Some sales tips come in a package that can be a little disconcerting. Terry Ledden from the Sandler Sales Institute is a great sales trainer with good ideas. When I saw the title of this month’s tip I was a little disconcerted … Answer every question with a question!

That conjures up pictures of the snake oil salesman for me! However … Terry’s point was right on the mark, you have to understand what your client is asking!!!

Read on!

The STORY:

The appointment with the prospect that Tim spent two weeks getting was not going well. The prospect kept firing questions and Tim kept giving answers. The only problem was that Tim could not figure out if the answers were what the prospect wanted to hear.
“How many have you sold in the area?”
Good, thought Tim, an easy one at last, and my answer will let him know that it is a popular product. “In the past six months I’ve sold over six hundred.”
“That’s too bad,” said the prospect.
“What…,” responded a shocked Tim.
“It’s too bad because I only like to buy the exclusive stuff. You see, Tim, in my business, if my competition has what you are selling, I’m no better off than they are. In order to stay ahead of the rest, I need the latest and greatest. You’re not selling it.”
“Well…,” stumbled Tim, “I think we might be coming out with an improved version.”
“Won’t do me any good. I need a competitive advantage today. Not six months from now. I really appreciate your stopping in today. Give me a call when you get something new.”

The RESULT:
Tim answered a perfectly reasonable question and as a result, was shown the door. There is nothing wrong with answering a prospect’s question, but first you should make an effort to discover what’s the real question.
What if Tim had responded to the question of how many had been sold in the area with, “That’s a very interesting question; why do you ask?”
There are only two possible responses. Either the prospect would have rephrased his original question and asked it again, or Tim would have been told the prospect’s feelings about wanting the latest and greatest and why having the latest and greatest was of importance.
Upon learning why the prospect wanted the latest and greatest, Tim could have used the information to explain how his product would provide that needed competitive edge.
But Tim didn’t reverse the question, assumed the prospect would like hearing how popular the product was, and was shown the door.

Every now and then when I am particularly pressed for time I try to find a way to bring some value without having to do much thinking! OK maybe its cheating but I could just skip blogging today!

This article about the Top 100 Undiscovered Web Sites from PC magazine is definitely worth a visit. There are sites that can help you with your wine selection, a super fast dictionary, a “google earth” type application for the stars and even a brain training site!

After work … when you are looking for soemthing interesting on the internet check out these recommendations. I would suggest there is something for everyone here.

I will apologise to those who feel I am preaching with this blog entry … but perhaps you will also recognise that I am displaying one of my passions, and passion is something you can often read about in this blog. This morning I listened to a story from a very senior executive who needed the support of the United Way some years ago when he lost his wife to cancer and had a young family to raise. He is passionate about United Way! None of us know when we will need help … think about that!

All across Canada United Way campaigns are gearing up for their annual drive to raise money for the many charities that rely upon them. For me just one of the great things about the United Way is that the impact of my contribution is felt in my community … not that I don’t recognize and help other organizations with different mandates … but my community is what is MOST important to me.

Ottawa is a nice city, a good place to raise kids and considered to be very safe even by Canadian standards. Yet I was stunned to hear some of the statistics about this beautiful community.

Almost 25% of the children here live in poverty! About 25% of school children experience bullying. Half of our children are not active enough to sustain optimal growth and development.

Almost 10% of the people in Ottawa live with some kind of disability. Only a third of those are employed.

In 2004 there were more than 8,500 homeless people in Ottawa … it is not decreasing!

There are so many statistics about the need for help at so many levels it is astonishing. The United Way of Ottawa Carleton invested almost $24 million into programs to address these issues.

We know that if we get to the kids in time they have a much higher probability of going on to further education and making a more meaningful contribution to society. We know that with the right programs we have a better chance of helping addicts to get their lives back on track. By spending the money on these issues we are creating a better society and we are better people for giving!

