Snobs

Recently I met someone who I describe as a business snob. This is a person who represents a product or service that they believe that everyone must buy. To not purchase their product or service is considered by them as an act of lunacy. Snobs treat anyone who does not believe as they do to be heretics. The prospect who rejects their approach may even be verbally attacked and their integrity questioned.

I always believe that we should be passionate about our business and what we offer to others. If we cannot be passionate about what we offer, how can we expect anyone else to believe that they should purchase from us? Being a product of our product and showing our passionate feelings is a strong marketing tactic that should resonant well with others.

We all believe in what we offer and may not understand why everyone does not rush to us to sign up as our clients. We often shake our heads and wonder how other people could not want what we have to offer. While that passion is commendable, we have to accept that others may not see what we see or may not be financially able to purchase from us.

Not everyone will need what we have, or they may not be as wise as our clients. They may not realize that we can help them be more successful in their business if they buy from us. We cannot sign every customer in the world; it is just not going to happen. When that time comes, we must thank the other person for the opportunity, keep in touch with them, and honor their decision professionally.

We must never labor the point to them that not doing business with us is wrong or will damage their business. We also must not be hostile toward them, and we must never berate them to their face, or to others, over their decision. We must be honest and polite and move on to other prospects. We must be professional and civil. Get over it and look elsewhere for another opportunity.

Lost prospects may become great networking partners. However, even that does not work in every case. There are people who just don’t understand that if we don’t become each other’s customers, we still can remain partners and have a networking relationship. They will always keep score and will never understand that giving to give is better than giving to get. We should never trust them because they will use everyone.

A snob believes that their product or service is the solution to everyone’s problems or needs. They think that their way is the only way and look down on those who disagree. They see their beliefs as the only true path and believe that we are too stupid to see the truth as they have explained it. Never react with hostility and remain a professional.

As we market, we must never take the attitude of the business snob. We can believe passionately in our business and what we offer to others, but we must accept that not everyone will agree with us and will not buy from us. When we are faced with that rejection, we must move on to other prospects and never be vengeful or rude.

Practicing Gratitude Marketing offers us so many opportunities to express our appreciation for whatever other people do, for us and for others. Never let our marketing be tainted by petty feelings and snobbish words from us. Please leave me your comments, or email me at Jim@JimTeasley.com, or call me at 360-314-8691.

Customers and Clients

Last week we discussed how prospects may turn into customers, but should also become partners with us. These partners should be referral sources for us and should be people to whom we refer others. They are literally our partners in business, and our relationship with them becomes vital to both parties. Our mutual success is founded on our honesty and openness with each other and on the principles of karma.

As we attempt to develop prospects into customers, we discover others with whom we will never have as customers, but they still can become our partners. Likewise, we may never become customers of some other parties, but we can still be their partners. Who knows, that partnership may even revise our feelings or needs to the level where we do become customers, even clients.

Our intentions should be to develop prospects into customers. However, our work must not stop there. We must show those customers how much we appreciate them and their business. After all, they have put money into our pockets, and we should show them that we care about them, their own prosperity, and their business with us. Everyone likes to be thanked, even when we are the customer.

What is the difference in a customer and a client? A customer of a restaurant is welcomed into the restaurant, given the first table available and a menu, and their order is taken by the next wait person. The table may be anywhere in the establishment, perhaps even by the kitchen door. Their order is taken, and delivered, with little fanfare, no extra conversation, and no familiarity.

A client enters a restaurant, is greeted by name, is seated at a table of prominence, perhaps by a window, and the wait person brings them their favorite refreshment, announcing the specials of the day, but anticipating that they will order their favorite meal. Menus are not necessary unless requested, and the conversation is sprinkled with names and familiarity.

Our customers require reminders of what we offer to them, including add-on products or services, upgrades to accounts, and expiration dates. Clients are usually on renewing subscriptions, contact us as needed when their information changes, and are familiar with our offerings so that they often will upgrade their orders themselves. They actually want to hear about changes that will enhance their experience with us.

Both customers and clients may introduce others to us as referrals. Customers will simply pass names to us, perhaps telling the referred person about what we do and what we offer. Clients will refer people and businesses to us that are ready-to-sign prospects, after telling them about their great experiences with us. Both of these referral partners should be rewarded as to their level of involvement in the new customer.

Gratitude Marketing should be utilized to make customers believe that we really appreciate their business. Gratitude Marketing will turn customers into clients who actually love doing business with us. Which would you prefer, customers or clients? Or would you also want partners who share an interest in mutual prosperity? Please leave me your comments, or email me at Jim@JimTeasley.com, or call me at 360-314-8691.

