Why Do Car Salesmen Have a Bad Reputation?
Why do car salesmen have a bad reputation? Why do we hate those nagging telephone calls from strangers telling us to buy something? The reason, I believe, is that the sales techniques they use are impersonal and we often feel that something is being forced on us that we do not want or need.
The fact of the matter is that even if we do need the product or service that’s being promoted, we are so turned off by their approach, that we can’t wait to escape from the conversation. We say, “I’m just looking, thank you” and hope to be left alone or we hang up. Quite simply, we don’t like being told what we need and what we should purchase. Most of us like to make our own buying decisions.
With that in mind, it is important for anyone who is promoting their own product or service to be aware of how they themselves feel when they are being sold to. Very often, we are so focused on selling the product or service we provide, that we don’t take the time to tailor our message to the potential buyer. We don’t take the time to ask the right questions to see if, in fact, this person needs what we have to sell. If we use one generic approach for all potential buyers, we will not make the necessary connection with the person to close the sale.
Asking questions is, of course, a great way to ascertain if there is a need for what we are selling. Open ended questions such as, “how?”, “when?”, “where?”, “what?”, “how much?” elicit the information we need. The process of asking questions, listening, and responding, creates the foundation for a relationship and it is the relationship that is critical in the end to closing the sale. When a stranger tries to force us to buy something, we get agitated, defensive, and immediately put up a protective wall.
So maybe you’re not a car salesman. Maybe you’re an entrepreneur who must promote their services in order to grow their business. How does this apply to self-promotion? Do the same sales techniques apply when you are promoting yourself? Absolutely! When you are in a conversation and someone asks you what you do, you are certainly in the position to talk about your business and the benefits and value it provides for your clients. But how do you know if this person is a potential client unless you begin to ask them questions to get to know them better?
Remember how you feel when someone tries to sell to you. How do you feel when someone gives you a generic one-size –fits- all pitch? Ask questions that will help you get to know the person better. Ask questions to determine their need; their pain. Then deliver your own irresistible pitch so that they understand very clearly what you do and the energy and passion you have for your business. It may be that this person is not a potential client, but by establishing a relationship, you are setting the stage for referrals or even a future sale.
Can You Take a Break from Work?
I did something really important last weekend. I took a whole day off! I have been consistently working seven days a week for months without a break and my coach strongly suggested that I try to take one full day off each week. Well, if my coach told me to do this and it was part of my assignment, I could not refuse.
I have to admit I was very anxious about this. If I do indeed take Sunday off, what will my Monday be like? Won’t I be even more stressed than if I worked the whole week?
I had to make a plan. I knew that if I stayed around the house, I would be compelled to look at my computer and blackberry and do some work. I know myself all too well. So I planned a trip with a friend to go to Provincetown for the day. It was a beautiful day and a perfect time for an outing on Cape Cod. We took the ferry from Martha’s Vineyard and drove the length of the Cape, listened to great music, ate a fabulous lunch at an outdoor café, and shared some small talk.
My next challenge was to not discuss business all day. I didn’t do too well in this category, but this “taking a break” thing is a process for me, and at least I was off to a fairly good start. After all, I physically removed myself from my office and work environment. (I do think I might have cheated though when I came home that night and did a little work before heading to bed. Don’t tell my coach!)
Monday morning I felt refreshed and energized and not at all stressed. It was a good experiment for me and a great lesson as well.
Sometimes our drive to be successful drives us to work compulsively. Can you relate to this? Intellectually, I’m sure we all recognize this is not healthy. I know that I certainly do, yet pulling myself away from work once a week to do something entirely different makes me anxious; a clear sign to me that this is unhealthy behavior.
I am mindful that at least once a day I need to leave my desk and my office and do something unrelated to work. I am mindful that once a week I should take twelve hours of respite to renew my energy, spirit and passion for my work. What I have discovered is that when I step away from work my creativity kicks in and I can actually think more clearly.
Case in point, for weeks on end I was trying to think of a new name for my radio show. Women Mean Business is trademarked by NAWBO and though I was unaware of this when the show launched, I did receive notice from them to stop using the name. I loved the name and racked my brain trying to think of something equally sticky and clever. I even ran a contest on LinkedIn to get more ideas. Trying to get a new name was on my mind night and day. Here’s the lesson though. As soon as I let it go and stepped away from the problem, a solution came to me. Miraculously out of the blue, the new name, Head over Heels, popped into my brain. WOW! I could not believe it. This process of “letting go” really worked.
