You Can’t Eat Chit Chat

by | Apr 20, 2017 | Sales

We have ample doctor time right now, and I had a GREAT opportunity to watch sales in action (well, maybe inaction). I’m always interested in learning. JD and I were hanging out in the infusion area of the doctor’s office. Okay, I was hanging out. JD is doing the cancer-busting work.

My Sales Coaching Hat

A couple of pharmaceutical representatives walk in doing their ‘thang.’ This is fun for me. put on my Sales Coach hat and begin to watch the play in action. In my mind, I’m always looking for what someone’s sales process is. If you have any TrainerTainment exposure you know, we think Prospecting, Connecting, Qualifying, Proposing, & then Closing is THE Sales process. So I measure others by that standard.  Here’s what I saw…

The Sales Process

Connect – The lead sales guy introduces himself and the guy that’s with him to the nurses. It looks as if he might be training that guy. He begins to build rapport. I’m thinking, this guy knows what he’s doing.  But then he keeps chit chatting. They talk about spring break, what are they going to do for Easter, and …and…and…

Qualify – I think he may have asked if they had any patients using a specific type of drug (I’m assuming that’s the one they sell).

Present – No

Close – Well, no. I don’t think so. It was about a 5-minute interaction. The nurses were receptive but not decision-makers. The rep shakes hands and says, “I’ll check back in a couple of weeks.”

WHY?

I nearly went crazy. Honestly, I almost shouted, “WHY?” What would you be checking on, May flowers? I wanted to help. I thought about running out after them and inquiring about what their objective was. Maybe they simply had the objective of meeting the nurses. That seems like a weird reason to spend time prospecting in that way.

I think they could have learned so much more if they had asked questions like:

“How do you decide who to buy this particular drug from?” The nurses would have information about who they buy it from and why they buy it from them and maybe if they were happy with their service or had any reason to change suppliers. Wouldn’t that have been helpful? This could have helped them understand who their competition is and potentially their focus on the budget or if that is even an issue.

“Who does the ordering and how often do you typically place orders?” That would have helped them get closer to the decision-maker or at least the decision-influencer.

The Lesson

The lesson for me is that you have to make your chit chat matter. There needs to be a purpose to the call that goes beyond meeting people in the office. They could have turned the chit-chat into a meaningful conversation because they would have learned something! With every encounter, you need to ask for something to make the call worthwhile. That’s closing.

I thought about chasing them out the door so that I could at least have the answer to my question about their original objective. Maybe he was just introducing the new guy. Instead of chasing them out the door, I started rattling off my concerns to JD. He always takes the high road and suggested that the guy already had the answers to those questions. He is so good at assuming the best.

I felt like they wasted their most precious asset (time). I hope his trainee gets to ride along with other representatives. Maybe we need to get a PCQPC script written for the pharmaceutical industry. Could be “just what the Sales Doctor ordered!”

Developing a Winning SEO Strategy for Your Entertainment Center

Developing a Winning SEO Strategy for Your Entertainment Center

by | Apr 6, 2017 | Marketing

SEO Development image

When I consult with owners and operators, the two things they care about are that they want to increase sales and they want to be found online. Search engine optimization (SEO) helps accomplish both of these goals. The idea is that if you’re being found, then web traffic is being converted into paying customers. These customer conversions happen by people calling, requesting driving directions, filling out a groups event lead form, or booking a party online.

SEO evolves every day. There is a Google army of people manually checking search engine results and making adjustments based on search terms used. We’re no longer optimizing for keywords and search terms, but user search intent.  Your goal is to meet the customer in the search engine results with the right solution to their problem or question.

A winning SEO strategy requires FECs and amusement parks to think about two different sets of results:

  1. Local map results
  2. Traditional organic results

Here’s how you can make an impact with your brand in local search engine results.

How FECs and Amusement Parks Can Rank Higher in Search Engines

SEO Disclaimer: First of all, it’s going to take a lot of work and plenty of patience. The good news is that achieving SEO success can dramatically increase your company’s sales.

  • Develop Relevant and Valuable Content: If you can solve someone’s problem with the right answer at the right time, then you’re their hero! Content marketing is one of the best ways to help drive sales and improve your search engine rankings. Try starting your content marketing strategy by answering frequently asked questions.
  • A Well Optimized Website: We have now audited the majority of the US based FEC market, and most have never been optimized by a professional. Everything from proper content optimization to site structure need to be scrutinized by owners and operators. This is a wide open door for FECs and parks looking to take advantage of others’ negligence
  • Generating News About Your Business: Link building is a word that sends shivers up my spine. I do it, but I don’t trust others to do it. The reason is that it’s a practice that works but is frequently abused or misunderstood. However, generating quality and relevant links from other sites to your website will significantly help your web presence. One of the best ways to generate links from other sites to your website is through quality content.
  • Local Citations: Local citations, or mentions of your business on the Internet, have long been considered a ranking factor with search engines. The idea is that the more citations (Google My Business, Yelp, YP.com, etc) that display correct information about your business, the better the user experience is with your brand. For Google and other search engines, delivering an accurate user is experience is their number one priority. Local citations help verify basic information (name, address, phone number) about your business to search engines.
  • Online Reviews: It is believed that Google’s local algorithm pulls in a few hundred different signals to rank local businesses. One of these signals is online reviews, specifically through Google’s review system. You should be building a local SEO strategy that focuses on the number of reviews, the quality of reviews, and the freshness of reviews for your local center or park.

Implementing an SEO strategy for your entertainment center or park won’t be easy. It will take time and patience, but it can yield massive financial rewards for your business if done well. There is a massive opportunity for FECs and amusement parks to begin their SEO strategy, because the majority of their competition is completely ignoring it altogether.

Kevin Ekmark is the President/CEO of TrustWorkz, Inc, an Internet marketing agency located in Atlanta, Georgia. His passion is in local search engine optimization and paid lead generation strategies.

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