A+ Sales and Marketing Your Business

[ChipStop]

Post #5 Time Management
There are relatively three types of WRS people I have working for me. New, easy going, and high strung There are also three types of WSR sales folk too, but they are not necessarily tied to their personality: They are New, Moderate Income, and High Income Producers. What sets the High income Producers from the others is not their personality, or their hyperactivity, but how they spend their time.

The question of the day is this: How much of your time is spent in non-selling activities?

Non selling activities are a give in with the WSR business. There is paperwork, paperwork, and did I say paperwork? Yuck! Make it a point to make your non selling activities a fixed portion of your day and schedule that time.

Spending your time directly engaged in selling activities, increases your well of potential customers, and helps you negotiate from a position of strength. If you find yourself continually dropping the price, because you "just need this sale," then most likely, you are bargaining from a place of weakness, or shallow customer base, or just new to the business. In order to have strong and steady sales all or most of your time, you must habitually engage in new business development process. There is no way of getting around this reality.

If you are spending more than 25% of your time in non selling activities, you may want to sit down with yourself and analyze how you are spending your time. I am sure you can do better.

It's 7:30 am and I have to run!
Have a great Delta Day!

Mark Howie
ChipStop,Inc

[ChipStop]

Post #6 The Power of 5 Calls

When I was just starting out in the WSR business, with no one to se, and my attempts to put up my tent and sign failed, I thought there must be a simpler way. Cause let's face it: The goal is to have as many cars in one spot as possible, in order to do as many jobs as possible in the shortest amount of time, all while giving superior quality and service, right? How do you do that? Well, you can do like I did go to Sam's and get an ez-up 10X10 tent, put some banners up, and wait for people to impulse their way to you. BTW--this works great for some on this forum! It just didn't work for me. After 10 days straight, I only got 5 jobs. . . just enough to pay for my 2 tents. At that rate I would surely starve.

It was a rainy day, much like it is today. Here I sat in my make-shift office. Me, my telephone, and my laptop. I can't let another day be waisted on non producing activities. So I picked up my trembling hand and began to make my first cold call. The call was a disaster! It was to a construction company that had over 50 vehicles in it's fleet. I had my script outlined on a post-it-note. You could hear my voice trembling and my knees knocking in the background. The man on the other end cussed me for interrupting his day. He said I should get a real job. Needless to day, I was devastated.
I picked myself esteem off the floor, and made another call. Same results. Next call. . . . even worse than the first. Am I some kind of masochist? No. I was desperate. The mortgage was due, and this was all I had to produce income or hope of keeping a roof over the head of my wife and 2 kids.

Through trial and error, mess-ups and mistakes, flounders and making a fool of myself, I discovered the power of 5. On my fifth call, the man on the other end said, "Why don't you buy me lunch and we can talk about it." Man it was like a rocket blasting off inside me. My self esteem went from the floor to the ceiling in a nano-second. Then, about 5 minutes after the call, I realized that I had just agreed to pay for someone's lunch with money I needed to pay bills. The meeting went well. I ate a salad, and water. He had a steak. . .on me. He gave me a shot. And that was my first of hundreds of fleet accounts.

Here are some of the lessons I learned in this process:

1. After 5 calls my confidence was restored. If at first you don't succeed try try again. But tweek and improve your presentation with each and every call.
2. 5 calls a day=25 calls a week=1250 calls a year. Calls are bound to improve my business.
3. Everyday I work, I schedule 8am-9am for phone calling new prospects. My goal is 5 calls in this hour. ( you can actually make 20-30 calls an hour, but I found out that in my culture (the South) I have to spend time connecting with them first)
4. On rainy days, like today, I can make 5 good calls an hour. 5 X 5 hours of calling=25 calls a day. Multiply that times the number of average rainy days in my town (109 a year)=2725 extra calls a year I can make.
5. The purpose of the call is to get a face-to-face meeting. I set my appointments, and schedule all our jobs on the hour. The appointment should last no more than 40 minutes of that hour, unless you discover you are related.
6. Mailing printed brochures before the phone call only helps me not to be so afraid to call. Most of the folks I sent stuff to threw it away without reading it. So when I called, they lied when I asked if they got my "expensive professional looking brochure" I call, then mail a note of thanks, then I take my brochure with me to the meeting. At the meeting, I tell them everything that is in the brochure, and towards the end of the meeting, I hand them one to help recap our time together.
7. Never leave a meeting without getting their card. I used to buy cards buy cards by the 10K and hand cards to everyone. Today, I also collect cards from everyone. You see, it is my responsibility to stay in touch with the customer/prospect not theirs to contact me. Remember, I am the one who is hungry here. Collect as many cards as you can. Today, we have a contest with our techs to see how many cards they can collect in a day, without stealing the bowel of them the local diner. This is a great way to build your contact list.

I urge you to make at least 1 call a day. Even if you are busy beyond all imagination, I urge you to consider making one new business development call a day. Once you stop, it's very hard to regain your momentum.

So what do you think? Agree/ Disagree? Comment? I welcome all discussion. What works best for you? Feel free to respond.

