Author: Sienna Anderson

Do You Have Issues With Your Net Promoter Score? You are Not Alone!

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
nps Net Promoter or Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a management tool that can be used to gauge the loyalty of an organisation’s customer relationships. It serves as an alternative to traditional customer satisfaction research and is often assumed to be correlated with revenue growth. While the monitoring of Net Promoter Score (NPS) is becoming an increasingly valuable way to monitor your customers experience of your product or service many organisations are struggling with the next step.  How do we make it better?  Measuring NPS is the easy part but it creates a few challenges.
  1. It tells you the ‘what’ i.e. what is my score?  It does not help you much with the ‘So What?’ and ‘Now What?’ steps of the continuous improvement cycle.
  2. NPS cuts out the middle of the road, those customers who had an OK experience but could be moved up the scale with a few small changes.
The first problem The KONA Group sees across many organisations is that they often stop at the point of collecting the Net Promoter Score. Their score may be solid and an improvement on the last year so they say to themselves ‘we’re doing great, we have a higher percentage of promoters and attractors than last year! What they miss is the WHY?  Why has their score changed or stayed the same?  Why has it dropped 8 points and what do we need to do about it?  It seems to us that missing the chance to gather customer stories and details to create context around a customer’s response is a lost opportunity.  Even knowing that your customer enjoyed their experience and is a promoter but not knowing why creates an issue.  It means that you are flying blind. Can your NPS provider ask a series of follow-up questions.
  • “Why is it that you’re giving us this score?” or
  • “We notice that you gave us a 9, why is this?’
  • “What would we need to do for you to give us an 8?
The second question is about the numbers and theory of NPS. The final NPS scpore is supposed to work like this…

‘We add the scores those customers that rate you a 9 or 10 out of 10, and then we subtract the combined scores of those that rate you between a 0 and a 6 out of 10.’

What about the 7s and 8s?  Those customers who are ‘OK’ with their experience are not part of the measurement. We see this as pretty dangerous, once again why have they scored you at this level?  What do you need to do differently to change their score. The KONA Group Customer Insights team have a very clear focus on both the Quantitative and Qualitative data needed to look after your customers.  They look to link the feedback from your customers to an action register that ensures identified issues are recorded and resolved, not lost in the clutter of the NPS scores of 8 and below. KONA, Australia’s Leading Sales and Sales Management Training and Coaching company, provides customised training programs that include:  Sales Training & Coaching, Call Centre Training & Coaching, Negotiation Skills Training & Coaching, Motivational Speakers  and more.  KONA is also a leading provider of Customer Satisfaction Surveys and research services. Alternatively contact KONA today on 1300 611 288 or email info@kona.com.au to discuss how we can help you to improve your business results.

Day 9 – The Final Day and over $370 000 Raised!

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
tour-de-force-final-day-pic-2016 The final day of the 2016 Tour de Chance started with a flat coastal route out of Kiama before heading up hill and down dale to Audley Weir We left Kiama with a few hangovers after last nights TdC celebration event and many wished they had left the celebrating until after day 9 and not the night before! The first hour and half was a reasonably quick ride along beautiful undulating roads then past the burning flames of Port Kembla steel mills before we stopped for a short caffeine hit overlooking the harbour in Wollongong. However the pleasure soon turned to pain as we climbed up the steep and challenging escarpment out of Wollongong and into the Heathcote National Park via Thirroul and Stanwell Tops. Why do these hills seem SO easy when sitting in a car! After having enjoyed for so many days the long open roads in country Victoria and NSW, one final major challenge we had to face was to be wary of the rev-heads and family cars who were racing the bends of the national parks, all needing to be at their destinations 10 seconds sooner. Finally, after one last burst of energy, we all rolled safely into Audley Weir where riders and crew were met by family, friends and many of the young people we are raising money for. After over 1,250 kms and 80 hours sitting on a very narrow saddle; through freezing healthcpc.virusinc.org/ativan/ cold and burning heat; horrendously steep uphill climbs and crazy downhill descents; flat tyres, potholes, kerbs and drainage grates; falls, concussions, cars, caravans and trucks, we all dismounted for the final time this year, tired, relieved and happy with a job well done At time of writing we have already received over $372,000 in donations which will open 2 new brand centres and provide meaningful employment, work experience and skills development to over 120 young people with the most significant disabilities in our community. Even better news is that once open these centres will not require further donations as they will become self funding, hence with your support The KONA Group is helping to make a long term, sustainable difference to these young people. There is still time to donate at https://tourdechance2016.raisely.com/glenndobson as every dollar WILL make a difference Next step: Over the last few years The KONA Group has helped to raise over $1,300,000 for various causes so if you or your organisation are interested in the next KONA Charity Challenge please just give us a call or email info@KONA.com.au Alternatively, KONA is Australia’s Leading Sales and Sales Management Training and Coaching company, and we provide customised training programs that include: Sales Training & Coaching, Call Centre Training & Coaching, Key Account Management Training, Negotiation Skills Training & Coaching, Motivational Conference Speakers and more. So contact KONA today on 1300 611 288 or email info@kona.com.au to discuss how we can help you to improve your team or organisation’s results.

