Author Archives: Logan Rivenes

When did you Last Change an Opinion?

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What type of computer do you use?

What type of cell phone do you have? Are you an Android or Mac user? Windows?

Do you have strong feelings about why you use these products?

I do.

I’m an Apple user for phone, computer, tablet, and I think it is the only way to go. I have my reasons why this is my preference, but I am not here to sell you on Apple.

The point is I have a strong opinion about my preference. Chances are you do as well.

This is the conundrum we face when converting people into customers. We need them to change an opinion and move them into our way of thinking.

We want them to change an opinion, habits, or even their beliefs about what our company stands for. This is a path that you need to move someone through.

As you ask someone to change their product or opinion, it is a good to begin by asking yourself. What product or opinion have you changed lately?

Can we ask our customers to change an opinion?

Chances are good that you have either used a new product, switched to a new product, or changed an opinion sometime in the last year. What did this process look like for you?

Was your first stop online research? Ask a friend what product they used? Did your current product make you angry with a design change? Or did a Sales Representative approach you through a cold call?

Asking these questions about your own process can help identify the possible process a new customer is going to go through.

It is important to understand how you change products, change an opinion, or change beliefs. After all, if you expect anybody else to change an opinion, and either you haven’t changed or don’t know how you changed, it is wrong to ask another person to change.

Everybody’s process of change is different. But it happens a lot in business, where we need to bring someone to our way of thinking. We may need to close a big account by converting them from a competing product. Or change an internal company process from something outdated to something more modern and productive.

What motivates a change?

The common question is, what will motivate the change? That’s why we need to ask ourselves what is our process and what is the internal struggle we experience to bring ourselves to make a change.

After internal reflection in finding what motivates a change, we can then understand the magnitude of what we are asking our prospect and colleagues to do.

A change is not a small request, but a large, daunting, and at times risky proposition.

We are asking someone to move from the safety of the status quo to a place of the unknown. Opening this person up to possible regret, buyers remorse, and potential increased costs.

These are the considerations we need to have before being able to convert someone.

Ask yourself, what product or opinion have you changed lately?

Good luck and good selling!

Dear Reverend, Please Read My Resume At My Funeral

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What is the meaning of work?

Will your resume be read at your funeral?

In the closing line of “The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work”, author Alain De Botton describes the effect of work on the entirety of our lives:

“Our work will at least have distracted us, it will have provided a perfect bubble in which to invest our hopes for perfection, it will have focused our immeasurable anxieties on a few relatively small-scale and achievable goals […]. It will have kept us out of greater trouble.”

The Meaning of Work

In a simplistic sense, work is meant to put food on the table, pay rent, pay bills, and make a living. In a more modern sense, work provides a sense of fulfillment. An activity you have the ability to provide a positive impact on the lives of others.

I attended a particularly memorable funeral in High School. Someone I admired passed, and it was impressive the individuals that came to pay their respects.

This was not just people who were friends and family, but people who had been affected by the work of this individual. Although the individual’s resume was not read, the effect of the resume was clear. The individual’s work had touched many lives, and this is our desired result.

Your work and your resume are only a platform to provide an impact on the lives of others. Whether you make quota this quarter or not is irrelevant. What is relevant, is the client in which you grew their business, or made their business better.

That same client who you’ve had dinner with their family, and built a meaningful relationship over time. You have become their trusted business partner.

This is the client who will be at your funeral. They won’t care that you made quota 3 years in a row. They remember the positive impact you had on their business.

The Meaning of Work as Seen in Different Professions

Alain De Botton shows many professions, from artists to entrepreneurs and how they work. De Botton allows you to see how an artist spends a year focusing on painting a tree. Determining what angle and shading are best to portray the effect of light.

This attention to detail and level of mastery will effect whoever purchases this painting. The recipient of this painting will not remember the insane hours dedicated to the capturing of this tree. What this artist has done, through the painstaking mastery of their craft, is provide someone with a piece of meaningful art.

This level of impact is what matters at a funeral, not the hours spent and the sale price.

I don’t know if work is to pass time or keep us out of trouble. I like to think there is more to the meaning of work.

