08.31.10
Posted in Who are You Going to Believe? at 4:05 am by Administrator
“The horse is here to stay but the automobile is only a novelty – a fad.” – The president of the Michigan Savings Bank advising Henry Ford’s lawyer, Horace Rackham, not to invest in the Ford Motor Co., 1903.
“We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out anyway.” – Decca Records, when they rejected The Beatles, 1962.
Scientists See Ice Age In the Future.- The Washington Post, January 11, 1970
The nay-sayers and dooms-dayers have always been with us. Especially in times of economic and social uncertainty they seem to prosper with statements filled with gloom. These statements range from the financial disasters awaiting the world to the failure of capitalism in the United States of America to other dire global health and natural disasters that are bound to happen. With this daily bombardment of the-sky-is-falling predictions, who are you going to choose to believe?
While I’m not minimizing the seriousness of the problems that we are currently facing, we have to make a decision. Either we are in business and in life to build something worthwhile or we are going to drift along at the mercy of every negative statement that tells us the best years are behind us, that no one is interested in our idea, our product or our mission. The very essence of the pioneering spirit that has made America great is the same pioneering spirit that drives you and me to risk it all to make a better life for our families and communities. We must believe in “can” more than “can’t” and in “do” more than “don’t”. If the great inventors, musicians, doctors and scientists over the centuries had listened to the prevailing opinions of the day, our quality of life would be much less than what we enjoy today.
This week and the rest of the year make it a point to eliminate a crisis-like management style from your life and from your company. Recognize that things may be tough but lead your company to operate with a sense of purpose and vision that will inspire growth and creativity. Choose to believe in success and not failure.
Regards,
Brian Boek
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07.29.10
Posted in No Slurpee for You at 3:02 am by Administrator
Leave it to kids to know about free Slurpees at 7-Eleven on 7/11. Free Slurpees was the cry from the back seat as I attempted to find a way out of joining the other free Slurpee seekers. After much begging I relented and the Suburban rolled to a stop in front of the local 7-Eleven. Rushing through the door, mouths drooling for a refreshing Slurpee, the innocence of childhood was lost.
“Oh, sorry but we’ve ran out of the free cups.”
“Ok,” I said, “Sooo, what does than mean-no free Slurpee?”
The chuckling reply was unexpected. “I guess you have to buy a larger cup, hee, hee.” And so ended the quest for the free Slurpee at 7-Eleven on 7/11 with ticked off kids and an irritated dad.
Has there been a time when a company you know, perhaps your company, has ran a promotion and the product was not in stock or the inventory was inadequate to support the sale? I’ve seen companies struggle to promote a product only to be frustrated with these very items. If you’re frustrated, think of what your customers are feeling. Maybe a little ticked. A dealer who has committed to buying a promotional product is invested in the purchase much like you are. Especially if they have a signed contract from their client and then cannot perform due to your company’s delivery challenges, the promotion has become a liability to them and future business with your company.
There are ways to prevent these scenarios from happening:
Insist that no product is promoted unless inventory is physically sitting in your warehouse
In cases of limited inventory on hand, make sure the customer is aware of that fact
Promoting a product without samples, literature or correct promotional information is a non-promotion. You will end up “re-launching” a product and attempting to re-create enthusiasm about what may now be a perceived failure.
Fortunately that fateful day, 7/11, a neighboring 7-Eleven had plenty of free cups. Everyone went home happy. Mr. Guess-You-Have-to-Buy-Larger-Cup lost future business because he had not planned. Hopefully such a small lesson can help us all be more proactive in making the right decisions for upcoming promotions.
Regards,
Brian Boek
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06.30.10
Posted in Baseball - Toilet Paper- Business at 6:25 am by Administrator
Who knew that being a Little League All-Star involved certain rites of passage… including toilet paper. Yet, that is how the evening started when the team piled into two cars intent on inducting the newest all star members into the hallowed halls of fame.
“Ok boys, this house is the one,” stated Coach Lasorda (names changed to protect the innocent). Excitedly, the team sneaked up the sidewalk and began their treacherous work. Just minutes had passed- an adult voice, feet pounding down the sidewalk. Jumping in the car, a quick count, uh-oh, two kids missing. Fearless Coach Torre began his long walk up the sidewalk.
A rather irritated parent exclaimed, “Do these two kids belong to you? Do you know what they are out doing?”
“Uhhh, Yes. I do,” was the reply.
Dumfounded, the parent shook his head as Coach Torre asked, “Aren’t you Mr. T with our little league?”
“No.”
