“What is your message? Is it the same ole stuff?” ~ Miller Heiman

There are only 5 more Selling Days left in July and 49 remaining in the Quarter!!!

It seems most every executive I talk to is trying to figure out a way to create compelling messages to the market that drive interest and create new opportunities. They are all searching for ways to be relevant in a time when there is a clear economic headwind. The funny part is that the end result – the actual marketing piece or sales call – seems to still have the same “ho-hum” message and impact. It appears that people are still afraid to take risks and to create provocative points-of-view.

I think prospects and clients want to hear these points of view so they can quickly figure out if you are someone who understands what is going on in their world. Companies have so much going on right now in terms of just making sure they have a strong foundation for survival. They don’t have time to have drawn out strategic discussions with potential vendors/partners to teach them about their business. Instead, they look for solutions to solve obvious problems.

If your message to the market is generic and more related to how great your company is then I don’t see this as an effective way to generate interest and develop new opportunities. Specific insights demonstrate that you really are an expert and you really do think about the trends in the market. It shows that you will state your opinion even though it may not be aligned with the clients’ issues. But even if it is not aligned, most customers and prospects will move the discussion along and explain how they have a whole different set of issues… either outcome is great!

Selling is truly all about the customer and their issues. The best way to determine if you remain relevant to the market is to look at the new opportunities that are in your Sales Funnel. If you don’t have many, then it is time to change the way you are doing things. At least that is my point of view.

Go out and have a Great Selling Day and make a difference in at least on person’s life today.

Differentiating through effective conversation  in any business but especially for record management is one of the most important components of a successful sales career and process management and that is to be able to differentiate yourself via effective conversations with clients and prospects. This is much more than having the gift of gab. It is about creating an environment that ensures an effective dialogue. This is something that one must be cognizant of from their very first interaction.

Many salespeople have patted themselves on the back after what they thought was an effective sales call only to never be able to get access to that Buying Influence again. Executives meet with potential suppliers all the time and in the vast majority of cases they maintain a very polite demeanor, even if the meeting is bust. So while the salesperson is feeling positive about this new opportunity he may have uncovered, the executive may be telling his or her assistant to never schedule another meeting with the salesperson. Top sales experts know when a meeting has taken a wrong turn and they are equipped with the skills and craftsmanship to get the meeting back on track. Preparation, active listening and balancing the how you get and give information are key tenants to effective conversations.

From the very outset, if there is not a clear Valid Business Reason for the business meeting that the client understands and agrees to, then you can quickly get off course. Also, if the salesperson does not acknowledge and build on the information the client is providing for better record management, shredding, data back up then there will be major opportunities missed and the client will feel like the sales rep is just going through the questioning motions before they put on their sales charm. Worse yet, clichés such as “tell me about your business” or “what keeps you up at night” don’t typically reflect a good balance between getting and giving information so this kind of approach would be risky unless the client feels like you have adequately shared enough information with them. Make every client conversation effective to enable the sales process to continue to move forward so that your client stays compliant with the new and ever changing laws and that very necessary record retention, management and destruction are strictly monitored by experts.