New Beginnings

I stopped writing this blog several years ago when I decided to focus my energies and talents elsewhere (that's a very abbreviated version of a much longer story to tell another day!). I explored other options. In the end, I find I'm still passionate about the subject of communication skills and their importance to our success. In fact, I'm probably even more passionate than I was before. 

I may revisit topics I covered in the past with the added perspective that comes with time, distance and new experiences. Other topics will be brand new. In any case, I welcome your comments. Agree with me, respectfully disagree with me (and please tell me why), it's all good.

The way we communicate with others shapes our work, our relationships, our lives. I find that when I'm at my best, everything becomes easier. Work discussions are more fruitful and the clarity it gives me helps me to get better results.  I find I'm in a better mood, too. That's because when I communicate clearly and effectively, I've eliminated much of the conflict that is often unnecessary.  So my day runs better. 

Join me. We'll explore best practices and share some "OMG, did that really happen?" stories about communication.

Are Your Prospects Scratching Their Heads?

I received a "robo" call from Verizon offering me discounts, etc to change my phone plan. The call instructed me to press any key to be connected with an operator. I did so and got a recording that "due to high call volume all our operators are busy now" I was then informed that there was a 5 minute wait for an operator. (OK, this is where we scratch our heads.)


So, let me get this straight. An organization is prospecting yet expects people to wait to speak to someone? Needless to say, I hung up.


BTW, I was actually trying to get my phone number off their list. As I'm sure other callers were trying to do as well. But what about the people that actually did want to learn about Verizon services? How many of them hung up instead of waiting?

Let's use this as an opportunity. Consider it an "Aha" moment, if you will. Ask yourself, have you created procedures to make it easy to buy from you? Did you instead create situations where you are alienating potential customers from doing business with you?

Sometimes you need to be able to step back and look at your procedures from the perspectives of the people with whom you want to do business. Have you made it easy for them? You'll get more sales and have more satisfied customers when you make it easy to do business with you.

Sweat the Small Stuff

What's the secret to success? Sweat the small stuff. That means paying attention to the details.


In order to provide excellent customer service, our employees must be able to communicate effectively, politely and they should genuinely care for the customers. This doesn't happen by itself. How we interact with friends and family is not necessarily a model for how we should interact with customers and prospective customers. This will require training and a development of skills necessary to carry out activities. Just because we care, that doesn't mean we are showing it in a manner that others would recognize. Do you know how your voice sounds? What does your face look like when you show empathy? How does your body language connect with the message your voice is giving?


It requires sweating the small stuff to ensure that an encounter with a customer or prospective customer ends on a positive note.


We need to ensure that our employees can actually solve problems for our customers. Have we given them the tools to do so? Clear cut guidelines help your staff know the boundaries as well as what's expected of them. Give people the ability to solve problems. Put procedures into place so people clearly know where they stand. Reward people for going above and beyond.


Then take it a step further. What needs to be done to avoid the service issues in the first place? Is it product based? Is it the result of unclear policies and procedures? Keep a log of service issues and incidents. Actively work to cut down on the factors creating them in the first place.


We need to create companies that create cultures where providing the best products and the best service is not just words on a poster. "Good enough" should never be tolerated...and, yes, you must sweat the small stuff. I hate that phrase by the way, "Don't sweat the small stuff - and it's all small stuff". It gives permission not to care. Just because it's small to you, doesn't mean it's not big to your customers.


Respect your customers. Do you value them as the reasons for your continued success or are they simply dollar bills to be pocketed? Your attitude is also felt by your employees. They'll take their cues from you.


Great success requires great effort. Sweating the small stuff - how you act, how you react, your attention to details - all combine to lift your efforts above others. Commit to it and reap the rewards.

Sales Process: Just as Important as Sales Skills

When most people think about the skills necessary for success in sales, they usually think about the interpersonal skills used to successfully close sales and generate business. After all, selling is all about how you deal with people, right? Well... it's not always that simple.

