30Aug/113

How To Get More From Your “Out-of-Office Reply”

I’m in the process of making a large purchase on behalf of The Brooks Group. Recently, I sent an email to the salesperson. Here’s the response I got:

===

Subject: OUT OF OFFICE REPLY

Hi! You have reached the desk of [Name Removed to Protect the Guilty]. Thank you for your email.

I will be out of the office all day Friday.  I will respond to all requests as soon as I return Monday morning. 

If you have an URGENT request, please contact [Name Removed to Protect the Poor Sap Who Has To Deal with Her Stuff].

Thank you! 

===

I certainly don't begrudge the out-of-office reply. In fact, I appreciate the "head's up" that I shouldn't hold my breath for a response. However, I think there's a lot more you can do with it.

An out-of-office reply is valuable real estate in someone’s inbox. That's because they're expecting your response and, if it's done right, they'll read it. Why not use that to your advantage?

It's not done right if the subject line is "Out of Office."

By now, you probably realize how critical a Subject Line is. Most email programs include something like "Out of Office Automatic Reply" by default. Change it! Convert that subject line to something more compelling.

First, change the subject. How about something like...

  • Sorry I missed you
  • Since I’m out of my office, here’s a consolation prize
  • If it's an emergency call me at (555) 123-4567

Whatever it is, don’t go with the old “Out of office reply” or “I’m on vacation” subject lines. You’re missing out on a lot. Your goal with the subject line is simply to get your email opened.

If your subject line is compelling enough to get your email opened, you can provide some real value in the body of the email, too.

  1. Promote a product or service: Have you just launched a new offering? Use the out-of-office reply to give your customers the "inside scoop."
  2. Explain your own professional development: If you're out of the office for a professional development program (a sales training course, for example), explain what you're learning and how it will help your customers.
  3. Encourage a download of a whitepaper: Perhaps your marketing department has written a great one. If so, use this as an opportunity to share it.
  4. Provide value with free tips about your product: Your probably have knowledge that would help your customers get more out of what they already own. Share it!
  5. Link to your social media networks: As long as you're using them to provide good value to your followers, promote them here. You don't want to do this if you're simply posting what you had for lunch.
  6. Include a coupon code: If you've got a promotion that makes sense to share, do it!
  7. Post testimonials: Preface the testimonial by saying something like, "People think I do a good job even if I go on vacation every now and then..."

Here's an even better automatic reply:

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Subject: Because I'm Out of the Office...

Since I'm out of the office with limited access to email and won't be able to respond until Monday, it's only fair that I give you something as a consolation prize.

Here's a link to a whitepaper with 107 Time Management Tips. I picked it because I'm going to find the tips incredibly useful when I get back and have these emails to respond to!

Although I commit to respond to you no later than Monday at 4:00 Eastern, if you have an URGENT request, please contact John Doe at johndoe@email.com or (123) 555-5555.

Thank you! 

===

So, you see, an out-of-office reply can be an incredibly useful tool. Just make it compelling and valuable!

@JebBrooks

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26Aug/113

In Sales, as in High School, You Are The Company You Keep

It’s an old saying that you first heard when you were about five. But it’s as true now as it was then...

You are who you hang around with. 

As a salesperson or sales manager, your environment influences your attitude. And, whether you’re around optimists or pessimists, their attitudes and perspectives will rub off on you.

Prosperity and poverty have something in common: They both come to those who expect them.

Optimists and pessimists think completely differently.

  • An optimist has a prosperity mindset. It’s a belief in abundance.
  • A pessimist has a poverty mindset. It’s a belief in scarcity.

If given the choice, I prefer optimists. Don’t you feel the same way? Wouldn’t you rather be around positive people who see opportunity where others see inevitable loss? It seems like the choice is obvious.

And, in the world of sales, you have even less choice than others. Sales is the hardest easy thing you’ll ever do. Anything -- whatever it is -- that gives you an advantage or puts you in a better position for success is worth a shot (so long as it’s ethical). Why would you not seek an environment filled with possibility?

Some of you are probably thinking “yeah, those optimists are fools who never recognize unnecessary risk. They just trudge along through life stupidly smiling in the face of failure.”

Okay, I get that. Optimism needs to be tempered with reality. Let’s not ignore the real world. But I’ll say I’ve never seen a “pragmatist” who isn’t really a pessimist in disguise.

The real takeaway, though is to find people who can help make you better.

  1. Find salespeople who have more experience and learn from them.
  2. Find sales managers who can mentor you.
  3. Find customers who can give you honest feedback about your effectiveness.
  4. Find friends who will tell you when you're about to make a mistake.

But more than anything, find some optimists. If you listen, they will make you more successful.

@JebBrooks

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24Aug/116

3 Quick Steps For Recovering From Any Mistake, Blunder, Accident, or Flub.

We all make them. But not everyone understands what to do next. Successfully recovering from a mistake is a simple, three step process.

  1. Admit it.
  2. Learn from it.
  3. Move on.

1. Admit it

Admitting it is sometimes the hardest part. That’s because our egos can sometimes stand in the way. However, admission is step one. It also has the added advantage of making you “human.” The willingness to admit fault is called “personal accountability.” Customers like doing business with salespeople who are personally accountable. Sometimes you have to be accountable for others’ actions. And that’s a tough pill to swallow. Be cautious about it, but be willing to take that step.

