Stone and I, along with High Velocity colleague Todd Youngblood, are in Birmingham, AL doing some work for one of our clients.

Our goal today? Our client is entering into an alliance with another company, and we are tasked with facilitating the education of the other company to better understand what our client does, and how to sell their services.

So, we got license to wander around the complex, without adult supervision, and do video interviews of our client’s personnel, and then feature those video interviews on an internal website designed and built to train and educate the sales force of our client’s new alliance partner.

The point? I can’t imagine being tasked with this responsibility, and not having access to a hand-held video camera like the Flip. This tool makes the process of filming and producing these video interviews so easy. And, we were pleasantly surprised how receptive most employees were to be filmed and interviewed.

Here Todd and I discuss the concept:

What do you think? What are other applications of video can you suggest?

I’ve been observing and cataloging “Top Performer” behavior for over 23 years now. Even after all that time, I’m still amazed at how different actual Top Performer behavior really is from the conventional wisdom so many rely on to guide their thinking and their actions.

Some Quick Examples From The Sales Arena: Despite what you may have read or your Neighborhood Sales Trainer likely told you, Precious Few Top Performers In The Sales Arena Actually . . .

- Ask A Lot Of Questions
- Manage Their Pipeline Like A Funnel
- Write Proposals
- Establish Value Before Sharing Price
- Heavily Research Their Prospect’s Business
- Change Their Communication Style To Match / Complement The Prospect’s
- Thank Prospects And Customers For Their Time

** I didn’t say “very few salespeople.” I said “Precious Few Top Performers.“

By The Way . . . They Don’t Possess (Or At Least Display) Particularly High Levels Of IQ, Stamina, Empathy, Looks, Creativity, or Work Ethic either.

This sales-focused list of Myth Busters hardly scratches the surface when it comes to the depth of misconception, breadth of misdirection, and sheer volume of academic babble in that arena — and there are just as many counter intuitive truths from the world of Top Perforning Leaders, Parents, Coaches, Clergy, and Athletes as well. All very interesting fodder for future blog posts — and I suspect, a marvelous catalyst for a spirited exchange.

In the meantime, here’s one item that cuts across all of these disciplines — and is perhaps even more dangerous, because the gurus aren’t really talking about it much, and apparently none of the big consulting houses have trademarked a cute acronym to call attention to it just yet.

I’m talking about . . . The Radical Shift vs. The Small Move

Bottom Line: Top Performers change their results (experiment and improve) in Small Moves, not Radical Shifts.

Small Moves . . .

Wanna Lose Weight And Keep It Off? Change one related habit — just one. Maybe it’s walk a little every day. Take on another habit next week — maybe an apple at 3pm to curb the huge dinner craving?

Small Moves . . .

Wanna Sell More? — Adopt one new Top Performer behavior . . . not a whole freakin’ methodology! (maybe learn how to isolate an objection in such a way that you know if it’s real or not, or maybe stop writing proposals). Nail one of these, then adopt another Top Performer behavior, and then another if you like.

Small Moves . . .

Re-kindle A Relationship? — Pay particular attention to the very first and very last thing you say to that person each time you’re together. (No warranty expressed or implied on this one — it’s just an idea.) The more important point:

It’s A Small Move . . .

Increase Traffic To Your Blog? — Start explicitly asking people for their input at the end of every post. Or start including a little video. Or invite some Guest Contributors. BUT DON”T BITE OFF ALL THIS CHANGE AT ONCE . . .

Small Moves . . .

Help Me Out Here . . . What are some other examples of Small Moves that can produce Big Results?

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We are on a mission at High Velocity to teach, demonstrate, and learn new ways to incorporate video into the day-to-day execution of your business and marketing process. Here is another idea:

To recap: so you have recently made a sales call on a prospect, a prospect who has given you a list of questions | challenges | hang-ups that you need to respond to. You could A) respond in writing. Or B) respond by producing a simple, personalized video.

As in, “John, Todd Schnick here. I was thinking about the question you posed to me in our conversation yesterday. I had an idea I wanted to share, so I thought I would explain my idea here by recording a short video message…”

Here are 5 reasons you might consider this approach:

1. I promise your video message will be watched. A detailed memo, will probably not be read.
2. Your competitor probably isn’t doing this.
3. Your prospect can watch again and again until they understand your idea.
4. This video will more likely be shared within their organization. I mean, really. Who wants to pass around a white paper?
5. One word: memorable.

Any questions?

What other ideas do you have for creatively using video?

