Tag: Rob Berman

Categories
Business Development

Grandpop I Am Not Done Talking!

'[PARENTS MAGAZINE, GIRL WITH CAT]' photo (c) 2008, George Eastman House - license: http://www.flickr.com/commons/usage/My daughter once told my father, “Grandpop I am not done talking.”  I had one of those how cute is that moments.  Then, I thought what an apt metaphor for listening to our customers.

Sales reps and account executives should be trained and know about how to interact with customers and prospects.  Here are some reminders.

  1. We have two ears and one mouth.  We should use them in that proportion.
  2. Listen and watch for cues for when the other person is pausing to gather a thought and when they have completed the thought.
  3. There is no “I” in team.  It is about hearing, understanding and meeting customer needs.  It is not about what you want to sell.
  4. He who speaks first loses.  Not always, but interesting advice.  Don’t speak to fill dead air.  Let the other person articulate their objections or perhaps their acceptance to the sale.
  5. If one customer touch is good, then 10 must be great.  It is so easy to e-mail or text these days.  Don’t use that as a crutch to “be in your customer’s face.”
  6. Check in with me later.  Is it really later or never?  Time in fungible.  We do not get it back.  Is that person a real prospect, a suspect or a waste of time?

The Takeaway

Listening is one our five senses.  When interacting with customers or prospects it is the most important one.

That’s it for me.  Over to you.

  1. What tips do you have for listening to customers?
  2. How do you “read between the lines” about what the prospect is really saying?
  3. What percent of the time is your customer speaking during your conversations?

If you would like to contact me, you may do so by visiting my LinkedIn page, following me on Twitter,  or e-mailing me at rcberman2 (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Categories
Branding Business Development Public Relations

Why Should I Bother with a Press Release?

'WebRTC Announcements Week' photo (c) 2012, Tsahi Levent-Levi - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/Press Releases must work or else there would not be millions of them each year.  I am reminded of the old saying attributed to John Wannamaker.  “I know advertising works half the time, I just don’t know which half.”

If you are not swayed by my general point about Press Releases working, then consider these benefits of Press Releases.

 

 

1.    Search Engine Optimization

Build links back to your site to bring new visitors.  Links help with your credibility as a website.  Thus, the more credibility the higher you arrear in search results.

2.    Provide News on Social Media Sites like LinkedIn and Facebook

We are constantly looking for status updates.  A Press Release is a perfect opportunity to briefly describe the situation and provide a link.

3.    New Content for Your Website

Spiders on search engines like Google and Bing are always looking for new content.  Oblige them by adding the press release to your website.

4.    A Quick Way to Touch a Customer

Send the press release to a customer to keep them current on your firm’s activities.

5.    Send it to Top Prospects

Similar to the idea of keeping customers in the loop it may be even more important to let prospects know your good news.  Prospects are still forming opinions about your firm and whether they should take a leap and partner with you to meet their needs.

6.    Create and Reinforce the Habit of Writing Press Releases

The Takeaway

Press Releases are beneficial.  They have many uses which might just land you a coveted interview or press exposure.

Over to you.  What are your thoughts on these questions?

  1. What other ways to you use Press Releases?
  2. What has been your experience with Press Releases?
  3. What advice would you provide to someone just getting started with Press Releases?Why Should I Bother with a Press Release?

If you would like to contact me, you may do so by visiting my LinkedIn page, following me on Twitter,  or e-mailing me at rcberman2 (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Categories
Social Media

Do You Have a Social Media Policy?

'Social Media Policy: How To Write It' photo (c) 2011, Cambodia4kids.org Beth Kanter - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/Social Media has exploded over the last couple of years.  We are more attached to devices that allow us to be connected to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and various blogs.

The Workplace

At work, many employees like to connect via their employer’s network.  Employers have erected firewalls or blocked sites to help protect their systems from outside attacks.  The result is decreased ability for employees to reach these sites.

Other companies allow free access to these Social Media sites with little or no rules.  On one hand that allows employees to access and post on these sites.  On the other hand, how much time are employees spending on these sites instead of performing their job duties?

Questions to Consider

During the time on the Social Media sites are your employees talking about your company?  Is it positive or negative?  Are they authorized to mention or represent your company on these sites?

Lots of questions.  Do you have a Social Media policy?  There are a number of generic ones online to either implement or use as a starting point.

The Takeaway

Create a Social Media policy for your company before your employees create a defacto one.

Those are my thoughts.  How about you?  Please comment below.

  1. Do you have a Social Media policy?
  2. What is your company’s approach to Social Media?
  3. Are you planning to adjust your approach?

