Roar! Get Heard in the Sales and Marketing Jungle E-Book

Kevin Daum

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 189

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2010

Beschreibung

Don't just get your message out. ROAR it out!

In this captivating parable, you'll follow Ryan Miller, an executive struggling with reduced sales in a challenging economy. Ryan is mentored by his old Livingston, New Jersey high school friend, Lenny Bernstein, now a Hasidic Jew in Brooklyn having great success in his packaging business. Over a series of lunches around New York City, Lenny shares the key insights that have driven his sales through the roof, while allowing him to run his business efficiently-and still have plenty of time for family. Lenny explains the simple mnemonic R-O-A-R

• Recognize the four types of buyers
• Observe from the buyer's perspective, and adapt your message
• Acknowledge the buyer's special wants and needs
• Resolve the buyer's issues

Praised by renowned money manager Ken Fisher, Roar! gives you a 3,500-year-old sales secret that has never before been articulated in a business context, one you can use to recharge your sales operation and revitalize both your business and your life. It may be a jungle out there, but it's a little less scary once you know how to ROAR!

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Praise

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Chapter 1 - The Meeting

Chapter 2 - Visiting the V.P.

Chapter 3 - Following Up

Chapter 4 - The 3,500-Year-Old Process

Chapter 5 - The Wise Buyer

Chapter 6 - The Cynical Buyer

Chapter 7 - The Simple Buyer

Chapter 8 - The Disinterested Buyer

Chapter 9 - The Referral

Chapter 10 - The Sales Call

Epilogue

Summary of ROAR! Concepts

Integrating the ROAR! Approach

Our Inspiration

Acknowledgements

About the Authors

Teaser chapter

Bonus Coupon

Praise for ROAR!

“What do you care about? Your company? A cause or campaign? Something you created? Is it as successful as it deserves to be? If so, good for you. If not, you need Roar! This page-turning book shows how to capture and keep the attention (and wallet) of your target customers so your priority projects get noticed and funded ... for all the right reasons. Read it and reap.”

—Sam Horn Author of POP! Stand Out in Any Crowd and Tongue Fu

“ROAR! offers timeless marketing wisdom in a timely and entertaining package. Highly recommended.”

—Michael J. Gelb Author, How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci

“ROAR! is a remarkable book, chock full of timeless wisdom and a must-read for anyone who has anything to do with sales or marketing. I’ve read just about every book on the topic that has been published over the past 10 years, and this one is the best by far. Get it!”

—Peter Economy Associate Editor, Leader to Leader magazine Author, Managing for Dummies

“ROAR! provides a simple memorable process that will help our franchisees understand and win over prospects. It’s a worthy addition to any customer experience training process.”

—Brian Scudamore Founder and CEO, 1-800-GOT-JUNK?

“ROAR! is a highly clever and entertaining read. ROAR! is a great way to understand the importance of creating value for the customer, and I would recommend this book to any entrepreneur—or entrepreneur-to-be.”

—Kathleen Allen, PhD Director, USC Marshall Center for Technology Commercialization Professor, USC Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies

“Kevin Daum and Dan Turner have written the book that cuts through the multitude of sales and marketing messages that now overwhelm your prospective customers. The power of ROAR! works. It’s time to get it working for you and your business.”

—Robert “Jake” Jacobs CEO, Winds of Change Group Author, Real Time Strategic Change & You Don’t Have to Do It Alone

“I loved ROAR! Its lessons are written in a compelling story that anyone can relate to and learn from. The ROAR system is a simple way to help our students impress other people with their value in the real world, and we will now look to see how we can make ROAR part of our curriculum. ”

—Gary Tuerack President and Founder, The National Society of Leadership and Success

“Kevin Daum has taken the sales process to a whole new level of simplicity. I wish I had this information 20 years ago; it might have made the 10 companies I have owned a little easier to grow and develop.”

—Troy Hazard Author, The Naked Entrepreneur Former Chairman, The Entrepreneur’s Organization

“Sales and marketing continues to be an overlooked part of every successful business story in American history. Kevin Daum focuses his spotlight on this often-overlooked part of every successful business story, and he honors history by letting us learn new insights from a wise business teacher.”

—Dr. Blaine McCormick Author, Ben Franklin: America’s Original Entrepreneur Associate Professor of Management, Baylor University, Hankamer School of Business

“A great story, especially the compelling value proposition development. I would recommend it for any company we’re working with. And—it’s a great airplane read.”

—Gary Moon Managing Director, Ridgecrest Capital Partners

“A fun, easy to read, and brilliant business book. I’ve passed along copies of ROAR! for our management team and we’ve already begun implementing the ROAR concept.”

