Social Media and Social Networking Training by Reachd
Rodney and Stephen from Reachd Training
Last week I had the opportunity to do something I haven’t done in a while. I had the opportunity to sit through 3 half days of training on social media and social networking facilitated by Reachd training. I asked Stephen Jagger co-founder of Reachd to meet with my client Builddirect.com and have a brief discussion with the executive team about how they go further engage their customers using social media and social networking. After this initial discussion it was decided that Stephen Jagger and Rodney Bartlett would run a 9 hour ( 3 half days ) bootcamp with the team. Because I’m working with the sales team I wanted to understand what they learned and how we could integrate it with the sales process.
As someone who has sat through a lot of training sessions and seminars I was impressed. The training was relevant and customized for the client. Here’s briefly what they covered:
Day 1 - Video Blogging
Although I already do some vidoe blogging this day re-inspired me to do much more of it. In fact it opened my eyes to many other positive applications. They covered everything from what good content is right through to how one can get massive distribution for their online video blogs. We even watched a video of Ian Watt take his pants off on Tom Everitt’s show. Ian was named as a top 10 Real Estate Blogger by Inmann News, and I don’t think he did it by being safe 
Day 2 - Twitter, Twitter and more Twitter
Great day. Twitter is a micro-blogging and social networking / communications tool. This day was focused on how to create valuable conversations with your clients, customer, partners and even the media using this tool. Companies like Zappos and Comcast as examples have used Twitter to directly engage their customers online. Mostly early adopters, thought leaders and of course chatter boxes of all types. Steve and Rodney were great and outline clear strategies to use the tool to engage customers, increse blog traffic and offered revenue generating examples as well.
Day 3 - FaceBook for business and Blogging
FaceBook has entire blogging communities devoted to it’s mutiple uses. In Canada in particular it has high numbers fo subcribers compared to MySpace and in the US it basically is tied in regards to the number of users. Most people reading this have probably been on FaceBook for a year or more. So I’ll spare you “What is FaceBook” rant. With that said Rodney shared innovative ways to use video, photos, the events function, groups and pages to engage and grow your client and fan base.
Blogging - This was a great overview of how to write to create a following and an engaged client base. The core message was blog and blog often. Also focus on shorter posts with a single focus this also helps with search engine optimization and you don’t tend to lose the readers interest. One other good tip was when people comment on your blogs, answer them back, even drop them a quick e-mail to let them know you replied, this stimulates levels of engagement and personalizes the interaction.
This was a very brief review (I have 9 pages of notes) from the training but it was comprehensive yet down to earth and easy to understand.
Related links:
Follow them on twitter: Jeff Booth CEO of Builddirect, Rodney and Stephen of Reachd, Builddirect.com Corporate and for Upcoming Reachd Training events
Follow me Shane Gibson on Twitter
December 3, 2008 · Filed Under Events and Seminars, Internet Marketing and SEO, Marketing and PR, Sales Articles, Sales Blog, Sales Training, Sales Training Video |
Rapport Building it’s about being totally present
Today’s sales podcast is about being totally present, aware and sincerly engaged. Too many people feign rapport or interest and then whey wonder why they don’t land the deal or are unable to fortify client relationships. Successful sales people are remembered because of the way they make people feel when they’re in their presence. Your feedback and thoughts on this podcast would be greatly appreciated. You can also follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/shanegibson.
November 27, 2008 · Filed Under * Sales Podcast, Leadership, Sales Blog, iPhone Podcasts |
Selling in Turbulent Economic Times Blog Part 2
Looking at the diagram of economic cycles included in this article we notice one major thing; these peaks and valleys are driven by raw human emotion. At the top of an economy people do not just spend the money they are making, they spend the money they think they are going to make. Eventually, banks and lending institutions pull back finance due to the fact that en masse, the average person and average business is over- extended.
When this credit is pulled back, people reduce purchases; this creates negative news, bulging inventories, fear and panic. In service businesses bulging inventory is people. Lay-offs begin, purchases reduce, inventory is liquidated, and more bad news hits the marketplace and the fear multiplies. The severity of this most recent downturn has been created by the evaporation of available credit due to the insolvency of so many major banks. Eventually we hit a point of excessive pessimism in the marketplace. (I had to dig through the entire business section of the New York Times to find one positive article yesterday).
