Stories Are Sticky

Do you want to make a point that sticks in the mind of the prospect? Tell a story. A sad story, a funny story, a good story. I like stories that make me laugh, cry or think. I like 1st and 3rd stories best. Here is one you might like:

An Italian businessman from Milan walked into a bank in New York City and asked for the loan officer. He told the loan officer that he was going to Italy on business for two weeks
And needed to borrow $5,000, and that he was not a
depositor of the bank.
The bank officer told him that the bank would need
some form of security for the loan, so the Italian
handed over the keys to a new Ferrari. The car was
parked on the street in front of the bank. The
Italian produced the title and everything checked
out. The loan officer agreed to hold the car as
collateral for the loan and apologized for having to
charge 12% interest.
Later, the bank's president and its officers all
enjoyed a good laugh at the Italian for using a
$250,000 Ferrari as collateral for a $5,000 loan.
An employee of the bank then drove the Ferrari into the
bank's underground garage and parked it.
Two weeks later, the Italian returned, repaid the $5,000
and the interest of $23.07. The loan officer
said, 'Sir, we are very happy to have had your
business, and this transaction has worked out very
nicely, but we are a little puzzled. While you were
away, we checked you out and found that you are a
multimillionaire. What puzzles us is, why would you
bother to borrow $5,000?'
The Italian replied: 'Where else in New York City
can I park my car for two weeks for only $23.07 and
expect it to be there when I return?'

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Interviews Should Be Planned In Advance

I am going to be interviewed for a Podcast next week. The questions were sent to me in advance. Here they are:

"Before we start, why don’t you share a little about your background.
 
1. You’ve just finished a new book, called “A Simple Choice.”  What’s this book all about?
 
2. When you write books, you embed lessons in a story.  Why do you write that way?
 
3. You write inspiration books and give inspirational speeches.  Where do you go to get your inspiration?"

I have a chance to think about and create my answers. When you watch a TV show or Radio Interview, they are NOT just winging it. It's planned. Leno, Oprah, Rose. It's scripted and then improv plays a part.

Anthony Hopkins, my favorite actor, reads every script 250 times before he ever steps in front of the camera. "We have scripts to memorize so when the lights come on, we can do what we are paid to do...ACT!"

Do you have a script for your next sales call? Do you have it memorized? Okay maybe not read 250 times, buy do you at least have a "Cheat Sheet" to glance at during the call? Are they sequenced and logical? Are they planned?

Every thing I have ever sold, I created a script of well thought out, open ended questions. Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem to teach his 12-Year old son the power of open ended quetions: "There are six honest serving men, they taught me all I knew. There names were WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY, HOW and WHO!" Open ended questions, well planned, create a flow of information in a logical manner.

What if you planned your set of questions, memorized them and did a little role-playing? I wonder how it would go? Better than what you have been doing? What if 2010 was your best year yet?

Gotta go. I have some questions to answer! The podcast calls...

First We Form Habits, Then They Form Us

In social situations do you dominate the talking or listening?
Have you developed the habit of asking questions?

This Thanksgiving, I eve’s dropped on conversations around the table. I made mental notes about each person at the table. Who was talking, who was listening? Who talked about themselves incessantly and who was OTHER-Centered and focused on listening to the stranger next to them? It was interesting. I believe your habits when you are not working affect your work. Think about it. Who are you when you are not working?

I love to ask a question, sit back and listen. I never learn anything when I am talking! I used to worry about whether I would get to talk. Now I don’t care. Hey, I talk for a living. It’s kind of nice to rest my vocal chords.

My wife is a natural listener. She is genuinely interested in others. Watching her navigate through a social setting, she has a SERVICE first attitude. People love her. She asks if she can help and then does with little fanfare. Its a habit. Along the way she asks questions and listens. Everyone that meets her just loves her. She cares. It shows.

First we form habits then they form us.

Are you Grateful on a daily basis?
Do you read a book in alignment with your goals daily?
Do you keep a journal and get from the day (not just through it?)
Do you dominate the listening?
Do you follow up with leads and build relationships right away?
Are you building your base of contacts daily?
Do you lead with service to others?

One of my mentors was Earl Nightingale. Google him some time and get ready to learn. He was a pioneer in Personal Development. Invest in a copy of “The Strangest Secret” You will be glad you did.

He once wrote: “We will receive not what we idly wish for but what justly earn. Our rewards in life will be in exact proportion to our service (to others).”

I have got to go help my wife with dishes...and listen!

