StandOut by Marcus Buckingham Read Free Book Online Page B

support. Now and then, check in on my progress.
     
• Be careful in your comparisons. You can tend to evaluate me against my teammates or other people you’ve worked with. I need to know that you see me for my own particular abilities.
     

How to Win in Sales
     
    Connector : Your strength is your active network of relationships. Your need to reach out and stay current with your network will help those you have selected feel valued and appreciated.
• As your potential client I like it when you come around and visit me. You’ve always got something going on, some news to share about what your company is doing or what is going on in our industry. Your network offers me access to valuable resources I would not be able to find on my own.
     
• You seem to me to have a wide network. I’d love to meet some of the other people in your network. Can you put on a lunch or a dinner, some event where we can all get to know one another? Organize meetings, retreats, off-sites, learning seminars, symposia. We want to belong. We want to feel part of a smart group who can learn from one another. You can be our host and our bond, tying us together and to you.
     
• Always take the time to ensure that the people you introduce me to can really help me. As this happens more and more, I will see you as more and more credible.
     
• Your referrals will always be one of your powerful sales weapons. Sort through your network and organize it into different layers or levels of “referral.” Some you will use for first-time buyers. Others you will call upon only when you want to cast a vision of a full-blooded, multiyear partnership.
     
• Personalize all your interactions with me. If you’re pushing out a mass mail-out campaign, make sure to cross out the “Dear Ms. So-and-so” and handwrite my first name in. Scribble a few lines in the margin about how you’re looking forward to seeing me on the twenty-first. Show me that I’m not just one of a million, I’m one in a million.
     

How to Win in Client Service
     
    Connector : Your strength is your resourcefulness. You always have some person or some idea that can help solve my situation.
• You leave no stone unturned. I can tell you’re working as hard as possible to find solutions for me, your client. Tell me the steps you’re taking. I need to follow your line of thinking.
     
• You really listen to my needs. You are loyal to your brand, but what I like about you is that you don’t hesitate to introduce an alternate brand or product if you think it will serve my needs better. I appreciate this because it reassures me that you care more about my satisfaction than filling a quota.
     
• I like it that you deal with my problems head-on. I sense that you are a resourceful person who will be able to nip my problem in the bud, or who will know the person to call to help me solve it.
     
• You are effective at offering additional services that you know will truly boost my experience. Be very clear on the benefits and potential drawbacks of these add-ons. The better you get at this, the more I will feel that it is a legitimate enhancement rather than an up-sell.
     
• You think of me as a person first, a client second. You never forget my name and always make a point of recalling a fact from a previous conversation. This connection reassures me that you have my best interests in mind, because you have paid attention to me. Develop a system—a place to capture names, details, specifics about me and other customers—to hone this talent.
     
• Make me feel like an insider. When possible, invite me behind the curtain and let me see some of your inner workings. I may not always take you up on the offer but that you trust me this much does not go unnoticed. It will be reciprocated in my repeat business.
     

 
    CREATOR
     
    The Definition
     
    You begin by asking, “What do I understand?” You aren’t immune to the feelings and perspectives of others, but your starting