Samurai Business Training – Eighth Session in the Dojo – Relevant Messages that Resonate

The One-Minute Infomercial, also known as the elevator pitch, we all have one or more. Sensei Dan Kreutzer, of the Samurai Business Group, led us on a journey to develop and then test our new infomercial.

To have a successful “pitch” it must 1) Communicate your key message; 2) Create curiosity; 3) Appeal to emotions; and 4) Avoid trigger words. But first the introduction. Name, company and what you do. Simple, right? Done this hundreds of times. “I’m a strong networker and have to reorder business cards every quarter.” But are you effective?

“Hi, I’m Spencer Maus of SpencerConnect. SpencerConnect is a public and media relations firm that…” “So, what?!? I know at least 20 of you. In fact my next door neighbor/fraternity brother/mother-in-law does PR.”

Ok, let me try again. “SpencerConnect is a promotion and marketing firm, which employs only senior-level talent, that designs campaigns tailor made to specific needs and budgets, and targeted to the influential people you need to meet to grow your business.” Not great, but Sensei Dan and Robert Lambert are helping me.

Next, the Statement of Business Issues. “We work with (your business focus here) that have been concerned with industry regulations and are hesitant to use certain tactics that would have made a tremendous difference in their marketing campaign. For example…”

This allows you to create curiosity and appeal to emotions. The secret? Tell them what you did, not how you did it. Look for a change in expression and the “yeh that happened with my business” gaze. Now you ask the magic questions. “Has this ever happened to you? What happened?” And then shut up. When she is done sharing, suggest that you meet. Get her card and move on.

(Editor’s Note: I have been most successful when the person I am meeting talks first. I can then adjust my pitch to their industry by listening and asking questions. The longer she/he talks, the more I know before I speak).

Finally trigger words, “Words that may elicit negative reactions or cause you to be pigeon-holed.” Consultant, Trusted Advisor, Lawyer, IT. When I lived in L.A., Consultant usually evoked the response, “Oh job hunting.” “Lawyer? I know hundreds of lawyers.” “IT? I never understand what you guys are saying.”

Trusted Advisor? In his white paper Beyond Trusted Advisor – becoming a Trusted Asset, Bob Lambert wrote, “It’s one of the most over used terms today, it’s like the over use of paradigm in the last decade. I would suggest that ‘Trusted Advisor’ has limitations. First you can’t become a ‘Trusted Advisor’ to a prospect until they’ve determined you are a person that they can trust.”

For me the trigger words are public relations. Almost everyone thinks they understand public relations. “Oh, my mother-in-law does that! Thanks for playing!”

So what is the value of all the preparation, testing your spiel on friends (or in my case willing classmates in the Dojo)? You are ready for almost any networking situation. Your infomercial becomes natural. All the preparation and practice on family and friends forces you to think through your market and the message you are delivering.” Fortunately I have Bob, Dan and my classmates in the Dojo to bore to death

Second you are more relaxed. Your message sounds natural. You can easily adjust to your audience member. And it comes across as what you do, not what you are doing now (see consultant).

For further details on “Relevant Messages that Resonate,” contact either Dan Kreutzer or Robert Lambert or visit the Samurai Business Group website.

Spencer Maus, of SpencerConnect, is a senior-level, public relations executive. Samurai Business Group is a client and providing compensation to SpencerConnect

Samurai Business Training – Seventh Session in the Dojo – Closing the Sale

“Always be closing!” WRONG! It is the role of the Samurai to assist the prospect in selecting the best option that fits their needs. If you have not fully completed the buying decision model, gained a full understanding of the prospect’s apparent and compelling reasons, and gained trust, your closing rate will be abysmal.

So how do you move the prospect to client? How  do you get the prospect to select you and your offering? First, you must help the prospect fully complete the “Buying Decision Model.” The goal is to determine if there is a true need for your product of service, and at the same time assist the buyer in determining what they want.

During the process you should have taken copious notes. You are clear as to both the apparent and compelling reasons. You have connected the dots between the apparent and compelling reasons.

