Small Business Leadership and Sales Blog

Hello, Marvelous People,

As you know, planning takes brain time and it usually takes quiet time. But the rewards for planning out your conversations is better communication with fewer misunderstandings. On the subject of communication, it's so important to me that it actually appears as rule number one on the five impossible rules found on page 91 of my book. 

Think out the words you use before meeting with coworkers. Think out the words you use with those you serve. If you are looking for some ways to thank your clients, try these four ideas from Colleen Francis of Engage Selling.

1. Thank a prospect for taking your call. "Thank you for talking with me on the telephone. I know time is precious and I'll always respect the time you invest as we discuss the possibility of developing a business relationship."

2. Thank a prospect for meeting with you. "It was a pleasure meeting you. Thank you for the time we shared. We've served many happy customers, and my wish is to someday serve you. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call."

3. Thank a customer for making a purchase. "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to offer you our finest service. I know you'll be happy with your investment and I appreciate the relationship we have built."

4. Thank a non-customer for not making a purchase. "Thank you for taking the time to consider using our services. I'm sorry that your plans don't include making the investment at this time. I know you will have a good experience with XYZ company and, if you need further information, please call me. As promised, I'll keep you posted on new developments that may benefit you."

In closing, realize that one of the greatest tragedies in life is to seize upon a great idea and not immediately start using it. Print this article, tape it to your monitor, and use one of the four thank yous on your next phone conversation. Let us know how it worked for you and we would be amiss if we didn't take a moment this Thanksgiving week to thank all of our loyal readers out there.  

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and thank you for reading, commenting and sharing our articles. 

Peace, Love and Gumbo

Marvin LeBlanc 

I recently had a phone call with one of my top 200 clients. I called this client
for a completely unrelated subject that had nothing to do with their current program with me or the sale of any products or services to them.

My Business Network group is looking for a new member. I thought this client is the type that would be great for our group & our group would be great for him.

Point #1: People can find out a lot about how you think, how you do business, your integrity and all sorts of important things that may not have anything
directly to do with the sale or services your company offers at that exact moment.

Point #2: Think like your customer. Brainstorm with your team. Ask the question,
"If I was the CEO of our customer's company, what opportunities in the marketplace should I be taking advantage of?" Then connect your customer with those opportunities.

This type of strategic thinking makes you irresistible to your customer & it will be very hard for them to leave you. You are providing something of value far beyond the sales transaction. As a small business owner you have to be looking out for ways to make your business successful. 

Now, slow down and re-read this blog. Think it through. Be alone with your thoughts. Then spend some time with your team. This is an
excellent topic for your next meeting. It's amazing what kind of ideas your group can come up with to offer your client some "out of the box" strategies & opportunities.

"THINK - and then - GROW RICH!"

Be sure to drop us a line on how your group utilized this exercise. We are always excited about hearing some "real world" stories of how you've performed Marvelously.

Peace, Love and Gumbo - 

Marvin LeBlanc LUTCF, CNP

Your Best Client Management Tool

As a seller of products, services, ideas, and value - your clients need you to be more than a peddler. They need you to be more than a partner. They need you to be a trusted advisor in every sense of that term. Someone they can turn to for advice, insights, guidance, and structure. And perhaps even someone to hold them accountable to themselves.

The best way you can do that is also one of the simplest ways: Give your clients deadlines.

There are 4 primary benefits to starting this habit with your current clients, new clients, and even your prospects (your clients-to-be):

1. They will see you are serious and intentional with your actions.
2. They will better perceive you as the professional you are
3. Although rarely will they make their appointed deadlines, they'll appreciate your concern for their progress
4. They want to see that you provide not only the content but also the structure for their success

Let's spend a moment on each one of these benefits.

1. They will see you are serious and intentional with your actions. A deadline conveys a commitment. A commitment conveys caring. And one sales truth that has stood the test of time is "Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care." A deadline shows your dedication to getting things done for your client and making things happen. At the end of the day, THAT is what they're paying you for.

2. They will better perceive you as the professional you are. Amateurs don't care when things get done. Now. Later. Tomorrow. Next week. Doesn't matter. Professionals care a great deal. Amateurs take their time. Professionals know that speed costs - and that solving problems FAST is worth a lot more than solving problems slowly. Or not at all. Step up to the big leagues by showing your client your true professionalism by putting deadlines in front of them to motivate action, outcomes, and results.

3.  Although rarely will they make their appointed deadlines, they'll appreciate your concern for their progress. Nobody likes a taskmaster. Everyone loves an encourager. Yes, your clients will miss deadlines. But they would miss a whole lot more of them if you didn't have deadlines to shoot for! When clients miss a deadline, don't beat them up about it - that's not the point. The point is that you're there to coach them through to success - one deadline at a time.

4. They want to see that you provide not only the content but also the structure for their success. If you sell insurance, insurance is not your product. If you sell paper, paper supplies are not your product. If you sell engineering, engineering services are not your product. We sell the results (both tangible and intangible) of what our products and services do. No deadlines, no action. No structure for action, no results.

So deadlines are not calendar devices - they are results devices. Deadlines and milestones (even highly adjustable ones) make sure your client crosses the finish line over into results. And the sooner they do - and the more you help them get there - the more you'll earn their business, their referrals, and their trust.

Give your clients deadlines, people - and make Marvelous happen!

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The New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau was recognized as Gold Elite winner exemplifying a standard of excellence and received the top five votes in their category.

For the New Orleans CVB, the goal is to be the most meeting planner-friendly city in America. As a destination with over one million square feet of exhibit space, a newly renovated Superdome complex and over 38,500 hotel rooms, New Orleans competes for some of the largest conventions in the nation. So to differentiate the destination, the CVB tailors as many resources to each customer as possible. That's why their motto is: Our Service is as Distinctive as the Destination Itself.
For more information visit their website: www.neworleanscvb.com

Look for the complete list of M&C 2011 Gold Award winners on www.mcmag.com!

