Actual for You - Business

Revealed - A Simple Formula For Success! Exceeding Expectations
Delight = Customer Expectation plus 1. This was the simple formula for delighting your customers that Ken Blanchard informed us of in his book “Raving Fans” For me this is a great formula, but in itself it also raises a number of questions. For example, to deliver a plus one, to exceed something, you must know what that something is in the first place… so do you? Do you know w

t you correctly understand those three important needs should you begin to present the capabilities of your company and your product. You are now prepared to make that presentation in a far more powerful way by focusing directly on issues the customer already has agreed upon as vital problems or opportunities.

In The Field:

Financial consultant Brad Martin describes his experience with the Action S

The Engine
While most of these e-newsletters focus on service and those directly impacting the customer or guest, let's peek under the hood of your restaurant hot rod for a few tips about the area that makes it go - the kitchen. After all, the main reason people come here is to eat!Too often, companies don’t realize little things which make a big difference in food quality. All too often, n

Salespeople know that they’re supposed to sell to the customer’s needs. Here is the classic—and tragically wrong—way they usually learn to do it: Uncover the first need. Begin a product presentation, covering features and benefits, and then attempt to uncover another need and then give more product talk, etc.

Research shows that presentations like this are 25 percent less effective than those in which a thorough needs assessment is followed by a summary of all of the customer’s needs. You will be far more successful if you begin by uncovering and agreeing on at least three relevant needs that the customer perceives as important. Only then should you begin a product presentation tailored to address those needs.

Never present your product until you have agreed on at least three important and relevant needs.

Here’s how to do that:

• Ask questions designed to draw out the customer’s needs—specifically, problems or opportunities that can be best addressed by the unique capabilities of your company or your products.

• Take notes while the customer talks. This shows that you’re a good listener and that you actually care.

• Summarize and reach agreement on needs. When you believe you have uncovered at least three strong and relevant needs, summarize them and check your understanding with the customer. In this way, you reach agreement on the customer’s needs. Use this format to gain agreement:

“As I understand it, you are looking for a way to _____, ______, and ______. Is that correct? If the customer says no, ask more questions and do more listening. Only after the customer agrees that you correctly understand those three important needs should you begin to present the capabilities of your company and your product. You are now prepared to make that presentation in a far more powerful way by focusing directly on issues the customer already has agreed upon as vital problems or opportunities.

In The Field:

Financial consultant Brad Martin describes his experience with the Action S

Preparation of Claim Chart
First, circle the independent claims, which will illustrate here with parentheses, e.g., (1) means claim 1 is independent (it always is, BTW).Second, use an arrow after a dependent claim to show what claim it is dependent from.Third, use the PTO check mark and equal signs (from the file wrapper claim chart format) to indicate rejected or allowed claims. "=" means allowed, "./

thorough needs assessment is followed by a summary of all of the customer’s needs. You will be far more successful if you begin by uncovering and agreeing on at least three relevant needs that the customer perceives as important. Only then should you begin a product presentation tailored to address those needs.

Never present your product until you have agreed on at least three important and relevant needs.

Here’s how to do that:

• Ask questions designed to draw out the customer’s needs—specifically, problems or opportunities that can be best addressed by the unique capabilities of your company or your products.

• Take notes while the customer talks. This shows that you’re a good listener and that you actually care.

In The Field:

Financial consultant Brad Martin describes his experience with the Action S

How to Create a Gift Certificate Program
It's that time again - you’re starting off a new year and thinking about your business goals for the year. One of those goals will most likely include an intention to bump up your business a little and bring in some more revenue. One promotional idea worth exploring is a gift certificate program. Retailers almost always have a gift certificate system in place, but a lot of service bu

ds.

Here’s how to do that:

• Ask questions designed to draw out the customer’s needs—specifically, problems or opportunities that can be best addressed by the unique capabilities of your company or your products.

• Take notes while the customer talks. This shows that you’re a good listener and that you actually care.

In The Field:

Financial consultant Brad Martin describes his experience with the Action S

Building Relationships
A conversation: The Salesperson: “I don’t cold call—I want to build relationships.” Wendy: “Huh?” Recently I’ve had a number of conversations with sales professionals and entrepreneurs who tell me they do not cold call because they want to build relationships with prospects. I’m confused. Who says the two are mutually exclusive? Every relation

ncovered at least three strong and relevant needs, summarize them and check your understanding with the customer. In this way, you reach agreement on the customer’s needs. Use this format to gain agreement:

In The Field:

Financial consultant Brad Martin describes his experience with the Action S

Ten PC Tips for Communicating with a Diverse Audience
By learning to speak to a diverse audience, you can broaden your client base transfer the learning to more people. We need to be more "PC". Were not talking "political correctness", were talking "Positively Conscious", of who is in our audience and understanding how to make people feel included. The more people feel included, the more they will listen to you, use your information and come b

In The Field:

Financial consultant Brad Martin describes his experience with the Action Selling approach to needs identification as a revelation and a radical departure from the way he was originally trained.

Martin works for a large financial services company. Like many salespeople, he was taught to respond to each customer need as quickly as he was able to uncover it. So he would spot a need, present a product feature and benefit to address it, and then fish for another need. “That worked all right,” Martin said, “but sometimes I ran into trouble by presenting capabilities that didn’t quite match the prospect’s needs when they were considered as a whole. This meant I later had to deal with many more objections than necessary.”

The problem is that customer needs do not exist individually, in a vacuum. They are interrelated.

Martin learned in Act 4 of the Action Selling sales training program to uncover and agree on at least three needs before presenting his solutions. “Now my sales presentations are much better focused, and fewer objections surface,” he said. “I am closing a significantly higher percentage of my prospects.”

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How a focus on market differentiation and cost opens channels in product development, building brand equity with customer value

Draw a square on a piece of paper. Now divide that square into 9 equal squares by drawing two lines down and two lines across. How many squares do you see? Did you say 14? Correct. If not, looker harder. The 9 square mind teaser is a well-worn example of how motivation speakers explain the concept of lateral thinking. In other words, looking beyond what the eye first sees. Looking more intelligently.

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