“We need a reliable and scalable IT solution. We are rapidly growing our business. And I need to stay on budget. The last system I selected was cheap, but it does not scale, continuously breaks down and it’s almost impossible to get service. I’m getting nervous with how this is perceived in the boardroom. The last memo from upstairs was pretty harsh.”

You have discussed solutions. Integrate your company’s servers to the current system to save on cost. Or replace the system and provide 24/7 technical support. Structure a lease-buy program to keep costs down. Not as inexpensive as integrating new servers, but much more reliable. The buyer prefers the second option. Now it is time for your presentation.

First, don’t email your presentation. Your presentation should be made in person, if at all possible. This allows you to judge reactions and answer silent concerns – body and facial language. If it is impossible to present your proposal live, then use an online screen share service so you can control the flow of the presentation.

The proposal should have three sections: an Executive Summary; the main proposal; and an appendix with any data, statistics or other details that support the proposal. The proposal needs to address both the apparent and compelling reasons, and written using the language of the buyer. Remember that you need to have taken copious notes to use the buyer’s language (were you listening or talking?).

As you make your presentation, keep it interactive. First summarize the compelling reasons and check on changes. Ask for feedback, changes or corrections. Then cover the compelling reasons in detail and the solutions offered. Let them decide what happens next. If there need to be changes, when can you reconvene? If they need to meet to discuss the proposal, when should you schedule a follow up meeting?

Finally, check for certainty. What are their concerns? If there are problems, deal with them. Be okay with questions. And if you can keep your emotions in check during the presentation, they will signal when they want to move forward and buy.

For further details on “Closing the Sale,” contact either Dan Kreutzer or Robert Lambert or visit the Samurai Business Group website.

Spencer Maus, of SpencerConnect, is a senior-level, public relations executive. Samurai Business Group is a client and providing compensation to SpencerConnect

Samurai Business Training – Sixth Session in the Dojo (part 2) – Have a Pre-Meeting, Approved Agenda

At least once in your career, you are given an introduction to that one executive you have been trying to meet for weeks, months, years. A lunch meeting is scheduled at her favorite (and expensive) restaurant. You do the normal, getting to know you conversational dance. And there you go and spoil it by saying, “I have a few ideas that I believe will help your business.”

The response? “Oh, when I spoke with Spencer, he said you just wanted to meet. I didn’t know this was a business lunch.”

So why was there no agenda? Fear? Fear that she would tell you she has no interest or need for your services?

Asking for approval of a specific agenda accomplishes two steps in adding new business. First, the prospect knows exactly why you want to meet and what will be discussed. No surprises, everything is agreed to before meeting. Or, the prospect says that he has no interest in meeting to discuss your company’s products or services. The good news, you saved time and money.

Sensei Dan Kreutzer, of the Samurai Business Group, discussed the why, how and what to include in setting and getting a pre-meeting agenda. Dan referred to it as “setting the stage.”

When scheduling a meeting over lunch, coffee or a desk, first determine the maximum amount of time granted. “How much time will we have when we meet?” Next ask the prospect, “What should we try to accomplish when we meet?” Finally, ask if it makes sense to set an agenda “to see if there is a fit” with your businesses. Then email or discuss the agenda on the phone to get approval. And email the agreed agenda before you meet.

When you meet for lunch, coffee or over the prospect’s desk, there are no surprises.

When the agenda is covered, and there is agreement to move forward, offer the next steps you will take; and assign “homework” to the prospect. This will ensure that the prospect is fully engaged. If you don’t follow these important actions, you will have a list of non-prospect prospects.

Just last week, I scheduled a lunch meeting with a prospect who had worked for a client. He was hired to undertake a huge project for a new employer. I followed Dan’s advice.

In my confirmation email, I presented our agenda (key word is “our”). He emailed confirmation and approval of the agenda. After a few minutes of “How are you? What’s new? How’s the new job? I was able to move directly to our agenda. After our conversation, I explained what I would do, assigned homework (which was completed) and now await probable approval of my proposal.

For further details on the buying model, please contact either Dan Kreutzer or Robert Lambert or visit the Samurai Business Group website.

Spencer Maus, of SpencerConnect, is a senior-level, public relations executive. Samurai Business Group is a client and providing compensation to SpencerConnect.