—Dennis Hoffman President, CashBox

“ROAR! is that rare find in business texts—fundamental truth presented in actionable format; I am recommending it to every entrepreneur I know.”

—Kathy Odell Director, Pacific Capital Bancorp

“In ROAR! Kevin Daum has captured a very important dimension of the buyer’s psyche that sellers must consider if they want to capture more deals.”

—Howard Shore Principal, Activate Group, Inc.

“Not only was ROAR! fun and informative for my company, I am passing on the concepts to my clients to help them communicate in a compelling manner as well.”

—Barry Cohn Managing Partner, Cohn Handler & Co., Certified Public Accountant

“As a senior sales leader at an innovative and nimble software company, I found ROAR! to be an excellent parable for my sales team. Not only could they sink their teeth into the impeccably described meals, they could also learn from the book.”

—Jeff Benjamin Vice President of Sales, Ellie Mae

“Kevin’s latest book can be your new V.P.: It has a Very Pertinent Valuable Premise, sure to make you Victorious and Profitable, and ready to help you take advantage of your Vast Potential!”

—Paul Levitan President and CEO, Galaxy Desserts

“Finally in ROAR! I found a book that is both inspiring and practical. Mr. Daum has a keen grasp of how to understand customers, and his work was an inspiration to our team as we seek to make our message more effective and more relevant.”

—Justin Paul Hersh President and CEO, Group Delphi

“I love the simple effectiveness of ROAR! My team has completely integrated the four buyer concept into every aspect of our customer communication protocols. Kevin Daum’s approach fully delivers an easy method to teach your sales team valuable tools in a sticky, entertaining way.”

—Christina Harbridge Mischief Executive Officer, Allegory, Inc.

“Daum simplifies a 3,500-year-old model and makes it relevant to today’s challenging economy. ROAR! will tell you how to integrate sales and marketing and turn your business into a roaring success.”

—Les Rubenovitch President, Winning Edge Consultants Inc.

“I highly recommend this clever and amusing kosher culinary journey of New York, painlessly delivering a memorable marketing and sales strategy. ROAR! is an important and accessible resource for any executive.”

—Phyllis Caskey President and CEO, Hollywood Entertainment Museum

“ROAR! is simply brilliant! The story is engaging and the message is powerful and clear. If ROAR! doesn’t make your sales roar, I don’t know what will.”

—Mo Fathelbob President, Forum Resources Network Author, Forum: The Secret Advantage ofSuccessful Leaders Former Executive Director, Entrepreneurs’ Organization

“I was extremely impressed by the message and enjoyable delivery in Roar! I do believe the book far exceeds the ‘Oh yea, I knew that’ which is the common reaction when one reads these types of things. I love the freshness in this approach to sales. I believe in its value enough that I am sending it to many of my CEO clients.”

—Timothy R. Chrisman Chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco

“Roar! offers timeless marketing wisdom in a timely and entertaining package. Highly recommended.”

—Michael J. Gelb Author of How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci

Copyright © 2010 by Kevin Daum and DAT ROARing Writers Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. Published simultaneously in Canada.

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No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

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eISBN : 978-0-470-60986-6

For Kevin’s Forum and wee Miriam.

“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.”

—RUDYARD KIPLING

Chapter 1

The Meeting

RYAN MILLER was 22 years into his career in sales and marketing and he’d hit a wall. He was the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Wolfson Furnishings, a well-established furniture company. An employee-owned company, Wolfson sold office furniture and systems through retail outlets and through its web site. Ryan had led the charge to establish an online presence, and the site was now directly or indirectly involved in more than half of all new sales. For the majority of the time Ryan had been at Wolfson, things had been pretty good. Wolfson had focused on law firms and software companies, and because they were both growing quickly in the 1980s and 1990s, they had seen no need to branch out into additional industries. Their chosen client base had money to spend and there was lots of business to go around all the companies that focused on them. Ryan had been well paid, with stock and stock options, and had figured he had it made.

But now things were difficult. Lately, Wolfson had been struggling. The economy was rough. Businesses were closing—both clients’ and competitors’. With massive layoffs throughout the industry, the long-term relationships Wolfson had been cultivating were gone. Everybody had cut back, and the marketing materials Ryan’s people were using were having little effect in getting appointments. Even when his salespeople could get appointments, they couldn’t close the deal.

Ryan was concerned for the company. He was also concerned about morale. If business slowed any more, the company would have to lay off more people, and they had already reduced staff twice; they were now down by 50 percent from the prior year.