Hold an ADVANCE (not a Retreat)

Prior to the great Depression, an 800 pound gorilla ruled the cereal jungle....Post. Launched in 1897, Post Grape-Nuts dominated the marketplace leading up to 1929. Then the crash. As the Great Depression tightened its grip, that gorilla dropped its bananas. They were cash hungry. In a move that can only be described as a cautionary tale, they cut back on their training, marketing and advertising budget. In short, they retreated.

Another animal lurked in the shadows with sharp claws. The company? Kelloggs. (Their future mascot would indeed be “Tony the Tiger” but not for a couple of decades). While Post retreated Kelloggs advanced. In 1933, they created motivational mantras with sticky words like: “Snap, Crackle, and Pop!” and “You’ll FEEL better!” They doubled their ad spend. The investment paid off. Americans loved the message and sales took off.

Steve, a client and good friend of mine recently told me at a trade show where I was speaking; “We decided not to participate in the recession. He announced that to his wife 18 months ago. Then he “Advanced”!! He changed his attitude, doubled his efforts, doubled his ad spending and guess what? He is having the best year he has ever had. Business is up 31%!!!

Instead of HIBERNATE>>>>>INNOVATE!
Instead of COMPLAIN>>>>>>REFRAIN!
Instead of FORLORN>>>>>>BRAINSTORM!
Instead of RETREAT>>>>>>>ADVANCE!

Gather your team together with a flip chart and 3 x 5 cards and ask some great questions at a lunch and learn once a week or once a month....buy some pizza, lock the door for 90 minutes and ask the people you serve for ideas! Send me an email, I will give you some ideas. Get me on the phone, I will do a FREE teleconference (only one!) Hold an Advance. Do some Gorilla-Marketing!!! You enjoy the bananas you find! Is that a tiger across the street?

Ben Who? (Part Two)

Form the Habit of Selling Yourself On What You Are Selling
Its really believing in your product or service. Its understanding what it can really do for you clients. By developing this level of empathy, it fosters the respect for the buyer’s good sense.

Form the Habit of Continuous Study
Learning more can help you close the business that use to get away. Learning helps you understand the constantly changing landscape of laws and economics. He keeps his mind open to new ideas and demonstrates a willingness to learn from others. He is teachable and borrows from others in his industry. This fosters a willingness to learn from others.

Form the Habit of Increasing Your Goals
There is no limit to what a salesman can earn. Ben’s career proved that. The habit of increasing his goals allowed him make ten times the commission of his peers. This fosters the opportunity for financial independence.

Form the Habit of Seeking Perfection
If you aim for perfection and fall short of your aim, you won’t fall too far from the top. The habit of checking and double checking fosters the habit of quality work.

Form the Habit of Setting Achievable Deadlines
Ben did just that. Three applications a week. Simple. A track to run on. He takes his big goals and breaks them down into smaller goals. This habit of achievable deadlines fosters efficient hard work and the satisfaction of a challenge met.

Here are some of Ben’s favorite Power Phrases:

Nothing builds a fire under me more than someone telling me I can’t do something. I don’t believe it and am going to prove you wrong.

Strange as it may seem, our biggest problem is to sell ourselves. Most men exchange their lifetime for much too little. Believe in what you do.

Anything your mind can conceive, that you’ll believe, you can achieve.

Prospecting is basically recognizing a problem and making sure the problem has a price tag.

Prospecting is people with an idea.

Use logic first, emotion second. There is nothing like a disturbing question to build a fire under a man.

You know, when you buy a pair of pants, you don’t just buy any pair. You try them on. You make sure they fit.

It takes a smart businessman to make money. It takes a genius to keep it.

My week has seven days.

Most men don’t do anything wrong. They don’t do anything. That’s what’s wrong.

Problems are price tags. Someone always pays.

Like a tailor with a bolt of cloth, you must make it fit.

Spend more time in preparation than in presentation.

Don’t be afraid of BIG dreams. They have a way of coming true.

Be sold yourself.

In one word, it’s study. You have to study.

Speak slowly, clearly, softly, definitely, and---be sure.

When you are tired, get excited about something.

If you are in Sales, consider printing this out. Read it again. Highlight and underline the parts that really stood out for you. If you manage sales people, make copies for your team. Go over it. Read it aloud. Discuss it.

ASK YOURSELF and YOUR TEAM:

What can you borrow?

What are the three things I learned or am Taking Away?

What are the actions I intend to take tomorrow?

Better yet, Google Ben Feldman and see what comes up. You might even stumble on a copy of Andrew Thomson's book...if you are lucky. He changed my life and business.

Ben Who? (Part One)

This week I decided to break tradition and write in the third person. This profile of a sales superstar is too long for one post so I broke it up into two parts.

