But buyer’s remorse is coming from the buyer’s perspective not the salesperson’s perspective.  

I started this process like a typical 2.0 customer.I researched different types of cars,  I did my homework, talked with people, test-drove different models, and even considered flying to Sweden to get my factory-ready car (but I still couldn’t get it in chocolate brown).  I contacted five different dealers in California, hoping to leverage my circle of competitive influence but for some reason none of them returned my call. (Hey, I thought I was the buyer here?)

So I finally walked into a dealer and sat down with all my paperwork and my body guard ( my dad wanted to come along:) and affter two hours of talking, negotiating we finally agreed on a price and shook hands. We had to run so I asked them to send me the paperwork (I know that wasn’t a good move). A few days later, the sales manager contacted me panicked and explained his salesperson had made a mistake or what he called a  ”human error.” He explained the price he quoted and we agreed on was on a different model with less features and not on the showroom model. 

“That’s funny” I said, “especially since we were all hanging out on the salesfloor and the salesperson even suggested I take a picture in my new car.”

The story goes on and on- finally we settled the misunderstanding after a slew of salespeople and managers trying to make it right or come to a price agreement.

I’m worn out and feel this experience was not a customer 2.0 buying experience. Instead, it was filled with hidden agendas, false promises, maniupulative tactics and everything to make me lose trust in anything that has to do with cars, sticker invoices, rebates, and all the car language that goes with it.

I just wanted a new car and wanted a  healthy buyer relationship- but it all turned sour. Does that give me reason to not buy my car? I just wanted the experience where they shake hands and tell you how much they appreciate your business and welcome you into their car family but I didn’t get that.

Today’s Customer 2.0 wants to enjoy their buying experience and even if they are independent, self-educated, quick, busy, and want to opt-out, once they make the decision to buy, they want the fanfare that goes with it.

The studies indicates that less than 50% of reps are meeting quota and win-rates are at an all-time low- what’s the deal? Managers are in a panic and each week on a LinkedIn Discussion group they ask questions such as  “what should I measure for my team?” or “what type of KPI should I set up?”

Relax and tune in next Tuesday @ 9:00am PST for my Metrics 2.0: Guide to the New World of Sales Activity webinar and listen to our intelligent panel discussion with two inside sales managers on this topic. They’ve got lots to say so tune in and hear what they have to share and five lucky winners will get a chance to win my Smart Selling on the Phone and Online book.

I’ve been writing about Sales 2.0 for a few years now- educating salespeople on the new sales landscape and informing them on what’s dying a slow death. How do we keep up with what is going, going, gone and still prepare for the future? We must first acknowledge what’s dead- especially when it comes to the publishing world- check out Bring Out Your Dead. Next, we must devour anything that has to do with future trends to prepare ourselves for a new reality. Or we can listen to what our sales guru Zig Ziglar has to say in simple terms on the Future of All Marketing and Promotion.

Is a “double dip” recession going to lead us to double trouble? The stock market is tumbling down, unemployment is rising, and consumer spending has slowed down. But there is a bright side to all this- layoffs have slowed down, hiring and recruiting is happening and promotions are up. My belief is we may hit a rough patch and 9 out of 10 economic recoveries have hit a rough patch since 1949 so this isn’t unusual.

Salespeople must continue to sell smart- by adopting new Sales 2.0 tools and strategies and becoming more cautious in their pipeline building efforts.  In CSO Insight’s Sales Performance Optimization Study 2010 they report that quota attainment is down this year and much of that is due to sloppy and inaccurate forecasting.

If Part II of this Recession is around the corner- the reps sitting with solid pipelines will not be affected. There is so much room for this- salespeople are working harder but they still need to shield themselves and become recession-proof. This is the new normal.

Let’s talk about time- how little they will give us and how much we should really ask for. Here are some Do’s and Don’ts:

Don’t say- “we haven’t spoken in a few years and I wanted to reach out and introduce our new products.”

Do say- “I recently contacted a few folks within your organization and learned that…”

Don’t say- “Can we include you on this 60-minute demo and ask you to invite your team for a briefing?”

Do say-”We can run through this in about 4 minutes and if it makes sense, we can schedule another meeting.”

Don’t say- “Sure, I’ll call you at the end of the year when things settle down.”

Do say- “The beginning of the month is usually a bit slower, I will try you back at that time.”

Don’t say- “Our legal team needs to review the terms of the contract.”

Do say- “We are on the final stretch to getting this approved.”

When we feel insecure about something, there’s lots of room for interpretation and we all know that dealing with No-Po’s makes everyone very cautious. We intuitively know something is missing, we put up with their vague responses to our direct questions and their delayed timelines in hopes they might change or that you are entitled to the truth. 

It’s time you learn how to quickly decipher the truth - my No-Po Translator can help:

No-Po: “I want to take this proposal and review it with my committee.”

Translation: Your proposal will help me set up and build a criteria for how we will evaluate all vendors

No-Po: “I can secure budget by next quarter.”