“Oops. Wrong house, wrong target. Alright boys, clean it up, on to the next house.”
We, I mean they, all had a good laugh.
Are you missing or hitting the right target? As a business person, identifying the business segments you want your sales people to target is critical. Some companies are very good at this while others take a “let’s get it all” approach with no particular plan in mind. Targeting specific business segments, e.g. government, healthcare, property management, remodels, allows you to have a much more balanced model that keeps your business steadily growing instead of having unbelievable peaks and never ending valleys.
In order to target certain business segments here are some considerations:
Saying you want to do it doesn’t make it so
Develop a structured plan
Ask what is our market share/revenue goal?
Who is responsible for growing this business?
What staffing changes need to be made to meet the goals?
Do we need to create a separate division to bring focus?
How will we track progress?
From little league baseball, to toilet paper to business- what a connection! If you hit the wrong house or target in business, it can severely damage the financial health of your company but if you plan and execute properly, the rewards can be terrific and bring many years of prosperity.
Have a Happy 4th.
Brian Boek
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05.27.10
Posted in The Invisible Salesman at 5:16 am by Administrator
The phone rings, voicemails are left, voicemail is full, emails are sent, emails bounce inbox is full…… Aaarrgh, why won’t my rep get back to me?
Are any of your reps the invisible salesman? All of us have probably had experience with a rep who worked for us or called on us but never answered the phone or did not make regular sales calls. Perhaps the only time we find out is when a frustrated customer calls and is ready to throw their samples and displays to the curb. How do you keep it from getting to that point? No earth shattering revelation here- it takes being in the field with your reps and creating customer relationships where your customers are comfortable approaching you in the good times and bad.
Here are a few ideas to build those relationships:
Pick up the phone and call a few accounts at random. Thank them for their business and ask for feedback regarding the overall service of your company.
Schedule regular ride-a-longs with your reps (when was the last time you were in the field?). Instead of letting the rep choose which accounts to visit, you select a few that you want to see and that might have been neglected.
Ask the question in person or on the phone- how are we doing? Most customers will tell you the good and the bad.
If there is an issue the customer shares, do your best to resolve it as soon as you are physically able then follow up with the customer to let them know the outcome.
Visiting customers face to face keep small issues from developing into larger problems. It helps your reps feel like management understands their business and customer base; which in turn leads to reps who are not invisible but are eager to connect to each customer.
Have a memorable and blessed Memorial Day.
Brian Boek
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04.30.10
Posted in Hardwood Sold by the Yard at 5:43 pm by Administrator
In his booming disc jockey voice, the radio personality shares his great flooring experience with the local audience. “My wife and I went to XYZ Flooring Store for beautiful hardwood flooring. XYZ installed great laminated flooring in our upstairs home office. XYZ can help you too with pricing as low as $3.99 per yard.”
What is wrong with this picture? Maybe just because I’m a flooring guy I recognize the inaccuracies of the advertisement. The term “laminated flooring” is not buying you any brownie points in the consumer’s eyes and hardwood priced by the yard (it wasn’t even a square yard) makes for some mental gymnastics. Someone spent a lot of money on an ad that obviously wasn’t reviewed or proofed prior to recording it.
I have had many people express their dissatisfaction with internal and external marketing people who provide inaccurate information. It confuses the customer, frustrates the sales reps and costs the company money especially when price issues are involved. We’ve all made mistakes on a marketing piece but those errors should be few and far between. Always make it a point to proof and reproof by multiple eyes to make sure you are promoting the image you want representing your company.
Regards,
Brian Boek
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03.30.10
Posted in Too Busy Working to Make Money at 5:39 pm by Administrator
Sitting in the smoke filled room with my wife’s eighty-two year young grandpa, I struggled to breathe as he told me, “Brian, I was always too busy working to make money.”
A lot of us probably feel that way don’t we. We are working harder for less. In our weekly meetings we may hear these words: Hunker down. Protect. Defend. Make cuts. Tighten our belts and on and on the discussions go.
Over the past several months the number of successful business men and women who have made these statements are more than a few. It is fashionable in a struggling economy for those in management to speak of such issues. While I am not trying to minimize the importance of smart business decisions, what I see are previously successful businesses failing to move forward, to be creative and promote their brand. I personally have experienced many businesses who admit the need to improve their sales and marketing programs but they struggle with their decisions because of the associated costs.
The trite phrase “You’ve got to spend money to make money” has validity. If you want to grow your business, encourage your management team to review the company approach regarding investing money in areas that will improve your position in the marketplace. You can be confident there will be a return on investment when you spend your sales and marketing dollars wisely.