Tour de Chance Day 8 – Hang on Tight

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
Day 8 is 166 kms down to the coast at Kiama. A day that began with pelting rain in the chilly southern tablelands town of Braidwood and turned to hot, biting sun as the Tour de Chance hit the coastal side of the Great Dividing Range en route to the seaside treasure of Kiama, home of the famous blowhole. Gravity finally began working but was not for the faint hearted with some of us hanging on tight as we achieved 70-80 kph on steep downhill descents, a major feature of the run into Nowra. A flat tyre, pot-hole or stray wallaby at those speeds can have a traumatic outcome but after 8 days in the saddle and over 1,100 kms cycled we just wanted to get to the finish line as quickly as possible Before the downhill, the Nev Hedge Hill Climb Challenge had to be settled on the first and steeper half of the 2.2km 14% haul up from the Endrick River outside Nerriga, 60 kms on from the historic town of Braidwood. “Nifty Nev” set up as bookmaker to the Challenge, framing a market and taking wagers The race quickly became a match in three between Eric Miller, Terry Goodman and Tim Smeallie, all at relatively short odds in Nifty’s market. Eric pulled away to an emphatic victory from Terry and Tim. The hard luck story of the race was Steve Hickey, who dropped his chain twice, while TdC founder Tim Powell, chased the field in as Lantern Rouge. Protests were lodged on the grounds that Eric, who joined the team the previous night, was “fresh legs” and thus should have been apportioned a time penalty for joining the ride that day, but to no avail – it was first alprazolam past the post. Eric was a “winner” for the bookie, all proceeds going to Fighting Chance. Nowra provided a refreshing stop at The Cup and The Spoon café on the Shoalhaven River. With weary legs restored, the riders headed for a coastal and less trafficked route to Kiama, gaining a sea breeze, occasional wonderful views and avoidance of most of the horror of the Princes Highway. Unfortunately the motorway climb into Kiama, was steep, long and busy, and all was going well, even though Glenn Dobson, with head down and legs stubbornly grinding up the hill, ran into the back of a broken down car half way up! The final day will start with a good flat coastal route before heading up hill and down dale to Audley Weir, where riders and crew will reconnect with family and friends – and dismount. But first, a final blowout dinner in Kiama. And pass the Voltaren, Neurofen and Savlon! Tour facts : The ride, when it concludes, will have been longer than the Rhine River and we will have climbed one and half Mt Everests (12,500m plus), generated sufficient kilowatt hours to power an average Australian house for three weeks and seen enough extra calories consumed to feed two people in Eritrea for a year. The KONA Group is helping to make a difference to the young people with extreme disabilities at Fighting Chance so please donate at https://tourdechance2016.raisely.com/glenndobson KONA, Australia’s Leading Sales and Sales Management Training and Coaching company, provides customised training programs that include: Sales Training & Coaching, Call Centre Training & Coaching, Negotiation Skills Training & Coaching, Motivational Speakers and more. Alternatively contact KONA today on 1300 611 288 or email info@kona.com.au to discuss how we can help you to improve your business results.

