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Add You - When It's DUH? Time at Trade Show - 3 Little Words Save the Day
We all have information for each other that can help to improve the quality of our lives. Clarifying what we need and communicating it to a receptive community can make the difference between a comfortable prosperous life and a struggle to keep up.I once hosted a small gathering where a group of six women met and networked. Although the group was small and no one knew each other, it was amazing how many needs were fulfilled. Here is an actual sampling of what happened.One woman was an accountant. She was looking for more clients and she was looking to house-sit for someone because she had sold her house and her new house wasn’t ready yet. Another woman there had a friend who was looking for a house sitter while she was gone for a couple of months to care for her daughter. The two exchanged information and an arrangement was made.One woman had started a catering
1. What are the most common problems with your product?
2. How do you solve those problems?
3. Have you ever called your own customer service department?
4. Are you 24/7/365?
5. How long does it take to get parts?
6. Who does the repair and how long does it take?
7. What’s the guarantee process?
8. Who handles my account and what happens when she leaves?
9. What happens if you merge or go out of business?
10. What if it just doesn't work for us?
We all have true stories about customer service and the time-money-hassle factors. Here are a few of mine.
1. I needed a toner cartridge for an old and faithful printer. The local stores didn't carry it and didn't want to special order it, so I called the 800 number of a staple in the office supply business because I had a 15% coupon. It took one hour of call waiting, checking and f
Publishing Guidelines: You may publish my article in your newsletter, on your website or in your print publication provided you include the resource box at the end. Notification would be appreciated but is not required.On this digital Century the business administration is radically moving for new ways, for the Next-Generation of Business Administration. For that reason, this series of articles will show some tips on that new way of doing business.What is Business Intelligence & Data Mining BI?: Optimize - At this stage, the enterprise's knowledge workers are very focused on incremental process improvements and refining the value-creation process. Everyone understands and uses analysis, trending, pattern analysis, and predictive results to increase efficiency and effectiveness. The extended value chain becomes increasingly critical to the organization, including the c
You’ve have product training and sales training, you reviewed your company's web site and literature, you understand the demonstrations, and the marketing ideas behind the exhibit design. You’re ready for the show.
But now you’re standing in the booth and it’s Duh? time. You can rattle off the features and benefits, but what does the person standing in front of you want to know?
It can be boiled down to three little words - Time, Money, Hassle.
They want you to save them time, charge less money and cut the hassle. Actually, it’s what we all want when we shop ourselves, whether for banking or broccoli, wine or widgets. For example - We pay for chopped but bagged lettuce at the grocery store. Saves us money? No, costs a lot more than a head of lettuce, but it saves time and hassle because we don’t have to chop it. Go through everything you buy and you’ll find an example.
You can make a sale on one of the Three Little Words, but when you sell on two of the three, you’ll have a very loyal client.
Frame your opening comments around these three words and you’ll get people’s attention. Don’t make them ask the questions - be ready to find which of these words is most important to them and match your presentation to their concerns.
TIME - We all want time, more time, and trade shows are a time problem. It is compressed - there are only so many hours the show is open, so few hours to walk the aisles and minutes to stop at a booth. Conversations are brief, listening skills are strained and you’ll never have enough time to go through the leisurely sales call process.
Here are 10 things people want to know about your company and Time:
1. What’s your order-to-shipment time?
2. How long for custom orders and modifications?
3. How long is design time?
4. Do you stock everything I need, or do I have to wait for parts?
5. When will a salesman call on me?
6. How long does it take to learn?
7. How long does it take to teach someone?
8. What training materials and people are provided?
9. How long does it take to put together?
10. How long will it last?
MONEY - Money is important, and saving money in tight times is critical, but remember that beyond pure coin is value. Value is what you should sell. The simple definition is Value = Price + Performance. We all have something in the closet or the garage that we were sold on price alone, and we feel cheated.
