FROM: Jim Cecil SUBJ: Nurture News: Getting Ready for the Harvest Nurture News: Summertime in the Garden "Summertime....and the livin' is easy. Fish are jumpin'...and the cotton is high. Yo' daddy's rich...and yo' mama's good-lookin' So hush little baby....don't you cry." - George Gershwin, Porgy & Bess Summertime is the time to watch your crops closely. In the hot, humid days of summer, everything flourishes. Weeds and beneficial plants alike fill every space. Customers, like all living things, respond to pampering. We all know that we often defer intentional cultivation of our most important customers because words fail us. Staying in touch with customers is like watering your plants. You can do it by hand or automate the process, but it's a task you dare not neglect. This issue is about intentional client cultivation. Regards, Jim Cecil ==================================== NURTURE NEWS The insights, tools, tips and resources to help you Nurture 'your guys' even better. Date Summer, 2002 Issue #5 Jim Cecil, Editor, jim@nurturemarketing.com ==================================== By subscription only! Welcome to your next issue of "NURTURE NEWS" You are receiving this newsletter because you requested a subscription. Unsubscribe instructions are at the end of this newsletter. ==================================== IN THIS ISSUE ==================================== => Thought for the Day => Feature Article - No Sprinkler for Me => Sponsorship Notice - SalesPath => Industry News Article - Seth Godin => Nurture Question of the Month => Review of Nurture Tools of the Year => Spotlight => Web Sightings - Forbes.com => Book of the Month - "Solution Selling" => Marketing Mistake of the Month => Feedback => Guest Columnist - Scott Adams => Privacy Statement => Copyright/Contact Info => Subscribe/Unsubscribe information ==================================== THOUGHT FOR THE DAY ==================================== "I believe a person's business may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild. But whether nurtured or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weeds-seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind. "Just as a gardener cultivates and nurtures their plot, keeping it free from weeds and pests, and growing the flowers and fruits desired, so may a person tend the garden of their business. By weeding out all the useless, wrong and noxious plants and cultivating toward perfection, the flowers and fruits of loyalty, and service, producing profitable customer relationships." - James Allen, "As A Man Thinketh" ==================================== FEATURE ARTICLE No Sprinkler for Me Nancy Sweetland ==================================== Of all nutrients supporting life, water is the baseline - the ultimate nurture. Like any other critical but time consuming chore, watering is a never ending challenge and a short but powerful little article caught my eye and it makes my point. In a recent copy of "Birds & Blooms" magazine, Nancy Sweetland from Green Bay, Wisconsin, described the personal pleasure some of us get when we are nurturing our business garden by hand in her article, No Sprinkler for Me. I think it will set the tone for this issue. http://www.nurturemarketing.com/articles/sprinkler ***************************************** "The major value in life is not what you get. The major value in life is what you become. That is why I wish to pay fair price for every value. If I have to pay for it or earn it, that makes something of me. If I get it for free, that makes nothing of me." - Jim Rohn ***************************************** ==================================== SPONSORSHIP NOTICE ==================================== Often the CEO's best friend is a true technical wizard and seasoned selling pro. One such wizard, Scott Adams, founded SalesPath as an organization to help CEO's use sales software and technology to leverage their brand, their reps and their sales opportunities. As a SalesLogix, Platinum-level, Solution Provider/Partner, Scott's belief is that software must go beyond sales efficiency. It must cause sales to happen. As President of his own consulting firm, he takes customers personally and keeps his unique expertise engaged with every project. Visit www.Salespath.com or call 425-828-6904. . ==================================== INDUSTRY NEWS ARTICLE Email Marketing Seth Godin ==================================== Email is the marketing tool most have been dreaming of. Want to go truly one to one, want to go for free? Email makes it fast and easy. From the earliest response tests, it became clear that email gets impressively higher response rates than virtually any other media including traditional stalwarts like direct mail. Imagine a 7-10% rate. It's really the only true one-to-one as well. If you have been waiting to go digital, now is the perfect time. Seth Godin spotlighted the power of digital communication in his landmark book, "Permission Marketing." Certainly Permission Marketing seems like the right thing to do but where to begin. Try these ten steps to get started with permission. www.nurturemarketing.com/articles/emailmarketing Excerpted and edited from Permission Marketing by Seth Godin, (c) 1999 Simon & Schuster. ==================================== NATURE FACTS ==================================== The Seasons are divisions of the year which relate to the annual changes in the weather. The classical division into the four seasons - Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter - derives from the weather pattern in middle latitudes where the onset of growth in plants and the reawakening of