Those of us who are lucky enough to be employed and healthy really should be thankful because it could just as easily be us in need of help. Supporting charities is a habit that we all need to develop, and grow, as we experience the rewards of a good career and good health. Giving back does not just have to be money it can also be time … but giving back is not something we should even think as optional. Our society depends upon the generosity of those who can give … the only question should be are you giving enough!

Be generous … there were 8,000 kids in Ottawa who did not eat breakfast till they got to school. That is incredible in this day and age and in a city as affluent as ours.

Every Canadian city is facing the same challenges … so GIVE GENEROUSLY!

Customer service … sometimes that is a phrase that can be described as an oxymoron! Over the life of this blog I have written several entries on this subject and have even talked about a few organizations that have caused me grief … sometimes by name.

There was the restaurant in England, La Zia Maria which has been interesting because when people Google that restaurant they will get my blog which is not an endorsement! Furthermore they will get the other entries from equally disappointed clients.

I recently wrote about a friend who found the gardeners in his pool when he was not expected to be there! In a recent update on that situation he received a written apology from the workers themselves, which was a good move. The owner of the company however has never come forward and tried to mend things … very shortsighted.

In that same blog entry I mentioned my “favorite supplier” who continues to be among the worst companies in the world to deal with! I am avoiding naming them yet, because I may yet need to sue them and don’t want to prejudice a lawsuit. However we can all learn lessons in how not to do business from these guys! I also talked about that same company in a blog entry entitled communicate with your clients … I guess they still don’t read my blog! Maybe when I mention their name it will hit their radar!

There is NO EXCUSE for not communicating with your clients. There will always be tough situations but the ONLY chance of coming through them in one piece is to communicate. Several months ago when things were off the rails with these guys and I was getting very frustrated I asked them who I should be communicating with … call customer service was my answer! I will work and communicate with anyone, I don’t think I’m so important that I need to always speak to senior people. However … I do run a decent size company and we are one of the larger clients these guys have in Canada, surely there would be someone else to handle the relationship? What kind of message does that send?

How do you communicate with your clients?
Do you make them feel important?
Do you address contentious issues head-on and promptly?

If you miss these basics how can you remain in business? I come back to my earlier statement with these guys the word customer service is an oxymoron.

Here is the latest installment on their antics … it took me 4 calls over a 3 day period to get someone to call me back last week!

I was calling to fire them … and to ask if they want to negotiate or go straight to court?

When I finally talked to someone they said that they would get back to me on Monday … hmmm, its end of day Tuesday so it seems like they want to go to court!

ALWAYS remember the basics! Treat people well, keep communication open and amazing things can happen. Shut that conduit and you are looking for trouble!

Some people form an impression of me that just because I blog about efficiency and passion and all the good traits that successful people have, then surely I must be an expert on these things.

In fact there probably isn’t a day goes by where I waste a minute. I probably leap tall buildings and type a quick memo while doing so, because otherwise I might be something more akin to mortal … and of course THAT could never be!

Well here is a Newsflash … like just about everybody else in the world I have some times that are less productive than others. Today was one of those days when I seemed to shift (virtual) paperwork around and seemed to spend my time “waiting” rather than “doing”! I got to the end of the day and realised that I had not accomplished many of the things on my plate.

Running a company (or anything else) does require discipline when it comes to time, because it is incredibly easy to let the day drive you rather than the other way around. Today I made a number of classic mistakes, and in the back of my brain I knew I was doing it … but I didn’t listen to that little voice, so I was left feeling a little unsatisfied at the end of the day.

What to do about it?

1. Its OK! Its not OK if its a daily habit, but it is OK to slip every now and then as long as you get things back under control quickly.
2. There are all sorts of good time management tips that are available on the internet or in courses we have all done over the years … and I wrote a blog entry about making better use of time a little while back which may have some ideas for you (and me).
3. My plan of attack will be to get my “To Do” list fully up to date tonight. It will have all of my tasks; it will have some kind of priority assigned to each; it will have phone numbers where necessary; it will address all of the different “projects” currently on my plate.
4. I will set some time in my calendar to check email for urgent items first thing.
5. I will then set aside some time for making calls, close my door and go at it!
6. I have a couple of presentations to develop so I will set aside time for those.
7. I will put my phone on call forward and I will turn off my email so I am not distracted.
8. I will set aside time in my calendar mid morning, before noon and a couple of times in the afternoon to return calls and check emails.

