And your customers will never leave empty-handed!

The book "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss was created because a publisher from Random House bet him he couldn't write a book using just 50 words. Little did he know that it would become a time-honoured classic and... a sales manual!?!

When you re- examine this book, you will realize that it contains key teachings to becoming an exemplary salesperson. Whether you are making cold calls or selling face to face, these little bits of advice can help you raise your sales. Let's take a look!

Sam is smart, personable and wears a red hat. It's important to make a personal connection with your customer. Introduce yourself, be available, helpful and demonstrate your product knowledge by offering smart recommendations. Make a lasting impression and they will remember who to talk to when they decide to buy. Customers often leave a store empty-handed because they cannot find someone to help them.

Even if you don't like Sam, Sam will like you. A good salesperson is not afraid to face the grumpy response to interrupting someone's day. They just keep on smiling despite the customer's less than joyful demeanour. For them, it's a challenge!

Sam assumes he will get the sale, here or there, it's just matter of where. Skilled salespeople work with the assumption that, in the end, they will make the sale. It's just a matter of finding the approach that works best with a particular customer (in a box, with a fox, in the rain, on a train).

Sam is more than a little persistent. In a real world situation, Sam's overly persistent approach can be considered a little rude. The true take-away here is to understand that he is not deterred by a negative response. A "no" now does not necessarily mean "no" later. This is why the first two points are so important. Be pleasant and keep the door open by keeping in touch.

Sam offers free samples!!! The "try before you buy" strategy is an effective one. Sam offers the grumpy grown-up a taste of those green eggs and ham. Although it takes time, when he finally succeeds in convincing him to try them, the grown-up goes from frowny to cheery in a blink! Get the product in the customer's hands and you will be much more likely to convince them to buy.

Can your salespeople learn from Sam?

Morty Silber, CEO

Mad Strategies Inc.
a Wizard of Ads Partner

Purpose, practices and performance.

GameChangers 500, aka GC500, ranks the world’s top For-Benefit organizations. It's like the Fortune 500 list only instead of listing companies in order of revenue, they list them according to the number of badges a company has been awarded throughout the year. It is entirely merit based. The more badges your company earns, the more of a GameChanger you are considered to be.

So why am I talking to you about this? Simple. Companies that put purpose and bettering the world along side profit are usually more successful that those who focus on profit alone.

These badges... for GC500 they are points system that measure an organization's use of best practices as a force of good in the world. For me, they are a list of must-have best-practices, a cheat-sheet, a company checklist, a guide to success. What a gem of a list!

A company without a purpose is simply managing people and resources, while companies with a purpose motivate people and resources, and drive the business. Purpose helps create a company culture, attract like-minded employees and give them something to be proud of and stand for. Purpose fosters authenticity, transparency and shared value.

These badges make you look at the WHY (purpose), the WHAT (practices) and HOW (performance) of your business in a way that is all encompassing and ensures you are having the maximum impact on the world inside and outside "the office".

So instead of growing your business from the ground up, it may be time to take a look at these badges and start leading your company "from the purpose up".

Morty Silber, CEO

Mad Strategies Inc.
a Wizard of Ads Partner

Take a look at your customer base

You walk into a grocery store to buy your weekly allotment of calories, you find what you need, get in line at the cash register, pay and leave. For the most part, you are what they call a "satisfied" customer. The same can be said for other purchases like when you need a new phone charger. You'll go to BestBuy, Walmart, or that other store that is close to where you live. You know that one will have what you need but you have no particular attachment to any of these stores. You are "satisfied" at best.

In his book, "The Secrets of Brand Loyalty", author James Kane states that your customers fall into one of 4 relationship categories:

• Loyal: These customers love you and can't be swayed away.
• Predisposed: These customers like you and are satisfied but will disappear once something better comes along.
• Transactional: These customers have no real relationship with you. They get what they need. In and out.
• Hostile: Well, for whatever reason, these customers don't like you.

Let's focus on the second category; the loyal and the predisposed, aka "the Satisfied".

In the grocery store and phone charger examples, there is nothing pulling the customer to one particular store. But maybe this isn't the case for you as a shopper. Maybe you go to the same grocery store because you know the owner and he knows you. Maybe you've always wanted to become a baker and your grocery store has specialty cooking items you love. You'll then feel a sense of belonging. You will therefore be a loyal customer.

You cannot count the "satisfied", only the loyal. Satisfied customers can come and go, loyal customers are for life. To build a loyal customer base, you must create a relationship that is in line with their sense of purpose, contribute to their lives in a way that speaks to them and keeps them tied to you.

So before you assume that you have a loyal customer base, ask yourself this: Do you know what psychological itch your customer needs you to scratch?

Morty Silber, CEO

Mad Strategies Inc.
a Wizard of Ads Partner