REAL ESTATE...AND OTHER THINGS OF VALUE: Your Haircut, Your Coffee; Exactly the Way You Want It

by Yossi Feigenson

You know what I love? You’ll laugh if I told you. The one thing that gets me excited month after month, and is in some ways the highlight of my month: My haircut. When I sit down in the barber’s chair, and he wraps that cloak around me, something surreal begins to happen. I immediately relax. I take a deep breath, and the release of all my built up tension is palpable and instantaneous, and for 30 minutes or so I have the feeling that everything is right with the world.

If you’re still reading, and wondering if I’m completely out of my mind, allow me to explain. What I have just described is a business relationship in action. It is a relationship that is clearly working.

We are inundated with this concept of relationships; we need to build them in order to do business; we need to cultivate relationships with our clients; it’s all about the relationship, and yet, we often don’t grasp the essence of the relationship.

What exactly is a relationship? And more importantly, what does is look like and what does it feel like? How do you know if you have created a healthy business relationship, one that will keep your clients to you?

I recently posted the following question on Linkedin: Are your transactions relationship driven? How important is the like/trust component in a business relationship?

The vast majority of the people who responded claimed that relationships are an indispensable component of any transaction. I think we all intuitively understand that. I don’t intend to discuss the importance of relationships in business or to bring proof of the consequences of the absence of them; rather I want to speak of the texture and feel of what it means to be in such a relationship.

Here is one response to my query: “My local garage (5 minute walk from where I live) services cars, but I travel 8 miles to have my car serviced elsewhere, but this is purely down to the way the mechanics have talked to me in the past...

They may well be competent to do the work, they may well be the same price or cheaper, but I don't expect or like being treated in that way.

I would rather travel the 8 miles and pay a bit more.”

This isn't about skill-set or ability; this is about likeability/trust.”

Another fellow answered with the following analogy: “I have an unlimited amount of choices where to get coffee but I only go to one shop and only to one clerk. This coffee preparer knows my drink and precisely how I enjoy it.”

It is this comfort level that his desires are being met that drives his decision to get his coffee in this particular place. This is crucial to understand. He can get coffee anywhere; possibly higher quality and even cheaper, but he chooses this place. This barista, or whatever they call them these days, mastered the relationship game by understanding this person’s needs and insuring that they are me.

Do you ever wonder why two salesmen, working side by side with similar skills, knowledge, lead base, work ethic, and support, can see vastly different results? I wonder about that a lot. There is one crucial element to deal making that must be mastered or else failure is the only destiny; if you can make a client feel that through his relationship with you his specific needs will be taken care of you will win more often than you will lose.

A relationship occurs when you can be trusted upon to have the intuition to know what the client wants. The magic words that any salesperson wants to hear are: You understand my needs, you know what I want, I will stick with you even when others come calling. To me, that is the most flattering remark a client can bestow.

An intimate understanding of your clients’ needs is the most crucial element in any transaction. The method of getting to that will be discussed in a future column.

You now have some insight as to why my monthly haircut is such a relaxing and therapeutic experience for me. My barber, who has been cutting my hair for many years, knows exactly how I like my hair to be cut. I sit down and don’t need to say a word. I’m confident, comfortable and relaxed that he knows what to do. I can’t possibly leave him.

If you can demonstrate that you REALLY get what a person wants you can increase your success ratios way beyond anything you’ve seen before.

For more information, please visit Yossi's TNNW Bio.


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REAL ESTATE...AND OTHER THINGS OF VALUE: Your Haircut, Your Coffee; Exactly the Way You Want It

NETWORKING SUCCESS: Ask For a Written Testimonial

Networking Success with Dr. Ivan Misner

Make it standard practice to ask clients and contacts for testimonials and you’ll build your credibility and your business.

