Did you know that the Fable of the Porcupine can help everyone that is in sales and marketing?

It was the coldest winter ever.  Many animals died
because of the cold.  The porcupines, realizing the
situation, decided to group together.  This way,
they covered and protected themselves; but, the
quills of each one wounded their closest companions
even though they gave off heat to each other.

After awhile, they decided to distance themselves one
from the other and they began to die, alone and frozen.
So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of
their companions or disappear from the Earth.
Wisely, they decided to go back to being together.
This way they learned to live with the little wounds
that were caused by the close relationship with
their companion, but the most important
part of it, was the heat that came from the
others. This way they were able to survive. 
Therefore:
The best relationship is not the one that brings
together perfect people, but the best is
when each individual learns to live with
the imperfections of others and can admire
the other person's good qualities.

The moral of this story is that as business people we need to overlook the peculiarities of our clients, just as they overlook our peculiarities.

“We are closed! We close at 8 o’clock!”

That is what greeted me at a local big box store the other day. My first indication was to look at it humorously by stating, “No your not, the sign in your window says open.” The employee was not happy with me pointing out the obvious. Then she said, ‘You’ll have to come back tomorrow.”

This conversation made me think about how we train our employees in the use of the words they speak.

Correct me if I am wrong, but wouldn’t it have been better to say to me; “Sorry we can’t help you right now, we are in the process of closing. We are open again at 8:00 tomorrow morning, and close at 6:00 tomorrow night. We would be glad to serve you some time tomorrow. That is okay, isn't it?”

Do these comments appear to be from one who is service oriented?

How can you educate your staff to be more focused on the potential customer?

After you’ve introduced yourself, what do you do?

This is an area that many people think that they have to continue the ‘look at me' or 'look at our company’ talk. Well don’t think that way. Remember people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

This is the time to get to know your prospect. You may have all the enthusiasm in the world for what you do, but if you don’t get to know what is important to them – you are never going to help get them what they want.

It has been said that you have to ‘qualify’ these prospects. The word ‘qualify’ concerns me a bit. I prefer to think about this area as getting to understand the prospects’ attitudes and previous choices. The only way you can do that is by asking questions. These questions must be of interest to them while at the same time helping you understand the prospect's previous motives.

So what questions can you use to find out more about your prospective clients?

Are you working in your business or on it?

This is a question that has been asked by many business gurus over the years, especially Michael Gerber of ‘The E-Myth’ books. The reason I bring this up is that recently a business friend came up to me and stated that things were very tough for him lately. He went on and on, you know the usual negative talk.

After he went back to his home I thought how sad his situation is. This is because he is so actively involved in his business he has not looked at how he could develop or renew his business. Back in the early winter I offered people in his industry a briefing. This briefing was all about the research I had done about trends in their industry and how they can transform their businesses. Many of the owners I had shown this information to were ecstatic and before I left their business were outlining how they could improve.

I prepared this briefing because I wanted to give back to an industry that has been very good to me and my family.

Now getting back to my business friend, he was one who declined to meet with me. Yes, three months ago he decided that getting information about trends in his industry and planning ideas were not what he wanted to do. Now, he is concerned about making ends meet.

Do you now see how important it is to work on your business not just in it?

How do you introduce what your business does?

In other words; how do you describe what you and your business products and services do for your clients?

Do you say, “I’m in the __ business.” This has been my fall-back for many years, especially when I am not thinking. The reason I say that I am not thinking when I use that phrase is that it says nothing emotionally to the prospective client.

So how should you introduce yourself? First of all, your words should be passionate. That way it will show your prospective client that you believe in what you do. Secondly, your introduction should use words that the person can relate to. That is words that arouse their feelings about what they want to achieve or what they want to avoid.

I am offering a special bonus for the first 5 people who send me their ‘non-thinking’ introduction along with their new introduction using the tips above. My e-mail address is; timothygibney@sympatico.ca

Wouldn't it make more sense to describe what you do and how your products and services impact your clients more effectively?

Do referrals really work in your business?

This is one thing that all businesses strive for, I think.

You may wonder why I state that. I write that because last week a friend of mine referred me to a lawn care company. He had a good relationship with them and thought they could help me out. I called them to get an idea of what type of service they could provide for me. After hearing the description of their service I agreed that they could help. I asked the receptionist to send one of the staff to my address to give me a quote on the work to be done. She stated that a staff member would come to my home in the evening and drop a quote in my mail box.

The next morning I looked in my mail box – no quotation. At noon hour I called the company and asked for the person I had spoken to. I was told that she was out and would return my call.

Another day goes by and no response or quotation. Later that day another person called and left a message telling me that the work would be done in the next couple of days. I was surprised that I still had no price quotation, so I called back and left my name and number. I waited 18 hours and still no response from my message. I called and spoke to the receptionist about why they had already booked the service and had not given me the quotation. She didn’t have an answer. I told them not to do the work.

So what good did a referral do for this business?

I hope you and your business take care of referrals better than this company. Do you have a plan to follow with all of your referrals? If not, when will your next referral fall through the cracks?

Did you know that Leonardo da Vinci can help you become a better marketer? – Part 7

The seventh and final principle is ‘Connessione’. This is the breakthrough connections that most people don’t see. Leonardo made connections that few people even thought about.

It is the development of ideas for your business that no other business has even dreamt of. Leonardo’s last flying invention was a flying machine quite like today’s helicopter. This is something to consider as he lived from 1452 to1519, with the first operational helicopter being built in 1936.

