Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege.
-John D. Rockefeller

It has been said that our society is measured by how it treats its weakest and most helpless citizens. As URBaCS continues to grow we will continue to support those in need from our local community.

In Indianapolis alone, there are hundreds of charitable organizations supporting those in need. Most have a specific focus. Some include: underprivileged children, battered women, drug addicts, alcoholics, gamblers, homeless persons, military veterans and abandoned pets. In addition, organizations like the United Way exist to serve as a sort of charity clearinghouse where you can donate to a general fund and your monies are distributed as needed. The point of this post is not to tell you how to spend your money.

If you don’t have the financial latitude to donate money, why not donate some of your time? Sign up to read to an underprivileged child or play bingo with a lonely elder. I know your time is valuable but trust me that you will reap great emotional rewards for sharing with others.

With the vastness of all of the problems in the world, there must be something you can do, however small it may seem.

Don’t hesitate to get started today. Most municipalities have charity directories. Grab one today and see how you can help.

A few big companies have started using viral marketing. Production costs are minimal and reach is exponential. Here are a few examples that I really like:

1. When MBNA merged with Bank of America merged two employees sang a song at a company meeting. Someone posted the video on YouTube.

2. The Indiana Pacers basketball team created a unique viral video to generate excitement for their opening game of the 2007-2008 season.

If you’ve never heard of GrandCentral.com, just remember that you first heard about it from us. GrandCentral is a young company that was started by two guys: Craig Walker and Vincent Pacquet, both from Yahoo!. The company was recently purchased by Google for an undisclosed sum and is currently in BETA.

I was lucky enough to receive an invite to participate in the BETA and I must say that there are some really great things coming. In the span of a few hours I have moved all of my contacts from Facebook, Outlook and my cell phone to my new online address book on GrandCentral. I have setup my new voicemail and configured GrandCentral to work with my cell phone, home phone, work phone and Skype softphone.

Intrigued? Here is a how GrandCentral.com works: www.grandcentral.com/support/howitworks

On its own I have yet to find a more comprehensive online phone system. But pair it with Skype and you can achieve phone successes that have yet to be found online. Here is what I mean:

• I setup a free GrandCentral account
• I setup a SkypeIn number: $60/year (US dollars)
• I added all of my contacts into my GrandCentral address book
• Whenever I need to make a call: I click on the person’s name in my GrandCentral address book and it calls my SkypeIn number, then it calls them.
• No long distance. No fees.
• And the best part: my GrandCentral number shows up on the other person’s CallerID (a problem that Skype has yet to solve)

More info about GrandCentral
More info about SkypeIn

As we grow the URBaCS brand we have asked our closest friends and family to offer suggestions along the way. Rob and I are so immersed in URBaCS that sometimes we don’t see the forest for all the trees.

Last week I got a phone call from my mother telling me that the tour on the URBaCS site had a grammar problem. Apparently, I had typed ‘there’ instead of ‘their.’ I told her that it was a work in process and that I was planning to fix it soon.

Two days ago, she calls to remind me that I still haven’t changed it. At first I was somewhat frustrated because of all of the things that have to be done…this seemed very insignificant. Then I realized that this is exactly why we’ve enlisted help from our closest allies. I would have probably kept ignoring this change and forgot about it indefinitely. But because my mother took 30 seconds out of her day to remind me of my lack of follow up, I took 30 seconds out of mine and fixed the problem. And who knows, maybe this intangible item will lead to a future sale.  At least we know we don’t have to hire copy editors.

Thanks mom!

Author: John G. Miller Publisher: Putnam Publishing Group Pagecount: 128

This was an easy read. John Miller’s writing style is conversational and compelling and the short length makes it a single-sitting read. The Question Behind the Question (QBQ) defines what you should be asking yourself every time you get the desire to place blame, procrastinate or help the world make you feel like a victim. This book is not about taking control of your environment but rather taking personal responsibility for how you react to your environment.

How many times have you heard/thought: “It’s not my fault” or “That’s not my job”

The QBQ aids in shifting our focus to that of personal accountability. To be a true leader we must accept responsibility for decisions we make.

I strongly recommend reading this book. Especially if you aren’t in control of the decisions made at your company. It can be easy to start asking, “Why can’t we get more support from the marketing department?” or “Why can’t we lower our prices to become more competitive?” But the QBQ reminds us that if we focus our actions on things inside of our control we will increase our productivity, sales and happiness.

You can buy QBQ at Amazon.com

On my way to my Aunt & Uncle’s lake house yesterday I noticed a big manufacturing facility that was out of business. Swingsets, Inc. was a swingset manufacturer that sold its products online. 300 pound swingsets delivered to your door. The only problem: $750 shipping & handling on a $250 product.

