Are You Interested in ‘Green’?
Pet Hotel
Advertising Idea
(Source: Reuters)
The idea I had was to put similar advertising on buildings that surround airports – such as the large hotels and any other building large enough to see from the air. It’ll be interesting to see how they use the runway.
Residual Income vs. Passive Income
You might recall a post I did a while back that mentioned my past involvement with ‘network marketing’ – whatever that means these days. (By the way I still have that business and still have a few customers. I just don’t participate in the networking model any more). When I was really active in the ‘networking’ (others call it pyramid) business model the higher level people would always talk about ‘residual’ income and relate it to Elvis still making millions from his music career and he’s been dead for a long time (that’s like twice in one week I’ve mentioned Elvis on here). They would talk about how you do the work one time and the money keeps coming in.
I never believed 99.99999% of the people in network marketing are truly creating a ‘residual’ income because from what I could tell only the people at the very top of the organization could truly sit back and do nothing (or die – which some of them need to do to actually help their organization) and still make money. Most everyone, even people who were perceived as extremely successful, still had to travel a lot to continue building their network and speak at conferences. If they stopped doing that their income would not be ‘residual’. Their income would tank and they would have to really work at it again – which defeats the definition of ‘residual’.
The article on mymoneyblog was about ‘passive’ income which is often used hand in hand with ‘residual’ but there is a difference. I like the definition mymoneyblog put on passive income because I think passive means ‘not so involved’ or ‘not directly involved’, so income from stocks or from business you own but don’t spend a lot of time working could loosely be defined as passive. Some of the middle level network marketers would be better off using the term ‘passive’ for their income because their involvement might be less but that income is no less dependent on the person.
Residual income in my opinion is income that is left over or still coming in after you’re gone – dead. If I leave a business that makes money for my kids without them working even after I’m dead then I think that is residual income. If a network marketers organization continues to earn money for their family after they’re gone then I think that is residual income. Of course if either one of those scenarios tanks after you’re gone then the residue didn’t stick around very long and that would show just how ‘residual’ that income really was.
All I know is none of my current income can be considered passive or residual by any of the definitions or opinions we’re discussing – except for a life insurance policy my family can collect after I die. I wonder if that can be considered ‘residual income’??
More Stupid Commercials
- Viva Viagra – You’ve got to be kidding me. The King is rolling in his grave, and YES – he IS dead. In my opinion the ‘Viva Viagra’ ad is a lame and desparate attempt to get back some of the market share that Encyte (or however you spell it) stole with their strange smiling man and his happy wife commercials. These ads are just as unwanted as the Vagisil ad I mentioned last week but if I had to rate them all I’d say the Encyte one wins for cleverness – even though that smiling guy looks a little mentally handicapped.
- Plavix – this drug is being advertised on every channel during the 6:00 hour. At least they’ve done a good job researching their demographic of old people who are watching the early news because they’ll be in bed before it comes back on at 11:00. I hate that the drug companies are advertising and driving up healthcare costs in our country because people see those commercials, go to their doctor, ask for these drugs specifically, the doctor gives them a prescription, and they pay for it with their insurance which is funded by the premiums of people like me who don’t visit the doctor for every sneeze and don’t ask for name brand prescriptions that might be unnecessary.
- Speaking of unnecessary prescriptions – what is the name of that drug for RLS? You might be asking what is RLS? It is Restless Leg Syndrome. God help me I hope I don’t get that – whatever it is. Is it a muscle twitch or a leg cramp or something? Get up and walk around more. Eat something healthy or maybe take a vitamin. Stop making up ‘diseases’ and ‘syndromes’ to sell these stupid drugs that healthy people are paying for with their insruance premium – or with taxpayers dollars that fund medicaid. Saturday night live even made fun of this RLS thing with a skit about RPS – take a wild guess at what that is an abbreviation for. I’ll give you a hint: If RPS were real it would probably be listed as a warning by the fast voice at the end of the Viva Viagra commercial.
