7 Ways to Lose your Customers (part one)

We all know what a damn nuisance customers are: they mess up our premises, they take stock off our shelves, they demand to be served and they insist on telephoning us at times when we have far more important things to do. How many days have you had that have been spoilt by customers?

To help you to bring peace and tranquillity into your lives here are some proven tactics which will really let customers know how unwelcome they are so that they will go away and stay away and we can get on with the important things in life.

Tactic 1 ‘Don’t Engage with the Customer.’

To set the scene, I am in the supermarket, I approach the checkout, I set my goods on the conveyor belt and smile at the checkout person who does not smile back but looks around me to her colleague on the next till;

“Here, you knows I have my days off on a Thursday & Friday, right? Yeah well this year Christmas is Thursday & Friday, right, and so I says to him ‘When can I have my days off then? And he says ‘Thursday & Friday, same as normal’ And I says ‘That can’t be right ‘cos they’re holidays, everyone gets them off, I ought to have another two days’ and he says ‘It’s not my fault you don’t work – £26.89 love – Thursday & Friday, is it.  He says you don’t work in Boots either do you? But if Boots had a days holiday you wouldn’t expect me to give you a day in lieu would you.’ He’s a right git he is. And another thing…”

So a fascinating exchange which made me as a customer feel really rather special.  Obviously if you can upset and annoy your customer facing staff it does encourage them to share their feelings with customers. True aficionados of the ‘Ignore the Customer’ tactic will have noticed a little slip there.  Did you spot it?  Yes, she actually spoke to me to tell me the price – she should just have pointed at the LED display and grunted.

You see perfect, absolutely no communication at all.  Brilliant.

Tactic 2 - Look as Unappealing as Possible

So what else can we do?  Another great tactic (tactic 2) is to ‘Look as Unappealing as Possible’.  This is a great one for your smokers. The staff in my local supermarket have this dead right.  Out in the street, near the entrance to the store is smoker’s corner.  Here staff who are not permitted to smoke within, pick their way through a sea of dog ends, come rain or shine, to congregate at regular intervals for a fag.  Resplendent in their shop uniforms they lean against the wall and the conversation goes some thing like this (MUCH FAG DRAGGING, NAIL BITING AND NOSE PICKING)

“Y’all right?”

“Yeah”

“Bleeding cold in’it”

“Yeah”

“On yer break?”

“Nah, just ‘avin’ a fag.”

“What doing after?”

“I’m on the deli counter…”

We would always recommend that you encourage staff to smoke where they are MOST VISIBLE to potential customers to guarantee this particular turnoff works to maximum effect.

Why develop your product knowledge? Just read out your displays to your customers!

Next tactic.  Tactic Three: Feign or better still cultivate total ignorance of your product and product range.

I’d read about  a new SONY television in Which magazine and popped into an a famous electrical retailer to see if I could purchase the KS9905.

After much hanging around the hi-fis in an expectant manner (Keep the customer waiting is a tactic we haven’t got a great deal of time to go into here – but it does work.)

Eventually I bump into a young girl in a stained tabard (see Tactic 2)

“Can you help me?”

“Er…what can I do for you?”

“Which? magazine was very impressed with the new Sony Hi Fi so I thought I’d take a look’

“Were they?”

“Yes, and look there is a laminated copy of the article attached to it.”

“Oh yes, I wondered what that was – I haven’t read it though.”

“Do you know if I can play my i-pod through this?”

(Reading from features list) This hi-fi has 40watts per channel, a stylish sub-woofer and comes in a choice of black and white. I should think so. Most do these days. Don’t they? Would you like to have a listen?”

“Yes please”

“Hang on I’ll get the security keys”

Another 10 minutes pass by –see again Keep the Customer Waiting.

“We haven’t got any in stock – that’s just a dummy model for display, apparently, sorry.”

“Right then well never mind, goodbye”

You see, she had me out of that showroom in double quick time.  She also managed to avoid the mistake of ‘Finding an Alternative’ which would have delayed my departure and possibly interfered with her coffee or toilet, lunch, fag break or wherever she was a going when she had the misfortune to bump into me.

