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Third Wave News Letter June 2009
Top Dear Byron,

This issue of our newsletter covers the "Critical  Skill of Referral Gathering". I hope you find the article both informative and helpful.
 
Our "Tech Talk" feature is very important. Advantage needs to become a habit before you start to see success. In my experience, it takes 21 - 30 days to establish a habit - I believe the same applies to Advantage.
 
Good luck with your sales this month.
 
Sincerely,
 
Byron Cooke-Tonnesen
Managing Director
Third Wave Software
 
IN THIS ISSUE
Third Wave 20th Anniversary
Book Review - Never Cold Call Again
Invaluable Whitepapers
Tech Talk - Update Advantage
The Critical Skill of Referral Gathering
Third Wave Software - 20th year Anniversary 
 
AwardThird Wave is proud to announce our 20th year anniversary. We have seen our clients make it  through 2 recessions in the past successfully. There is no doubt in my mind if you want to recession proof your business in these times you need Advantage CRM.  
WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON OUR EXCELLENT SERVICE AND COMMITMENT TO CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS. LET"S MAKE SURE YOU SUCCEED IN THESE DIFFICULT TIMES.
 
 
 
TWS Party
 
 
 
Third Wave celebrated it's 20th Anniversary with dinner at Outer Limits, followed by Broadway Rocks at the Barnyard.
 
At the party, Byron Cooke-Tonnesen, director of Third Wave Software, announced that Third Wave woulb be releasing an internet version of Advantage due for release early 2010.
 
 
 

Book Review - Never Cold Call Again

 
Written By Frank Rumbauskas

Never Cold Call Again
  Book  Description
 
  "Cold calling is the lowest percentage of sales call success.  If you
  invest the same amount of time in reading this book as you do in cold
  calling, your success percentage and your income will skyrocket."-
  Jeffrey Gitomer, Author, Little Red Book of Selling
  "You can never get enough of a good thing!  Read this book and USE its
  contents!"- Anthony Parinello, Author, Selling to Vito and Stop Cold  
  Calling Forever
  Salespeople everywhere are learning the hard way that cold calling
  doesn't work anymore.  Yet, millions of salespeople are stuck in the
  past, using twentieth-century sales techniques to try to lure twenty-first
  century customers.  There has to be an easier way to find prospects -
  and there is.  Today's most successful salespeople are using modern t
  technology to bring prospects to them, rather than fishing for prospects
  over the phone or knocking on doors.
  Never Cold Call Again offers practical, step-by-step alternatives to
  traditional cold calling for salespeople, small business owners, and
  independent professionals who are actively building a client base. The
  Information Age presents endless opportunities for finding leads without
  cold calling. In fact, Frank Rumbauskas's system brings prospects to the salesperson, rather than the other way around. Readers will find unbeatable sales advice on effective self-promotion, generating endless leads, how to win prospects using e-mail, prospecting on the Web, networking, developing effective proposals, and much more. 
 
From the Back Cover
 
GENERATE MORE LEADS AND HIGHER SALES-WITHOUT COLD CALLING!

Salespeople everywhere are learning the hard way that cold calling just doesn't work anymore. Yet, millions of salespeople are stuck in the past, using twentieth-century sales techniques to try to lure twenty-first-century customers. But today's consumers have no patience for the sales pitch-that is, if they even answer the phone at all.
There has to be an easier way to find more and better prospects-and there is. Today's most successful salespeople are using modern technology to bring prospects to them, rather than fishing for prospects over the phone. In Never Cold Call Again, Frank Rumbauskas shows you how to move your sales program into the Information Age using modern marketing tools like e-mail, Web sites, and blogs. Based on interviews with top performers, proven marketing tactics, and his own sales experience, Rumbauskas shows you how to make more money in sales without the high-pressure tactics and closing speeches everyone is sick of. This cutting-edge guide will bring your sales methods into the future, without the cold call. Plus, you'll learn how to:
•    Craft a unique message and get it out to the masses
•    Use e-mail to land prospects you wouldn't get over the phone
•    Use direct mail techniques that still work
•    Build a Web site and drive traffic to it
•    Maintain ongoing contact with prospects
•    Use newsletters to get the word out
•    Write a blog to attract qualified prospects automatically
•    Get free publicity from the media
•    Think like an independent consultant, not a sales rep
•    Develop and deliver a powerful sales proposal
Cold calling isn't just ineffective; it's outdated. Never Cold Call Again will show you how to tap into the power of modern marketing to increase your prospects and boost your sales-without even picking up the phone! 
  

