Upgrade your image. Upgrade your sales.

May 25th, 2010 | Comments Off

Ever go to a bank where your teller was wearing flip-flops and Bermuda shorts? Probably not. Would you trust someone like that with your money? You ask your customers to trust you with their money when you ask for the sale. If you want their money, dress like you deserve it.

Remember what you wore to your last job interview? You took that day very seriously. You wore your best clothes, spit-shined shoes, and a big smile. In other words, you put your best foot forward. Your clothing was saying, “I’m serious about getting this job. I look good, and I am going to perform well when you hire me.”

Why not put that same suit back on tomorrow morning before you come to work? Your clothing would be saying “I’m serious about making this sale. I look good and I am going to perform good (well) when you buy from me.”

You don’t have to look like a banker, but you should look like you’re ready to do business.

If you don’t have a meeting with a customer tomorrow, look at your co-workers (or your boss) as customers. Bosses like well-dressed employees. Bosses remember well-dressed employees when it’s promotion time. I’m sure you’ve heard “Dress for the job you want…”. Wearing clothes that “fit” your current role shows that you’re content with where you are and what you’re doing. Wear clothes that show you have the desire to advance.

And then there’s how you feel. Deion Sanders said it best: “When you look good, you feel good. When you feel good, you play good.” Nothing helps you play better than a little self-confidence boost. And nothing helps self-confidence more than a nice new shirt and a clean shave (or a new hairstyle for the ladies). When you look in the mirror tomorrow morning, what will you see? WYSIWYS (What You See is What You’ll SELL).

Here is my Ground-up Guide for Red Carpet Sales:

Wear shoes. Shoes, dress boots, loafers, and dress sandals all work for women. Men should stick to closed toed shoes, avoiding sandals altogether. Can you imagine the CEO saying, “Let’s give a big promotion to that guy with the hairy toes!?” For either gender, casual sandals are unacceptable. This includes flip-flops, thongs, Birkenstocks, shower shoes, or anything you would wear to the beach.

Don’t be sneaky. Athletic shoes (sneakers) are comfortable. But unless you’re trying out for your company’s basketball squad, leave them at home.

Nice knees. If you’ve got ‘em, flaunt ‘em. You can show your legs, too, but keep your thighs to yourself. And save your shorts for running. Skirts or dresses only, please.

Wear slacks. If you’re not going to wear a skirt or dress, slacks are your only option. Dockers, khakis, chinos, dressy capris, suit pants, pleats, and flat fronts all work well.

Friday is for lovers — jean lovers. If you work somewhere that promotes casual Fridays, go ahead and sport your best denim. Dark, solid-colored, well-fitting jeans, as long as they aren’t ripped, torn, frayed, acid-washed, or baggy enough to fit the whole sales team. Got it?

Wear a shirt. Guys, stick to shirts with collars. Golf shirts, polo shirts, button downs, you name it—so long as it has a collar. Ladies, ensure that shirts and tops are professional. Tube tops, tank tops, or spaghetti straps are not acceptable (and that goes for both sexes). Whatever you choose to wear, be sure it’s clean and pressed.

Tuck it in. If your shirt was meant to be tucked in, tuck it in. Shirts revealing too much cleavage, too much back, your chest, or your stomach are a no-go.

Don’t sweat it. If you’d like to wear a sweater, go right ahead. Notice I said SWEATER not SWEATSHIRT. You know the difference.

Hair. Great hair translates to great sales. The decision is yours to slick, spike, perm, straighten, dye (a naturally occurring hair color, of course), comb, brush, pick or tease your hair. Pick a style that compliments your personality — just wash and maintain your hair regularly.

No hair. Shine your noggin and remind yourself that some of the most successful people look their best bald: Michael Jordan, Bruce Willis, Kevin Eubanks, Paul Shaffer, Vin Diesel, Jesse Ventura, and Jeffrey Gitomer.

Facial hair. The key here is “neat.” Beards, goatees, moustaches, sideburns, etc. are all acceptable. Look fresh and well groomed. Note: forgetting (or not having enough time) to shave for a day or two does NOT count as a “beard.” That’s scruff. Beards are trimmed and grow in an organized fashion. Scruff means you don’t care.

