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Customer service is that awkward thing that few companies really do right.  And it is the least expensive thing any company can do to build customer loyalty, it is the best and most cost effective advertising, but why do companies spend so little time training and managing the customer service skills of their staff.  “We believe that when we are doing business with a company, that company should have our interests in mind not the bottom line. Keeping our customers thrilled so that they want to do business with us again and even more than that they want to tell their friends about how great the experience was is an elusive goal” says Dave Fuller.  Below is an excerpt and a link to the full article.
- - Thanks, Neal Odom


The keys you forgot to customer service
By Dave Fuller 

So what are the keys to customer service that many businesses have forgotten while the good times were rolling?

1. Customers want to be served by people that like people and do their job.
2. Grow a backbone and keep your employees accountable.
3. Figure out how to exceed your customers' expectations.

Click to read the full article:
https://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/opinion/columnists/the-keys-you-forgot-to-customer-service-1.23944929

Most small and medium size business do not have massive budgets for marketing success.  However it's still possible to promote a small/medium size business when funds are tight, writes Rhett Power of Power Coaching and Consulting.  Consider using events to bring the buzz to you, rewarding customers with a referral program and tapping into free PR opportunities.  Below is an excerpt and a link to the full article.
- - Thanks, Neal Odom


3 Ways to Market Your Small Business on a Shoestring Budget
By Rhett Power 

In an increasingly global economy where competition is fierce and consumer loyalty is fleeting, creating demand is a top priority for most brands. But if you’re a small business with a limited marketing budget, how are you supposed to get the attention of consumers or take market share from competitors with deeper pockets?

As it turns out, there are plenty of ways to do that. Successful marketing can certainly be amplified by a big budget, but it doesn’t depend on one. The truth is that good marketing always contains one key element that entrepreneurs tend to have in abundance and many big brands wish they had more of creativity.

1. Bring the buzz to you.
In-person events bring people together and create opportunities for memorable interactions with customers.
2. Don’t go it alone.
There are probably brands in other industries that you respect and admire. Why not tell them?
3. Get your name in the press.
For companies looking to gain traction or build credibility before a funding round, PR is an essential component of marketing.

Read the full article, click - -
https://www.inc.com/rhett-power/3-ways-to-market-your-small-business-on-a-shoestring-budget.html

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​So you’ve got a great idea but nobody is getting it?  Try reframing it with an example that will allow us to relate to something we can conceptualize.  Allowing people to visualize a concept or idea makes it easy for them to take ownership with you.   Below is an excerpt and a link to the full article.
- - Thanks, Neal Odom

The Power of A Great Example
by Amy Boone

Brief examples can be covered in a few sentences or less. This is probably the most common form of examples, as it’s nearly impossible to teach something without the use of them. Here are three specific ways you might choose to use a brief example.

First, use an example to show reality by providing concrete evidence that illustrates the idea about which you are speaking. Second, use an example to clarify new or confusing material. In the classroom setting, a teacher normally provides a lesson and then works through a few examples to show that lesson in action. Most of us would have trouble learning without the use of specific examples which illustrate more abstract concepts. Third, use a brief example to highlight important information. Just like bold, italics, underlining, or font size works to show what is important in print information, examples give weight to certain points in oral presentation. When you use an example, the audience’s attention increases because they understand this is something they need to pay attention to.

Read the full article:
​https://www.ethos3.com/2019/06/the-power-of-a-great-example/

​Prospects relate best when they can get their hands on the product and learn for themselves how it solves their problems and fits their business flow.  Product demonstrations should focus on telling a compelling story instead of simply providing a tour of the product's features and benefits, writes Sean McPheat. Make your prospect the hero of the story and your product the "magic sword" for solving a specific difficult problem.  Below is an excerpt and a link to the full article.
- - Thanks, Neal Odom

How To Customize A Compelling Story For
Your Sales Presentation
Written by Sean McPheat

How many times have you made a presentation and afterwards thought ‘that was so boring, even I wouldn’t have bought my product!’

There are many occasions where we have presented a solution and it’s not created any connection with the prospect. How, then, can we build a great presentation and really connect with the prospect?

First, lets see what we shouldn’t do in our presentation: A product demonstration should NEVER be a tour of features and functions. Why not? Because people don’t buy your products. They buy what those products will do for them. They purchase the results they will get from using them.

So, we should not be emphasizing the features and benefits. Instead, a perfect product demonstration always tells a story, using the product as the visual hook that makes the story real.

Read the full article, click - -
https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-to-customise-a-compelling-story-for-your-sales-presentation.html
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Have you ever been out-negotiated?  Yep, it has happened to me.  Sean McPheat lists some basic principles that will improve and prosper your horse-trading skills.   Below is an excerpt and a link to the full article.
- - Thanks, Neal Odom

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10 Top Qualities Of A Good Negotiator
Written by Sean McPheat

Negotiation comes from the root word ‘negotiat’ meaning ‘done in the course of business’.  In other words, it’s a natural part of the conversation process when dealing with prospects, so if you feel you’re not good at negotiating, or you don’t have the assertiveness to get a good position for yourself during a negotiation, then you are certainly missing out on carrying out better deals and working well with the prospect.  

So, what are the top qualities needed today to negotiate to a great position for yourself or your business?  Here are ten of the best:

Read the full article, click - - 
​https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/10-top-qualities-of-a-good-negotiator.html

Repairing a fractured customer relationship is easier and less expensive than winning a new one.  In this Harvard Business Review article Frank V. CespedesLeón Poblete has some great insight into re-winning a customer.  Below is an excerpt and a link to the full article.
- - Thanks, Neal Odom


​How B2B Companies Can Win Back Customers They’ve Lost
by Frank V. CespedesLeón Poblete

The process for reacquiring a customer requires a different approach than acquiring new ones. For one thing, your previous customers will have prior experience, knowledge, and long-held assumptions about your people and capabilities. Conversely, you have a basis for judging if that customer is worth pursuing.