If I can pass along any wisdom about this it is to be mindful yourself of how your drive to be successful can work against you at times if you don’t take a break and let go. Not only is it not healthy, but the consistent compulsive need to work actually stifles your creativity and is counter productive.
This is a process that I’m just beginning myself.
Well, need to get back to work. :>)
Virtual Women’s Business Summit
Imagine being able to hear fabulous keynote speakers such as Arianna Huffington, attend workshops and even network without leaving your desk!
Women’s Leadership Exchange is staging a VIRTUAL business summit for women on May 26th!
I have been offered a discount code for the conference for all my friends and contacts. If you are interested in attending this incredible event, you can register here for just $69 (instead of the regular price of $119)
http://www.womensleadershipexchange.com/index.php?pagename=virtual
and put VIPTICKETS in the source code.
I’ll be there and hope you can join me!
Do You Have What It Takes To Be An Entrepreneur?
The Harvard Business Review posted a test this week, “Should You Be an Entrepreneur?”
The test of 20 questions was created by the author of the article, Daniel Isenberg, who is a professor of management practice at Babson College.
I thought it would be fun to pose these questions to those of you who are entrepreneurs, like myself, or to those of you who are considering taking the leap to starting your own business.
Here they are:
- I don’t like being told what to do by people who are less capable than I am.
- I like challenging myself.
- I like to win.
- I like being my own boss.
- I always look for new and better ways to do things.
- I like to question conventional wisdom.
- I like to get people together in order to get things done.
- People get excited by my ideas.
- I am rarely satisfied or complacent.
- I can’t sit still.
- I can usually work my way out of a difficult situation.
- I would rather fail at my own thing than succeed at someone else’s.
- Whenever there is a problem, I am ready to jump right in.
- I think old dogs can learn — even invent — new tricks.
- Members of my family run their own businesses.
- I have friends who run their own businesses.
- I worked after school and during vacations when I was growing up.
- I get an adrenaline rush from selling things.
- I am exhilarated by achieving results.
- I could have written a better test than Isenberg (and here is what I would change ….)
According to Isenberg, if you answered “yes” to 17 or more of these questions, you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur. I can tell you this. I passed this test with flying colors!
I’m interested in getting your feedback on the questions. Do you think they are a good test of entrepreneurship?
How did you do on the test and what does that say about you?
I couldn’t help but notice #18, “I get an adrenaline rush from selling things”. This is definitely true for me, but what I believe is important for an entrepreneur is not necessarily getting a rush from selling things, but having the confidence and passion to sell YOURSELF . When you own your own business, you are not selling someone else’s products or services. You are selling YOU.
Your thoughts?
My interview on Ladies Power Hour
[podcast]http://womenssuccesscoaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Bonnie_Interview.mp3[/podcast]Jona MarieLemmonds interviews me about my career, entrepreneurship, and self promotion.
Ernst and Young Entrepreneurial Winning Women Program
Are you a woman entrepreneur with big plans, and the vision and passion for growing your company? Do you know a dynamic woman entrepreneur who is on track to create a multi-million or billion-dollar enterprise?
If so, I encourage you to apply, or to nominate, an outstanding entrepreneur for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneurial Winning Women program. Now in its third year, Entrepreneurial Winning Women is a competitive award designed to connect high-potential women entrepreneurs with the advisors, resources and insights they need to become market leaders.
Winners will:
- · Join an elite network of the country’s best high-growth companies and entrepreneurs
- · Participate in a customized program designed to accelerate and sustain business growth
- · On a complimentary basis, attend the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum 2010, the country’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth companies, November 10-14 in Palm Springs, CA (http://www.ey.com/us/strategicgrowthforum)
Eligibility: Applicants are women who own or have founded their companies within the last ten years and have achieved at least $1M in revenue in the past two. For more information on eligibility and how to apply, or to learn how to nominate a deserving woman entrepreneur you know, visit http://www.ey.com/us/entrepreneurialwinningwomen. The application period closes on June 30, 2010.
