We’ve come along way since the “hard sell” and the manipulative closing techniques and tricks that used to work so well, so long ago.  Salespeople face a far more sophisticated, self-centered market today. New markets and new challenges require a new approach.  Things that used to work, don’t work anymore. Adjust or die.  The new business environment demands a mindset that is a step ahead of the competition.

Used to be…

We’d “pitch” the prospect and then close hard and keep on closing, ignore objections, force our products and services down their throats and trumpet loudly as we swaggered back to the office clutching a check.  Never more, Miranda; never more.  Try that approach these days and you’ll end up driving a truck and showing off the watch you won for “Best Salesman in 1979”.  Join the has-beens.  No.  Times have changed.

The Correct New Approach

The good news is that it’s really not hard to do.  The correct new approach not only increases closing ratios and retains customers, it cuts attrition and leads to massive increases in referrals.  The solution is Joint Ventures.  By creating unprecedented added value and talking only with people who are ready, even eager to talk with you because of the Joint Venture platform you’ve created, closing ratios can skyrocket. Strategists work ON their business, while tacticians work reactively IN their businesses.  Think more, work less, close more.  Be VERY selective.

Partnering up with the right people creates a funnel that attracts, qualifies and sells automatically. Credibility, trust, value and access can be created fast and effectively through Joint Ventures.  Sales are the logical and inevitable result.

Let me ask you this: What do you really, really, really want?

• If you say, “Money”, what does that translate into for you?  Control?  Power?  Security?  Dignity?  Freedom?  How much money?
• If you say,  “Health”, what does that exactly mean to you?  How will you know when you’re healthy?  What has to happen in order for you to declare, “Now, I’m healthy!”
• If you say,  “Success”, what is “Success” to you?  How would you measure it?

I once consulted with a client who wanted to start a trans-Africa transport airline service.  When I dug deep down, what he REALLY wanted was to fly an airplane!  Much cheaper, methinks, than starting an airline, wouldn’t you agree?

Assessing Hot Buttons: “What is your NUMBER?”

I like this question: “What is your NUMBER?”  The “number” is the amount of money it will take you to do something. “Everyone has his price”, they say.  And they’re right.  What will it take?  And sometimes it will take a lot less than we might think.  When you know someone’s real Hot Button, you gain control beyond your wildest dreams.

Assessing Hot Buttons:  Pinpoint the Pain

Instead of mouthing off about yourself, your product or service, ask intelligent questions.    Find out what pain the other person is currently enduring.  Find out what keeps him or her awake at night, worrying – their greatest fears.

What Doesn’t Work

I know a fellow who continually tries to recruit me into his business.  But he’s so arrogant and egotistical that he never takes the time to find out who I am or what I want.  The more he runs off at the mouth the more I lose interest.  Instead of enticing me, he bores me.

What Does

I want to know everything about the people I choose to do business with because knowledge that can be applied is power.  It sometimes takes a long time to discover the Hot Button, but when you do, it’s worth the effort.  When you think you’ve found the Hot Button, test it. Don’t “jump to the confusion” that you’re right.

When you find the pain, turn the knife in the wound and then offer the solution, remedy and escape, in the form of a Joint Venture.

Understand your potential Joint Venture partner and get to know what their How Buttons are, and you will create a great Joint Venture.  Watch them:

• What do they look at?
• What do they read?
• Where do they go?
• What do they talk about the most?
• What do they spend time and money on?
• Whom do they spend time with?

Do personality assessments.  If you know I’m a High D, INTJ, you know more about me than most.  Take the time and spend the money, do your homework.  It will pay off in spades.

There was a Smart Guy who made a Dumb Decision!

His business was going nowhere fast. In fact, it was spiralling downward at ever-increasing speed. But when I showed him proven systems and applied ideas that would turn his business around at no cost and at no risk, he refused! It made no sense. And it wasn’t the first time I had encountered this situation. Why do smart people make dumb business decisions? Why do they turn a blind eye to solutions that would be obvious to any objective observer?

Ever heard someone say, “I’ve been in this business five years and I’m not about to throw it all away!” when he’s on the road to bankruptcy? Why such an illogical choice? It’s not really that complicated. People in business are not necessarily entrepreneurs to begin with – they’re simply people who happen to own businesses. They know a lot about a little. And the choices they make are controlled by their conditioning, beliefs, fears and limited experience.

Making Solid Business Decisions

The biggest barrier to solid business decisions is emotions. Ego and the fear of failure, ridicule and loss make people do irrational things. We all avoid change and tend to get stuck in ruts. Our momentum propels us onward into financial difficulties. We would rather shoot the messenger than accept a solution that requires change. That’s why I seldom accept consulting work anymore – it’s just too frustrating. There is, however, a way to open our eyes, remove scatomas, and see the value in solutions. After all, we don’t have money problems; we have thinking problems.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Get together with people who have no vested interest in your business and are therefore objective and unattached.
• Mix only with people who are successful, honest and generous.
• Meet regularly with your Mastermind Group or Joint Venture Group and listen to what they have to say. Read the latest information.
• Think of your business as a Monopoly game.
• Get your ego in check.
• Ask, “What if?” more often.
• Don’t succumb to “role contamination” – thinking that you are your business, or confusing what you do with who you are.
• Release your business. Be prepared to walk away.
• Think LOGICALLY.

