No Soliciting = Committed Cave Dweller

I'm one of the hundreds of thousands business types that knock on doors drumming up business. When it rains, I know that most small businesses are slow, so when it rains, I go out drumming.

On many of the business doors I see a notice 'No Soliciting' (which of course means 'If you are a lawyer, then don't bother knocking')  and I generally make a quick decision on whether to ignore the notice or not. If it reads 'Please, No Soliciting' then, generally, I thank them in my mind and move on, courtesy always pays.

Then it happens! I miss the 'No Soliciting' notice on a door covered with ads, 'Yes We're Open' signs,  opening times, member of the local chamber, 'protected by...' etc. and I walk in to a store occupied by the one person behind the counter. Remember, it's raining, business is probably slow!

A polite introduction and quickly get to the point of my visit while inquiring how business is doing etc.

Then it happens! the occupant starts to rant and rave about "Didn't you see the No Soliciting Notice on the front door? You People come in here and waste my time, I don't care what you are selling, get the *^*^& out of here"

Of course, I apologize and wish them a nice day heading confidently to the exit, it happens! .. Next!

Ok, so you have the scenario, but let's look a bit closer at this situation.

What just happened?

Well for one, their bad attitude would not have left a good impression (do they count?). So would I be likely to recommend their business or even mention it positively to any of the other businesses that I visit... Duh!
(Or as we might say in England, am I one that just gave away my last Gorm?) (think about it!)

And another thing: They missed the opportunity to inform me about their business, and that's part of networking! So now, not only am I more likely to have a bad taste about their business, I don't even know anything positive about it.. This is not a Win Win for them.

Perhaps it's worthwhile reconsidering the placement of a No Soliciting notice on your business front door.

Now consider how to make the most of a visiting sales person.

• Welcome them! (Start with a good impression)
• Ask them if they would be interested in learning about your business in exchange for you learning about their's, something along the lines of "Ok, I'll listen to your business introduction if you'll listen to mine"
• Consider that the visiting sales person is a potential networker,  and that they will be visiting many other businesses and might get the chance to refer to you!
• Make sure the sales person leaves with your business card, perhaps some of your company literature, but most of all, make sure they have a good impression of you and your business!

Please read this before I knock on your business door!

Thank you.

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Forewarned is Forearmed: The Grandparent Scam

Forewarned is Forearmed: The Grandparent Scam: Have you heard about the Grandparent Scam? Not a new Crime but an often used scam that we all need to make sure we are aware of, and that ou...

Tweets - not what I expected.

It has been a surprise! I expected a bunch of jibber jabber and useless minute tweets to be just urging access to my day. But it's so much more.

One of the articles I read recently suggested: Social Media will be the cause of your needs finding you instead of you finding your needs. That is so true!

If you are a cave dweller, then you probably don't get many visitors, and those may well consider you to be a dead end (your network stops here.) But if you are open to visiting others and encourage visitations, then others may well consider that you are worth knowing (they will be expanding their network).

Similarly, if you are in a cave and have no visitors, then you would have to go out and find those things you need (Ok, so a cave dweller may not need much, but then they don't give back much either.) Whereas, if you invite people to visit (join social networks) then you'll receive info that may well contain the leads to the things you need.

So. This morning I was looking through my new  Twitter account and found some great articles from Inc. Magazine, articles that I would have searched for had I thought of the need. And this was the surprise! The social media brought some needs to me instead of my having to go out and dig out those needs.

Now, it may work out that after a while, my thoughts may change, but for right now, I'm impressed!

So open the door to your cave (duh!) and start inviting others, you'll find that your needs are reachable right at your doorstep (oh oh, another duh! no doorsteps!)

Let me know if you tweet.

Paul.

Expanding your network via multiple networking groups

Many of you that know me, also know that I'm out there networking on a regular basis. You'll see me participate at the Integrity Networking Group, Rotary Clubs where I speak about the future of the Internet, at other networking groups where I'm asked to talk about Effective Networking, and anytime I'm inline at the local Coffee shop. I quit the cave a few years ago for the benefits of meeting other business people who are out and about.

