People Are Still Asking Me…
Hardly a day goes by that someone doesn’t ask me this question. Most are taken back by my answer; “It depends upon who you talk to.” I oftentimes will elaborate and say, “Some are setting records, others are in trouble. Which one’s do you want to talk about?” Most are not sure how to answer that. Some will say, “I mean with this economy.” I will then usually ask, “Whose economy?” If they are still listening at this point, I will go on and say, “I believe everyone has his and her own economy. I do not believe in some universal economy that applies to everyone. We all make our own economy. Mine is just fine, how is yours?”
No, I am not trying to be a wise-guy, that’s just the way I see it. I am especially appalled by someone that is selling in a retail store in Hawaii who feels that the economy is a problem. When pressed on that topic, I will say, “I am sure there are people who have a bad economy, perhaps have even lost their jobs, cars and homes, but, they are not coming to Hawaii to get over it. One cannot come to Hawaii in a motorhome and we do not have any public campgrounds here. Airline travel is expensive, restaurants are expensive, and hotels are extremely expensive. The people coming into your store (for the most part) are spending a lot of money on all of these things and most likely can afford to buy whatever it is you’re selling.”

“It’s Not My Fault”
The biggest threat to success is finding some excuse beyond your control that you believe is the problem. Once that happens you relinquish responsibility and become paralyzed. I hear people blame the economy, the traffic, the weather, their co-workers and even their customers. In reality they are their own problem.

What Can I Do?
The next time you catch yourself feeling overwhelmed, simply ask yourself, “What can I be doing right now, this minute, to improve the situation?” The keywords in this question are “I, this minute, and improve.” When you get an answer, act upon it, if you don’t get an answer ask yourself the question again. There is always an answer. When you find that answer, and act upon it, you are on the right road.

National Expanson
Mahalo Andrew Extrom for finding and sending me this copy of an ad I ran in 1972. A lot of memories came flooding back. That was a great year. My company (Empress Pearls) was 10 years old and we had launched a national expansion program. Our goal was 100 offices around the country with at least one in every state. We got close with 100 in 49 states. Alaska was just to cold. I loved my job.

1972 Midnight Blue El Dorado
I loved my car too, and put close to 100,000 miles on it in two years.

Work, Work, Work!
It was a lot of hard work, but when you are doing something you love, and you have your goals in sight, it’s a lot of fun too.

I had a lot More Hair Too
As much as I loved those days, it was pretty easy to walk away from it for something I loved even more.

Make the Trust Sale First
When most customers first see a salesperson, all they see is someone wanting their money. Trust of you or your store is not automatic.
Your customers know nothing about your background, education, values or morals; they just see a salesperson. The sooner you start “selling” the quicker that suspicion becomes validated.

Start With Safe and Honest Questions
Many well meaning salespeople start off with a “small talk” question, assuming that they are relaxing the customer; NOT! If a stranger in the mall stopped and asked you, “How are you doing today?” what would you think?
Once you have greeted your customer, ask a “safe” question like, “Do you live close by?” and/or “Have you been in the store before?” These are “safe” and “honest” questions that are not likely to get you an answer you don’t want to hear.
You can then segue into telling the customers the 4 “W’s” about your store.
Tell your customers:

WHO you are…
WHAT you are…
WHAT you sell…
WHERE it is in the store…

Sell your company and store before you start selling your merchandise. You will be trusted sooner and sell more.

An Honor Indeed

For any Hawaii company to ber recognized in this national magazine’s list of 500 fastest growing companies is exciting. On a personal note, it is even more exciting to be able to call Hawaii Energy Connection a Success Dynamics client. To read more about this honor, CLICK HERE: 

Winners!

I get the opportunity to work with many successful people, and when I first met with Steve a Chris a few months back I commented to them that it’s like working with Apple in the early days.  They bring an aura of excitement and enthusiasm to work every day, yet in a relaxed, even casual way.

Win/Win

Their KumuKit product is a win/win deal for the company, their salespeople and most of all their customers. Solar is a fast growing industry, but HEC stands out because of the service and attention they provide to their customers while at the same time reducing, or even eliminating their electricity bills.

How Do You Get Your Day Going?
Your first moves in the morning can set the pace for the entire day. I discovered many years ago that no matter how short rested I am, that if I can just make it to the shower, I will come out of there wide awake and ready to go.