When we exchange resources, goods, time, inventory, skills, equipment, goods and services, we’re bartering. Instead of using cash, we can barter underutilized time, space or other assets and even future services and production, especially if the products and services have big margins. And they may be depreciating, hard to sell or easy and cheap to produce. Extra capacity is as good as hard cash when bartered.

Barter Benefits

I know a dentist who bartered his services for advertising time on a radio station and a restaurant that bartered meals for cleaning services. Hotel rooms and staff training, consulting and legal services, high margin electronics and a host of other products and services lend themselves to barter. Barter conserves cash, and the goods are always bartered at their retail price! That means that if your food cost percentage is 34%, you’re buying at a discount of 66%!

You can even pay people to work for you with barter. And with redeemable coupons and gift certificates, you are essentially being loaned money at no interest until those coupons are redeemed. “Breakage” makes barter even more attractive – a certain percentage will not be redeemed.

Barter is like printing money!

Deals can be triangulated and cash flow can be relieved and ramped up. Plus, one barter transaction can lead to repeat business and thus an exponential return on investment (without a cash investment!) Bartering services and slow moving inventory for advertising is extreme leverage. Barter can produce cash customers. Think about the resources you have and who would want them. Work ON your business instead of IN it.

The waitress called me “Mr. Elliott” and “Sir” instead of “Robin”.  In place if the usual plebeian, vulgar “you guys” we were referred to as “Mr. and Mrs. Elliott.”  And she crumbed the table down and  removed the cruet set and utensils before serving the dessert. How refreshing! Walt Disney said,

“Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.”

Differentiate Yourself at Zero Cost

We tend to think that huge discounts or flamboyant packaging will add value and differentiate us from our competition, whereas small things that usually don’t cost anything can make a huge difference. The drivers of the shuttle service buses to and from the Long Term Parking at Vancouver International Airport used to be the most obnoxious, sullen swine I ever met, certainly not a reflection of what I consider the best airport in the world. Last week, Rika and I were very pleasantly surprised when we received cheerful greetings and sincere smiles from the new drivers, along with help with our bags. It costs nothing to train your employees and get rid of the scumbags, and the return on investment is most attractive.

Fabulous Examples!

WestJet crew members tell jokes, sing songs, smile, help, and obviously receive excellent training. They thank us for choosing WestJet; to me, there is no alternative, unless you want obese, unionized flight attendants who treat you like a smelly interruption. When I left my laptop on the plane recently, the WestJet flight attendant came running after me with it right into the Abbotsford terminal. Great attitude. A Thank You note in the mail, the Sears appliance salesman who shows up at my house the night before delivery, on his own time,  to make sure all the pipes are properly prepared. Nelson Boswell said,

“Here is a simple but powerful rule – always give people more than what they expect to get.”

We went to movies last week. Every employee was friendly and said, “Enjoy the show, folks!”

Here’s the thing: when you give great service, you feel good about yourself, you attract more business, you sleep better, and leave your competition choking in the dust.

People notice the small things, the compliments, the helping hand, the kind gestures, the extra mile, the sincere smiles and eye contact, a little extra care. What goes around comes around. Macy’s motto is,

“Be everywhere, do everything, and never fail to astonish the customer.”

The world hasn’t changed that much.

In every economy, in every industry, anywhere in the world at any time, there are people going broke and other people, in the same place, enduring the same economy, in the same industry, with the same government, becoming exceedingly rich. The difference is the way in which they perceive their circumstances and options, and the choices they make in response.

Why Change is Your Friend

Most business owners realize that there are dramatic changes taking place all over the world right now, which means huge opportunities for those who know how to use Joint Ventures. “Change is my friend,” says the savvy entrepreneur, and in order to change and take full advantage of the hidden benefits and opportunities surrounding us, it’s smart to use an objective, skilled Business Mentor to open doors that you never knew existed, to reveal riches of which most entrepreneurs are blissfully unaware, and to leverage underutilized and concealed, yet potentially highly lucrative resources and options.

An Alternative to Running with the Herd

Running with the herd into desperation, shortage, recession, and scarcity is not an option for those who insist upon victory.

Shout “YAHOO!” – You Always Have Other Options

– and find a Guide who is capable and willing to lead you along the road less traveled to hidden treasure.  Remember what Jim Stovall said:

“Only take advice from someone who already has what you want.”