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Had a meeting with a client yesterday. We are doing work with them that entails a whole score of projects, but a main focus is on utilizing video in their work, from marketing on the social web down to client and employee engagement.

I made the point in the meeting that I think EVERY employee ought to have their own Flip Cam (Note: I am partial to Flip Cams, but any simple-to-use video camera will do!).

In fact, I think it should be a part of your hiring package: cell phone, employee manual, office keys, business cards, flip cam, health care, desk, stationery, etc. You get the point.

And…they should be encouraged to use it — LIBERALLY. Empower them. Liberate them. In fact, the more I think about this idea, the more freedom this gives your employee to be themselves…to be more creative, to enjoy their work, to share ideas, to allow their personality to shine.

Here are just a few ideas on how you should pull your Flip Cam from it’s holster and use…at a moment’s notice…on a day-to-day basis:

1. To record yourself listing action items, from to do lists, work priorities, customer follow-ups, ideas to implement…

2. When visiting with a customer, and they are discussing a problem with you, ask permission to video the conversation. Promising internal use only, you can achieve a better understanding of their problem, show it to appropriate employees in your organization responsible for helping solve the problem, and not miss ONE detail from the customer’s original description of the problem. Also, share the video of your client’s problem to others in your company, not necessarily on the direct team responsible. You might be surprised at the solutions you get…

3. When visiting with a customer, record when they speak well of a recent project. Ask what went right, what could be improved upon, and also show to appropriate employees in your organization to let them know of client reaction and satisfaction. This builds stronger teams, and helps break down organizational silos.

4. After you have visited a prospect, on your way back to the office, stop and record a “dramatic” rest stop video. As in “Jim, I just left our meeting, and I was reflecting on our visit. And I had an idea that I wanted to get down before I forgot, so I pulled over at this rest stop…” Or something like “I was thinking about the questions you asked, and here is what I think…” I still think you should send a handwritten note to that prospect following your meeting, but how memorable will it be to get an email with a link to a personalized video addressing their key concern??

5. After a meeting, sit down with yourself, AND/OR with the appropriate team members and record what went right about a meeting, and reflect on ways to improve for the next time.

6. After a meeting, sit down with yourself, AND/OR with the appropriate team members and record what went wrong about a meeting, and reflect on ways to make it work the next time.

7. [OBVIOUS] Record a customer testimonial when a job is complete.

8. Interview all current customers, and for INTERNAL use only, record an interview about what the client VALUES the most from your organization. You will learn more about your customers, and achieve a greater understanding of what they care about. And they will feel more appreciated. AND, your team will see what matters to the customer, what problems they have, what challenges they face.

9. Interview all customers, especially NEW ones, and for INTERNAL use only, and record what the customer EXPECTS and DEMANDS of you and your organization. It is one thing to have superiors tell your employees that the customer expects something, it is quite another to hear it from the CUSTOMER!

10. In fact, I think employees should be allowed to present weekly reports, project updates, reviews, etc. on video. One, I think they will enjoy actually producing these reports. And two, I think people might actually pay attention to them…

11. When a team project fails, or suffers from a major setback, collect the responsible team around a table, set up flip cam, and record the whole discussion. You will likely uncover what went wrong, how to fix, how to avoid a similar fate down the road, AND, provide a powerful training video for future teams and new employees… And if you are really courageous, provide the public a video demonstrating how you deal with and solve problems…

What other ideas can you share?

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[cartoon by @gapingvoid]

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Guest Post by Best Selling Author and High Velocity Friend, Sharon Drew Morgen

Sharon Drew Morgen

Buying Facilitation® is a great model for helping buyers navigate their behind-the-scenes political and relationship issues that must achieve buy-in before they get consensus to purchase a solution – you know, that mysterious stuff buyers go through privately while we sit and wait for them to buy.

By using both two models consecutively, selling and buying becomes a very different experience than the one we are accustomed to: the timing is different, the skills are different, the outcomes are different, the relationship is different and the competitive and money factors fade away.
Indeed, sellers can enter the buying environment much, much earlier, be a coach as buyers gather the appropriate players and handle their buy-in issues, and lead them through all of the behind-the-scenes decisions they must make by being a part of the Buying Decision team – not as a seller, but as a management consultant and change agent dedicated to buyers achieving excellence. They have to do this stuff anyway: might as well be with you. You sit and wait while they do it anyway.