nature from a period of stasis can be separated from the hot season, when crops ripen and trees lose their leaves, and the cold season. At other latitudes, such a division is not appropriate. ==================================== NURTURE QUESTION OF THE MONTH ==================================== Question "I want to market to small business owners and professionals, and I'm not sure, but did I hear Jim say a nurturing letter is a good door opener? I'm always afraid they are too busy to read letters from people they don't know. Are there any key points to address in a letter to make sure you peak their interest prior to a follow up call?" Answer Nurturing letters are not only recommended, they are preferred by CEO's. I liken financial burdens and challenges to catching a metaphorical financial spear in your chest. The spear is always a possibility, but when one hits someone you've been nurturing faithfully, it's a big wake-up call, it's noticeable and, generally speaking, quite painful. Now whom do they remember? Well, if you had a six-foot long spear in your chest and you'd recently read a letter entitled "Spear Removal and the 7 Best Ways for a Complete Recovery", odds are pretty good you would remember. So here's the point. If you truly have a unique solution to a real problem from which small business owners (or your actual targeted niche) are suffering, then they will read the letter. Let me put a caveat in this by also adding that the letter does need to include, as you stated, certain key points. Take 'lumpies' for example. The use of small, inexpensive enclosures often separate your letter from all other mail that day due to the curiosity generated by its difference from the rest. Upon opening to solve the question, if the 'lumpie' then makes a metaphorical point, it leads the reader directly into your letter to answer the question implied by what you enclosed. Multiple step involvement, interest, intelligent solutions, respectful language, clear articulation of your real value all blend to arouse interest, clarify understanding and begins the process of scaling and attaining top-of-mind. Like the skill of assisting someone with their finances, there is also an art to creating letters that get opened, read and acted upon. Unless you have had experience in creating such pieces, I wouldn't recommend a do-it-yourself approach and using your own practice as a relationship building laboratory. If, however, you have had experience and proven success, then great! Go for it! Remember, Nurturing is a powerful and affordable way to develop one-to-one relationships. But it is a demanding discipline in some ways. Consider that drip irrigation and drip irritation are perilously close together. You will have invested the same amount of time and money in fulfillment of Nurturing whether you have made sense or nonsense in the mind of the reader. To further assist you with these questions, let me suggest some resource materials we have available for serious business development-minded planners and advisors. There are three specific products we have that I feel would benefit you. One is 'The Nurture Workshop.' This is really the meat and potatoes of our five album 'Nurture Library.' It deals with the specific steps necessary in creating a nurturing system. Literally, it's an audio-based "how to" manual. If you're considering implementing Nurture, this album is a must have for both you and your administrative staff. It contains six closely edited and rapid paced one-hour audio-tapes and workbook and is reasonably priced . I hope this helps. www.nurturemarketing.com/products ==================================== NURTURE TOOLS OF THE YEAR REVIEW: The Power to Nurture Customer Relationships Videos ==================================== By September, most vacations are done and thoughts worldwide turn to getting back to work. For children that means back to school. Most of us start thinking about ways to energize our team and reinforce commitment to proactively cultivate relationships with prospects and customers in the coming season. Have you planned the training and inspiration such a vision will require? Would a full day "Nurturing Customer Relationships" Seminar presented by Jim Cecil help you jump start Q4? While the cost of a live presentation might stretch your budget, I have a possible solution and I'd like to tell you about it. Customer Nurturing Starts at the Top The Nurture Selling Video Series lets you utilize sales meetings for advanced and repetitive learning experiences. It allows continuity of training to deal with your team's natural growth as well as for indoctrinating new hires. It was created to become the nucleus of your entire business management library and will grow in value from year to year. Unlike seminars, the Nurture Selling Video Series is designed to increase sales due to its repetition and constant reinforcement. The combination of the videos, facilitator's guide, and individual attendee workbook helps people better understand and more swiftly implement the nurture philosophy in your firm. I'm sure you'll agree that changing or growing a customer nurturing culture is no quick and easy project. It takes constant reinforcement and repetition to create and develop habits out of positive customer behaviors. That's why we developed The Power to Nurture Customer Relationships. Our customers have been asking for a video-based nurture training program - one that could be facilitated by their own people and could be presented in a brief, brown-bag lunch format. So, here it is - especially designed for six, one-hour, hands-on, customer intensive