The question is: “What stops the economy from continuing its downward plunge?” The answer is of course “Smart Money.” We all can recite the phrase “buy low and sell high” and a few smart individuals begin to do just that. The “Smart Money” is bargain hunting for everything from stock to real estate, and corporate acquisition targets stabilize the market, it creates the floor. From there the tide begins to turn as optimism builds.
You as a sales person or entrepreneur don’t have to have Warren Buffet’s billions to profit from this environment, but you do need his mindset. Realize that your competitors, not unlike today’s investors, do not see the real value of the market, and most are refusing to really play. They are too busy hiding out by the water cooler and watching the stock ticker and the negative news on CNN.
So here are 7 tips on how to profit from today’s economic downturn:
- Build a fence around your key accounts. Of those clients that you are presently doing on-going business with, how many do you have really strong relationships with? Make a list of your top 20% and immediately call them, if possible go visit them. Not to sell them stuff, but to find out how you can better service them. If things are really slow, take advantage of it, engage them more, buy them the lunch you never had time to when the economy was hot.
- Harness physical and web-based networks in order to connect with positive people. Most of us have goals and dreams that require resources beyond those that we possess. By engaging your online and offline communities, sharing resources, ideas, and inspiration, you can collectively achieve greater things. Now is not the time to go to less Board of Trade meetings, it is the time to really connect.
- Reach out beyond your existing community with social networking tools such as Linkedin, Twitter, and FaceBook. Recently as a resident of Vancouver, BC Canada I secured a new client in Asia through my blogging and activity on Linkedin, while some of my existing markets are suppressed, I am finding new ones across the Pacific Ocean using technology (free technology!).
- Have a pro-active game plan for every day. You have fewer competitors now, and the ones that are still in business are probably not that motivated. This trend will continue until we reach the bottom of the downturn. This is the time to gain market share. Get to work an hour early, and plan your day out the night before. It may take more calls to land the same number of clients, but also realize that you will be able to gain more market share due to less competition, or at least a mentally weaker competition.
- If you have some cash reserves start investing in your business. If you use advertising as a tool to attract clients you can now negotiate a better rate with publishers, and because competitors have pulled back their ad spend your message will have less noise to compete with in the marketplace. Fuel prices have dropped and people are traveling less, this also means better rates for business travel to far-away markets.
- Take control of your own mental economy. The most expensive thing we can do as sales professionals and business people is have a day of negative thinking. When we are focusing on what we don’t have, and we are wallowing in our own self-pity, we’re not thinking about creating positive business outcomes. My suggestion is to commit to reading at least 30 minutes of positive news, or personal development books per day, find some great motivational CD’s or podcasts (iTunes has thousands that are free) and pro-actively seek out and associate with other people that are refusing to participate in the recession.
- Be disciplined in your execution. At the top of an economy when clients are abundant and optimistic, closing the deal is easy. If you miss a deal because of bad follow-up, or a poorly written proposal there is always more opportunity out there. Anyone can look like a rainmaker when things are hot. When things slow down our bad habits become more evident. When you do have a great prospect in your sights, have a sound sales process and follow the fundamentals of great selling obsessively. There are no mundane steps in a sales process, treat every detail like it is the deal-maker, especially when prospects are fewer and more easily dissuaded to buy.
“Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle. ” - Abraham Lincoln
October 17, 2008 · Filed Under Leadership, Sales Articles, Sales Blog, Sales Training |
Vancouver Board of Trade - Video Clips
The guys over at Reachd shot some video of Stephen Jagger and I during a panel discussion we participated in at the Vancouver Board of Trade called Big Impact for Your Small Business. The video is pretty shaky (it was done on someone’s hand held but the content was good). Have a listen.
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July 30, 2008 · Filed Under Events and Seminars, Sales Training, Sales Training Video, iPhone Podcasts |
Selling in Tough Economic Times - Bill Gibson Guest Blogger
How to Gain market share in a tough economy
Many years ago I was a top producing local radio advertising salesperson in the Twin Cities market of Halifax and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.
