The Salesby5 Blog

On Monday, I had a meeting with a client at his orthodontist office. I had never been to his office before but have been to plenty of dentists’ offices. As I walked in, here is what I saw (attached).  It got better too! There was awesome music playing and flat screens everywhere. The bathroom had an automatic sink, soap and paper towels. The people were very nice and asked if I wanted coffee, tea, soda, etc.

Well, I started my meeting with Dr. Robert (Tito) Norris at his Stone Oak offices that are totally solar powered.  I told him I was impressed and he quickly mentioned that he has game consoles ordered for the office that will have his adult clients playing and asking for more time before their appointment.

The experience was remarkable. What Tito has done is take a business that no one really wants to visit or buy from and make it a place that is great to visit. My dentist has no music, no entertainment, only some past issues of fishing magazines and terrible restrooms.  But he does a great job.  Today, doing a good job or a great job is salt and pepper.  What you do today to set the standards in your field and make people remark sets the stage for future success.

Monday we spoke about 3 cool ways companies and organizations are using Twitter.  If you haven’t signed up after reading that post and hearing more about the service, this might make you take the leap.  Twitter is providing you a small window to connect with people you may not otherwise be able to reach.  As with most other opportunities, the time that the window stays open is tiny.  The window with email is nearly closed, thanks to spam filters and other restrictions.  Additionally, it is easy for spam to happen via email.  Calling on the phone can be the same.  The questions can be the same for both – how’d you get this address/number?  No time to talk, gatekeepers are involved.

Twitter is different; it is much more human.  You exist much more publicly and the door is wide open.  Many people using twitter have lowered their guard to allow people to speak to them.  They’re having fun with this new medium.  Now’s a great time to be yourself and let people see the value of knowing you.  If you’re remarkable, witty, funny, have great ideas, then start following the people you find interesting and that you want to know.  Pay attention to their comments and if you have something to say to them, reply with an @username or if it makes sense, send them a direct message.  You’d be amazed at the likelihood of a response.  If the opportunity presents itself and you need to have a conversation over 140 characters, kindly ask for an email address and offer yours up as well as a good faith showing.  Phone numbers can be exchanged in a similar fashion to instill confidence.

If you’re a long time twitter user, what do you do to take your “tweets” to the next level? Share with us in the comments section.

Prevail Whale – lemasney

Have you waited for more than 45 minutes at a doctor’s office? How about more than 30 minutes?
Do you find this acceptable? I find that unless it is an OB-GYN or someone who has emergencies/unplanned occurrences daily, that it is poor planning. It is poor customer service.

I recently fired a doctor and his staff for seeing 5 pharmaceutical reps before me, even after I asked to be seen before them. Why does this continue to happen? My mom died of cancer a few years ago. Her last few years were spent with so many 2 and 3 hour waiting room visits. It hurts me to think of her last days in a waiting line that was too long. When will customer service be a necessity in the medical field?

What to do:
1. You can send this to your doctor by printing it or emailing it – they need to know!

2. When you book an appointment, tell them you must leave by a certain time. By doing this you are giving them your rules and your time lines.

3. When you book an appointment, ask about the real time when you need to be there for that appointment, your time is yours and valuable. If you are reading back issues of Time Magazine, make sure it is worth your time.

4. Ask how fast you will be seen by the doctor.

This is what I have done for years to avoid poor customer service from the medical community. Not to knock doctors necessarily, but this is aimed at the people who run their business with poor time lines and over-bookings, and those who lack respect for their customers’ time and the companies and organizations for which they work.

There is acceptable and unacceptable. This will continue unless you let them know it is unacceptable.

photo credit: mahr

You may or may not be familiar with Twitter.  If not, check out the video below.  The basic premise is that you answer one simple question – “What are you doing?” and you only have 140 characters to do so.  Here are 3 great ways that companies and organizations are building value in their brand by using Twitter in unconventional ways.

