My company works in the IT industry. Management asked me to solicit some leads through LinkedIn since cold calling is impersonal and ineffective. After sending bulk requests our database grew to almost 300 contacts. The problem is that we couldn’t turn this list into serious prospects. Is LinkedIn a dead end for marketing our business?

Calling someone you don’t know with a message that comes across that’s beneficial to you more than the prospect is usually met with a cold reaction. When you start a relationship with a new friend you don’t ask them for a favor from Day One not to give the wrong impression of being selfish. A new business relationship is not that much different from a personal one. The fundamental difference is that a financial transaction is expected in one while it should be avoided in the other. However, in this case the relationship didn’t even start yet. A connection request is not the same as connecting. How well do you know these 300 contacts and how well do they know your company?

One of the best ways to building strong and mutually beneficial long term business relationships is to reverse the purpose of your call. Try this: instead of approaching a prospect to sell something, connect them with another contact you know whom you believe can be important to this prospect’s business. This attitude builds you a bank of credit with your LinkedIn network or any other network. As a result, the next time you call, you’ll find a very warm voice on the other end who’ll be a lot more welcoming to your offer…and that’s just my two cents.read what others have read

• two cents: when your title kills your career
• the lion is hungry. now what?
• two cents: juggling 14 horses at work

Brand Essence is the usually a simple but powerful and inspiring line consisting preferably of two or three words. A Great Brand Essence represents what the core of the business is about. It’s something employees will aspire to but can achieve; yet it’s timeless and extendable. Although the Brand Essence is something internal for management, employees and strategic partners, it is also the first thing you’re asked, “What’s your brand about?” On the other side, a successful slogan or a tagline is a way for the brand to stand for something specific in the minds of consumers.

Take your Nike’s example; the brand’s slogan for a long time has been ‘Just Do It’. This is a motivational message to consumers to practice, improve their game and play with aspiration to win. Nike’s Brand Essence, however, is ‘Authentic Athletic Performance’. It’s a filter Nike employees use when they develop products and design stores. They always use it to know if what they’re producing will help consumers to ‘Just Do It’. A Brand Essence and a slogan go in parallel. They don’t replace one another…and that’s just my two cents.read what others have read

• two cents: I saw ‘Food, Inc.’ now what?
• two cents: the brand side
• two cents: promos in tough times

I can tell that some of our customers are lying to replace some pieces or get freebies. How can we stop this abuse without breaking “the customer is always right” philosophy?

To start with, it’s refreshing to see that you and your company are committed to customers. Some customers will always take advantage of flexible policies; it’s a fact. However, that doesn’t mean your company should punish all customers because of the acts of a few. So, let’s talk options. Assuming that there’s nothing wrong with your products, it’s possible that they’re returning them because they don’t suit their needs anymore. Putting good intentions aside, you need first to examine the incidents. Are the same customers repeating this behavior over and over? Or is it that many customers are returning their purchases once?

If it’s the same customers, let them know through direct marketing tools or upon their next purchase that due to their repeated exchanges a fee will be applied for the next exchange. If they don’t like it and walk away, you got rid of bad customers. If they stop the abuse to avoid the fees, it’s a win-win. It could be that many customers exchange pieces for whatever reason and they’re doing it only once, but it’s the large volume of returns that’s giving you the kind of headache that Panadol can’t cure. In this case, ask your customers about the reasons behind the returns. What might seem as abuse could be an indication for something more important like wrong product selection, poor customer assistance at the time of purchase, lack of clear product information or something even more dramatic…and that’s just my two cents.

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• two cents: how do I email thee?
  let me count the ways
• two cents: HR, we have a problem
• two cents: sales target blues

Our Sales team is not being well received by prospects. And it’s getting harder to secure more meetings. For some reason, titles like Sales Executive, Associate, or even Manager are taken negatively. We tried adding the word ‘Senior’ to some of their titles, but not much has improved. How can we solve this problem?

When you walk into a shop, you wouldn’t care much if you were served by a salesperson or by the owners as long as the service is satisfying to your standards or exceeding them. The titles in this case don’t matter much, unless you’re in a car showroom and your sales executive gave you the, “Let me talk to the Manager and see what we can do” speech, your mind gets trained that bigger titles equal more discounts.

When it comes to corporate sales it’s a different story. In many transactions, the prospect never steps into a showroom. Sometimes, with products like bricks, for example, customers might not find them exciting – unless you’re Ben Grimm The Thing, from Fantastic Four, who has a rock-like exterior – or simply, wouldn’t be emotionally connected to them. Often, the whole transaction takes place at the prospect’s office. All they can see is a ‘Sales Blah Blah Blah’ person who’s dressed to impress (some sales people don’t even bother doing that.) At this moment, your prospect believes that this person is only interested in making a commission by closing whatever deal he can. Who can blame him? When you see a title like Sales Something it’s usually about the prospect paying. Mentally, that’s not a benefit even if they’re getting something in return.

