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Top 10 Tips for Convincing Customers to Ignore You
Wednesday, May 30th, 2007

Suppliers contact potential customers year around and customers’ fiscal years can begin in any month.  As a former senior contract manager, a lot of suppliers ask for my help.  Today’s question is…

How can you convince customers to ignore you? 

Tip 1. Give Connie Customer generic information.  Think about consulting firms as an example.  How many consulting firms are there?  How do you know which one to use for a particular project?  Yes, I suppose you could do an Internet search and contact all of the potential firms.  Thirty years from now, you would have an answer.  It adds a new meaning to long term planning alright…  As Murray Wolfson’s book title said, “in the long run we are all dead.” 

Define your niche carefully so that you can identify firms in that niche and present your information in a way that connects with them.

Tip 2.  Send e-mails to strangers telling them how great your firm is.  This may make people think that they are looking for customers.  It often works better if you tell the customers a story that they can relate to, then explain how you help the customers solve the problem.  Suppose that your business helps people build business relationships. In that situation, you might use the following scenario:

Sam Supplier kept contacting customers, and the customers were remaining silent. 

We determined that Sam was contacting customers after their budgets for the following year were completed.  This meant that Sam had to wait two years before having any opportunities to help customers. 

With our help, Sam was able to factor the budget cycle into his sales efforts and remain in contact with potential customers.  

Tip 3.  Address the letter to sir, madam, executive, president, chairman, senior officer, recruiter, training organization, buyer, or “to whom it may concern.”  The supplier sends the message without visiting the customer’s website and contacting the customer, yet the customer is supposed to take the time to read the information and respond?  Well, if the customer needs what the supplier offers at that instant in time and there is something about the information that gets the customer’s attention, it might happen.  That leads a reply rate of well less than 3%, at least that was my experience in procurement.  Is that good enough for you?  Can you afford to have 97% of your efforts to miss the mark?

A better approach is to read the company’s website, contact the company and ask questions.  Use warm referrals to move from the entry point to people who actually need your services.

Tip 4.  Brag about who “Connie Customer” is.  Firmswant to know how you can help them.  If the customers you have worked with in the past are similar firms or faced similar issues to those your customers faces, say that. 

The example in Tip 2 may be specific enough to allow your customers to see themselves.  Tailor the story based on what the customers do and the size of the market.  For example, you might decide to focus on IT firms who are located in New York City and deal with a specific application.  That would be much more specific. 

Do the research so that you have a reasonable-sized market that actually needs what you offer.

Tip 5.  Talk about the difficulties you are facing.   If your difficulty is going to help the customer, it may be helpful to discuss the issue.  

Think about how your difficulties might help the customers.

Are you expanding into a new market and, as a result, offering significant discounts?  Did your team complete a project on time and are you trying to keep the team employed? 

There is a firm which provides low cost installations of air conditioners in January.  Hail sales at care dealerships provide a second example where this approach is used. 

Tip 6.  Buy a mailing list and send 500 page catalogs to everyone on the mailing list.  First, this is an expensive undertaking.  Second, how many of those catalogs are actually used?

Think about all the firms which used to send massive catalogs, and now rely on smaller catalogs, or none at all.  Industry-specific mailing lists or affinity lists have really grown in popularity as a means of controlling costs and improving results.

Tip 7.  Ignore Connie Customer.  Why would a customer contact you if you provide bad service, ignore correspondence, and miss the mark in your discussions?  Remember though, if you try too hard, you may come across as desperate and that chases customers away too.

Tip 8.  Make an offer that sounds too good to be true.  At the end of the day, customers want results.  If the results are too much better than what the customers have realized on their efforts, it raises questions from a credibility perspective.

Set realistic expectations and provide enough information that people can evaluate the information that you provide.

Tip 9.  Expect someone else to sell your products and services.  You are the one who knows about your offering and the pain it addresses.  Talk about what you do from that perspective.

Solve a problem you have experienced leads to greater conviction and sustainability in your efforts. 

Tip 10.  Try to change the customer or blame the customer for not buying what you are offering. 

Focus on things that you can change.

What other tips would you add to this list? 

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AT&T Yahoo! adds ads to upgrade its email offering
Tuesday, May 29th, 2007

At the start of the month, AT&T Yahoo! told customers that the customers will receive unlimited storage for email and that graphical ads will soon appear in email ads.  This was intended as an “upgrade” to its offering and to allow other products to be developed.   

It kind of makes a person wonder…  Do people really want to be advertised to?  Aside from ads during the Super Bowl, does anyone really want to see the ads?  A lot of firms try to profile ads and show customers just what the customers want to see.  How about those customers who want to see zero ads?