Here are 10 things people want to know about your company and Money:
1. How much is it?
2. What’s my discount?
3. Do you take credit cards?
4. Will you finance this?
5. What are your payment terms?
6. What’s your guarantee?
7. What’s my pay back?
8. Why are you higher (lower) than your competitor?
9. Do I have to pay for modifications?
10. What’s the best deal you can give me?
HASSLE - If time is money, hassle is both time and money. If you save $500 when you buy, but it costs $1,000 in staff time to get a problem solved, was that a good deal? Of course not. These are the days of push-the-phone-button customer service, of voice mail hell with no live people, of cutbacks in staff who provided the corporate memory of how things really work, and increasingly of look on the web site. (Note - are you aware that more firms are adding a toll free number to help you find what you can’t find on their web site? But you have to go to their site and read the small print to get the number!)
Here's are 10 things people want to know about your company and Hassle:
1. What are the most common problems with your product?
2. How do you solve those problems?
3. Have you ever called your own customer service department?
4. Are you 24/7/365?
5. How long does it take to get parts?
6. Who does the repair and how long does it take?
7. What’s the guarantee process?
8. Who handles my account and what happens when she leaves?
9. What happens if you merge or go out of business?
10. What if it just doesn't work for us?
We all have true stories about customer service and the time-money-hassle factors. Here are a few of mine.
1. I needed a toner cartridge for an old and faithful printer. The local stores didn't carry it and didn't want to special order it, so I called the 800 number of a staple in the office supply business because I had a 15% coupon. It took one hour of call waiting, checking and fi
What is a magazine? A magazine is a type of periodical that is composed of a diverse collection of articles, stories and photographs intended for general audience.Today magazines are used to spread information as well as to advertise. This has been the common use of magazines in the society. In the business world magazine printing is said to be a great way to make an impact.So if it’s the first-time that you’re going to publish a magazine, there are a lot of things that you should take into consideration. Remember in order for you to come up with a winning magazine print, you must make sure that the overall look of your magazine can turn heads. The appearance of your magazine can greatly affect your sales.To be able to get a hold of a fine-looking magazine print, check out these helpful tips.1. Be acquainted with your market. Since you’re just a novice in
You can make a sale on one of the Three Little Words, but when you sell on two of the three, you’ll have a very loyal client.
Frame your opening comments around these three words and you’ll get people’s attention. Don’t make them ask the questions - be ready to find which of these words is most important to them and match your presentation to their concerns.
TIME - We all want time, more time, and trade shows are a time problem. It is compressed - there are only so many hours the show is open, so few hours to walk the aisles and minutes to stop at a booth. Conversations are brief, listening skills are strained and you’ll never have enough time to go through the leisurely sales call process.
Here are 10 things people want to know about your company and Time:
1. What’s your order-to-shipment time?
2. How long for custom orders and modifications?
3. How long is design time?
4. Do you stock everything I need, or do I have to wait for parts?
5. When will a salesman call on me?
6. How long does it take to learn?
7. How long does it take to teach someone?
8. What training materials and people are provided?
9. How long does it take to put together?
10. How long will it last?
MONEY - Money is important, and saving money in tight times is critical, but remember that beyond pure coin is value. Value is what you should sell. The simple definition is Value = Price + Performance. We all have something in the closet or the garage that we were sold on price alone, and we feel cheated.
Here are 10 things people want to know about your company and Money:
1. How much is it?
2. What’s my discount?
3. Do you take credit cards?
4. Will you finance this?
5. What are your payment terms?
6. What’s your guarantee?
7. What’s my pay back?
8. Why are you higher (lower) than your competitor?
9. Do I have to pay for modifications?
10. What’s the best deal you can give me?
HASSLE - If time is money, hassle is both time and money. If you save $500 when you buy, but it costs $1,000 in staff time to get a problem solved, was that a good deal? Of course not. These are the days of push-the-phone-button customer service, of voice mail hell with no live people, of cutbacks in staff who provided the corporate memory of how things really work, and increasingly of look on the web site. (Note - are you aware that more firms are adding a toll free number to help you find what you can’t find on their web site? But you have to go to their site and read the small print to get the number!)
Here's are 10 things people want to know about your company and Hassle:
1. What are the most common problems with your product?
2. How do you solve those problems?
3. Have you ever called your own customer service department?
4. Are you 24/7/365?
5. How long does it take to get parts?
6. Who does the repair and how long does it take?
7. What’s the guarantee process?
8. Who handles my account and what happens when she leaves?
9. What happens if you merge or go out of business?
10. What if it just doesn't work for us?
We all have true stories about customer service and the time-money-hassle factors. Here are a few of mine.