Hats. Certain religious practices require head coverings. If your favorite team’s baseball cap does not fall under that category, save it for a ballgame.

A little goes a long way. Jewelry, cologne, perfume. Be tasteful. Don’t wear loud or gaudy jewelry, or anything that can be described with the word “bling.” Nothing is worse than when your watch speaks louder than your sales pitch! And you would hate to pitch a prospect who can’t stop sneezing because your Aqua Velva is too thick.

Upgrade your image — and you’ll upgrade your sales!

It’s 5 AM, Do You Know Where Your Customers Are?

April 19th, 2010 | Comments Off

Almost every Monday morning I find myself walking through security at the airport just before 5am. Yes, it’s early. Yes, it’s a pain in the tush. But by flying that early, I am able to make it to my office by 9am and I get to spend Sunday night with my kids. Reading stories to my girls on Sunday night is worth every bit of lost sleep.

I normally eat a Clif bar on the way to the airport, but today I left mine at home. So I decided that after getting through security I would stop at the Alterra coffee shop in the C terminal. It’s a locally owned coffee shop, and in Milwaukee, Alterra has built a fanatical customer base. As I approached the counter I inhaled the comforting aroma of coffee, bagels, and baked goods, American Express card in hand. Surprisingly, the first thing out of the barista’s mouth was, “5:15.”

“I’m sorry?” I asked.

“We don’t open until 5:15,” replied the stoic young woman.

“If the coffee is not ready, it’s no big deal. I’d really just like one of those muffins,” I said with a smile.

Without looking up, the barista snapped, “Then come back at 5:15.”

I quickly scanned the other employees behind the counter, hoping to find a sympathetic soul who might serve one of the muffins in the case (which had been laid out fresh just minutes prior). What I got instead were blank stares that almost said “Don’t bother us, we’re not on the clock yet.”

Stunned, I spun around quickly and headed toward the gift shop next door. What I had not realized, however, is that during my brief interaction at the counter, a line of four or five people had formed behind me. All waiting for coffee and breakfast. All ready to spend money. Ten minutes before Alterra opened.

The woman at the front of the line asked me what had happened. I told her Alterra wouldn’t serve me because they don’t open for ten more minutes.

“That’s dumb,” the woman said loudly.

And, as if the Alterra barista could make herself (and her company) look any worse, the barista barked, “We don’t serve before we open. That’s the policy!”

An amazing thing happened next. All four or five would-be customers and I walked to the gift shop and each purchased drinks, snacks, and other items. I bought a magazine. Eleven dollars total. If the other would-have-been-Alterra customers spent even half of what I did at the gift store, that’s just shy of forty dollars. Forty dollars that wound up in the wrong hands. Wrong because we had wanted to spend our money with a locally owned, oft-recommended coffee shop and were not allowed. Wrong because we wanted coffee and muffins and instead we got a negative experience. So negative, in fact, that I’m writing about it now.

I am not disappointed in the young barista who was so rude to me. I am not disappointed in the other employees who chose to ignore the situation instead of taking action. I am, however, disappointed in the fact that the manager of the store had not properly trained his/her employees.

There’s an old customer service mantra, “Customers aren’t an interruption of our day; they are the purpose of it.” Why wasn’t that motivational poster hung up behind the counter? Why wasn’t this concept burned into the minds of every employee who worked at the airport Alterra? More importantly, why would every employee not feel empowered to act on behalf of the customer rather than reciting policy?

Alterra has the best reputation in Milwaukee. Alterra has the best marketing. Alterra has the best branding. Unfortunately for Alterra, however, none of that mattered this morning. What mattered this morning is that the girl behind the counter was rude, short, and more focused on herself than on serving a cup of the best reputation.

There’s a lesson here: Your marketing dollars are only as good as your frontline employees. Before you go spending money on attempting to create a perception in the minds of your customers and prospects, you might want to start by investing in training your people.