Negativity is bad.

by on 04/13/2012 | 0

Remember that time I said I was going to update this with some regularity? Oh, and attempt to make this page look a little more professional… I forgot.

I was thinking today though, that a positive attitude can go a long way. Excuses are lame. To effectively sell, you have to be positive. You have to be confident. You have to show that what you’re selling is the BEST. Or that at least YOU are the best person to do business with.

Your client or “prospect” (I don’t like that word) can tell pretty much right away when you’re desperate. When you’re just trying to reach a goal or hit a number.  Walk in to the meeting with a plan, an idea, and the confidence that the client is going to be better off for buying what you’re selling.

I tried that today for the first time in a few weeks. It made a big difference.

Have you heard of Michael Jordan?

by on 01/06/2012 | 0

Inspired my friend and former co-worker Brian, I decided to write a post about somebody you may or may not have heard of - Michael Jordan.

He’s really an inspirational guy, and he’s a constant reminder of what you can do when you put your mind to things. Did you know that Michael Jordan got cut from his high school basketball team? (I don’t even know if that’s true it’s just something I was told from the time I was in first grade).

What if Michael Jordan gave up playing basketball after that? What if he tried to play baseball instead? What if he decided to be a scientist? I don’t think many kids would want to wear a Michael Jordan lab coat. What if he went into figure skating? Triple-Lutz Jordan skates? I don’t think so.

It’s a new year. With all these new year resolutions that people are making, I decided I’ll make one too. I’m going to update this thing more often.  But also I’m going to work harder. First quarter is tough, it’s cold, (usually) snowy, and sales for everybody are down. I’m going to find a way to differentiate myself and my product. I’m going to make 2012 awesome.

Need more inspiration? Here’s another one from some guy who my dad used to tell me about (what can I say? I’m not a sports guy!)

I guess we just can’t expect to win ‘em all.  I’m going to tell you something I’ve kept to myself for years — None of you ever knew George Gipp.  It was long before your time.  But you know what a tradition he is at Notre Dame…

And the last thing he said to me — “Rock,” he said – “sometime, when the team is up against it — and the breaks are beating the boys — tell them to go out there with all they got and win just one for the Gipper…

I don’t know where I’ll be then, Rock”, he said – “but I’ll know about it – and I’ll be happy.”

So there you have it, you’re motivation for 2012.  What are you going to do in 2012 to win one for the Gipper?

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I’ve been neglectful

by on 11/01/2011 | 0

Again, as I try to find a focus for this blog, I’ve been VERY neglectful.

My initial intention of this blog was to attempt to be a bit of a “Gitomer” and write about sales, marketing, and focus on radio – lately I’ve been at a bit of a loss.

I KNEW I didn’t want to (and I think I’ve said this before) make this a “crazylife” or “livejournal”. I didn’t want to make it a public diary. Or a place where I vent or cry or whatever. And lately, I haven’t had much to cry about. Life is great. I’m engaged to a beautiful, caring, intelligent, and funny woman… (and here I go on a live journal rant…)

I’m working on my next post. And I hope it will be good. I actually have two posts “in the hopper”.

Working on some cool things. I promise.

busy, busy

by on 09/21/2011 | 0

I’ve been SUPER busy lately. Busy with work. Busy with life. Busy being BrianPMaguire. Working on planning my next blog. Still trying to figure out what “direction” this blog is going take. It certainly won’t be a “crazy life journal” but thinking of making it a little more personal.

“we dont need to advertise”

by on 08/02/2011 | 0

when it boils down to it, my job is selling advertising. radio spots, on-site, online, sponsorships, etc. I work with local businesses, and my ultimate goal is to help these businesses succeed and grow (and also make some money).

Earlier this spring, I had a client, a cell phone retailer, tell me “we’re not interested in advertising. we dont need to. we have a big sign in front of the building and some flags”.

“Do you think that is going to be enough? I understand if you don’t think my station is a fit, what else are you doing to invite customers into your business? Do you have a social media strategy? are you using print or TV? Direct mail? Are you putting flyers on peoples cars?”

“No. We don’t advertise. Period”

“I wish you the best of luck.”

I drove by the business yesterday. I was going to stop in and share some new opportunities and ideas with the client. I pulled up, and the building was EMPTY. I did some research, and, as I assumed, they didn’t relocate or move to a bigger space because business was so great – they closed.

I understand that not every business’ advertising plan / budget includes radio – although it is affordable, targeted, and effective. But every business needs a plan. Radio, print, TV, social media – whatever. My coworker’s email signature includes a quote: “Remember the first rule of advertising – people go where they are invited”.