By end of day tomorrow I will be back on track, and feeling good about it. Personally I get a kick out of accomplishing a lot, it feels good to mark those tasks completed!

Good time management skills are important for anyone these days. We are deluged with emails, we are asked to do more with less and the demands on our time seem to increase both at work and at home. I firmly believe that if you can develop good time management habits they will help you to be successful in your career but also to be more content in your home life. Got to go and fix my To Do list!

Last night I gave a brief (very brief) chat on the topic of success and achieving success in your career. The group is the Young Business Network here in Ottawa, and it was my second time with this group.

It is always a pleasure to talk with engaged, exciting, energetic and intelligent young people. That is exactly what this group is and if they are the leaders of the future then I think we will be in good hands. Sometimes it is easy for those of us “grey hairs” to get down on the younger generations but these are very impressive people.

There were three speakers and I of course was the “old guy” in the crowd!

Adrian Salamunovic is a 32 year old serial entrepreneur whose current company is the very fascinating DNA 11, a company that creates original artwork based upon your DNA. This is a company with a 400% growth rate and a client base around the world! Adrian’s focus was on practical hints to help young people through a start up … and he has come from the school of hard knocks which gives him the right to offer advice! Adrian has always been entrepreneurial and that is in stark contrast to my early days as a serious beer drinking Royal Navy “grunt”!

Kim Dixon is another “young un” so I don’t know how she got 20 years of work experience (must have started young)! What a dynamo! This lady has done it all, has several degrees has worked for public and private companies and currently is VP Marketing with a very successful Ottawa based company Talkswitch. Talkswitch sells an affordable PBX for small business … to help small look big! In her spare time, when she is not with her kids Kim has started a small “cosmetics” company selling an innovative product called “Momspit“. I thought I was a busy person till I heard what this lady does!

The focus of my few minutes was Kevin’s theory of the Keys (KEAS) of Success which I blogged about some time ago. Despite my British pronunciation of the word”buckets” people did seem to understand what I was talking about.

This is a group that will see a lot of success and they are doing the right things by networking and listening to ideas from people that have achieved some level of success.

So … Happy First Anniversary to the YBN and good luck for the future.

Kit Grant is a motivational speaker and I receive a regular newsletter from him which is usually thought provoking, and I have shared his ideas several times in this blog.

The latest newsletter deals with the issue of motivation and is once again near and dear to my heart. I firmly believe that in order for a person to affect any kind of change they need to buy into it personally. I cannot force, motivate or otherwise push someone to do something they do not inherently want to do.

What can I do? I can try to persuade; I can lead by example; I can demonstrate the value in my argument. At the end of the day if the person does not “buy in” then it won’t happen.

The world is full of great examples … here are two extreme health related thoughts that suggest reasoned arguments have no affect unless people buy in.
1. Smoking kills … people still smoke.
2. Obesity causes many issues including death … people eat junk and don’t exercise.
Reason has nothing to do with these decisions! People need to make the connection for themselves and decide to take action … then there is a chance of success.

Here is an extract from Kit’s newsletter … you can subscribe yourself at his website.

“You cannot push anyone up the ladder unless he is willing to climb a little.” … Andrew Carnegie. (or … it’s the old “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink”.)

I have been asked many times when I speak by audience members about what impact I have on people. I learned long ago not to be so foolish as to believe I was “making a connection” with everyone in the room. In a keynote presentation (which is about 90% of my speaking) I believe my job is to create awareness with the intent that listeners will then take action on the ideas and concepts presented. I am there to provide a “push” but the real climbing, learning and any subsequent behavior change is the responsibility of the listener. As the “Director of Comfort Zone Infiltration”, I push harder than many speakers and do so intentionally.