Prospects, Customers, Clients, and Partners

As business people we should be continually finding others with whom we network and attempt to develop as networking partners. These people may be prospects, customers, or clients, but they should always be developed as partners if possible. Most people say that everyone that they meet is a prospect, but that is not true. However, everyone should be approached as a networking partner even if they never become a customer.

When we go networking we should get to know the people that we meet by sitting down with them and getting to know them. We must not attempt to sell them whatever product or service that we have to offer. We must inquire as to whatever they need or are seeking for their business or for themselves. When we assist them in finding what they want, even if it is not what we offer, we build partnerships for the long haul.

If we don’t have what the other person wants, who do we know that does? If we do not know anyone with the solutions for someone else’s need, do we know anyone who may know someone who may assist? That is the ultimate in building relationships and making partners of everyone. This is the essence of karma and Gratitude Marketing. Becoming a relationship builder returns success to all involved.

What if we can fulfill the needs of someone that we meet and get to know? They become our customer and move into that level of relationship. Can they still be networking partners and engage in the interchange of referrals? We should refer others to them and, if they are happy customers, they should refer others to us. If we become their customer the relationship is basically the same.

Does this networking relationship only involve the passing of referrals for business? It should include personal contacts and the referrals of anything or anyone who can help another party to satisfy their needs, personal or business. It may be a business supplier, or it might be a plumber; it could be an attorney or a banker or a college for someone’s child. If we know someone who can help someone else, we need to put them together.

So, we meet a networking stranger at an event and engage in a short conversation. Without prejudging them, we set a meeting to chat and get to know them better. We discover what they need, they may become a prospect, and we try to market to them. If we cannot provide what they need, we refer them to someone who can either satisfy that need or may know someone who may help them. They are now our partner.

Prospects who become customers always should be our partners. Even those prospects who no not become our customers can be our partners and should be valued as such. Who knows, maybe the networking partnership may convince them to become customers in the future. These partnerships can be the backbone of our success and may mean that we never need to cold call anyone again. Couldn’t hurt to try, could it?

Networking is marketing and, like all types of marketing, may be productive or not. It also should be fun and interesting. Practicing Gratitude Marketing will improve our karma and bring us partners who will refer new partners to us, helping build our customer base. It is up to us to turn those customers into clients, and let’s discuss that next week. Please leave me your comments, or email me at Jim@JimTeasley.com, or call me at 360-314-8691.

How & Why

All of us know how and why we are in our business. Maybe it was chance, or maybe it was planned. Whatever the reasons, we must be able to relate those stories to others in order to authenticate both ourselves and whatever it is that we do. We must be able to explain our reasons in order to market our legitimacy to others.

Marketing is a series of stories. We tell others stories about our products or services and how they impact the lives of others. We relate stories about how our business functions, how our employees treat customers, or how customers use our products or services. We tell stories all day long, and we must always be truthful in telling them.

Have we ever told anyone the stories of how and why we started our business or joined the industry that we operate within? If we have not, why haven’t we done so? We must be able to relate these stories in order to authenticate ourselves to our prospects, customers, and clients. We must be seen as valid in the eyes of those to whom we market, even if they are already our customers.

Did we just wake up one day and become whatever we are? Of course not, maybe a friend gave us information on a new industry or business. Perhaps someone at a networking event passed us a referral to someone who might be of interest. A recruiter may have called us to discuss a new opportunity or career. We may have had an inspiration and started our own venture, or we may have partnered with someone else.

Whatever the story, we all have one. How we arrived at the current place in our lives is our how. We should demonstrate that a similar process may apply to other people like it did to us. Maybe we are chatting with a networking partner who is seeking to make a change, and our story may give them the courage to strike out successfully.

In addition to our how story, we must be able to tell our why story. Why do we do what we do, and why do we continue to do it the way we do, even after the why is in our past. It might be the sense of accomplishment; perhaps we are building a business for our family’s future. We could be following a calling, or we might be in an industry which is a family tradition. Maybe our business or industry is structured in our time and work; maybe it is unstructured to the point of looking like play to others.

Telling these how and why stories does not have to take long, just a few, short minutes together. We can summarize them into simple sentences that someone may ask us to elaborate on, but they should be part of our marketing. Our prospects need to hear our how and why in order to believe in us. Our customers need to hear them in order to be more understanding about our business and their great decision to partner with us.

What is our how and why? Can we tell the story that answers these questions in simple and short sentences? Do we understand that we must be authentic in our marketing and how these stories help present us as someone with whom others want to partner and to remain partners? Our how and why is part of Gratitude Marketing and our brand. Please leave me your comments, or email me at Jim@JimTeasley.com, or call me at 360-314-8691.