Samurai Business Training – Sixth Session in the Dojo (part 1) – “I hear voices!”

Your meeting with your newest prospect begins and you’re having a great conversations. That is not a typo. Whether you are aware of it or not, in every meeting there are at least three conversations taking place. You and the prospect. You with you. The prospect with himself.

Since you were a child, and through college, we have been programmed to listen to our inner voice to answer teacher’s questions, think of questions and in general participate in class to improve our grade. Now that we are in the business world, our well trained “inner voice” keeps participating.

During meetings with prospects and clients, we listen intently to two voices; that of the prospect and our inner voice. “I know the solution!” “You have examples of success! Tell him about the Samurai Capital account!”  “Stop talking so I can tell you all the great things we have done!”  “OOO, pick me, pick me I have the answer!”

The prospect’s inner voice is also talking to him. “Man, this is going to blow out our budget?” Won’t this guy shut up so I can tell him what I really need?” “I wonder when Sue and Tim are going to lunch.”

So what’s a “parent” to do and can we learn to control or just live with this “child?”

First, as Sensei Dan Kreutzer of the Samurai Business Group pointed out, there are three, distinct levels of participation by our inner voices. As programmed, your inner voice takes over. You are distracted from what the prospect is saying. You are spending more time listening to the inner voice, and only hear pieces of the valuable information the prospect is sharing.

The second level is when the inner voice keeps interrupting with answers to the prospects needs, but you are able to quickly return to listening to the prospect. And third, you’ve told the inner voice to “shut up and be quiet.” You continue to focus on the prospect and what he has to say.

So the solution is to just have a conversation. Huh? Leave the sales mode. And just talk. It sounds simple. But if you simply shut up and focus on listening and having a normal conversation, you can move the prospect from the fear of “being sold” and into discussing his compelling reasons. Then you will gather the information needed to present solutions at a follow-up meeting.

OK, now you’re saying it can’t be that simple. Alright, here are a couple of tricks I use to maintain focus on the prospect. First, I invite my inner voice to join the conversation (“Right, are you off your meds?”). I have my inner voice repeat verbatim what the prospect is saying. To do that takes real focus. The other trick is to write down the questions and key points my inner voice wants to ask. When the prospect has finished talking, I ask questions, confirm key points and satisfy my inner voice.

For further details on the buying model, please contact either Dan Kreutzer or Robert Lambert or visit the Samurai Business Group website.

Spencer Maus, of SpencerConnect, is a senior-level, public relations executive. Samurai Business Group is a client and providing compensation to SpencerConnect.

Are You Wasting Your Time on RFP’s?

Many of us have received Requests for Proposals (RFP’s). Most corporations and all government agencies require multiple bids for large projects. RFP’s are sent to selected corporations. Bids are reviewed and a winner is selected.

For many businesses RFP’s are an important element for generating new business. Corporate teams spend hours on research, preparation and writing, submitting and then waiting for the good or bad news.

In many cases, success can be minimal. The team has submitted the perfect proposal. Every section has been thoroughly discussed. Your company’s products or services are a perfect fit for the needs outlined in the request

However, the winner may have been pre-selected. It could be a company that has always delivered great results. It could be that project manager plays golf with the CEO. Or you may have been suggested by your competition, in order to meet with policies or laws.

So how can you determine if it is a true open competition, or if you are “window dressing” to provide the appearance of fair and open process?

Dan Kreutzer, a managing partner of the Samurai Business Group, offers students a few suggestions. Does the RFP provide contact information and an invitation to call with questions? If not, your proposal may not be seriously considered. If you are invited to call with questions, you call, leave numerous voice mail messages without return calls, this may not be a fair competition.

If you do get the contact on the phone, first ask “How did you get my name?” If it was a referral, ask “who referred me so I can thank them?” If the corporate contact says he would prefer not providing a name, odds are it was your competition. If it was via a Google search, you may or may not be in a rigged beauty contest.

Next ask if you can discuss the RFP in person.  If that is impractical, ask if the contact has time or can schedule a time. If the answer is “all the information you need is in the RFP and on our website,” again this could be a waste of valuable, business development time.