Tour de Chance Day 7 – Lest We Forget

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
The Tour de Chance formed a Remembrance circle in the shadow of the Australian flag in the village of Bungendore, gathering at 11am for a memorial to those who have fallen in war. KONA Group MD Glenn Dobson had personal memories of lost colleagues having served in Northern Ireland during the “Troubles” and the TDC group minute’s silence allowed a personal remembrance for each tour member, before a communal “Lest We Forget” saw the team break ranks. The ride resumed, but with a refreshed perspective. Steve Hickey nailed it when he said that Remembrance Day was also an appropriate point to remember those who are the inspiration for the ride, the interns of Fighting Chance. In their personal battles there is no armistice, but the support from the circle of friends extending from the Tour does make a difference. Although day Seven was classed as a recovery day of a short 74kms, it started with a stiff, steep and long climb out of Queanbeyan, a stern test for the overnight newcomers to the ride – Greg Rector, Tim Smeallie and Dan Powell – and a punishing reminder of the reality of the ride for the race-hardened crew. (One of the cyclists did have a major advantage however as due to the high carbohydrate diet we have all been consuming, nature was taking its course and nearly ‘blew’ him self-propelled up the hills!!) The cumulative effort of the ride – it is now at 989 kms in 7 days – took its toll with two riders taking temporary respite, one for knee pain, the other for extremely severe saddle sores. There were absolutely no offers to rub savlon into the rider’s premier-pharmacy.com/product-category/weight-loss/ ‘sore parts’ and hopefully they will be back tomorrow for the run home! It was a day of undulations and some steep hills as the tour headed for the charming town of Braidwood, midway between Canberra and the coast. There was a stop for a refreshing orange quarter (welcome back Nev Hedge) on the banks of the Shoalhaven River. It was a little upstream from the setting of Arthur Boyd’s famed paintings, but no less beautiful for that. Day 8 is 166 kms down to the coast at Kiama, so despite 1509 metres of uphill on the route, the net result is well and truly down, ending at sea level – thank you gravity, its about time. Tour fact : Based on an estimated combined weight for the riders of 1.8 tonnes, the 766m above sea level of the highest point of day 8 and gravitational acceleration of 9.8 metres per second squared, the kinetic potential energy of the team will be 13.5m joules. One joule is the energy required to lift a medium sized tomato 1 metre from the ground. I have no idea what any of this means however it sounds a lot and the group is looking for a very BIG fruit and vegetable shop. The KONA Group is Australia’s Leading Sales and Sales Management Training and Coaching company and provides customised training programs that include:  Sales Training & Coaching, Call Centre Training & Coaching, Negotiation Skills Training & Coaching, Motivational Speakers and more. So please help us make a difference to the young people at Fighting Chance and donate at https://tourdechance2016.raisely.com/glenndobson Alternatively contact KONA today on 1300 611 288 or email info@kona.com.au to discuss how we can help you to improve your business results.

