If you are looking at customers as just another line on a list, you need to cut that s**t out right now and realize that your customers’ success is your success. That’s why every company that has a sales team also needs a customer success team. I created mine at the end of 2020 and it has already paid off big-time.

 

Now more than ever businesses that depend on sales (which is every business) lose too many potential customers in-between prospecting and closing.

That’s where the Customer Success Team comes in. Since the Super Bowl is this weekend I’m gonna make a football reference and compare it to calling in the special teams. So what does a Customer Success Team do? They have a dedicated role to retain prospects securely in the pipeline by providing them with personalized attention.

 

This is a new phenomenon in business but already studies show that over half of the companies that have integrated Customer Success teams into their operations have seen increased revenue. In every case, this increase can be directly attributed to the actions of the Customer Success Team. 

In my company, the Customer Success Representatives bridge the gap between sales and support. A sale typically starts with a salesperson prospecting and hopefully closing a customer. Then, after the prospect becomes a customer and a relationship is established, customer service becomes involved. Along the way, a Customer Success Representative is a single point of contact, whose job is to provide a streamlined experience along the entire journey.

 

Now a Customer Success Representative’s responsibilities will not be the same at every company. Sometimes the CSR will interact directly with salespeople as they see to the prospects’ needs. Other times CSRs are part of an execution team that includes IT experts and account managers who initiate customers on product usage or other onboarding matters. Then, there are companies who use their CSRs in a more administrative role which gives the sales team more time to focus on actual sales instead of resolving customer issues. This means that communication is an essential skill for a successful Customer Success Representative. They are responsible for making sure information gets from the salespeople to customers in a timely manner. They’re also responsible for following up with customers clearly and consistently. 

Don’t think that Customer Success Representative is a part-time job. CSR’s are always on call to address prospects’ and customers’ needs and issues. Anytime they’re not dealing with customers they need to constantly prepare for any possibility based on what’s happening in the marketplace

 

I’ll end this with another football reference. Think of a CSR like a quarterback. The quarterback leads the teams, calls the plays and then coordinates everyone involved to execute projects. Just like the quarterback moves the ball, the CSR moves prospects efficiently and smoothly through the sales cycle.

 

If you don’t have a Customer Success Team you better get one fast. The bar has been raised for customer expectations, or maybe I should say the goalpost has been moved. However you look at it, just remember if your customers are successful you won’t be either.

 

If you want help establishing your own team of Successful Sales Representatives contact the Cardone Training Team here. As one of the first companies to put a fully functioning Customer Success Team into operation, there is nobody more qualified to help you add this crucial component to your company.

 

Best,

 

GC

Like all of you, on this first week of the year, I’m looking ahead while I collect my thoughts on selling in 2021, because that’s where the action is. I think we can all agree that regardless of  whether 2020 was good to you or left you struggling, it was different. I think that we can also agree that things will never be the same again especially when it comes to selling in whatever the “new normal” of 2021 will be.

Happy New Year!

At Cardone Enterprises, I’ve trained my sales team to be agile enough to adapt our selling techniques and strategies according to what goes on around us. Note that I said “adapt” not change. The fundamentals of sales remain the same. It’s just a matter of fine tuning them to fit the situation and that’s where the true talent of selling is; being alert, agile and able to answer quickly with authority. Too often, sales reps simply recite their presentations from the script and expect to land the sale. That’s not gonna cut it, assuming it ever did in the first place. Scripts are a useful tool and we’ve got some of the best in the business, but even the best script is only as good as the salesperson using it.

Your sales people will need to be courageous, hungry and competitive, as everyone in selling must be, but they’ll also need to be creative and strategic so they can solve your customers’ problems with the product or service your company offers.

 

Another critical consideration in 2021 will be “attitude” and how your team views their role as a sales person. Successful sales will now depend entirely upon the attitude of the salesman, not the attitude of the prospect. With customers becoming more valuable than ever, your sales people must learn to think in terms of opening a relationship instead just closing a sale. The goal is to build a long-term, successful partnership with customers so you are their go-to for their needs. When you have a relationship with a customer that relationship translates seamlessly into sales. In the end it comes down this- make a customer and the sale will follow.