Written testimonials influence our actions and choices in myriad ways, sometimes without our even thinking about them. For example: You and a friend decide to catch a movie on Friday, but your tastes don’t always coincide. So, you open the local paper and, together, check out the film reviews written by the paper’s resident movie critic. You decide you want to go to dinner first, but there are so many restaurants in your area that you don’t know which one to pick. So, you open up a local magazine that always features restaurant reviews, and you scan the recommendations of the magazine’s food critic.

Even more powerful than these “professional” testimonials, however, are those that come from trusted personal contacts. If you have enough time, you might call or e-mail a couple of other friends to get their movie and restaurant suggestions. You’re likely to follow their advice, too, because you know that they know your likes and dislikes pretty well.

So it is in business. Before people come to your firm for a particular product or service, they often want the comfort of knowing what others have said about you. Let’s say you refinish hardwood floors. Many consumers, before they let you haul your refinishing equipment into their house, will ask you for either written testimonials or phone numbers of people who can attest to your work. You may even have experience with another form of testimonial: providing references when applying for a new job. Those references are expected to respond by written or spoken word about you and your work performance; quite frequently, a testimonial can clinch the job for you. That’s a lot of weight riding on someone else’s words!

Testimonials carry a level of credibility because they come from someone who has direct experience with your product or service. Consumers generally place more trust in a testimonial from another consumer than in a business’s own marketing message. They believe that the average person is unbiased and has nothing to gain from providing a testimonial. The business stands to gain—or lose—everything, so its own words are seen as less trustworthy. Although most businesses are truthful with their customers, it’s not hard facts but consumers’ perceptions that drive their decisions.

Recognizing consumers’ skepticism, some businesses make a practice of asking for customer testimonials. Ditto for businesses that serve other businesses. If anything, a business can be an even more demanding customer than an individual consumer, because it has its own reputation and ability to function at stake. Thus, a written testimonial on professional letterhead from one business to another is a powerful word in your favor, especially if the business represented on that letterhead is itself highly credible.

Have you ever asked a satisfied client for a written testimonial? I recommend making this standard practice for your business. Written testimonials can be used in many ways to enhance your credibility and set you above your competition—your business’s website, for example. Some websites have them strategically sprinkled throughout so there’s at least one testimonial on each page. Others have a dedicated page where a browser can view several testimonials at once. Both designs have their advantages. Either way, scan each testimonial to keep it with its letterhead. This will enhance its credibility—and yours.

If your business attracts a lot of walk-in clients, it’s helpful to display your written testimonials, each encased in a plastic sheet protector, in a three-ring binder labeled “What our customers say about us” or “Client Testimonials.” Keep this binder on a table in your reception area, where your customers can browse through it while they’re waiting for services. It’s a good way to connect with your prospects and enhance your relationship with current clients.

Another way to stand out from the competition is to include testimonials with your business proposals. This strategy works best if you have a wide variety to choose from; you can include a section of testimonials that are most relevant to a specific proposal.

Here are three keys to successfully using written testimonials:

1. Ask for testimonials at every opportunity.
2. Guide the content of your testimonials.
3. Update your testimonials.

Make it standard practice to ask clients (or other contacts) for testimonials. At what point in the sales cycle should you ask? This is a tricky question, but in general, ask for no testimonial before its time—which may be before, at, or after the completion of a sale or project, depending on your client, your product or service, and your own needs. Let’s say that one month before finishing a project, you call your client to ask how things are going. The client tells you that she’s very happy with the results and that her life or business has changed for the better because of your product or service. At this point, your testimonial detector should be pinging loudly. It’s the right time to make your pitch: “That would be a great thing for other people to know about my company. Would you be willing to write me a testimonial on your company letterhead by the end of the week?”

If the answer is yes, the next step is to coach your client in writing a testimonial that fits your needs. Ask her to tell why she chose to work with you, how she benefited from your products or services, how you solved a problem for her, and what other people should know about your business. What things are most people concerned about when using a business like yours? Ask her to address those issues. Don’t be afraid to offer suggestions; you’ll make it easier for her to write an appropriate testimonial, and the result will be more valuable for you.