In our study of 26 broken customer-supplier relationships, we found that companies that had successfully won back a customer followed a similar pattern. They identified the reasons for the initial dissolution, applied the right cost-benefit analysis, conducted an honest conversation with the customer, and accommodated their specific requirements.

To illustrate the process, we’ll use two companies, which we’ve disguised: Brex Tech and RILF. In 2009, Brex Tech, who supplied RILF with electronic components for its optical devices, lost RILF as a customer, but managed to win them back in 2012. Here’s how they did it.

Read the full article, click - - 
https://hbr.org/2019/06/how-b2b-companies-can-win-back-customers-theyve-lost

​Many times I have seen and truthfully been part of missed opportunities (as both a buyer and a seller) when simply focused on price.  As a buyer I just want to get to the price of the product, as a seller I want to make sure you understand the value you are getting for the price.   There is a delicate balance for both the buyer and the seller.  A good buyer will listen to what the seller delivers to the conversation.  Sellers sometimes want to give you the everything they know about the product, but a good seller will gage/measure the amount of information the buyer needs.  Buyers on the other hand tend to skip across to the price.  A good buyer should trust the seller to give him the information he needs to quickly understand the value being delivered.  A skill both need to have to be a win for everyone. 

Calum Coburn offers some great insight into an effective selling/buying process.  Below is an excerpt and a link to the full article. 
- - Thanks, Neal Odom

Negotiation Practices That Enhance Sales Profits

Move away from the price
Both the seller and buyer can easily get caught up on the price. One of the main mistakes made by sellers is focusing solely on price. Effective negotiating goes beyond what the customer will pay. You need to explain the value of your product in a manner which excludes financial terms. When you are selling a product that you are passionate about, you should have a few alternative conversation pointers to include.

Read the full article, click - - https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/community/blogs/calumcoburn/negotiation-practices-that-enhance-sales-profits

With every criticism, there’s usually an opportunity waiting just around the corner.  So many times we let comments discourage our business vision, our business dream, our forward momentum.  But in reality if we listen closely it is an opportunity blowing in the wind and all that we need to do is simply readjust our sail.

Below is an excerpt and a link to the full article.   
- - Thanks, Neal Odom

Lessons learned from a decade in the ice cream business
Reflecting on the challenges and sacrifices needed to get her business off the ground, Natasha Case, co-founder of Coolhaus, explains the lessons she has learned along the way. It's important to ask for help when necessary, stick to your vision and recognize that your management style may evolve over time.

IT’S IMPORTANT TO STAY TRUE TO YOUR VISION
I wish had known when I started just how powerful and important your vision and the spirit of the company is. There’s often a middle stage in growing a business where you start to peel back a little bit. For example, the more your business grows, the more voices you start to add into the mix, whether they’re partners or investors. Sometimes, your instinct is to distance yourself from the startup character that got you started. But there’s so much power in that true origin. If you want to build a long-lasting company, you need to remind yourself every day why you’re doing what you’re doing. It doesn’t matter how big your company gets. Your why should be consistent.

Read the full article, click - - https://www.fastcompany.com/90362138/ive-been-running-an-ice-cream-company-for-ten-years-heres-what-ive-learned-about-life-and-business

​Getting prospects and customers to understand the value you are delivering for a price point is key to winning a customer.  So many times we hold VALUE back to the last part of the discussion.  Yes, you certainly have a fantastic product/service but you've got to do a great job of communicating value relational to price.  The prospect/customer needs to know and understand the additional value you will deliver.  

Sean McPheat does a good job of illustrating this idea.  Below is an excerpt and a link to the full article.   
- - Thanks, Neal Odom

How To Build Value Before Having To Add Value
Written by Sean McPheat

How many times do you ‘hold something back’ so you can surprise the prospect with that little extra to encourage them to buy? We sometimes cause ourselves problems here, because the prospect may be wondering what else might you be holding back, and have they really got everything they could from you?  Something to try might be to add value up front.

By offering extra value before they have to commit to a decision, it makes the prospect feel they would be missing out if they didn’t go with you. Then you don’t have justify a higher price than your competition by adding on the extras; they have seen the value of your offering before you even start talking about price.

Read the full article, click - - ​https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-to-build-value-before-having-to-add-value.html

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​We have all been caught in a sales pitch that just would not end.  You have to love the enthusiasm and passion the sales person has for their product but you simply wanted to know what features it has, how much it cost, when they can deliver and then an opportunity to ask questions. 

Everyone is in sales; yes, all of us, regardless of what you do.  So let's all make sure we are using the best messaging when we sell.  Natalie Nathanson shares some good points we need to consider and then rework our sales pitch.  Below is an excerpt and a link to the full article.   
- - Thanks, Neal Odom

More Than Just Words: Demystifying B2B Messaging
By Natalie Nathanson - Forbes Councils Member

Start From 'The Other Side Of The Table'

Messaging is a make-or-break point in your marketing foundation. Often confused with "copy" or "content" (the specific words used in marketing material), in reality, messaging is the guidepost and framework for companies to articulate a cohesive, compelling and strategically crafted story to the outside world.

To set a solid foundation for successful relationships with customers and prospects, companies must focus on WIIFM: the "What's in it for me?" value proposition that elicits an emotional response from the audience. Put yourself in their shoes: Customers and prospects have everyday problems that impede their work. No one wants to feel alone in their struggle, and being able to evoke the satisfying "they get my pain and can help fix it" may sound simple, yet it is a powerful place to start.

​Read the full article, click - - https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2019/06/14/more-than-just-words-demystifying-b2b-messaging/#6ec49ea91cec