Taking Heroic Notes

 

In sales, the producers that do the best are able to juggle a lot of balls and spin a lot of plates. When I first got into sales, there were not a lot of CRM options like there are today.  There are so many options out there to keep track of your clients, the conversations you have with them and, of course, the disposition of the lead or the call.  Maybe one day, I'll do a comparison of different CRM systems and why the features may matter to you. However, today I want to talk about the process of taking notes and why you should be going deeper with your prospects. You should take notes for your future self. Be the best assistant you can be to yourself by doing the work today.

There are several great reasons why you should be taking notes, while you are in a meeting, on the phone with a client or watching a training. There have been several studies that show that active listening improves your ability to retain information as well as the time you save by not having to rewatch an entire video or even to find the relevant information.  

However, when talking to a client or prospect, is it enough to just take down their DOB and address so you don't have to ask for it again?  Certainly having to give the same information twice to someone who wants my money is very annoying, and I highly recommend pulling a customer's profile up if they have business with you and “verifying” you have the correct information and not ask them for a shortcut. 

“Hey John,  I'm sorry I don't have your profile up. So I can get you a quick quote on this: what's your DOB.”  

When talking to a client, you should pull their profile up every time. Don't let your laziness be the reason the client wonders if you are paying attention. 

Now that we have talked about note-taking in general. Let's talk about “Heroic Notes.” Have you ever gone to your bank, gym, or favorite pizza place and even though you hadn't been there in a while they still remember your preferences. Or maybe they will ask you about how your son is doing in their favorite sport? You think to yourself. “That was pretty cool.”  Especially if you have someone with you, and you walk into a store, and they remember your name or have a drink waiting for you when you get to your table. It is an over the top level of service and commitment. The results of “Heroic Notes'' are the type of notes you take when you get your prospect or client on the phone after a year or two of not talking to them, and they realize “Oh wow. This person took the time to write that part of my life down and not only that, took the time to ask about it. I don't know what the price is, but I certainly hope its in the range of competitive because this is where I want to do business.” 

We have that same ability when it comes to working with our clients. However, being the boss of “Heroic Note” taking has to be something deep inside you. Because we are not a coffee shop, we don't know who will be our customer or not. So we have to start listening for opportunities to take Heroic notes from the very beginning. Heroic notes are not for today. They are not even for the sale in front of you. They are for the opportunity to win a client you didn't the first time. They are for when the client calls back and disputes something you told them. They are for empathy, rapport and E and O. 

For those of you that still use paper, this next might be a little hard for you. Heroic notes need to be in a place where you can retrieve them again. If you write it down on a piece of paper or steno pad but don't transfer it to your CRM then they are just notes that never get a chance to put on a cape. I highly recommend taking notes in the system they will live in. I know that hand - handwritten notes are the best way to recall information in the future, but if you can't get to them quickly then they don't do you much good. I got into the habit of taking paper off my desk. In fact, I don't have any drawers on my desk or in my office. When you make the commitment to not taking notes on paper and move to digital, you can't have paper close enough to grab. You have to be willing to just start typing in the “notes” notes section and allow for run on ideas and sentences. I would regularly type the VIN and then hit  the “Enter” Button and add the customer's spouse name right below it. Just create a new line every time you have to switch ideas or use a slash. 

With that said. Any note is only as good as your ability to read it later. If you put in incomplete ideas or something that will “jog your memory” then you are wasting your time.  If you have to read your notes to your client in a year to remind yourself of what you wrote, you are doing it wrong and making yourself look foolish. These notes are supposed to make you your client the Hero and you are the guide. 

Make a commitment today to start taking meaningful notes in your next meeting. Remove that paper from your desk. Stop talking so much and let your prospects talk. Just listen and write something down that will be impactful on them later. Take some Heroic Notes. Have a good day and get after it.