Ben Who? (Part One)
He was born in 1912, one of nine children. His parents fled the ghettos of Russia and settled in the midwest. By age 26, he was earning a meager $10 a week selling butter and eggs for his father in Salineville, Ohio. In 1938, it was a very small town. He was a short man, heavy set, his tightly curled hair, receding a little more each year. His voice was soft with a hint of a lisp. If you passed him on the street, he probably would not grab your attention.

When he first took the job of Life Insurance Salesman, his friends and family were a little worried for him. He was selling in a town of 22,000 people. He simply told them: If I decide to dig ditches, I’ll dig the best ditches. If I am going to sell Life Insurance, I’ll be the best Life Insurance Salesman there is.

By his third year, although doing well, he was not satisfied. A man has to let go of lower things and reach for higher things. His Sales Manager threw down his first big challenge. What if you became a member of the Million Dollar Roundtable in the next 12 months? That was it. A Big Goal. His first son had just been born, he was 29 years old. He went after the goal with the kind of relentless effort, passion and energy anyone in his office had ever seen. He tripled his volume with a simple objective: Three cases a week and keep it simple! Goals aren’t enough. You need goals plus deadlines. Goals big enough to get excited about and a deadline to make you run; together they can be tremendous.


At the height of his sales success, Andrew Thomson, his sales manager, wrote about Ben in 1969 in the out-of-print book “The Feldman Method.” Although the ideas are 40 years old, the principles have stood the test of time. Below you will find Ben Feldman’s 10 Success Characteristics. You will also find some magnificent quotes that give you some insight into his philosophy.

Form the Habit of Careful Preparation
In general he keeps abreast of all relevant literature. He attends sales meetings and seminars. In particular, he learns everything he can about his prospect and comes up with just the right solution to his prospects problem. His preparation fosters confidence.

Form the Habit of Organizing Your Work Each Day
First he organizes What has to be done in order of importance. First things first. Then he decides When it must be done. He plans his entire week in advance. His organizing fosters self-discipline.

Form the Habit of Creative Hard Work
He will work on his ideas, then rework them over and over again until they are flawlessly simple and simply flawless. His rework fosters the perseverance.

Form the Habit of Fitting Individual Needs
Ben never just sells policies. He sells “tailored dollars” ---packages of money fitted to a specific financial need of his prospect. This habit of tailoring fosters flexibility.

Form the Habit of Thinking Solely In Your Clients Best Interest
Ben doesn’t make sales. He makes “dreams come true.” To Ben, Life Insurance: establishes credit, raises cash, builds business, guarantees the education of a man’s children, provides for his old age. This other-centered thinking fosters the having goals other than money.

Stay tuned for the second part next week.

Fries With That?

In 2006, I had made several presentations at Hamburger University in Oak Brook IL. It’s quite a place. It’s a world class training facility that is rented out to corporations. It’s a four star hotel that Hyatt runs. It’s a museum and a testimony to Ray Kroc’s innovative and extra-ordinary contribution to business.

In the 1980’s the McDonald’s Corporation taught their drive through and counter sales people to ask one simple question with three words, “Fries with that?” The effect was profound and dramatic. Sales of french fries soared. It wasn’t long before late night comedians grabbed a hold of this phrase and had fun with it. It had become part of the american lexicon.

I went into a McDonald’s yesterday and said, ‘I’d like some fries.’ The girl at the counter said, ‘Would you like some fries with that?’

- Jay Leno

I don’t care what you sell, you can always up-sell. Clothes, software, cars, food, cameras, appliances, HVAC, even popcorn. Have you been to the movies lately and bought some popcorn? “For 50 cents more, you can have a twenty gallon tub!” The Up-Sell. This is an important principle to understand and apply, especially in a Down Economy.

Here is how it works. Once you have made the initial conceptual sale, let’s say a $300 camera. Providing you have established some measure of rapport, the prospect likes and trusts you, the timing is right and you are a competent sales professional, the conversation might sound like this: “That is an excellent choice. It will do everything we have discussed. I do feel obligated however to tell you about the Mach 5 option. The Mach 5 has all the features of the Mach 4 but with these additional 109 features for only $99 more.” The prospect says, “Wow...let’s do it.” You could stop there but why? You are on a roll. “What kind of camera bag do you have?” The prospect smiles, shrug his shoulders and says, “Camera Bag?” Now we are going over those options. The dance continues, “Cords, cleaner’s, extended warranties” (the list goes on and on.) Before you know it, the total sale is $899! More importantly the customer is delighted.

I can hear some readers, “Hey, I don’t want to be pushy!” Look, we are talking about simply asking a few more questions, understanding the prospects deeper needs. You are walking a mile in his or her shoes. You are revving up your “Empathy Engine” and they are delighted.