How Do You Handle Compliments?
Someone at work approaches you after a meeting and tells you that you did a really great job on a project. What do you say?
Are you more likely to say, “Thank you. I worked very hard on that project and I am proud of how it all came together”? Or do you say, “Oh, it was nothing”?
A good friend tells you that you look very nice and they love your new outfit. What do you say?
Do you say something like, “This old outfit? I’ve had it for years”?
Why can’t we say, “THANK YOU”?
Why can’t we take credit for our accomplishments and acknowledge when someone is complimenting us?
There was an interesting article May 4th in the Wall Street Journal on this topic of accepting praise, Why Do Compliments Cause So Much Grief? The author, Mick Wiggins, commented that we have no difficulty acknowledging compliments from those people we crave them from: peers, bosses, the opposite sex, wives, and even strangers some times.
Yet, he noted that we do have trouble sometimes listening to our loved ones and closest friends.
My mom will be delighted to tell you all about this. Recently, I told her about a flattering note I’d received from an old (male) friend. And she shrieked in exasperation: “For years, I’ve been telling you what he just said, but you never bother to listen to me”.
I had to smile when I read this because I don’t know how many times I have said that same thing in frustration to my family and friends!
Another interesting point the author brings up is that we only hear what we want to hear. If we are feeling really secure, we have less difficulty accepting the praise. During times of self-doubt and insecurity, we will react very differently and either misinterpret the compliment and the intent, or put ourselves down instead of graciously acknowledging the compliment.
In my recent interview with Marci Shimoff on Head Over Heels Women’s Business Radio, Marci suggested that we have what’s called a negativity bias. She calls it the Velcro Teflon Syndrome. What this means is that we tend to Velcro to us the negative things that happen to us. The positive things are more like Teflon and tend to slide off.
She gives an example of how you are at work and during the course of the day, you got ten compliments and one criticism. When you drive home at night, what do you remember?
The criticism, right?
We need to reverse the Velcro Teflon Syndrome so that when we receive positive feedback on our work, for example, we say, “Thank you. I really worked hard on it and I’m glad you appreciate it”, instead of “Oh, it was nothing”.
I think that when we listen carefully to the compliments and positive feedback that come our way from anyone and acknowledge the praise, it can actually boost our self esteem. That being said, we need to be mindful about the process. Instead of letting the compliment slide off, velcro it. Resist the impulse to shrug is off and put yourself down. Listen, register the compliment, and accept the praise.
Listen and acknowledge and recognize that you deserve the praise!
Betty Dukes It Out With Walmart
This week a San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals certified the largest class-action employment lawsuit in U.S. history. The dispute was first filed in 2001 by Betty Dukes, a store greeter from California, along with five co-workers. The plaintiffs argue that women are paid less and given fewer promotions than their male co-workers, and the lawsuit states that the company’s “strong, centralized structure fosters or facilitates gender stereotyping and discrimination”.
The issue decided at the Circuit Court this week was whether more than a million current and former Walmart employees can band together in their claim of discrimination. The Court, though divided, ruled that they can.
The implications of this case is huge, not only for Walmart, but for all companies that uphold discriminatory practices against women. If, in fact, Walmart loses the lawsuit and must pay back wages to over a million women, they will certainly suffer financially. This case could cost Walmart billions of dollars. Walmart will more than likely also suffer additional penalties at the check- out counter, since most of the consumers are women. At a time when they are working on polishing their public image, this is not good news for Walmart.
We don’t know the outcome of this case and it will probably take years to reach some kind of conclusion. The important message for all of us is that one woman, Betty Dukes, spoke up! One woman decided enough was enough and blew the whistle. Betty Dukes decided to take on the giant megastore chain, and in doing so, will potentially make a difference for all working women who still make 79 cents for every dollar a man makes.
As women, we do not realize the power that we have, not only as employees, but consumers. We accept the status quo. In this case, one brave woman was willing to stand up and take action and bring together a group of like minded colleagues to join the fight. When women band together and work together for a common goal, it is such a powerful force that it can change history. We’ve seen it before in history and now a new story is about to emerge.
Go Betty!
-
20 Minutes For $20
20 Minutes of Interviewing Coaching For Only $20...
Present yourself with confidence!