meetings. During each video, Jim Cecil explores key reasons why to and innovative ways of how to nurture customers and prospects effectively. This exciting six-part program has everything you need to inform and train your team and comes complete with facilitator's guide, overhead and handout masters, ready to view and learn. The Power to Nurture Customer Relationships may be the power tool your team needs to get your customers to call you first when they are ready to buy. So here's the offer: 1. The Nurture Video Series $995 (6) 30-minute programs www.nurturemarketing.com/videos 2. The Nurture Library $349 A Five album series of audio programs www.nurturemarketing.com/products Ñ The Nurture Workshop Step by step nurturing Ñ Mastering Relationship Selling For those who persuade Ñ Growing Relationships with Affluent Clients Selling at the top Ñ The Nurturing Sales Manager Hiring and growing winners Ñ Relationships - The New Customer Paradigm Basic Nurture for the staff OUR SUMMER SPECIAL - REGULARLY $1,344 BOTH FOR $995 An entire year of training and motivational tools for less than the cost of one person at one seminar. To order the Summer Special, call us at 800-474-7951 ***************************************** NURTURE - How to make customers want to call YOU when THEY are ready to BUY! ***************************************** ==================================== SPOTLIGHT: Traveling Microphone ==================================== August 2002 8/21/02 TEC 238 Vancouver, BC 8/22/02 TEC 232 Vancouver, BC September 2002 9/4/02 Ingram Micro Rancho Mirage, CA 9/10/02 TEC 252 San Diego, CA ==================================== WEB SIGHTINGS ==================================== At the velocity of new web pages being added daily, it's hard to fight the feeling of overwhelm. I found Forbes.com and their nifty "Best of the WEB, Summer 2002" to be a concise and very quick overview of wazzup on line from Forbes' perspective. http://www.forbes.com/bow/ ==================================== NURTURE TIPS Amazon.com's genius Jeff Bezos said, "The biggest insult you can pay a customer is to ask them a second time for information they have already given you." What DO customers expect you to know when they contact you? 58% - Interaction history across all channels 56% - Service history and experiences 31% - Sales information 31% - Customer entitlements From: Customer Relationship Management / August 2002 ==================================== BOOK OF THE MONTH BRIEF REVIEW Solution Selling By Michael Bosworth ==================================== The pros have always know that "people buy people" and Michael Bosworth's great sales book Solution Selling explains why. Can you remember buying a big ticket item and not having to be "closed" on the deal? Well I can, and Solution Selling explains exactly how that happened. Michael Bosworth crystallizes the process that all great sales people use every day to become one of the 20% that make 80% of the sales. Once you have read this book, you will recognize "Solution Selling" techniques being used by the sales masters to effectively create relationships that close the sale. This book is by far the best book I have ever read for this type of consultative selling. If you sell these intangibles, you must read this book. In order for these ideas to actually be effective, you must plan on implementing the ideas and putting in a lot of work. Bosworth shows you, tells you, gives you an outline, gives you specific questions and just about anything else you could need to be successful after implementing his process. But this is not a book you can simply read and be successful. It takes practice, execution and commitment. Thanks, Michael Bosworth, for demystifying the sales process and letting us know why sales people are, and should be among the most highly paid individuals in business. You'll see why Microsoft has trained over 8,000 corporate sales people in Bosworth's methodology and plans to train over 50,000 partners worldwide in the next 18 months. More details at www.amazon.com ==================================== MARKETING MISTAKE OF THE MONTH ==================================== Some background: This fax was in my machine when I came in today. Since I am a monthly columnist in the Property & Casualty Magazine "Rough Notes", my email address is listed as well as fax and phone, so people can reach me. Obviously the sender thinks I am a prospect. The fax was on the company letterhead and the headline was: ATTN: Jim Cecil The following case study briefly discusses the risks associated with herbicide and pesticide application, and how the correct endorsement to a standard GL policy can protect a contractor that applies these chemicals from associated loss. We believe it would be of particular interest to your landscaper and tree service clients. We are providing this case study free of charge as a service to you. If you do not wish to receive future informative messages of this type, please check the box provided on the form provided and fax it to us at xxx-xxx-xxxx. Please note future informative messages may be applicable to other classes of business and may be useful to you even if this one is not. About XYZ Programs XYZ and ABC are comprehensive Property & Casualty programs developed by XYZ specifically for landscaping and tree service professionals. They offer many special enhancements, including herbicide/pesticide coverage and Error and Omissions coverage tailored to the special risks of the green industries. XYZ also offers coverage for hardscaping operations such as concreting, irrigation systems, paving, fences, walls and decks, as