Two opportunities exist at the point of sale:
1) The Up-Sell of additional elements (add ons at minor price points)
2) A choice of two other options at higher price points

There is magic in THREES. Offer a choice of three yeses. Option One is what you agreed upon in the initial offer. The other new options are loaded with value and features. You never know until you ask. The key is to be low key, detached (almost indifferent) shrugging your shoulders immediately after the offer is made. In my experience, 30-40% of the time, they will gladly accept one of the new offers...hence, an Up-Sell.

As a consumer, when I am in the hands of a real professional salesperson, I appreciate the extra-time and options. As long as its done correctly, with tact, skill and detachment, I appreciate the choices. Remember, “Unassertive Sales People Have Skinny Kids!”

So are you hungry? How about a Big Mac....and hey, do you want “Fries with that?”

The Soundtrack of Our Lives

In 1980 I attended my first Bruce Springsteen concert. I was forever changed. When I think of WHY I have felt connected to Bruce Springsteen’s music since then, the answer is simple. At that age and stage in my life, I wanted to break out! I want to take off. Bruce gave me permission with Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town. In trying to describe the effect his music has on me, three words echo in my head, Urgency, Excellence and Gratitude. Someone once said “Music is the soundtrack of our lives.” If that is true, Springsteen’s been writing my soundtrack for 34 years.

A CD is a product. We pay $14.95 for lyrics, melodies, production values and how it affects our senses. When we attend a concert on the other hand, we are buying something completely different. We are buying a service. We are paying for an experience and a relationship. Ever been to a really bad concert? The singer clearly didn’t want to be there. It was a 45 minute show, and the artist was mechanical and indifferent. Technically, it’s the same as the CD. But the feeling we have is worse. Our expectations go unmet. The promise is implied, yet goes unmet.

Products are made; Services are delivered.
Products are used; Services are experienced.

The Boss with his live concerts accomplished something unique in popular music; he under-promised and over-delivered. His live concert changed my relationship with him and virtually everyone else in attendance. Mind you I was already a fan of his products and had not just all his albums but five or six bootleg tapes of live concerts. My wife thought I was insane. In 1980, I stayed up all night sitting on the ground in alley with 50 other fans waiting for the ticket office to open. The Friday night before I heard “Darkness on the Edge of Town” coming from an alley. Once I determined why they were there, I convinced my friend to loan me $100 bucks and I stayed.

The tour launched his “The River” album. The concert lasted four hours. It was a spiritual experience, a revival. Unless you have heard him with the E-Street Band, it’s tough to communicate what happens and how you feel at one of his concerts. How about: exhilarated, hopeful, excited, jazzed, and ready to take on the world. That’s a good start. He played two sets, two hours each. The Boss demonstrated excellence in showmanship, lyrics, passion, musicianship, storytelling, in short, VALUE. It was twice as long as any concert I had ever been to. No one wanted him to stop after 4-hours!

You could tell Bruce and his pals were having a ball and so glad to be up there. It was for the love of the music and moment. He was grateful then, he is grateful now.

February 5, 2009 cover story in Rolling Stone Magazine by David Fricke features “The Boss” in an intimate interview at his new house and studio in Colt’s Neck, NJ. It concludes with his wife of 20 years, Patti saying “You’re in a manic state, running like crazy from...death itself?” Smiling and paraphrasing his wife, Bruce concludes, “It’s a funny thing to say. I’ve got a deadline. That fire I feel in myself and the band---it’s a very enjoyable thing. It carries (with it) an element of desperateness. It also carries with it an element of thankfulness. We are perched at a place where we want to continue with excellence,” he says with pride. “That’s our goal. The rest of the stuff we’re gonna figure it out.”

At age 60, he still carries with him an attitude of urgency, excellence and gratitude. That’s the connection. Thanks Bruce. You are the Boss....

PS

Actor Mickey Rourke wrote Bruce a letter asking him to write the song for the ending of his career comeback film “The Wrestler” The film ends with this haunting ballad of reality and honesty. It won a Grammy. The film is gut wrenching, and will stay with you for days. Bruce has it as a bonus track on his new CD “Working on a Dream.” It’s the best album he has done since “Born to Run.” Hopefully this time, I won’t have to wait in an alley all night for tickets...I still would.

If This Were My Mother's House

In a recent tele-coaching session with an east coast contractor, I was reminded of a simple idea I stumbled upon 25 years ago when I was a technician and first learning how to sell.
I had just changed a compressor and the customer was complaining about the cost of the compressor change. I smiled. The compressor had failed due to neglect on his part. In four years he had not changed the filters or done any kind of maintenance. That is a lot like someone complaining to their dentist about the cost and pain of root canal when they haven’t brushed their teeth in four years.