Finally, review your testimonial file or binder at least every two to three years to identify testimonials that are no longer valid or credible. Specifically, you may want to discard or refile a testimonial that:

• is from a company that’s no longer in business;
• is/was written by someone who has left the company;
• represents a product or service that you no longer offer;
• has begun to turn yellow with age; or
• needs to be updated with new statistics from the customer.

So, now that you understand what testimonials can do for your business, try asking for three written testimonials on company letterhead this week. Make it easy for your advocates: specify what you would like their testimonials to cover, based on what you know of their satisfaction or successes from using your product or service. Ask for them to be typed on company letterhead, signed, and submitted by a certain date.

One more thing: Remember the law of reciprocity? It works here too. If you want to truly motivate someone to write you a testimonial, write one for him or her first.

Called the “father of modern networking” by CNN, Dr. Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author. He is the Founder & Chairman of BNI (www.bni.com), the world’s largest business networking organization. His latest #1 bestseller, The 29% Solution can be viewed at www.29PercentSolution.com. Dr. Misner is also the Sr. Partner for the Referral Institute, an international referral training company (www.referralinstitute.com) and writes a regular blog at www.NetworkingEntrepreneur.com.

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A NOTE FROM THE CHAIRMAN: Disney Expat Joins TNNW

We have gotten a few reports that some of our readers using Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) are having difficulties reading our articles. We have done some considerable research on this matter and we have found that there are indeed certain incompatibilities between IE and Blogger (the service we use for our articles, and a product of Google). While we are hard at work to come up with a suitable work-around as the two technical titans continue to battle each other, we recognize this as a source of frustration to some of our valued readers.

We suggest the following until we finish some technical changes on our side:
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3.) Under the category of "it's cheesy, but it works", when you click on an article and it "boots you out" after loading, click the back button on your browser - the article will load again, and this time it should work. Sometimes you may need to do this 2 or 3 times. Obnoxious...yes...I recommend #1 or #2.

We apologize for any inconvenience and should have a suitable work around by August - we appreciate your patience.

Now, onto more exciting stuff...

Last week we introduced several new writers:
Leanne Hoagland-Smith - Working Within
Sandy McKee - Speak Aloha and Let Your Voice Be Heard
Wendy Kovitz - Networking Fun for the Introverted

This week, we are proud to introduce John A. Lee, CEO & President of eventScheme LLC with his new column It All Starts With Us! John brings with him a wealth of experience, including 20 years at The Walt Disney Company as Executive Producer at both the theme parks as well as Walt Disney Studios. As an inductee into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, he is a regular voter and judge for the Emmy Awards. WELCOME JOHN!!!

And if that wasn't enough, wait until we introduce the last of this month's new writers. This new writer is, by far, the most mysterious writer we have ever allowed into our prestigious TNNW family. Furthermore, their column is going to make TNNW history as the scariest column to ever be published in our pages! To give you an idea as to how scary it really is, my friend, business partner and blood-brother-in-arms, Douglas Castle, has been spotted with beads of sweat upon his head at the mere mention of it.

Stay tuned...all will be revealed...we're going out in July with a bang...and perhaps a few scratches and bruises too. Who says we're not willing to "take it on the chin" for our subscribers?

As always, I look forward to Networking with you,

Adam

For more about Adam J. Kovitz, please click here.

Hire Adam to speak at your next conference or event by emailing info@thenationalnetworker.com.

Follow Adam on Twitter!

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Posted to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER (TNNW). All rights reserved.

To subscribe for your free TNNW Newsletter, go to http://www.thenationalnetworker.com/ For the complete National Networker (TNNW) Relationship Capital Toolkit and a free continuous RSS feed (available either by traditional RSS or by direct email), go to: http://thenationalnetworkerweblog.blogspot.com/

You are also invited to click our buttons:




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A NOTE FROM THE CHAIRMAN: Disney Expat Joins TNNW