I am talking to a bank manager about the possibility of creating a sales training program for her bank.
It's an intriguing opportunity, for several reasons. For one, she mentioned to me that she likes the idea, because her firm currently does not have any formal sales training.
"We call it customer relationship skills but same thing," she corrected herself.
"Is it?" I replied.
"Well, in the end, we want more business," the bank manager said.
This comment is causing me to think about sales in the way my client thinks of sales: where each sell is not really so much about the sell, itself, but about the relationship with each client.
Are sales and relationships synonymous terms?
You see, if the bank has built a strong relationship with you, any time you need to store money (most current "savings accounts"), transact money (checking accounts), save money (with "money market" accounts), or get more money (such as through loans) you will likely consider the bank where you handle your checking or savings account for that new transaction. Am I right or wrong? So, it IS about the relationship!
Imagine if banking approached sales from the perspective of "wham, bam, thank you Ma'am!" and just got their money and then got out, how would they ever succeed? Rather, the bank must deliver upon the promise of (1) being there, (2) offering good rates, and (3) offering outstanding service. If a bank does these three things, and does a better job of building relationships than peer banks, they are likely to grow.
There's more to it than that. The bank also has to offer unique banking products at the right time. But no matter what products they offer, if you don't know who they are how will they sell you anything? It starts with relationship!
But when we think of sales as a relationship building process, or even a "relationship" in simple terms, how else might that impact the way we approach the sales process?
When I consider how to answer this question, I realize that a bank relationship could be like any relationship we build with our friends. How do we form friendships? We find things in common, right? We do things together! If a bank is to be a friend, we must find ways to "relate" to each other. How many times to friends invite each other over or out to do things? With that being the case, banks ought to invite people over. Perhaps having an "open-house" for businesses. Or, participating in "Art After Dark" nights... or having "meet our new business" breakfasts. Anything like this would be valuable, from the relationship-building perspective.
What other things do we do to build relationships? Do we compliment each other? If a bank runs a newsletter, the bank ought to compliment certain customers. Perhaps awards for various things like innovation, creativity, good use of money, outstanding accounting habits, or other creative things like this would be valuable in the process of strengthening a relationship.
When do people need banks the most? This is another area I feel needs focus.
When prospecting, how would banks prospect? If I were a banker, I think I'd be looking for who moved to the area, for one. Or, perhaps, the bank could seek out families who just gave birth to a child. Maybe they could offer a "new child college fund" to parents in the area. Or, parents of kids entering 1st grade could be offered a "first account for a first grader" program. As we know, the earlier you start a savings account, the more that account will be worth by the time the child enters college.
I remember how Citibank built their credit card program by offering cards to college graduates. At the time, many banks wouldn't issue you a credit card unless you already had one (an oxymoron, huh?) and Citibank saw the wisdom in being the first bank to offer you a card, you'd likely keep their card for the longest time. It was true, I had my Citibank card longer than any other credit card.
These are all things I'm starting to think about regarding this program for the bank. What ways is your business unique? How can you relate it to other parts of life? This is how we must think when we are selling. Because sales and relationships can by synonymous.
Do you run a sales team? Are you seeking innovative ways to help your people succeed more?
Implementing a sales training program is a wise idea. The most successful organizations I've ever been part of or led always offer people who interface their customers training. It is a key to your success. I'm going to relaunch Concepts of SellingTM and Cold To GoldTM in the next month (November 2009), so stay tuned for ways ARRiiVE Business Solutions might assist you in this process.
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Oct 22, 2009
Are Sales and Relationships Synonymous Terms
Aug 27, 2008
The Power of Referrals on Innovations In Business Show
"The Power of Referrals" on ARRiiVE: Innovations In Business Show
When: August 27, 2008 at 2:00 PM PST / 5:00 PM EST
Topic: "The Power of Referrals"
Host: Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions
Call In: Call in at (724)444-7444 and enter 37798 # 1 # Text chat online: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/37798 to text questions or listen online.
Details:
Visit http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/37798 To hear Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business solutions, discuss ways to increase your referrals and grow more business today at 2PM PST / 5PM EST.
Are you seeking ways to grow your business? Word-of-mouth has always been the most powerful way to grow a business. If you're seeking ways to grow your referrals, this is a show you won't want to miss:
In this show you'll receive:
- Better understanding of the power of referrals...increase your selling power.
