Costs Thinking – Part 1
This moment is different from any before it
and this moment is different it's now
The walls of this room are different from any before them
They are now ……..They are now
The air that you breathe is different from any before it
It’s now……….. It’s now
You may think that life is repeating
Repeating…..Repeating……Repeating……….
Repeating
You may think that life is Repeating
Oh no…Oh no…Oh no…Oh no…Oh no!
Each moment is different from any before it……
Each moment is different it's now
Incredible String Band – This Moment Lyrics
The world Must Have Empathic HU-Beings who can:
FEEL-THINK-DECIDE-ACT-MONITER FEEDBACK LOOPS
CORRECT By Awareness/Presence of NOW!
REPEAT the PROCESS
Knowing that each Moment is Now!
The process remains the same; the moment is always different. There is an illusion of sameness that does not exist. That is the absolute beauty of a HU-Being….. recognizing differences and having the Ability and Choice to accommodate the differences to Create a different Future by Design.
Stupid: regarded as showing a lack of intelligence, perception, or common sense
Stupidity: extremely rash or thoughtless behaviour
I think the whole world is at risk because of Stupidity. As HU-Beings, we are being lead around like a prized Ram at a fair.
The entertainers are the nightly news anchors or anyone with status who can tweet on twitter. We are taught that there is a mindset…. a way of being and to be successful; “YOU BETTER BE THAT WAY”.
I love this picture above. It seems to me that the Crap of the world is spread on everyone without much thought of what it really means.
In My today’s thinking as an Entrepreneur, I see patterns that repeat themselves without having to do very much other than to surrender to the repeating patterns. I then consider my Circumstance to make adjustments, acknowledging the events around ME and then Take Vital actions to create different Outcomes.
Creating a New Future by Design
With a little effort of:
Feelings-Thoughts-Actions-Observed Reactions-Resultants-Feedback Loops Monitored-Decisions Made
HU-Beings can brush the crap of life away and Create Bright New
Futures
With the HU-Being “-Brain/Mind+”=1, we have been able to have limited management control on some of life forces on Plant Earth.
I’m a “-Systems/Processes+”=1 Entrepreneur. I design ways of getting a repeating EMEL!
Doing Ever More with Ever Less “EMEL”
As a business HU-Being, I understand that the best way to Reduce Expenses is to Reduce Costs. I often see the reduction of expense only leading to increasing of Costs.
The biggest mistake I believe I have ever seen is the offshoring of manufacturing to reduce the expense by having lower labour expenses, only to find a decade later that the total skill of an industry has been lost to that country, leading to much HIGHER COSTS into The Future for the same country. On the side of Global Awareness, the process of offshoring has some redeeming features by making the world smaller and so giving less relevance to the Nation State.
Quest: To Lead to a better understanding of the Energy Force called HU-beings.
This week, I will describe a “-Systems/Processes+”=1 we use to set-up a new area in our franchise business. I believe that the absolute advantage I have as an HU-Being is the advantage of understood Communication “-Systems/Processes+”=1 that are transferred at great speeds, volumes, in different proximities around the world with managed compliances abilities.
No matter if it involves The Space of:
Family, Communities, Marketplace, Suppliers, Bankers, Tax, Governments, Customers
I have seen this formula many times over the years and never really thought much about how it applies to my everyday life. Over the last couple of years, the e-mails/Facebook/Twitter communications between our offices, customers, franchisees, and homes has increased 10 times or more. It seems that instead of increasing communication, the E-mail/Facebook/Twitter has for ME confused communication. E-mails/Facebook/Twitter have words and pictures that create illusions and have now changed the subtleties of communication.
The communication Formula
- Words are 7%
- Voice is 38% and
- Body language is 55% of communication
I now understand that E-mails/Facebook/ Twitter are information carriers. If I want to really sell and have HU-beings buy more, I must be more involved at the human level. It not to say you can’t sell by E-mail/Facebook/Twitter. It is to say that if I pick-up the phone after I send an e-mail……. I’m 7 times more likely to make the sale and if after sending an e-mail/Facebook/Twitter or making a phone call, I go in person, I’m 14 times more likely than E-mail/Facebook/Twitter and 2-7 times more likely than by phone to make the sale.
The Vital question is….. “What Is My Sense of Urgency”
Sales= Income…. Margin, Profit, Value, Repeating the Process=Wealth…
How is your Communication Cycle Working for YOU?
THE Real Secret is that “Sales=Flow/Margin, Profit, Value, Repeat=Wealth”
“+Flow/Wealth-”=1
Design for setting up new area for Communications/Buying and Selling Cycles:
Increasing business is a systematic event. This event is all about meaningful frequency of interaction. The interaction needs to have a focus and clear intention of a desired outcome.
In saying this, there has to be different programs for differing stages of business development.
Communications” Branding/Marketing/Advertising and Calling schedule” must take this into account.
Procedures for Calling/Communications in an Sales Area:
Stage 1
Is a new territory? This is the slowest and most important of all set-ups.
