Mack Powers

For sophisticated veteran sales professionals this post might seem a bit sophomoric.  However, hang in there with me and see if there isn’t some truth that resonates with you regarding my analysis.  Here is an unusual question regarding your sales success.  What can a dog teach you about sales?  Quite a bit!

I recently walked into my house and turned the corner into my living room only to see my dog running towards me at a high rate of speed and with her tail wagging wildly from side to side.  Wow, how refreshing for me. There was no question that this dog was excited to see me!  It was great to know that someone or something was eager to see me (in case you are wondering, I also have human friends).  I greeted her with the same eagerness that she was projecting to me.

What does this have to do with sales?  Everything.  I have learned after working with some great salespeople that some of the most effective are the ones who are eager to see their clients.  It sounds simple and it is.  When you enjoy working with your clients, they get it.  Not only do they get it, they will reflect that same eagerness back to you.  Running at your clients and wagging your tail is not appropriate so here are some suggestions about how to show your eagerness:

1. Smile when you approach them.
2. Display a sincere interest in your client.
3. Be focused on your time with them, don’t be distracted by your cell phone, email or anything else.
4. Keep your energy level up when you engage a client.

Therefore, take a lesson from your dog, or mine if you don’t have one.  Get excited about seeing your prospects and customers.  See if they don’t give you back some of that excitement.  It will only improve your relationship, trust and your chance of doing business together.

The week before last a friend called me and asked me to meet him for a free breakfast at Denny’s. Denny’s was offering a free breakfast for anyone who would show up between 6:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. that day. We arranged a time to meet but he got there before I did. He called my cell phone and notified me that there was a long line at Denny’s; the promotion was a smashing success. Time is money and therefore we decided not to wait. We both agreed to forgo the “free” breakfast and we headed over to the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) which was about one mile away.

You won’t believe what was going on at IHOP… The place was packed. You might be thinking so what Powers, get to the point. If you are, here’s the point. Your company might also benefit from the marketing efforts that your competition is generating during this economic recession! All hope is not lost after all. In fact, there might be some great upside for you while others are getting desperate (no offense Denny’s). My friend and I probably wouldn’t have had breakfast together except for the offer that Denny’s was advertising. It got me out of bed and on the road vs. out of bed and eating a banana and a bowl of captain crunch at my house. Who benefited from Denny’s breakfast campaign….. Denny’s did, I did…. and so did IHOP.

So keep your spirits up and consider these few items to generate more sales:

• Stand close to the Hype. Okay, start thinking about what your competition is doing that might get people moving. How can you position yourself so that you catch the people that start moving towards your competition but might end up with you because you have a similar solution? Stand close and be ready to make an offer.
• Leverage the Hype. Keep an eye on what others are doing and be ready to respond. IHOP didn’t spend a dollar getting me on the street looking for food, but they were ready when I walked in the door. With what looked like a supersized crowd at IHOP they weren’t overwhelmed. Our food came out fresh, hot, on time and the service was also great. They hit a grand slam (pun intended) by leveraging the Hype of Denny’s marketing.
• Link up with the Hype. Consider a joint marketing campaign with your competition. No Way. Yes way. Why not? Haven’t you heard the old idiom that you don’t want to be the only restaurant on the street corner? If there are several restaurants on the corner, generally the traffic to your restaurant will be higher. You might not get all of the business, but you might get more of a larger volume of potential customers. Look for and propose a complementary sales and marketing strategy that might work for both you and your completion. You both might win. By the way, IHOP owes Denny’s one for their “Grand Slam Breakfast offer”.

It is a difficult economy that you can still profit from. Stand close, leverage or link up with your competition. Doing so will keep you profitable during this difficult economic environment.