How Romantic Comedy Sales Solve Problems

I was recently reminded about the essence of sales by national sales consultant Paul Castain and local sales trainer Dan Boe .  And while each lesson is a critical one, combined, the lessons are enlightening.

At Dan’s course, “Inner Fire Presentations,” I was reminded that “there is no sale if a problem isn’t being solved.” In other words, our sales efforts require that we connect with a problem the prospect has, find a solution and present it as the most reasonable choice. For example, as a former art dealer in art destination Carmel-by-the-Sea, it was common for people to walk into the gallery, find a piece they liked but express the problem of having “no place to hang it,” or “no money to buy it.” My job was to help them find a solution for that problem so the art could be taken home to be enjoyed at length. The gallery scenario is extremely basic, but also foundational in understanding the sales situation.

In support of this concept came a recent post by Paul Castain in his “sales playbook.”  He reminded his readers that bad news sells more than good news. Bad news, as you can see, is a problem and creates more problems.

Have you heard any bad news lately? The economy, for instance? Lost homes? Stressed bread winners? The foreign war on two fronts? False reportage created by the media that created bad news? (The Balloon Boy episode, for instance.) But it isn’t only bad times that promote bad news. You have no doubt noticed that the major mass media are full of bad news at all times. What is our role in this?

Romantic Comedy Marketing is about bringing good news, that is, love and joy, not because it sells product and services, but because it solves a deeper problem of relatedness. We promote long-term relatedness, hope in the end result, and a lighthearted touch because people that we deal with matter to us.

Romantic Comedy Marketing is an approach that looks at people before product and service before sales.

Romcom Marketing teaches us to answer the call to deeper needs: to belong, to matter, and to live well.

I encourage you to check out and develop deeper commitments to those that are committed to these values, such as Dan Boe and Paul Castain. Check out those recommended to you by others you trust.

As a Romcom Marketer, solve the problems created by bad news and use it to our best advantage. Create client friendships that will last through and rise above any difficulty “brought to you by…” the bad news reports.

Or as some optimist once suggested we do, “laugh all the way to the bank” the Romantic Comedy way.

Copyright 2009 Rich Guy Miller

Romantic Comedy Marketing, Chasing Business Away

We are all familiar with the wisdom that pursuing happiness is the surest way for it to flee. Happiness is not something to pursue. It does not come from outside of us; it comes from within. I subscribe to the theory that this is not only true of happiness. It is true with love, play, success, money and business. The harder we pursue them, the more they tend to flee.

This does not mean that we cannot set goals, plan, court or follow our dreams. It does not mean that we should play “hard to get” with success, money or love. “Not pursuing” does not mean our highly desired ends are up to fate…any more than our happiness is up to fate.

Like happiness, love, success, and money are not outside of us. And this distinction is where we often get messed up. For example,

• We are our best source of happiness, not circumstances.
• Love for our own self is our responsibility, not primarily another’s.
• We cannot allow others to define our level of success; that is only ours to determine.
• Money and business, while being part of an exchange of value, must at least begin with our own sense of value that we offer to others.

How often we pursue these things without realizing that we are the keepers of the keys!

I love how Romantic Comedies illustrate our pursuits of love. By being along for the chase given by the storyline, we see the character’s silliness, foibles and ridiculous misunderstandings created by limited information or the character’s limited perceptions. We can laugh at the coincidences and accidents instead of being frustrated by the obstacles and traps.

What business pursuits of yours could be considered humorous if seen from a reader’s, viewer’s or prospect’s perspective? Is trying too hard giving you a vision of watching your prospects escape? Is your marketing so aggressive that the business appears to be trying to be everything to all prospects? Does your estimation of prospects show that you value them more than they value themselves (spending more on them than their purchases warrant)? Do your referrers or does your advertising bring you unqualified clients? There is a multitude of ways to over-pursue.

Romantic Comedy Marketing will explore in our next issues the antidotes to the over-pursuit of business. As an incentive to read the next issues, I offer this: the answers are easier than what you might have been taught in your business courses and they are a lot more rewarding than what you were asking for. As a hint, I offer this: you will hear a voice of confidence, a joyfulness of being and ways to cultivate those qualities that attract business.