You’ve Got That Itchy Feeling
Obviously I’m not the only one noticing commercials. I was glad to read this post by Tim Sanders in which he takes note of what is going on in advertising and how new technology will impact TV commercials.
I’m no expert by any means, but I think I’ve got enough business sense to form my own opinion of good or bad advertising. Sometimes I wonder what company executives are thinking when they allow some of the commercials I see. Here are a couple of examples I’ve recently noticed:
Chick-Fil-A Cow Commercials
However, lately I’ve begun noticing the use of the cows to deliver a message is less and less effective (at least in my opinion). It’s almost like they’re running out of creative ways to use the cows.
One day last week I traveled to Raleigh, NC and back all in one day for three meetings I had up there. Altogether I was in the car about 10 hours that day (and worked about 7 – it was a long day) so I listened to quite a bit of radio. Therefore I heard a lot of commercials – the good, bad, and ugly ones.
As I make the drive from my house to Raleigh I have to tune in to at least three, maybe four, different radio stations because I drive out of range of them. It is amazing to me how the worse a radio station is the worse their commercials are. It’s like an unofficial rule of radio and I can almost anticipate it as I flip radio channels and hear the type of music and the DJ. I’m usually not surprised and therefore rarely disappointed – just normally bummed that I’m in an area with nothing better to tune in to.
But I was so disappointed to hear the Chick-Fil-A commercial where the cows are supposedly suing somebody for something – I don’t even remember what it was but it was stupid. (There you go – I’m drawing a blank and can’t even remember what they were suing about – that’s how ineffective the commercial is). In my opinion it was probably the worst cow commercial I’ve ever heard on the radio. I’m not sure why I hate that idea so bad. Is it the fact that they are making the cows take an offensive against people or just the fact that they’re using an already abused system in our country – lawsuits… I can’t pinpoint what triggered in my mind, but I didn’t like the commercial at all.
I love Chick Fil A, their food, their philosophy, the Truett Cathy story, their success in general… I like that it is upscale for fast food dining, the service is good, the environment is clean and comfortable, etc. Anyone can appreciate the cow campaign and how creative someone was to even come up with that. As for me personally I really hope they can find ways to keep that campaign alive with more of the simple creativity that made it a success in the first place – cows basically begging for mercy with their signs and mis-spelled words by desparately attempting to persuade humans to Eat Mor Chikin. Keep it somewhat simple – they’re cows. At least don’t make them do something stupid like sue people.
Sales – Cold Calling
Since my job is sales I’m always reading and listening to tips and instruction about good sales practices and techniques. Sometimes I run across material that I think is bad advice or it’s poorly written in a way that confuses sales people more than helps them. I can really appreciate when someone writes something that truly simplifies an activity and encourages the sales person to go tackle the task. Sometimes detailed instruction is necessary, but a lot of times we just need something brief to remind us how to be prepared and what to do in some simple steps. Here is a good example…
Preparing for Cold Calling
By Ilise Benun
You may hate the idea of cold calling, but you know it’s a good way to reach your best prospects. So you’re ready to hunker down and do it.
Here are the three things you need to have in hand before you pick up the phone:
1. Two or three concise opening statements that say who you are, why you’re calling, and the connection between you and your prospect (if there is one). Experiment with these opening statements to see which makes the most sense, which is more comfortable for you, which flows easier. Then test each one during actual cold calls.
2. Two or three questions you’d like answered. You may not get to all of them – but have them ready, in case the person you’re calling is open to chat and has the time.
3. One or two closing statements that spell out what you will do next, what you’d like your prospect to do next, and what you expect to receive from and/or send to him.
Don’t forget to ask for your prospect’s e-mail address before you get off the phone. Because after you hang up, you’re going to send him a quick e-mail that repeats what you’ve just agreed to.
Sales Myths
Since I’m in sales I thought this was a good read. Because of negative feedback I’ve gotten from bosses along the way I’ve sometimes doubted my approach that is less abrasive than the stereotypical salesperson. I like reading Tessa Stowe’s monthly newsletter because it gives me helpful tips and encourages me that I can be successful without being a dreadful “salesperson”.