If you would like to contact me, you may do so by visiting my LinkedIn page, following me on Twitter,  or e-mailing me at rcberman2 (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Categories
Branding Customer Service

6 Techniques to Re-Purpose Customer Success Stories

'80% of success is just showing up' photo (c) 2011, Sean MacEntee - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/Customer success stories should be proof of success. The fact that you have satisfied needs and exceeded expectations makes you feel good. These stories were great in the Sales Process , Communications Vehicles and when Working with the Media . Here are a few other places to utilize them as well.

Industry Awards Entries

When you apply for awards you need to demonstrate your success. What better way than to detail a customer challenge and how your firm met it.

Non-Profit Fundraising

Non-profits require funding to provide their valuable services. That funding is only derived in a few ways. Foundation or government grants are really spiced up when they are personalized to how the funders dollars have been effectively put to work. The same approach works well with fundraising campaigns.

Annual Reports

We traditionally think that only larger, public corporations issue annual reports. Not true! Non-profits often create them to give to funders. Smaller firms can create them to use as marketing collateral to share with current or prospective clients. It is your document and your chance to show what makes you different.

For-Profit Fundraising

Share your successes when you pitch a Venture Capital Fund, Economic Development Fund or your bank. Your reason for funding is to continue to create more successes. Funders want to go and grow with a winner. Show you are a winner.

Voicemail

Usually, you are trying to reach someone when you call. But what if that was not your strategy? Call after hours solely to leave a message. What does your message say? Start with the basics, who you are and what your company does. Then, share a quick success story and indicate how you can do the same for them. The person getting the voicemail will either call you back or be more inclined to take your next call during business hours.

On-hold Messaging

Similar to the voicemail approach above, tell customers or prospective customers how successful you can make them. You compose a message that will appeal to most callers. Invite them to a special offer or to speak to a specific person about your success story.

Bonus Techniques

I have written 4 other posts on Customer Success Stories. Click below to read them.

The Takeaway

Customer success stories are little treasures. Don’t bury them. Rather, share them with anyone and everyone who can help your organization.

Those are the ideas. Over to you. Please comment below:

  1. How else do you use customer success stories?
  2. Have you successfully used any of the above techniques?
  3. Will you value your success more in the future?

If you would like to contact me, you may do so by visiting my LinkedIn page, following me on Twitter,  or e-mailing me at rcberman2 (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Categories
Innovation Product Development

Do We Have Too Many Ideas To Be Innovative?

ideasphoto © 2010 Sean MacEntee | more info (via: Wylio)
Consider this quote about ideas, product development and innovation.  “It’s also important to wipe out the myth that successful new product development comes from a flurry of creative idea generation from the R&D labs.  New ideas are a dime a dozen; the challenge is to shape them into concepts and nurture them into new products with a competitive advantage.”

I saw the quote in an article in the Marketing News.  What year to you think the quote is from?  2011? 2010? No, 1990.

Thomas Kuczmarski wrote those words in an article entitled Shame on America for Bogging Down Innovation.

Two key ideas he brings forth:

1)      Ideas need to be shaped into concepts and nurtured into new products.

We need to work the ideas into more fully formed concepts.  Those concepts need to be thought through, tested, adjusted, tested, adjusted, tested as many times as necessary to create something new and different.

2)      Competitive Advantage

Creating or “copying” someone else’s products or services cannot create a competitive advantage.  Without a competitive advantage the competition will catch up or surpass you.

Crocs Versus UGGs

Consider Crocs shoes.  Everyone and his brother have created knockoffs.  We can purchase a pair in CVS for less than $10.  Contrast that with UGG boots.  There are knockoffs.  However, on the back there is a really big “UGG” that can’t be copied.  The other day, every girl I saw had on boots.  Each one was UGGs.

R&D Will Solve It All

Kuczmarski also went on to deflate the “R&D will solve it all” bubble.  He said, “Moreover, R&D often is the victim of overly optimistic expectations.  At most companies, R&D dollars are being funneled into finding ways to lower costs or improve efficiency of existing products, rather than discovering new inventions and technology that can lead to innovative new products.”

We need to truly perform both Research and Development.  Focusing on implementing Six Sigma or Lean Manufacturing is looking to maximize profits today.  Rather, creating new products and services that will power our businesses for the next decade should be the goal.

The Takeaway

Product Development is a multi-step process that goes well beyond brainstorming or ideating.  Focus on creating products and services that offer a competitive advantage to your firm.

Old ideas or new ideas?  What to you think?  Please comment below.

1)      Do you have a well-developed product development process?

2)      Do you agree with Kuczmarski’s point of view?

3)      Where do you find your ideas for Product Development?

If you would like to contact me, you may do so by visiting my LinkedIn page, following me on Twitter,  or e-mailing me at rcberman2 (at) yahoo (dot) com.