Translation: I haven’t had access to budget since the early 80’s

No-Po: “Our meeting has been rescheduled for two weeks.”

Translation: The higher execs never give me time, they have their own problems and I’m staying out of their way and under the radar

No-Po: “I make all the decisions in this department.”

Translation: It’s just me in this freakin place, noone really has any clue of what I’m doing all day

No-Po: “It’s no point trying to contact him, he’ll just ask you to call me.”

Translation: That’s all my boss needs is to deal with slimy salespeople and vendors all day- that’s my job here

No-Po: “Your product is spot-on with the market and our needs- very impressive as you guys are way ahead of the curve on your products.”

Translation: Can you get me a job with your company?

Think of a the characteristics of a  lion when describing a good sales hunter, they have similar qualities:

 1. Moves at lightening speed- they think quick and act strategically, they are confident, bold, impatient and definitely not shy.

2. Small and swift- a good hunter never takes up too much room, they fit into tiny calendars and never ask for lots of time.

3. Raw curiosity- they know what they want, know how to find it and continue to ask why.

4. Astute listener- when they tune in, it’s not just at a surface level but they know how to dive into deeper levels of listening to the unspoken 

5. Incognito- They know how to maneuver and remain under the radar; camouflaged when stalking the prey

6. Healthy tenacity- their survival depends on their ability to be tenacious, so they don’t give up. They are the first to consume the prey at the site it is taken.

7. Resourceful - they never go hungry, they are resourceful and always have insurance to take care of their families.

8. Defend against intruders- they are quick to defend but slow to share- remember their gain is your loss.

Today, when I walk into my bank, my defenses are up (maybe because I don’t feel  rich these days) or that I just don’t want to cooperate. I am usually greeted by a  bunch of guys wearing their father’s grey suit who all look up from their empty desks and say, “Welcome to Wells Fargo.”  I throw an annoyed glance their way and keep walking up to the teller line, which has a few people waiting. I watch the large flat screen TV- tuned in to either the food or the financial channels.

When I finally get to the teller, a very nice twenty-something year old greets me and asks what my plans are for the weekend and adds that she is so happy it’s Friday. I mumble and give her my deposit. She takes it and asks me if I’m aware of this new account/program which I qualify for. I respond by saying, “I’m fine, I’m set.” Then she mentions that someone from her bank will randomly call me in the next few days to inquire about the level of service I have just received and what would I rate them on a scale of 1-5. What am I supposed to say, how do I respond? I just met her 18 seconds ago.

I shake my head and refuse to respond to her question. She becomes offended, gets super quiet, looks down with embarassment and puts her hand on something (my guess its the security button for bank robbers that doubles as the button for uncooperative, arrogant and beligerant customers) and now everyone in the branch is staring down in my direction looking me over, even the woman on the food channel looks up from her cheese fondue with disapproval.

No, this isn’t a rant on the demise of the banking industry but more about the demise of customer retention strategies. We all know that keeping customers is critical to anyone’s survival but retention tactics need a full upgrade. How aboout if they put money in my meter (the one that only takes quarters and gives you a maximum of 8 minutes) or if they could whip up a chai latte for me? And since you’ve got the weekend on the brain, how about a couple Giants tickets for a Sunday day game, I’ll open up that new account with you.

7/20- Smart Selling on the Phone and Online- (UK) Salut toute le monde. C’est un grand plaisir pour livrer ce programme à vous tous. This program is dedicated to my UK and International audience.

7/21-Creating a Social Media Sales Prospecting Blueprint-(US) I’m so excited about this topic because salespeople are begging for the roadmap, the ticket to social media greatness. Some want to know where they should start, while others are wondering where to go and finally more are wondering how they will end up in the social media maze. Just to get you warmed up, you must check out the latest Social Media Revolution YouTube video:

This weekend I was lucky enough to see the mega concert of the century, Sir Paul McCartney peformed at PacBell Park in San Francisco. This spectacular show was absolutely incredible and my heart skipped a beat each time a new song would play. And Nostalga kicked in big time- my youth staring at me for 2.5 hours. Each song brought back an old memory.  

I must have been 13 years old when Let it Be was popular - I remember learning how to play it on the Piano (against my classical piano teacher’s wishes) and knew all the lyrics. It’s a pretty short song with very few lyrics but oh how it affected us all- especially when we all tried to analyze it’s hidden meaning.  For me, this song brings company in a time of darkness and it’s soothing lyrics are uplifting and inspiring. It’s not just a song, it’s a mood that’s all bottled and packaged for one to hear.

Check out Sir Paul singing it this weekend- enjoy.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Guess why?

This just in: my book is now offered in these 3  languages: Italian, Polish and Vietnamese. Since I speak Italian, I’m interested in reading a few chapters to check out the translation- especially the No-Po chapter. My little book that could just keeps chuggin along around the world. 