 

Of course, one thing that has not changed and will never change is the need for drive in your sales team. As the great Vince Lombardi put it, “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of drive.” From the very first day I learned the truth and the power of sales, I have never worked a day in my life without selling. If I believe in something, I sell it, and I sell it hard. If you’re not selling then you need to keep your sales pipeline full by prospecting continuously. You should always have more people to see than you have time to see.

What it all comes down to is that the successful salesperson will be the one who pushes past their  limits every day. That’s how I operate and it’s why every day I am one step closer to

being a billionaire. Here’s to you doing the same in 2021. If you need some guidance in making it happen, my sales training team is just a CLICK away for a free consultation. 

 

In the meantime, Happy New Year!

 

Grant Cardone

Be Great and grab my training here.

Kickstart the year with 3 ways to dominate your sales in 2021.

 

The economy has been turned upside down this year and has pushed the future forward in regard to the way that business is being conducted. Selling today requires adapting to the current circumstances and reengineering the mechanics of the sales process. The steps to success never change, but this is a wakeup call to all of us that we need to reflect, reevaluate, and pivot to become bigger and better than ever in 2021 with a NEW GAMEPLAN! 

That is why I’ve designed the Billion Dollar Negotiation Secrets course on Cardone University for you to get powerful strategies that will help you in any situation. 

 

Here are three essentials to focus on moving forward to maximize your growth opportunities.

 

1. Master Phone Skills and all Communication Channels– This is the time to ramp up training your people and their phone skills. With social distancing and the uncertainty that customers have about coming into your establishment, this is crucial to your success moving forward. You must have a call tracking platform and should be monitoring all calls to coach your team as well as implement management involvement to maximize every opportunity. Everything starts with the greeting and we recommend all your employees answer the phone with a consistent message such as “Thank you for calling Cardone Enterprises, what can I get you information on today?”. This does not end with the phone but also carries over to text, chat and social media engagement. When consumers reach out, they are looking for information and it is your responsibility to provide the answers. You need to build their trust to convert them into a new client.  Amazon set the precedence of what great customer service looks like and consumers expect timely response to their inquiries. Your team needs to be trained to understand what to say and what to do when the most common questions are asked. Missed opportunities are not an option in this current marketplace.
2. Follow Up – This is the holy grail of the sales process.  You should be doing massive outreach and engaging with your customer base and prospects regularly. The follow up in the CRM will be essential in determining your success over the next 30-90 days. What are you doing to re-engage prospects in your internet lead bucket? This is the most common area where lack of proper engagement will cost you deals. You should have a 365 day follow up program in place and give your team the ammunition to know what to do and what to say. You need to provide a seamless way to implement this. Regardless of the circumstances your customers and prospects need to be aware of the opportunities available. You now have the opportunity to potentially provide large incentives and spread out their loan over a longer term, many times, and with a lower interest rate. These are options that can provide the urgency needed to close a deal today.  
3. Data Mining– Leverage your data mining software and create call lists for your team. This gives you a reason for the call to alleviate potential call reluctance. Maximize the programs that you have with your manufacturer and create another sales pipeline. You can provide an instant 15-20% life in sales volume for your dealership that way. Here is an easy tip to create hand raisers – every night run the list of service customers for the following day and prepare a personalized letter to attach to their invoice that gives them the opportunity to upgrade. When your team follows up on the service experience you can also provide a soft touch to mention the opportunity again. This provides a two touch in 24hrs. 

 

 

The businesses that focus on expansion and doing the things that others won’t, 

 will grab market share and dominate.

 

Check out the Billion Dollar Negotiation Secrets course on Cardone University and get a multitude of strategies that you can implement in 2021 to increase your business and more!

 

CLICK HERE NOW

 

Make 2021 your best year yet.

 

-GC

Where is your loyalty, boss? When you start a business your allegiance has to be to the business first. If the welfare of your business is not your one and only concern, all those big plans and ambitious goals will never be realized.  It took me years to learn this after some very hard lessons but I eventually got it into my head that the company comes first. Now that might seem a bit harsh and make it appear like I don’t care about the people who work for me. Nothing could be further from the truth. I appreciate every single one of my employees and consider them like family. I would do anything to help them…

…but how much help do you think I can be if my company goes under because I make decisions based on personal feelings rather than the facts? 

