Premise # 1:
Your Customers Buy Based on their Emotions
No one likes a big change. People tend to get upset when there is damage to their home. In an emergency, their emotions, (although hidden from both your view and theirs), can be as real for them as their circumstances. If your sales approach is purely logical, you’re missing 50% of the equation. And for many customers, that’s the dominant part of their equation.

If the above premise is true, and you’re relating to them merely from logic,
they won’t feel connected, and won’t feel like they can trust you. So they will talk and spend time going over the scope, then buy from someone else.

To be successful, make sure every step in your sales process connects with your prospect emotionally and logically.

When Logic Collides with Emotional Reality – You Lose the Sale is a post from: Gregory Neil Associates

The most common problem sales people are having, and I see this over and over, is…Getting to the alleged point of sale, and running into various unforeseen objections, any one of which ends up equaling no sale.

If this is happening to more than 50% of your leads, I recommend the following:
Ask lots of annoying and seemingly dumb questions, (to you, but likely not your customer).
Don’t be so anxious to get your customer into contract.
Savor every moment as if you’re actually enjoying the process,
even better if you have a step by step process!
Ask obvious questions like:
Why do you want to do this?
When do you need to get it done?
Why is this so important?
If you don’t know what’s driving them to do it, what they can really afford, and how they will decide on who’s doing the work – you very likely don’t have enough relationship to generate the trust they need to feel comfortable buying from you.

The Secret to Selling – Be like Colombo (the guy on TV) is a post from: Gregory Neil Associates

For most of us, where we waste time is not immediately apparent. Obviously if it were, we would correct it. But in the same way that we have employees operating with institutionalized behavior, so too is our view of our own inefficiencies justified, and often with something as innocent as “that’s the way we have always done it.”  Hence the saying, ”Organizations rise to their own level of incompetence.”

I frequently run across the regular practice of calling a sub-contractor four to six times to show up for a work assignment. Now, multiply that with how many leads you have, managing how many subs, then add in PMs coordinating with the leads, architects, and owners….get the picture? Are you making a lot of phone calls to get just one thing done? There must be a better way.

Well, there is a solution to this. To have people in your organization be more accountable, you just need to ask them, you need to change the way you have been managing them, and most importantly, you need to change the things in your business that are driving the behaviors of your employees.

The culture, (which is what drives behavior), of your business is made from the systems, structures, and practices going on in your business.  To have a culture of accountability, you need to change the business structures.  From job descriptions to systems and practices for project management. Having the right practices, systems, and structures produces a completely different set of behaviors.

Where do You Waste Time and Money? is a post from: Gregory Neil Associates

I was in a meeting with a company last week when one of the project managers said he was having trouble with one of the lead carpenters he manages, and was wondering if it was wise to have that lead continue to run jobs. The owner stepped in and said that having that lead be succesful was the job the Project Manager was hired for.  “If he fails, you fail, so you need to develop a commitment and methodology that makes that guy look good.”

This is an example of the kind of management that happens in a culture of accountability. It’s the opposite of the more traditional command and control style that I write elsewhere about. The above example is great management, the kind of management that inspires people to work for companies like that. When employees know and feel that you have their back, they give you everything they’ve got. All too often I hear an owner or manager complain about the performance of someone because they are not doing what they’re told to do.

The challenge in the industry is this: most managers became so from doing a good job of working their way up from being a carpenter. Nowhere along the way (rarely) did anyone get any real education on how best to manage someone. But if asked, any employee will tell you training, coaching, and support is what they want from a manager to help them reach that next level of performance. The best employees need very little, some need more than others. The point is that your largest return on investment will come from the time you invest in those key employees. It’s a win-win for everyone!

We hear that in Sales, the best way to get new customers is to take care of the ones you already have so, similarly this idea applies to employees. The time that it takes to hire, train, and get a new person up to speed is a large drain on companies’ resources and time.

How do You Manage People? is a post from: Gregory Neil Associates

Traditionally, the management of a company and all the responsibility has always fallen to the shoulders of the owner. This model of management carries from the dark ages of kings and serfs, in the same way we build roads based on the width of two horses side by side. We really are ready for a new way of thinking. Today’s employees are just not responding to command and control paradigm the same way they used too. (Hard to keep up with isn’t it?)