THE BUYER’S DECISION JOURNEY FIRST, THEN PROBLEM RESOLUTION SECOND
By beginning the buyer/seller relationship with a different agenda and skill set as a neutral navigator and using unbiased, systems-based Facilitative Questions to help buyers think through their range of relationship/political issues (like the department heads that need to get along, or the pesky tech team who try to take over the initiative, or the boss that wants to use her favored vendor) you can lead buyers through the non-problem-based, confusing stuff they need address to help them chart a course through their pre-purchase decision issues.

And then, once they determine how and why and if and when they can resolve their problem with minimum disruption, know who will be involved, and the criteria they all need to meet to move forward with any change, then you can start the process of understanding the specifics of their problem and know the right way to introduce your solution. First, neutral, unbiased change agent/coach. Second, gather data about full spectrum of need, and then place solution.

Let me break that down for you:

BUYING FACILITATION®

Step one: Make contact as a change agent. Lead a prospect through the discovery of where they are, what excellence would look like to them in the area your solution can resolve, and if there is a difference.

Step two: help the prospect discover all of the internal factors (many unknown, many historic, and all that they have to manage before considering doing anything different) that keep them where they are.

Step three: by using the right Facilitative Questions (based on helping prospect discover and manage their unconscious criteria), be placed on the Buying Decision Team to continue leading the buyer through all of the off-line, private decision issues they’ll need to address so they can garner buy-in.

Step four: continue to help prospects

» collect the right people,
» recognize their internal systems issues that are maintaining the status quo,
» help them re-organize,
» plot out the steps for adopting a solution that the whole Buying Decision Team would buy-in to,
» recognize any fall-out before they can even consider the right solution.
SALES

Step five: gather the appropriate data to see how your solution would fit and serve.

Step six: discuss your solution in detail, using the buyer’s buying criteria as they have discovered it, and introduced in a way that will teach the buyer how to manage the internal politics that you and the Buying Decision Team have just worked through.

SALES TODAY
In general the steps of sales today start with my Step Five (except when using the Internet as a lead generator, and then many companies start with Step Six, mistakenly assuming once the buyer makes contact they already know your solution fits and they are ready to buy). But make no mistake: buyers need to do the first steps anyway – with you or without you. It is here that you lose your sale.

How many times have you had the exact right solution and the buyer doesn’t buy? It’s not because your solution doesn’t fit or because they don’t like you or your price: it’s because they couldn’t get buy-in to do something different, or the internal politics demanded a different solution, or the status quo prevailed because they didn’t know how to keep their system in tact and determined that the risk and cost would be lower to do nothing.

You lose sales because buyers have a tough time navigating their internal decision issues, and sales doesn’t offer a model to help them do that.

Remember: the time it takes buyers to come up with their own answers is the length of the sales cycle – answers that most likely have absolutely nothing to do with your solution or their need, and everything to do with internal politics, relationships, and the unknown.

Buying Facilitation® is not sales. It’s a decision facilitation model that leads buyers through all of the internal navigation issues they must resolve privately and off-line before they get agreement to do anything different. Using sales, there are no skills to start where BF begins (As my book Dirty Little Secrets says over and over, don’t compare this to sales.) but you lose sales, lose time, lose money because you don’t.

Buyers are going to do this with you, or without you. And they do it very haltingly and inefficiently. Learn this model, add it to the front end of what you are doing now, and close more sales quicker – a lot more sales, a lot quicker.

Do you want to sell? or have someone buy? They are two different activities, and you need skills to support both.

sd

by Sharon Drew Morgen

Right Now, I Just Don’t Get:

- Four Square
- Texting
- Politics
- Google Wave

Last Year, I Just Didn’t Get:

- The Flip Cam
- Blogging
- Twitter
- Volunteering
- Classical Music

. . . All of which have changed my life immeasurably!

1. The Flip Cam has equipped me to help a lot more folks alot faster. Here’s just one example.

2. Blogging is now the hub of my entire “Go To Market” strategy — and it really works. It’s a marvelous venue for distributing all the great insight and passion we tap into each week on The High Velocity Radio Show. It’s a platform for expressing my own ideas (like this post), and it’s a terrific place to gather intelligence from an engaged, inspired community.

3. Twitter has helped me meet (and in many cases, serve) some of the most engaging people on the planet — at a pace simply not possible through the more traditional Tools I was using before.

4. I currently have two steady Volunteer gigs every week. Both are incredibly rewarding, remind me of how blessed I am, and have a way of “re-charging”me — equipping me to deal with what I use to consider major challenges in my life.

5. I’m now Director Of Development & Corporate Sales for The Cobb Symphony Orchestra. It’s a Blast! I’m discovering a) I have a real knack for this sort of sales & marketing, and b) Most people — including me — actually love this kind of music . . . particularly LIVE performances. Once they get a taste, they’re hooked.

Over the next few weeks I’m working with Restaurants and Associations — helping them leverage CSO performances to drive more business. It’s Fun, and It’s Working!

*** Double Whammy ***
Four reasons it’s working so well — and so fast . . . We’re capitalizing on The Flip Cam, Blogging, Twitter — and yes, even Volunteering to help us pull all this off!

My Point: If You Just Don’t Get It . . . That’s OK. But that doesn’t mean you should Dismiss it.

In fact, If You Just Don’t Get It — you should strongly consider diving in to learn as much as possible about it — at least for a little while. Borrow a term (and mindset) from the world of theatre: Temporarily suspend your disbelief. After a genuine effort at Observation, Trial, and Evaluation: If you still just don’t get it — or really do now get it, and choose not to do it — that’s fine. You’re now operating from a truly informed perspective.

By the same token: If you’ll open yourself up to this kind of exploration from time to time, you may very well find that some of the best ideas you could and should be implementing tomorrow are on today’s “Just Don’t Get It” list.

Try It: List 3 to 5 things — ideas, tools, etc. that you Just Don’t Get (yet). Now — Take one or two for a spin, and let us know what you learn.

Did I just get incredibly lucky here with how things turned out with my list? . . . Or . . . Have you had a similar experience?

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?

As we observed in the first post from this series . . . If you have a garage full of unsold books . . .

1. It’s probably because you haven’t genuinely connected with (enough of) your prospective readers.

2. While you certainly don’t have to have your own Radio Show or Interview Series to create that connection . . . This day in age you probably DO need to include audio and video in your Book Marketing strategy — somewhere, somehow.

Candidly, I can’t imagine releasing a paperback or hardback in today’s market without publishing an Audio Book as well. Producing high quality audio is remarkably inexpensive these days, and the marketing benefits are enormous. At the very least, you should seriously entertain the idea of complementing your traditional book with brief audio clips on each chapter or major idea expressed in your book — easily accessible and robustly promoted online.

Of course, here at High Velocity we have access to professional equipment and trained sound engineers through our work with Lee Kantor and RadioX when we really need it — but we also do quite a bit of Audio-supported marketing work for ourselves and our clients all on our own.

There are so many “Do It Yourself” (truly idiot-proof) resources available to help you easily integrate Audio into your Sales & Marketing Process. We like Audio Generator because it allows us to upload, store, and distribute audio clips so quickly and easily. This service even enables us to collect audio testimonials via a toll free phone line. In fact — If you like the High Velocity Blog, and don’t mind saying so . . . You can give this Testimonial feature a try right now. Simply CLICK HERE.

Bottom Line: Wanna Sell More Books? Make sure your prospective readers HEAR about it . . . literally.

Simple Tips to Make you Stand Apart
Guest Post By Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk, BBR Marketing

Whether you are an entrepreneur or work for someone else, it’s vitally important that you conduct your business in such a way that you stand out from the pack. I constantly advise my clients on ways they can differentiate their products and services from their competition, because ultimately, it’s more important to be different that better. Everyone says they are “the best” in their field, but “best” is always going to be in the eyes of the beholder. Different is, well, different and much more believable and easily explained.

With that said, it’s important as individuals to stand out from the crowd as well. People work with people, not products. I will often choose to frequent a restaurant or store because I like the people who work there. Yes, they have to provide a product that I like and am willing to pay for. But when faced with multiple options, I’ll often choose the place that has the people I like best, sometimes even regardless of price.

So, how exactly do you stand out? You’d be surprised how easy it is. Here are a few simple suggestions that really work.

Answer your emails
I’m amazed at how many people don’t do this. Even a short “I am swamped right now, but will review the document and get back to you by the end of the week,” will accomplish a few good things. First, you’ll inform the sender that you received the email so they don’t have to wonder if it went through. Secondly, you acknowledge them and let them know when to expect a response. Thirdly, you’ll make them feel valued and not leave them wondering what your lack of response really means.

Keep your promises
First of all, don’t make promises you can’t keep. And more importantly, keep the ones you make. Again, this seems like the simplest advice, but it surprises me how many people don’t do this either. Be realistic with the deadlines you set for yourself, and communicate that to your clients. They will appreciate that you are taking the time to keep them abreast on the status of their project. And if something comes up – as it does for all of us from time to time  – don’t leave them wondering where their project is. Take 30 seconds to send an update email to let them know where they project is and if it is delayed. Unless you are trying to meet a specified date, most people can be flexible with deadlines. What hurts the relationship is not knowing where they stand.

Say NO
Ah, this can be the hardest thing of all, but one of the most effective ways to set yourself apart. I’ve said it before, but no one can be all things to all people. Some work that comes our way may be appealing, but it’s simply not in our sweet spot. Maybe it’s for a niche we don’t normally service, or it could be work that will not be profitable. Carefully consider new work before you take it on and make sure you are the best person for the job. And if not, refer it to someone better suited for it. You will benefit in a number of ways from this move. First, your client will appreciate that you found someone who can do the work better/cheaper/more efficiently and remember that fact when something more suited to you comes along. Secondly, the person you refer it to will appreciate the business and happily send work your way when they can. And most importantly, you will be able to spend time on the things that will truly grow your business and not get bogged down in work that takes more time and effort than it should.

What simple business tactics have you found to be effective? Send them on and I’ll post them in a future blog.

How To Build Community – Part 2

Always be there to serve!

In part 2 of the How to Build Community series, my goal is simply to get one idea, one concept, into your conscience.

And that is the idea of serving first, selling last.

The goal of marketing is to bring awareness of your product or service to a market that needs/wants what you do. The problem is, there is a lot of competition out there, and it is difficult to stand out. The other problem? There are a lot of people shouting from the rafters about what they have to sell.

Consumers are tired of all the shouting. And are tuning out most marketing communication. Big time.

That’s why it is so refreshing to be served, and not sold to. Although MANY “experts” preach this method, I find most people still are not practicing it. Thus, serving first and selling last, will remain a very powerful differentiator.

Serving can come in many forms. It is sending along an article that might help someone. It is connecting them to an individual who can be helpful. It is answering a question that some “consultants” only give away for a fee. It is referring them to a “competitor” who can better help than you can. It is simply listening and being a sounding board to someone. It is helping spread someone’s thought leadership. It is a willingness to connect people without ANY expectation of getting something in return.

I know this will require a change in thinking for most, a new paradigm, an entirely new style. But here are a few reasons why you should adopt a serve first, sell last approach:

1. By serving first, people have already learned how you can help. [Pssst - it is easier to sell them now...]
2. People will naturally want to give something back. This could come in many forms: buying from you, referring someone to you, helping you in some other way..
3. We are always talking about being remarkable. Serving first is a way to stand out and be different. Trust me, most people in the marketplace aren’t doing it. Yet.
4. One of the goals of your marketing is to get people talking about you. Serving first is certainly a way to achieve that…
5. It is contagious. If you start, you will likely get others to follow. What a cool trend to start…
6. Most importantly, this will allow you to start building a community of loyal and trusted friends. And that is all powerful – and necessary in this new marketing age.

How To Build Community – Part 1

nikoskrikelis on flickr

This past fall, I wrote a series of posts, which can be found HERE, that discuss WHY one should seek to build community. As we kick off the new year, I plan to publish a series of short posts discussing some of the easily actionable tactics on HOW to build community. This is the first post in the series.

If you want to be a thought leader in a certain field, industry, or niche – you will want to stand out and be noticed. You will want to rise above the clutter. So exactly how can you stand out in the crowd?

BUILD THE CROWD! Yourself. Lead it. Be the impetus behind it.

In other words, be a connector. Connect people in your space.

But don’t just invite prospects. Invite friends, those will will learn from the interactions, people who should be networking with the people you are bringing together (who can market their own products or services), and yes, your competition.

I find that many are afraid of inviting their competition into this gathering. Well then, you don’t get what building community is all about. You need to let that fear go. It will hold you back.

I promise that the very act of bringing people together will serve you well. It will go a long ways to building your personal brand. People will thank you. They will be grateful to you. They will identify you as a leader. They will seek other ways to return the favor. And yeah, even your “competition” will seek out ways to joint venture…

Here are some simple ways to connect people around an idea or concept:

1. Lead an online chat, on Twitter perhaps
2. Form a LinkedIn group
3. Host a TweetUp
4. Form a Mastermind group
5. Lead a networking group at a local coffee shop
6. Create a blog around the niched theme – and encourage conversation
7. Start a radio show/podcast around the niche topic – and encourage conversation