John S. McKinstry - Treat Your Customers Like Animals: The Counterintuitive Guide to Increasing Sales Without Selling

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DISCLAIMER

All the information, techniques, skills and concepts contained within this publication are of the nature of general comment only and are not in any way recommended as individual advice. The intent is to offer a variety of information to provide a wider range of choices now and in the future, recognising that we all have widely diverse circumstances and viewpoints. Should any reader choose to make use of the information contained herein, this is their decision, and the contributors (and their companies), authors and publishers do not assume any responsibilities whatsoever under any condition or circumstances. It is recommended that the reader obtain their own independent advice.

First Edition 2018

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

The information, views, opinions and visuals expressed in this publication are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of the publisher. The publisher disclaims any liabilities or responsibilities whatsoever for any damages, libel or liabilities arising directly or indirectly from the contents of this publication.

A copy of this publication can be found in the National Library of Australia.

John S McKinstry
Treat Your Customers Like Animals And Increase Your Sales By Twenty-Plus Percent Without Selling!

1st ed.
ISBN: 978-1-925370-09-6 (eBook.)

Published by Global Publishing Group
PO Box 517 Mt Evelyn, Victoria 3796 Australia
Email

For further information about orders:
Phone: +61 3 9739 4686 or Fax +61 3 8648 6871

Acknowledgements

To the nem Partners

All of whom have contributed to shaping the VALUE Encounter Methodology that has been developed by the firm and is outlined in this book.

The core VALUES of the firm are enshrined in this approach which is driven by an overriding objective of assisting businesses to achieve their objectives far more quickly than they can on their own AND of only engaging when genuine value-added outcomes can be achieved.

As you will see this is not always as obvious as one would like but, as the firm has proven time and time again, every business holds hidden potential and identi-fying that together can be a rewarding and genuinely enjoyable process for all those involved.

Contents

The Trilogy of Trust

The 9 Paradigms

The Johari Window

1. Visibility

2. Leverage

3. Understanding

4. Agreement

5. Engagement

1. Friendships

2. Relationships

3. Contacts

4. Connectors

1. Elephants

2. Tigers

3. Cats

4. Kittens

1. Elephant Developer

2. Kittens Children of an Elephant

3. The Plodder

4. An Elephant Pilot

5. Freight Companys Tigers

6. It Is Not About Selling

1. Stakeholder Discovery Session

2. Research Phase

3. Feedback Phase

4. Execution Phase

1. The Window Cleaner

2. The Accounting Software Company

3. The Stock Feed Company

1. Digital Technology

2. Cash Flow

3. Sale of the Business

4. Sales Growth

5. Assistance

Foreword

All the consulting engagements undertaken by nem are derived from referrals and the firm has worked with a wide range of referrers over the years; none more so than accounting firms.

To put the content of this book into context; when accountants network for new business in forums where they do not know too many people; when the question is asked and what is that you do? and they respond I am an accountant, there is usually polite conversation for a short period of time before the person is distracted and moves on.

When we started our consulting firm and networked for new business in forums where we did not know too many people; when asked and what is it that you do? and we responded I am a consultant there was no conversation and the person quickly moved on. Clearly, we needed to develop a different approach, an approach that created conversation, engagement, and opened up commercial opportunities.

The approach we developed and successfully applied is called the VALUE Encounter Methodology and it is arguably one of the most effective soft skills business development frameworks to be developed and applied, and has particular relevance to professional services firms and the accounting profession.

This book outlines the journey of the firm and one of the founders commercial experiences that shaped the VALUE Encounter methodology as it is applied today.

You will learn that nurturing your customers like animals, classifying them as Elephants, Tigers, Cats and Kittens and interacting with them according to their relationship, not according to their actual or perceived monetary value, will profoundly improve your businesses sales performance.

Value Encounter is a trademarked methodology of Non-Executive Management Services Pty Ltd.

Chapter 1

Introduction

The VALUE Encounter Methodology

The VALUE Encounter Methodology is a unique framework that ensures businesses obtain what they WANT by identifying what they NEED to do to obtain it. It sounds simple, but as you will see there are a myriad of biases, preconceived views and opinions, and a vast array of emotional and physical dynamics that preclude this simple objective from being consistently and reliably achieved.

The cornerstone to an effective VALUE Encounter, whether its the engagement with prospective customers, networking to obtain new customers, or servicing the requirements of existing customers, is the relationship that you have with the party with whom you are communicating.

Not all relationships are the same, and not all customers are the same. Often when people operate in business they gravitate towards those individuals or organisations that they believe can help them the most, particularly when looking for new business opportunities or selling additional products and services to existing customers. This is a fundamentally flawed approach resulting in a significant waste of time and effort.

Relying solely on what we believe and what we know limits our opportunities. No one knows everything and everyone around us knows things which we do not. This extends to every person we know in our networks and within our customer portfolios. We just need to know how to unlock their potential.

If you look at your customers and prospects according to their actual or perceived monetary value to you or your organisation, or if look at your network and grade the usefulness of those that you know according to your commercial objectives, you probably adopt some form of traditional A, B, C and D grading criterion.