- A simple and easy methodology to increase referrals... save time and hassle.
- Advanced ideas to improve referrals... start growing more traffic immediately.
Show hosted by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions (www.ARRiiVE.com)
It's simple and easy to join - call (724) 444 -7444 enter 37798#1# to dial in or visit http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/37798 OR http://www.ARRiiVE.com (see radio show link) to visit online and/or text chat questions to Scott.
Jul 17, 2008
Are You Getting Referrals? - Sales Tip
DUDE! Have you heard about ARRiiVE Business Solutions?
If you're trying to sell a product or service, you're usually going to find yourself prospecting for new business. If you've sold for any amount of time, you probably know the #1 most useful way to get new business is word-of-mouth.
Of course, a customer might, out of the goodness of their heart, refer a prospect to you. However, in my experience, I find that people are much likely to give us a referral if we ask for it.
ASK FOR REFERRALS
Are you asking for referrals for your business? If not, you might be selling yourself short! Ask for referrals, with each and every customer.
You might ask me: "Scott, when is the best time to ask for a referral?"
Answer: Strike while the fire is hot! You always want to ask for a referral during or immediately after your customer signed-up with you. Why? Because this is usually when they are the most excited about your service. The other time to ask them for referral is just after you receive a payment for services. Obviously, if they paid you, they're satisfied, too. So, use these two key times to ask for your referrals.
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New ARRiiVE Business Solutions SPECIAL PROMOTION:
Get a Salesconx account set-up that will help you drive business to your website, or get paid for connecting people you know with the needs of others.
Just visit this link and they'll get you started.
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Now, if you're asking for referrals but still struggling with getting as many warm leads as you'd like to see, there may be an additional way you can grow your prospecting list: offer a GIFT to get a referral.
USE GIFTS TO GET MORE REFERRALS
The following examples all are used by various companies as gifts:
- Credits towards services you offer.
- Cash - my web hosting company for ARRiiVE.com, 1and1.com, offers a cash payment for other webmasters/sites referred to 1and1 domain, hosting, and other web services.
- Gift Certificate. For example, "Refer three people and get a $15 certificate towards your next order")
- A Free Vacation. Worldmark by Wyndham and other companies offer a free vacation if you win a contest for referring people to take a tour through their program. I can hook you up if you want a tour of that nature as I have many friends at Wyndham.
- White Paper download. IBM offers many high-quality "white papers" or position papers on a variety of topics. It took me all of 60 seconds to find one related to the book I'm writing: Transforming The Workforce by IBM. If you want to learn more cutting-edge ways to transform a global team, email me for more details on my book, solution, and upcoming software tool.
The point is to get creative in your effort to gain referrals and grow your prospect or leads list. I like Worldmark's idea of having an "Owner Party Weekend" where owners can invite friends to a party and get a "super-charged" experience. They have some cool things, like an Elton John Concert and the Red Piano at Caesar's coupled with a stay at their resort. What better way to get involved, right?
Just 10% more business can mean a lot of money:
One company I recently consulted with claimed they helped their customer gain over $6,000,000 in additional business through an increase of just 9% from their referral program.
Need help? Get a proven process:
Through ARRiiVE.com, I offer a service helping organizations of medium size set up their own referral program. I use a simple process:
1. Gather email, offer gift or coupon.
2. Offer referral payment for providing email of client's friend/associate.
3. Gift client who refers a potential new client or submits a repeat order through the coupon.
It's simple and easy to use, and my automated system costs as little as just $30 per promotion per month up to over $249 per month, depending upon your needs. If you need assistance in setting up your referral program, contact ARRiiVE, we can help you set up your program. We offer a free 10-day trial, so you have nothing to lose when you try it out.
I'm considering things for my clients to bring a guest, such as a cruise on the Papagallo II, Wine-Tasting and Talk, and other things that sound fun to me. Maybe I can help you with something similar, too?!
Share this article with a friend and forward this link!
OR share the radio broadcast - bonus affiliate ideas:
Jul 16, 2008
ARRiiVE's Refer a Friend Program
Click on this link to view our "refer-a-friend" program:
Refer a Friend
Do you want a referral program to help increase your company's referral business? Contact ARRiiVE Business Solutions today.
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Copyright © 1999-2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved.
