The One Email Guaranteed to Get You a Response!

Ever had a client or prospect never get back to you?

Because you're in sales, then I know it's happened to you (or is happening with several of your clients or prospects right now!).

If you ever find yourself in a place where you've qualified a prospect, sent information to them on your product or service, and then find that they just won't return your calls or emails, then I've got a guaranteed email that will get you a response.

Subject of your email: "Should I stay or Should I go?"

"_________ While I've tried to reach you, I haven't heard back from you and that tells me one of three things:

1) You've already chosen another company for this and if that's the case please let me know so can I stop bothering you,

2) You're still interested but haven't had the time to get back to me yet

3) You've fallen and can't get up and in that case please let me know and I'll call 911 for you...

Please let me know which one it is because I'm starting to worry...

Thanks in advance and I look forward to hearing back from you."

Is that great or what?? This works on so many levels including using a "Clash" song everyone can relate to in the subject line, to giving them options and an out in case they've decided not to work with you.

And, of course, you give people a reason to smile and that always relieves the pressure from the sales situation.

Use it this week and see for yourself how it works to get your prospects to get back with you and how it gets you deals.

(Note: this email technique was one I learned earlier this week from an Jeffrey Gitomer post featuring Mike Brooks)

Rudy

During my freshman year at Butler University, I decided to transfer programs because I felt I wasn't fulfilling my football potential. The head coach didn't agree with my decision and stated that I'd never play a lick at the division one level.

Fortunately the switch proved beneficial, I started the next three years at Purdue and played on a Big Ten Championship Team with all pro teammates like Drew Brees. Needless to say the Risk - Reward paid off.

My encouragement is to dare yourself, accept the dare, and take the risk. Have you ever taken a risk and succeeded? Didn't it seem like less of a risk after the event was over than before you were willing to take it? Ask yourself why you're avoiding making that high level executive connection that may or break a huge sale. Or why you're fearful to launch a new business idea that would help you pursue a life long dream.

After all, the greatest risk in life is not taking one at all.

Knock, Knock - - Who's There?

Have you ever wondered why you can't get a response back from a prospect, customer, or colleague? Perhaps its the way you communicate. Here's a quick story that explains my point.

I had a prospect a few months ago who wouldn't return my voice messages. For three weeks I kept consistent on the follow up, but no luck. After a few more attempts I threw in the towel and closed the opportunity in my Salesforce.com account. Several days later, I ran into a close friend of the prospect I had been courting. In our conversation, I reiterated that I had left several voice messages and still couldn't get a returned phone call (And for the record, my voice messages are creative, short, and to the point).

His friend mentioned that this particular prospect hated communicating on the phone. They'd rather prefer a text message since they already field twenty or thirty phone calls a day regarding the business operation. So with that said, I sent out a text message to his cell phone and within minutes I got a response back that confirmed meeting the following week. That was an important lesson to learn - - everyone's style of communication is different.

For example, I know an owner of a fast growing tech company who likes to communicate via Twitter. That's how you get ahold of this guy, sure email and the cell work, but you catch his attention best when you tweet. And most Baby Boomers revert to speaking on the phone, because that's what was been the norm for most of their business careers. I also have a few customers (HR Managers) that only prefer email and I make note of using this mode to get a response back.

So the next time you have trouble tracking down a client, prospect, or colleague, figure out how he or she like to communicate. I'm sure you'll improve your touch response.

There Are No Artists on the Assembly Line

Are you an artist or a white-collar assembly line worker? Most white-collar workers wear white collars, but they still end up working in the factory.

Seth Godin mentions in his new book Linchpin that "white-collar workers push a pencil or process an application or type on a keyboard instead of operating a drill press. The only grease they have to get off their clothes at the end of the day is the grease from the take-out food at lunch." After all it's factory work because it's planned, controlled, and measured. As soon as it is part of a system, it's not art.

If you're an artist, you tend to shake things up. You invent as you go. That's why MBAs often have trouble pigeonholing artists. A true artist can't be easily instructed, predicted, or measured, and that's what you're taught to do in business school. Art represents a chance to improve the status quo, not just make it cheaper inside a factory while wearing a white collar to work.

A good friend of mine, Jeremy Dearringer, is an artist. He co-founded Slingshot SEO, and leads research at this fast growing Indianapolis tech darling. His job is to explore and develop new ways to rank your company first on Google's search engine.

Jeremy solves problems that people haven't predicted, sees things people haven't seen, and connects people who need to be connected. As an artist, he applies artistic judgement combined with emotional labor. Jeremy's job is a platform for generosity, for expression, and for art.

So I pose the question again, are you an artist or do you "rock" a white collar to work, stressed out on the assembly line?

Hiring a Linchpin

Blogger Seth Godin reports that design firm IDEO is hiring marketers using a new technique. They ask applicants to make a PowerPoint presentation of their resume and then present it to a group of five people at the firm. The applicant has to defend the work, answer questions, and lead a discussion.

One more chance to stand out, not to fit in. One more way to discover who has the actual skills (engagement, rapport, intellect, charisma, openness) to thrive in a modern work environment.

Play a different game. Don't stick with mediocrity. Try something different that may help you seek out more diverse talent in 2011.

Happy Hiring.

This Time It's Personal in 2011

It's time to stop complying with the system and draw your own map of goals in 2011. Let's not fall victim to those cliche statements of losing weight, but instead layout a road map that outlines specific goals.

Below I've provided my top (6) categories for outlining goals in 2011.

1. Spirituality - e.g. Spend 20 minutes of quite time with GOD every morning at 6:30am

2. Health and Wellness - e.g. Work out consistently 4 days per week (running, biking, and lifting)

3. Job and Career - e.g. Top 40 Under 40 Award Indianapolis Business Journal

4. Intellectual and Cultural - e.g. Visit Chile and Argentina in the Fall of 2011

5. Financial - e.g. Gross 100K+ in salary and commissions

6. Deep Relationships and Giving Back - e.g. Mentor new sales rep at Morales Group Inc.

Those of you seeking to make a change should get more specific and map out in detail your future goals for 2011.

Happy New Year!

Burning Desire to Win

April of 1519, Hernando Cortes lands in Veracruz Mexico, about 200 miles from the Aztec capital. Cortes had one mission: defeat the Aztecs and take their gold. To do so, he had less than 400 soldiers. His first act upon landing was to burn all but one of his ships - he wanted no turning back (excerpt taken from Tom Batchelder's Barking Up A Dead Horse). Cortes had no idea of the dangers, but he did know that if the fighting got difficult, there would be no talk of sailing home.

Today we can learn a valuable history lesson from Cortes. As an aspiring business owner, I've seen that every person who wins in any undertaking must be willing to burn his ships and cut all sources of retreat. Only by so doing can one be sure of maintaining that state of mind known as a BURNING DESIRE TO WIN, essential to success.

The most successful entrepreneurs have that burning desire to win, with no sources for retreat. So the next time you envision starting up a new business, ask yourself if you're prepared to burn your boats at the shore. Are you willing to not pay yourself throughout the start up period? Open to work 60-80 hours per week to develop the business? Ready to compromise time spent with family vs. the business?

And don't forget to ask yourself - - would you make courageous commitments where there is no going back? Can you lead by example?

"When one has nothing to lose, one becomes courageous."