1.  Zappos.com, the amazing online shoe store, uses Twitter as a method to communicate with people talking about them.  They made the decision to actively engage with folks on Twitter and they are gaining steam in doing so.  They get to tell their story and people are growing personally attached.  Even Tony, the CEO, is in on it.  At present, there are 439 Zappos.com employees on Twitter.  Last night, 10 lucky followers of Tony were invited to join the Zappos gang at The Palms hotel for a 3,000 person party – with penguins!

2. Church can be many different things – fun, boring, insightful, etc.  Interactive isn’t usually an adjective that is used to describe church, though.  Imagine Fellowship, here in San Antonio, is doing things a bit differently.  They are using Twitter during the message in church on Sunday morning, where people can comment on the music, message and anything else they experience.  The use of Twitter has expanded the relationships throughout the week and people are connecting that may not have otherwise connected on Sundays.

3. BlackBerryCool.com is a world class blog that frequently travels throughout North America attending conferences for BlackBerry and other mobile devices.  Many BlackBerryCool.com readers are known to visit the site numerous times throughout the day searching for the latest updates and product releases, especially during these conferences.  Twitter allows BlackBerryCool.com to constantly inform their readers throughout a conference with minute-by-minute updates without the need of a laptop to create an entire blog post.  It is a great filler between larger written pieces.

What amazing way can you use Twitter to better build engagement with your brand?

Twitter in Plain English from leelefever on Vimeo.

Did you know that your mind starts out like an untouched field?

As you develop, you end up falling into patterns and your mind ends up carving pathways that you follow.  You use the same vendors, call on the same size/type of clients, and hang out with your usual group of people.

As time goes on, you have a choice.  Do you continue proceeding down the same path or do you make a change?  Making a change takes time, effort, and can be a bit frightening.  Since the path hasn’t been carved, it may feel like you have started over.

The benefits of carving a new path can be amazing.  You can keep the best parts of your old ways (vendors, clients, friends, processes) while finding a new adventure and opportunities.  Are you thinking too small?  Spending time with people who are de-motivators?  The path splits here.  Which way are you going?

Photo by dan.atx

There are days when you are on!  Unfortunately, there are also days when you are off.  It is critical to recognize when you are “on”, and use it!  Most importantly, if you are “off”, reschedule your sales call or your meeting.  If you don’t, the biggest question by your customer is “what happened?”  You will let them down, and could lose them forever.  Know when to show up and when to stay home.  At SaleBy5 our motto is “Go big or go home!”

photo by mrwilleeumm

In my marriage, we have a number on how we are doing from 1-10.  In your personal life you may have set target numbers for weight or body fat percentage.  In business, you need about two critical numbers and not too many more. The critical number can be how many contacts you made today or how many people you ate lunch with this week. (Never eat alone).  What gets measured gets done!

How many new prospects, people, friends, and clients will you contact this week and next week?  Write it big on paper in front of you now and not on your computer. What gets seen gets remembered!

photo by rintakumpu

Today we met with Jessica, who worked with us early this year.  She was formerly the top salesperson at Nordstrom in San Antonio, helping professional men dress well.  We will refer to her as a personal brand expert.  After Nordstrom, she approached us to sell our services.  It was intriguing to her and she knew of our track record.  While in meetings with her, we could see her light up when she would talk about fashion.  It was obvious she needed to grow where she was planted, or most importantly, where her passion existed.  Today, she is a private wardrobe consultant to professional gentlemen and has a client list of CEOs and other big players that is quite impressive.  She is also a client of ours!  She knows how to sell what she loves, as it comes naturally!  Sometimes people you care about, work with, or know need a push to find the right job just by looking inside their heart.  Which employee or friend can you help find their passion so they can sell their skill?

<Begin Rant>  I grew up hearing that I must be a doctor or lawyer to make it.  All of that is extremely false, yet it is still being told by parents.  Stop! <End Rant>

photo by briancarlocknyc

See new people, places and things.  Stimulus rules regarding your brain and creativity!

Stimulus can come from many areas.  The best ones are the areas that give you the most energy, drive and ambition.  Make it a point this week to do something different.  Try one of the items below or leave us a comment on your suggestion:

-Drive a new route to work

-Eat a foreign meal

-Read a new book

-Meet a new person each day

photo by cougar-studio