The reason behind the negative thinking is that the term ‘Sales’ reflects what’s important for the company, not what’s important for the customer. Try something different. Surprise the prospect with titles that will pleasantly confuse them (just a bit) and make it difficult for them to classify your team into stereotypes. Who cares if your Sales Manager’s new title was Customers Coach, for example? Either way, they’ll bring back the gold if they’re good enough. However, a title as crazy as ‘Customer Coach’, reflects care for the customer and development for his business, which is the first step for a profitable long-term relationship…and that’s just my two cents.read what others have read

• two cents: sales target blues
• two cents: I say quality, you say price
• two cents: the good, the bad and the lier

Our Marketing Department doesn’t understand the importance of updating the Call Center with plenty of time before releasing marketing campaigns, which creates nightmares for the Call Center Agents. As the Call Center Manager, I spoke to Marketing and things got better for a while, but it got back to the way it was before. How can we fix this issue once and for all?

If you haven’t already read The Book of Five Rings, make it your next assignment. Although the author, undefeated samurai Miyamoto Musashi, wrote the book in 1643 to talk about martial arts, there’s a lot one can learn from it about conflicts. Many versions are interpreted for business executives, if you want the analogies made clearer. For now, keep two things in mind. First, maybe the damage is not clear enough to the Marketing team, even though it’s obvious. Solution? Dramatize it like a soap opera. Play recordings from some of the phone calls to the Marketing team so they can feel how the company is losing opportunities. It won’t hurt either if Sales were there for support.

Second, maybe Marketing don’t know how much time you need. Invite the Marketing Head to your castle and display the process. Pressed for time? Put it on two to three slides and explain it to Marketing, Sales and PR. Once you explain it, make it clear that the Call Center can’t accept such unreasonable notifications anymore. Don’t forget to buy some pizzas; and mention it in the email invite to increase attendance. Pizzas are difficult to resist…and that’s just my two cents.read what others have read

• two cents: the brand side
• two cents: advertising is dead for me
• two cents: sales target blues

It’s really difficult being in sales when quality and price are in a constant fight in this market! We work with a high profile quality brand. Customers don’t understand the value of our products, how they’re made, or what makes them special. How can I sell quality to price buyers?

Some people purchase clothes that are not worth 20% of their original price, yet they feel delighted and smart for having got them at 50% off. Others would rather pay for one item instead of two of the same at a discount because paying for one means less money out of their pocket today. Of course, there are always those who would say, “If you have this car in black and silver, I’ll take them both right now.” People are just different. It could be that you were chasing price-buyers instead of those who are loyal to quality brands. It will take you a lot more effort to persuade the first type simply because they have to go against their DNA, which is something uncomfortable for most people.

Having said that, if you’re in a small market, chances are you can’t afford to only target those who would appreciate the brand’s story. If a customer doesn’t understand or is not aware of the value of your brand, it’s not his/her fault. It’s yours. You are the one with information. Use it well. Tell good, engaging, aspiring and honest stories about what makes your brand stand tall among the rest. As simple as it may sound, it requires great skill to be authentic in sales, a quality rarely discussed these days. You might need to ask the gorgeous person in the mirror about whether or not you believe in the brand you’re trying to sell. If your heart is not into it, hunt for something you’re passionate about. You’ll feel effortlessly natural and more satisfied, which means more success for you, for the brand and for the customer…and that’s just my two cents.read what others have read

• two cents: promo in wonderland
• two cents: sales target blues
• two cents: he said some important stuff, I think

My brain is like an ideas-factory. I always thought it’s a good quality to have, but since many of these ideas take time and money, I’m getting more and more discouraged. Should I just stop thinking about new ideas?

If a colleague came to you tomorrow with a brilliant idea for a chemical formula that changes sand to gold, what would you do next? Chances are, you would test the formula to make sure that is does work. You might then file for a patent to protect your rights. Finally, you would look for buyers or investors. As you can see, an idea plus action results in profit or at least potential for profit. Sometimes, you can find ideas are too expensive to implement on your own. In this case, find partners or investors, assuming that the figures are accurate and promising, and you’re in business. If you want to keep all the profit to yourself, then you better use that cash you stashed under the mattress and risk having no savings.

Other than lack of cash, one of the most common reasons why people don’t act upon their ideas is the fear of failure. What if we lose the business? What if it doesn’t work? What if…what if? It’s easy to get sucked into Hurricane Monster Unknown. Overall, it’s good to be creative, but with no action even the best idea in the world is just a thought in somebody’s mind. Remember, once you start working on that idea stay focused and don’t get distracted by other ideas unless they are related to the main idea itself…and that’s just my two cents.

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• two cents: saying no without the ‘no’ part
• two cents: one size fits none
• two cents: mr. stock market, may I come in now?