Story Telling for Selling

Some shops just don't help themselves

If you land in Dublin Airport you cannot miss the big ass 'Sim' shop as you enter the main arrival hall. The shop sells mobile phone sim cards to international travellers. The idea is that you buy one of their sim cards and you can roam abroad without incurring roaming charges. Great idea.

So, credit card in hand, I approached the "sales" guy at the counter and said "I'd like to buy a sim card for my iPhone please"

Ah, he grunted, the iPhone needs a 'micro sim' card.

Isn't that like going into a battery shop and being told to go away because you need AAA batteries?

We need a pavee point for iPhone users (BB users need not comment you smug gits)

Who would miss you?

If your company went out of business in the morning. Which of your customers would miss you?

Why?

In the Mind of Bernadette Duffy - Sandler Training

This week we welcome Bernadette back into the hot seat to share her views on Consultative Selling and how it differs from Product Selling. Before joining Sandler Training, Bernadette spent 20 years with Computer Associates where she was consistently their top sales rep. 

A must listen!

 

Play: Bernadette Duffy talks about Consultative Selling

To be notified of who I am interviewing each week, join our LinkedIn Group - In the Mind of the Buyer

 

The (re)birth of Customer Service

If you or some of your sales team struggle to sell at a premium, you have only one option - be the cheapest price and/or hope your competitors can't sell either.

If you want to be the cheapest and return a profit, you will find yourself making cut backs in 'costs' like customer service and sales training. After all, these investments are optional - right.

Then along came Facebook,LinkedIn, Blogs (and other social media).........

I came across the following conversation on facebook recently. The only thing that's edited is the name of the contributors.

Facebooker: "‎3 should win some kind of award for worst customers service, I called my bank to dispute an amount that 3 took from my account without any authorisation. The bank teller said she had same problem with them".

5 hours ago · Comment · Like

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  XXXXX likes this.

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    XXXXX XXX I (foolishly) signed up with them for the iPhone because they had some well priced plans. I could only stick their lack of service 24 hours. Thankfully I got out before the 14 day trial period was up. Their customer service people where shockingly bad to deal with. Lesson learned... never again! I'm back with O2 now and quite happy!

    4 hours ago · Like
    

  • XXXX XXXXX So glad I saw this! was going to get the iPhone 4 with them this weekend! won't be doing that now!

    3 hours ago · Like
    

Still think you can't afford to invest in great Customer Service?

Think again.....

Find out what your customers are willing to pay a premium for and then find a way to give it to them. Sell only to people who are willing to pay you extra.

And leave those who are not willing to pay a little extra to the cheap merchants

 

A lesson from Elton John

I was watching Piers Morgan interview last night with Elton John. Not one to care too much about what people think of him anymore, I was intrigued with his answer to Morgan's question - "is there anything that still gives you a thrill?"

His answer was emphatic - "whenever I play a new song for Bernie and I see the reaction on his face. I still get a real thrill from that, because I know that I've pleased him"

Most people have a psychological need for approval and a need to be liked. The problem in selling is that our need for approval can get in our way. All too often we are faced with the (subconscious) dilemma - "do I want his [prospect's] money or do I want his approval?"

Unfortunately, all too frequently we chose the wrong one. 

Elton John's reply to Morgans question made me think. Perhaps what we need to instead of looking for approval from everyone we connect with, is to decide on whose approval matters to us and whose doesn't.

The approval of your close friends and family's probably should matter. A prospect's approval, often wielded as a bargaining chip (I'll give you my approval if you reduce your price), should never be sought.

Without that distinction, we can get caught up in a catch-22 situation of looking for approval wherever you can get it. 

A lesson from the Minister for sellers everywhere

I'm watching our Minister for Finance deliver his 2010 budget and I'm reminded of a very salient lesson for sellers everywhere;

Give people a tax benefit of €1,000 and you'll barely get a grunt of appreciation.

Try to take the same €1,000 back in tax and the same people will want to burn your house down.

We are far more motivated by fear of loss than they are by the promise of gain.

Now, where did I leave those matches........