However, if you are provided the name of a referrer and a quality meeting or phone conversation occurs, you are in a fair RFP competition. And one final tip. At the end of your RFP, include legal language that the information in RFP cannot be shared with anyone outside of the corporation requesting your bid. It may not prevent your bid from being shared with competition, but it may give pause to the corporate contact.

Spencer Maus, of SpencerConnect, is a senior-level, public relations executive. Samurai Business Group is a client and providing compensation to SpencerConnect.

Samurai Business Training – Fifth Session in the Dojo – Why They Buy

You rarely hear anyone say, “I’m going out today to be sold a new car!” Or someone in the office sending out a memo saying, “We need to be sold a new server. Our current server is not sufficient.”

Yes, we have been sold. But if the truth is told, we were planning to buy. So why do prospects buy? Robert Lambert, Sensei of the Samurai Business Group, led as we continued our path to Mastery on the Fifth Day in the Dojo.

So why do people buy from you, me or Bob Lambert? Spoiler alert – because we answer the WIIFM (what’s in it for me) question. That’s it! You’re now trained to sell. Well, maybe not. The hard part is getting to WIIFM.

You get a referral to the CIO of Samurai Aeronautics, LTD. Having completed the Samurai Sales Mastery series you listen intently as the CIO provides the Apparent Reasons for the meeting. The company’s servers are five years old, tech support is non-existent and she is considering either adding additional servers or replacing the entire system.

During the meeting, you uncover the Underlying Causes. A great deal of the CIO’s time is responding to complaints and system problems from aeronautic engineers, office support staff and finally the executive suite. “Not only are our computers slow, but seems like the servers are down more than they’re up.” (PAIN)

You then begin asking a lot of questions. A LOT OF QUESTIONS. “Have you considered integrating additional servers? Can you upgrade your servers working with your current vendor? Are there other systems that can effectively integrate with your current servers?”

As you continue the conversation, Ms. CIO says she has other concerns. There is the projected growth of the company. The future needs for storage, and she can’t store information off site due the security issues. And other members in the “C-Suite” want to not only have the best current technology, but the ability to upgrade in the future. And there are budgetary constraints. (FEAR)

She wants a system that is reliable, secure and easily upgradable, with minimum cost. (GAIN)

As you work through the process of providing the solution, you provide options and alternatives. You research upgrades and costs for her current system. Your firm provides servers that can integrate with her current servers. And your firm will provide easy migration and 24/7 technical support for the entire system – your company’s servers and those currently on site. And using your servers, you can easily expand the system as the company grows.

The WIIFM? She wants to look good in the eyes of the corporate president. Through your work, she does. And you do to!

For further details on the buying model, please contact either Dan Kreutzer or Robert Lambert or visit the Samurai Business Group website.

Spencer Maus, of SpencerConnect, is a senior-level, public relations executive. Samurai Business Group is a client and providing compensation to SpencerConnect.

Samurai Business Training – Fourth Session in the Dojo – The Buying Model

When I was told our next session would cover the “Buying Model,” my visions of a field trip to study to habits of models shopping were soon dashed. Our class would focus on the human decision model, created by J.P. Guilford while at U.C.L.A, and its application to sales.

Dan Kreutzer, Sensei of Samurai Business Group, presented the process of how a prospect buys. Every decision we make is a buying decision. Most of our “buying decisions” are transactional – price, location, ease of purchase, etc. Buying coffee, toothpaste or going to work (if I show up I get paid, if I don’t buying coffee is not an option).

However, the more complex the decision, the longer the process will take. Buying coffee for the office is easy. Selecting a vendor for an ERP system is not.

Typically before meeting, the decision maker will have already identified the issues and consequences of a right or wrong decision. Going with the wrong software program, or the wrong provider, could cost the company profits and the executive her job. And a first meeting may or may not be a part of her discovery process.

No executive will meet with a sales professional, unless she has a real need (or perhaps curiosity) for the products or services that you represent. Even before you’re invited for first meeting or before it takes place, the executive will have researched and compared your company and your competition.