Sometimes the fault for poor or less than expected sales results lies not in the people skills of the sales or customer care reps in your company but rather the sales process that has been set up. Our processes can trip us up and make it harder for people to say "yes" to us. For instance:


Recently I received a call for a phone company, asking me to change my service. Now I'm always in favor of saving money so I definitely gave a listen. I gave my email address and promised to look over the information. I had a hard time listening to the rep as she appeared to be calling from a very noisy call center.


About an hour later I got a call (again from the noisy call center) from the original rep's supervisor asking for my business. I politely told her I prefer to think about this type of decision first. She offered to call me back in 3 days. The next day, I received her follow up call. No reference to the fact she wasn't supposed to call me for two days. She asked for my order again. Now, at this point, I had realized that this offer wouldn't be a good fit for me. I didn't like the length of the contact. She immediately offered a contract of a much shorter duration. I declined the offer.


Here's why I declined the offer:

• Why can't the first person conduct the entire sales process? Unless you have a brand new person or a very complicated product, there's really no reason for a second person to get involved. It smacks of poor training.

• Why is a "supervisor" calling back? Wasn't born yesterday... I've worked in industries where all the sales reps had business cards that said "vice president". Come on, we know you're the closer. There are smoother ways to handle that. (see my first point above)

• Inconsistency. If you're going to call back sooner, reference that to me. For instance "I know I'm supposed to call you back in 2 days, but I wanted to make sure you were aware of ....."

• Offered concession to fast. If you come down in price too fast, or make any concessions too quickly, it makes people feel uneasy. "What else can they compromise on? Would I have been taken advantage of if I hadn't brought that up?"

And oh yes, get a noise canceling headset...

Obviously, these techniques get sales, but how many sales are you losing? Sometimes, we forget there are human beings on the line with human reactions. We need to be able to walk the line between passive and aggressive in order to achieve our goals. Overly aggressive sales techniques increase the odds that buyers will cancel after the "aura" of the sales environment you're created goes away. For more sales and solid customer relationships, use assertive techniques that focus on your customer's needs.m

Poor sales processes can cost you just as many sales as poor interpersonal skills. Make sure yours are designed to help not hinder.

Can I tell you a Secret about Sales and Service Coaching?

Yes, I know I look tired - but here's a short message worth listening to!

Click here for the video:

I've Got a Secret

Converse, convey, connect...

What makes you passionate about what you do? 

What keeps you involved and motivated day after day?


For me, it's the knowledge that I've helped someone on the road to success. Whether that success is being better at their roles in a call center, helping an independent sales rep refine their technique, working with front line employees in a office to be more effective communicators or mentoring small business owners in their ability to manage, coach and motivate their sales and service staff, it's important to me that I make a difference. For me it's always been about how I can help people succeed.


Because when we work to help others - no matter how big or small an effort- good things happen all around.


In a nutshell, that's what sales and service are all about. Working to help others. Sometimes in the middle of a rough sales month or a day of really tough calls - inbound or outbound, it's easy to forget that. What makes it easier to stay on track is to have the tools and techniques that enable you to succeed.


Enable you to find passion.


I can help. If you'd like to be more effective, if you'd like your staff to be more effective in their sales or service mission and goals, I can help. This blog is called "Converse, convey, connect" because that's what we need to do in order to be successful in our sales and service relationship. If you'd like to learn more about how I can help you, here's some additional contact info:

website: www.krgcommunications.com
email: info@krgcommunications.com
phone: 973.709.1252

Avoid These Phrases

Often, when doing research for an upcoming training event in an organization or as part of a consulting assignment, I have the opportunity to listen to both side of customer service or sales calls. Here's what I find really cool - I can always tell when the wheels come off the wagon during a call. And it's usually not the customer. I would venture that 8 out of 10 calls that go awry, happen due to something the customer service or sales professional has said. Always well meaning, but often the one thing that sets off the caller.


Whether we sell or service, there are certain phrases that we should avoid using. There are certain phrases that all but guarantee a negative reaction from our customer or prospect. Let's take a look at words and phrases we should avoid in our telephone work.


I don't know. Is that what some one really wants to hear when they speak with a company representative? After all, isn't it your job to be able to answer customer requests? If you don't know, find out who does and get the answer. An alternative phrase might be "I'm not sure of the answer and I want to make sure I give you the correct information. Let me check that out for you. Are you able to hold?"