If I entertain 90% of the audience, that’s great. If I “reach” 35% of the audience, I think I’m doing well. If ONLY 5% actually do something different as a consequence of hearing my message, I’d be very pleased. My problem is I never know who is in that 5% group so everyone gets to hear the message. Those who choose to listen and take action get the biggest benefit. I am naively optimistic enough to operate on the philosophy that most people already know what they need to do to become more successful I am just there as a catalyst to get them to move and enjoy the outcome. They may not like me for “pushing”, but they’ll like the results when they start moving. Oh, by the way … that remaining 10% that didn’t get anything from the presentation had already decided before they came into the room that nothing good was going to happen it never does, so what’s the point? You know those people … a few of them work in your company, don’t they? Hope you don’t live with one of them!

Is this a good investment for an organization or association to “only” really impact the 5%? Absolutely, because over time, they have the opportunity to influence others and produce even better results for the company and those they work and live with.

Incidentally, any speaker who tells you he/she can significantly change behavior just by speaking to your group for an hour is either delusional or they are stealing your money! If you can create behavior change in 3 days, you’re probably doing great! The learning usually always takes place AFTER the person leaves the session and starts to implement what they have heard.

I arrived in Canada “off the boat” in September 1982. I certainly could not have predicted how things would transpire and that 25 years later I would be here running my own company. I don’t feel too bad about not being able to make that prediction … our industry has had some notable predictions that bombed!

Tom Watson when he was Chairman of IBM in 1943 predicted there would be a “world market for maybe 5 computers”.

Ken Olson, President of Digital Equipment Corporation in 1977 suggested that “There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home.”

I think that the fact I have been able to build a company has to be both (1) a testament to the opportunity available in Canada and (2) good news because if I can do it, then so can anyone!

I can remember the immigration official laughing when I told him how much I had in savings! It was a good thing that I was coming to a job and not having to fend for myself for a while!

The differences in culture between the UK and Canada are really quite subtle, and superficially you might think it would be an easy transition from there to here. The reality is that emigrating from your home culture, leaving your family, friends and all the familiarity of that environment is a tough thing. I can’t imagine how much harder it would be for someone from a very7 different culture with a language to learn!

I remember my first visit to the grocery store and trying to buy the basics when everything was different. I remember the little things that

I remember thinking it strange that the light switches work exactly opposite to the UK … what’s up with that!

I had the joy of learning to drive on the other side of the road … and had to make an insurance claim a month after arriving here!

I guess the saying that if it doesn’t kill you it will make you tougher is a good one, and a lesson that I have carried through since finding my feet here in Canada. I truly believe that if you always take the easy road then you will not grow and learn and become a better person. A little adversity, while never welcome, should not be avoided but rather seen as an opportunity!

After 25 years in Canada I could not conceive of moving back to the UK, although I love to visit my family who are all still there. I still like a pint at the pub and some fish & chips and of course the opportunity to spend time with my family.

I was nervous about the Canadian weather and I am still not an “outdoors” person, but I love those very cold Winter days when the sky is bright blue and the temperature is -30C. Such a contrast from the low hanging, rain laden clouds that spend so much time in the British skies.

I remember when I was feeling a little homesick I would drive along the Ottawa parkway at night, with the big river on one side and the sense of space I got from the parkland that was so Canadian. A little thing … but I loved that drive!

Canada has certainly been a land of opportunity for me and I would not want to be anywhere else. Thanks for letting me in!

I have been a “blogger” since January 2006, a little more than a year and a half, the first blog entry being an update on the Canadian technology news for January 2006. This post will be my 382nd in that time, which is a lot of writing … and a lot of thinking about what might interest people!

It is a good time to reflect upon the experience and comment upon whether it has been worthwhile, and given my busy schedule whether it has provided a good Return on that time Investment!

In May 2006 I wrote an entry about blogging, and gave some of the reasons why I thought it was a positive experience. Basically I feel the same today, although there have been times when a “mental block” makes the subject for the day elusive! Generally I’m not short of an opinion or two so it hasn’t been a major problem!