…and Jim Addison wisely added that “you should never take advice from someone more screwed up than you are.” Experienced property investors know they should be buying when everyone else is selling – Conrad Hilton bought hotels during the great depression – and street smart entrepreneurs understand that you can get on the fast track by learning from the skills and mistakes of others.

Your Complimentary Consultation

Three highly trained, fully supported, locked and loaded DollarMakers Certified Business Mentors – Eric Li, Shauna L’Hirondelle and Darren and Monica Chambers are ready and willing to consider accepting YOU as their client. To see if you qualify for a complimentary telephone consultation with one of them, e-mail me robin@jvblogger.com. A Mentor is someone whose hindsight can become your foresight. Help is at hand!

“I find it difficult to find, motivate, and keep good employees. If only I could find people who are as motivated as I am!”

• When you pay people the same amount of money, regardless of their quality of work or level of productivity, you’re trying to run a capitalist business on socialist principles.
• When you overlook slovenliness, negativity, and bad service instead of punishing it, you are encouraging it.
• When you see people creating additional value for your organization without rewarding them in direct proportion to that value, you’re discouraging them.
• When you employ anything that breathes because you’re so desperate for workers, you’re setting yourself up for failure and lowering your standards.
• When you establish ceilings and limitations on earning potential, you lose the cream of the crop.

Successful, profitable businesses prosper by design, not by default. They create a climate of attraction, motivation, stimulation, and reciprocation. This is so unique and hard to find that it will bring you some fantastic people.

How to Get Employees AND Employees who Perform

Before you tell me how hard it is to find people because you live in a booming economy like that of Alberta or British Columbia, let me suggest that, if you pay more than your competition, that fails as an excuse. And before you tell me that you can’t afford to pay significantly more than the competition does, let me assure you that you can accomplish that through the use of Joint Ventures. That’s what my company, DollarMakers, does. But this is not about creating more profit through Joint Ventures; it’s about employees.

For Example…

I once provided some Joint Venture training for an award-winning restaurant. At this restaurant, all the servers had shares in the business and enjoyed a simple profit sharing process as well. Servers were hired and fired by the Servers Committee, and everything was results based. Uniforms, serving times, and menus were determined by the Servers Committee. This was a true capitalist operation, using effective delegation, profit sharing, and common sense. The owner told me, “Robin, I manage by Consequence.” They never had a shortage of job applicants.

The ONLY Way Worth Operating

Pay people in direct proportion to the value they create – measurable, bottom-line profits should determine individual earnings.

• No automatic raises.
• No unions.
• There should be no cap on the earning potential of anyone.
• There should be immediate consequences for overstepping the mark.
• People should be allowed to focus only on their strengths. (Generally, allowing an accountant or a chef into a management position is suicide.)
• Use personality type testing and give everyone a vested interest in the success of the business, while at the same time tying their income and security to the fortunes, good AND bad, of the business. When business goes down, salaries should decrease in direct proportion, depending on individual input and production, which means simply that an employee who produces exceptional profits can experience an income increase while everyone else’s wages decrease. That’s called capitalism.

Here’s my standard “Job Description: “Whatever it takes, 24/7/365, and we share the fortunes, good and bad.” My entire business is made up of multiple, interlinked Joint Ventures. I actually practice what I preach, and it works.

Locate His Need

When I meet someone, I listen carefully to establish what pain he or she is suffering. It’s usually in one or all of three areas: Finances, Time, and Freedom. I then get the prospective customer to elaborate on his pain, using open-ended questions. I turn the knife in the wound, as it were.

• How does this situation affect him, personally?
• What impact does it have on his family?
• How will it affect his future?
• In fact, if he doesn’t solve the problem, what will his life look like in two years?
• What are the consequences of NOT solving his problem?

Help Him Realize Change is Possible

Now that he realizes he has a problem, and having dwelt on it, he is acutely aware of his need to solve it, I have him tell me what his life could be like should he be able to solve his problem:

• How will he personally feel once this problem has been resolved?
• What effect will it have on his family and profits?
• How will it change his future?

Give him a glimpse of the rewards he will reap by solving the problem.

Offer Him a Solution

Next, I become the solution, or the bridge to his better life, by connecting him with whatever product or service is necessary to solve his problem. When I connect him with the business that solves his problem, I receive an on-going (yes, I said on-going) commission from that business. That income is 100% margin to me, if it is not my own product or service, so I can’t lose. I create value and get paid for it, and I have a happy customer. Whether he buys from me or not doesn’t matter – he is happy and I made money. I solved his problem and was paid for the service.

Link supply and demand and get paid.

• It’s not about you or your business – it’s about value.
• Be a good listener, help people to get what they want, and you get rich.
• Stop telling people about your products and services – they don’t care. They care about their problems and goals, and you need to shut up and listen to them so that you can solve their problems and make money.

Selling is old hat, as out of date as a Commodore 64 computer, boring, childish, and naïve. Solving is the way things work these days, and the ideal vehicle is Joint Ventures.