I simply said to him, “It seems like a shame. Only the good die young.” With a puzzled look on his face he said, “What?” I explained, “You have nine other units on the roof. They will suffer the same fate of the five ton compressor I just changed in a short period of time. The filters are collapsed, the coils are plugged solid with dirt, and the belts are cracked. It’s just a matter of time....” He was leaning forward. I had his undivided attention. I was on a roll. “Look, it’s your building. You do what you want. However, if this were my mothers building, this is what I would tell her. ‘Mom, you gotta let me clean the coils when they get dirty. You gotta let me change the filters four times a year. You gotta let me replace the belts annually. Whatever it costs you for me to do that will be paid back in lower utility bills and extended equipment life.’” Pausing for effect, I continued, “I gotta go. My pager just went off. I have another call (hey, this was 1984).” He grabbed my arm and said, “Write it up.” I didn’t even know what IT was! “You mean a service agreement for maintenance?” “Yes,” he said, “I’m sold!”

All these years later, as I reflect on why that sale happened, the high points emerge:
 I was authentic and sincere (“If this were my mom’s building...”)
 I was honest (pulling no punches)
 I spoke in the first person (“If it were me...”)
 I was detached (and really busy)
 I was competent technically and he trusted me
 I gave him the dignity of choice (“It’s your building...”)

First person stories that serve as warnings are very effective. Equally effective are third person examples.... “My client on the east coast is a sponge. I met him conducting a sales seminar in Virginia last February. I asked for a volunteer to do some role playing in front of 60 people. He was brave enough to come up and learn publicly. True to form, after sharing a success story this morning by telephone, he asked me to dissect what he did well and what he could improve. I guess that’s why we are working together still. He is a serious student of change. Those are the kind of clients that hire me. They don’t need to be sick to get better!”


The common sense things he did well in his story were simple and anyone can start doing them tomorrow. He claims he used much of what I taught at the seminar to close more business than he ever has. I think he is being kind. He was already really good at his job. This is what I heard in his first person story this morning:
 After knocking on the door, he took a step back allowing space
 He asked if he could come in to take a look at her HVAC equipment
 He explained in simple terms that the compressor had failed and she had a choice: Replace the compressor on an old piece of equipment or replace the unit entirely
 He asked questions and really listened
 He asked how long she was going to be in the house as that might affect her decision
 He asked if SHE was the decision maker and whether or not her husband should be involved in the process
 He asked how she would like the proposal (In person or email)
 He followed up and asked for the sale in two days

HE CLOSED THE SALE! When he asked me what he could improve I told him the story I began with... “If this were my mother’s house....”

When clients ask your opinion, tell them what you think with one caveat. Never “SHOULD” on them. Second person doesn’t work! “You should do this” and “You must do that!” I know I don’t like to be SHOULD on....do you? Tell a story. What if you included your mom?
Nah....that wouldn’t work in your area!

Warning or Example?

Some of us are warnings, some of us are examples. Everyone is always glad to see you; some when you arrive, others when you leave. Sounds a little like something Mark Twain would have written.

I was reading some of Samuel Clemens again recently at the library located at the Stehekin Valley Ranch last weekend. Like Winston Churchill, Samuel Clemens (aka, Mark Twain) always makes me smile, at times, laugh out loud.

Owen Wister recounted a story Twain told him about attending church one Sunday in Hartford, Connecticut many years ago. He began:

A missionary preached that morning. His voice was beautiful. He told me of the sufferings of the natives, he pleaded for help with such moving simplicity that Mark Twain mentally doubled the fifty cents he had intended to put in the plate. As the address proceeded, describing so pitifully the misery of the savages, the dollar in his mind gradually rose to five. A little farther along, the missionary had him crying. He felt that all the cash he carried about him would be insufficient and decided to write a large check.

“And then the preacher went on,” said Twain, suddenly whirling on me and coming to a standstill, and falling into a drawl. “Went on about the dreadful state of those natives. I abandoned the idea of the check. And he went on. And he went on. And when the plate came around, I took ten cents out of it!”

The trap many sales people fall into is knowing when to stop talking. The window of opportunity opens, if we wait too long, and keep talking about our product or service, it eventually closes. Reading the prospect’s body language is critical. Following instincts and intuition and trying a trial close is a skill to be tested and tried. Knowing when to stop talking and asking for the sale is something every new sales rep needs to develop.

