The Pete Primeau Show

No BS Sales Ep 34 - Pete Primeau- You Are Not Your Customer!

I was in a marketing meeting last night and found myself blurting out with authority “You are not your customer!” Oftentimes as business owners we craft advertising messages that focus on us instead of our ideal target customer. 

Sometimes as salespeople we treat our customers the way we want to be treated. The Golden Rule is a great start but as marketers and salespeople we must go further. We must come all the way across the table and really spend time and energy into thinking about our ideal target customers and what they want and need. 

Let me give you a few examples of how believing that you are your customer can hurt your advertising and sales. If you are a salesperson whose income is less than your customers and you believe you are your customer you will believe that they won’t buy your products because you think they can’t afford it. But they can! Remember You are not your customer!

If you are a business owner who thanks to hard work and proper focus has made it financially. As you socialize at the yacht club and attend dinner parties you start to be influenced by your new friends. You might start to pull back on your advertising in both energy and urgency to make it more appealing to the new you. over the years there is a real tendency to make your advertising prettier. Remember ugly ads often pull better than pretty ads especially if you sell middle priced to promotional goods. If you are selling high end goods your ads need to be more elegant.

Sometimes folks from other professions retire and after a few years of golfing and fishing go back to work as an RSA in a furniture or mattress store. By the way these salespeople are usually worth their weight in gold. They too need to remember that “You are not your customer”

The three pillars of marketing are Media, Message, and Market. Right? Wrong! Market is #1, Message is #2 and Media is #3. if you as a store owner don’t accurately target your ideal customer(Market) you will never get your message right. You could actually have the right media but the wrong message and your advertising investment is wasted. 

If you do not focus on who your ideal customer is your advertising, display, merchandising, sales education and service will all be wrong leaving you with high advertising costs and low sales. not to mention your customers won’t enjoy your store and your employees won’t want to work in your store. So please remember to focus on your ideal target customer and remember you are not your customer. 

Knowledge is power. Knowing that you are not your customer will improve all aspects of your store. Take time every week if not everyday to reflect on this truth. Reflection to the point of introspection will make us all better store owners and salespeople. Have a Great Market and a Great Weekend!

If You enjoyed this podcast please rate, review, and subscribe to our podcast. Just Click Here Now https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/no-bs-sales-marketing-more/id975006328. 

Sell A Million!

Pete

PS To Get My FREE Ebook The 9 Biggest Mistakes Furniture & Mattress Stores Make & How To Avoid Them go to peteprimeau.com.

No BS Sales Ep 33 - Pete Primeau Talks About Self Management For Store Owners

You can't manage time, you can only manage yourself. Store owners are among the busiest people I know. I have been working for or with furniture and mattress store owners for thirty four years. 

Know Yourself- Are you more productive in the morning, afternoon or at night?

First things first- Take care of your health, your energy and your creativity first. Without your health you aren’t any good to anyone including yourself. Make sure you pay attention to exercise, diet, and sleep. Guard your energy. Your customers, your staff and your family need you to be a leader and appositive influence. You can’t do that without energy. Stay away from negative people and start your day with your ritual of thankfulness and/or prayer. Your creativity is the first thing that goes when things are sliding in the wrong direction. Consider it an early warning system to correct your attitude and thinking patterns when you aren’t as creative as usual. Take action now or sooner. Talk a walk or listen to some music. Watch a funny video. If none of this works evaluate your rest, diet and exercise. 

Free Yourself from dependent business relationships. Seek to liberate yourself from the day to day operations of the store as much as you can. Coach and empower your staff to take care of your customers just like you would. Continuous feedback is the key. I said the word coach on purpose.

Get used to saying no. Get comfortable with no. This is the key to winning back your life from the chains that you put there in the first place.

Because there are so many things to do everyday in every store you must prioritize the work for everyone and then circle back and make sure the work was done and done right. The time you invest in coaching your staff is a real leverage point in your business.

Alone time- You must create space in your schedule to work on your business instead of in your business. 

Single handle- Once you pick it up finish the task. Don’t pick it up unless you can finish it.

Define for your staff boundaries- Your staff needs to know when and how to approach you. If you don’t create some space you will never get your work done. 

Build a Schedule. Make it sacred. You must respect your word as law. If you don’t respect yourself no one else will. Your internal dialogue is important and it is the key to all other communication. Keep it real and Keep it positive!