I (or we) can't. Don't you just hate being told no? So do most people. Find out what you can do and offer alternatives.


Hang on a second, I'll be right back... can sound rude and abrupt. Use "Are you able to hold instead?" It's much more polite and empathetic.

and really, really get back to them quickly. When you're on hold, I can still hear your caller. The longer you are away, the more time they have to stew. If you can avoid "hold", do so.


You have to... A prospective buyer doesn't or shouldn't HAVE to do anything. We're the ones trying to make the sale. If an action is required on their part, let them know what they'll "need to" do in order to accomplish the objective"


No... No one likes to be told no. Offer alternatives. If you can not come to agreement, be gracious. You never know when they might change their mind.

It's often difficult enough handling sales or services calls all day long. Why make your job any harder? The right words go a long way towards a quick and effective solution. 

Have Your Created Your Best PES?

Today I'm thinking about PES. Not PEZ (Sorry no candy dispensers, here! Dispensing thoughts only.)

PES sums up the buying experience.

P- Price Is your price competitive for your market? For your product? For your customers? Does it send out the right message regarding how you want your product or service perceived?

E- Experience What do your customers experience during the buying process? Is it easy to make a purchase? Is this the experience they are looking for?

S - Service Do you provide the customer service levels that your customers expect?


By themselves, each of these areas are important but won't necessarily force a potential customer to do business with you. It's the right combination of all three that makes a business succeed. 

Think of the downtown areas of towns that are dying. Store fronts abandoned, businesses barely holding on - while on the outskirts of town, the big box stores are flourishing. Then there are the downtowns that are flourishing. Sure, the big boxes came and created a place for themselves in the community but the savvy businesses downtown adapted. They created a new place for themselves in the community. They created a PES that made people want to continue to do business with them.

This holds true for any product or service. Sure, there are the low-ballers. They give bare bones service but the price is right and the product is OK. That will always attract some portion of buyers. Then there is the higher priced, high quality product with the great service that creates a fabulous buying experience for their customers. A portion of buyers will pay a premium to feel catered to.

Finding the right combination of PES helps you survive in an ever changing market place. Will you be able to sell to everyone? Of course not. There will always be those for whom your product or service is not the best fit. However, by using PES as a strategy to attract customers, you are sure to find your best position to succeed.

What Do I Do?

I like to use this blog to help and educate others not to promote myself. However, I do feel that I should - from time to time - review what I do and how I can help others (individuals and organizations) to succeed.

So, here's a run down. My contact information is:

Call: 973.709.1252
Fax: 973.709.1818
website: www.krgcommunications.com
Email jkirby@krgcommunications.com 

twitter: @thejoannkirby

 

Find me (Jo Ann Kirby) on LinkedIn as well.

Here's a brief rundown of some of the services offered by KRG Communications Group:

Inside Sales/ Customer Service Training and Consulting

• Training:
• Telephone Techniques/Etiquette
• Sales skills
• Customer Service Techniques
• Leadership and Management
• Supervisory skills:coaching and counseling for improved performance

Consulting:

• Interviewing/hiring
• Script/Presentation development
• Quality assurance procedures
• Development of metrics for performance expectations

I also teach public speaking skills. (private sessions)

Be the Best that You Can Be! 

I can help with that.

Successful Service? Go with Your Heart

Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.    
Confucius
 

In short put your heart and soul into everything you do, This applies to sales and service jobs. Particularly if you communicate with your customers or prospects by telephone. The person calling you at the end of your shift should/must feel just as taken care of as the first person you spoke with that day. Maybe it's 5 minutes until your break and the last thing you want to deal with is a customer with a problem. You do it anyway. After all, one: it's your job and two: your job is to help the people who call in. They don't know your schedule. They just have a problem that it important to them. They're counting on you to help.

Go with your heart. Treat the inconvenient calls with the same patience and skill you give to the others. Trust me, you'll feel great about your job. If you like to help people out, sometimes it's inconvenient for you but if you stop and think about how it was probably pretty inconvenient for the customer to have a problem with your product or service, you can end your day in a great mood.You helped someone out. Shouldn't we be doing that anyway in our lives?