Be sure to come back for Tactics 4 to 7!

19 Top Tips for Successful Job Interviews

Last night we were invited to speak at The AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) Northampton & Bedford branch meeting. The Top Tips we shared with the audience went down a storm – so here is a summary of that talk!

“Excellent communication skills” is often cited as a key differentiator when it comes to choosing the right person for a job. But there are other things you need to get across in an interview – such as how well you are suited for the job, your technical competencies, your ability to grow in the job and how well you’re going to fit in with the business or the rest of the team. A bit of thought beforehand goes an awfully long way!

We’ll cover what needs to happen beforehand (the research & planning) and the day of the interview itself in 19 Top Tips:

RESEARCH & PLANNING

Tip 1:  Find out as much as you can about your potential employer and their market-sector as possible. What does their website tell you about them? What can you find out about the business owners and key personnel? Who do you know who works with them or is employed by them?

Do some research on your potential employer!

Tip 2:  Pour over the job description and person profile. If you need more detail or you have questions ring and ask for answers before attending. It will show that you have researched and taken an interest. Questions that you can’t find out answers to in advance -keep for the interview.

Tip 3:  Consider your own Strengths and Attributes and indeed your areas for Personal Development. Write them down. How can you get these points over in terms of how they would be of benefit to the potential employer?

Consider these fundamental questions (and how you would respond if asked them):

Why do you want this job, in particular?

What is it that you have to offer that would make you the ideal person in this post? In other words; “What’s your Unique Selling Point?”

How would you answer the question “What are your weaknesses?” It’s not a question that we would advise any interviewer to ask … but they do! So be ready with a response. Wear your heart on your sleeve, be modest but describe a weakness that shouldn’t have an impact on the job you’re going for. (Don’t answer, “My bladder!”)

Tip 4:  As far as negotiating terms is concerned again you need to be well prepared. List all the possible aspects and benefits of the role and align them with what it is you have to offer. Then list them in value order to you and anticipate their value to your future employer. Set your best and worst limits for each of these. Think about your best and worst case scenarios beforehand!

ARRIVAL – AND WAITING

Tip 5:  Your personal profile is exceptionally important. You are being judged from the moment you drive into the car-park, or walk through the door. (In fact assumptions will already have been made from your CV and any telephone calls.) So, think about the messages that the following send out about you: Your vehicle, time-keeping, general composure/demeanour, expression, confidence, attire, shoes, handshake, Ps&Qs, body language, personal hygiene, grooming, posture. The list goes on.

Tip 6:  Arrive at least 5 minutes ahead of time but no more that 15. Walk in confidently. Smile. Announce your name. Make small talk – show an interest in the business. Build rapport with anyone you come in contact with.

Tip 7:  Stay standing. Don’t accept a cup of tea at this stage. Be caught taking an interest in company literature, press cuttings in reception when the interviewer arrives to collect you.

Keep your nerve! Be prepared!

Tip 8:  Take some deep breaths whilst waiting. Calm your nerves. Think positive thoughts. Stand up straight. Look confident!

Tip 9:  Your handshake should be as straight as a die; firm, but not too firm and accompanied by a smile and good eye-contact

THE INTERVIEW ITSELF

Tip 10: Answer questions in terms of what you have achieved. Say “I” rather than “we”. Use action verbs;

Administered, Adjusted, Allocated,  Analysed,  Appraised,  Assessed,  Audited,  Balanced,  Budgeted,  Calculated,  Computed,  Conserved,  Corrected, Determined etc.

Tip 11: Give clear relevant examples of what you have achieved. Speak in the past tense. I’ve done this vs. I’m currently doing this .

Tip 12:  Use strong positive language: “my strengths include…” “I’m good at…” etc.

Tip 13: Avoid “floppy” language: “hopefully, I’ll fit in.” “I’m quite good at…” “Sort of…” etc.

Tip 14: Sit up straight. Smile.  Demonstrate Active Listening; repeat phrases, nod, maintain eye-contact.

Tip 15: Be careful with your body language.  It is easy to send mixed messages.  Keep open – don’t fold arms, cross-legs.