What are you doing to invite people into your business? If you aren’t inviting people in, how are they supposed to differentiate you from your competition?

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Are you #1 in Google results?

by on 07/26/2011 | 0

I was thinking about how important it is to be #1 in Google search results…

Yesterday I was trying to set up cable for my new apartment. Time Warner Cable is the only option, so I was forced to set up with them (not saying this is a bad thing). I Googled “Time Warner Cable Milwaukee” trying to find the phone number for customer service.

I clicked the first link. The website looked official enough to me. So I dialed the phone number, and I was quickly connected to a customer service representative.  The phone conversation started off pretty bizarre, but I figured, “maybe this woman is new,” so I continued setting up my service.

Once the phone call got to the point where we were setting up an install date, she asked me if I was interested in leasing my router. I didnt remember this being an option when I got my cable installed four years ago.

Out of curiosity, I asked, “Are you the official Time Warner? Or are you an authorized agent?”

“We’re an authorized agent, sir”

“I’m sorry for wasting your time, but I would prefer to go straight through Time Warner”

After trying to politely end the phone call for 5 minutes, I said – “Okay. Thank you. I’m hanging the phone up. I hope you have a nice evening”

This made me wonder – how can a giant like Time Warner Cable NOT be #1 in Google Search results? OR (maybe more importantly) How did this company become #1?

What comes up when your name or company is Googled?  Does a competitor come up first? People are Googling you. Your customers are Googling you. Your competition is Googling you. Make sure you are #1.

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SHINDIG!

by on 07/22/2011 | 0

So. I’m super excited about this side project I’ve been spending some time on (maybe not enough). It’s called Shindig, and it’s coming REALLY soon.

What is Shindig? First – sign up to get all the details and be one of the first to participate – SIGN UP NOW

Okay. Now that you’ve done that – here’s the scoop.

The basic premise of the Shindig is to create a social media platform that connects fans, venues, and bands in order to “crowd source” events. The fans “vote with their wallet” for the shows they want to see. Its a pretty basic, but VERY COOL idea. It helps bands make sure that people are actually at their shows, and reduces (almost eliminates) risk for both the venue and the bands. Our dev and design teams are hard at work building the product. The launch is coming real soon..

“Team Shindig” is also looking fo social media-savvy artists and venues to help promote the product. Do you know somebody we should talk to? Reply or send me an email.

 

 

Customer Service Post #3

by on 07/07/2011 | 0

Here’s a quick story I wanted to share about “Customer Service”. This time, I was on the other end of the “un-happy customer” situation.

A few months ago, my good “work friend” was let go from the station (bummer), when he left I inherited a good chunk of his book of business (hooray!). Because my “work friend” has only been gone from the station for a few months, I’m in the middle of handling some advertising that he had booked. Today, I found myself dealing with a rather large client who was not happy when he called on the phone.

I had originally reached out to the client to see if they wanted to make a last-minute addition to July for a push. I had a brief conversation with the client and he asked me to send me his rates.  While I was out on the road, I got a “frantic” call from the client.

Heres what happened:

CLIENT: Hey, Brian its Bill from Company XYZ (no thats not the name of the company, let’s just protect the innocent, here, okay?)

ME: Bill! Whats up? Were your ears ringing? I was just about to call you!

CLIENT: “Ha ha. Well, I need your rates, but I also need you to help me with an invoice I received. I can’t quite figure out what I’m being billed for, and it seems like I had my schedule air twice, and that I was charged twice for it”

ME: give me some details on the invoice numbers, the dates, and anything else you’ve got. I’ll have the issue resolved before 4PM.

Bill (from Company XYZ) gave me all the details. Instead of spending the afternoon “popping in on” some clients, I went back to the office to do a little research. Come to find out, Bill WAS charged twice for the same schedule. The details of how this schedule got booked are kind of confusing (and ultimately unimportant), suffice to say there was a miscommunication between my “work friend” and Bill over a “One Day Only Sale” the station had on rates back in the fall, and a series of ads ran for the same product-line twice.

I gave Bill another call at about 3:00

ME: Bill, whats up? I figured out what happened. Looks like the discrepancy was from a “one day package” you bought.

BILL:  Well, that sucks.  I wouldn’t have placed the other order had I known he was running the “One Day Sale” as well. I feel like I’ve been swindled.

ME: Bill. I totally understand. That does seem unfair, but I dont think the old guy did it on purpose. We’re not dishonest guys at FM102/1. Let’s make it right. I’ll do what it takes, because I value your business and I KNOW that our partnership makes sense.

BILL: wow. really? thats awesome.