As your business grows and you engage with more people both inside and outside of your organization, you can’t let your personal feelings get in the way. Your decisions have to be based on one thing-how do they affect your business?  Now, decisions are made based on information so you had better do your research before you make those decisions but how much time to do you spend on research before you act? There is such a thing as too much due diligence because now more than ever, speed to market is critical. That’s why when it comes to directing the people who make up your organization it’s vital that you have information that’s current and correct. The better trained your employees are, the better they’ll perform and the less you’ll have to worry about the little day-to-day details. That means you can focus on the important things like scaling up and dominating your space. 

 

Even though it seems so obvious many business owners forget this and let emotions cloud their judgement. It often prevents them from making right decisions and cripples them from making the hard decisions that every business owner has to face. I’ve had to make so many tough calls since I started, especially when COVID-19 hit. I didn’t want to let anyone go but I had no choice because I had a responsibility to the company. Too many people, both employees and customers were counting on Cardone Enterprises, Cardone Capital, Cardone University and my other companies to see them through.

 

The backbone of capitalism is to start a business and create jobs but that is a huge commitment. You have a responsibility to maintain sustainability. You now have customers depending upon you. You have employees relying on you. The primary mission of a business is to take care of it’s customers and its employees and in some cases its shareholders. If someone or something is affecting your ability to make decisions based solely on the good of your company you need to seriously consider how to deal with the situation. Failure to do so could result in disaster and then where will you be? Where will your employees be? Your customers? 

I cover this critically important aspect of business operations in many of my courses including my 10X Mentor Program and my Accelerator training. This year, business owners will need a bullet-proof, crisis proof plan to be able to handle the inevitable ups and downs of 2021. Then as they proceed they must do so with the mentality that the business comes first. That’s the best way to take care of your employees, your customers and yourself.

 

If you are a business owner who needs some guidance in getting back on track or taking it to the next level, Cardone University offers everything you need to make it happen. Click here to sign up for FREE.

Believe it or not there are 100 ways to stay motivated and I will show you how!

 

We are living in a world that is going through difficult times right now, I know you know this.

 

As we all face some big challenges as a nation we have to remember that no matter what you or your team might be going through, there is a solution and it starts with a positive mindset.

 

Sometimes it can be hard to be happy in hard times and stay motivated when there’s so much noise around but it’s important for your overall health. 

 

You have to stay motivated so you can keep progressing in your success journey by being proactive, taking action, and sticking to your commitment no matter the circumstances.

 

This goes for you and for your team who may be going through tough issues you may not even know about…

 

Now, how can you remain motivated and encourage your team to be motivated with all the noise that’s around you?

 

In the 100 Ways to Stay Motivated Course you can find various ways to create effective routines, implement success strategies, and build proven structures to keep yourself on track to achieve personal goals and company objectives. 

 

Did you know that the disengaged worker costs the US economy over $500 BILLION per year? 

If your team is not motivated, it could be costing your company tens and thousands of dollars a year.

 

Motivation is the secret sauce that can drive company profits through the roof. One of the biggest challenges that leaders face is how they can get their team motivated and then keep them there. Motivation can come and go. It is a muscle that must be strengthened and developed. 

 

So what is the effect of a motivated, engaged staff on your customers? 41% of customers in a recent survey are loyal to a brand because of the attitude of the people who represent it while 68% of customers will defect from a brand based on an experience with a disengaged employee.

 

The 100 Ways to Stay Motivated course is a step-by-step checklist of things you and your team can do to be more motivated on a daily basis. The levels of motivation that your team operates with are not determined solely by what happens from 9-5 in the office. In fact, much of what contributes to team motivation is the result of what happens away from the office. 

 

Here’s what you’ll find out…

 

• Tips to motivating a team
• How to find your personal “switch”
• 3 ways to sustain levels of motivation
• Mastering Goal Setting
• And so much more!

 

This course is guaranteed to wake up the dead!

Get Cardone University’s 100 Ways to Stay Motivated course today.

CLICK HERE

 

Get pumped!

 

–GC