Activity doesn't equal results- Do not let yourself off the hook. Make that you create a culture in your company that values results.

To Do List- Only put important tasks on it. Do not write trivial things down. Pick a handful of important tasks and get them done. 

I hope this helps you build a stronger more profitable business and helps you to enjoy your business more. Please call or email me with any questions that you have. Finish the week strong!

If You enjoyed this podcast please rate, review, and subscribe to our podcast. Just Click Here Now https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/no-bs-sales-marketing-more/id975006328.

Wishing You Success!

Pete

PS. I would love hear from you! Please leave a comment or email me at peteprimeau@ameritech.net.

No BS Sales Ep 32 - Pete Primeau Interviews Gerry Morris About His New Book Mattress Matters.

I had so much fun interviewing Gerry Morris about his new book Mattress Matters. This is Gerry’s third book on selling mattresses. I recommend all of Gerry’s books. I almost didn’t read this book because I read all of Gerry’s columns not once but two to three times. To my surprise I found new mattress selling gold in his new book. 

Don’t miss this interview! Gerry shares how and why he learned to sell mattresses at retail. Here is the coupon code that Gerry promised in the interview. Go to Sellmorebeds.com and use coupon code f3c4jq to save $7 from the regular price of $19.95. Which makes his new book Mattress Matters only $12.95! Thanks Gerry!

For more from Gerry go to www.furnituretrainingcompany.com to check out his mattress training program. 

No BS Sales Ep 31 - Pete Primeau and Doug Stewart Interview Jeff Giagnocavo Co-Owner of Gardner’s Mattress & More About How They Create Traffic From Tuft and Needle and Casper

Want to create traffic from Tuft and Needle and Casper? Listen to this podcast! We interview Jeff Giagnocavo co-owner of Gardner’s Mattress & More in Lancaster, PA about how he is achieved an extra $30,000 in sales in five to six weeks using traffic that he created using Tuft and Needle & Casper. 

In this episode Jeff explains what inspired him. He also explains what his store is doing step by step.On April 19 & 20 Jeff will reveal the step by step marketing system that he developed to create the extra $30,000 in sales volume. Go to automaticmattressprofits.net to sign up for Jeff’s two day seminar. He urges all retailers to be proactive and not reactionary.

Jeff will also share his marketing plan at Furniture Today’s Bedding Conference in Tucson, Arizona where Jeff will be sharing his wisdom with all the attendees. Don’t miss this episode we packed in all this and more in less than twenty minutes.

If You enjoyed this podcast please rate, review, and subscribe to our podcast. Just Click Here Now https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/no-bs-sales-marketing-more/id975006328.

Wishing You Success!

Pete

PS. I would love hear from you! Please leave a comment or email me at peteprimeau@ameritech.net.

No BS Sales Ep 30 - Pete Primeau’s Confession “I Never Wanted To Be A Salesman”

I never wanted to be a salesman. My game plan in high school and college was to be a pro football player. Ask anyone that I went to high school or college with if they ever thought of me as a candidate to be a salesman.

Those of you who know me as a salesman are shocked by the title of this article. I can hear you say, "Pete, you love to sell. You love us!" You are right. I do love selling but more importantly I love to help my store owners and salespeople to sell more and to make more money. I love to see the smiles on your faces as you achieve success. 

I can hear you now so, "Pete, what is up with the title of this podcast?" It's true that I didn't want to be a salesman. Why? Because I thought salespeople were slimy selfish people who hounded people into buying products that they didn't need. I also believed that some salespeople were so good that they could magically hypnotize a person into buying a product that they didn't need. Are there horrible people with no morals? Yep. And some of those people are in sales. In my experience these people don't last very long in the furniture and mattress industry.

Here is what I've learned in the past thirty four years of selling. The very best salespeople are also the very best people. Customers can smell a phony a mile away. The very best salespeople are committed to continuous self improvement. They don't miss an opportunity to improve themselves. They read books and articles. They listen to CDs and podcasts like this one.

The very best salespeople Love people. They sell to help improve their customer's lives! I do too! Here is to your success today. For more tips on sales and business go to peteprimeau.com.

If You enjoyed this podcast please rate, review, and subscribe to our podcast. Just Click Here Now https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/no-bs-sales-marketing-more/id975006328.

Wishing You Success!

