The Salesby5 Blog

This weekend, Pixar took top honors at the box office with Up, smacking about $70 million dollars out of our pockets and tickling the cranky critics. At the same time, GM is approaching bankruptcy and, if it clears, will be the third largest in the history of this country.

Why bother mentioning both of these companies in the same post? Although it would be insane for me to say that I know what that one thing was that sunk GM and made Pixar a winner, I will offer up food for thought. GM lost the race because they offered too many choices (aka brands) to allow for their success and Pixar kept it simple.

In 2008, GM manufactured Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling. General Motors began by purchasing different car and truck companies in its early years, but kept the manufacturing, looks and brand personalities separate. More recently, it merged different brands and models together. No longer was it clear to GM and its customers what a brand or model stood for and why it was necessarily different or better than its shared parts cousin.

Pixar’s history is quite different. Since the launch of Toy Story in 1995, Pixar has only launched one movie every one to two years. Pixar has been nominated six times and has won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature 4 times since its inception in 2001. The company’s movies consistently earn well at the box office and are well received by critics and viewers alike.

If you review the mission statements/objectives of these companies, you will notice that GM’s generalized statement talks about providing their customers “superior value” from “products and services.” Contrast Pixar’s objective to “develop computer-animated feature films with memorable characters and heartwarming stories that appeal to audiences of all ages.”

When you overwhelm your employees with too many options, you make it difficult for them to provide a clear and concise sales message for a particular item. Additionally, it does not allow your company to focus on what matters most and what your company can be the best at. At the same time, too many choices confuse your customers. The decision becomes overwhelming and customers become lost. Could you slice your product offering in half, leaving more time to better your best offering? What effect would this have on your employees and your customers? I’d love to get your feedback in the comments!

As seen on MySA.com

1. 10 seconds: This is how long it should take you to peak someone’s interest in what you can do for them.
2. Listen twice as often as you speak.
3. Numeric precision on your communications messages greatly increases your credibility and the difference you portray. Example: I can save you $20,000.00 this year!
4. Clarity in your messages (5th grade reading level) increases your odds of selling by 70%.
5. Focus in your messages to one thing increases your odds of selling by 60%. Eliminate the irrelevant.
6. Your image matters, but your overt benefit and how you are dramatically different from your competitors matters the most.
7. If you have dramatic difference from your competition, you have 370% greater odds of success and profitability. Source: Harvard Business Review.
8. Salt and Pepper: If you wanted more customers as a restaurant manager, you would not advertise that you have free salt and pepper. Are you selling salt and pepper?
9. Does everyone in your organization know what to say when asked what you do? These sound bites should be artwork on your walls!
10. Does your business card or resume give the recipient the benefit received when working with you?

For the current business owner who needs to increase sales: