Black Sales Journal

Entertaining your clients can be both fun and productive.  It can be used as a tool to strengthen relationships, and at the very least increase your familiarity with the customer’s key people.  Used incorrectly, it can reveal things, right or wrong, about you and or your company in regard to your class, morals, and standing that will be indelibly etched in your customer’s and co-employee’s memory.

Be Smart and Practical

In the universe of entertainment options your choices should be safe and time proven.  Fine dining, spectator-sporting events, golf and other sporting events are time proven.  Relaxing activities such as spas, manicure/pedicures, makeovers, and other activities are making a strong showing as well.

There is, of course, some areas best left out.  Engaging the customer at gentlemen’s clubs, also known as ‘strip clubs’, is totally off limits!  It lacks class, and is far from harmless.  There is no activity, which is in poorer taste than this, whether you are supporting (paying for) the activity or you have the gall to have your company pay for it.  For the most part it is in violation of most expense policies (see Black Sales Journal 4/4/11 Business Entertainment – Some Do’s and Don’ts).

Stand for Something!

Black sales professionals beware: Company expense policies should be observed, and the letter of the law in an expense policy is important, but more important is understanding the intent.  The intent should be followed without fail.  In establishing and retaining credibility sales professionals don’t need to run afoul of what is, or what should be, socially acceptable.

Gone are the days when sales professionals and executives can entertain at gentlemen’s clubs without scrutiny.  Everyone should be held accountable for relationship building that is socially acceptable and open to both genders, all ethnic groups, and all sexual orientations.

Even if your customer asks to participate in one of these activities, you should show an unwavering stance and say that it is not something that you want to do.  I think that you should have the confidence to say, “No, but I have something else that we can do that will be great.”  That effort to redirect will probably be accepted, but even if rejected, I think you will have shown your character.

Stand up for yourself in this.  A mentor of mine told me once, “If you don’t stand for something, you don’t stand for s—!”  Think about it.  What do you stand for?

The Real Costs!

When men get together and consider the gentlemen’s club option, just think how offensive and exclusionary that is, or can be, to female customers, or co-employees.  It is discriminatory, and totally unfair!  You lose your integrity, your credibility, and respect.  Hmmm!  I am not sure you have much left that is considered universally of value.

The same is true for female sales professionals.  Taking clients to an ‘all men’ review is equally poor in taste.  Protect your image as well.

I am not sure which would be worse, to leave your female counterparts or customers behind, or to be as ridiculous as to ask them to attend.  Show your character and avoid mindless activities.  Keep everyone engaged an involved.  Treasure everyone’s feelings in the process.

A Personal Example

I was once a regional sales manager in the Michigan/Ohio market.  This market is dominated by the auto industry, but also focused in southeastern Michigan, basically Detroit.  I enjoyed the 6 year stint there, but was continually asked to go either to 8 Mile, an area replete with gentleman’s clubs, or to Windsor, Canada, another area brimming with strip clubs and other attractions.

An executive vice-president of my organization visited our office with one of his direct reports, a senior vice president, in tow.  After the requisite meeting they ask me to take them to Windsor.  I will be honest, I felt some pressure as this was two steps up from my manager, an important company officer, and very influential.

I said to them, “I will not be going there, but you can use my vehicle to go if you are sure that is what you want to do.” It was met with the quick reply, “Come on, we are going to talk business with you!  You need to be there for us to talk about this stuff.”  The Senior VP then said, “Don’t give me this s— that you don’t go to strip clubs….”  I retorted, “You don’t want to hear it, but I don’t go to strip clubs.”

They smirked, but found someone else to take them.  I always wondered whether it would affect my career, but it did not do any long-term damage, although it was known in the short term that I was not one of the ‘boys”.  Remember, you have to stand for something!

Stand Tall

Find comfort in standing tall in situations like this. Don’t do anything because the ‘crowd’ thinks you should.  Whether you are male or female, Black or white, gay or straight, be you and eventually you will be appreciated for your stance.  If you partake of these activities currently, you should consider your image and take this opportunity to change.  See the light!

Your comments are welcome.

We all have situations that demand it, and we all know the perils of not doing it.  Regardless, many sales professionals are still not adept, or consistent with their follow-up.  This is not a long topic, but it is an important one. Many professionals, sales and otherwise, do not do proper follow-up after a sales call.  This is true of a prospecting follow-up, sales call follow-up, presentation follow-up, or any other type. After doing the hard work of prospecting, a sales professional will then risk negating that work by not doing timely and well thought out follow-up. When I speak of this, I speak of the perfunctory sales calls as well as the questions that come up following any of the types of calls above.

Two Examples of Proper Usage

Follow-up, when done properly, can create the necessary evidence of professionalism.  Remember, if you don’t follow-up, the professional that consistently communicates like this will stand out.

Following the initial visit

This one requires a quick, almost instant response to the buyer.  I would say that you should do it within two days or less.  This is your chance to say how much you appreciated the buyer’s time as well as the opportunity to work with him or her.  I would keep it short and sensible. If during the visit you came away with a listing of “to do” items, or some other things to check on, don’t hold the correspondence until you get them done.  They can be fodder for another note.  The key is to let the customer know that you are looking forward to providing solutions.  Here is some simple wording: “Mr. Buyer, I appreciate the time you have taken to show me your operation and explain your (packaging, telecommunications, insurance, transportation, etc) needs to me.  I look forward to our meeting as we agreed on Monday, September 1st to share the proposal with you.  If you have any questions or concerns prior to that, please contact me. Sincerely, Sales Professional” Remember why you are composing this note.  You want to make sure that he recognizes that you appreciate his or her time.  You also want to make sure that you reinforce the proposal date, and that if there are any changes or concerns that he or she touches base with you. You could put together an epic memo, yet the idea is to make sure that you reinforce the meeting and your appreciation.

Following a Proposal

This one is very important.  If a buyer is getting four proposals, then there are four different sales professionals, attempting to make their mark with him.  They may even be getting more than four proposals and then your initial call may be less memorable. Your goal is to have the customer to remember the importance of working with a true sales professional (you), along with some of the most important features and benefits of your product and your company.  Here is your chance to list the most important points succinctly so that they can be remembered. Here is an example: “Mr. Buyer, thanks for the opportunity to show you what ABC Company can do for your organization. We are prepared to begin supplying your 14 Eastern State division with cartons if we are selected, and will begin the process of quoting your Southern division with the information you supplied to us. Please keep these important points in mind:

• We are a nation-wide organization – able to supply all 5 divisions, coast-to-coast.
• Our “Flex” Pricing Program will deliver the lowest costs overall for cartons regardless of the volume in any particular division
• Our just-in-time delivery will save you 6% in inventory costs

I look forward to working with you, and I will use my 18 years of packaging experience to keep your packaging program “state of the art.”  Do not hesitate to call if there are questions regarding our proposal. Sincerely, Sales Professional” Notice here supporting the features with some bullets just to reinforce your sales points and getting a final shot in about yourself.

Degrees of Formality

Effective letter writing is essentially a lost art out there, but there are times when you should consider it.  If you make an election to write someone an email follow-up note, follow the same rules that a letter would follow:

• Keep it short and to the point
• Know and respect your level of familiarity with the customer/buyer
• Always be professional

If you are awarded the business, which is the “grand prize” then I think you proceed to use the fine stationary or card to send a personal note of appreciation.  You might want to take a look at Black Sales Journal 2/3/2011 Make Yourself Memorable to explore this.  It carries a significant amount of power and effectiveness. The follow-up letter is a useful tool to keep close during the sales process.  Don’t let someone forget you, and don’t be overshadowed in the sales process. Your comments are always welcome.