You need to avoid the temptation of a “brain dump” during this meeting. You must listen, ask questions, ask more questions and clarify (this will be a redundant theme). A “brain dump” or “show up and throw up” will immediately put you at a disadvantage. You will appear as an order taker and trust will be nearly impossible to gain.

In a first meeting, the critical issues, or apparent reasons for meeting will be discussed. In that meeting it is imperative to understand the apparent reasons. Ask questions and listen, and more questions, clarify and listen. To gain trust, your role is to help the executive make the right decision – which may not be what your company offers.

As you continue the discovery process with the prospect, you need to help her fully consider alternative solutions, products or perhaps services. Assume for a moment you are a corporate law attorney. A current client comes to you needing assistance with an employment matter. If this is a simple matter, law school training may have prepared you for this situation. If it is a more complex situation, perhaps a claim of sexual harassment by a terminated employee, you may want to bring in a colleague to represent the client.

The discovery “loop” of  Situation Analysis, Self Education / Gathering Information, and Considering Options(exploring alternative solutions) will be repetitive and take longer than the traditional sales models (Feature, Advantage Benefit and even Problem – Solution if done without integrity).

But when you and the prospect reach agreement on the best course of action, or best alternative  (Select “Best Fit” – aka “close”), you will have gained trust, perhaps a client and potentially further opportunities through referrals.

But your job is not finished. The Post Sale Evaluation is as important as the sale. As the solution is being provided, you must remain in contact with your client. Is the process going smoothly? Have there been any unplanned consequences you can address? After one month, six months or one year, you should ask if the product / service has performed as expected, better than expected, not met your expectations? What adjustments need to be made?

Again, the more questions asked, the better you can present alternatives, aid the prospect and make the right decision.

For further details on the buying model, please contact either Dan Kreutzer or Robert Lambert or visit the Samurai Business Group website.

Spencer Maus, of SpencerConnect, is a senior-level, public relations executive. Samurai Business Group is a client and providing compensation to SpencerConnect.

Samurai Business Training – First Week in the Dojo

Contributed by Spencer Maus

Monday morning I arrived for the Samurai Business Group training as a willing student; my new notebook, depressing profile and a mind like a sponge (no jokes please).

Nine of us waited for our Sensei to begin transforming us from “grasshopper” to killer, sales Samurais. There were the usual pleasantries of introductions, and then we quickly moved onto discussing our profiles and what it meant. As Dan Kreutzer began explaining what the data meant, I began feeling better about myself, “Yeh, that’s right. That’s me. I’m not so bad.” But I also realized there was much work to do.

Dan and Bob Lambert explained what each quadrant of the analysis meant, the tendencies and examples of known people that fit into a specific pattern In my case I’m three parts Bill Clinton and two parts Bob Knight.

They then explained that the Adapted style was how we acted and reacted in most situations, particularly sales. The Natural style is how we react when things go south, or the pressure dramatically increases.

Then the real “beauty” part of the day’s training began. Together our Sensei detailed how to quickly determine someone’s behavioral type. With each quadrant, they detailed how to quickly identify, move to the meeting’s focus, and know when a meeting is going south or the executive is willing to buy. Further, they discussed the potential problems of one type presenting to another – sixteen different combinations.

However, there is one problem. And this is only day one. It is one thing to learn a technique through listening and observation. It is another to absorb information through experience. If you have ever skied or played golf, think back to the first lesson, “Do this, do that, don’t do this or that. Ok, now go do it.” It is through the experience that true mastery can be achieved. Now was time to experience

We were randomly paired up, with the assignment to determine the behavioral pattern of our partner from our conversation. Everyone nailed it. But like any Samurai in training it must be done over and over a thousand times to become instinctual and to achieve mastery.

Spencer Maus, of SpencerConnect, is a senior-level, public relations executive. Samurai Business Group is a client and providing compensation to SpencerConnect.

Samurai Business Training – First Week in the Dojo – Preparation

Contributed by Spencer Maus

I have known Dan Kreutzer and Bob Lambert for more than five years. With the number of sales training programs, I was always curious what made the Samurai Business Group program unique. There was only one way to find out. Surrender to the Sensei and begin my training to become a Samurai.