This definition seems to be a way to avoid boredom, which there are less stressful ways to fill this void. What I do think, is that it’s an opportunity to provide value to those you come in contact with.

It does seem that life and work are intertwined. In a synopsis on life, in a Native American’s last words, Crowfoot states:

“What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It’s the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.”

What flash of light will you be providing others?

Good luck and good selling!

I highly recommend “The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work” by Alain De Botton for a thought provoking read on the meaning of work.

Let’s Be Honest, Your Leads Are Weak

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“The leads are weak!”

“The leads are weak?! You’re weak!”

Let’s be honest, when Sales gets leads from Marketing, Sales has an automatic assumption the leads are weak.

When Marketing gives leads to Sales, Marketing has an automatic assumption the leads are hot. Or, continuing with the Glengarry Glen Ross example, “ The Mitch and Murray leads.”.

This is like 9 out of 10 people saying they are an above average driver.

It can’t be possible.

If leads are weak, why is there such a disconnect?

You have to begin to answer this question by asking about roles. What the roles of your Sales and Marketing departments.

There are many ways to look at this. Essentially, it is Marketing’s role to generate leads, and it is the role of Sales to close leads. Looking at the two roles from this perspective, we can determine how to work together.

Although this is a deep topic, we are going to approach it from the perspective of leads as the common interest. I am not going to talk about how marketing qualifies leads. Or provide an academic description of a lead. We just want to know if the leads are weak.

What I am interested in, is what your Sales Representatives think about the Marketing leads. In essence, this is what leads mean in the world of your Sales Representatives.

How Sales Thinks About Leads

All a Sales Representative wants in a lead is something they can close. This means the buyer has the ability to buy. This also means, if the lead is not a decision maker, or you know for a fact the company does not have the budget, sales is not excited about the lead. It means the leads are weak.

The amount of ink that has been spilled on what is a qualified lead is impressive. We are not here to discuss this. We are here to discuss what your Sales Representative thinks leads are. This provides a better understanding of what you give them.

A lead falls into the following three categories:

  • The prospect wants information
  • A prospect wants information
  • Prospect wants a demonstration

This may seem like a basic list. Remember, sales is not compensated on leads, sales is compensated on closing leads. So, unless there is a high probability of closing a lead, sales will not consider a lead qualified.

What this means is that Marketing needs to take a larger role in moving a lead through the sales funnel. This is easier to do with Digital Marketing and Social Selling tactics.

In detail, here is what the above three types of leads mean to your Sales Representatives.

Prospect Wants Information

Anecdotally, I would say that 80% to 90% of the leads I receive from marketing fall into this category. Examples of these leads are:

  • Online sign-up form requesting more information
  • Signed up for your online newsletter
  • Requested a published “Whitepaper”
  • Visited your booth at a Trade Show
  • Provided contact information at a sponsored event

These leads are not yet at a point to send to Sales Representatives. They may have said yes to the question “would you like a Sales Representative to stop by?” This does not mean they are ready for a product demonstration.

This is the stage in which marketing should be following up with the prospect to gather more information. Sign them up for the company newsletter. Get the prospect to like the company on Facebook. Confirm whether the prospect has the ability to buy. This is the stage where there is interest in your products.

Keep in mind, a prospect at this stage is nothing more than a cold call attempt by your Sales Representative. And roughly 2% of cold calls become a closed sale.Your Sales Representatives are finding a few of

Your Sales Representatives are finding a few of these every day they are in the field. Thus this is not going to be a priority. The prospects the Sales Representatives have found in the field requesting more information will seem more important.

What this means is that as Marketing is generating leads, there needs to be an understanding that to pass these leads to Sales, the goal should not be contact information. The goal should be a desire for a product demonstration or meeting.

Prospect Wants A Demonstration

This is the type of lead that a Sales Representative likes and can work with. If the prospect is ready for a demonstration, then Sales can work their magic in a sales call. They can begin closing for next steps.

This type of lead is tricky. Although the lead claims they want a demonstration, it does not mean they will answer phone calls. This is where Marketing can provide a value-add for the Sales Representative. The value is scheduling the meeting.

