MAKE THIS SITE BIGGER

I received an e-mail today from one of my readers. Here is what he wrote:

"Since most of your Blog readers are 40 plus, how about increasing the size and readability of your font?"

I could, but that really isn't necessary because any of you can make the page larger with a simple key stroke. If you have trouble reading any web page you can increase it's size by holding down the control key and then pushing the plus (+) key. You can also make the site smaller by holding down the control key and pushing the minus or tab key (-). Give it a try.

Image: sumrow

FORCE FEED SALES

Can you force a shear down the throat of a customer? Of course not! But can you try to help a customer solve a problem? Absolutely! Trouble is, some customers can't see the forest for the trees and don't recognize a good deal when they see it.

I was talking with Bobby Huffman the other day. He was telling me a story that fits this post well. He stopped in at a barber in one of the towns he sharpens in. They are good for three or four blades every time he drives by, so he always pulls in. While there, the barber asked if he sold switch blades. Bobby said no and asked why. The barber said, "I just bought eight of these things and none of them want to work." Bobby expressed his sympathy and told him he could try sharpening them, but the charge is $8.00 a piece. The barber about passed out. "I PAID $8.00 for the new switch blades!" So Bobby suggested calling the supplier to see if they could be returned and went out to his rig to sharpen some blades.

When Bobby finished sharpening, he grabbed one of the shears he sells and went back in. He handed the blades to the barber along with the shear. The first thing out of the barber's mouth was, "How much is this shear?" Bobby answered, "Don't worry about the price, try cutting with them first." He did and they cut great. Again he asked how much. Bobby said, "They usually retail for $65.00, but I'll sell them to you for $50.00 because of all the trouble you're having with those switch blades." Again the barber almost passed out, "$50.00! That's way too much!" Bobby said, "For $50.00 dollars you can solve your problem and you'll have a shear that can be maintained for years." The barber wouldn't have it. So Bobby took back the shear, collected his money for the blades he sharpened and hit the road shaking his head.

Now was this a foolish decision on the part of the barber? Sure. Was it the barber's decision to make? Yup! Could Bobby have done anything different? Maybe. He could have argued more, but what would that have accomplished? He may have made a sale, but that wasn't the only point. Bobby was trying to help. The barber didn't want to be helped (at least right then). So Bobby moved on. Bobby understands! He didn't make the sale this time, but next time he stops in he'll ask about those switch blades. If the barber is still having trouble, he'll try to help again. Offer to help enough people enough times and the sales will come. But remember, not everyone will be willing to accept your help. But that shouldn't keep you from offering it! :)

FIGHTING THE URGENT

Urgencies have forced me into a series of systematic neglect over the past few days. One of those things I've had to neglect is my Blogs. Sorry for the lack of posts. The smoke should clear by tomorrow.

In the mean time, check out this post over at Seth Godin's Blog. Maybe you'll do a better job handling urgencies than I have lately.

A GOOFY POST

OK. So this one is a little silly, but I like acrostics. It helps us remember. And as silly as Jason's post is, it is packed with truth. Hop over and take a look. :)

Image: flippinhippenstudios

HOW TO USE MICROSOFT STREETS AND TRIPS

In an earlier post I showed how to select push pins using the drawing tool in MicroSoft Streets and Trips. I told you I'd make a better video of this. I'm not sure if this is all that much better, but it does have sound and explains how to use YellowPages.com to build a database with MicroSoft Excel that you can import into Streets and Trips. Take a look and let me know what you think. I had to split the video in half to load it, so play the top one first.

WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?

If you listen to Jeffrey Gitomer, he says the two things salespeople are afraid of are rejection and their own prices. I agree.

Many of the sharpeners I talk to every day struggle with the price issue. The article Jeffrey wrote in this weeks Sales Caffeine will help you see some of the folly in underpricing yourself, your products and your service. Take a look.

To sign up for Jeffrey's Free Weekly E-zine Sales Caffeine, click here.

Image: flickr.com

TOUGH TIMES AHEAD?

Tough times ahead? Maybe. I just don't know. But all the signs are there that we're headed toward another recession. With that in mind, as small business people, there are some things we can do to prepare for the possibility. Jeff Cornwall wrote a great article about this in the Tennessean. I'd like you to go take a look because it's good advice and I think any small business person should consider what Jeff is writing about. I'm not trying to be a dooms day sayer. I just want everyone to have their ducks in a row if hard times come.

Image: futurestradingcoach.com

MICROSOFT STREETS AND TRIPS TIP

If you use MicroSoft Streets and Trips here's a great tip for you. My friend and fellow sharpener Mike Feagins told me about a neat trick you can use to pick your push pins when building your route. Instead of selecting each pin individually, you can use any of the 3 drawing tools to surround a group of push pins and select them all at once. Here's how it works:

Once all the pins you want to add to your route are encapsulated, just move your cursor over the border you created, do a right mouse click and select "add push pins as stops". Here's a quick video showing how to do this with the free form tool:





Sorry there's no sound. I'll do a better video in the future (all I have today is my digital camera), but this should give you the gist.

If you are not using MicroSoft Streets and Trips now, it is a powerful route planning program I think any sharpener should have. You can import info from an MicroSoft product (like Excel or Outlook) and it will drop the info into the map as push pins. Here is a link if you'd like to find out more:

http://www.microsoft.com/streets/default.mspx

Thanks for pointing out this feature Mike!

PS - Wolff does not sell MicroSoft Streets and Trips, but you can pick it up at more software retailers or buy it online.

If you liked this post, be sure to visit my other blog: Interaction Sells