As another story goes, the young, ambitious, newly hired sales rep burst into the seasoned Sales Manager’s office his second week on the job and exclaimed, “I want to be successful like you! You have the plaques on the wall and have won all the awards. Tell me in one sentence exactly what I need to be successful. I am ready to learn and close some business!” The seasoned Sales Manager smiled. He said simply, “Grab your journal. I will give the wisdom of my experience.” The young rep smiled, and said, “Ready!” Pausing for effect, the Sales Manager said simply, “All you need is good judgment.” The rep wrote that down and asked, “How do I get that?” “Experience,” the Manager said with some bemusement. “How do I get that?” the rep inquired. “Bad judgment! Now go get ‘em!”

Are your prospects glad to see you upon your arrival or departure? Are you the warning or the example? You can tell if they are taking ten cents out of your plate! Now go get ‘em!

Mark Matteson can be reached by email mark.enjoythejourney.matteson@gmail.com or by phone 206.697.0454
or to sign up for the monthly e-newsletter go to www.mattesonavenue.com

Wanna Buy Some Cookies?

It was a beautiful sunny day in Seattle, the third week in March 2003. I was headed to Starbucks attached to the local grocery store. March Madness and Girl Scout Cookies were everywhere. I was thinking about the days activities ahead. Two young Girl Scout merchants, 11 year olds and their moms where just setting up a TV tray to display their wares. I immediately looked away. If I don’t make eye contact, they won’t see me!

As I stood in line for coffee, I began to question my attitude about buying cookies from Girl Scouts. Why am I such a Scrooge about helping out these young entrepreneurs? Answer? My wife always buys a box or two. As if that were not enough, hey, I sure don’t need the empty calories. I had a hundred excuses but not one good reason. Right then and there, I changed my attitude. I went back outside with my Venti drip coffee in hand.

“So, why should I buy some cookies from you?” I asked with a mock sarcasm. I was having a little bit of fun and testing their sales acumen. The most assertive of the two girls said, “Cause they taste good,” in the meek quiet voice. “Why else?” I asked with a grin. The other girl chimed in, “Because we are raising money for a trip!” Like Raptors, they were double teaming me and building momentum. Now in both responses, they were telling me about what I like to call “Company Centered Features.” Features never inspired me to buy anything. Benefits that matter to me on the other hand capture my attention and inspire me to think about parting with my hard earned cash.

I looked up at the moms and asked, “If I share some ideas with you that will help you sell a lot more boxes of cookies, would you apply them today?” Their mothers leaned forward and nudged them as if to say, it’s okay. “Yes,” the girl scouts replied with a furrowed and skeptical brow.

Now I was in full throttle mentor mode. “I want to tell you about the ‘Six Magic Words,’ that is, how to turn a feature into a benefit.” They were leaning forward to listen. “What That Means To You Is…” Without taking a breath, I continued, “Let’s take what you said to me already. ‘They taste good.’ What that means to me is, ‘They’ll taste good WITH MY COFFEE!’ Now that’s a benefit that matters to me.”

Picking up on the principle, they applied it to the other feature they shared; ‘Raising money for a trip’ was transformed into ‘What that means to me is ‘You’ll feel good about helping a worthy cause’. It was clear the mom’s were grateful.

“One more thing,” I said in a more serious tone. “From now on instead of asking ‘Would you like to buy some cookies (or not)?’ you are going to ask, ‘Would you like two boxes or four, which would you prefer?’ ”

The more assertive of two Girl Scouts processed all I had to offer, paused about five seconds and piped up with, “Okay, you are going to feel great about this investment because it’s for a good cause and they’ll go great with your coffee. Would you like to buy two boxes or four, which would you prefer?”

Guess who walked away with two boxes of mint flavored, chocolate Girl Scout Cookies?

I came back for a refill an hour later to find the two girls and their moms laughing and talking in the Starbucks. “How come you’re not selling cookies?” I asked a little surprised. “Oh, we sold them all, 46 boxes. Now we are going to go help the other girls in our troop!”

The sunny day seemed just a little brighter. Now the only problem I had was what to do with 100 cookies I didn’t need. This experience just re-confirmed what I have known for some time, women (and girls) are smarter than men. I’m gonna need a lot more coffee while I watch some basketball and eat these cookies.





Always offer a choice of yeses in any sales offering. The alternative advance close is still one the best ways to ask for the sale.
Mark Matteson

Mexican or Italian?

It was the fall of 2000. I had been in Dallas, Texas for four days conducting seminars with a fine group of successful contractors. Sales training. We covered all aspects of the sales cycle: suspects, prospects, qualifying, writing proposals, asking for the sale and following up. I had come back with a slight southern drawl. I learned the plural of “You-all” (pronounced YAWL) is “All-YAWL!” Good stuff. I love Texans. They just might be the most polite people in the United States.