There have been a few occasions where people have taken exception to my opinion and that created some dialogue, which I think is very healthy. I have had some people take the blog a little too seriously and I needed to let them know that really it is a forum for one person’s opinion! Generally though, I don’t get a lot of feedback although from the statistics it appears that about 100 people a day visit the blog … sometimes more, sometime less … so the content must create some level of interest.

I have to admit that years ago as a young salesperson I would have loved the opportunity to get a glimpse inside the head of a CEO. They always seemed so unapproachable, busy and intimidating to me in my early sales days. The reality is that we are busy, we can be intimidating but generally speaking we are business people with issues to solve and if you can help then we are likely to listen. So perhaps some young salespeople are getting ideas from the blog … if that is the case then good for you!

The blog has been a good place to get some messages out about the staffing industry, which I believe is under appreciated and not well understood. It is almost a standing joke in our industry that nobody goes to college saying I want to be a staffing professional! Yet this is an industry that provides huge value to corporations and to individuals, offers great career opportunities and well paying jobs. We just have not been very good at promoting ourselves!

I have not overtly “sold” Eagle as a great IT staffing company, which of course it is! The objective has been to provide value to people with information and insight that might make people think perhaps te author runs a decent company! Its hard to know whether a client has ever contacted us because of the blog, and so it does make that “ROI” discussion difficult.

I know that Eagle staff read the blog … and it is a great way to ensure that we are all on the same page, which is valuable to any company. I know that some contractors read it and hopefully it provides them some value and an occasional pearl of wisdom.

Some of the material we have incorporated into our training materials, particularly the sales related articles. So those articles have served double duty as blog entries and training materials. I have also had a couple of articles reproduced at various times, which again gives Eagle some good exposure.

By the act of blogging I have developed an interest in other bloggers and have found new sources of interesting material. It also forces me to keep up with my industry reading so that I can compile my monthly industry news updates.

Eagle has just finished its 11th fiscal year and as we go through the process of year end closing and new year preparations I also thought I should look at the activities that take my time and make sure that I am spending time in the right places. This blog does take some time, but I think the effort is worthwhile, I believe that the content provides value and so I’ll keep blogging for a while longer! I hope you enjoy it … at least some of the time!

I have blogged many times about the need to support good causes, including a recent blog about our responsibility in charitable giving. I have also written an entry about corporate social responsibility and another about why companies support good causes.

So, having established that I am a big supporter of charities I will also mention that as a general rule I will not give money to beggars on the street. If you ask the agencies that support these people, or the policemen who work the streets they will tell you that the money you give is invariably going to support a habit. The right thing to so is to support the agencies who can provide the homeless with the necessities of life and the support needed if they are ready to quit their addictions. One of the charities that I support is the Ottawa Mission, which does great work in this area.

For every rule there has to be an exception, and my exception is Eugene. This is a man who immigrated to Canada from Romania when it was an extremely difficult process. He built a life for himself and his family here in Canada and had even started to build a home on some land he bought in Ottawa when tragedy struck. Eugene was working on the roof of his home when he fell off the ladder and he broke his neck, leaving him a quadriplegic. Subsequently his wife left him and he has not seen his grown up children in a number of years. Eugene rides his wheelchair around the market area of Ottawa every day for probably 12 or more hours at a time … so I’m pretty sure he has no time to be an addict.

Whenever I see Eugene I try to stop and chat for a few minutes and give him a couple of dollars. He tells me stories of his life and of the things people do to him.

He has been robbed a few times and he just laughs … what can you do.

He can’t get into his building without help, so he just sits and waits till someone comes along … rain or shine.

He has no money, lives on the good graces of our welfare system and those willing to give a hand.

Yet … stop and chat to Eugene and his face lights up. Spend some time listening to him and you realise what a great life you have. Yesterday he gave me my quote for this blog entry …

“Some people have their legs, their arms, they have money … and still they are not happy, I don’t get it!”

Wow … next time you are having a bad day think about Eugene, and be thankful what is good in your life!