Tip 16: Take the opportunity to ask questions. Prefix questions with statements that indicate that you are interested. “I was reading your business’ statement of corporate responsibility … and wondered how…”

Tip 17” When negotiating use a structured approach: Discuss, Propose, Bargain, Close. See our Negotiation Tips.

Tip 18: Demonstrate that you are keen – without appearing desperate!

Tip 19: FOLLOW UP, even if you are unsuccessful, ask for some feedback. Use that feedback in your preparation for your next interview.

Other Tips Sheets – that can be downloaded FREE from our site – include:

21 Top Tips for Negotiators, 19 Top Tips for Networkers, 26 Top Tips for Presenters

Bra-tastic training

It is not every day that we get to deliver a course aimed at four pink bras!  But today we did just that to an awesome foursome with a mad mission in mind! The ladies in question (in the photo below) are Deb Hunt, Helen Taylor, Annemarie Smith and Audra Selley.  Their story starts (ironically) on April Fools’ Day 2008 when Deb was diagnosed with breast cancer.  After a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy she is well again and decided to do a skydive to raise money for Breakthrough Breast Cancer.  After that amazing feat, the others, three of her friends, decided that they wanted to do something in support.  They became a sort of Three Musketeers to Deb’s d’Artagnan – the self-styled “Four Pink Bras” and they have embarked on a challenge to raise £20,000 by way of a sponsored climb to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. Naturally they are looking for cash but were also asking seeking sponsorship in kind.

The Four Pink Bras, Deb, Helen, Annemarie and Audra

At NewTricks we know how vital it is for speakers going out onto the networking circuit – in order to raise funds – to deliver a cracking presentation.  However great the cause, nobody wants to be bored out of their mind at 7:30am!  And so with that in mind we offered one of pur Powerful Presentation Skills training course for the “Four Pinks Bras”… and what a great day we enjoyed with them all.

Four nervous ladies arrived at Bloxham Mill Business Centre – who kindly donated the use of one of their conference rooms – and four far more confident ladies have departed.

In our day together we concentrated on putting together a talk with a good structure and explored the ways in which they could hold an audience’s attention. We then focused on how to make the presentation memorable and achieve the objectives that they have set themselves.  Some time was spent on ways to overcome nerves and on delivering a presentation with real flair. Finally  (and vitally) we looked for alternatives to the dreaded bullet points in PowerPoint… see our twitter post on that very subject!

Good luck to the ladies with your fund raising (you can make a donation – dosh or services via their splendidly titled (or is that tittled) Twin Peaks website) and we are looking forward to hearing all about it when they return. That’ll be another presentation then – we’ve already booked them in to The 729 Club in Chipping Norton!

All for one and one for all!

Passion vs. “Going through the Motions!”

At New Tricks Training we go to a good number of networking events – and we see a great many speakers, good and bad.

At the 729 Club in Chipping Norton a retired couple, Sue & Tony Melia, recently gave a tremendous presentation about their personal experiences in Malawi. The couple devote months of their time and a deal of their own money helping out in the mountain village of Bwengu.

Tony & Sue Melia

In fact their infectious enthusiasm means that they have been sought out by, and expanded the range of their support to, a total of nine villages in the vicinity. Their personal accounts and eye-witness reports of wastage by the major relief organisations backed up by photographs made for an enthralling and moving presentation. But it is the couple’s optimism and their own acts of fundraising, project management and inspiring the locals to help themselves see incredible results with minimal resources. This is in absolute contrast to the minimal results with incredible resources (4X4s and Ray-Bans) of the big boys! In a 40 minute presentation (backed up with before & after photographs) the couple recounted stories of refurbishing schools, transporting a million meals (which had just been sitting in bonded warehouses being eaten by weevils), setting up a “Women’s’ Centre,”  establishing a bicycle ambulance service and refurbishing the jail. And do you know what? They had the audience hanging on their every word – and the time just flew by. Sue got angry about the waste, laughed at stories of cheeky children, railed at corrupt officials and welled up as she recounted some of the terrible injustices against the women of the community. In support Tony quietly gave facts & figures to support their message and the odd word of caution about “not getting carried away” and a reality check on the extent to which they could continue to help as an older couple.

