Who had a great Christmas? Let me know what you opened. (But go easy on me; if you got an ipad or a Mercedes, I don’t want to hear about it!)
Hope you all had a great Christmas! Mine was spent with my little ones. My little boy is terrified of his new Toy Story dinosaur, it roars ridiculously and then asks, "Were you scared?” My son shakes his head and with tears in his eyes, confirms with the dino that, yes, indeed, his roar is scary. So if you have a two year old, don’t buy a Toy Story dino. (Side note: If you’ve read this far, you have experienced social media.)
Sales Tip of the week :
According to John Gerzema(http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/john_gerzema_the_post_crisis_consumer.html), 72% of people believe what other people say about a brand or company versus the 15% of people who believe advertisements.
Have you been affected by social media yet? Apple has. Google: “bad things about Apple.” (Side note: do the same for PC, Dell)
Social media is affecting you, me, and the companies we represent. What roll do you play in social media? What role do you play in defending yourself and your business or the business you represent?
Most importantly, what is being said about you and your business, by whom, and where? Have “they” gone online to slander you yet?
You say, “but Shawn, I am a small town office, I don’t have any need to be online; the Internet and social media have not been embraced here yet.”
Okay, I am not convinced, but for the sake of your argument, you don’t need a social media sermon; however if the pie chart is true, then what needs to be done to make sure you maximize your ability to drive more referrals into your office? You NEED to get more people talking about you and your agency!
Question of the keek: how do you get more people to talk about you or your business so that ¾ of the people listening are convinced that you are the best option in town? Do you have filmed testimonials playing on your website? (My company does not, I’ll make the suggestion today.) Do you have filmed testimonials playing in your lobby? Do normal people tell your potential clients that you are the best agent in town while getting groceries? (That is social media - normal people talking about you and your business and 75% of the people believing it, because it is not paid for and it is not coming from you.)
Another great social media definition and story (3 minutes video): http://www.ted.com/talks/alexis_ohanian_how_to_make_a_splash_in_social_media.html
Monday, December 27, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Lessons learned from a Car Salesman
The other day I dealt with a Car Salesman. I was not buying a car, simply turning in my old company car (Toyota Camry) for a new one (Chevy Impala).
I mentioned to the man that I was sad to let the old one go for a few reasons: mainly gas mileage and size of gas tank. (I drive A LOT and that requires A LOT of down time filling up. Even more in an Impala.)
The salesman threw the few obvious jabs at Toyota and then mentioned a little sticker on the driver side door of the Toyota that basically said, if you lean on the door wrong an air bag could go off and cause serious injury and/or death.
He would not leave that alone.
“Do you have kids, what if they leaned on the door wrong?”
“Have you ever leaned on this door?”
“You’re in insurance, what if someone else leaned on the door wrong, wouldn’t you be liable?”
By the time I had switched my traveling office from the old car to the new car, he must have mentioned the sticker six times.
Lessons I personally learned as a salesman:
1. Sell MY Product. If you have a pain point and I am clever enough to get it out of you, or you simply want to tell me, well that’s something we can run with. However, after my experience, I don’t think I will ever walk in and assume that I know your pain points caused by my competitors.
2. Validate your pain. (The car salesman did nothing to validate my ridiculous concern of having to fill up more frequently.)
3. Find out more before I talk. Earn your trust as a consultant, so you want to hear and buy into my ideas.
I mentioned to the man that I was sad to let the old one go for a few reasons: mainly gas mileage and size of gas tank. (I drive A LOT and that requires A LOT of down time filling up. Even more in an Impala.)
The salesman threw the few obvious jabs at Toyota and then mentioned a little sticker on the driver side door of the Toyota that basically said, if you lean on the door wrong an air bag could go off and cause serious injury and/or death.
He would not leave that alone.
“Do you have kids, what if they leaned on the door wrong?”
“Have you ever leaned on this door?”
“You’re in insurance, what if someone else leaned on the door wrong, wouldn’t you be liable?”
By the time I had switched my traveling office from the old car to the new car, he must have mentioned the sticker six times.