Sometimes, firms offer customers the ability to opt out of the advertising  by paying a higher fee.  AT&T Yahoo didn’t offer customers this option.  Or, if customers were offered such a choice, it was buried in the fine print… 

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Learning and applying information to other situations
Tuesday, May 29th, 2007

In the early 1990s, I was an Assistant County Attorney in West Texas Oil Patch Town of Odessa. (Just as Atlanta is sometimes referred to as “Hotlanta” so too Odessa had a nickname - “Slow Deatha.”  At least, that was what a cop friend called it.)  Many of the lessons learned in that context apply in business as well. Three of the lessons relate to:

  • Responding the first time something occurs, so that it may not be repeated
  • Scaling the response to fit the situation
  • Walk the talk

This posting discusses these three lessons and relates the juvenile system to the business environment.

Initial Response

When the kids came into the courtroom - many scared to death - that was the time to get their attention.  I knew that the time to get someone’s attention is in the first 30 seconds and it was going to be a lot easier for all involved.  Fear gets people’s attention and they learn.  There is quite a bit of psychology suggesting that this is accurate. Also, when bad behavior was ignored the first time, the situation tended to get worse. 

In the business context, I used this to make sure that I set the expectations up front with my clients, team members, and suppliers.  We talked about what each party needed to accomplish and their vision.  As leader of the project team, I explained how we were going to get there from here.  (Outside of the project, the people on my team generally outranked me. Within the project team meetings, there was little doubt about who was in charge. I only do things two ways - all out and not at all.) At times, they were unhappy with me - at least for a few minutes - and that was okay.  I was paid to get results, rather than to be popular.  As a practical matter though, people accepted it and stepped out of the way. By the way, in today’s business environment, do you know anyone who is paid to be popular? 

Trust and strong business relationships come from being able to work miracles.  Often, the issue is systemic.  People may be unclear about the checks and balances that are in play, and why they are needed.  The groups may be speaking different languages.  Their expectations may be different.  And other issues can also arise. 

The starting point is to understand what each person cares about, and why it matters in the grand scheme of things.  Then, people are positioned to make decisions and to reconcile their differences.

Scalability

There were many layers of consequences for dealing with juvenile crime.  At the lowest level, we had VR - voluntary rehabilitation - where kids went on probation voluntarily, as a contract issue between the kids, their parents, and the Juvenile Probation Department.  Then, we needed more bandwidth, so we implemented the “Tour and the Cursing” response.  The Tour and the Cursing meant that the charming child got the shit scared out of him or her - a tour of the Youth Center, to meet with a probation officer, and even to spend a few minutes in a detention cell without all the toys the child would have at home.  Of course, at the high end, we had certification to stand trial as an adult (in some cases), a hybrid option of determinant sentencing for the five most serious crimes, and commitment to the Texas Youth Commission.  

In business, I hear so many people wanting to start the solution with the most serious relief.  Either they want to terminate the contract, or they want to fire the employee.  If that is necessary, those options are fine.  Too often though, we start with the “death penalty” response, and we kill a relationship that may just need some minor tweaks. 

In many cases, the “death penalty” is imposed without a clear path forward or even a good definition of the issue on the table.  Do we really need to change suppliers? Should the customer be fired? Both of these change impact efficiency and effectiveness. Beyond that, the change may not meet the needs of the business.

The devil one knows is often better than the unknown one in business.  We can deal with what is known, the challenge comes with the unknowns.  Expectations, capabilities, communication, approach are some of unknows.  And, sometimes we think we know something, and we are just plain wrong! It can take two to five years to have a business relationship in which the people are able to work together effectively.

Walking the talk

When juveniles were put on probation, after the sentencing, I explained to the charming children and their parents the way juvenile probation worked.  I was their best friend or their worst enemy, and the choice was theirs. If they did not do  were ordered to do, they were going to be sitting at the Youth Center and, if the parents didn’t make sure that Junior (male or female) reported, they might find themselve on the receiving end of a little vacation…  An all expenses paid trip to the county jail.  Junior and the parents were all unhappy at that result, when it had to happen.  A prosecutor’s role is to represent the conscience of the community and society’s interests. Society is interested in having law abiding citizens, protecting itself from violators, and helping children develop good judgment. Everyone had a role to play in getting to that result.

In business, it is important to identify consequences so that people can make choices. If people are uncertain about the consequences of an action, they are unable to appreciate the choice and make a good decision.

When I was a juvenile prosecutor, there was no one telling me to take this approach. Leadership is about seeing a problem and finding a solution. Sometimes, it is by telling others what to do. In other cases, it is by presenting information and allowing others to choose. At times, it even means asking questions to encourage thinking. For me, the best approach is to focus factors within my control. When we focus on the possibilities, rather than on the impossibilities, there are a lot more options.

Ask questions.  Explore the situation.  Find out what motivates the businesses involved.  With this knowledge, results can be realized while stress and frustration are being managed.

