagan, as if he were here to consult you on your business trials and tribulations:

Tear down this wall!

# # #  

Input welcome anytime: Hal@TheWriterWorks.com (”Businessworks” in the subject line) or comment below. Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals, good night and God bless you! halalpiar  # # # 

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