2. Learn from it

Learning from your mistake is the most useful step. It allows you to grow as a salesperson. The best way to avoid a mistake is to have made it in the past and learned from it. But that requires taking the time to step back from the situation and asking, “why did that happen?” And “how can I avoid it next time?” Look for opportunities to discuss your mistakes with people who can -- objectively -- help you identify the lessons contained in them.

3. Move on

Finally, moving on is necessary in order to continue progressing forward. Sometimes, depending on your personality, you can get stuck in a rut. Remember the (terrible) movie Groundhog Day? Bill Murray’s character gets stuck in time. He wakes up every morning on the same day. That can happen if you fail to move on from a mistake. As long as you’ve admitted it and learned from it, it’s probably okay for you to move on from it.

It’s important to complete each step before moving onto the next one. If you make a mistake and immediately move on from it, you’re probably stepping on toes and running the risk of upsetting people.

@JebBrooks

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23Aug/113

Post-Call Planning

We write a lot about pre-call planning here on the Sales Evolution Blog. The reasons are many, but mostly because there’s immediate payoff. Put simply, if you prepare for a sales call, you increase your chance of success.

There’s an equally important component to successful planning as it relates to sales. That’s the post-call planning. Before you end a meeting (or a phone call), it’s important to identify a definitive next step.

How brutal is the sense that..."The meeting went so well! But, I don’t know what to do next.”?

Preventing that sinking feeling is as simple as planning your next step while you’re in this one.

  • “Do you mind if we go ahead and schedule a time for me to follow up?”
  • “If I don’t hear from you by next week, may I follow-up?”

That sounds fairly straightforward, Doesn’t it? But you would be surprised by the number of very talented salespeople who sometimes forget to take this extra step. However, High IMPACT Salespeople always leave with a definitive next step.

It's crucial for time management, too. You’re a lot more likely to follow-up on something that’s scheduled than something that’s not. To increase your chance of winning a sale, design a definitive plan. People are always more likely to follow a definitive plan than one that’s nebulous.

This goes a little deeper than simply asking, “May I follow-up with you?” Compare these two follow-up statements:

  1. “Will it be okay if I call back on Tuesday at 3:00? Or, is there a better time?” versus
  2. “May I just check back in a couple of weeks?”

Which is more likely to wind up on your prospect’s calendar? Which are you more likely to do?

The answer is clear. Always shoot for a definitive next step. It’s part of post-call planning.

Of course, there’s a lot that can happen between today and next Tuesday at 3:00, and that’s the art to selling.

@JebBrooks

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19Aug/111

How To Minimize Resistance from Legal. 5 Do’s and 3 Don’t's.

Today, it seems like legal departments are playing an increasingly important role in B2B sales interactions. I could speculate on the reasons why (A more litigious society? A larger population of lawyers? More cautious buyers?), but I won’t. Instead I’d like to give you a few ideas about what to do if you've convinced everyone in the organization to buy from you, but legal suddenly gets involved.

In other words how can you present your offering in a way that minimizes resistance from a legal department?

First, a confession: I’m a recovering lawyer. That’s right, before I re-discovered the joys of professional selling, I tried the law. It was not for me. And I was not for it. But the experience did provide me some useful insight into how they think...and how they buy...

Let’s not pay too much attention to the litigators. They’re the ones who argue in courts. If you get arrested, call a litigator. If you find yourself in a customer’s legal department, you’re probably talking to non-litigating attorneys. They’re the ones who are reviewing your contracts, letters of agreement, and proposals.

Naturally, if your company has a legal department of its own, there’s a pretty good chance that they won’t let you talk to other lawyers. They’re a very exclusive group. Obviously, I can't speak to the intricacies of complex contract negotiations or highly regulated industries. But, if you're just an average salesperson who suddenly finds yourself talking to lawyers, it might look something like this typical scenario...

You’re selling widgets (or even services for widgets). You convince the decision maker, the user, and everyone else that it's a smart move. You’re such a good salesperson that you’ve even convinced the CFO of the value you bring! But, at the last minute, some prudent person says, “Well, I like it and we want it, but we’ve got to run it by legal. Can you talk to our in-house Counsel?" Words of doom!

Here’s all you need to know...

Lawyers have one, single, universal driving force in their professional lives.

Every professional move they make is driven by one thought: How can I avoid winding up in court?

In other words, their biggest fear is exposure! That means that everything you do, say, or write should emphasize how limited any potential exposure is.

But how do you do that?

Here are 5 to-do's:

  1. Do present your offering in a way that allows for completely predictable performance.
  2. Do minimize any human elements to your offer (because that’s unpredictable).
  3. Do describe the fact that you and your organization run like clockwork.
  4. Do highlight the fact that you'll deliver, predictably, on every promise.
  5. Do speak (or, better yet, write) precisely and emphasize the fact that you will work with them (within reason) to accomplish what they’re after.

Here are 3 don't's:

  1. Never ask lawyers to “take a chance” with you. That's not a sure thing.
  2. Don’t promise them the opportunity to be bold. That's too risky.
  3. Don’t say you’re “close to the mark.” That's not predictable.

As an aside, lawyers will almost always prefer writing rather than talking on the phone or meeting in person. They like a record. Why? You guessed it: Exposure. The secret to writing to a lawyer is precision and . . . minimizing exposure.

I’m not a practicing lawyer, so this is not legal advice. Just some tips to minimize resistance from lawyers when you've got the rest of the company on your side.

@JebBrooks

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