Pete

PS. I would love to from you please leave a comment or email me at peteprimeau@ameritech.net.

No BS Sales Ep 29 - Pete Primeau and Doug Stewart Talk About Dale Carnegie Courses

One of my favorite books is Dale Carnegie’s “How To Win Friends & Influence People” I first read it in high school and when I graduated from college my Dad gave me his copy of it that was printed in 1964 when I was just four years old. I often refer back to this book. In this episode I interview my co-host and friend who is a certified Dale Carnegie Instructor about Dale Carnegie courses,

Doug’s first Dale Carnegie book was “Stop Worrying & Start Living” In 2011 Doug took a Dale Carnegie course to help out a friend who did not want to go alone. Little did he know this favor he did for a friend was about to change his life. Even though the course didn’t contain any new knowledge, it helped Doug to implement solid principles into his business and everyday living. He took up the instructor of the course to become a graduate assistant. Doug became a fixture at Dale Carnegie as a graduate assistant to the point he needed to take the next step and that step was to become a certified Dale Carnegie instructor.

It was a two year process to become a certified Dale Carnegie instructor. After listening to this interview you are interested in Dale Carnegie courses Just Click Here http://www.dalecarnegie.com. If you are in the Raleigh, North Carolina area and want to connect with Doug Stewart Just Click Here doug-stewart.com. If you want to contact me Just Click Here peteprimeau.com. Thank You for listening to our podcast! If you liked what you heard Please Subscribe, Rate, and Comment right here by clicking here https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/no-bs-sales-marketing-more/id975006328. 

Sell A Million!

Pete Primeau

No BS Sales Ep 28 - Doug Stewart Teaches Pete Primeau Some Time Saving Tips On Evernote.

I just upgraded to premium on Evernote so I asked my friend, co-host, and millennial Doug Stewart to help this fifty five year old man get the most out of Evernote. Doug’s tips and step by step instruction in this audio lesson were so fun and so easy that I was able to complete them while we recorded this episode.

Want to get more organized? Want to save a few hours a week using Evernote? Evernote is an app that will sync across platforms. Whatever I do on my iPhone will be transferred to my iPad and my MacBook Pro lap top whenever I open the app automatically.  You can save emails into Evernote. You can save handwritten notes into Evernote. There is a free version that you can do everything that we did in this episode with.

I with Doug’s expert instruction save a business card into Evernote. It was a simple as opening my Evernote App on my phone up and snapping a picture. Evernote then asked me what to do with the pic. I chose save to contact and it automatically saves all the information from the card to a contact card. The phone number and email are clickable directly in Evernote. 

Doug walked me through making an audio recording which was easy. One of the coolest things about Evernote is everything in Evernote can be accessed through a link that is easily created so you can share that information to teammates or business associates. Evernote creates a link that permits the user access to only that information and nothing else. 

Here is the link to create an online course directly in Evernote. Just Click Here https://www.evernote.com/shard/s85/sh/5436fd39-69ed-46b0-88db-0bca9da0048d/ca16216b177b6bd2?inf_contact_key=5d42604111580ec47184b91761436db273c2963e224b54511e441f650d31b078. Thank Steve Dotto for this great free information. Here is another free course from Steve Dotto called Evernote Made Easy Just Click Here http://www.dottotech.com/evernote-made-easy/?inf_contact_key=d7575186b04d4ea4089dfaba94175e1a613dcac042d4f86e28370452c38e11a0.

Here is the link to Michael Hyatt’s How To Get The Most Out Of Evernote; Just Click Here http://michaelhyatt.com/season-4-episode-05-getting-the-most-out-of-evernote.html. If you want to take Doug Stewart’s Free Evernote Course “How To Get More Sales Out Of Your Salespeople”  just email Doug at dougstewart44@gmail.com. It’s for sales managers and business owners. Please leave a comment on this blog if you enjoyed this audio lesson/blog post right here at peteprimeau.com. 

Thanks,

Pete

No BS Sales Ep 27 - Pete Primeau And Doug Stewart Talk About “Death of the Salesman”

This audio lesson is a discussion between Doug Stewart and myself about Tuft & Needle’s article “Death of the Salesman” My friend and co-host Doug Stewart lit a fire underneath me about a week ago when he posted an article that Tuft & Needle posted named “Death of the Salesman” in our closed Facebook called the “No BS Sales School For Furniture & Mattress Store Salespeople” It’s only closed to the public. If you sell furniture or mattresses you are most welcome to join our group. It’s a great group of sales professionals who educate, support, and motivate each other. Just Click Here https://www.facebook.com/groups/571859249526559/. 