On the East Coast of Canada the harsh winters literally crippled automobile sales. In December, January and February it is not uncommon to have sub-zero temperatures and three snow storms in a month that range from a half metre to a metre and a half of snow. One early November day I called on John Gwynne-Timothy, the new owner of a small car dealership called Twin Cities Plymouth Chrysler. He told me that it did not make good sense to advertise in November, December or January because of the ferocious winters. Chrysler Canada had instructed him to put aside C$100 000 for each of the three winter months, strictly for losses. He was also told to cut back on advertising and save the money for peak season. I could understand their thinking – first you have to find the car under the snow before you can show it that time of year.
“The best time to gain market share is in a down economy” – Bill Gibson
My response to John was that with every adversity there is an opportunity and the best time to gain market share is in a down economy. I added that most of the competitive dealerships would also be cutting back on advertising and the buying of inventory during that period. The advertising noise level in the market place was far less in the winter months. This would make it easier to dominate the market with less spending. The other dealers also were not buying cars at the auctions and it would be the best time to buy.
Here was the strategy:
* He went to the automobile auctions and bought at low, low prices. (If you buy right, you can sell right).
* On Friday afternoons at 4 pm we cleaned out his huge service department and decorated it with colourful streamers, balloons and so on.
* We then brought into the service department many of the especially low-price used cars and new ones.
* On the Friday morning we hit with newspaper and radio advertising – all day Friday and all day Saturday. In the weekly and monthly magazines we advertised the Winter Sale Bonanza Friday and Saturday at Twin Cities Plymouth Chrysler.
* We had live onsite radio announcers and upbeat music playing in the service depart-ment on the weekends and we sold cars until 9 pm on Friday and Saturday.
The final result was that Gwynne-Timothy profited C$100 000 per month in December, January and February. He budgeted for a C$300 000 loss and instead made C$300 000. In actuality, he was C$600 000 ahead.
“You can gain market share in a tough economy if you take control of your own economy”
In February, the competition eventually tried to counter attack – after laughing at him for what they thought was a waste of advertising money in December and January – but it was too late. He already had momentum. This momentum carried over to peak months from March to October with astronomical sales. He had gained huge market share in the down months that positively impacted the best months.
Within a year Gwynne-Timothy sold his small dealership for a huge profit and bought the largest Ford dealership in Atlantic Canada. Today he is a multimillionaire, simply by being innovative and proactive in a down economy – in Canada during the winter months. The following graph shows that 20% of a smaller market can be larger than 10% of a big market. It is easier to gain market share in a down economy.
A few years later, as a consultant in Canada, I had another client named Terry Straker. At the top of the economy he was grossing C$200 000 a month with his bedding and bedroom furniture stores in Calgary, Alberta. The country went into a recession and competition got stiffer. Eighteen months later, at the bottom of the economy, Terry grossed over C$1 million in one month – a 400% increase.
How did he do it? He got innovative and aggressive. He knew cash was king so he negotiated hard when buying. He then increased his advertising in the right mediums that targeted his market. Through research he knew the best days and best weeks to advertise. He increased sales training to twice a week. He tied in with charities and ran innovative promotions.
Straker once ran a promotion called Mr Money, where he dressed his brother up in a Mr Money outfit, and on Friday he announced to the media that Mr Money was dropping C$5 000 from the roof of his biggest store on Saturday. The plan was to drop C$500 an hour in small bills for 10 hours. Ten thousand people showed up and he got massive publicity. He had the biggest day ever. The reason is that in a down economy people want money.
He used endless creative traffic building ideas. Among them was a promotion with Salvatore (Sal) Stallone, Sylvester Stallone’s brother. Rocky II had just opened in the theatres.
“At the bottom of the economy, Terry grossed over C$1 million in one month – a 400% increase”
Even though the economy was down, Terry increased his sales by 400%. I acknowledge that, yes, with the new credit act, increased interest rates, hikes in petrol and electricity prices and the power crisis there could be tighter times ahead for many businesses in South Africa.
The solution is to believe you can gain market share in a tough economy if you take control of your own economy and get creative, innovative and pro-active. Do not wait for others or external factors to do it for you. Take control.
About Bill Gibson
Bill Gibson lives in South Africa and is the chairperson of Knowledge Brokers International SA (Pty) Ltd. He is the author of the book Boost your business in any economy, and the writer and developer of several sales, marketing and entrepreneurial training systems. Bill Gibson can be reached at +27 11 784 1720 or info@kbitraining.com
This is blogathon entry number 36 for the MSMF Blogathon. Visit this page to learn how you can support this cause.
