Don’t Lose That Sale! Get Inside the Customer’s Head.
Click on the image above to view the video and access the full transcript.
As a faculty member for AthenaOnline, the world’s leading producer of short, targeted content for employee development, Herrmann International’s CEO Ann Herrmann-Nehdi regularly contributes video learning lessons that draw on her experiences and expertise in the application of Whole Brain® Thinking to specific business issues.
A recently recorded video (partial transcript follows) provides tips on how to connect with your customer so you can make the sale.
Ann explains how specific questions, comments and reactions can reveal a great deal about what your customer cares about, how they prefer to be communicated with, and what types of information you should focus on—and what you should leave out.
With so many of us pressed for time and juggling more and more responsibilities, it simply doesn’t make sense to focus energy and attention on areas that will be unnecessary or even detrimental to the sale. By learning how to diagnose the thinking styles of customers, sales people can quickly engage their prospects, understand their pain points, articulate value in a more compelling way, and close deals faster.
Thinking like the customer can also deliver benefits beyond the sales team: helping you fine-tune your marketing, innovate your product offerings, improve your processes, build long-term relationships and generate positive buzz that will pay off many times over. How will you use these skills to optimize your business?
Connecting With The Customer
Ann Herrmann-Nehdi for AthenaOnline’s MyQuickCoach Series
How often have you been a customer and had somebody interact with you and you just are really frustrated because this is not what you want to hear?
Recently I bought a new car, and I had a sales person who really wasn’t connecting with me the way I wanted to be connected with. And he lost the sale.
So how do you think like your customer? How do you understand and get to that connection with your customer, head first, understanding what their thinking is?
Really what’s most important is to pay attention and become a detective, because chances are they’re sending all sorts of signals to you, and if they’re not, you want to be asking questions to get some of those clues. So how do you become a detective? First and foremost, you have to learn how to look for the clues and know what kinds of questions you can ask to reveal those clues.
Watch the video and access the full transcript: Connecting With The Customer
> Want to help your team get inside the heads of your customers? Be sure to check out our product special on The Business of Thinking® program, which includes the module ThinkAbout™ Your Customer. This half-day workshop gives participants an easy-to-apply framework for diagnosing customer thinking styles, identifying features and benefits that will most appeal to the customer, and presenting information in the most effective manner possible. Hurry! Special pricing expires on September 30, 2011.
>“Better Results Through Better Thinking” Sales Webinar: Our September webinar will show sales leaders how to optimize their efforts for long-term growth without sacrificing today’s numbers. Learn more.
back to topPractitioner POV: Why Mentoring Programs Fail, Managing a Multigenerational Workforce
Two recent articles by HBDI® Certified Practitioners highlight some key trends and challenges in managing and developing talent in today’s work environment.
In HRM Today, Lynn Dessert, President of Leadership Breakthrough, Inc., discusses the complexities of creating a successful mentoring program and how an assessment instrument such as the HBDI® can be used to improve the mentor-mentee matching process. The Whole Brain® system can also be used as framework for more effective communication and trust in the mentoring relationship. (You can read more on this topic on the Whole Brain® Blog: Top Young Talent Looking for a Good Mentor.)
In the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Lori Addicks, CEO of Larkspur Group, details findings from her extensive studies of generational differences and how they impact work approaches and expectations. Interviewed for the article Different Generations Energize the Workplace, Lori reveals several key differences between the generations, particularly in terms of communication styles, and how the current economic environment will shape those now entering the workforce.
• View related THINC™ Webinars:
- Match Point: Creating Mentor Pairs That Go the Distance
- Engaging a Multigenerational Workforce
- Bridging the Generational Divide with Whole Brain® Thinking
- The 2020 Leader: Whole Brain® Thinking Required
From the Whole Brain® Blog: Outsourcing Your Cognitive Overload
Summer vacations may be behind us, but the need for a “cognitive breather” remains, considering the cognitive load most of us are carrying around on a daily basis. Our brains need the break to function at their best.
A recent post on the Whole Brain® Blog explores some ways you can lighten the load
> Read the post: Outsourcing Your Cognitive Load
Are you feeling a heavy cognitive load these days? How are you dealing with it? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments.
back to topWebinar Will Help Sales Leaders Gear Up for Long-Term Growth
Is your sales organization playing catch-up in a constantly shifting business environment?