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Invaluable White Papers on Our Web Site
White Papers 
Try reading our white papers and success stories on the web to see how Advantage CRM may benefit you. Over and above what is on the web we have many more whitepapers that you may rquest from us - one that comes to mind is
 New Science of Sales Productivity by Harvard Business Review - an excellent read! Request it via email as it is not on our web yet.
Requests to: byron@thirdwave.co.za   
It is by reading and testing new ideas on an incremental basis that you will make sure sound progress on the CRM front.

TechTech Talk - Update Advantage

 

This weeks Tip:  Get the users to update and use Advantage on a daily basis to get the most benefit from the system.

 
To obtain the greatest benefit from Advantage it is highly recommended that you and the users use and update Advantage on a daily basis.
This is especially applicable in the first month of usage after the first course has been completed.
 
The benefits of this are three fold.
1.  Habit - You get used to the habit of using the system and thus keep remembering on how to use the system, therefore you would be less reliant on our support line to assist as you would be more familiar with the system, and the system will grow with you.
2.  Accurate Information - Your information in the system would be kept up-to-date and management would be able to produce the necessary reports which would reflect accurate information resulting in a valuable system providing benefits for all involved.
3.  Save Costs - Any user who is used to the habit of using the system on a daily basis would be able to impart their knowledge to other users of the system within the organization and may even save your company on training costs.
  
Past Tech Tips Review.   
1.  How are your backup plans going, and have they been executed successfully? 
2.  Do you know how to get the most benefit from your FREE telephonic support? 
3.  Have you considered upgrading to SQL Advantage V7 for reliability and performance?

The Critical Skill of Referral Gathering

 

Summary


Attend almost any sales seminar or read any book on sales techniques and you're sure to be reminded of the value of gathering referrals from your current customers. Yet when was the last time that someone from whom you buy asked you for referrals? Although the practice makes all kinds of sense and is easy to do, very few salespeople put the technique into practice.
Referred prospects are much more receptive to your prospecting approach and are much more likely to buy. They tend to become more valuable customers who place larger orders for a longer time. But these aren't the only benefits of referral gathering.
Asking for and following up on referred leads is another way of strengthening relationships with the referring customers and keeping them on your relationship conveyor belt longer.
I often recommend that clients adapt and adopt a very effective referral-gathering technique used by the company that insured my cars. This particular company accepted only customers whose driving records were unblemished and who drove cars with low accident rates. It catered to the lowest-risk population of drivers and offered premium rates that were always the least expensive available. One day one of its salespeople called me and said:
 
"Mr. Walther, you're exactly the kind of driver who makes it possible for us to keep our rates so low. Thank you. You should be very proud of your driving record. I see that you've had no moving infringements and have never been involved in any kind of accident either. We want to keep on providing the lowest possible rates for you and other very safe drivers and I'd be happy to help any of your safe-driving friends. This will allow us to keep serving you well, too, by ensuring that we only cover people with the lowest risk of filing claims. That's what keeps our rates low for you. I'll be happy to call your recommended referrals directly myself. Among your friends, who are the two or three very safest drivers you can think of who also drive low-risk vehicles?"
 