But there is a potential ethical dilemma when networking: The object of networking is to increase business, the route is by the creation of valuable business relationships with others, the hope is that they will refer business to you and, of course, you'll refer business to them. I certainly do that! One of the advantages of being outside the cave is that I find others that could use the business services by those in my networks.
The ethical issue is in committing to give referrals to a particular business owner. How can you commit to refer business to, say, a Printer, in one group and yet do the same for a printer in another group?

Last week at a networking group in Fort Lauderdale, I met with the current chairman of the Forte Networking Group and discussed this issue. They (another member of the group participated in the conversation) brought some insight to this matter that is really worth exploring.

The solution appears to be simple: Sorry to use a glib expression, but it's a matter of horses for courses!

I know several very good computer repair companies, reaching from West Palm Beach Florida down to the deep south (Miami Dade). However, they each have their specialties, and so when I meet someone that needs a computer repair contact, then I can determine which of my network are best suited their needs. So if it's a large Corporation, then my Miami contact would be the best fit, if it's a Mac system need of some TLC, then my contact in Fort Lauderdale would be the best fit, and if it were for a small office/home office system or network, then my contact would be from Coral Springs.

Let's face it: If your long time neighbor is a landscaper and has provided you services since Noah's ark touched down on dry land, then you'll probably refer business to her. But if you get a referral opportunity in another state and your neighbor will not work outside of your county, then you'll need to find another landscaper! You can be that you neighbor has a network of landscapers so that she can redirect someone when she needs to. So you should too!

So don't be bashful of establishing networking relationships with people in the same profession. I would go so far as to suggest that if you needed a referral contact for a project that your current network does not support. Then ask those in your network who would they recommend! And then ask for an introduction!

Soliciting Critical Reviews - why would you want to do that?

While stood inline at my favorite local coffee store, (they keep the country running!) I overheard a conversation about quality of service. It was easy to join in and so it became a three way conversation.

The topic was the value of the customer in the eye of the salesperson. One of the women mentioned the absurdity of the Customer saying 'Thank You' when the Salesperson delivers the goods or services. "Why isn't it the other way around?" She has a good point.

When you pickup your Chicken meal at the drive through, do you say 'Thank You' and does the Cashier return the thanks? Probably they do not.

Another comment suggested that we live in a high density city, there is a McD's on every corner with a Chicken drive through opposite and a dinner between them. Consequently, the competition for customers is pretty high, and it's a numbers game. The more customers you get, the less the other companies get!

However, if you go to a more sparsely populated rural area, the sales person is likely to stand at the door and welcome you into the store before you even turn towards the entrance!

So what's the difference? Does it really take too much time for the salesperson to say 'Thanks for shopping with us today" and if it was uttered as an automated instruction that all salespeople must obey, would it have any value?

I would suggest that it should be normal to say thanks no matter which side of the counter you are standing. It's a personality thing. I certainly hope that it doesn't deteriorate downwards to just another extension of the corporate 'Customer Greeting Policy'

The conversation turned to discussing customer feedback, now we were in an area in which I'm well practiced.

Most people will comment on their experience to a friend or neighbor, but they are more likely to spread the comment when it's a negative experience. So why would you solicit a Critical Review? Of course, you know the reason, many don't and few really value that type of review!

If you go into a bar that has a long tradition of serving customers, you might see dollar bills stapled to the wall with a positive comment on the bill. But you'll rarely see a bill with a negative comment. Ok, so you might have read one of those messages that states "Jim and Jane got trashed here" but it was probably a positive comment. You're unlikely to see a dollar bill stapled to the wall with a message like "The Beer was Flat, the bathrooms dirty, we'll never come back again", not even if it was cool to have flat beer and the bathrooms were over 200 years old and authentic.

The positive review makes the business feel good, and they do tell others the positive aspects of the business. But even the best business misses the mark sometimes, and the whirlwind of negative comments around the local condo swimming pool could make a significant dent in the companies business.