Are you spending more time putting out fires than planning the future?
Do you have the “forward look” necessary for long-term growth?
Could you use some practical tips and tools that won’t require you to reengineer everything you’re doing today?
Gear up for long-term growth without sacrificing today’s numbers. Join Herrmann International’s CEO Ann Herrmann-Nehdi and Orin Salas, VP of Sales, for an interactive webinar that will explore:
- The risks and costs of a short-term mindset
- The agile, adaptive thinking skills sales leaders need to sustain growth
- A framework for optimizing your entire sales organization—from processes and training to leadership, coaching and individual sales results—without getting rid of what you’re already doing
- Best practices from leading organizations such as IBM, Coca-Cola and American Express
Bring your questions! The 30-minute interactive presentation will be followed by a special 15-minute Q&A session with Ann and Orin.
> As a special bonus, all participants will receive immediate access to a free white paper outlining an easy-to-apply system and tools for managing today’s complex sales challenges while staying ahead of a constantly shifting market.
Webinar Details:
Better Results Through Better Thinking: Optimize Your Sales Organization for Long-Term Growth
Date: September 28, 2011
Time: 1:00-1:45 PM EDT / 12:00-12:45 PM CDT / 10:00-10:45 AM PDT / 6:00-6:45 PM GMT
Presenters: Ann Herrmann-Nehdi, CEO and Orin Salas, VP of Sales, Herrmann International
Who Should Attend: Leaders, VPs of Sales, Regional Sales Managers, Divisional Sales Managers, VPs of HR/Training, and anyone with responsibility for optimizing sales processes, learning and performance to get better results
back to topOne Month Left to Save on The Business of Thinking®
Our third quarter product promotion continues—don’t miss out!
Now through September 30, 2011, HBDI® Certified Practitioners can purchase The Business of Thinking® participant workbooks at a special buy one, get one price of two for $30 by using Coupon Code 2BOTsfor30.
Included within this flexible learning series is the bottom-line focused ThinkAbout™ Your Customer module. The techniques learned in this program will not only improve effectiveness in negotiations and sales, but in marketing, service and loyalty as well. Learn more about ThinkAbout™ Your Customer (PDF).
To receive the special buy one, get one price (good for any participant workbooks in The Business of Thinking® series): Use Coupon Code 2BOTsfor30 when ordering online, or mention this code when ordering from Client Services (call 828-625-9153, option 6).
Offer expires September 30, 2011.
NOTE: You must be an HBDI® Certified Practitioner to purchase The Business of Thinking® materials and have a signed License Agreement on file with Herrmann International for the module(s) you wish to purchase.
Clients outside the US and Canada, please contact your local Herrmann International representative for pricing.
back to topUpcoming Events: 2011 HRPS Fall Forum
Come see us at the 2011 HRPS Fall Forum, the premiere conference for senior level, strategic HR executives. Herrmann International will be a sponsor of the Forum, which takes place in the Washington, D.C. area October 23-25.
This event provides an intimate setting and open forum format for facilitating networking, idea exchange and learning. Herrmann International representatives will be on hand to talk with you about your business issues and how we can help your organization outthink, outpace and outperform the competition.
Details:
HR People & Strategy (HRPS, formerly the Human Resource Planning Society)
Fall Forum
October 23-25, 2011
The Westin Arlington Gateway, Washington, D.C.
We hope to see you in DC this October!
Be sure to check our Calendar for the latest event news.
back to topRecent News on Thinking and the Brain
- Don’t choke! Adapt your thinking and focus to different types of pressure situations and you may be able to avoid buckling under the pressure.
- The brain’s bottlenecks may limit multitasking. New research suggests that a “unified” bottleneck may restrict our ability to perform very different cognitive processes simultaneously.
- Will storytelling keep students from mentally checking out of science class? Researchers explore creative storytelling as a tool for making science education more engaging.
Upcoming Certification Workshops
You'll be integral in driving better results through better thinking when you join the ranks of the Herrmann HBDI® Certified Practitioners.
Herrmann HBDI® Certification
September 27 – 30, Atlanta, GA
For detailed location and registration information, please email service@hbdi.com or call 800-432-4234 and select option 6 for Client Services.
Did you recently attend a certification workshop? Be sure to complete your practicum to become fully certified, and then use your certification coupon to get your implementation off the ground!
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