Honolulu Marathon Finish Line - 12-9-1984
When preparing for the Honolulu Marathon many years ago, my training regimen was a 10 mile run before breakfast. To do that required a 5:30 AM alarm. There were many mornings that when the alarm sounded I was tempted to shut it off and go back to sleep. But that wouldn’t prepare me for the 26.2 mile run in December. I found that if I were to just sit on the side of the bed and rub my shoe lubricant into my toes that I didn’t want to get back in bed. I also noticed that after less than 20 minutes of running that I was glad to be out there. By the time an hour of running had elapsed I was as “high as a kite” and loving every step. Crossing the finish line was the ultimate thrill.

No, This Is NOT Me!
Today it’s a trip to the coffee pot and then to the computer. This is followed (most mornings) by a one hour session in the gym. In any case, when the day gets off to a good start it’s easy to sail through the rest of it.
How Do You Kick Start Your Day?

Customer Contact

Dealing face-to-face with customers can feel like “mental combat” at times. Not everyone is cut out for it. While customers are not always nice, salespeople must be.
“We found that we could hire nice people and teach them how to sell. We had problems hiring salespeople and teaching them how to be nice.”
-The Nordstrom Way

“Leave Me Alone”

Customers do not always welcome a salesperson’s approach, even when it is a friendly one. Customers have all encountered pushy salespeople, and think you just might be one of them. Customers can be pretty “closed up.”

“How about…?”

Getting close to a customer is a lot like flirting with a love interest. One person may want more out of the deal (at the moment) than the other, but both have an interest, or they wouldn’t be there. You want the sale and the customer needs your help. Timing can be everything.

Togetherness 

Your goal is to build a bond with the customer and break down those barriers early on.
The tricky thing is doing it without appearing phony. The best way to come across as “real” is to be “real.” The customer is in your store. Talking about the weather or anything outside of the store can be seen as insincere. Sincerity sells!

“Come On In”

Your customers take a big step when they make the decision to enter your store. Their purpose is not to tell you how they are doing today, so don’t start off by asking that question. Doing so (unless you know one another) is phony. They don’t think you care how they are doing today, and you probably don’t. Be Real!

“Relax and Look Around”

You probably have a lot of things for your customers to look at, and if you ask, “May I help you?” the answer will most likely be, “No thanks, I’m just looking.” Bad Question!
Always ask a safe, but meaningful question to get started. When you ask a question that assumes a purchase before the customer has seen what you have to offer, like; “Is there something in particular you are looking for?” you set yourself up for an answer you don’t want to hear.

Launch the Discovery

Most customers are on a discovery mission. You can get in synch with your customer’s mission, launch their discovery and seize control all at the same time by asking the right question. Ask, “Is this your first time in our store,” or in the case of a repeat customer, “How long has it been since you have been in our store?” These are both non threatening, safe to answer questions that set you up to talk about the store and fulfill your customer’s mission.

“No” “Stop” “You Can’t”
There are several others of course, but too many times we hear these words and the person saying them is insensitive to their impact.
I went into a fancy coffee shop in an exclusive department store a while back to meet with a client. Upon our arrival I saw that half of the tables were full and the other half empty. As we approached one of the empty tables an employee barked out, “You cannot sit there.” I stood there a bit stunned and as I was calculating my response she said, “We had a leak in the ceiling and needed to close that section.” What’s wrong with this scenario?

Reason First
The fact that we couldn’t use those tables was reasonable; her approach was not. It was only after my initial reaction (negative) to her first words that I knew why we couldn’t sit there. It would have been better if she originally had said, (in a polite tone) “I’m sorry, but we have a water leak from above and had to close off this section.” Not only would I have understood, but I wouldn’t want to sit there. Your first words set the stage; think first, speak later.

You CANNOT “Train” People!
I am oftentimes introduced as a “trainer”, or “sales trainer” and I quickly deny that description of what I do.
I have heard, “People are a part of the animal kingdom; if you can you train one, you should be able to train the other.” I can accept the “should be” part of that statement, but the reality is that there are some major differences between the human animal and the others.
A dolphin can be “taught” and then “trained” through repetition and reward to jump through a hoop every time the whistle blows. The dolphin (or other animals) will do what they have been “trained” to do, regardless of their mood that day, the weather, or what the other animals are doing.
People can surely be taught to do something, however they may or may not do it depending entirely upon their mood that day, the weather, or what other people are doing.

Coach
In professional football, where we find the best of the best, there are more coaches on the sidelines than players on the field, and the head coach never misses a down. In addition to teaching, people need coaching, watching, critiquing, praising and sometimes even reprimanding just to get them to do what they were taught to do.