I have been to many seminars over the years. Some lasting for days, some lasting for only hours but seemed like days. The one outstanding sales trainer I have seen many times is Bob Schultz. Every time I’ve been to one of his seminars, I have come away with something useful. Bob Schultz is one of the leading sales trainers in the new home building industry. In 2006 Bob was named to BUILDER Magazine’s Power on 50 list: a list of the 50 most influential people in home building.

As sales people we hear the word ‘NO’ more often than we hear the word ‘YES’.’ Bob teaches my very favorite way to turn a ‘NO’ into a ‘YES.’ The next time you feel uncertain about asking for the sale try this, “Do you have any other questions before we start the paperwork?” It’s genius! No becomes yes, and yes brings out hidden objections. Either answer gets you closer to the sale.

Try it sometime, it really works.

As we continue to put the finishing touches on our Ultimate Referral Builder and Customer Satisfaction software, I have started making cold calls on Home Builder’s sales people. After engaging in a mix of successful and not so successful conversations, I remembered a sales tool from Dr. Tony Alessandra. He calls it the Platinum Rule. The golden rule tells us to treat others the way we want to be treated. The Platinum Rule says we should “Treat others the way that they want to be treated. After remembering Dr. Tony Alessandra’s advice I made my next few calls focusing on my prospects needs and communication style and not my own. Those calls were more enjoyable and productive. No matter who you are talking to, a prospect, wife, boss, or your Kids, using the Platinum Rule can make you more effective.

I was recently at a morning seminar on sales skills. The moderator brought up a great point. How do we break our prospective customers out of their natural pattern. The natural pattern he was referring to is a pattern that society has programmed into us. How many times have we gone into a retail store and been asked by the clerk “May I help you?” What is the most common response? “No I’m just looking.” I’m not the type of person that ‘looks’ for anything. When I go to a store I am there to buy. And yet, I find myself giving the same lame “No I’m just looking” response when I’m asked the same lame “May I help you question.”

How can we engage our prospective customers in a way that breaks them out of the normal ‘just looking’ pattern?

When I was a young lad selling running shoes, without any sales training, I came up with a way to break the pattern. When people came into my store, I would say “Hi!” Far from clever, but as I said, I was young and untrained. The interesting thing is that a few people would still respond with, “I’m just looking.” These individuals had fallen into a certain comfort level with that phrase and probably believed that I would just go away because ‘why would he bother me if I don’t plan to buy anything?’

I would respond with “That’s OK, I’m just saying hi and I’m here for you if you have any questions.” Again…not original, but it was enough to break many customers out of their pattern and also to break the ice. It helped me transition from ‘just looking’ into an engaged conversation.

As a professional salesperson my job is to engage people in conversation. In new home sales, prospective buyers are preprogrammed with three ‘leave-me-alone’ objections:

1. We are just looking at decorating ideas.
2. We just wanted to see the model.
3. (Still an old stand by) We are just looking.

How many people drive around on weekends from neighborhood to neighborhood to look at decorating ideas? And how fascinating could a model home be that I would take time away from my already cluttered schedule to visit? As a salesperson you have to assume the sale. They are there because they are looking for a new home. So how do you engage these standoffish prospects?

A strategy to engage:

1. Greet with a simple hello.
2. Acknowledge their desire to be left alone.
3. Let them know you want to help them accomplish this goal but that you want to make sure that they get the most out of their visit.
4. An easy question, “What else are trying to accomplish on your visit today?”

It’s amazing how much valuable information you can gather by breaking them out of their pattern, and changing the emphasis of their visit from your goals to their goals. At URBaCS we’re always interested in learning. If you have an effective way to engage customers please let us know.

The Harvard Business School recently posted a working paper outlining how customers that receive emailed grocery coupons will actually spend more money on groceries that they didn’t intend to buy. They go with a budget and then buy items that they normally wouldn’t buy otherwise.

Read it here: Mental Accounting and Small Windfalls: Evidence from an Online Grocer

We’ve seen this same play on human psychology work for homebuilders. ‘Buy today and get $20,000 in free options.’

How effective would this type of campaign be if paired with a personal referral? What if you received an email from your friend, John Smith, that said:

Sally,
I absolutely loved my homebuilding experience with Portman Homes. I know that you and Jim have talked about building a new home and I think you should consider them. If you are interested see the note below.

—
As a valued friend of John Smith you are entitled to $20,000 in free options on your next Portman Home. Simply bring in this referral code: #JSMITH02 and begin building your dream home today!
—

Sincerely,
John