Sales Training London: Why Aren't You Making R.E.C.O.N. Calls to Your Customers to Keep Them
Sales Training London: Why Aren't You Making R.E.C.O.N. Calls to Your Customers to Keep Them
When I was growing up 30 years ago, I remember overhearing a young boy making a call from a public phone box in our local general store. He was so small he had to pull across a milk crate to reach the phone. "Hello, Mrs Jones?", he said, "Mrs Jones, I'd like to cut your lawn". It didn't sound to me like the call was going especially well "Mrs Jones, I'm offering to cut your lawn and take away the cuttings when I finish", he continued, "Mrs Jones, please give me an opportunity to show you how much I'd appreciate working for you. Not only will I cut your lawn and take away the trimmings, I'll also prune your hedges" but still no he was having no lick. "But Mrs Jones, I'll cut your lawn, take away the cuttings and trim your hedges all for £1 less than you're paying now!"
The hard-nosed Mrs Jones apparently was having none of it, "but Mrs Jones .......Mrs Jones, please listen........." and eventually he put down the phone. I was sure I saw a faint smile fading from his lips. Mr Clark, the shopkeeper called the boy over to him. "Son, I'm impressed by your initiative and someone your age making such an effort to earn a crust. I want to give you a break. If you want a job, come and work here", he said. The boy replied, "No thanks Mister. I've got a job cutting Mrs Jones's lawn. I was just making sure I kept it!" and with that he got on his bike and rode off.
There's a fabulous lesson here for all of us. To keep your customers, keep in touch with them, explore any weaknesses in your position and discover if their loyalty is in doubt so you can fix any problems before they cost you a customer.
Have you tried R.E.C.O.N.?
1. R - Remember the reasons you were originally asked to help them, review their pain and relive their previous position before they brought you in to help.
2. E - Evaluate your relationship. How are you doing? What's worked? What hasn't? What could have been done better?
3. C - Changed? - What's changed since you stated working together? For better? For worse? How have you helped improve their lot? What's changed in their business? In ours?
4. O - Opportunity? - what are the opportunities for them? For you? How can you collaborate so both sides benefit? What opportunities can we pursue together?
5. N - Next Steps? - What happens next? Put in place a clear, specific, certain up front contract so that you both know what will always happen next. Contract with your customer for the next point of contact, for the next piece of work, for the next phase of a project, for the next review or for referrals within and outside their organisation.
I know this is simple, common sense. But what can I say? How many of us really do this type of account development behaviour regularly and routinely to protect our lifeblood income and then hold up our hands in despair when they drop us and go to a competitor or worse still, we lose them to apathy. Now that is a crime against our families and our businesses isn't it?
Next time there'll probably be another good story ...... which might even be true. If you have any questions or want to engage in a discussion, drop me a line here or call me to chat on 07876 616983.
Happy selling!
Regards
Marcus
Sales Training London Why Arent You Making RECON Calls to Your Customers to Keep Them - To learn more about this author, visit Marcus Cauchi's Website.
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Why Aren't You Having R.E.C.O.N. Conversations With Your Customers Too?
When I was growing up 30 years ago, I remember overhearing a young boy making a call from a public phone box in our local general store. He was so small he had to pull across a milk crate to reach the phone. "Hello, Mrs Jones?", he said, "Mrs Jones, I'd like to cut your lawn". It didn't sound to me like the call was going especially well "Mrs Jones, I'm offering to cut your lawn and take away the cuttings when I finish", he continued, "Mrs Jones, please give me an opportunity to show you how much I'd appreciate working for you. Not only will I cut your lawn and take away the trimmings, I'll also prune your hedges" but still no he was having no lick. "But Mrs Jones, I'll cut your lawn, take away the cuttings and trim your hedges all for £1 less than you're paying now!"
The hard-nosed Mrs Jones apparently was having none of it, "but Mrs Jones .......Mrs Jones, please listen........." and eventually he put down the phone. I was sure I saw a faint smile fading from his lips. Mr Clark, the shopkeeper called the boy over to him. "Son, I'm impressed by your initiative and someone your age making such an effort to earn a crust. I want to give you a break. If you want a job, come and work here", he said. The boy replied, "No thanks Mister. I've got a job cutting Mrs Jones's lawn. I was just making sure I kept it!" and with that he got on his bike and rode off.
There's a fabulous lesson here for all of us. To keep your customers, keep in touch with them, explore any weaknesses in your position and discover if their loyalty is in doubt so you can fix any problems before they cost you a customer.
Have you tried R.E.C.O.N.?
1. R - Remember the reasons you were originally asked to help them, review their pain and relive their previous position before they brought you in to help.
2. E - Evaluate your relationship. How are you doing? What's worked? What hasn't? What could have been done better?
3. C - Changed? - What's changed since you stated working together? For better? For worse? How have you helped improve their lot? What's changed in their business? In ours?
4. O - Opportunity? - what are the opportunities for them? For you? How can you collaborate so both sides benefit? What opportunities can we pursue together?
5. N - Next Steps? - What happens next? Put in place a clear, specific, certain up front contract so that you both know what will always happen next. Contract with your customer for the next point of contact, for the next piece of work, for the next phase of a project, for the next review or for referrals within and outside their organisation.
I know this is simple, common sense. But what can I say? How many of us really do this type of account development behaviour regularly and routinely to protect our lifeblood income and then hold up our hands in despair when they drop us and go to a competitor or worse still, we lose them to apathy. Now that is a crime against our families and our businesses isn't it?
Next time there'll probably be another good story ...... which might even be true. If you have any questions or want to engage in a discussion, drop me a line here or call me to chat on 07876 616983.
Happy selling!
Regards
Marcus
Sales Training London Why Arent You Making RECON Calls to Your Customers to Keep Them - To learn more about this author, visit Marcus Cauchi's Website.
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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