Go with your heart.  It's a process that keeps giving back to you.

Be Your Own Customer

Would You Be Happy with Your Company's Service?


When was the last time you were your own customer? Have you taken the time recently to experience your organization from your customer's perspective? I was reminded of this last week while out with a friend. The restaurant was busy and noisy but that's never an excuse for poor service - after all if you want to be a successful restaurant, shouldn't the norm BE a full, busy and potentially noisy place?

The really sad thing about our experience - a process change would have avoided the entire situation. Regardless of your industry, make the time to review your processes and procedures when it comes to your customers. Take the time to be the "undercover boss" or send in trusted friends or associates.

Be honest with yourself when it comes to change. All too often we find it easy to blame individuals when we ourselves have not provided the tools and guidance needed for success. Process can often be as important as interpersonal skills. The two work best in tandem.

Chances are you only want the best when dealing with other companies or establishments. Don't your customers deserve the best as well?

Walk a Mile

All too often things go awry because people aren't communicating properly with one another. We remain in our own bubbles of want, not able - or willing - to leave them in order to learn what's important to others. We value our needs and devalue the needs of the people around us. Figuring out how to help others "win" will help you reach your goals.


Effective communication practically guarantees success and lack of communication skills makes everything harder. Here are some key concepts:

• Communication missteps
• Listening well
• Gain cooperation
• Impact of Behavior Styles on Communication Results
• Creating a Plan of Action

Since communication success can be all about understanding each other:

Don't judge any man until you have walked two moons in his moccasins.Native American Proverb

Now, wouldn't that mindset make things simpler?

Relationships

Creating relationships with other people is always worth our while, whether for comfort, commiseration, sharing or just having fun. It's the same in our professional associations. When we're there for others, they'll be there for us. Taking the time to cultivate our contacts and create connections takes time but invariably it pays off. Maybe not today, but you never know where a business relationship leads you... to an additional sale, to a great job offer, to a mentor...it's always worthwhile.

Here's a great quote:

"Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict."
William E. Channin

Can You Help?

Have you had the opportunity to take our survey on Communication Preferences yet? It's really short - only 7 questions in all.

This research is part of a larger effort to determine preferred modes of communication and how it impacts our ability to effectively communicate with others. I'd like it to be as statistically relevant as possible so it would help to have as many completed surveys as possible.

Thanks in advance. I'll share the results afterward.


Here's the link:

 https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/26VPP3D

(you might have to cut and paste this into your browser)

Thank you!

Let a "Mirror" Help You Build Rapport

Here's an effective but often overlooked technique that can help you build rapport:

Building rapport is essential for ongoing customer relations. We want to build trust in ourselves and in our company and products. Traditionally, rapport building is done with some small talk. However, I’m not a big fan of small talk with someone you don’t already have a relationship with. Some sales reps can seem overly friendly and it backfires. It can actually lead your prospect to distrust you. People tend to think, “Why is this person calling me? I don’t know them.” They’re already thinking about ways to get rid of you.

The best ways to rapport is by having a professional manner, being helpful not pushy, being conscious of the time constraints of the customer.

We can also build rapport using a simple technique called “mirroring”. People are most comfortable with others they perceive to be similar to themselves. In person, we do this through body language. Have you ever noticed in some situations two people are mirroring their body language? Often this is unconscious – but many sales people do this consciously as well. When you are speaking on the phone with someone, you can make a conscious effort to mirror as well. How do you do this? After all, they can’t see you. The answer is in your voice.

We want to subtly but not explicitly imitate the vocal qualities of the person we’re speaking with. Generally speaking almost any element of your voice can be “mirrored”. If the customer speaks quickly, speed up your voice to match. If they speak slowly, slow down. Some people will suggest you also try to match their regional accents, however, I don’t recommend doing that. You need to have a really good ear to pull it off. “Mirroring” an accent can sound like an affectation or worse. People may think you’re making fun of them. That’s no way to build a relationship.

You may also notice yourself mirroring vocal patterns. That's good, too. Mirroring some one's vocal preferences will help them feel more comfortable with you. They won't consciously think "why?" but it will put them more at ease.  That ease can help build trust - which translates into all sorts of good outcomes - for both you and your prospect or customer. 