July 26, 2008 · Filed Under Blogathon 2008, Marketing and PR, Sales Articles, Sales Blog, Sales Management Blog |
Listening in Sales Blog Entry # 11
I took an assessment that is part of our Professional Sales Certificate program and isolated it as a free tool for sales people to personally assess their true listening skills. Many people talk of terms like Needs Analysis, Probing Questions, Rapport Building etc but the reality is all of the processes mentioned are based upon a foundation of trust through effective listening skills.
Click HereI’m looking forward to your feeback on this new assessment.
This is blogathon entry number 8 for the MSMF Blogathon. Visit this page to learn how you can support this cause.
July 26, 2008 · Filed Under Blogathon 2008, Sales Articles, Sales Blog, iPhone Podcasts |
Guest Blog by Bill Gibson (South Africa)
Sales Triggers:
There are often other factors that help trigger the buying process. By spotting these factors in situations, you immediately become aware of a need, want, or desire. Within your industry, it is important to know what these factors or motivations are and how these factors could trigger specific buying motives.
Examples:
1. Someone just received a promotion
2. Money has just been won or inherited
3. There is an addition to the family
4. Just bought a house
5. Just moved
6. It is a birthday or anniversary
7. There has just been an amalgamation of companies
8. There is a new executive team
9. Someone has passed away
10. The market has gone for a dive and business is tough
11. Centralizing or decentralizing of a company
12. New budget year coming up
13. A land mark. A 50th anniversary or 21st birthday
14. A wedding
15. Move to a new building
16. Just secured a major contract or was awarded a huge project
17. Share price dropped
18. Has decided to start exporting
19. News headline that scares people
7-12 Principles of Selling
20. Special time of year – Religious Holidays, Summer Vacation
21. A heavy snow fall
22. A heat wave
23. A cold snap
24. A new face
25. A new law has been introduced
26. A change in government
27. A new growth trend
28. A market switching quickly from one item or system to another
29. Person or company reaching a different status level
30. A new competitor has moved on to the scene
31. Someone recently started a business
32. A new area is being developed
33. Someone recently got fit, lost weight, new look
34. A celebration, for example a big sports win!
35. A company has lost its position in the market place
36. A company has gained a higher position in the market
37. Government de-regulations of crown corporations (parastatals—a company
or agency owned or controlled wholly or partly by the government)
38. A natural disaster
39. A crime wave
40. A huge event … Olympics, Expo, World Cup etc.
41. An industry boom, i.e. tourism
42. Someone received poor service from a competitor
As a professional salesperson, it is important to have your “sales opportunity antenna” up at all times. This way you can take advantage of using the right timing. Right timing means you have caught the client at a time of high need, high want, or high desire. During these times, customers buy much quicker, and much more easily.
Bill Gibson is a motivational sales speaker based in South Africa who has addressed over one million people on stages in Canada, USA, Asia, and Africa over the past 30 years.
This is blogathon entry number 9 for the MSMF Blogathon. Visit this page to learn how you can support this cause.
July 26, 2008 · Filed Under Blogathon 2008, Sales Articles, Sales Blog, Sales Training |
Sales Blog - BMW Sales Success Qualities
BMW Global did a study several years ago to look at what the four major sales success qualities as determined by BMW Global are:
• Motivation
• Precision
• Direction, and
• Flexibility
Motivation
The successful salesperson who is motivated:
• desires to be the best.
• is competitive by nature.
• has the edge through customer service.
• turns problems into opportunities.
• moves, stands, and talks in a positive way.
• refrains from negative, pessimistic statements, and ignores those made by other
people.
Following is a break-down of these success qualities:
Precision
The successful salesperson is precise, focused and detail-oriented:
a) Focused:
• The ability to decide what is important
• The willingness to tackle unpleasant jobs
• The willingness to spend time convincing the prospective client that the car is right for them—therefore price may not be such an important issue
b) Detail-oriented:
• Doing the job consistently and systematically
• Planning and organizing
• Keeping notes of appointments, actions, reminders, and deadlines
Direction
The successful salesperson has positive direction.
a) Assertive:
• Tough-minded and confident in negotiation
• Believes in themselves and believes in the product and an ability to show it
• Handles negatives and insults well
b) Relationship:
• Builds rapport with prospects, customers and colleagues
• Understands that people buy from people
• Focuses 100% on prospects by listening and maintaining an acceptable level of eye contact
• Praises service staff and reception staff internally and externally
Flexibility
The successful salesperson is flexible. They possess the ability to:
• read people and situations and to adapt their behavior.