Regards,
Brian
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02.24.10
Posted in Do You Know Jack? at 1:07 am by Administrator
Little league baseball practice had ended and this coach was hungry and tired. A quick trip at the drive thru and a Southwest Chicken salad from Jack in the Box was on the menu for lunch. Stomach rumbling and mouth watering I tore the plastic lid off and found I had been gypped- no chicken on my chicken salad. Now I know that this is a small detail but come on, I need my protein. Jack tells me all the time on t.v. how good he is so I decided to test him. I filled out the online contact form and voila, two days later I received a letter of apology, a please give us another chance statement and a gift certificate. Wow. I guess Jack really is as good as he says he is.
Is it that far of a stretch from Southwest Chicken salad to wholesale distribution? In regards to customer service, the answer is no. Handling complaints quickly and fairly can help you edge out your competitors. Too many times complaints are ignored or only acted upon when they reach the upper levels of a company. Improving customer service can and should be stressed in every job description throughout the company. No matter how good your business may be, there will be complaints. How you respond will determine whether or not you are ordinary or EXTRA-ordinary. Here are a few items to consider.
Have a formal process for handling complaints
Establish a time frame on how quickly the complaint will be resolved
Communicate your willingness to resolve the issue with the customer
Give your lower level employees the authority to resolve complaint issues
Make sure someone is monitoring your general company email addresses or voice mails and responding appropriately
This next month test your staff. Do they know Jack? See how they will respond to various customer service issues and whether or not it meets your level of expectation.
Next time you are in San Diego, look me up, I’ll buy you lunch with Jack.
Regards,
Brian Boek
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01.27.10
Posted in Have You Seen Big MO? at 5:14 am by Administrator
How many times in the past few weeks have you seen Big Mo?
Professional and playoff games alike have been filled with Big Mo. The team that is favored to win suddenly finds themselves the victim of Big Mo- the Big Momentum shift. If your home team is losing, the atmosphere in the stadium deflates as the home team continues with mistake after mistake (By the way, I don’t want to talk about the Chargers). Their comfortable lead vanishes while the underdog fights their way to victory.
Is Big Mo on your side in business or do you find yourself waiting and hoping that things change? Momentum is generated in business when there is a focused effort to capture market share in a particular segment or pursue a specific ideal. In a sense, you create your own momentum. If you are continually lamenting the poor state of the economy, revenue and profitability, Big Mo will never find you. Mistakes and bad business decisions will make it difficult to gain a foothold against your competition. However, if you position and make decisions in your business now for the future upswing, momentum will begin to build and your competition will be the ones left behind wondering where is Mo.
Now go find Mo!
Regards,
Brian Boek
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12.28.09
Posted in Do You Want the Job or Not?, Well at 5:11 am by Administrator
As the interview drew to a close, I had answered the questions and asked plenty of my own. I began to prepare to leave when a final question stopped me in my tracks. “Well, do you want the job or not?” Oops. I forgot to ask the most critical question. I still smile as I recall that interview over eleven years ago but it did teach me a lesson- always ask for what you want.
I see many sales people never close the sale because they do not ask for the order. Whether or not it stems from fear or lack of planning is irrelevant because the outcome is the same. You don’t make a sale, you don’t make money. A sales trainer once said that timid sales people have hungry children. In other words, being afraid to ask the seemingly difficult question, is sure to leave you with empty pockets.
2009 had its share of challenges and 2010 will have plenty of its own. One of the things we can control is making sure our salespeople ask for the business. In your visits with clients, watch and listen to see how your employees ask for the business. If they don’t, make it your mission to ask for the order and don’t be surprised when you get it.
“Well, do you want the job or not?” “Yes. I’m very interested”, I replied. Two weeks later, I hit the streets as a new employee.
Regards,
Brian Boek
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11.20.09
Posted in Smores for the Holidays at 5:07 am by Administrator
In just a few days we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. I would like to take a moment and recognize those who won’t be home for the holidays- our American men and women that continue to defend our freedom. A client recently shared an email with me that a U.S. Marine had written thanking them for donations his unit had received. The highlight of this Marine’s holiday in Afghanistan was if he could receive enough graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate for his unit so they could have smores for Christmas-just a little taste of home. As I read that to my kids I was struck by how blessed we are to live in this great land and the sacrifices that our soldiers make to keep us free.
Many of you support and make donations to various charitable organizations in your local community. That is a wonderful commitment and I encourage you to continue making the lives of others better through this season and the next year.
I wish you and your family the Happiest of Thanksgivings.
Regards,
Brian Boek
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