Take nothing for granted: Chicago Olympics or Saturn

In the news, we all read that it was an assumed victory for Chicago to win the Olympics bid. A done deal. A no-brainer. But that's not how it played out. In fact, Chicago was the first of the finalists to be eliminated.

Another done deal was Saturn being sold to Penske. We all saw the TV commercials telling us, don't worry, Saturn will be here for a long time. No doubt. In the bag. Didn't happen. Now, GM says it's shutting Saturn down.

Doesn't matter what economy we're in, nothing can be taken for granted, not your customers, your business, your contracts, nothing.

That's why the successful suppliers, dealers, organizations and people are plowing ahead looking for opportunities every second. If that assumed victory falls through ala Saturn, you still have a lot of momentum elsewhere. If the assumed victory really does happen, what a great problem you'll have--too many victories.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com

Classic salesmanship doesn't cut it

The classic sales approach of push, push and push again will not work in this economy. That goes for dealerships, corporations and for suppliers to those corporations.

Yes, corporations have money, and so do customers. But over the past year, we have all been programmed to think and say, "no" when it comes to spending.

So, the dealership salesperson that calls and calls his/her customers to pressure them to buy will lose. The supplier that calls his client and repeatedly asks for the sale, will not get it.

Today, being the classic salesperson is not enough. You have to be a confidant, an advisor, and an expert. You have to bring a sincere, thought-out recommendation to the customer, because that will be what is required to overcome their first-blush response of "no." Then maybe they'll listen and consider what you've brought to them.

If you hope for success by asking the same question over and over and expecting a "yes", these are going to be frustrating times.


Barry LaBov
LaBov and Beyond
www.labov.com

Engage--Ask for Volunteers

Engagement is focus for all large and small corporations. Not just engagement from employees, but also from customers.

A great example is my golf club, Sycamore Hills Golf Club in Fort Wayne, Indiana. We're a Top 100 ranked, Jack Nicklaus Signature Course. We recently had the opportunity to host the National Ladies Team USGA Championship. A huge undertaking.

I was moved at the opening event (the night before the competition begin) as I heard from the hundreds of volunteers (many were members of the Club) as to how excited they were, how beautiful the course was and what a great opportunity it was to host the event.

That's engagement. Because, all of the members (including myself), pay to be part of the Club, in essence we paid for the opportunity to volunteer at a non-profit event and we're all fired up about it!

As I was talking with the passion-filled volunteers, it occurred to me what would have happened if this indeed had been a for-profit event in which the members were not asked (or needed) to volunteer. I think the enthusiasm and buy-in would have been dramatically reduced.

Apply it to our for-profit businesses. The more we engage our customers or clients, the more they'll enjoy their ownership experience. How can you find ways to engage your customers so they will in turn, be more engaged with your brand?


Barry LaBov
LaBov and Beyond
www.labov.com