6 Sales Myths Busted
©Tessa Stowe, Sales Conversation, 2007
There are a lot of sales myths that not only diminish your chances of success, they also make selling more complicated and harder than necessary. Selling is, in fact, quite simple, provided you know, understand and apply some fundamentals. And you ignore sales myths.
Here are 6 Sales Myths:
Myth #1: Selling is a numbers game.
The greater the quantity of prospects you’re working on, the higher your chances of success.Truth: Selling is only a numbers game if you want to waste time and money going after sales that have no chance of success.
Selling is a qualified numbers game. The more qualified prospects you have, the more sales you’ll make. It’s not about the quantity of prospects but the quality. If prospects are qualified, they are already in the quality category. If you have a list of qualified prospects you’re working on, chances are that a high percentage will turn into clients.
Myth #2: Learn closing techniques as you need them to close the sale.Truth: Closing techniques are not necessary for closing sales.
Closing techniques are not necessary to close sales unless, of course, you are into high-pressure selling (and if you are, I hope you’re not one of my readers, as my style is not for you). Don’t waste your time learning closing techniques. Instead, spend your time learning how to have a sales conversation which naturally leads to your prospect wanting to do business with you. The only “closing” you have to do is suggest the next step.
Myth #3: There are natural born salespeople.Truth: Selling is a science, a learnable skill and process that anyone can learn.
“Fast talkers” are often mistakenly thought of as natural born salespeople when, in fact, fast talking repels most people. Talking doesn’t sell. Asking questions and listening does.
Those who are successful at selling are often thought to be doing well because they are natural born salespeople. Their “naturalness” has, in fact, been hard earned. They have spent a lot of time and effort learning and applying sales skills.
Myth #4: If you improve your sales skills, you will improve your sales results.Truth: This is what I call a ‘half’ myth. To improve your sales results, focus on improving your sales skills and also work on your thoughts and beliefs.
Having sales skills is only part of the equation. No matter how good your sales skills are there will always be a ceiling on your sales results. The ceiling on your sales results is set by YOU, by your beliefs and thoughts (mindset). If you really want to lift the ceiling on your sales results, learn the total equation of selling. Your sales skills plus your mindset determine your sales results.
Myth #5: Focus on getting the sale.Truth: Focus on helping your prospect get what they want.
If your focus and intention is on selling, selling, selling, you will repel, repel, repel. People don’t like to be sold, and if you are focusing on selling, chances are high your prospect will be looking for ways to quickly end the conversation.
Instead have your focus and intention on having a conversation to understand if you can help your prospect get what they want. Do this and watch how they open up and listen to how you can help them. With your intent on helping people get what they want, you will make more sales.
Myth #6: Focus on selling your solution.Truth: Focus on selling the customer their end result.
People don’t care about your products, your services or your solution as that is not what they’re buying. What they are buying is an end result. Your product, services and solution are simply the enabler – the method/process used to get their end result. This is a subtle distinction that will make all the difference to your sales approach and results.
After reading these 6 Sales Myths and Truths, I request that you map out some action steps you can take now to apply or benefit from these truths. A few simple action steps based on these truths have the potential to dramatically improve your sales results. Try it and see.
Tessa Stowe teaches small business owners and recovering salespeople 10 simple steps to turn conversations into clients without being sales-y or pushy. Her FREE monthly Sales Conversation newsletter is full of tips on how to sell your services by just being yourself. Sign up now at www.salesconversation.com.
Church Customer Service
I’m not talking about catering to the traditionalist who want to put more emphasis on what the church sign says than on reaching unsaved people for Christ. Just completely block that thought process out of your mind for a minute and think about what kind of experience the people you WANT to stay at your church are having. I’ll never tell what church(es) I’m talking about and don’t assume I’m talking all about NewSpring because I’m not. I’ve been to a ton of churches growing up a preachers kid. No church is perfect. There is always something that can be done better.