The business being promoted may not be well known in the territory. We have 2 concurrent events running at the same time:
1. The first event is to get the Business Brand name known in the territory.
2. The second is to get the Service or Products known.
The event at this stage is to get the customer to change from the brand that they are currently using to the new business brand. The object is to change the current habit of the customer. The most important aspect of this habit change is to have 3-4 contacts in 10 days that the customer finds of value and doesn’t waste time or cost. To do this, we have to gather information from the customer.
Contacts that we make are by:
1. In person cold call: This contact is often the hardest one to make. The key is to ask more questions than making too many statements. Always commit to do something. (eg: Send a fax, e-mail, credit application form, give them something).
2. In person warm call: These are easier calls and if you are not careful, can be a waste of time. Always be focused on an outcome. Always make sure you commit to a follow up.
3. Phone cold call: This is easy if you have a plan or script. Work out what you want to know and make sure you keep asking until you get what you want.
4. Phone warm call: Be friendly and get to the point of the call, ask the hard question, “will you give me what I want?” (eg: in-person meeting, the name of who I should speak to, an order for a sale , etc). Always have a follow up from the call.
5. E-mail, Facebook, Twitter: sending out any meaningful information. The key to this is making sure you know they received the E-mail, Facebook, and Twitter and that you make a commitment to some form of action. Eg: I will phone to discuss the E-mail, Facebook, Twitter on this day. Never send an E-mail, Facebook, Twitter without making a call to action! E-mail, Facebook, Twitter are the cheapest, fastest and in the future, the best way to keep in contact with the end user customer.
6. A letter drop: This is a good way for the business to get better known in an area.
Information we want to tell customer:
§ Your name and your company Brand name
§ Why you are there
§ What you do
§ How you can assist the customer
The customer is really not that interested in you telling them how great you are. They are more interested in what you do and what benefits do you bring to the customer. The first few calls are about finding out as much about the customer as possible. The real power in a cold call is the questions that are asked. The key to the first call is to be a lead in to the second, third and so on. No call should ever be ended without asking for an order or making a commitment to do something………anything is better than nothing!!
Information that we need to gather:
§ Who is the best person to speak to about your service?
§ Have they used your type of service or product in the past?
§ If so, who did they use?
§ What type of Education does the customer use?
§ Do we need to be an approved supplier?
§ How do we become a supplier?
§ Do they have any product or service issues you can support them in solving their problem?
§ Do they have a card that you can have?
§ Can you send them an E-mail/Facebook/ Twitter sending our rate sheet?
§ Ask…”Will you give me a go?”
The key to asking questions is to ask enough that you have a way back and not too many that you put the customer off-side.
All communication calls (sales) must have the first action taken right now! Not tomorrow, Not next week. Right now. And calls must always have Value-Added follow-up and then Value-Added follow-through every time. The Branding-Marketing-Sales cycles as follows:
1. Action to start the process
2. Follow-up to maintain the start
3. Follow-through to always add Value
4. Repeat the Process until a result in obtained
5. Always calibrating and recalibrating against feedback loops of information
6. Business is always about Products or Service, Customers, Margins, Profits, Repeating Cycles of Habits and Patterns.
Always leading to EMEL
What do you need to take on the first call?
1. A good easy manner (open mind)
2. A genuine interest in the what you do and your customers’ needs and wants
3. Business card
4. Something to take notes with
5. Credit application form
The key to the first call is knowing that you will be nervous. Make sure you have a plan in mind. The most important want is a way back to the customer without wasting yours or their time.
Setting up the area from Green field:
The most efficient way of breaking down the territory is by looking at all business customers in a defined territory. Then breaking down the customers into A, B, C categories.
§ A grade customer would be a customer who would use the operator 12 times a year minimum.
§ B grade customer would use the operator a minimum of 6 times a year
§ C grade customer would use the operator 1-2 times a year.
Breaking down the Territory Customer List:
1. A customer list for each territory to be developed by the Brand and customer.
2. This customer list is to be graded into A, B, and C customers.
3. The territory to be consider for the best place to start Cold and Warm calling
Accountability Word Definitions
Throughout the longevity of your business the greater and the more accurate the data and notes you keep throughout this process and the life of your business—the greater your ability to scale and find repeatable patterns of success.
§ Prospect: A person or business that you will attempt to communicate with. You may do research in order to efficiently and effectively make cold prospect calls.
§ Referral: Contact information or meeting/presentation with a person or business set up by a current or former customer or client (must have a system to thank the person who referred us business and be consistent in driving the system)
§ Lead: A person or business you have met with or that saw your presentation, but did not buy or outright say NO (and why they are saying NO)
§ Offer: A clear verbal or written statement regarding steps to take to come to a preview or the price of our events, products, or services
§ Pending: A person or business that says yes, but have not paid or attended a preview after a clear offer was made (mostly verbal commitments)
§ Sale: Monies in for products or services deposited into business banking account
§ Transactions: Total number of invoices created
§ Reoccurring Revenue: Revenue through Value Added sales cycles
Optimal Sales Cycle & Flow
The words below are the optimal word patterns to follow.