• get excited when the customer gets excited or be business-like when the customer is business-like.
• adjust their posture, volume, and tone of voice to match their client.
This study very quickly summarizes the many characteristics that most of us need to rise above average in sales and in business.
This is blogathon entry number 8 for the MSMF Blogathon. Visit this page to learn how you can support this cause.
July 26, 2008 · Filed Under Blogathon 2008, Leadership, Sales Articles, Sales Blog |
Blogathon Entry #7 - Ethical Question
Raul submitted a great question and comment that I want to address:
Is deviance from truly ethical behavior appropriate or inappropriate, in the end? I kind of feel it is somewhat inappropriate.
This question was posed in context of my four part blog entry on ethics in selling. Lets look at deviance for a moment. Dictionary.com defines it as “One that differs from a norm, especially a person whose behavior and attitudes differ from accepted social standards.” In my opinion deviating from social norms, politically correct pressures, or cultural traditions (including corporate culture) is not necessarily a bad thing in business and in life. Alexander Graham Bell was seen as a deviant in many aspects, so was Martin Luther King.
For me Raul’s question made me think of the Dalai Lama’s comments on creating Karma. For good or bad karma to be created he states, there are three elements. #1) Intent #2) Action #3) Result. I think as we look at the result of our actions, in causing harm to others, or advancing at the loss of others with harmful or un-ethical behavior and succeeding in doing so then this behavior is absolutely inappropriate. So in short, next time one feels like labeling someone a deviant the questions we must ask are “What was their intent?”…”Did they act upon this intent?” and “Did their actions cause harm or suffering to others?”
This is blogathon entry number 7 for the MSMF Blogathon. Visit this page to learn how you can support this cause.
July 26, 2008 · Filed Under Blogathon 2008, Leadership, Sales Articles, Sales Blog |
Ethics in Selling Part 3 - Sales Blog Entry
The Situationally Ethical Sales Person:
Situational ethics relies on one principle—what best serves oneself at a given time or in a given circumstance. This person’s behavior rises and falls as they tend to justify the deviance from true ethical behavior based upon each circumstance. Comments from situationally ethical people may include:
• “If I didn’t take advantage of this someone else would!”
• “It’s just business, don’t take this personally.”
• “It’s only illegal if you get caught.”
• “They won’t know the difference between the old stock and the new stock; we can easily charge the same price.”
• “This is the only way to get ahead today…. Everyone else is taking shortcuts!”
These people blend into society and have the veneer (appearance) that they are just like you and I. Although they understand right from wrong, and often weigh the crime against the potential punishment, deep down their choice is unethical as long as their exposure to risk is low or non-existent. Even when caught, this fraudster will often justify their actions playing the victim of society or the mega-corporation for which they work. Their actions may have come from a feeling of desperation or being “caught.” When issues like addiction in the workplace (i.e. drugs, gambling, and alcohol) come into play, their recklessness or behaviors often become more risky as they look for a quick exit, or out of desperation are looking for more funds to fuel their habits.
The situationally ethical person is not without hope. Often this person has formed a false belief that they can only get ahead if others lose. They could also have low selfworth or self-esteem and not believe that they can achieve success legitimately. Taking some of the steps described in other modules around building self-confidence and associating with positive and successful people can be a first step to moving toward a more confident and productive mental picture of ourselves.
Association (people who we connect with over time) can also erode one’s moral compass. Another cause of situational ethics is caused by social or peer ethics. Who we socialize with, their conversations, personal beliefs and ethics can begin to warp our own outlook. In the instance of the Enron Scandal, many otherwise law-abiding citizens accepted and enabled the behaviors of senior management because it became a cultural norm or social ethic. The situationally ethical person can change their associations, find new positive peopleor organizations to work with and over time this new environment can help them develop a more accurate and healthy set of personal and business ethical boundaries.
This is Blog Entry #5 for the Vancouver Blogathon. A 24 hour blogging marathon for charity. Please check out my charity the MSMF foundation and help us bring hope and prosperity to children in rural India.
July 26, 2008 · Filed Under Blogathon 2008, Sales Articles, Sales Blog |
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