So how to you avoid that kind of negative publicity? It's not that tough to do.

• First: You have to solicit the Critical Review... So make sure that you are open to any review, good or bad or anything between.
• Second: Do not penalize a sales associate if they get a review that is anything but totally positive! If you have been to any of the major car dealerships or appliance sales departments of the major stores, you have probably been coached by the salesperson in how to complete the customer satisfaction survey. Is there a plus side to that concept for anyone?
• Third: Respond to every review... A simple thank you for the positive reviews, but a considerate thank you for the critical review. The critical review is the most important. It helps you recognize weaknesses in your processes from the customers viewpoint. 
• Now, if the customer rips the salesperson to rags, then it really could be that the customer was having a bad day, we all know it happens. However, it's really important to use it as an educational moment, not only for the employee, but for the HR office. Perhaps the sales team needs an update on customer appreciation. And Yes, it could be that a rouge sales person really did a bad job of interacting with the customer and it might not be the first time. But if you did not get the customer feedback in the first place, then you would not know about the problem.

But what if the Critical Review was not about how the sales person? Perhaps it is about the products, or the delivery system. Now the review might have a clearly defined financial value.

In all cases of a critical review, follow up with the customer. You can probably ensure that the customer is satisfied with the follow up process, even to the point where they spread the word that "Something was wrong , but they fixed it and thanked me for pointing out" 

So, solicit the critical reviews, they always can pay off positively

First Rule of Networking

Not another '1st Rule'?

Yep, because I see this so often that I feel it has to be written again.

Having belonged to various networking groups, all of them being based on the concept of getting referrals, I have often met with people that are new to networking.

The smart folks ask the existing members to explain the concept of referral networking, but some figure they have been around in business long enough to know how to network effectively.

So, what is the first rule of referral networking?

Easy: The last thing you want to do is SELL!


Maybe that answer is not what you expected? So let me explain why I believe it is so important.

The basic concept of referral networking is to build relationships with others that will lead to you getting referrals. It's not SELLing your products or services to those fellow networkers!

If you build a good relationship with another networker, then they are more likely to refer business to you. But similarly, you are more likely to refer business to them!

Notice, that in both of those cases, neither you nor the other networker sold any business to each other!

However, even though it seems pretty obvious when you read it, it's not so obvious in practice.

How often have you seen a guest at a networking group trying to SELL their products or services to the group members? Probably too often.

So what is the right way to address the need for sales to the members of a referral networking group? It's simple: LISTEN - ASK - LEARN - REFER!

• Listen: (Unless they are trying to SELL to you!) 
• Ask: about what they do, what they specialize in, what kind of customer they are looking for.
• Learn: how you can help them grow their business and how your client base matches theirs.
• Refer: Find one of your clients that you can refer to the other networker (but not until you have established a good relationship, you do not want to give a referral to someone that is flaky!

It's pretty obvious that you cannot safely give a referral unless you know that the recipient will treat your referral with the respect it deserves. If you pass one of your clients as a referral and that client is not dealt with  in a satisfactory manner, it not only sours the relationship (was there one?) with the other networker, but it could also sour the relationship between you and your client.

So if rule #1 of networking is "Don't try to sell!" what's rule #2

Rule #2: Never give a referral without discussing it with the referral first!
Just think about it. You have known Jane Dough for years and she has often done business with you. You tell a recently met networker, Doug, that he should contact Jane Dough. He does, and Jane wonders who the heck is this calling me for my business?

That scenario makes you look bad to your client Jane, it makes Doug look bad to Jane, and you look bad to Doug! Everyone loses!

Instead, if you think that Doug has some product or service to offer Jane, then ask Jane if you can give Dough her phone number. Now, when Doug calls, it's not a cold call, and things can go much better for everyone.

I would cover the many other rules of networking, but it's nearing the new year! I have to keep something warm for the start of the new year!

So happy new year one and all.
Have a Happy and Prosperous 2011.