First a little background. I have over 30 years of successful sales experience. In fact, I once taught cold calling and fact finding to insurance agents. But when one has their own business, you are responsible for sales, marketing, accounting, project management and completion and janitorial services, any new idea or edge that will accelerate success and relieve pain needs to be very strongly considered.

Second, I have known and trusted Dan and Bob for more than five years. They carefully explained that the program would dramatically improve my closing rate and alleviate my need to cold call.

Lastly, was the use of the term Mastery. Mastery is defined as “1. Comprehensive knowledge or skill in a subject or accomplishment; and 2. The action or process of mastering a subject or accomplishment.” Viewed from my own perspective, Mastery is the ability to react without thinking.

So, to quote a beer commercial, “Here we go!”

The first step was to complete the DISC Behavioral Profile. Having completed a number of behavioral profiles, my first thought was this will be easy. Dan had advised not to think about the answers, just react (aha – Samurai Mastery). Well, it was that easy. I did think. In fact, I thought about “crowd sourcing” the questions to my LinkedIn contacts. “Hey, guys, do I play well with others? Or am I an overbearing jerk?” Don’t answer that.

Upon completing the questionnaire, I anxiously awaited the results. “Spencer, you’re perfect! Why are you taking this class? You could teach it! ‘Love you just the way you are!’” WRONG. As I began reading the profile, I was thinking “That’s not me. That’s not me. That’s not me. The program must be faulty.” Which quickly became “Ok, that is me. Ok, that is me.” Bob, Dan HELP!

Spencer Maus, of SpencerConnect, is a senior-level, public relations executive. Samurai Business Group is a client and providing compensation to SpencerConnect.

From Selling Products to Building Trust

Today’s Selling Environment and How We Got Here…

Selling in today’s market can be frustrating, upsetting, and confusing. There’s a good reason, too. The selling process most companies follow is outdated—developed for a market in a different time and with different needs and priorities. In the past, vendors and their salespeople were the main—and very often the sole—source of information for the customer. The dawn of the information age and the rise of the Internet have irrevocably altered the market environment and have rendered traditional sales processes obsolete.

Today’s more sophisticated and informed customers have numerous and readily accessible sources of information about products, competitors, and industry developments and trends. They no longer want to be “sold” to. Instead, they want to “buy,” and they expect salespeople to help them through the buying process, not simply move them along the salesperson’s sales cycle.

As in Darwin’s theory of evolution, sales organizations must adapt to the changing environment in order to survive. Think about the long-established job of the salesperson. Salespeople traditionally present and explain a company’s products to prospects. The product and its features are, in and of themselves, enough to cause the prospect to buy, as long as the salesperson understands the product and presents it in the best possible light. A personable, affable, and enthusiastic demeanor on the part of the salesperson also helps.

In this new millennium, however, salespeople have a different job to do. They are no longer required to educate customers in quite the same way or provide the same information that salespeople traditionally provide. For one, you, the salesperson, are competing with companies all over the world. You’re also facing sophisticated customers who may know even more about your company, products, and competitors than you do.

• How are you going to compete?
• How do you keep from becoming one of the usual suspects who get the request for proposal (RFP) for the sake of form but not the business?
• What value are you going to deliver to the customer?

As you think about these questions and start to formulate you answer, next week will share with you how “The Sales Game Has Changed”.

Until next time…

Putting the Win Back In Your Sales-
Dan

You’ve just read an excerpt from the book, “Put The Win Back In Your Sales”.   If you’d like to take your sales to the next level and really understand How & Why People Buy, click on the book link to the left and get the book.  You’ll be glad you did!

DAN KREUTZER is an accomplished sales executive, sales trainer, author, speaker, and a Partner of Samurai Business Group, LLC. He has extensive expertise in business development, product and service marketing, and strategic leadership. Dan is a sharp and intuitive student of human behavior, and has fused his observations with a deep knowledge of sales culture to design the Samurai Sales Mastery™ programs. His book, “How to Put the WIN Back in Your SALES,” seeks to shatter the myths associated with traditional selling, and raise the level of professionalism in today’s salespeople.

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