Corporate Sales Manager, Hoover’s OnLine

It’s an old saying that when the student is ready to learn, the teacher appears. Lita Rosario, a highly accomplished sales manger at Hoover’s Online (one of the most subscribed to business intelligence services), was looking for ways to increase her sales productivity.

Understanding sales is a numbers game, she wanted to increase her percentage of return responses on both voice mails and e-mails. She typically leaves a message such as, “This is Lita from Hoovers and I want to talk to you about business intelligence. Please call me back”. Basically your name, rank and file message. The response rate to these messages was to Lita’s best recollection less then 1%.

And then lightening struck! Lita picked up the book The Titan Principle® and was struck by the concept and power of the Resource Proclamation. She realized her original message were all self-focused and lacked any information regarding the value one would receive from returning her calls.

She proceeded to insert her Resource Proclamation into her e-mails and voice mails and the results were spectacular. She now gets a return closer to 10% . Think about it. If Lita makes 100 calls, she now gets 10 people calling her back. With her 30% closing ratio, she now gets 3 sales per 100 calls, versus one sale per 300 calls.

Lita realizes it’s the little things that lead to big results. Little things like getting people to call you back. If you want to know what her Resource Proclamation is, it’s “Hoover’s Online can improve your teams productivity, profitability and increase your competitive advantage”.

Congratulations Lita Rosario, our Titan Profile of the month.

If you want more information on the concept of a Resource Proclamation, read our free article on 7 Ways to Position Yourself………

Bill Fargie & Spencer Brown
2002 Distributors of The Year
Wright Medical

Recently I attended the annual awards banquet for a valued client, Wright Medical. Two distributors cleaned up that night and received the most awards including Best in Customer Service, best in various product groups and the big recognition, Distributor of the Year.

Normally, only one distributor is given the prestigious award of Distributor of the Year. This year, both gentlemen, Bill Fargie and Spencer Brown, were in a dead heat and therefore were name co-winners of this award.

These same two gentlemen attended two programs I presented for the company in the last 4 months. They took the most notes, asked many questions, and really worked hard on trying to figure out how they can do things different and better. They are true veterans of the industry and do not let their expertise and years in the business cloud their judgment by feeling they know it all. In fact, they live their lives as most successful people do, always in search of what they don’t know.

Success does not happen by accident. It happens through commitment, enhancing one’s skills and making things happen.

Congratulations to Bill Fargie and Spencer Brown, our Titan Profiles of the Month. I am confident that if invited to your awards banquet again next year, I will once again be standing and celebrating your success. After all, you are already hard at work in making this result become reality.

The Rolling Stones are a great study in marketing, packaging and longevity. They are currently on another worldwide tour including a live performance shown on HBO. Even after 40 years, many of the concerts sold out within 15 minutes of when the tickets went on sale! Ask yourself how they do it when they have only come out with 4 new songs in the last couple of years? Their newest CD is basically a re-mix of old songs spiced in with a couple of new songs.

These old fellas (hey, I am right behind them so I can call them old) continue
to gyrate on stage and entertain audiences with rock classics. And all the while the cash register just keeps on ringing! This is a classic example of how you don’t have to always come up with something new to succeed. All you have to do is continue to provide your goods and services in the manner your customers want to receive them.

Did you know Mick went to school and received his degree in economics? Economists are generally stereotyped as reserved individuals. Mick obviously broke the mold on this stereotype and he continues using what he learned in school to help turn the Rolling Stones into a perpetual money making machine. Congratulations to the Rolling Stones, our Titan Profile of the month. Next time you want to complain that you don’t have anything new to sell, just think of the Rolling Stones. They may sing about getting no satisfaction, but they are laughing all the way to the bank.

Roy Putrino
President-Owner, Basic Home Health Care
www.basichhc.com

Insurance companies want patients out of the hospitals as fast as possible to reduce costs. Patients would rather recuperate at home than in a hospital. Hospitals want their beds back for the patients waiting in the ER. These three dynamics are the winning formula behind the success of Basic Home Health Care.

Basic Home Health Care provides in-home nursing and is expanding rapidly. According to it’s founder, Roy Putrino, the underlying essence of their success is doing the little things right.

For example, insurance companies want home health care agencies to reduce the amount of time it takes to intake a new case. Basic Home Health Care has gotten this process down to a manageable 10 minutes or less.

Unlike competitors who have regional offices, Basic Home Health Care has established local offices so they can establish tight relationships with the local hospitals. This translates into a team effort that generates a higher level of care for the patient.

These two scenarios are classic examples of giving your customers what they need the way they want it. In a period where health care dollars have dried up, is there any wonder why Basic Home Health Care is one of the very few players in this industry that is thriving?

Congratulations to Roy Putrino and Basic Home Health Care, our Titan Profile of the Month. They are living proof that any organization can make it happen in any market, if they are willing to do the little things that count.