This presentation was strikingly different from another presentation we saw just a few weeks later at another networking event. A major cancer charity (a worthy cause – I have no doubt) sent out a “volunteer speaker” to read us a lot of statistics from an inordinate number of PowerPoint slides, to give us details of the current research into various cancers and to tell us about the phenomenal  budgets spent on each. Hats off to her for giving up her time, shame on the charity for not giving her some basic presentation skills training. What she spectacularly failed to do was to connect with her audience. We had no idea who she was, why she was speaking to us, what was her connection to the charity and as a result there was a tangible air of unspoken “get off” well before her 20 minutes were up.

The result? A whip-round of the 25 attendees at Tony & Sue’s talk raised £350, two laptops, three mobile phones and offers of support (including a website) whilst the major cancer charity managed just £60 from 55 people. The conclusion: if you want your audience to do something as a result of your presentation you have a better chance of success if you connect with them by speaking to them from the heart. Quite simply a higher value was placed on Tony & Sue’s passion than on our other speaker’s “going through the motions.”

PowerPoint vs. Keynote

PowerPoint is a powerful tool. But, then again, so’s a Smith & Wesson. And in the wrong hands both can kill. We’ve all heard the phrase “Death by PowerPoint” or as Dilbert would have it “PowerPoint Poisoning” and here’s betting you’ve been on the receiving end of many a poor presentation made worse by a speaker who reads out his or her “script.” A script projected before you (but behind them- so they have to turn their back to you to read it) word for word.

As a famous cliche would have it, “a picture tells a thousand words” but some speakers insist on putting a thousand words on each of their slides.

Apple's amazing Keynote

Research at the University of New South Wales has shown that projecting words at people is a complete waste of time and does nothing to help people recall what you’ve said (surely the point of giving a talk!) If you project the word “clock” most people don’t see a clock – they just hear the word said to them. So, why not project an image of a clock?

That’s because most speakers treat PowerPoint as an aid for them (rather than as an aid for their audience.) It’s their script!

A speaker should find other ways of remembering what they have to say. Rehearsal – for instance! A speaker who can actually be bothered to learn what they have to say always goes down well with an audience.

In recent months I’ve taken to using Apple’s Keynote as a Visual Aid. I find it better than PowerPoint. You can use high resolution images, embed video, use music all with incredible animations that blow PowerPoint out of the water. I recently had cause to use it for a charity auction (using a slide for each of the 85 lots.) At 350MB the slide show wasn’t small but ran perfectly without a hitch. Our auctioneer, none other than, Mr Jeremy Clarkson was suitably impressed with the quality of the slideshow. Several pin-sharp images were used on each slide using Smart Build to animate them professionally. Videos ran smoothly and music played at all the right times. It’s easy to insert graphs & charts and the “Smart Move” and “Anagram” transitions had the audience amazed.

Keynote impresses Jeremy Clarkson

PowerPoint has become old hat. People have seen the templates before, the animations are basic and the whole thing has a tendency to pack up on you at the most inconvenient of times. If you’re fed up of being let down by the software, interrupted by “updates” or just bored with it can I suggest you give Keynote a try. You won’t be disappointed.

Presenting – it’s all about Distraction Management.

Even before the bank’s senior franchise manger stood to give his talk I was transfixed by the hole in the bottom of one of his scruffy shoes. On closer inspection his suit was shiny through wear & tear and his shirt had a frayed collar. The over-riding thought going through my mind was, “Surely, on his salary, he can afford a decent suit and shirt. Surely he can afford a decent pair of shoes – or at least clean the ones he’s wearing.” I was really quite cross. So distracted was I by this thinking that he was a good five minutes into his presentation before I realised he’d started. What he talked about I couldn’t begin to tell you.

Isn’t that mad? I’d turned up because I was interested in what he had to say, but when push came to shove, once I’d clapped eyes on him, I couldn’t bring myself to listen.

