Thanks for all the great comments on the new look for our newsletter!

We have started updating our web site (www.creativeventures.com) and we now have all the videos posted, and a large sampling of articles that have recently been published.  The fresh graphical look is in its final stages and we hope to have it done by the end of September.

This month was the first time we have entertained new clients in quite a while, as our existing client base has pretty much filled our calendar.  When we start with a new client we ask three questions:

1. What do you do?  Sounds easy, but I always need to hear how someone describes it.  What language do they use?  Do they speak in singular or plural?  It says a ton about perspective.
2. What value do you bring to your customer/client?  This tells me if they can define the core of any relationship.
3. How are you separated or differentiated in your market?  In a world that drives to the “vanilla”, driven by a mentality of commoditization, how are you different?

Those three simple questions start the foundation of understanding, and often give us the first hint into how our journey will begin.

Lately I have spent a lot of time with the sales teams of our various clients and you will notice I have themed the newsletter with a sales perspective.

Since we are all really in “sales” I hope you find the material interesting.

Over the past two years I have been working with three clients on a strategic platform called The Narrative Arc.  I have written about it before, so to give you a quick reminder: it deals with identifying BEHAVIORS of top performers within an organization.  It can deal with any field, but the three I want to write about were all sales driven.  The clients’ end goal is to discover a set of patterned behaviors that can be “repeated” among their entire sales force, driving their intermediate performers into ELITE performers.

I have taken the results of these three independent projects and created a new program called:  Elite Behaviors – Reaching High Sales Performance.  The program will debut in November at a major sales conference in Hawaii.

I thought I would share a couple of these behaviors to give you an idea of what top performers do that might be slightly outside the regular sales model.

• Focus on the 2nd Level:  Though most sales efforts are driven to the decision maker, top sales professionals know the value of developing relationships one or two levels below the head honcho.  By doing this they create a pathway to the decision maker, so that when they need it, it is there.  This involves a wide range of creative connections; some as simple as sending over lunch for everyone (unexpectedly), to providing a chair masseurs for stressful Mondays.

• Bang Their Drum:  When they do something for a client, top sales professionals make SURE the client knows it.  Not with some obnoxious “I did this or I did that” but with a more subtle methodology that places the information of accomplishment in front of the client.  They also know how to leverage this information to show other clients their ability to meet goals and often exceed expectations.  Many have personal newsletters or client information “flashes” (using rich media).

We have over 20 Repeatable Successful Acts that make up the core of the program, and we will update them every quarter!

I love when you can learn things from unexpected sources.

The annual Girl Scout cookie machine is a thing of beauty.  Here are a few facts:

• There are 2.8 million sales girls that make these numbers happen.
• At approximately $3.50 per box they generate over $700 million in sales.
• There are two bakers that provide the cookies.
• Thin Mints (mmmmm!) account for 25% of all sales which ranks them 3rd in all US cookie sales, behind only Oreos and Chips Ahoy.  This is incredible when you think they are only sold 3 months out of the year.

Here are the key BEHAVIORS that generate this behemoth of sales:

• Success is driven by goal setting:  All of the sales girls set goals.
• Goals only happen when they create a plan:  Each of the Scouts puts their goals in a sales plan.
• S & S = Set and Share:  After you set your goal, share that goal with your customers.  When a customer KNOWS the goal of the sales person they connect to the product, and more importantly, to the person.
• You can’t sell without training:  As a value add, the bakers supply tons of support to the scouts, including some serious training.
• Face time is sales time:  If you are tethered to your sales efforts by the phone – FORGET IT.  Being in front of your client is everything, so get out of your damn office.  Scouts are masters at face time.

Learn a little something new each month. Kind of makes visiting our newsletter worthy of your time!