Preparation: A Key to Success for Inside Sales and Customer Service

Have you prepared properly for your inside sales project? Whether it's a new assignment for the team or whether you've tasked your customer support personnel with revenue responsibilities beyond up-sells and cross sells, preparation is key of a successful endeavor. 

I was once tasked with the assignment to start an outbound lead generating  team for a small company. On my first day of work, the company owner gave me a list of customers and told me to call them "to see how they are doing". At least I had tons of experience doing similar projects. But how often do we do the same thing to brand new, relatively untrained inside sales personnel?

Let's make sure that we increase our odds of success by doing some planning first. This is important whether you are creating a framework and process for a team of 10 or whether this is your solo show.

Here are some tips for getting started:

• Make sure you know exactly what you want to accomplish. Too many people decide to add inside sales to their business mix and then tell their customer service people to "call and see if you can get them to reorder". 
• Your objective should be well thought out, measurable and specific.
• Break every thing out. No detail is too small. 
• Visualize what you want the results to look like and work back from there. 
• Consider the optimum style of selling. Is this a prospect effort or repeat customer sales? 
• Metrics are important. You can't improve if you don't measure. Consider tracking the following: How many orders will you expect - hourly, daily, weekly? What dollar amount? How many dials per day? How many contacts? What products should be suggested? How much of each do you want to sell? 

Without doing this type of thought process up-front, you will be running a muddled mess within 3 months.Taking the time to prepare thoroughly may push your implimentation date back, it will be worth it in order for the project to succeed. 

Teaching and Leading = Effective Managing for Effective Performance

As a change of pace, I wanted to spend some time talking about training and leadership. Many managers are asked to train others without learning how to train effectively. In order for a training program to be successful you need to understand how adults best learn. You'll need to learn how to lead them into the new behaviors. Anyone who is attentive and willing during class will learn the material. But will they use the new behaviors back on the job? In a manager's role, you'd want to make sure that the time you invest in a learning initiative is time and money well spent.

How do Adults Learn?

Adults learn differently from children. Whereas children can be considered "blank slates", adults bring a wealth of already accumulated knowledge. This is quite helpful to the learning experience and a savvy facilitator will use this to their advantage. Adults also bring different expectations to the learning process. Adults will expect the learning to be a partnership, with the facilitator providing the impetuous and the means for the learning process while the adults expect to be responsible retaining and being able to use the learning. Adults expect to be respected for both their experiences and their opinions.

Adults tend to learn best when they are able to make connections between what they are currently learning and past experiences. They also prefer to be full participants in the learning process.

What is Facilitating?

Facilitating is the art of leadership in group communications. In a training or learning environment, this may mean the facilitator directs the activities and the line of questioning, but allows the learners to come up with the answers themselves. This has several positive effects on the learning experience. First, this interactive environment will be more stimulating for the learner. This increases the likelihood of retention. Second, by requiring the learners produce or generate the information instead of simply hearing it from a "teacher", the learners will develop a stake in the learning process. Learners with a stake in the process will retain more. Third, this allows for more learning by doing, whether looking up information in a manual or on a website and using that information that information in order to process requests.

What's the difference between teaching and facilitating (and why you should care)?

Teaching assumes that the learner knows nothing and the teacher everything. Elementary school, specific tehniqual or Some of the differences between teaching and learning can be summed up in this way.

Traditional Teaching is:
Passive.
Authoritarian.
Delivering information.
Convergence, conformism.
One-way (top-down)

Teaching is delivery-heavy and often requires entertainment to keep attention. On the other hand, if we focus on how to use the expectations and experiences of our learners, we realize that effect learning requires more.


Facilitating is:
Active and dynamic, experiential.
Reaching forward.
Empowering.
Responding to a challenge.
Divergence - going out of the box.
Interactive

Learning through facilitation involves questioning-heavy, inductive/ inferential, hands-on, reflective, interactive. You lead the participants to the desired behaviors.


What does this mean for your training efforts?

In order for your training efforts to be successful, you must be aware of the needs of your learners. Top heavy teaching generally doesn't do well helping adults learn new material or master new behaviors when teaching adults.