When you leap to our feet to give a presentation you are fighting for your audience’s attention. They’ll only remember what you said – if they heard it in the first place! And of course they’ll only hear it if they are engaged and stay focused on you throughout. So, we have to fight against other things vying for their attention. Some of these distractions could be external; the room might be cold, someone’s mobile phone goes off, a fire-engine goes by. These can be difficult to control – but can be anticipated. Other distractions might be internal, i.e. within the presenter’s control. Messy hair, scruffy shoes, flies undone, comedy ties, short skirts, plunging necklines, lack of eye contact, reading from the screen etc. etc.

So, the lesson here is: make sure that what you wear doesn’t distract. Always project the smartest image you can, and an image that will impress (not distract) the audience. We have trained National Trust Gardeners in the black art of presenting and whilst I wouldn’t suggest they wore a suit and tie to give talks on Capabilty Brown’s Landscapes I do suggest they kick the mud off their boots, give them a clean and that they wear a clean fleece (not the one they were wearing when they spread organic matter on their marrows.)

Here are five key pointers on holding an audience’s attention:

Look the part!

• Before speaking put yourself in your audiences’ shoes (especially if they’re shiny) and ask “What’s in it for them?” Make sure you speak about something of interest or value to them.
  
• Dress smartly, shine your shoes, brush your hair.
  
• Give your audience eye-contact (not the screen)
  
• Interact with them, ask them questions
  
• Tell stories or anecdotes to which your audience relate can relate

These are lessons the senior franchise manager at the bank would do well to heed. Ironic then that in the audience were two of the smartest chaps you could wish to meet. After the talk I met Alex Edwards & Richard Demczak whose sartorial DItchley (Alex) & Heythrop (Richard) suits were as sharp as sharp could be. Turns out they run Aptus Suits tailoring bespoke made to measure gents and ladies suits. Suits of exceptional quality. But here’s the rub; they keep down their overheads running their operation, away from the bright and expensive city lights, from a modest studio in the Cotswolds. So, even a senior bank manager on his significantly reduced bonus can afford to look smart and therefore be taken seriously.

For more top tips on presenting see our website www.newtricks.co.uk

Selling Skills Matter – Globally!

IAPA logo

In May 2008 we were delighted to be invited to London to speak at the European Conference of IAPA. The Independent Association of Practicing Accountants is a global association of independent accounting firms and groups.  It was even better then to be invited back to speak at the 2009 event – this time in Malta – and pleasing to discover just how much the delegates and speakers had remembered from the previous year!

The New Tricks key-note presentations this year were: ‘Selling – Black Art or Vital Skill’ and ‘How to Remember People’s Names and other Networking Skills’.  The IAPA delegates are always a very responsive and appreciative audience and after the sessions it was fascinating to be approached by professionals from all over the world who told us that, not only had they enjoyed and benefited from the sessions, but that they also now realise that a lack of sales training was potentially holding back their businesses.

They were especially relieved to realise that professional selling is not about pushing unwanted goods or services on clients –  rather it is about ensuring that clients are fully provided with the services that they need.

On the networking side of life, it is also interesting to find that an inability to remember names is a global issue and having to remember the names of  co many delegates was certainly a challenge that kept us on our mettle! Our top tips for remembering names? Firstly, make sure you hear it (this may mean switching off your internal voice.) Secondly, “Use it, or lose it” – some people dislike this (“because,” they say,  ”… it sounds cheesy”) BUT it works and generally people are impressed if you remember their name. Thirdly, make an association… do you know anyone else with the same name?  What does their name rhyme with? For a more fulsome Top Tips sheet download a factsheet from our website.

It is a always daunting prospect – presenting to an audience many of whom do not speak English as their first language but then equally humbling to realise not only how well they speak English but also the range of languages that they have at their disposal.

The Hilton Hotel Malta - a great conference venue

Malta is a fascinating and beautiful island and the Hilton Hotel, part of the Portmaso Complex, is a stunning conference venue.  Apart from the hotel with its pools and beach centre, there are apartments, a marina, shops, restaurants and a business centre which is housed in a tower. The host firm this year was Charles Scerri and Associates who organised the whole event superbly for both the business delegates and for their guests who enjoyed some enviable days out.