But Ryan was even more concerned for his family. With two boys in high school and college expenses starting the following year, he had been counting on his stock to get them through that comfortably—and his ownership shares were becoming worthless. His wife Christina earned decent money at her job as an underwriter with a boutique insurance company, but certainly not enough to support their home and lifestyle in Short Hills, a well-to-do suburb in New Jersey. If Ryan couldn’t get sales and marketing back on track, Wolfson would be on the road to bankruptcy and he would be looking for a job in an environment that was anything but friendly. And Christina’s job wasn’t looking all that stable, either, given the big changes in the insurance industry and layoffs rampant in her company.

Sitting at Penn Station, sweating from the summer heat and waiting for his train home, Ryan fantasized about trading it all in and joining the Peace Corps. His reverie was interrupted when he heard someone behind him call out, “Ryan? Is that you my old friend?”

Ryan turned around and saw a portly Hasidic man with a big smile on his face. Ryan had seen Hasidic Jews before. New York was a center of Hasidic life, so they were a common sight in most parts of the city and in many nearby suburbs. Ryan was accustomed to their long black coats, long hair and beards, and of course their trademark broad-brimmed black fedoras. He had often wondered how they could stand to wear all that heavy black clothing in this summer humidity. But Ryan couldn’t remember knowing any Hasidic Jews personally. Ryan had gone to Livingston High School (sole claim to fame: matriculated Jason Alexander), which had had a substantial Jewish population, so he certainly knew a lot of Jews. But as a nonreligious Christian himself, he had not interacted with anyone with a serious religious identity in many years.

“Do I know you?” Ryan asked, confused.

“Do you know me?” The stranger asked with a hint of sarcasm attached. “We know each other ten years, go to high school, I even let you date my sister! I mean, sure, she dumped you, but did that affect your memory? Or did you get a knock on the keppe at that fancy college?”

Ryan couldn’t believe his ears. “Lenny? Is that really you?!” After high school, Ryan headed down to Georgetown University in Washington, and he hadn’t seen Lenny since. He was shocked that Lenny recognized him 26 years later, and even more shocked at the change in Lenny.

Lenny had been a skinny kid with a buzz cut and an attitude. Now he was big, a lion of a man, with a massive beard covering much of his face and curly sideburns cascading down out of his black hat. Ryan remembered Lenny’s family being religious. They were kosher, if he remembered correctly, but this was ridiculous. “Lenny, when did you become, you know, all this?” he asked, indicating the hat, clothing, and hair.

Lenny laughed. “Yeah, I guess you didn’t get the memo. While you were living it up in DC I spent five glorious years at Rutgers University, just an hour from home, though I lived on campus instead of commuting. So while I was there I started going to a religious center called Chabad house, which had the best kosher food on campus. I didn’t grow up around many really observant people, and the devotion of the people in Chabad really appealed to me. They spent so much time studying the Torah!” Ryan remembered that the Torah was the Jews’ name for their Bible and other religious tracts. Lenny continued, happy to tell a story he had clearly told many times before. “The Torah scholars I met on trips to New York always impressed me, too. I’d always wanted to spend more time studying Torah, so a few years back I figured, why not go all the way?”

Lenny explained that after college he had built a good packaging business. “I was blessed with success and leisure time,” he said. “I got married, had two daughters and a son, became a family man. Here, take a look.” Lenny pulled out his iPhone and showed Ryan pictures of his family.

“Lovely,” Ryan commented. “I have a couple of kids myself.” Ryan pulled up the picture of his family on his BlackBerry. “Teenagers,” he said, shrugging off any reasonable explanation of the goth-looking boys staring out at them.

Lenny laughed. “Ah, well, family life is a blessing in itself.”

“I guess. But I’m confused,” Ryan said, changing the subject. “Did you sell your packaging business? Is that why you have the time to study?”

“No, no, no, of course not,” replied Lenny. “But we have great people and great systems, so I don’t need to spend a lot of time running it. We make lots of sales, we deliver lots of product, and life is good, kineahora!”

“Your sales are still good? Even in this economy?” Ryan asked skeptically.

“Actually, we’re doing even better now than we did last year.”

Ryan was perplexed. Everyone he knew was having trouble. He had some knowledge of Lenny’s sector—one of his friends used to be in the packaging business before his company went under last year; it was just as tough there as everywhere else. How could Lenny’s company be growing in sales with everyone struggling around him?

Ryan let his skepticism show: “Come on, Lenny. I run sales and marketing for a fifty-year-old furnishing company, and man, it’s been rough lately. How is it, with the slowing economy, that you are doing so well? Is your packaging that good? Is it so different from all the other stuff out there?”

Lenny chuckled. “Well, I like to think our product is pretty good, but no, I wouldn’t say it’s groundbreaking, if that’s what you mean. To tell you the truth, I actually chalk it up to our sales and marketing approach. I think that’s what’s kept us going and growing all these years, through both good and bad economic times.”