1. I needed a toner cartridge for an old and faithful printer. The local stores didn't carry it and didn't want to special order it, so I called the 800 number of a staple in the office supply business because I had a 15% coupon. It took one hour of call waiting, checking and f
A mastermind group is a group of people who come together to mutually assist each other in their pursuit of success. The idea is that the members of the mastermind group each provide vital skills and knowledge that other members may lack. They bounce ideas of each other and offer help and advice so that they all may become successful.Mastermind groups were first discussed in detail in Napoleon Hill's famous 1937 book, Think and Grow Rich. Hill had learnt of the concept from Andrew Carnegie who had successfully used mastermind groups to build his steel business.Carnegie knew what his business goals were but he also knew that he lacked the specialised technical knowledge of the steel industry required to make his dreams into reality. His solution to this problem was to surround himself with knowledgeable people who could fill the gaps in his own expertise.Another
2. How long for custom orders and modifications?
3. How long is design time?
4. Do you stock everything I need, or do I have to wait for parts?
5. When will a salesman call on me?
6. How long does it take to learn?
7. How long does it take to teach someone?
8. What training materials and people are provided?
9. How long does it take to put together?
10. How long will it last?
MONEY - Money is important, and saving money in tight times is critical, but remember that beyond pure coin is value. Value is what you should sell. The simple definition is Value = Price + Performance. We all have something in the closet or the garage that we were sold on price alone, and we feel cheated.
Here are 10 things people want to know about your company and Money:
1. How much is it?
2. What’s my discount?
3. Do you take credit cards?
4. Will you finance this?
5. What are your payment terms?
6. What’s your guarantee?
7. What’s my pay back?
8. Why are you higher (lower) than your competitor?
9. Do I have to pay for modifications?
10. What’s the best deal you can give me?
HASSLE - If time is money, hassle is both time and money. If you save $500 when you buy, but it costs $1,000 in staff time to get a problem solved, was that a good deal? Of course not. These are the days of push-the-phone-button customer service, of voice mail hell with no live people, of cutbacks in staff who provided the corporate memory of how things really work, and increasingly of look on the web site. (Note - are you aware that more firms are adding a toll free number to help you find what you can’t find on their web site? But you have to go to their site and read the small print to get the number!)
Here's are 10 things people want to know about your company and Hassle:
1. What are the most common problems with your product?
2. How do you solve those problems?
3. Have you ever called your own customer service department?
4. Are you 24/7/365?
5. How long does it take to get parts?
6. Who does the repair and how long does it take?
7. What’s the guarantee process?
8. Who handles my account and what happens when she leaves?
9. What happens if you merge or go out of business?
10. What if it just doesn't work for us?
We all have true stories about customer service and the time-money-hassle factors. Here are a few of mine.
1. I needed a toner cartridge for an old and faithful printer. The local stores didn't carry it and didn't want to special order it, so I called the 800 number of a staple in the office supply business because I had a 15% coupon. It took one hour of call waiting, checking and f
Over the past 7 to 8 years, I’ve heard a lot of execs tell me they don’t have time to “set up systems”, “hold meetings”, and/or “measure results”. Imagine my delight when I picked up Rudy Giuliani’s book and found that he did all of that during his tenure as Mayor of the greatest city on earth. That’s a big enough job in itself but Rudy’s preparation paid off in a huge way both in managing New York City and in the aftermath of the September 11th tragedy.For those of you who complain that it is too much time taken to hold meetings every week – please read Giuliani’s view on DAILY meetings of key executives. That is, action packed, accountable meetings – not, paper shuffling dead donut stuffing mind numbing – well, you get the point.I lived in New York City pre Giuliani. I know how terrifying it was in the early 80’s – how lawless and in many ways, hopeless. Everybody th
5. What are your payment terms?
6. What’s your guarantee?
7. What’s my pay back?
8. Why are you higher (lower) than your competitor?
9. Do I have to pay for modifications?
10. What’s the best deal you can give me?
HASSLE - If time is money, hassle is both time and money. If you save $500 when you buy, but it costs $1,000 in staff time to get a problem solved, was that a good deal? Of course not. These are the days of push-the-phone-button customer service, of voice mail hell with no live people, of cutbacks in staff who provided the corporate memory of how things really work, and increasingly of look on the web site. (Note - are you aware that more firms are adding a toll free number to help you find what you can’t find on their web site? But you have to go to their site and read the small print to get the number!)