My wife picked me up at the airport. She had been in Court Reporting for 18 years. It was a fine career but things had changed; Margins shrinking, a glut of lawyers in Seattle, increased competition from Technology (the unspeakable, being replaced by video!) and of course, motherhood. She was a fine court reporter. It’s the toughest kind of mental work. You had to be perfect, capture every word. She worked for one of the largest and most prestigious firms in Seattle. Her technical competence assured repeat business. I was about to find out she was world class on the topic of INFLUENCE.

As we drove away from Sea-Tac airport in late afternoon on that beautiful fall day, a smile appeared in the corner of her mouth, like the gentle wiggle of a cat’s tail just before it pounces on its prey. “How was your flight?” “Oh, fine. I read most of the way.” I looked out the window as she drove. As we came to a stop at the light, she turned to me, lowered her voice an octave and in a sultry, soft tone said, “Are you hungry?” Now this was a loaded question. I am always hungry! “Starving!” I replied. “Well,” she said, in a gentle whisper, “I could make dinner, and then do the dishes, and I wouldn’t really get to hear how your trip was. So…I was just wondering, would going out to a Mexican restaurant be good, or would Italian be better? Which would you prefer?” Without hesitation or any real thought, I said, “Italian!” It wasn’t until I was dipping the bread in the olive oil; I realized what she had done to me!

In sales, I teach the “Choice of Yeses.” When it’s time to ask for the sale, you offer the prospect two or three choices, the first option is your personal preference and the one that is also in the prospect’s enlightened self-interest. That is exactly what Debbie had done to me. She knew I would choose Italian if followed by the word “Better.” As far as I know, she has never attended a sales training class, (mine or anyone else’s). This proves a point I have long contended, women are smarter than men in many areas.

What was particularly powerful about this experience was I never knew it was happening to me. It was sooo smooth, sooo seamless. Man, she was good (or should I say woman, she was good?) With the four-legs of the Sales chair: Trust, Relationship, Competence and Timing: Timing was the biggest factor. I was hungry, therefore, near helpless. I never had a chance.

Remember the next time you need to close an important sale, offer a choice of Yeses. Say, are you hungry? Mexican or Italian, which would you prefer?


Look for the causes of your success. If someone tells you that you were great, say, ‘Thank you. Why do you say that?’ and listen. Only then will we know the common denominators of success.


Mark Matteson

Your Shoes Are Too Small

It was the summer of 1992, my Dad and I were playing a game of cribbage.
He was stealing points from me (his way of ‘Teaching’ me the game) when he grimaced. I thought it was a pang of conscious about cheating at cards.
I was wrong.

He took his shoes off and started rubbing his feet. “What’s wrong Dad?” I asked with genuine concern. My Dad was a guy that NEVER complained or went to the doctor. “Oh, it’s my feet son. They’re killing me.” I leaned forward and asked, “What did the doctor say?” “Oh he wants me to have an operation. I don’t want to,” he said with real fear in his voice. “Did you get a second opinion?” already knowing the answer before I asked. “Play cards,” was all he said.

The next day I called a physician client of mine. I asked about the best foot doctor in Seattle. He gave me two names, both at the University of Washington hospital. It took some doing but Dad finally relented. We played another game of cribbage two weeks later.

“What happened at the UW Hospital Dad?” “Oh well he was a real nice young man. He asked me a few questions, you know the usual.” He paused for minute, a little embarrassed about what followed. “Then he asked me what size shoe I wore? I told him 13.” He then me asked, “How long have you worn a 13?” I told him, “Since I was 14 years old.” Then he measures his foot with one of those shoe size devices. “Well Bob, according to my calculations, you wear a 15 triple E. There will be no operation for you. I want you to go home and donate all your size 13 shoes to Goodwill. Go buy a pair of Birkenstocks and a pair of Rockport’s, both size 15 EEE. Will you do that Bob?”

I looked down at his feet. He had on a pair of open toed Birkenstocks. He looked like every other neo-hippie in Seattle. “How do your feet feel now?” I asked. “Great! I am glad I went to the doctor.” Now for him to say that is like President Bush saying he hates the oil industry.

Two weeks afterward, I was sitting in the office of a Facilities Manager. He managed one of the largest buildings in Seattle. He was hesitating, balking at authorizing the agreement in front of him. It was for $75,000, a big commitment. He was afraid of what the repair costs would be once we began inspecting the HVAC equipment. Would it be $500 or $50,000 in fix up costs?

I told him the story about my Dad’s shoes. He listened intently. I concluded with the following statement, “You and I have no idea what we will find once we get in there. It could be that your shoes are too small and you don’t need an operation. There is only one way to find out…” I slid the agreement across the desk.