Prospecting:
§ Potential Client Researching: Looking up online, surveying people, and asking questions about a potential customer.
§ Potential customer profiling: Placing types of clients into spread sheets in order to better market to or contact specific groups.
§ Reviewing past and present customers: Creating presentable data and marketing pieces to use as promotion to prospects.
Prospecting flows to Lead Generation…
Lead Generation:
§ Cold Calls: Completely unannounced visits or calls. Nonetheless, well-rehearsed, practiced, simulated, and outcomes discussed prior to going to making a call. All calls should be debriefed weekly for feedback loops monitoring.
§ Networking: Networking is open forum meeting places or membership driven meetings that provide a forum for shared learning, marketing, and educating. Idea is that the networks you attend drive leads for how you preview your services. Key point is that you are not gaining sales from the networks you are gaining relationships and ability to offer previews to leads generated. Must understand the cost and time (value) you have in these groups.
§ Frequency Marketing: This is our opt-in/out marketing list. People opt into this email frequency campaign for daily, weekly, or monthly updates or newsletters. The key is that it must be value and driven content. You can seed and at times make clear offers—but that cannot be the bases of this lead generation sources. The idea is to educate people in order gain traction towards your previewing services.
§ Joint Ventures: These partnerships are with like-minded businesses or groups that share the same public. Joint ventures are a speedy way to make an impact into larger groups of people. Keep in mind that your credibility is now on-the-line with others. Do your research and be sure that our mission falls in line with the purpose of your venture partners. Again, the idea may not always be that you are direct selling. Our goal in any lead generation should always be to gain abilities to preview. Joint venture is also a direct partner like a community influencer who refers your business. His or her word directly converts someone into a lead.
§ Referral Program: Programs like this must be consistent in order to continue to teach your current and former clients why they should give you more leads. The word that must overlie in all this is “gratitude.” Do the people who refer your business know how honored you are to have them? Or do they want the gift you give. Both are important and not one without the other.
§ Public Relations: This is one of the greatest ways to become known in a crowded market. The key is to have a strong campaign and or event to gain momentum, and that must be coupled with ongoing consistent PR. Examples of ongoing PR: (win every award possible in your area, write a daily/weekly/monthly business column for local paper or magazine, be known as an expert in your field by others experts in like-minded fields, ongoing press on the internet or in print, ongoing community service, and partnerships with nonprofits)
§ Community Service: It’s important to note that community services has its PR benefits but is a privilege not a right. These for our organization are mentoring, teaching kids, and ongoing community education regarding the basics of money and mind relationship.
§ Paid Advertising and Marketing: This is online and traditional marketing. Additionally, budgets can be spent on creative or non-traditional marketing such as donating services to every not-for-profit that you can think of, being a sponsor of a major event or sports team, printing of books by you, filling jars of mints at every small business you can think of.
Lead Generation flows to Previews…
§ Teleconference (weekly): Getting people on the horn and sharing what we do as a company very quickly and moving them to 1 on 1 meetings with local franchise owners
§ Webinar: Can prerecord but really takes away from the high impact ideas that we stress. Remember closer we come to in-person the better. If you can get this going weekly for a region even better then teleconference. Technology would have to be strong.
§ (Daily) 1 on 1/2/3: One of the most time consuming processes if not managed well, but is very effective in gaining a great deal of information whether in discovery or previewing what we do. In any preview it is mandatory that we make offers. Offers in terms of the next steps or cost of doing business with us. Also must be clear before the meeting as to outcomes and after the meeting as to next step and future outcomes.
§ Board or Conference Room (monthly) Previews: Can last up to 90 minutes max. This is a strong flip chart styled presentation of our methodologies, why we do business, and some of the thing we want to do with the people in the room. Must understand general principles, but can really focus with the people in the room. Key to these events is exposure = magic 1 or 100 each week you should be doing these types of events. It keeps you focused allows you to learn as a public facilitator and creates a consistency to your sales cycle flow. Draw back in some cases is location of these events.
§ In-Office Business Preview (monthly): These are direct to a strong lead and potential end consumer or joint venture. These events can be costly if you do not qualify the person upfront. You need to know that the potential outcome can work. Otherwise you want them in your weekly preview. Regardless we should always be driving people from office to our room. Must make clear offer in these presentations. Also always try to get a tour of the facility you will get to know people and what they do. You may run into another idea in doing so.
§ Association/Networking Group Previews (monthly): These events in terms of previews will likely be your larger events at times. This is where a networking event, trade group, or professional organization asks you to say some words or preview what we do. This is a great way to move people into your weekly previews, frequency program, or to meet with you directly. The ideal position to be in is always in front of mass audience when you have our facilitation methodology. Do not let the time you are given the type of group you are presenting to sway you from the core of how we engage people. Again know your outcome prior to going in and know what you are going to offer.
John Dano/Ben Arcuri /Kelly Ritchie
Developing a Business, making sales and then creating Wealth is a very pragmatic reality. It takes Focus to the task and is a non-stop process that is a Brand-long pursuit. Stop the cycle and a business soon dies a nature death.
Until next week
JDS OUT