Jay D. Silver- CPA
Mahoney Cohen & Company CPA, P.C.
www.mahoneycohen.com

According to Jay Silver, Audit Partner of Mahoney Cohen ,“ In today’s environment, reviews and certifications of financial statements is a commodity business. To excel as an accounting firm today, the firm must provide services that are proactive in assisting clients with overall business solutions.”

To illustrate his point he provides us with a classic example, the suppliers of “Big Box Retailers”. You know, those little Wal-Mart Stores on your favorite street corner. To supply a Wal-Mart and any other mass market retailer, you need to coordinate design, production and warehousing/distribution systems in order to meet the stringent inventory requirements of the Big Box Retailers.

For example, Wal-Mart may e-mail an order on a Sunday for delivery by Wednesday on a store- by- store basis. In order to meet this requirement, a supplier must be able to maintain a 90-95% replenishment factor.

As the mass retailers grew in size, so did the suppliers and their challenges of meeting this growing demand. This is where proactive firms like Mahoney Cohen get to put their expertise to use. Besides doing the commodity side of accounting, they go into a supplier and assist the company in design and production calendars as well as logistic expertise in coordinating supply chains whereby inventory levels are maintained at the most efficient levels. Lower levels of inventory will reduce the amount of capital required and borrowing costs while increasing overall profitability.

Imagine importing products from Asia. The simple idea of utilizing a third party warehouse on the west coast can save two weeks of freight which translates into savings of two weeks of financing.

Moving from a commodity business of accounting to one that includes advising clients on practical business solutions in a pro-active manner has dramatically increased the revenues and profitability of Mahoney Cohen. They have differentiated themselves from the clutter of commodity accountants to specialists in strategic markets.

Congratulations to Jay Silver and Mahoney Cohen , our Titan Profile of the Month. Their approach to business is a case study on how one must excel in adjusting to the market place. It is the only way to survive in highly competitive times.

Jane Carroll www.jane-carroll.com

What do Michael J. Fox, Angela Bassett, Calvin Klein, Halle Berry and Magic Johnson have in common? They call Jane Carroll when they need their event to stand out.

Jane Carroll started a business the Titan Way 9 years ago in the basement of her home in the Bronx. She knew everyone needs flowers to celebrate events. But, what people really want is a unique presentation that can’t be found anywhere else. And guess what? If it is unique enough, people will pay a premium for it!

Jane provides her clients with artistic sculpture floral designs for events and parties. Imagine putting a Trug on every table at your next event. What’s a Trug? It is half tree trunk and half log. The Trug is hand carved with 3 holes, each hole holding a glass votive with fresh flowers in it. When the flowers die, you can replace them with standard votive candles. Or, try her Sunflower Tea Lites-fresh sunflower heads without the pedals. A tea lite is wrapped in tin
and dropped into the head of the flower.

All of her work is customized. Every client speaks directly to Jane and she creates all of the designs. While that may limit her volume, it does not limit her profit as people will pay for unique designs. She also concentrates on detail because her clients expect perfection and to her the most valuable asset is her reputation. Isn’t that true for all of us?

Bottom line, Jane concentrates on her clients wants as well as their needs. It’s one thing to provide people with flowers. It’s another thing to provide flowers the way they want it.

One last thing! Jane is very passionate about what she does. It shows in her work and that is why everyone wants to talk to her. Her recent interviews include Oprah and The View. You can also read about Jane in the November Issue of Style.

Congratulations Jane Carroll, our Titan Profile of the Month. You have shown us how to build a business around value and charge premium prices when you give people what they need in the way they want it.

How tough do you think it would be to start in a new business and within 3 years gain 8-12 new clients per month and realize a 30% annual increase in sales without making one cold call? This is precisely what Lloyd Winkler has achieved since he left his senior level position in the garment industry to start his new career as a financial planner. And Lloyd grows his business strictly through referrals!

In you were to meet Lloyd to review your financial goals, he will explain to you that part of his compensation is referrals from satisfied clients. Lloyd is very focused on whom he wants for a client. He is not interested in serving 3,000 people. He wants upscale clients who are willing to provide him with referrals if they are satisfied with his work.

Satisfaction is the name of the game. He knows he can make more money by satisfying clients and getting referrals from them than making hundreds of cold calls. Don’t get me wrong; cold calls work for many people. Lloyd Winkler is living proof of how referral selling works and how it can be highly profitable. One more thing. Lloyd has not experienced cycles where his business drops down every so often, even in today’s unstable economic climate.

No matter how bad things get, Lloyd still sells! His success is mainly because of his attitude. If stocks are down, fixed income instruments become a great solution for people who are worried. He believes you can sell anytime, anywhere. It all has to do with your attitude.

Congratulations Lloyd, our Titan Profile of the Month. You are a Titan example that superstars continue to shine no matter what the circumstances are.