The story about my father was the perfect metaphor. The One-Time Maintenance or Building Audit I offered as a shallow end of the pool strategy was like trying the Birkenstocks for a couple of days. With that work, we would generate a comprehensive list of things to be done. The logic was irrefutable. He signed the agreement.

I learned some valuable lessons about stories, metaphors, shoes and second opinions. I sure wish I could play some cribbage with my Dad. I miss him.
I think I’ll call my son.


“Nothing happens until a sale is made.”
Red Motley

Nose of the Camel

It was 1990. My new job was to sell Commercial Service Agreements. It was a fine company. They were growing. They wanted to expand their Service Base. I had a territory that no one wanted. It was the farthest away from the office. “There is no business there!” was all I heard from everyone when I first took the job. I also heard, “You’re nuts! Why did you give up the security of being a Technician?” I was a little nervous. Who was I going to call?

I had to. I was stale. I was restless. I was a C+ technician on my best day.
But I had people skills. I made friends easily. I liked people. I took the personality profile. I was made for the job. I read a lot. I was curious. I was ambitious. I have always been an entrepreneur. Now I was an Intra-prenuer.

Selling Commercial Service agreements in Seattle Washington is tough. The Pacific North-WET. Average annual rainfall, 32 inches. Average annual temperature, 55 degrees. When compressors fail, we switch to Outside Air, Economizer mode, aka, “Free cooling :-)

I was calling on people who didn’t want to see me and talk about something they didn’t care about. Out of sight, out of mind. I was selling an intangible. Getting the appointment is the toughest part of the sale. I would walk into 50 buildings, to get 40 names, talk to 30 people by telephone, to secure 20 face to face appointments, to close 5 deals. Start with 50, end with 5.

That was the Science of my new profession. The profession of selling is a unique blend of Art and Science, Science and Art. The Science is represented by numbers, activity, quantitative measures. The Art is represented by soft skills, people skills.

Barb Gregory was the facility manager for Bartell Drugs. They had 40 locations. One contractor was serving all 40. They were a good company. I had friends working there. As I listened to her, it was clear she was fairly content with whom she was using. It’s a common challenge. How does a salesperson overcome that one? Then something I had read in a Sales Book by Frank Bettger sparked an idea. “Compared to what or whom?”

“How do you know you are happy?” I asked Barb. “Pardon me?” she asserted. “How do you know you are happy? Compared to what? You have only ever had one contractor. As good as they are, one thing I do know about human nature. When we think we have it all, arrogance and complacency creep in. Wouldn’t it be nice to raise the bar a little?” It was a bold move. I had nothing to lose. I hadn’t made a sale in awhile.

“Where are you going with this?” she asked, leaning forward like the RCA Dog listening to the phonograph for the first time. “Well, I just wonder how much better your service would be from ABC Mechanical if they knew WE were in one of their stores.” Stone silence. I just smiled and sat back. I knew I had struck gold. Thanks, Frank. It was sound business logic. What could she say? I had established reasonable doubt, a rock in her shoe.

Waiting for her to finish her thought process, I finally interjected one more idea. “All I am looking for is one store,” I said with a smile curling up slowly from one side like the Mona Lisa. “Just one, the worst one. The one you have the most problems with. It will give us a chance to demonstrate our competency. How do you feel about that?”

After another long pause, she said, “Okay. Just one. Here is the manager’s name and number. The address is…” I was delighted. It had worked!
We went after that store with gusto. Our best tech solved their ‘Three compressor failures in six months problem.’ There were two problems, liquid migrating back to the crankcase and occasional Brown Outs. We installed a crankcase heater and phase protection. We eliminated the moisture in the system. We made the manager happy.

Barb said to me over lunch a month later, “Okay, I am going to give you guys another two stores. But don’t get your hopes up. I will never give you more than half the stores.” I was speechless. 20 stores! I could hardly contain my glee. Mona Lisa was gone. I am certain I looked more like Ronald McDonald at that point. “Fine,” I said with a big grin. I finished my pasta marinara with McChicken.

We talked about the Mariners.

All I could think about was the old proverb, “When the nose of the camel is in the tent, the rest of the camel isn’t far behind.”

Who else could I call?


Sales are like a four legged chair. The legs are: Trust, Relationship, Competence and Timing. If one of the legs is missing, we don’t sit too well or comfortably.
Mark Matteson


Matteson Avenue
Raising the Sales Bar in Organizations Worldwide

Email mark.enjoythejourney.matteson@gmail.com

www.mattesonavenue.com

Cell phone 206.697.0454