long as this type of work accounts for 50% or less of operations. These programs are marketed and administered by XYZ through independent agents and brokers. If you would like to submit an account for consideration under this program, please fax your submission to xxx-xxx-xxxx. The Strategy: BAD! Straight raw spam. Unsolicited, uninterested, unverified Your attempt at drip-irrigation marketing with "Opt Out" taxes or emails like this one is pure interruption marketing and by forcing me to contact you and provide more information to stop is "drip-irritation" marketing at its worst. The Point: Technology exaggerates errors. Faxing forces me to pay for your mistake with my machine, paper, toner and time. The law of reciprocity dictates that as you sow, so you reap. What message are you sending? Just because fax is free to you and you have my machine's number doesn't' mean you should use my money at least without prior, explicit permission. Moral: Like the herbicide in the wrong place, unintended damage can be done by over aggressive attempts to communicate. ==================================== LETTER OF THE MONTH ==================================== We love getting letters you receive. Whether good or bad examples, we love 'em all. If you find one particularly appealing or galling, send me a copy to share. If you'd like to have an objective review of one of your letters, just email to Jim@nurturemarketing.com. ==================================== FEEDBACK mailto:feedback@nurturemarketing.com ==================================== ** NURTURE STORIES ** Tell us ways you use Nurture to attract or cultivate customers, prospects and your own team. We love real-world results and if we use your story, you'll receive a gift of appreciation. ==================================== GUEST COLUMNIST Scott Adams Your Biggest CRM risk: Will your sales reps use it? ==================================== Scott Adams is the President and Founder of SalesPath Corporation, a CRM integration firm based in the Seattle area. Since its founding in 1997, SalesPath has implemented CRM systems for numerous companies throughout the United States. Scott has over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, IT, product management, systems integration, and software product development. SalesPath has been awarded the Willy 2000 by The Denali Group, recognizing it as one of the top three CRM integrators in the United States. Scott has been the product manager for a leading CRM vendor, and has chaired CRM vendor advisory committees. In his article, "Your Biggest CRM risk: Will your sales reps use it?", Scott says the secret to eager sales adoption lies in making the process make life easier for the rep. In this article, Scott discusses a key sales value-add that not only boosts sales but ensures implementation and enthusiastic utilization of the software you chose. www.nurturemarketing.com/articles/CRMrisks Have you written or published articles, books or other descriptions of Nurturing customer behaviors? You are invited to share your insights and wisdom in this monthly update. A quick email will get the ball rolling. mailto:columns@nurturemarketing.com ==================================== SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION ==================================== ** Need a Speaker? ** Jim is available for speaking engagements. For a sample video, call us at 800-474-7951. ** Need a consultant or coach? ** If you are challenged with finding or keeping the right kind of customers or if you want help telling your story in letters, give us a call at 800-474-7951 and ask about our consulting and coaching services. ==================================== PRIVACY STATEMENT ==================================== NO SPAMMING OR LIST SHARING! - You can rest assured that your subscription email address will be kept in the strictest confidence. We do not divulge, nor make available to any third party, our subscription list. Your privacy is paramount to us! Therefore, it receives the respect it deserves! ==================================== COPYRIGHT/CONTACT INFORMATION ==================================== All contents Copyright (c) 2002 James P. Cecil Co., Inc. except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The contents of this E-zine may be copied, reproduced, or freely distributed for all nonprofit purposes without the consent of the author as long as the author's name and contact information are included. Example: Reproduced with permission from the Jim Cecil Nurture News E-zine. For more information, contact: James P. Cecil Company, Inc. 1402 - 140th Place NE, Suite 200 Bellevue, WA 98007 800-474-7951 Fax: 425-747-2198 jim@nurturemarketing.com Visit our Web Site to hear more about Drip Irrigation Marketing FREE: "21 Best Ideas for Making Prospects Call You First" http://www.nurturemarketing.com ==================================== LIST MAINTENANCE ==================================== To subscribe to our E-zine, send an email to info@nurturemarketing.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. mailto:info@nurturemarketing.com?subject=SUBSCRIBE To be removed from our mailing list, send an email to info@nurturemarketing.com with REMOVE in the subject line. mailto:info@nurturemarketing.com?subject=REMOVE Online issues can be found at http://www.nurturemarketing.com/ezine_archives ************************************************* "The quality of my life lies in the quality of my communication with myself and others." - Tony Robbins ************************************************* THANK YOU FOR READING. 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