Copyright 2009 Rich Guy Miller

Romantic Comedy Marketing, The Worst Thing

Writing another chapter for my upcoming book, “Good Husband School,” I was dealing with the subject of “the worst thing a man can say to his woman.” This got me thinking about the worst thing a business can say to a client or prospect. It’s not like the worst thing to say to Alice in Wonderland’s Queen of Hearts before she shouts, “Off with his head!” And it’s not like making a fashion faux pas. And it’s not about admitting that you need some help.

The worst thing we can say to a prospect or client is… “I am in this for me.” The strong inference, of course, is that the client or prospect is just another stone to be stepped on in pursuit of a goal. It leaves them stranded, alone, used and their loyalty is based on things like price or convenience that can be undercut.

Do you think your business doesn’t say the worst thing? What about when an appointment is missed, follow up doesn’t take place, promises or claims are made with no intention of being kept, email correspondence is dropped, personal appearance is sloppy or the office is uninviting, or my “favorite” “I am in this for me” – web content or sales materials that are all about how great the company is at what they do?

Networking is another way we can easily come off saying the worst thing. I know we are supposed to have the right pitch so we don’t waste the other’s time and so they can remember us. But networking is about the net-working, not about you-working. It is about listening to the contact’s needs to see if you know someone that could help them.  Networking at its best is asking questions about building their business and finding ways to promote them. (Don’t take it from me, consult a networking professional such as Donna Fisher (www.donnafisher.com)

Why am I ranting about the worst thing? Because I see that many of us are guilty and if we are going to turn things around for our businesses and the economy, together we must stop saying and doing the worst thing, “I am in this for me.”

Relationship marketing is the standard we uphold at Romantic Comedy Marketing. If we are not in business for all of us, and acting on that principle, one by one our businesses will rightly fail, with no one else to mourn our loss.

“I am here for you because together we are golden.” That’s the best thing to say. (It works for romance, too.)

Copyright 2009 Rich Guy Miller

Romantic Comedy Marketing, A Great Pickup Line

This summer has been a brutal one for many of us. Not only has the economy tanked and revealed cracks in the foundation, personal limits have been breached, as testified by my family, colleagues and acquaintances.

For me, I have had baffling electronics challenges (went through two laptops and three cell phones), a broken tooth (my first in five decades) and I said goodbye to my parents who moved so far away I entertained doubts I will see them again.

Many others I know have been also been struggling behind the proverbial 8 ball. On hearing some other entrepreneur’s recent dilemmas, I realized that whatever is going on is not just about me.

So, here is a gift that I hope might help. I received it the other day from one of my Linked In partners and it gives us all reasons aplenty to truck on. So, refusing to believe that this cascade of events can continue forever, I forward my friend Paul Castain’s submission, which I call a great everyday pickup line. It’s the romance of sales.

Everyday . . .

A new business is born that requires your product or service.

A business wants to grow and they need your help.

A sales rep goes M.I.A. leaving an orphaned account for the taking.

A business moves into your area finding it easier to deal with a local company.

A new buyer joins the company looking to make a name for themselves.

That old buyer who used to tell you “No!” may have left.

A vendor drops the ball creating an opening for you.

A vendor gets complacent creating opportunity for you.

A rep fails to offer an idea that you have that could impact your prospect’s business.

A buyer just doesn’t like their rep.

A buyer hates the buying process with their vendor.

A buyer wants to deal with someone who isn’t just about the commission check.

A buyer feels like they are over paying for what they are getting.

A rep misses a deadline

A rep fails to communicate properly giving you an opening.

A company needs the benefits of your offering to help them streamline their process.

A buyer wishes they could find a vendor that would “get it right the first time”.

A referral from an existing account is there for the taking

A “low ball” company can’t sustain quality

A sales rep gets caught in a lie to a customer losing credibility

A vendor implements some stupid, non customer friendly policy

A vendor raises their price making the buyer reevaluate the situation

Somebody’s client becomes FED UP!

You can follow Paul on Twitter http://twitter.com/paulcastain

As you, a Romantic Comedy Marketer, are true to your ideals, know that the happily ever after will arrive.

Copyright 2009 by Rich Guy Miller