We all remember what the customer service is like when we go to a place of business – especially if it is bad. Well what about churches? Should they be concerned with customer service in some way? Of course! Exactly how is a challenge most churches are failing to meet but before a church can focus on that they need to identify all the customer groups they might be trying to serve.
Some of my jobs through the years have taught me that a customer is not always the people we’re trying to sell something to. It could be the department in the next office who is counting on me to perform my job so that they can do their job, such as an accounting department expecting reports from other departments. A better example might be the human resources department. The customers for a company’s HR department would be all the employees in the company who are counting on the HR people to take care of their HR needs. It would be expected that if the HR department does a poor job of customer service there will be a bunch of unhappy employees in the company.
For a church staff the customers would be more than just the regular attenders or the first time visitors. On a large church staff there are certainly particular staff positions that depend on others (like customers) to do their job (provide a service) effectively. Other customers for church staff invlolve the volunteers. The general attenders are customers to the volunteers of course. But even bigger than that the general attenders AND volunteers are customers of the staff.
Have you ever been to a place of business where you’re a regular customer and the owner knows you so you get preferential treatment? We probably all have. What about the opposite? Have you ever been a regular customer to a business that only gives good service to new customers but once they’ve “got you” the service is bad – sometimes rude and arrogant? Sure you have. If you have cable or a mobile phone you’ve experienced 2nd rate service despite being a loyal customer – or am I the only one who dreads calling those companies.
In church it works the same way. If you’ve spent any time at all in church you’ve seen the staff person who is so familiar with the regular attenders that they walk right past you without so much as a head nod so that they can go pay attention to the new visitor. It’s great to offer great service to new visitors (customers) but should the regulars at church be treated like cable customers? The opposite would be detrimental to churches too – treating the new visitors like outsiders who aren’t welcome because the regular attenders (repeat customers) get the preferential treatment.
I’ve got a good business illustration for how church staff can come across to their volunteers too. I’m a regular cable internet and mobile phone customer and any time I have to call those companies I get the same frustrating experience every time. They’re busy and they’re less than thrilled about having to troubleshoot the technical problem or they aren’t flexible to help you with something that isn’t an every day situation. But they still send me junk mail every week wanting me to buy more stuff from them. That’s kinda like the church staff person who is always unpleasant because there aren’t enough volunteers or the volunteers aren’t doing enough for them or the volunteers are showing up late, etc. But they continue to ask the same volunteers to subscribe to more volunteering despite the unpleasant experience. Eventually the volunteers get burnt out. If you read the links I linked to on Tony Morgan’s blog recently you read the wisdom of a very successful pastor on this subject – Ed Young.
(Side note – There are extreme cases in everything just like the legalistic traditionalist who has a butt mold on “their pew”. I’ve seen situations where it seemed like church staff were snotty to everyone like they have elite status being on staff or something. I’ve also seen volunteers that are almost leaches because they’re too eager to serve or they’re trying too hard to get in on the elite staff status or something, but all that’s a different subject. The point is there are always certain people attending church, working at church, or volunteering at church that screw things up).
So how does a church perfect their customer service to give the best experience to the people they want to attract and keep? I didn’t claim to have all the answers but from what I’ve seen I think it is a balancing act. For example – I’ve seen some churches do a good job just greeting everyone while others do a good job with the brief “shake hands with everyone around you” kind of thing during a service so that regulars and visitors alike experience welcomeness (I’ve also seen churches fail miserably at both approaches). Likewise, I’ve seen some churches do a great job incentivizing volunteers while others might be better at giving them purpose and inspiration. Every church has its own unique balance of what works and doesn’t to successfully serve their ‘customers’. Referring to Ed Young’s advice again – he mentioned using variety. Mix it up and keep it fresh.
Visitors aren’t coming back? Maybe the regulars or volunteers are being too clicky and the visitors don’t feel welcome. Can’t get the volunteer effort needed? Give them more than coffee and donuts as an incentive, or do more than beg and complain to encourage more participation. Knowing and understanding the balance is the first and most difficult task and after that it has to be monitored and adjusted to keep it in balance. That’s customer service, and it can apply in everything we do – including church.