With a haircut like mine, you go to the barber fairly often. I go to Preserve Barbers in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Deb has been my barber for about eight years.

Last week I was getting a haircut (a GREAT haircut, I might add) and Deb was telling me about a recent example of sales excellence she witnessed in her shop. Preserve Barbers is in a small, upscale mall. An “Energy Consultant” (AKA light bulb salesman) named Bill Johannes from H & H Industries in Elmwood, IL services the lighting needs of the stores in the mall, and came by with a replacement bulb. He insisted on installing it, and in the process, a small crack showed up in the Plexiglas fixture. Deb said it wasn’t noticeable; no problem. Bill INSISTED on replacing it, and went to Home Depot. When he returned, it was the wrong size! After another trip, he discovered that it was a nonstandard fixture. What to do?

What Bill did was take it home that night, and cut it to fit. The next day he returned and replaced it…no charge. Deb told him it wasn’t necessary to go to all of that trouble, but Bill said he couldn’t sleep knowing he had cracked her light fixture.

I visited H & H’s website, and read, “We’re a third generation family-owned company, directly involved in the manufacture and supply of quality lighting products for your business. With over 250 individuals dedicated to meeting your highest expectations with the highest quality, most cost-efficient, products available on the market today. We’re the ONE supplier of solutions you’ve been looking for.” I wasn’t surprised. In addition, their website noted they were the winner of an “Illinois Small Business Award.”

I suggest that you ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do I really believe that the customer is the reason for my professional existence?
2. When faced with a service challenge, will I do whatever it takes to solve the customer’s problem?
3. In doing so, will I feel I have earned the right to referrals for exceptional service?
4. What can I do to provide three of my best customers with more than they paid for?
5. Who are those customers, and will I call them TODAY?

You see, referrals are the reward for excellent service. Most salespeople run from customer problems; they are totally focused on the next sale, not service. By building your business based on exceptional service and referrals, you are guaranteed to survive in the worst of times, and thrive when times are good. Congratulations, Bill. You are a true Sales Superstar! I’ll call you if I need light-bulbs…and I’m sure I will receive excellent service.

Good selling!

Technorati Tags: sales excellence, referrals

As a professional speaker and sales trainer, it is important to know what I don’t know, and as a result, I focus on very specific topics. I just returned from western Kentucky. While I was there I heard the following on a local radio station, and it is the antithesis of specialization. This may not be an exact quote, but it is VERY close.

The medical staff at [NAME] Hospital specializes in all types of general surgery.

How do you specialize in all types of general surgery? Doesn’t the term “General Surgery” preclude specialization? Is it really possible to specialize in being a generalist?

Organizations and salespeople need to be careful in the way they position their services. I see sales brochures and advertisements that say “We specialize in…” followed by a list of 10 -20 items. Does that send the message that you really specialize, or does it say indirectly that you need some business, and will sell whatever you need to sell that day just to make a commission? If in fact you do specialize, be specific and zero in on your best possible target market. If you truly are a generalist, define yourself by the problems for which you are the solution. Doing this conceptually as opposed to offering a laundry list of products and services communicates a clearer message of what is in it for your prospects.

In positioning your business, the best success comes when you can niche or micro-niche yourself with products or services that truly make you totally unique and valuable to a large potential customer base, or when that expertise is so specific that you are the only solution for a certain problem. Few of us have that high a degree of expertise, so craft your defining statement to appeal to the largest possible prospect audience. No matter how tempting it may be, you will maximize your profitability if you don’t specialize in everything.

Good selling!

Technorati Tags: professional speaker, sales trainer

This week I attended the Hospitality Business Breakfast in Eagan, Minnesota. The HBB is a monthly education session for those in the Hospitality Industry produced by a mentor of mine named Stuart Gray. Stuart brings in professional speakers who are acknowledged experts in various disciplines to speak in a public forum for those in this industry. The audience includes restaurateurs, restaurant managers, sales trainers, food service representatives, and others in this multi-billion dollar industry.

This month’s speaker was Ryan Estis, a nationally known authority on “Employment Branding,” which is how a company positions itself in order to attract and retain A-level talent. Ryan gave a fascinating presentation on what companies must do to become and remain “Employers of Choice.” Ryan skillfully demonstrated the challenges employers will have due to a shrinking US workforce, employment attitudes of younger people in the workplace, and the demands being made on HR Departments of companies of all sizes.

If you work for a company, it has a brand. Americans buy brand. Brand is by far the largest component of the buying decision. At the same time YOU have your own personal brand. You are the “Human Capital” of your sales business. To maximize your sales potential, you need to develop build a unique and distinctive personal brand that identifies you as the “Vendor of Choice” within your market.

David McNally, co-author of Be Your Own Brand with Karl D. Speak, says that brand is a relationship with your customers. So, what is the “experience” that people have when they do business with YOU? Consider the following questions for your business?

1. What makes me different than my competitors?
2. How would my customers describe what it like to do business with me?
3. What do I provide for my customers that they don’t have to pay for?

These and other questions can help you become the “experience within the experience.” They will provide the reasons that when all other things are equal, your customers choose to buy from you.

Good selling!