Again, remember that your Sales Representatives are getting these on their own every day. Assistance is what they like. Also, if you are already speaking with the lead, closing for a meeting is the natural progression of the conversation.

Technology is allowing this to be easier and more seamless. By having a shared calendar with Sales Representatives, where they have open blocks, you can easily schedule a meeting with this prospect and a Sales Representative. This is how Sales and Marketing can work together to close more sales.

Prospect Has A Need

This is a dream to both Sales and Marketing departments. This means money in everybody’s pocket. A slam dunk. These don’t come along often, but the more of these that Marketing can find, the more Sales is going to want to work well with Marketing.

This type of lead is not a lead a Sales Representative comes by every day. More often than not, they are the result of effective Marketing.

Companies with a great online presence, great advertising, and a great brand can generate more of these leads.

Leads come in three categories. The categories are: does the prospect want more information, does the prospect want a demonstration, or does the prospect want to buy.

A lead requesting more information is a Marketing lead, and a lead that wants a demonstration is a Sales lead. A lead requesting to buy is everybody’s dream.

Armed with this perspective on how to work with leads in your company, you can better integrate your Sales and Marketing efforts.

Good luck and good selling!

Please Care About Your Relationships

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The individual who cares less holds all the power.
 
I think this is a horrible way to start a relationship, but all too often it is how we attempt coming together. This is a fundamental concept in negotiation, selling relationships, business relationships. It even applies to personal relationships.
 
What if we decided to stop living by this mantra? What if we decided that enough was enough with the power struggle?
 
I believe the best relationships, which the best relationships are the only ones worth having, are those in which both parties feel thankful to have the other. Each party would be devastated to lose the other.
 
If a vendor went out of business, the purchaser of that vendor’s products would too. If one spouse dies, the remaining spouse dies with them. These are the relationships I want.
 

Why is it so often we play the relationships power game?

This concept does not only apply to business. I have watched friends date. This is the best environment to watch people try to build a relationship.
 
It is basic and primal. Watching two people try and earn each other’s love. But when I watch them date and interact, it is all about who can care less. Who can have the power in the relationship?
 
The goal is to remove the vulnerability. But if you’re not vulnerable, then what is the point? Who wins?
 
The answer: nobody wins. As I watched my friend date and try to struggle for power it didn’t work. They broke up. Now they’re both alone.
 
I have watched this in business as well. I have watched a colleague try and sell a customer, but was having no success. The colleague’s strategy was to not appear desperate. They made it seem as though they did not need the customer. They wanted the power in the relationship for better price negotiation.
 
The colleague wanted to make a few extra bucks. They didn’t get the sale because the customer could sense they didn’t want the business. The plan backfired. The colleague missed quota.
 
I don’t think this plan works anymore, or maybe it never did. In an environment, as competitive as the one we are in, where everybody is trying to make a living, the best way to build a relationship is to be thankful. To solve problems and provide solutions.
 
We need to create relationships where both parties are thankful. My solution to get there is:
 

Care

Caring is such a simple concept but gets overlooked. Businesses get accused of not caring all the time.
 
People say: “All they care about is profits” and “They don’t care about the customers”. This is occasionally the case, but more often it is a perception. When perception is a reality, the reality is you don’t care.
 
Care about the people you want to build a relationship with and make it perceptible. Ensure they know you care and value their partnership.
 

Be Empathetic

Seth Godin recently had an article defining empathy. I find it eloquent and thorough. Empathy is understanding. Try and understand the other person and what makes them tick.
 
This not only allows you to be a better partner but also provide a better solution.
 

Provide Value

I have written about this before, but it can’t be overstated. What value are you providing? This could be customers, colleagues, friends or loved ones. What are you giving to them that is of value and importance?
 
Value comes in many forms and is not always immediately monetized. Not only provide value but provide the type of value that is valuable to the people you are trying to provide value to.
 

Be Honest

Honesty is the best policy. This isn’t in the context of not lying. Honesty is believing in what you say, and the products you promote.
 
People sense if you are not bought into your own message. Be authentic and honest with yourself and the message you are promoting.

