I asked him once, “Dad, how are we going to get the muffler fixed on the car when you have to work this Saturday AND Sunday?”  We only had one car, and Dad wasn’t much for being dropped off at work, and he certainly wasn’t going to let my mom handle the details of the repair.  His answer?  “Well, I talked to Bob, who talked to his buddy Phil, and they’re gonna get the muffler from John at the parts shop and change it in the parking lot at my work while I’m there”.  WHOA.  Can you imagine that level of service from any muffler shop today?  Even IF they’d aspire to that level of in-person commitment, you’d be charged an other-worldly premium….one that most of us wouldn’t care to pay, even if we had the means to do so.  These guys (who weren’t even close friends of my dad’s) did for him because friends of theirs got them the work, and they were happy to do it for the extra money it represented to them.

We all know someone that “knows a guy”.   Problem is, we lack the confidence that the job done will be done well.  What we’ve forgotten is the value of a personal referral.  When you present your social circle with a problem you’re having, it must be done in a way that inspires confident referrals, referrals that you CAN rely on, or the request shouldn’t be made.  When offering referrals, one must remember that any referral made, is, in essence, a reflection on you as the referrer.

If you do a good job for me, I will promote you to my friends and family all day long.  If you didn’t, I won’t. I’m attaching my name to you, and I want to be certain that you won’t sully my reputation as a referrer.  I take pride in being a “connector”…someone that people trust enough to ask my advice when they need something.

Are YOU a connector?  In my opinion, one of the biggest failures of the current generation of business owners is that we do precious little in the way of personal referrals.  If you’d tell your mom and dad about the great electrician you just hired for a wiring job, why wouldn’t you extend the same courtesy to your business contacts for a great cell-phone salesperson?  When someone you deal with from 8 to 6 knocks the ball out of the park for you, don’t you want to make sure that person succeeds, so that you can be sure they’ll be there for YOU the next time you need them?  Make sure to promote those people that take care of you .

Much is made these days about the positive benefits of social networking.  While I understand it’s value in making our worlds smaller places, I see many people collecting contacts for no apparent reason.  If you have hundreds of LinkedIn connections,  if you’re following a small army of people on Twitter, what are you doing to leverage the value of those connections?  Are you putting people together?  Are you making contacts with people, and then not letting them know the value of your connections that you’ve brought to the table?

For those of you that know us, you’ll know that we at UTEC are great connectors.  If you don’t know who to go to when you need something done….call us.  Chances are, we’ll know someone that can help you get what you need, or, it won’t take us long to find someone that does.  If you DO know us, and we’ve done a good job for you, say nice things to your contacts about us, won’t you?  If you do happen to refer us, please be sure to tell the contact you’ve referred to tell us you’ve done so, as we appreciate the generosity of others, and like to reward those who do so.

If you’re NOT a connector…..why aren’t you?

You’re in the midst of street vendors. Envision the scene. Think to yourself some of the adjectives that come to mind about your feelings in the midst of all of that activity. What words immediately came to mind? Exhilirating? Intense? Scary? Claustrophobic?

If you crave such an environment, CONGRATULATIONS! For the rest of us, I’m sure you share my lack of enthusiasm. It can be nerve-racking to get in there and make a decision about WHAT to buy, then consider with which of the myriad vendors to try and negotiate. UGH! Who wants THAT hassle? The lure’s in the deals to be had (and, let’s face it, there ARE deals to be had), but the process is so daunting to many of us, we’re scared away without a chance. It’s embarrassing as a professional salesperson to admit, but, in situations like that, even I don’t like to argue over price, because, no matter WHAT I pay, I’m going to think someone “got over” on me…..and, ya’ know, if I’m going to spend money on something (anything, for that matter) the LAST thing I want to feel is that someone got over on me…know what I mean?

Think about this topic in the context of YOUR business. Is the marketplace you’re competing in any different than the street markets of, say, Hong Kong? Worse yet, generally speaking in most industries, everyone is selling basically the SAME THING! Now, picture that same person in that same street market, except now, the vendor is YOU, and that intimidated, scared person is your potential customer.

Let’s change gears for a moment.

Do you buy things on-line? Do you research on-line before making a major purchase? Why? What’s the motivation behind that behavior?

Why wouldn’t a potential customer, faced with a major buying decision, seek out the personal, face-to-face advice of a seasoned professional in an environment where they were surrounded with the product under consideration? One word. Hassle. People would rather not be intimidated, and they’d like to learn about the products under consideration BEFORE they’re in the intimidating environment of the store, not sure of the exact right questions to ask, not feeling like they’re getting the “best” price, and generally not being sure about anything because nothing about the experience reinforces a measure of trust between buyer and seller. How can you trust someone you’re meeting for the first time?

The internet is the GREAT equalizer. Buyers have as much information available to them as they are willing to find. Opinions. Advice. Reviews. It’s a veritable feast for the senses. Surely the internet provides us with everything that we as consumers need to make a buying decision….or does it?

As a buyer frequently intimidated with the buying process, I was faced with a decision many years ago as I prepared to join the VOIP phone “revolution”. Given the context of what I’ve written so far, I’m sure you can imagine that I did AMPLE research (dare I call it due diligence?) in making my decision.

So, research in hand, I pulled the trigger. Went for it. Took the plunge, and gave myself a high-five for my decisiveness…..until the new system was installed.

DISASTER. People told me that it sounded like I was under water….I couldn’t get calls thru the fax line. My wife and I both worked from home at that time, and I had effectively ruined both of our opportunity to make money. The doghouse was calling, and I took my rightful place next to the family pooch. If only I had had someone to consult with about what I was about to do.

Back to the internet I went. How did this well-researched, intelligent decision go down in flames? What did I miss? With some digging, I found a wealth of information from other people with the same problems, all with the same INTERNET PROVIDER!!! Turned out that the problem was SO prevalent that the VOIP provider had a disclaimer on their web-site regarding the problem, and a number of people with my problem had taken the time to write their Attorney General requesting an investigation! I jumped in with both feet. I wrote the AG, I participated in the forums. I shared my experiences, and worked hard to advise those buying after me to take care to learn more about the potential problems with their decision. It didn’t fix my problem, but the participation made it feel better. It was a hard lesson, learned well. I came away realizing that NO decision, regardless of how well researched, is without fail. I’d tried to make an informed decision without the help of an experienced viewpoint, and I paid for my mistake.

So, there you are, back in the middle of the crowded marketplace, with a need, and no-one to trust. What to do?

My entire life as a salesperson has been spent trying to do exactly that which I had done during the VOIP “experience”. Give people good, educated, experienced information so that they might benefit from my accumulated knowledge and expertise taken from first-hand experience, and frame it in a way that is easily understood. Only difference is, I need to feed the Burnett clan, so, I’m employed as I try to share that which I have to share. Problem is, the market is crowded, and there’s a lot of people shouting, and you’re right back to being intimidated. The whole thing is ruined. You have no reason to believe that I am ANY different than any of those other vendors in that crowded, intimidating market. You’ve had nothing but mediocre people calling on you in the past, and, frankly, no one has EVER REALLY helped you.

Maybe you’re in the market today. Are you intimidated? Do you need someone to help you understand not only what you’re trying to buy, but the questions you should be asking every potential seller?

Maybe you’re not yet in the market, but you know you’re going to be going. Wouldn’t it be WAY better if you knew one of the shopkeepers personally, and had their experience and expertise at your disposal? Give us at UTEC a call. Know that I, as the leader of this sales organization, educate, train and organize our salespeople to help lead you away from the chaos described above, to arm you with the information you need to make a decision you can live with. Trust us. You’ll be happy you did.