Lessons I personally learned as a salesman:
1. Sell MY Product. If you have a pain point and I am clever enough to get it out of you, or you simply want to tell me, well that’s something we can run with. However, after my experience, I don’t think I will ever walk in and assume that I know your pain points caused by my competitors.
2. Validate your pain. (The car salesman did nothing to validate my ridiculous concern of having to fill up more frequently.)
3. Find out more before I talk. Earn your trust as a consultant, so you want to hear and buy into my ideas.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Define Remarkable
Sales tip of the week:
Remarkable = worth making a remark about. (This thought is brought to us by Seth Godin- look him up and be impressed with the extensive resources I bring to you. Am I not remarkable?)
Ever heard of Twisted Root? It’s a burger joint here in Dallas. It has been seen on shows such as Dinners, Dives, and Drive-ins and has been awarded one of the top burgers in North Texas for some years now.
What makes Twisted Root Burgers one of the best burgers in town?
Hint: It’s not the Burger.
It’s the condiments. That’s right, the condiments. It’s the homemade ketchup and mustard, the homemade ice-cream and the homemade root beer flavor of the day that sets them apart and keeps them coming back for more. (Who knew root beers could have different flavors?)
Who else makes their own condiments? No one. And so they earn the title: REMARKABLE!
What makes you remarkable? What are you doing differently to earn the title "remarkable!"?
I saw an insurance agent do something absolutely remarkable (Roy Sanchez in Utah - Seguros Para Hispanos). He set up a video camera and taped himself explaining coverages and limits, in Spanish and English. It was not studio edited by ANY MEANS AT ALL. It must have taken two hours tops to make. His office was mainly a month to month shop, at least it started out that way. As clients would wait to see an agent to get their Limited Liability policy, they would watch the video. It plays on a loop during the four o’clock hour.
It started out something like this. “I am Roy Sanchez, I know you have come here to get the cheapest thing in the world, and I can offer that to you. However, while you wait for one of my agents to attend to you, I would like to take a moment to inform you on what coverages are, how they can change, and what that means for you. Listen for the next seven minutes, and then, if you still want a limited policy, I will sell you one.”
Remarkable! This one thing is unique and has set him apart from most, if not all agents, and that makes the agency remarkable!
What makes you remarkable? What makes you a remarkable professional? What makes you different from your peers, in your industry?
Remarkable = worth making a remark about. (This thought is brought to us by Seth Godin- look him up and be impressed with the extensive resources I bring to you. Am I not remarkable?)
Ever heard of Twisted Root? It’s a burger joint here in Dallas. It has been seen on shows such as Dinners, Dives, and Drive-ins and has been awarded one of the top burgers in North Texas for some years now.
What makes Twisted Root Burgers one of the best burgers in town?
Hint: It’s not the Burger.
It’s the condiments. That’s right, the condiments. It’s the homemade ketchup and mustard, the homemade ice-cream and the homemade root beer flavor of the day that sets them apart and keeps them coming back for more. (Who knew root beers could have different flavors?)
Who else makes their own condiments? No one. And so they earn the title: REMARKABLE!
What makes you remarkable? What are you doing differently to earn the title "remarkable!"?
I saw an insurance agent do something absolutely remarkable (Roy Sanchez in Utah - Seguros Para Hispanos). He set up a video camera and taped himself explaining coverages and limits, in Spanish and English. It was not studio edited by ANY MEANS AT ALL. It must have taken two hours tops to make. His office was mainly a month to month shop, at least it started out that way. As clients would wait to see an agent to get their Limited Liability policy, they would watch the video. It plays on a loop during the four o’clock hour.
It started out something like this. “I am Roy Sanchez, I know you have come here to get the cheapest thing in the world, and I can offer that to you. However, while you wait for one of my agents to attend to you, I would like to take a moment to inform you on what coverages are, how they can change, and what that means for you. Listen for the next seven minutes, and then, if you still want a limited policy, I will sell you one.”
Remarkable! This one thing is unique and has set him apart from most, if not all agents, and that makes the agency remarkable!
What makes you remarkable? What makes you a remarkable professional? What makes you different from your peers, in your industry?
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