The conversation went on, and I feel like I kinda talked Bill “off of a cliff” a bit. We came to an agreement that was fair for both of us. I hooked Bill up with a sponsorship of a radio segment that would give his product an extra push.  Bill was more than pleased, because the show sponsorship gave his product an additional 20 extra mentions for his last minute push!

I pretty much saved the day. Kept the client happy, and I didn’t have “give away the house” to keep him happy. Bill and I are now best friends, and I am confident that the way I handled the situation saved not only me, but the station, from offending a major client.

Be friendly. Be Happy. Apologize. Fix the problem. Save the day.

 

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Don’t Tell Me What You Can’t Do.

by on 06/28/2011 | 0

If you’re in sales, or any kind of business that has ANYTHING to do with customer service (is there a job that doesn’t?) telling your customers/clients/prospects what you “can’t do” is the dumbest thing you can do (see? I used the word “can”?).

Heres just ANOTHER reason why my insurance company is losing my business in 15 days.

Like I wrote in my last post, I gave my current insurance agent the simple task of reviewing my policy to make sure I was getting the best rates possible with the coverage I needed.

Am I missing any discounts? Is my coverage right? What if we change the deductible? Is there anything I’m paying for that I don’t need?

I was impressed with the follow up. He called me back in less than 2 hours. I thought “well, maybe I’ll stick with Nationwide afterall…”

This is basically how the conversation went:

“Brian, hi it’s Jim from Nationwide”

“Jim, good afternoon. I’m hoping you have some good news for me”

“Well, Brian. I reviewed your policy, and it looks like you’re getting all the discounts you are eligible for,” (including an airbag discount… which seems odd to me, but okay) “so I can’t really do anything else for you, okay?

“Um, okay, thanks Jim”

“Yup. Have a good one”

Thats when he lost my business. What could Jim have done differently to retain me as a customer? He could have told me, “Brian, here’s what I CAN DO…” Jim could have told me what makes Nationwide stand out. Or why being with Nationwide is a better VALUE. No benefits. No features. No attempt to retain me as a customer. If he doesn’t want my business, why should I continue to give it to him?

Every customer matters. Every client is important. When there is a problem with price, show the customer the VALUE.

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An Important Lesson In Customer Service

by on 06/27/2011 | 0

My good friend Joe Woelfle recently opened his own State Farm agency.  I’ve known Joe for maybe 3 years – we worked together at Bar Louie and I bought my fair share of beer from Blatz Liquor (R.I.P.). Joe is my friend. My current insurance agent doesn’t even know who I am.

I was in a car accident 3 years ago with my (at the time) brand new Jetta. I had JUST switched insurance agents, as my previous agent couldnt cover me in MKE.  My agent, Dorman (I’m pretty sure that’s his name) goofed something up with my automatic withdrawal, so I ended up missing 2 payments and my policy was cancelled.  Because my policy was cancelled, I was “un-insured”. This turned into a whole mess where Nationwide was going to refuse to pay for the accident. I was lucky that my dad was able to sort out the issue, and eventually Nationwide covered the accident.

After the accident, I figured I “owed it” to Nationwide to stick with them. I never heard a peep from Dorman or James Kelly, the owner of the agency. In the almost 3 years since, I havent heard anything from either of them. Not a “Thank You” or even a generic Christmas card. They’ve had my business for THREE YEARS and I havent heard a thing.

Joe (remember, my buddy with the State Farm agency?) told me that the accident would officially drop off my record on July 15 of this year, and I should talk to him then about switching my auto and renters insurance.

“Awesome” my buddy can be my insurance agent? Sounds good to me.

So I called Nationwide to let them know we would probably be breaking up. “Dorman. It’s Brian Maguire. I’m thinking of switching to State Farm. My friend has his own agency, he says he can save me some money. Want to look over my policy and make sure everything looks okay?”

“Sure. Whats your name again?”

“Brian P. Maguire”

“Oh. Okay. I’ll look over your policy and Email you in 24 hours”

I havent heard anything from him in 10 days. So I called again and asked to talk to Jim.  I told Jim the same story, and asked him to review my policy. He said he would E-mail me back tomorrow. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.

I spend nearly $150 a month between my auto and renters insurance. Thats a lot of money for me. A LOT.

If the agent can’t take the time to thank me for my business, and review my policy. I’ll go elsewhere. There’s plenty of options out there.  So heres the lesson to pull from this: Take the time to say “thank you” to you clients/customers. It will make them feel important. It will make them feel like you are taking care of them and that you are looking out for their best interest. If you don’t, you might lose a customer.

(end rant)

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