Now Lenny had Ryan’s full attention. “Really!” Ryan said. “What are you doing that’s so special and new?”

“I’m not sure I would call it special,” said Lenny, “and it’s definitely not new. In fact it’s a pretty straightforward method that’s been used for roughly 3,500 years.”

Ryan was sure his high school friend was pulling his leg. The only working sales process that had been around that long was “sex sells,” and packaging was one of the least sexy products Ryan could imagine. “I suppose next you’ll tell me that Socrates invented CRM.”

Lenny chuckled and started to answer, then caught the schedule board out of the corner of his eye. “Listen, Ryan,” Lenny said. “I have to catch my train. Why don’t you meet me for lunch at my office on Monday and I’ll show you what we’ve been doing? Give me your card; here’s mine. Come around eleven and we’ll catch up over a nice steak. I know a great place.”

Ryan glanced at Lenny’s card and promised to be there. After all, he figured, the way things were going, what did he have to lose?

As he settled in on the train home he looked at Lenny’s card:

Golden Box Packaging

Lenny GoldsteinFounder and CEO

718-555-1000 [e-mail] 4248 18th Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11218

On the back was a URL—www.NoNakedProduct.com. Ryan smiled and thought, “Hmm, original URL. Geez, you wouldn’t think a guy steeped in religious studies would be going around talking about nakedness. And then he got it: packaging was like covering the nakedness of a product. He smiled, both at the cleverness of the line and at his own thickheadedness in missing the meaning the first time. It must be the heat—and the fact that Wolfson’s business problems were getting him down.

He got on his train thinking about Lenny’s sister Miriam. She was his first girlfriend. They’d had some great times . . . until she dropped him to date that jock when he’d left for college. Ouch!

Chapter 2

Visiting the V.P.

MONDAY JUST BEFORE 11 o’clock, Ryan marveled at the Brooklyn neighborhood in which Lenny had chosen to grow Golden Box Packaging, Inc. It seemed to be a mixture of business and residential buildings, and most of the men were wearing hats like Lenny’s or the black skull-caps. The area was busy but not wealthy; the cars parked on the streets were almost entirely functional—SUVs, caravans, old clunkers. The cars parked outside Lenny’s building were nicer, but still modest. The building itself was almost indistinguishable from the ones near it, red brick and stone, with a sign bearing the Golden Box logo. Inside, Ryan was relieved to be in the air-conditioning, out of the late August heat. The company was obviously doing well. There was a buzz in the place that signaled a positive, growing business.

While he waited (Lenny was finishing a call, the receptionist told Ryan), he picked up a Golden Box brochure from the coffee table and noticed that the design and language was very similar to the web site he had visited over the weekend. He smiled again at the cleverness of the Web URL, www.NoNakedProduct.com, and liked the way Lenny’s marketing people had tied the copy to that theme. He also noticed one of the pizza boxes that had been highlighted on the web site. Apparently many pizza restaurants didn’t recognize the beautiful canvas they had available for marketing messages. Lenny’s company had helped increase revenues at several pizza places by “clothing” their pizza boxes with advertisements for pizza and even for other products. Ryan mused that he’d probably buy more pizza if his favorite place had similar coupons on their boxes for other local services.

Just then Lenny walked out and greeted Ryan warmly. “Come into my office. We’ll chat for a bit and then we can head off to lunch.”

They wound their way through several large rooms of busy people working at their desks, talking on the phone, and talking with one another in low tones. “You’ve built quite a company here,” Ryan said.

“We’re pretty happy,” Lenny responded. “We have about 120 people working here, and they do a great job. We’re a sales-driven company, and we’ve found a sales process that works well for us.”

“You mean this 3,500-year process?” Ryan asked skeptically.

Lenny smiled, “Yes, that.” He paused and looked thoughtful. “But before I am ready to share that process with you, I should really introduce you to our V.P. of sales and marketing.”

“Great!” exclaimed Ryan, “I would love to meet him!”

Lenny grinned knowingly. “Did you visit our web site?”

“Of course, it’s always the first thing I do whenever I get a business card or meet someone.”

“I figured you might,” Lenny said. “Most people do these days. I do it myself.”

“So you’ve been to ours as well, then?” Ryan asked gingerly. The web site was his responsibility, and although it had been moderately effective in generating some online leads and home office sales, it wasn’t bringing in the customers or orders it once did.

“Yes, and quite honestly that’s the reason I think I should introduce you to our V.P. before we talk about our 3,500-year-old process. One won’t do you much good without the other. The good news is that since you’ve been to the Golden Box web site, you’ve already seen the V.P. of sales and marketing.”