PUMP UP THE SALES – April 2011

PUMP UP THE SALES –

HERE’S TO AN AWESOME APRIL!

Congratulations to all the branches with amazing March sales.  Thank you for your super efforts and keep up the good work!  Based upon our monthly management meetings, it looks like we are on track to meet our branch budgets for 2011 – go for it.

Last month we asked your branch managers to share the numbers with you.  Have they?

SO, HERE ARE MY PERSONAL GOALS:

$__  BY 50  – Yep, the big five o is just a little over two years around the corner for moi…and a couple of other KBC’ers too!  I want to get our sales to $_________ by the time I turn 50 – it’s possible, feasible, and attainable.  We can do it! 

Minimum profitability across the branches – this is already in the works.  By continuing to increase your sales and hold your expenses down we should be on target this year to make this happen, then we just have to keep on selling and tweaking the budget to keep the numbers growing.

Keep It Simple & Silly – I want to go to work every day and enjoy what I do.  I want to smile.  I want to laugh.  I want to feel that I have accomplished my goals, added to KBC, and made a difference, ……………….and I know you do too.  Not everything is always fun, but by keeping our minds open we can continuously improve what we do and how we do it while building our team stronger and stronger.  Let’s make what we do as simple as possible so that we can enjoy working together, our bad jokes of the day, our team potlucks, our successes. 

I want to weigh 150 or less by 50 – hey, it’s been a long time since I wore my size 29 Super Slim Levis.  I want to be healthier, more agile, ready for the next 50.  Anyone want to join me on my journey for self improvement?  Any ideas how we as an organization can get slimmer, healthier, and more agile?

ONE AND DONE

Hey, we all have clients that come to us for one order and then that’s it.  Personally I am tired of these one order dates. They cost us a fortune to get them to call us, and then we keep on mailing them flyers, catalogs, and customer retention letters without any response. 

It’s up to you to talk to your new clients the first time they call in and get them coming back.  Welcome them.  Make them have a good first experience.  Find out a little bit about them, and use that information to speak to them about their businesses. Get them to grow their order with us.  (If they are going to be a one and done, let’s make it the best one and done possible. Thank you maam!)

Don’t be afraid to ask them who they currently buy from, why they came to us today, what else they use? etc.  I’d rather be straightforward and in the know vs. polite and in the dark.  

Call them a day or two after they get their first order, and find out what else they need.  Hey, I’m going to assume that their order arrived A-OK because we have very, very few problems with picking, packing, shipping, and delivery – so don’t lead with that, “Did you receive your order ok?” as if we are always doing something wrong and hope that this time we didn’t mess it up.

Call and say, “Thank you for your business.  We really appreciate it.  So, now that we’ve started working together, what else can I do for you?” …anyways, you get the idea, something peppy, positive, and working towards the next order.

Remember, the first date really sets the stage for the future relationship!

YOU KNOW THE OLD STORY OF A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING, AND EVERYTHING IN IT’S PLACE……

…..afterall, we can’t sell something if we can’t find it.  Well we can’t also sell something if our clients can’t find it.  On our shelves we have a bunch of items that aren’t in our catalog and aren’t in our showrooms.  Get them off your shelves and into your showrooms…..and SELL them! 

If you have items that are adding up to big dollars, quantity x $ = $1,000 or more, let Kathy and Greg know so that we can make up small one page flyers for your outgoing packages or we can put them in flyers or on e-bay.  (Thanks to Alana for this one.  Also, John and the Michigan team are busy putting catalog page numbers on items that do not show them, but are in the current catalog, ie. pin gages or letter stamps.  After it is all done, we’ll have a nice clean list of these items.)

Phil put together some special advertising for Mississauga, along with some special pricing, and voila we sold some things that have been in our showroom longer than we care to remember.

Are Technical Calls Getting You and Your Sales Numbers Down?

I’ve been listening to technical sales calls for some of our team members.  Answering technical sales calls is the number one reason people give me for not having the sales numbers that they should…..and it makes sense until you actually listen, monitor, and measure those technical sales calls. 

1.)  They really don’t take as much time as you think – over the course of a couple of days they might add up to 20-40 minutes, and there is still a whole lot  more time to sell, sell, sell. 