Having people participate in the experience will help them better retain the information as well as buy into the experience. Hmm, sounds a lot like a sales situation! It is. Treating your learners as though they are potential customers goes a long way towards getting acceptance of and ultimately mastery of the skills you want them to use.

   

_________________________________________________________

Does this subject strike close to home? If so, you may be interested to learn that I coach managers and small business owners to be more effective and efficient in your own sales and service efforts as well as become better facilitators to improve performance for your staff. After agreeing to your goals, you will work on your skills in a supportive and nurturing environment.

Contact me,  Jo Ann Kirby at 973.709.1252 or email me at info@krgcommuncations.com for more details and next steps.

What NOT to Say

In sales and service, we spend a lot of time learning what words or phrases to say. Did you know that there are phrases you should never say? Phrases that practically guarantee that you won't achieve your objectives? Whether we sell or service, there are certain phrases that we should avoid using. Here are phrases that you want to avoid.

I don't know. Is that what some one really wants to hear when they speak with a company representative? After all, isn't it your job to be able to answer customer requests? If you don't know, find out who does and get the answer. An alternative phrase might be "I want to make sure I give you the correct information. Let me check that out for you. Are you able to hold?"

I (or we) can't. Don't you just hate being told no? So do most people. Find out what you can do and offer alternatives.

Hang on a second, I'll be right back... can sound rude and abrupt. Use "Are you able to hold instead?" It's much more polite and empathetic.

You have to... A prospective buyer doesn't or shouldn't HAVE to do anything. We're the ones trying to make the sale or retain the customer. If an action is required on their part, let them know what they'll "need to" do in order to accomplish the objective"

No... No one likes to be told no. Offer alternatives. If you can not come to agreement, be gracious. You never know when they might change their mind.

Success "Calls" to You

Yes, it does. Here's a short list of tips for telephone sales and service that can help you succeed


Recognize differences between face to face and telephone communications.
When you communicate over the telephone, you're communicating with a blindfold on. Words and voice become all important. In person, you're watching their body language. Make sure you adjust your message accordingly.

Learn to Listen.
Oddly enough, although we hear everything, we need to make a conscious decision to actually listen to what we're told. Make sure you listen actively and objectively.

Create a telephone presence or image through your words and voice.
Be professional; don't use slang or sloppy grammar. Articulate your thoughts clearly.

Make a dynamic Plan of Action to improve your telephone presence.
Record yourself. Objectively listen to strengths and weaknesses. Create a plan of action base on this.

Concentrate on improving inflection, enthusiasm, rate of speech and volume.

A pleasant sounding voice makes it easier to reach your objectives.

Put your best voice forward and sound confident when you're not.
Sound confident even when you're unsure. A willingness to double-check increases respect of you and your organization. It's all in how you say it.

Prepare for all outcomes.
You can handle anything smoothly and with aplomb if you prepare beforehand.

Voice Mail is an opportunity to have a 30-second commercial for the price of a telephone call.

Take the time to craft your message beforehand.

Think before you speak.
A planned presentation needn't be stiff and sound canned. Be comfortable with your product and your message.

Silence can be powerful - Make it work for you!

Dealing with Difficult People - a Few Notes

Here are some quick thoughts about dealing with people who we don't always see eye to eye with. Many of the instances where we deal with difficult people come about due to a combination of the situation and the behavior styles of the individuals involved.

Here's a few points to keep in mind:
- Many difficult situations between people are exacerbated due to a mis-match of communication
- You can't change others - only yourself
- Take your cue from others - learn to react to get what you want
In order to achieve our goals we need a mechanism to work through our differences. A technique I call Diffuse/Disarm is a great way to begin.

You can Diffuse/Disarm in 4 steps:

Diffuse

Listen

• Be objective
• Actively listen

Acknowledge

• The act of making sure what they said is what your heard
• Confirm that you understand the situation

Question

• Find out additional information or roadblocks
• Use open ended questions

Disarm
Respond

• A practical solution that satisfies the needs of both parties

Using these steps will make your communication process smoother, help people feel comfortable and cared for, and help you achieve your service objectives.