Have a great Delta day.

Mark Howie
ChipStop, Inc

[Frank EU]

Mark, I couldn't agree more, well spoken! It is roughly the way we operate for the last 13 years. And it works. Like you were saying; we are the hungry ones, if we do want the work, we should stay in contact -do not expect it to be the other way around!

[David T]

Mark,

I wanted to thank you for sharing your experiences and strategies with the members of the forum. I was inspired by your journey. It's valuable to be reminded that success is often built on taking many difficult and unprofitable steps, and that each step (no matter what the results are) is not the final destination. Your generosity (as well as many others that have offered their "time tested" WSR experience) has made it possible for many "newbies" to follow in your footsteps and not have to spend years re-inventing the wheel.

David

[ChipStop]

Post #7 Becoming Rejection-Proof

In previous posts I have shared with you my in-depth account of my first experiences in the WSR world and that of professional selling. In the early days, I had , what I thought was a very sophisticated daily routine. I hate to admit it, but the entire routine was developed with one goal in mind: I did not want to make any cold calls. At the time, all I knew was that I was petrified. I didn't know why. Now I know that I suffered from a tremendous fear of rejection.
I suspect that if we all sold long enough, we would eventually overcome our fear of rejection. From my perspective, , I'm not sure why we should wait 20 years or so for this to happen. I'd like to offer a strategy that can help you overcome the fear of rejection now. I would like to help you change your paradigm. . . and it's not worth only 20 cents!

A paradigm is simply a way of looking at something. To change your paradigm, you must change the way you look at something. I had to see that the WRS sales thing, as a process, not as an event in and of itself. The goal of a looking at the sales thing as a process is to educate your prospects and customers, about windshield repair. In other words, if our prospects knew about our companies, and the great service we provide. If they knew that we are saving the environment, by preventing windshields from being dumped into landfills. if they knew that we are saving them hundreds of dollars over replacement. If they knew that their insurance rates would not increase. If they knew the real hazards of allowing chips and cracks to remain in their windshields. Then they would buy, buy, and buy again without hesitation!

Selling is the process of educating our prospects about the value our service will add to their lives, and possibly add to the profitability of their companies. If we can demonstrate that our service will yield superior return on their investment (ROI) then the fleet company will buy. If we cannot, then we must return the prospect to the sales pipeline and continue the education process at a later point in time.

Most WSR pros realize they need sales today. (Boy, I am speaking from experience today!) Most of us also realize we need sales tomorrow, right? What few greenhorns realize is that they will need sales one year from now and one decade from now, if they plan on remaining in the business. By viewing sales as a process, we take the no's of today and turn them into the Yeses of tomorrow, and one year from today, and one decade from today.

Following that thought, a rejection is never viewed as a NO. Rather it is simply viewed as information about a given prospect that allows you both to properly position that prospect in our sales pipeline and focus the direction of our education/marketing process.

So how is it with you? What is working for you in this business? Are you full-time? Are you part-time wishing to go full-time? Are you making the type of living you desire? Do you need to increase sales? Tell me. Is there a topic in Sales and marketing you wish was discussed? We are here to help. Your comments, and /or opinions are valuable.

Persistency +consistency = productivity

Mark Howie
ChipStop, Inc.

[Dr.Chipster]

Hey Mark, Just wanted to let you know that your post are the kind of thing I've been needing. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us newbies. Going from an employee to a business owner is a huge thing. I look forward to reading more of your post and implementing your ideas on a daily basis. I hope to have a viable and prosperous business one day. Maybe one day I will have learned enough to help others succeed as you are doing. Thanks again.

David

[pcb]

Hey Mark, I guess it's easier to say ditto on what Dr. Chipster said. Thank you for all the information and your willingness to share. Also, thanks to all the other members of this forum for the information you all have provided. I hope to one day be able to return the favors.

Perry

[ChipStop]

***SPECIAL NOTE Good Morning! First of all, I want to thank you for your kind words and the couple phone calls I have received lately. I am grateful for the lifestyle that this business has afforded me and my family, and I feel obligated to pay it forward. In 2009 we have made the commitment to give 10% of our gross sales to charity. This could not be done without people like you, teaching, discussing, and sharing your insights into the WSR business. Let's admit it. There is enough work for all of us, if we stay focused on our business objectives. Again, thank you, for your kindness.***

Post #8 Keep the Pipeline Full
One of my favorite toys as a kid, was the Play-Dough Fun Factory. The best part was taking a glob of play-dough and putting it into this red plastic extruder and squeezing on it to watch the dough come out the other end. It was amazing! I would load the yellow die into the machine, place some red dough in the other end, squeeze with all my might, and presto! i would have a 6 inch star shaped log right in front of my eyes. Sometimes I would be in such a hurry, I would load different colors in the hopper and have some funky looking stuff come out the other end. Little did I know that 35 years later, I am still loading the hopper, and squeezing with all my might.

Given that you are working efficiently and given that you are not a "price seller," the best strategy for ongoing success is to have a full pipeline (hopper). In fact, whenever I am asked the question "How can I speed up the sales cycle?" I immediately ask to see the person's, or in my case, the company's sales pipeline. Prior to seeing the pipeline, I am willing to wager that the pipeline is insufficient to cover the goals.