‘Connessione’ is the ultimate in business development as when you create something that no one ever had, can you imagine how easy it is to promote and sell that product. To move this idea to the 21st Century, consider the impact Apple has had on the marketplace. Apple sold more than 7.3 million iPads in the last quarter of 2010, for a total of more than 14.7 million in its first three quarters in the market.

Without ‘Connessione’ you and your business remain in the dog eat dog market place.  

Have you ever spoke to your staff about the development of ideas to help your business grow? When will you talk to them about the principle of ‘Connessione’?

Did you know that Leonardo da Vinci can help you become a better marketer? – Part 6

The sixth principle is ‘Corporalita’. It is the integration of all aspects and areas of your business.

‘Corporalita’ is necessary so that you have a smooth running business machine. A business needs to have all areas understanding each other and communication with each other. To me that means if there is a problem in one area that could cause problems, that particular area automatically calls any other area that could be impacted to make sure they know there could be problems.

Without ‘Corporalita’ the entire process of satisfying clients falls apart. Remember satisfying clients is what marketing as all about.

What are three ways you can improve the principle of ‘Corporalita’ in your business?

Did you know that Leonardo da Vinci can help you become a better marketer? – Part 5

The fifth principle is Arte/Scienza. It is the balance of the art and science in your business.

The best example of this principle is in marketing. Many people think that an ad can just be slapped together and clients will show up at your door, unfortunately this is not the case. In marketing you have to know what motivates people to become actively involved with you and your product or service, which is the science. The creation of the plan is the art.

When you do not know the art and science of a particular area of your business how do you think that it will be effective? Remember in each area of your business you need to appeal to all of your prospective clients. Creative’s go with their feelings and Analyzer’s view the details. Then there is the Whole Brain Thinkers who analyze the data and then go with their feelings.

If you want to become truly successful it is a necessity to use the principle of ‘Arte/Scienza’. How can you use this principle?

Did you know that Leonardo da Vinci can help you become a better marketer? – Part 4

The fourth principle is Sfumato. It is managing the changes in your business. This principle is about managing ambiguity and maintaining composure in the face of uncertainty. Maintaining composure in a changing business world is the key to long-term growth.

If you don’t know how to manage the ever present change in business conditions, how will you know what it will take to move your business to the next level? If you are not marketing effectively in this changing world how do you expect to sell your business in the future?

So how can you stay centered and create opportunities by using the principle of ‘Sfumato’?

Did you know that Leonardo da Vinci can help you become a better marketer? – Part 3

The third principle is Sensazione. This is all about sharpening your awareness to what is going on in all aspects of your business. This principle is all about using all of your senses in business. Yes, watching what is going on, listening to everyone and sensing the good and the bad in all the experiences. The ability to sense what is going on is a developed skill. The ability to track the results of your marketing is a mathematical skill. The ability to improve your marketing is a learned skilled that has two components; art and science namely the psychology of influence.

If you don’t know what is working in your marketing, how will you know what you should improve?

What is one way that you can improve your business by using the principle of ‘Sensazione’?

Did you know that Leonardo da Vinci can help you become a better marketer? – Part 2

The second principle is Dimostrazione. This is all about truly learning from experience. A question for you; if you don’t know what you don’t know, how will you know what you should know?

How do you know if you are very good at a particular area of your business? Do you analyze the results? Do you compare what you did before with the results you are getting right now?

For over 30 years I’ve analyzed the results of different marketing efforts. What I have come to realize is that there are particular ways to create an effective marketing campaign. What I’ve also come to realize is that some business owners want to do it their own way, no matter the long-term costs.

My question to you is ‘When are you going to start using the principle of ‘Dimostrazione’?

After posting 90 blogs in 125 days it is time for me to step back and refresh. When I return I will complete the da Vinci series.

Did you know that Leonardo da Vinci can help you become a better marketer? – Part 1

In 1998 Michael Gelb wrote the book ‘How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci. In the book author Gelb uncovered 7 principles that I know apply to marketing. Over the next editions of my blog I am going to help you uncover how da Vinci’s principles can help you in all aspects of your business related to marketing.

The first principle is Curiosità. This is an unquenchable quest for information and improvement. To me this is being curious about what makes your staff, your prospects and your clients who they are. It is all about learning so that you can help them get what they want. As you know if you do not learn you do not grow.

What can you do to find out what motivates your staff, your prospects and your clients?

This is all about being inquisitive. It is all about asking questions that they have never been asked before. My question to you is ‘When are you going to start using the principle of ‘Curiosità’?

What are your company’s best assets?

If you are a business owner I hope number one on your list is you. Secondly I hope that your employees are next on your list.

The reason I hope that employees are near the top of your list is that they provide the key work to help achieve your future success. If you don’t treat them with dignity and respect – you will be getting back what you are giving them.

If you treat them with dignity and respect – you will have some of the best employees the world has to offer. They will also be your greatest proponents of all the good that you are doing in your business.

You see assets are never liabilities!

Sometimes people mistake hype for marketing, don’t they?

Take for example the Prince William and Kate Middleton wedding last week – the Wedding of the Century as some of the press has dubbed it. Talk about confusing young women into believing that their Prince Charming is going to arrive.

Whenever I think about weddings it boggles my mind about how much time is spent on preparing for a one-day event and how little discussion takes place about the marriage. It is no wonder that marriages don’t last these days.

This wedding hype is no different than the hype that many people give to a special event or sale in their business. It is all about a one time event. If you want to run a business that understands how important every action you take is, why don’t you create a Mission Statement? This way you and every one of your staff will understand what is important in the long-term. Your and their decisions will be focused on what is important and you (the business owner/manager) will have less stress.

If you haven’t developed a Mission Statement yet, I can help you do this is a very short time. Call me today at 519-539-2267.