Conclusion

 This this example illustrates, lessons learned in one context can often be applied in others.  Responding the first time something occurs, so that it may not be repeated, scaling the response to fit the situation, and walking the talk are three lessons that could solve a lot of issues in business.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. 

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Happy Memorial Day
Monday, May 28th, 2007

Memorial Day means many things to people in the US.  For some, it is a day off from work.  Others see it as the start of the summer and the vacation season.  It is also a day of sales in business. 

Memorial Day is all of these things because people were willing to fight for our country.  In some countries, the veterans would be seen as being superior to others.  What makes our country great is that veterans are ordinary people called on in times of need.  When called, these ordinary people do extraordinary things.

Rather than looking to others to do great things, in the US, each of us is expected to do them.  When faced with a difficult choice, great Americans do what is right, even when it is difficult and requires personal sacrifice.

I hope that as we enjoy the day off from work, the picnics, and the other events and activities today, take a moment to reflect on our country and the people who have made given their lives so that each of us may do so.

Be safe and have a Happy Memorial Day.

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The media made him do it?
Monday, May 28th, 2007

There is an interesting trend going on.  Have you noticed how much bad stuff the media is getting blamed for?  Over the weekend, Paul Wolfowitz blamed the media for what has occurred at World Bank.  The article is found here.

Hmm….  Let’s think about this.  Was the media contacting the State Department about Wolfowitz’s girlfriend?  Did the media hold a gun to Wolfowitz’s head and make him do so?  So what exactly did the media do which is worthy of blame?

I am left wondering…  What exactly did the media do?  Is Paul Wolfowitz really complaining the media did its job as a watchdog and representative of our interests? 

It is always easier to blame someone else than to accept responsibility.  One of the reasons that Paul Wolfowitz was paid the big bucks was so that he would set a good example and accept responsibility.

If Paul Wolfowitz had allowed his girlfriend to apply for a job and negotiate her own salary increases, what would the media have said?  “Paul Wolfowitz’s girlfriend, Shaha Riza, was hired by the State Department today.”  That sounds like a great lead story on the national news now, doesn’t it? 

What lessons can be learned for business people?

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The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act: A case study on the Rogue National Wild and Scenic River in Oregon - Part 2
Saturday, May 26th, 2007

Written by Coleen Rutledge Davis
April 27, 1990

This is part 2 of an article written about the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1990.  Please verify the current relevance of all information contained in this article, rather than relying on its contents as part of your decision-making process. 

Legislative History

In the 1960s, substantial concern was expressed for the protection of outdoor recreational activities.  Congress responded to this concern by creating the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission and, later, the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation.8  This was followed by enactment of the Wilderness Act in 1964.9  A few years later, President Johnson established the President’s Council on Recreation and Natural Beauty and the Citizens’ Advisory Committee on Recreation and Natural Beauty.10  Against this backdrop, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was passed in 1968.

The legislative history of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act indicates congressional recognition of five principles.  First, the legislative material indicates that certain rivers should be preserved for public use and enjoyment.11  ”Preserve” means “[t]o keep in perfect or unaltered condition; maintain in an unchanged form.”12  If this was the definition intended by Congress, the Act was intended to restrict prospective changes to the river’s character, as measured from the date of designation.  Such an interpretation is strengthened by statements of Senator Hatfield who said that the Act does not attempt to “undo” development or to interfere with existing activities.13  The Act establishes a classification system which provides further support for the view that the Act was only intended to limit prospective changes.14  In fact, one member of Congress has argued that new uses which are consistent with the Act are to be allowed.15  Clearly, Congress did not intend for the Act to be used to create a de facto wilderness.16

The second principle found in the legislative history is that Congress wished to encourage states to preserve rivers for public use and enjoyment.17  Although the legislative history remains silent on why state involvement is to be encouraged, this goal is probably related to economics, political issues, and administrative concerns.  The procedure for inclusion of state-designated rivers in the System is one manifestation of this objective.18

Third, the legislative history demonstrates congressional recognition that rivers vary and should be preserved for different reasons.19  One river may have outstanding geologic value and another may have great historic or recreational value.  In this situation, Congress apparently intended to leave decisions about which characteristics are worthy of preservation to the administrative branch of government.

Fourth, governmental acquisitions under the Act are to be minimized.20  In fact, Representative DeFazio makes it clear that the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was not intended to expand federal condemnation power.21  Economic and political concerns undoubtedly resulted in recognition of this principle.  Acquisition of all lands within the boundaries of a river in the System would be very expensive.22  Such acquisitions might be politically unpopular as well.  Beyond these considerations, federal agencies might have great difficulty operating some businesses found on rivers in the System.