2.) We get wrapped up in answering the question vs. finding a solution and making the sale.  Listen, help, then ask for the order!  That’s what we’re in business for.  If you had a solution and you get off the phone without asking for the order, you didn’t do your job. 

If a client calls with a problem and wants to return a product, listen, help, then ask for a replacement order! 

If you didn’t get an order, you’ve just released the client from your hook to go and call your competition to place an order with them. 

3.) Many times we don’t have the answer at our fingertips, so rather than stay on the phone talking and talking and offering up possibilities, get off the phone, get the information, and call, fax, or e-mail the client back with the right information and of course a request for the order. 

4.) We really don’t have any expertise, stock, any bloody idea what the client is talking about, and it’s not our business.  Many years ago a woman showed up in one of the California branches looking for a kitty cat can crusher.  She was sent over by one of our competitors – thank you!  The manager and his team tried desperately to find a solution for her, and they finally engineered a solution for her using an arbor press!   Well, that was not in her budget, so off she went leaving behind a group of people who had just wasted a lot of time.  Hey, we don’t sell kitty cat can crushers, and we probably never will, so next time someone asks for something that we know we don’t sell, just smile and let them know FIRMLY that we don’t .  (If you’re not sure, ask one of your more seasoned team members or ask the client what the product does or is used for.)

IS IT REALLY TRUE?

Sometimes we believe things that are not true because we have convinced ourselves they are true or it is easier to believe than not.  Sometimes we use these beliefs to stay: small, bad, fat, lowest in the sales team, with diminishing sales, never selling a machine, having a difficult time getting clients to minimum orders or above, asking questions, etc.

What do you tell yourself that limits your and KBC’s potential?

-Clients resent our minimum order.

-Clients can’t afford it.

-Clients don’t want it.

-Clients’ businesses are slow.

-Clients will order if I don’t push them.

-Sales is a dirty word.

-I ask everyone for the SPIFF….when you don’t.

-That’s too hard.

-The economy sucks.

-Etc.

Shake your head.  Ask yourself if it is really true.  If you answered yes, ask again.  Give yourself one or two examples when it was not true. 

Change your belief.  Change your results.  Start now.

Wishing you an awesome April,

P

PUMP UP THE ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE – April 2011

Every month we try to come up with a different or better way to do the job of collecting the money. Now that the economy is doing better, it is more important than ever to make decisions on giving credit or extending terms. Businesses that have been barely getting by with a small job here and there now find themselves with much bigger demands. While this is very good for them, some spread themselves too thin either by ordering equipment they need to meet the increase in demand or tooling they need to complete the job. The big problem for them could be Cash Flow to afford their purchases until they receive payment for the jobs completed. We, on the other hand, love the increase in sales, but must weigh that against non or slow payment. So, dot your I’s and cross all your T’s in making the right decision, or you will truly be pumping up the A/R!

This is the time to follow timelines more closely. If they feel they can put you at the bottom of the list of payables, that is exactly where you’ll end up. Make your calls early and often. Don’t hesitate to hold an order hostage until payment is received. Always log All calls in the Notes program in the computer. This is very important, as it establishes a track record of their payment history and their excuses. It’s very easy to spot a particular pattern here. And when you have to call them again, and they give you the Same excuse, it’s nice to be able to immediately tell them the Date they Already told you that! It’s a great tool, so use it. In addition to the A/R notes, you should put All important information off of credit reference applications and credit reports into the computer. You should be able to look at everything in the computer, without having to pull a paper copy. And, should you need an ok from Paula or MI, you can easily copy and paste any or all of this information and send in an email. Follow your instincts and learn to trust you gut. If you have a feeling an account is headed in the wrong direction, it probably is. This may be the time to look at the credit reference information you have on file and make new calls to the references and see if their reply has changed. Michigan can also check them out in D&B. Use all the resources we have available.

That said, I feel the best way to work in collections is to try to build personal relationships with the people you’re collecting from. Again, any information you can get that will be helpful should be logged in your notes. It is much easier to make that dreaded call if you have a name connected to the account that you can talk to and get the “real” lowdown as to if and when you will receive your next check.

When you trust what is being told to you, it is a lot easier to make these decisions as to whether you can increase limits or extend terms. Remember, the second biggest lie is “the check is in the mail”. I don’t remember the first.

KBC MICHIGAN
J.E.