Because she put it that way, I was happy to provide a couple of referrals, and I also felt a closer partnership with my insurance company. You can use a similar approach to get the same positive results with your customers. Follow the three simple steps outlined below:
 
STEP ONE: TELL YOUR BEST CUSTOMERS WHY YOU'RE ASKING THEM FOR REFERRALS
 
Let's face it, you have some customers you wish would go away and stop buying from you. They're more trouble than they're worth, and they're unpleasant to deal with. Getting them to pay is like extracting wisdom teeth, and they're just no fun. Don't ever ask them for referrals, because their friends and associates will probably also be pains to deal with. Ask only your best customers if you want to get referrals who will be both pleasurable and profitable to deal with.
Now, if you're going to be selective and ask only your best customers for referrals, how are they to know you think they're the best? Tell them! Start right off by letting your good customers bask in the attention they deserve. Just as my insurance agent congratulated me for my outstanding driving record, tell your customer why he or she is so valued by your company. I'm not talking about buttering customers up with false flattery. I mean sincerely telling your great customers why you like dealing with them:
"Mr. Wilson, I deal with quite a variety of customers in my work, and very, very few of them are as pleasant to deal with as you are. I appreciate having you as one of my best accounts. You're always open-minded when I make suggestions, you're prepared with all the details when you call in to place your orders, and you make sure that your bills are paid on time. As a company, we appreciate you, and I myself appreciate you most of all."
Of course your customer is in a positive frame of mind now and feels good about your relationship with good reason.
 
STEP TWO: POINT OUT HOW REFERRALS BENEFIT YOUR CUSTOMER
 
The motor vehicle insurance rep who had called me explained that my rates could be kept low only by finding additional very safe drivers to insure. What she didn't say, but what turned out to be true, is that my friends appreciated my referrals, and I also benefited through their appreciation. The company saved me a lot of money on my insurance premiums. When I referred friends and they saved a lot of money too, my friends were glad that I had referred them.
When you ask for referrals, be sure to explain to your customers why it will benefit them to help you.
  
STEP THREE: ASK FOR SPECIFIC REFERRALS
 
My insurance representative didn't call and say, "Hey, know anybody I can call to try and sell some insurance to?" Her question was very specific. She was looking for only "the two or three very safest drivers you can think of who also drive low-risk vehicles?" Specific questions make it much easier for your current customer to think of exactly the right kind of referrals to offer you.
When prompting referrals from your customers, make it easy for them to cooperate by asking specific, clearly defined questions: "Among your colleagues, there are probably a few purchasing agents at other companies who you know are both enjoyable and really on top of things. I'd like to call them and offer to be of service. Who are the two or three people you'd recommend I get in touch with?
Referral gathering is a very profitable and rewarding way to sell. The practice also benefits your existing relationships by strengthening the partnership bonds you want to nurture with your customers. The specific way you prompt referrals determines how successful you'll be at getting them.
Staying in touch with customers, including calling for referrals, pays off with stronger, more enduring relationships that are worth mover to both of you now and over the long haul.
 
REACH FOR THE TOP RUNG
 
Your key task, before making any call to a new prospect, is to discover (or create) a relationship with your prospect. If you can tell a prospect that a friend or colleague referred you, you can quickly get to the top of the relationship ladder. If you sell dry-cleaning equipment in Johannesburg, start by figuring out just how high you can position yourself in the relationship hierarchy.
Bottom rung (cold):
"Hi, I sell chemical-reducing programs; can we get together? (Forget it!)
Climb up a rung by creating a perceived affinity group:
"I specialize in helping reduce chemical use for small, independent Johannesburg dry cleaners like you."
An actual affinity group get you still higher:
"I'm calling you, as a member of the Gauteng Independent Cleaners Association, because I can help you reduce your need for chemicals, as I've done for so many other members."
Climb even higher with an implied referral:
"I help cleansers like Prestige in Market street sharply reduce their chemical use. Let's see if I can do it for you too."
A named referral gets you to the top rung:
"Henry Smith in Primrose is one of my happy customers, and he suggested I show you what I've done to reduce his chemical use."
The surest way to increase your return on investment when contacting prospects is to make better use of your preexisting relationship.
 
 
 Critical Skills 
 
  

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Thanks for reading our news letter. Please take advantage of of our 25% off special offer - this applies to Service Manager product as well.
 
Kind Regards,
 
Byron Signature
 
Byron Cooke-Tonnesen
Managing Director
Third Wave Software
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