2+2 = CHICKEN!!

To follow Jared's example I decided to come up with a random title.... However could it be that this title is actually a reflection of an actual event causing it to be pseudo-random?

We went as a ward to the Manti Pageant. 

I think that was the first time I had seen the Manti temple in person... at least that I remember. I can't think of any reason that we had been to Manti before this, but I could be wrong.

Here is a picture of me and Ian (my former roommate and current coworker) with some brownies.

The week before last Ian, Matt (company President), and I went to a sales coaching meeting with the man in the picture below. His name is Greg Bishop. He talked about how to improve our sales process. One of the things he mentioned was to have a clear, defined sales process. In Capshare it goes something like this. We reach out to new people via email, and when they respond, we do a demonstration of the software. Next we either set them up with a demo company on our system, give them some time to think about it, or set them up on the system directly. Next we have a follow-up call where we close them on the system and help them pay. The next call is to set them up with our support team and make sure that we are meeting their expectations. We can ask for referrals then based on whether or not they are satisfied.

It really reminds me of missionary work. As a missionary, you are always looking for the follow-up visit and you are always inviting them to do something. You are also always asking for referrals. One thing that I noticed on my mission was that we were more likely to get a referral when the person we were talking to really felt like we were helpful to them. We created something of value for them and they liked it so much that they wanted to share it. It is hard (I am sure that other missionaries can agree) to get a referral from someone who dislikes the missionaries or who isn't interested. You can still get them sometimes, which is why it is important to ask from everyone, but you are more likely to get  a good one from a person who is feeling the Spirit and experiencing conversion.

Anyhow This picture has three columns (you might have to zoom in) and it talks about features, advantages, and benefits. Greg was talking about how all the customers we had were probably using Capshare for a handful of benefits. For example I could talk all about our product and how great it is. It has this feature and this bell and this whistle.

 If you were looking at a car, it might go something like this. -This car is great! It has a sunroof, cruise control, windshield wipers, etc. That is a conversation on a feature level. The salesman in that case is leaving you to make the connection between those features and the advantages and benefits that you will experience. 

A conversation focused more on the advantages might look something like this. -Look how you have cruise control! You won't have to have your foot on pedal on long trips. You also have windshield wipers! They can help you see on rainy days. And the sunroof! Well that is great for fresh air and stargazing! Those are more of the advantages. 

As the conversation migrates from features to advantages to benefits, the conversation begins to focus more on the person getting the car (in this case) and less on the product and the salesman. So when we talk about benefits the conversation might go something like this: The car with cruise control will provide you with peace of mind and comfort. 

You can ask the customer some questions...What are some of the biggest pain points you experience with your current car? Is is comfortable to drive long distances?  How about when it rains? What is it like to drive in the rain? 

Then you can show them, based on their answers, the features that will link to their benefits. You can explain the feature and then help them make the connection. It is much better if you help them with the connecting and linking because then you not only reach the link that you want them to make, you also get a feel for how they are making their decision. Then you can establish yourself as a coach/mentor in the decision process and then they will trust you and come to you before they make their final decision. Greg said that when the decision is a competitive process, it is best to talk the the customer as close as possible to the decision point. Be the last one to get a word in. If it isn't competitive, then it is best to be first to speak with the customer. Now it may or may not be competitive it depends a lot on the customer and their decision-making process. 

Anyhow I thought that was really interesting, so I asked Greg for his number and asked if we could keep in touch...

Here is a picture of me and the boy I help mentor. We went to the park and played frisbee and soccer. 

Here is a picture of me with some sunglasses... They belong to Amy Fillmore. I invited some friends to Star Valley and only Amy ended up able to go, so I went with Amy to Star Valley. We worked hard loading hay, changing pipe, laying out pipe, and riding the motorbike/fourwheeler. The pictures below are the only ones that I took, so sorry for being a bad photographer... Anywho. !!! :)

This weekend I went to Star Valley and helped out for a day before going to Montana with Linda Lee and Ben. Ben, Ben's dad, and I are all going hiking this next week

 Sha-ne-ne! Ooh.

Finally, Me as a cow! I even have a tag in my ear, but it is hard to see with the glare. I got a free meal at Chick-fil-A. I went with a girl, so I guess the moral of the story is... 2+2 = Chicken... with waffle fries and lemonade. :)