Special use permits are issued for some business activities because of perceived needs for services that agencies are unable to provide.23  A guide service is one example of a business that would be difficult for a federal agency to operated.  Expertise is essential in providing customers with safe fishing and rafting trips.  Expertise is also necessary for business to be profitable.  In addition, guide services are extremely labor intensive.  This industry has the potential for enormous liability.24  For these reasons, guiding is a service that the federal government does not wish to provide.

In recognition of these concerns and the need to control and and river use, Congress intended that agencies regulate land use by easement, rather than by fee simple acquisitions.25  This intent is reflected by Senator Hatfield’s comments during the floor debate of the Omnibus Oregon Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1988.26

Fifth, the legislative materials indicate and the Act demonstrates that rivers are to be added to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System only after considered deliberation.27 Several practical considerations justify this approach. Perhaps the most obvious justification for deliberation is that, when a river is added to the System, the congressional intent is to preserve the river in its then-existing condition in perpetuity.  Federal funds must be allocated for management activities.  The economy around the river may stagnate since new industries may be inconsistent with the river’s designation and existing businesses may be unable to expand.  Beyond this, the river’s potential as a source of power is reduced.28  All of these factors suggest that substantial analysis is desirable before rivers are added to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

—–

Footnotes for Part 2

8. S.R. REP. NO. 11, 89th Congr., 1st Sess. 1, reprinted in1963 U.S. CODE CONG. & ADMIN. NEWS 664.

9. 16 U.S.C. sections 1131 - 1361.

10. Exec. Order No 11,278, 31 Fed. Reg. 6,681 (1966).

11. H.R. REP. NO. 1632, 90th Cong., 2nd Sess. 6, reprinted in 1968 U.S. CODE CONG. & ADMIN. NEWS 3801 at 3803.

12. THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE 1036 (New College Edition 1980).

13. 134 CONG. REC. S15236, S15243 (daily ed. Oct. 7, 1988) (Statement of Senator Hatfield).

14. See 16 U.S.C. section 1273(b) (1988).

15. 134 CONG. REC. H10109, H10115 (daily ed. Oct. 12, 1988) (Statement of Rep. DeFazio).

16. 134 CONG. REC. H10109, H10115 (daily ed. Oct. 12, 1988) (Statement of Rep. Smith).

17. H.R. REP. NO. 1632, 90th Cong., 2nd Sess. 6, reprinted in 1968 U.S. CODE CONG. & ADMIN. NEWS 3801 at 3803.

18. 16 U.S.C. section 1273(a).

19. H.R. REP. NO. 1632, 90th Cong., 2nd Sess. 6, reprinted in 1968 U.S. CODE CONG. & ADMIN. NEWS 3801 at 3803.

20. H.R. REP. NO. 1632, 90th Cong., 2nd Sess. 6, reprinted in 1968 U.S. CODE CONG. & ADMIN. NEWS 3801 at 3803.

21. 134 CONG. REC. H10109, H10115 (daily ed. Oct. 12, 1988) (Statement of Rep. DeFazio).

22. See113 CONG. REC. 21742, 21750 (1967) (statement of Sen. Nelson).

23. Outfitting and Guiding Permits, Proposed Policy 48 Fed. Reg. 15,296, 15,297 (1983).

24. E.g., Harmon v. United States 532 F.2d 669 (9th Cir. 1975).

25. See 16 U.S.C. section 1277(b) (1988).

26. 134 CONG. REC. S15236, S15243 (daily ed. Oct. 7, 1988) (Statement of Senator Hatfield).

27. H.R. REP. NO. 1632, 90th Cong., 2nd Sess. 6, reprinted in 1968 U.S. CODE CONG. & ADMIN. NEWS 3801 at 3804.

28. 113 CONG. REC. 21742, 21745 (1967) (Statement of Senator Church).

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Why no RSS feed?
Thursday, May 24th, 2007

The other day, I was asked for a link to my RSS feed.  Below is the slightly edited response…

Thank you so much for your interest in my blog.  I am glad that the items were interesting to you and sincerely appreciate your interest in the RSS feed.  

I want readers to make good business decisions and remain friends.  As a result, I have elected not to provide an RSS feed.  Instead, readers have three basic options which are:

A private feed, custom blogs, and facilitated discussions.  This is an offering that is of highest value because it saves people time and is immediately relevant.  There is a fee, just as one would expect if one engages a business advisor,  teacher, architect, or real estate agent.  This is a typical value for value transaction.  

An option for people wishing a free option is to bookmark my site and visit it when they wish.  Such individuals have determined that money is more important than time.  This too is a value for value transaction, of the negative sort.

Subscribing through Feedburner.  In this situation, I learn a bit about what items are of interest to the individual which has value for me and they get access to a feed.  Again, this is a value for value transaction.

Thanks again for your interest in my blogs.  If there is anything that I can do to help you, please let me know.

Take care and have a wonderful day!

 Coleen

What do you think, too corporate or not corporate enough?

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