Omar Minaya General Manager – Montreal Expos

Imagine being named General Manager of a professional baseball team that is scheduled to be eliminated in one year and only draws an average of 4,000 fans per game. What a great job?

Omar Minaya thought just that. Being named the first Hispanic General Manager proved to be a great idea for everyone involved. For Omar, it provided an opportunity to get a monkey off of his back. He was considered a great talent scout, but limited in administrative skills. That’s only because he never had the chance to prove himself in this area.

Once he accepted the job, he filled 90 positions in 3 short weeks. But that’s not all. He pulled together his team and addressed the issue of being around for only a short period of time. He told his employees they may not be able to control their fate in Montreal, but they do have a say as to whether or not the franchise succeeds regardless of the city it is in. Omar stressed that it’s up to us in how we handle ourselves and that they all have a tremendous opportunity to prove people wrong.

And they did! Omar started dealing. While he couldn’t spend any money on better players, he had prospects in the minor leagues to trade. With a lot of creativity, Omar put together deals that brought star pitchers and players to Montreal. The results are staggering. Montreal is now drawing fans that number 13,000 for some games. Montreal is winning and is in contention for a wild card playoff spot.

Contraction? Don’t mention that word to Omar Minaya. To him, the franchise is here to stay. And Omar is being mentioned as a candidate for Major League Executive of the Year!

Congratulations Omar Minaya- our Titan Profile of the Month. You have shown us that no matter what the market conditions are, there is still a way to win if you have the right attitude and conviction.

Donald Raad CEO MSWLI Travel Group- WWW.MSWLI.COM

Imagine being the head of a $7 Million travel agency in Feb 1995 and all of a sudden have the airlines announce they are cutting your commissions? You may think this spells disaster. Not Donald Raad. To him, it meant here’s a huge opportunity to increase his competitive advantage.
Before the airlines cut their commissions, company’s like MSWLI had trouble competing against the big travel industry players. Their volume of business was so large they were able to give back some of the commissions to their customers in the form of rebates. Small companies like MSWLI could not compete as well because their volume was not as great. Once the commissions were cut, the industry leaders could no longer offer the rebates and in Donald’s mind, the playing field was leveled. Now, everyone had to rely on the value of their service to gain business and in many cases, they had to start charging fees for their services.

So, how did MSWLI provide their value? They immediately held every employee accountable for their actions. Agents not only sold the deals, they also provided the customer service. They had to perform what they promised, otherwise their business would go elsewhere.

Every office was given their own P&L responsibility. They had to find ways to increase their productivity while at the same time increase their service quality. By concentrating on finding out what their customers wanted, how they wanted it, why they wanted it and what was missing for them with the way they were currently booking their travel plans, MSWLI was able to provide solutions their customers found invaluable.

These are just a few of the ways Donald Raad and his management team tackled the problem of disappearing commissions. Their results are staggering! In 6 years, they went from being a $7 million concern to a $29 million thriving business. 75% of their revenue comes from corporate travel. They also have developed thriving niche markets in entertainment travel and the meeting and incentive business. While many travel agencies cried foul, Donald Raad and MSWLI proved the business axiom that says in every problem there is opportunity. Congratulations Donald Raad- our Titan Profile of the month. A classic example that if you build a valued service, the clients will come, even if they have to pay for it.

John Treace and Bill Scott Wright Medical Technology (WMT)

Success starts at the top. It starts with the direction and attitude of the leaders. From here, a culture builds and an image forms as to what an organization represents to the community it serves.

John Treace, Sr. VP for U.S. Sales, and Bill Scott, Sr. Dir. of Sales Administration, understand this and that’sone of the main reasons they have achieved great success in their careers. Since coming to Wright Medical Technology, sales have increased substantially and a major turnaround has started to take hold within the WMT sales organization.

John knew if they were going to take this 40+ year old company to the next level, they needed to change theattitude of the sales force and do a better job of being in tune with their customer needs. They realized that the sales force needed to be expanded, the quality of the sales people needed to be improved and more training and tools were needed.

The changes they implemented resulted in increased sales, greater brand name recognition and increased return for their shareholders.

John is living proof that it all starts at the top. He is the first one to say he could not have done it alone.Wright Medical Technology’s President, Barry Bays, started the ball rolling by bringing John in. John in turn created a dynamic team around him to make things happen, including Bill Scott.

Their story points out two things Titans need to succeed:

1) Sales success is a team sport.

2) When a company hires you or a customer buys your product, they are looking for better results through your efforts than they have already achieved.

That is the value all of us need to bring to the table if we are in fact going to increase sales performance.

Congratulations Wright Medical Technology Inc.’s John Treace and Bill Scott, our Titan Profile of the Month. You have given us a vivid picture of what it takes to successfully lead a sales force to new heights.