In national surveys taken by the Franklin Covey organization, money is no longer the most important motivator either.  Now what people want is recognition and acknowledgement for their work. They want to have the opportunity to contribute, have a voice in the matter, and feel like they are making a difference in contributing to something meaningful. And what do owners want? They want to have employee’s work with greater intelligence, think for themselves, solve problems, be more productive. In short, owners want employees to behave more like an owner. So why don’t employees just step up and go for it? Could it be a few centuries of institutionalized behavior deeply embedded into our business culture that says, don’t take a risk, don’t speak up, and certainly don’t be responsible for anything you really don’t have to. The old way – command and control – tell them what to do and have them do exactly as they are told. The new way – communication, collaboration, teamwork.

For most of us, where we are stuck in our thinking is not immediately apparent. That’s certainly true for myself. Obviously if it were, we would correct it. But in the same way that we have employees operating in ways we would really prefer to be different, so too is our view of our own inefficiencies seemingly justified, and often with something as innocent as “that’s the way we have always done it.” Hence the saying, ”Organizations rise to their own level of incompetence.” I frequently run across the regular practice of calling a sub-contractor four to six times to show up for a work assignment. Now multiply that with how many leads you have, managing how many subs, then add in PM’s coordinating with the leads, architects, and owners…get the picture? Does this sound familiar? Do you stop and wonder if there might be a better way? Well, there is hope.

To have people in your organization be more accountable, you just need to ask them, you need to change the way you have been managing them, and most importantly, you need to change the things in your business that are driving those behaviors. The culture, (which is what drives behavior), of your business is made from the systems, structures, and practices going on in your business. To have a culture of accountability, you need to change the business structures. From job descriptions through to systems and practices for project management. Having the right practices, systems, and structures produces a completely different set of behaviors. It’s important that you do this with your team, or it will always be something you created, rather than something the team owns. And in my years of offering this work to companies, I have yet to meet one superintendent, foreman, lead, or PM, who when asked what he saw himself being accountable for or didn’t say exactly what the owner of that business would want him to be accountable for.

Why Traditional Management Doesn’t Work is a post from: Gregory Neil Associates

Your customers buy from you because of how they feel emotionally.  They may sound concerned about the price, they’re talking about the cost of your bid.

But they will buy because of how you and your employees make them feel.

One of the reasons the most successful businesses I know are successful is because they do a better job of taking care of “difficult” customers.   They are NOT successful because those customers are right.

They are successful because they do a great job of putting a lot of attention on the taking care of that customer – from initial contact, to final check. 

Consider this – Your Company’s ability to have your customer’s feel great about spending money with you is directly related to how profitable you are.

Greg Neil is a recognized leader in the field of management consulting for the construction industry. For the past 15 years Gregory Neil Associates has consistently brought greater profitability and efficiency to construction related companies of all sizes. For more information, articles, and helpful videos please visit:  http://www.gregoryneilassociates.com or contact Greg at 415-258-2873 or greg@gregoryneilassociates.com

Would You Rather be Right, or Profitable? is a post from: Gregory Neil Associates

I say because they are afraid.

People buy based on emotion, so it follows that they don’t buy because of emotion. 

Every week I hear stories of sales people getting to the point of decision and not getting the sale, they lost control (if they ever had it), but kept going thinking they still had a fish on the line.

In short, in many cases, they lost control because they paid more attention to their own agenda rather then to the customer’s needs, wants, and concerns.  

Your job is to have them feel comfortable so they can spend some money,

You need a step by step method from hello to signed contract, that keeps you in sync with your customer through each step in the process so that you both can be ready to commit,  

Do you have a sales process that delivers customers better than 50% of the time?

Please share your process or your comments and questions below.  Let’s keep this discussion going!

Why Are Customers Not Buying From You Right Now? is a post from: Gregory Neil Associates

Planning your day,

Being clear on the goals for each activity,

Running meetings with an effective agenda,

Time to work on the business each week,

Planning for the next year to two years,

These are habits that give you more power and effectiveness,

They give you perspective on where you have been, and where you are right now,

They give you and each person in your employ steering towards a better tomorrow,

For the sake of what is each person in action right now?

Without that people can have more drive then direction,

Their busy, their moving, there is a lot of activity,

Like taking a trip without map, 

Do you want the direct route, or the scenic route?

Work Smart – Not Hard is a post from: Gregory Neil Associates

I say it’s your word. 

How you demonstrate that fact through the actions of each employee is more important to your customers then what you say.

Many companies spend time creating great sounding mission or value statements that are not connected with the values they actually practice. 

Enron had their values of Integrity, Communication, Respect, and Excellence chiseled in stone in their main lobby.

Walk your talk – your customers will respect you, want to do business with you, and tell others.  That’s the most valuable marketing you can do!

What’s the Most Valuable Thing You Have? is a post from: Gregory Neil Associates