I no longer agree to humor the people who believe the way to economic recovery is to focus on spending less. And that’s what the catch phrase “doing more with less” really is about. I went along with my beloved Socap New England’s  March meeting because we are trying to build up our local chapter and the title grabs attention. But enough’s enough.

Conferences, meetings, white papers, books… there will probably be a reality show if this goes on much longer… But none of it talks about the “more” we need to be doing. This hype is all about “less”.

It’s as if we have all been standing in shallow holes and managing to make our way out once in a while with short ladders. Now the holes have gotten deeper and everyone is focusing on the length of the ladders instead of focusing on getting out of the holes.

2009 is the time for doing more  - regardless of what you have and whether you think you have more or less. Here are the two things I believe companies need to realize and take action on in order to do more.

ONLY TOP PERFORMERS ARE CAPABLE OF DOING MORE.
In the past, companies needed lots of people to fill the infrastructure with support for customers, prospects and procedures. Did they work on making sure these staffers were the best they could be? Did they offer a culture that emphasized professional development and growth, or were they so busy they let people’s skills stagnate?

I think you know what I believe. When business is good, coaches can be too busy to observe and coach their team members. If training is provided, the coaches aren’t following up. So, they have people performing at average or below average skill levels who still come to work and think all is okay. Now, when there are fewer customers or less profitable business deals and more pressure to cut costs, these un-developed employees are rarely up to the challenge of doing more. I know because they are calling me every day.

Example A of “incompetence allowed to make a phone call”:

“Hello. I’m calling from ‘Delicious Meals’ Company. I want to thank you for your recent purchases and hope they were.. blah, blah, blah… We have a special offer for [product package] with a savings of $50. May send I this to you.. blah… blah.. blah?”

Why does this company and caller not understand that selling is a process not a pitch? Trying to move someone from “no interest to action” via one long sales lecture was a disproven model 15 years ago. Why haven’t these folks kept up?

The answer is that when business was easy they thought they did not have to. So today, they are stuck with unskilled script writers and confused telesales agents. These people seem to think they need to make more calls and not better calls. Well they need to do both. Doing more means using more effective techniques so they have better interactions and can genuinely sell more people.

TOP PERFORMERS CAN BE CREATED.
Today, whether business is steady or slow, companies have the opportunity to help their people achieve greatness so they are highly effective all day long. More than an opportunity - they have an obligation to the future of the firm and its goals. Training and coaching are the best and easiest solutions.

Here are a few ways to create a team of top performers quickly and well:

• Search the internet for articles and training on improving customer service. Its all over the place at every price point from free to $15 to much, much more. And coach to the information you find every day until every team member sounds warm, courteous and knowledgeable during every interaction all day long. Notice use of the word “every”. Consistent excellence is the goal.
• Read any one of the great books that have been published in the last 10 years about connecting with prospects and moving them to see the value of your offer in a single conversation. [I have a cd on sales prospecting available at carastraining.com and will provide it with my compliments until they run out. Just call or email me and we'll make a deal for shipping costs.]
• Use existing training content in your company and re-run some role-plays or other activities that will reinforce what top performers must know. Everyone must demonstrate top performer behavior.
• Practice finding product and policy information in an online treasure hunt to make sure all of your staffers know what to do in your top 10 most common situations. Then your 10 toughest situations.
• Hire one of the many consultants actively looking for work at www.linkedin.com and take advantage of their expertise at rates you won’t see again next year.

What I’m talking about here is investing time developing your people so that you have a whole team able to get themselves and your company out of the hole rather than digging deeper.

As for the “Delicious Meals Company”, you are right to try to get more business from me. The folks I sent your food loved some of it. Next time you call, try a professional sales approach designed to create interest. If you can create interest you have a shot at selling. Simply pitching the ball when you don’t know if you have a batter is ridiculous.

Try this opening:

“Hello, my name is [name] from “Delicious Meals”. I’m calling to see if we can tempt you with some wonderful items that will save you time and be a big hit at home or as gifts. I’m assuming the [package name] you sent in December was well received. Is that the case?”

[Prepare the caller for "no" - and finding out what went wrong and how to make it right. "I'm so sorry to hear that. Your business is very important to us. Can you please tell me which items they liked and which did not meet their expectations?" Armed with these answers she can present a special offer - yes, one of the offers she had all along - that feels like a chance to get the right items at a heavily discounted rate.]

[Prepare the caller for a detailed description of what was enjoyed and what was disappointing. "So it sounds like you're family loved the steak. Let's look at a way to get you more of what you loved and make it very economical as a way of making this right. How many of the 6 ounce tenderloins might you use in a 2-month period?" Again, same offer but it feels tailored.]

[Prepare the caller for a simple "yes". "I'm not surprised, but very glad it was a successful gift. The offers we have today have even lower prices than the holiday package so they stretch the budget. But the quality, as you know, is the best. What do you think about the same package for yourself at a price of ...?" Again, same offer but it feels tailored.]

Now is a time for action. And developing your people so they are top performers is the best action companies can take to create a competitive edge, improve profits and decrease costs due to errors and re-work. Forget about doing more with less. Do more and thrive.

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