In case you are wondering what a sufficient WSR pipeline should be, I would recommend sales goal coverage of 3X or more. What this means is that if your goal is $1000 a week, or $4000 a month, you should have a "real" sales pipeline of $3000 a week, or $12000 a month. . . .if you hope to reach your sales goals on a consistent basis. This is not to say that if your pipeline less than 3X you will not achieve your goals. It is possible, but the odds are against you.

Since the magnitude of your pipeline is largely a function of your effort in the prospecting and cold calling area, the magnitude of your pipeline is largely within your control. Even in tough financial times! In measuring your pipeline, you must be honest with yourself. you must be realistic in your assessment of the opportunities. I have made the mistake of building up a huge pipeline and only working on the pipeline. It produced quick money, followed by no money. Just like my play-dough hopper, I have to keep the hopper full of real warm or hot prospects, in order to squeeze out the kind of sales I need consistently.

Prospecting, or attaining your goals is not an area about which to be fooling yourself, in order to defer the pressure of not meeting your goals and not being able to pay your bills. Here's a thought: Try to make a friend in a different field than you, but in sales one the less. See if you can become accountability partners and encouragers to each other. Set a breakfast appointment once a month, and discuss how things are going. . . for real. I have a friend who is a developer, who has been my covert business coach. We share ideas, and friendship, as well as someone to come clean with when I am being lazy. It works great.

The point is this: Why not maximize your value as a WSR professional by simply doing the best you can as often as you can? Then make the decision to be the best more often. it is far better than riding the roller coaster of sales. Its fun at first, but leaves you queasy after riding for a month.

Have a great Delta Day

Yours for the things that matter most,
Mark Howie
ChipStop, Inc.

[Brent Deines]

Good for you ChipStop. I've always believed that the key to success has as much to do with how much you are willing to give as anything else. Every time we have increased our giving our income has also increased, but even if it doesn't I hope to remain a faithful giver. Giving 10% of your gross sales is commendable indeed. One of my favorite charities is Life Outreach International as it is amazing how far a dollar goes in the third world countries, and there are often matching funds available for their various mission projects. There are many, many, wonderful charities however. Do you have a favorite?

[ChipStop]

Brent, I researched Life Outreach, and it is a very credible organization. I have 3 favorites. #1 is my local church. This is where I give at least 10% of my personal income to. #2 is wwwequitas.cc. It is an organization ran by my friend from High School. Their mission is to provide clean water for the people of Malawi. One well can provide enough water for up to 1000 people. I have been able to travel to see this organization's work in action, and our company is challenged to give enough to dig 100 wells in this country through our 10% to charity campaign. We also would like to continue our charity in helping Mississippians recover from Hurricane Katrina.

Post #9 Overcoming the Fear of Rejection through Diversification

There is a universal law that we in the windshield repair business know all too well. It is the law of sowing and reaping. This law suggests that whatever we "soweth", so shall we "reapeth." When we expand the this definition to cover sales and marketing our businesses, we learn that our prospecting calls are seeds that we plant at the beginning of the sales cycle. Plant only one seed, and your harvest depends on the outcome of that one seed. Make only one cold call, and your whole business depends on the outcome of only one call, it becomes quite clear why prospecting can become a great source of anxiety for the guy who is just starting out in this business. Hence, the fear of rejection.

The key to removing this anxiety or fear lies in the fact that you and I just make enough prospecting calls so that the outcome of one call is not, and cannot be significant to you overall selling results. This strategy is not new in business, but it may not have received its due in our world. The strategy is called diversification.

I look at my contacts as a list of stocks. (I hope this comparison helps prove my point) Invest in one stock, and my well being rests in the fortunes of just one company as the stock price goes either higher or lower. A group of stocks, (a mutual fund) in contrast, is a collection of stocks. In fact, it is a large collection of stocks. The theory behind mutual fund investing is that the movement of any one stock has very little impact on the overall results of the fund. In other words, you have diversified away a large portion of your risk. If you feel investing in one mutual fund is too risky, you could diversify even more by investing in several mutual funds, further reducing the effect any one stock could have on your investments' overall financial performance. This is a key to the long term stability of your business as well.

Prospecting can work in the same manner. as you increase the number of new business calls, the outcome of any one call has less and less significance. If you are crazy like me, and believe in your company, you must also believe that eventually everyone who has a windshield will eventually your services. It's only a matter of time before every prospect will peak and do business with you, and you should be able to remove prospecting anxiety and fear of rejection completely from your category.

Write the previous paragraph on a post it note. Put it in front of your face when you are making your daily phone calls. Remember, it's not about you! They are not rejecting you!

So if you are like me and fear rejection, if you have ever had anxiety surrounding the business development process, understand that the source of your anxiety stems not from low self-esteem, but from the simple fact that you are not making enough calls. The good news is that now you have the cure for your anxiety: Make more calls!

Yours for the things that matter most,

Mark Howie
Chipstop,Inc.