Thanks IAPA for inviting us. Their next global conference is in Madrid in September – can’t wait!

Boring Presentations

This just sums up what audiences are facing day to day in business life. Speakers who just drone on and on and on….and on!

What does a car salesman have to do to earn his commission?

I have the very great pleasure of working with the franchisees of Fire Compliance & Safety Ltd. The franchise is very keen to sell their Fire Risk Assessments in an ethical and appropriate manner.  I have been working with them to develop the teams’ sales skills.

Reflecting on good and bad experiences of being sold to (or NOT being sold to) one of the team, Shaun Harness, related a recent experience at the hands of car sales people.

So picture the scene: he wants a van for his business, he’s done his research, he knows the sort of van he’s after and narrowed it down to one of possibly four models. Bearing in mind there’s a recession on – the car and commercial vehicle markets seem somewhat depressed – he expected to have salesmen snapping at his heels for a deal.

On the contrary, at the local Ford, Peugeot and Vauxhall dealerships the “scruffy” sales team “with dirty shoes and frayed suits” remained resolutely sat on their backsides (presumably cold calling and filling in zeros on their sales returns.) He and his business partner, Caroline Hepburn, could not believe the lack of response to their extraordinary buying signals: picking up leaflets, opening and closing van doors, sitting inside and stroking their chins as they admired the paintwork. After walking straight out of two of the dealerships (devoid of any other customers) Shaun approached the sales desk at Ford and asked for assistance. He was told that the commercial sales manager was in a meeting. The team of four redundant salesmen (“…we don’t sell vans”) didn’t even ask for their details so their colleague could call them back. No doubt he arrived back at his desk to complain about what a quiet day its been!

VW Commercial van salesmen - the best??

Their experience at Volkswagen was quite different. The first thing they noticed was the place was heaving with customers!  A few minutes after they walked in they were warmly welcomed and asked if they needed assistance or whether they were happy browsing for a few minutes. When they were ready the same (very smartly dressed) salesman sat them down and had an amiable chat with them. The next thing he did was take their personal details (so he could stay in contact) asked them loads of questions, identified the ideal van – and sold them the van they needed. He negotiated sensibly with them and out walked two happy business people with the van they came in to buy – oh and some war stories about customer service! Well done to VW, no doubt the salesmen at the other dealerships would earn a bit more commission if they could actually sell.

For Shaun and Caroline, about to launch their new fire risk assessment business, the experience brought home much of what we’d covered in the training: build rapport (you can only do that if you actually talk to people – You Don’t Get Business Sat on Your Arse), watch out for buying signals, ask questions to fully understand needs and look the part – first impressions count for a lot!

The very best of luck to Shaun and Caroline as they set out to run their business.

Young Entrepreneurs Impress

Young entrepreneurs test their sales skills

The young people of Peter Jones’ newly established National Enterprise Academy have blown us away! This sparky group of 16 – 19 year olds are an inspiration, demonstrating phenomenal sales skills and negotiation skills. Just 25 made it through a tough selection panel to take part in this full time course devoted to developing the entrepreneurial skills of its students. Back in November 2006 New Tricks Training mentored a group of youngsters in a Dragon’s Den style event entitled “The Pitch” in Milton Keynes. Our sessions on presentation skills went down a storm and helped two attendees secure investment from, among others, Peter Jones. This has led to us being invited to run workshops at the Academy on subjects as diverse as marketing & sales and financial accounting ratios.

What has struck us above all else is the positive attitude, speed of thought and creativity of these young people. Asked which accounting application we use (Quickbooks) and if we’d recommend it (yes we would) one of the group immediately googled away, got on the phone to a provider and negotiated a very favourable discount for herself and indeed every other member of the group!  Asking for a discount through a group or association is a fantastic way of getting a good deal for a large purchase. Take a leaf out of their book and see if you can get a discount for bulk by collaborating with others. Ask yourself; are you making the most of your memberships of your trade association, chamber of commerce or networking group?