Become Indispensable

Becoming indispensable is holding up your end of the bargain. In a relationship, where each person believes the other is essential, it is your job to make yourself indispensable.
 
This means doing all the above. Working hard to put more into the relationship than you expect to receive. Becoming indispensable can’t be self-serving. Put in the work.
 
Having a relationship that is built upon both parties being thankful is difficult and takes time. But, quality relationships are how you build businesses.
 
How will you start building your relationships?
 
Good luck and good selling!

Do You Think Jack White Would Have Coffee With Me?

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I have an obsession with Jack White. (For those who do not know who Jack White is, please click here.) This includes The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather, and Jack White. If he joins a fifth band I will probably like them too.

You could say I am one of his “True Fans”.

This obsession could be bad for my health.

Does this make me a stalker?

I don’t think so. I haven’t actually approached him yet. Maybe after the writing of this article, he will notice me. Maybe he will want to get coffee with me? Probably not.

My obsession is about more than his music. It is his style of business. I don’t think he considers himself a businessman. I’ve heard him say many times he is an artist (in interviews on YouTube).

Artists have to sell too. They need to make a living somehow.

The reason I have an obsession with Jack White is two-fold. He is creative and he is a hustler. I like people who hustle. Hustlers have ambition.

I turn to Jack White and his musical career because it teaches me how to be better in business. His style is unique, memorable, and authentic. He is like the blues version of Taylor Swift, before Taylor Swift was Taylor Swift.

They are both authentic, and they both go on rants about the state of the music industry. People like to be outraged by this. You can’t fault them for having opinions.

As you sit back and enjoy some hard hitting blues riffs with Jack White; let’s discuss five business concepts he excels at.

Jack White Authenticity

Jack White is authentic. This is what makes him appealing. Jack White exemplifies authenticity in the way he plays and writes music. Jack White’s music is stripped to its roots. Simple, hard-hitting blues. So simple in fact, his first band was only two members (The White Stripes).

Authenticity is important in business. Nobody likes to buy something from someone who is fake. It is like ordering Cheese Cake at the Cheese Cake Factory, only to later find out it was fat-free. That would enrage me.

Authenticity is about telling the truth and creating value.

Branding

Jack White is a master at branding. Every project he does has a brand. The White Stripes had a red, white, and black color scheme. His current band, everything is powder blue. His color scheme creates an association with his brand.

This attention to detail is everything. His brand is one of classic simplicity. You will never see him in “normal street clothes” because this does not go with his brand. He will either be in an eccentric suit, or clothing to match the color of his show.

Creating a personal brand is essential. This is what makes you different and memorable.

Originality

Jack White is original. He was the first to create a two-piece band (in the 90s). He even said this in Rolling Stone, saying the Black Keys copied him.

To be original, Jack White writes all his music, unless otherwise specified for a 1920’s blues cover. He believes in creating an original work of art every time he plays.

It is said creativity is the new literacy. Creating an original solution for your clients is a great way to separate yourself from the competition. We are seeing this in all forms of products. People want a more personal connection.

Connected

Jack White is connected with his audience. He makes a point to be in tune with who he is playing for. This is why Jack White doesn’t play with a setlist.

I saw Jack White for the first time live in August 2014. This show changed how I viewed a Rock concert. He connected with me. The show was in San Francisco and was the second show of a two-night stand. Completely different setlist than the first night. He even played a cover song dedicated to the Oakland Athletics (my favorite baseball team).

Connecting with your customers helps you form a relationship. Relationships are important for a multitude of reasons. Most importantly, creating opportunities to grow accounts.

Hustler

Last but not least, Jack White is a hustler. Jack White has four bands, three of which he is actively writing and creating music with. This is on top of a record store, record label, and recording studio (Third Man Records).

I find his drive inspiring. I wish I had that many projects.

Sales is about hustling. At times it is a numbers game. So do as Jack White and have many “projects” at once.

Jack White, on the surface, seems as though he belongs at a different time in history. Maybe the 1950s. This is what I think of when I see his brand. It is what makes him Jack White, and it is working for him.

Now that I have sung Jack White many praises, maybe he will get coffee with me.

Good luck and good selling!