Hello Marvelous People!

First I want to tell you that I am honored that you continue to share my
blog with others around the world. Our subscriber base continues to grow &
it is that exact encouragement that continues to keep me committed to bring
you valuable content that may inspire you during your path to higher
achievement.

One of the most precious gifts that you can ever receive – (And by the way
you can’t buy it with money) – is the gift of being around a role model or a
mentor. Around 1980-81, I discovered a person that would be that person for me. Jim Rohn is no longer with us, but his spirit remains inside me today, as it
does millions of others that he has positively impacted over the years. We shared a stage only once. There were 4 or 5 speakers that night. I was the first speaker.He was the last.  As they say, we saved the “BEST FOR LAST”. They did. He spoke to a group of hopeful Network Marketers that were distributing products with Meadow Fresh Farms. A company out of Utah.

That was 31 years ago as I write this text, I enjoyed their nutritional beverage products 20 minutes ago. Their products now are distributed by Legacy.
 Jim Rohn had an impact on me. 31 years ago a product had a positive impact on me. 31 years ago Jim Rohn taught the following Life Lessons to me.

May you enjoy & be inspired by this lesson. This wisdom is TIMELESS.

Sip it, take it in, work with it. And make your life more——WORTHWHILE.
Peace, Love and Gumbo! Marvin LeBlanc

Four Words That Make Life Worthwhile by Jim Rohn

Over the years, as I’ve sought out ideas, principles and strategies to
life’s challenges, I’ve come across four simple words that can make living
worthwhile.

First, life is worthwhile if you LEARN. What you don’t know will hurt you.
You have to have learning to exist, let alone succeed. Life is worthwhile if
you learn from your own experiences-negative or positive.

We learn to do it right by first sometimes doing it wrong. We call that a
positive negative. We also learn from other people’s experiences, both
positive and negative. I’ve always said that it is too bad failures don’t
give seminars. Obviously, we don’t want to pay them, so they aren’t usually
touring around giving seminars. But that information would be very valuable.
We would learn how someone who had it all, messed it up. Learning from other
people’s experiences and mistakes is valuable information because we can
learn what not to do without the pain of having tried and failed ourselves.

We learn by what we see, so pay attention. We learn by what we hear, so be a
good listener. Now, I do suggest that you should be a selective listener.
Don’t just let anybody dump into your mental factory. We learn from what we
read, so learn from every source. Learn from lectures. Learn from songs.
Learn from sermons. Learn from conversations with people who care. Always
keep learning.

Second, life is worthwhile if you TRY. You can’t just learn. Now you have to
try something to see if you can do it. Try to make a difference. Try to make
some progress. Try to learn a new skill. Try to learn a new sport. It
doesn’t mean you can do everything, but there are a lot of things you can do
if you just try. Try your best. Give it every effort. Why not go all out?

Third, life is worthwhile if you STAY. You have to stay from spring until
harvest. If you have signed up for the day or for the game or for the
project, see it through. Sometimes calamity comes; then it is worth wrapping
it up and that’s the end. But just don’t end in the middle. Maybe on the
next project you pass, but on this one, if you signed up, see it through.

And lastly, life is worthwhile if you CARE. If you care at all, you will get
some results. If you care enough, you can get incredible results. Care
enough to make a difference. Care enough to turn somebody around. Care
enough to start a new enterprise. Care enough to change it all. Care enough
to be the highest producer. Care enough to set some records. Care enough to
win.

Four powerful little words: learn, try, stay and care. What difference can
you make in your life today by putting these words to work?

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1. “Hold up, Hold up, slow down will ya?” You’re talkin’ too fast and your enthusiasm is kinda scaring me.  Other people that I know that are “fast talkers” don’t let me get a word in & it really makes me feel like it’s a one-way conversation.  Because it is.  Don’t tell anybody, but if you really want me to buy, just ask me value-oriented, interest bearing questions that allow me to do most of the talking.

2. When you called me, you explained to me that you were gonna tell me who your company is, what you do & how it can benefit me.  So, if it’s not askin’ too much, when you show up, can you cover what you wanna tell me exactly in that order?  I seem to be so much more impressed when someone engages me with organized, thoughtful conversation.

3. Take a HINT! And get a MINT! Oh, I’m sooo sorry.  I really don’t wanna hurt your feelings.  But your breath speaks so loudly that I don’t want to hear a single thing you have to say.  There’s no recovery you can make from starting off with bad breath.  So take a hint & get a mint!

4. Now remember, on the phone, you asked me for 22 minutes of my time, right? So please don’t make me have to stand up first so that you can get the hint that your 22 minutes is up.  Rather, be courteous and remind me that our time is up & LET ME DECIDE if you’ve been interesting enough to warrant more of my time.  If it’s not, don’t get snotty or snippy with me.  HINT! If you didn’t get me interested in the first 22 minutes, you won’t get me interested for the next 22 hours either. You want me to respond better.  Then you need to GET BETTER!

That’s it for now.   Except for this one last question for you, “HOW CAN I MAKE MARVELOUS HAPPEN WITH EVERY CUSTOMER INTERACTION?”

Until next time – Be Marvelous in your small business leadership!

People don’t care…

…how good you are. They care how good you’re going to help them become.

…what you can’t do. They care what you CAN do.

…if you’re having a bad day. They care how you’re going to help them have a better day.

…about price. They care about value, convenience and risk.

…about your company. They care about the problems your company can solve.

…about being apologized to. They care about answers, solutions and resolutions.

Article Written by Scott Ginsberg

Peace, Love and Gumbo~

Marvin LeBlanc