Last week I had the pleasure of training an EMEA team and always enjoy watching the Spanish/German/French/British/English interchange. I mean- what do you think happens when you put inside sales reps in the same room for two days and give them tons of content to digest? Add some role-playing, presenting, competing and basically thinking on their feet to the mix?

I’m always interested in how the inside sales role translates into various cultures. It is such a complex role and the days of working as a glorified admen are over. Clients choose my company because they want their teams to engage in proactive prospecting. Most are ready to push their talent to a new level. But depending on the cultural norms, they are not always ready to jump on board.

Let’s take the difficult and brave task of prospecting. When the rep says, “it is unacceptable for us to contact people we have never spoken to before” and firmly believes outbound prospecting efforts are not on the menu. I have to wonder if it’s the salesperson who isn’t ready to jump on board or if they are restricted by the culture they sell into. 

When we talk about prospecting, the cultural divide still exists today. The French still require formality, the Germans want permission-based cold-calling, the Spaniards want relationships and for business to happen after a big lunch. And then there’s the Brits- ready to embrace the new with the flare and level of serious professionalism. After spending two days with this team, I am reminded the American way of selling can quickly become deflated and the empty fluff can’t stand on it’s own. Our culture adds color and carves new roads while other cultures add substance.

Next week, I will be delivering a Smart Selling on the Phone and Online webinar for the UK audience. Sign up for a free book-giveaway.

I didn’t want to be in sales, I wanted to be in the trend business working for a company that specialized in fashion color trends. I wanted to travel to Milan, Tokyo, Paris and come back with color trends 12-18 months before the stores had them. Trends happen as a response to what is happening economically, politically, environmentally, and socially. But like most trends, some can be the flavor du jour and quickly be replaced by the next craze.

Today, everyone gathered in Boston for the Sales 2.0 Conference and I’m sorting through bits and pieces of what was said from Mike Damphousse’s recap of opening remarks to Dream Simplicity’s video interviews. When I first attended the 2007 Sales 2.0 Conference in San Francisco , I must admit, I thought this was a trend. I remember everyone walking around the Regis Hotel wondering what Sales 2.0 was all about. It looked cool, hip, fast-moving and hey, if David Thompson, CEO of Genius was involved, it was a sure winner. 

Fast forward to 2010 and today’s Sales 2.0 Conference is all about changing sales behavior by incorporating social intelligence with Web 2.0 technology and responding to the new normal- the Customer 2.0. My requests for training comes from Inside Sales Managers who read my book and realize their teams have been hanging out in the Sales 1.0 zone and need to quickly press refresh and upgrade their skills to Sales 2.0. They admit they thought it was hype but realize they can no longer survive unless they transform some fundamental ways of selling.

Finally a company that takes the lead revenue cycle and manages the entire front and back-end process. They have figured out the science of lead cultivation and added a strong sales flavor to make it stick. Marketo is featured in our Smart Selling Tools of Inside Sales eBook as this is a must-have tool when it comes to marketing automation throughout the sales cycle.

Yesterday they launched the first webinar series through their Revenue Masters Webinar Series, an excellent line-up of fantastic sales and marketing thought leaders.

So what is it about me that discourages most dog owners to have full confidence in my ability to be responsible for caring for a dog? Do they think I will harm the dog? Do something human to the dog- like put a bad toupee on them? Or dress them in a sweater and leggings? Afterall, I’m a good friend, resonsible parent, business owner, physically fit, financially solid so what’s the deal? Why don’t I rank?

That’s the conversation I was having this morning with Tesha, the black lab I’ve been watching this week. She seems pretty happy and satisfied with me- no complaints so far. Feeling like I’m exceeding her expectations actually and even wildest dog dreams. We exchange silent conversations and she reminded me that some of the biggest business advances came after people said it couldn’t be done and one of the most successful salespeople she knows defies any stereotype of a good rep.

My AHA moment came a few blocks into our walk together this morning- there’s a sense of accomplishment in doing what others say can’t be done. So next time someone says “i don’t think it’s a good idea” or “we tried it before and it never worked” or “that will never fly” or “I don’t think so” you might want to consider responding by saying “watch this.”

So I’m paying attention when watching Sheryl Sanberg, COO of Facebook

Click here to view the embedded video.

I finally have figured out why I’ve been so reluctant to take such a big stand on Facebook and here’s my story. I have a big extended family, have lots of friends, colleagues, clients and peers. I also have people that like me and some that don’t. I tend to compartmentalize these things that seem to fit tight in their spot and I manage it all that way. They don’t overlap. Most of my friends really don’t understand the type of work I do and most of my clients don’t know about my personal world. .

Having a presence on Facebook is like a giant oil spill, it just soaks up and spills over.  It’s like inviting a few people for a get together and more find out about it and you are forced to invite them all. It pushes my issues around inclusiveness. Plus, I feel added pressure to have fun, look good, always stay shiny and happy.

I must pick up the pace on this and so don’t be surprised if I friend you on Facebook one of these days.