November 2015

Strategies for Success Newsletter November 2015 Issue 119

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Published by Emily Huling Selling Strategies
www.sellingstrategies.com
Copyright 2015 Emily Huling. All rights reserved.

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In this November 2015 issue:

Thoughts from Home
Josmo’s Cafe
Thoughts from the Road
Stay Energized
Emily Live

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Thoughts from Home

A tried and true sales philosophy

The upstairs toilet needed to be fixed. John diagnosed it as a problem with the valve that he could easily repair. He purchased a replacement part and fixed it. Or so he thought. A few days later I was in the downstairs bathroom and a water stain on the ceiling caught my eye. Bummer.

John fixed the toilet again. This time successfully. Now we had to deal with the stain on the popcorn ceiling. When this has happened in the past, we’ve hired a contractor to cut out the damaged section, replace it, and spray on the popcorn stuff. It not only takes time for the process, it’s a costly repair.

We contacted Paul and Sherry, a husband and wife contracting team we’ve used for remodeling and been extremely pleased with their work. We hoped they might have time to take care of our nuisance repair.

Like a sales pro, Paul took quickly took charge of the conversation asking specific fact-finding questions. Are you sure the leak is fixed? How large an area is damaged? What color is the stain? All good questions for arriving at a cost estimate, we thought. Then Paul surprised us. “Here’s what I suggest,” he said. “Using a 50/50 solution of bleach and water in a new spray bottle, set the nozzle to the finest sprayer setting. Wear old clothes and eye goggles. Cover all areas around where you’re spraying so the bleach doesn’t discolor anything else. Spray the solution on the stain until it’s wet, but not saturated. Wait until it dries. If it’s not totally gone, continue the process one or two more times until the stain has faded.

It worked! Three days and three applications later, there is no noticeable stain. We are thrilled!

What’s the benefit to Paul and Sherry considering they gained no income from giving us this advice? Our opinion of them is even higher than it was before. We will go out of our way to use them, recommend them, and provide them an excellent reference.

Moral of the story. No matter what your product or service, superior sales people know that it always pays to have the customer’s best interest in mind.

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Josmo’s Cafe

Every autumn I make the fragrant and delicious Chicken Marbella dish from the Silver Palate cookbook. If it sounds familiar, I posted it in October 2012. If you’ve never made it or haven’t done so recently, I hope you will. It’s assembled the day before to marinate overnight. Easy and always a crowd pleaser!

Check out other Josmo’s Cafe recipes. The recipe of the month appears at the top of the page and also in its proper category. We hope this will help you easily find that recipe you read, liked, and can’t seem to locate!

Please let us know how you like our recipes. We love hearing from you!

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Thoughts from the Road
Spreading joy one knick-knack at a time.
It’s been four years since Mom and Matt moved to The Forum at Desert Harbor, a wonderful continuing care retirement community in Peoria, AZ. The residents, staff, grounds, and food are all great. John and I visit regularly. They have a two-bedroom apartment in independent living so we’re able to stay with them.
One morning several months ago, I opened Mom’s apartment door to pick up the Arizona Republic newspaper. Mom keeps a small table outside the door where the paper is placed so she doesn’t have to bend down to get it. Sitting beside the paper, I discovered two miniature trinkets. One was a yellow plastic child’s smiley-face ring. The other was a flower-painted china piano. I picked up the piano, flipped it over, and read “Made in France.”
When Mom got up I showed them to her and asked her if she knew where they came from. “Haven’t a clue,” she said with a big smile, “but aren’t they cute?”
As I passed other apartments on my way out for my morning walk, I saw more trinkets outside of doors. Tiny frogs, dogs, clocks, and musical instruments sat on tables and along baseboards. I passed delighted residents opening their doors as they spotted their surprise treasures . I thought perhaps The Forum had started a secret pal program.
That evening, I was carrying the recycles down the hall. A woman was walking down the hallway with a box. When she saw me her hand went up to her mouth as if she’d been caught in the act. I approached her and saw her carrying a box filled with trinkets. “Aha!” I said, “you’re the secret pal!”
Nancy explained she was moving to California to live near her sister. She had been collecting trinkets her whole life and knew her new home wouldn’t have room for them all. She wanted to secretly share them with others to enjoy. Based on what I’d been witnessing I let her know she was certainly accomplishing that! She handed me a teeny tiny glass frog. “This one is yours.”
I’ve visited Mom several times since Nancy gifted her collection. Many residents have left their miniatures just where Nancy placed them for others to enjoy. I smile every time I pass.
Moral of the story. My little frog sits on my kitchen window sill. It’s a constant reminder that giving the tiniest of gifts can bring enormous delight.
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Planning your 2016 membership, agent, or employee events?

2016 Convention and Meeting Topics are available! Improve teamwork, advance management skills, increase producer sales, enhance customer service, and fast forward career success. My guarantee – participants will be energized, inspired, and learn strategies to improve performance and results.

For information about availability and fees, please get in touch.

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Stay Energized!

November Energizer Minute – Don’t Get Mad, Get Better – Get supercharged with Energizer Minutes – one-to-two minute audio stories told by yours truly to energize, invigorate, and inspire!

Follow me on Twitter @EmilyHuling to read my weekday Energizer Moments.

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Emily Live
· Private Client – Building the Business – Madison, WI – November 2-5, 2015
· Private Client – Raising the BAR – Building Agent Relationships While Protecting Profitability – Fargo, ND – November 16-20, 2015
· NAPSLO Mid-Year Leadership Conference – Scottsdale, AZ – Feb 29 – March 2, 2016
· NAMIC Commercial Lines Seminar, Chicago, IL – March 3-4, 2016
· Agency Management CIC, Richmond, VA – June 1-3, 2016
· Agency Management CIC, Anaheim, CA – June 8-10, 2016
· Agency Management CIC, Fargo, ND – August 24-26, 2016
· Agency Management CIC, Kansas City, MO – September 21-23, 2016

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Selling Strategies: Strategies for Success Newsletter is published by Emily Huling Selling Strategies. For further information contact emily@sellingstrategies.com.

© 2015 Emily Huling. All rights reserved.