I’ve included the link to the article so you can read it for yourself and make your own judgements about the veracity of the information put forth. Warning before you read Tuft & Needle’s article “Death of the Salesman” take your blood pressure medicine. Click Here to read Tuft & Needle’s work of fiction https://m.tuftandneedle.com/death-of-the-salesman-4b27a5b14b94#.duyg9resh. Can you tell what I think about it? Just click on the player up above to hear the outrage in my voice.

Instead of rehashing the conversation between Doug and me, I will simply let my words speak for themselves. Doug asked some very good questions that we as an industry must answer with actions. If you want to check out Doug, Just Click Here http://doug-stewart.com. If want to check out me Just Click Here peteprimeau.com.  Just press play on the player at the top of this post and put your seat belts on! I am in rare form but I meant every word I said. Please share your thoughts with me below. 

Thanks!

Pete

No BS Sales Ep 26 - Pete Primeau Discusses Resources to Help You Have Your Best Year Ever With Doug Stewart

I interview Doug Stewart regarding his favorite resources to have a great year. Doug participated and attended more conferences last year in years past. He plans on doing more this year. Doug enjoys the networking and educational opportunities at conferences. 

Doug is planning on being very intentional with his social media this year and encourages us to do the same. He took the Dale Carnegie course “High Impact” last year. Doug encourages anyone who communicates at work to take this course. 

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip & Dan Heath was a book that Doug enjoyed. He also recommends The Artisan Soul: Crafting Your Life Into A Work Of Art By Erwin Raphael McManus for those who want to tap into their creative side. 

Doug encourages everyone to invest in themselves like Jeff Giagnocavo does. Jeff is constantly upgrading his marketing education by buying courses, attending conferences, and participating in masterminds. Jeff’s store Gardner’s Mattress & More has one of the highest AUSP in the industry! Be like Jeff! 

He also recommend Pat Flyn’s Smart Passive Income Podcast. Just Click Here www.smartpassiveincome.com/category/podcast. The best part is it’s free! If you are considering doing a podcast Pat has a tremendous course which is free. Just Click Here www.smartpassiveincome.com/how-to-start-a-podcast-pod… Doug also recommends Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast. Just Click Here itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/andy-stanley….

Doug encourages owners, RSAs or reps who spend a lot of time in their cars to get a subscription to audible. I did a couple years ago and because I drive twenty or more hours a week it helps me to stay on top of the best business practices and best advertising and marketing ideas so I can help my dealers grow their business. He just took a great online course with Seth go den called Start Up School. Doug believes that success this year will 100% predicted by one’s desire. You can reach more of Doug’s thoughts right here, Just Click Here http://doug-stewart.com. For Shownotes go to peteprimeau.com

No BS Sales Ep 25 - Pete Primeau and Doug Stewart Discuss What They Learned Last Year

Doug and I discuss what we learned from last year. Doug learned the value of preparation at Furniture Today’s Future Leaders Conference. He was impressed by how well organized the event was. Doug and I both learned how to co-host a podcast last year. We learned how to moderate our two closed Facebook groups for the industry which are The No BS Sales School For Furniture & Mattress Salespeople and The No BS Business School For Furniture & Mattress Stores.

Doug points out how forming a sense of community in our closed Facebook groups helped some of our dealers avoid tragic mistakes as well as finding new ways to succeed. I learned the value of an action review for the week when I was struggling to finish my first book. It is a handwritten checklist. 

Doug learned not to use his iPhone for scheduling. He now schedules everything by hand. I concur with Doug that all my scheduling is now done by hand. I tried to convert all my scheduling years ago to digital and too many things fell through the cracks. So I went back to a paper planner and I hand write all my scheduling. I also handwrite all my content creation. Doug created a journal in Evernote so he wouldn’t lose ideas. 

I learned that I don't have the right to prejudge. I tell the story of how I recently prejudged that a dealer would not buy my mattress line and they bought it despite my best efforts not to sell it. I’ve learned that lesson more than once in my life. Doug tells a great story from his grandfather further illustrating my point.