Here's are 10 things people want to know about your company and Hassle:
1. What are the most common problems with your product?
2. How do you solve those problems?
3. Have you ever called your own customer service department?
4. Are you 24/7/365?
5. How long does it take to get parts?
6. Who does the repair and how long does it take?
7. What’s the guarantee process?
8. Who handles my account and what happens when she leaves?
9. What happens if you merge or go out of business?
10. What if it just doesn't work for us?
We all have true stories about customer service and the time-money-hassle factors. Here are a few of mine.
1. I needed a toner cartridge for an old and faithful printer. The local stores didn't carry it and didn't want to special order it, so I called the 800 number of a staple in the office supply business because I had a 15% coupon. It took one hour of call waiting, checking and f
Practicing Altruism The 'Golden Rule' occurred in the Greek and Chinese cultures thousands of years before the Christian era: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The spirit of the Golden Rule is one of generosity and altruism and is at the heart of any personal networking and 'right' living. Ralph Waldo Emerson said 'To have a friend, you have to be one', and his words are as true today as they ever were. You can test this out yourself by completing the following simple exercise: List ten people you know best: People You Know Best: H/N S/U1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. After each name, write an 'H' if the person is happy, or an 'N' if the person is not happy. Then write an 'S' if the person is selfish
1. What are the most common problems with your product?
2. How do you solve those problems?
3. Have you ever called your own customer service department?
4. Are you 24/7/365?
5. How long does it take to get parts?
6. Who does the repair and how long does it take?
7. What’s the guarantee process?
8. Who handles my account and what happens when she leaves?
9. What happens if you merge or go out of business?
10. What if it just doesn't work for us?
We all have true stories about customer service and the time-money-hassle factors. Here are a few of mine.
1. I needed a toner cartridge for an old and faithful printer. The local stores didn't carry it and didn't want to special order it, so I called the 800 number of a staple in the office supply business because I had a 15% coupon. It took one hour of call waiting, checking and finally my item was found! It could not be sent to the store so I could use the coupon and save the freight, but had to be sent to me directly. Now I'm on their mailing list and receive a catalogue every week. What a waste, but I’ve been told it’s too difficult to take me off the mailing list. Is this my favorite store? Used to be. Not any more.
2. There are lots of ISP tales. Two years ago when the big one bought my little one, I had 13 days of intermittent service while they merged. This year, they changed “something” (their term) and I could receive mail but not send it. I spoke with 11 people over the course of a week, a total of 14 hours. I heard lots of music, lots of “what have you done?” and “let’s just start all over”. I spoke with supervisors, tech support and marketing. Finally, I found a new kid, who said, “Oh, yeah, we changed something. There, it’s all fixed.” Without billing them for my time, I figure this one experience cost the ISP five times what I pay in yearly service fees. Will I stay with them. Yes, because I’m afraid the next service will be worse.
3. Since I refuse to do business with people who know less about their company than I do, I often ask to speak to a supervisor. Now, I keep pad and paper whenever I make a call, and ask for name and extension. Recent responses - all true!
* There is no supervisor.
* They can’t take incoming calls. Leave a name and number and they’ll get back to you in 3 days.
* 20 minutes of music, then disconnect.
* Just disconnect.
* Call customer service. One hour of argument and being passed along via long holding patterns. We can’t, never have and/or refuse to solve your problem. Hang up, call same number. Problem solved in two minutes.
* Voice mail hell with no option to speak to a real person.
* Web sites without real addresses or phone numbers. Contact us is an e-mail address which never responds.
Be Brief. Start your conversation with “(My Company) can save your company (time, money, hassle) and we support our customers.”
Do customer service problems appear at trade shows? Occasionally. Do they happen after shows? All the time. The more you can define Time, Money and Hassle for your clients and prospects, the more profitable everyone will be.
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