Tour de Chance – Day 4 Taken to the limit

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
  The KONA Group’s  Glenn Dobson continues his daily blog as he rides from Melbourne to Sydney to raise money for the company charity, ‘Fighting Chance’. The day four ride up the Snowy River valley and beyond to the NSW timber town of Bombala took the riders to the limit, the 2700 metres of climbing and 162 kms of road compounding the heavy schedule of the first three days. The effort was rewarded with some of the finest riding country imaginable, soaring forests, rushing streams, birdsong, the odd kangaroo and wildflower in bloom, the clear fresh air and an almost complete absence of traffic. There were about 10 vehicles over the first eight hours of a 10 hour plus day, but perversely the team struck two red lights as part of road works traffic management – go figure! On a parcours suited to the Tour de France, there was similar action, with the Pod 1 group looking like a breakaway determined to bring on a “selection” among the leaders of the General Classification. The following bunch of the main peloton was splintered, riders struggling to stay as a cohesive group. The Tour de Chance is ride and not a race, but it hurts just as much no matter what you call it. The terrain and flora changed as the ride crossed into NSW at Delegate River – the Sydney parochialists were heard to cheer – with a drier trend and the country opening out into more rolling farm and timberland. A less testing environment for the riders but still some hard pulls before they bombed into town for a restorative ale. Perhaps two. Day five is a mercifully short 108kms but the climbing is a healthy 1694m. Chapeau to all for today’s effort and bon chance for tomorrow. Tour fact : The cumulative kms of the team to date, laid end to end, would stretch from Sydney to Los Angeles. Flying is easier and faster, but a lot less meaningful.

The KONA Group is Australia’s Leading Sales and Sales Management Training and Coaching company and provides customised training programs that include: Sales Strategy, Sales Training & Coaching, Call Centre Training & Coaching, Negotiation Skills Training & Coaching, Motivational Speakers, and more.

So contact KONA today on 1300 611 288 or email: info@kona.com.au to discuss how we can help you to improve your business results.

Tour de Chance – Day 5

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
The KONA Group’s  Glenn Dobson continues his daily blog as he rides from Melbourne to Sydney to raise money for the company charity, ‘Fighting Chance’. For the L’Etape Australia it is called the Col de Beloka. For the Tour de Chance it’s the Mur de Boloco, for a Wall it was, an almost insurmountable barrier to the ride’s progress. Almost 90 kms into day 5, this 3km beast struck with an average grade of 15%, ramping at the start to 20% or better. Rising 450m in total it softened a little in the middle but twisted the knife in the final kilometre with more one-in-five action before it topped out. Eight doughty souls made it, with Wayne Oxenham, David Clarke and Glenn Dobson conquering the Mur without stopping or walking. Bravo to all, but a special shout out to Wayne, Clarkie and Dobbo. Wayne’s time of 18 minutes, averaging 10kph, set a mark that will impress Tour de France champ Chris Froome when he rides this terror in L’Etape in December. At the start of the day the riders disappeared into thin air shortly after departing Bombala (gravy capital of Australia) as the team climbed to the sullen, pewter cloud cover, and then were swallowed by thick fog. The opening route, the Monaro Highway, was a rude change from the prior day’s peace, with monster 26m log-trucks thundering past in the cold, damp mist of the morning. Fortunately, the Snowy River Way was close by and with the fog lifting the tour resumed a quieter and more charming path, rolling through the granite high plains to the lunch break at the tranquil and historic village of Dalgety. The morning had earlier handed out its own challenges, including a solid 3km uphill at a stiff gradient to the becalmed Boco Rock wind farm, plainly sapping the legs of those who later fell at the Mur of Boloco. Jindabyne marked the end of 108kms and nearly 1700 metres of climbing. A less taxing day – “only” six or seven hours in the saddle. Day 6 offers 169km to Queanbeyan and 1739m of climbing, which will see the cumulative total top Mt Everest.

The KONA Group is Australia’s Leading Sales and Sales Management Training and Coaching company and provides customised training programs that include: Sales Strategy, Sales Training & Coaching, Call Centre Training & Coaching, Negotiation Skills Training & Coaching, Motivational Speakers, and more.

So contact KONA today on 1300 611 288 or email: info@kona.com.au to discuss how we can help you to improve your business results.

Tour de Chance – Day 2

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson

The KONA Group’s Glenn Dobson continues his daily blog as he rides from Melbourne to Sydney to raise money for the company charity, ‘Fighting Chance’.

South Gippsland is as Emerald green as Ireland. The cows stand udder deep in a verdant, rolling landscape, a sure sign of one thing – rain! In buckets. Along with a continuing gusting, blustering wind, the riders faced a daunting start to day two on the road. The conditions put paid to the rail trail segment of the day’s ride, with the mud and grit of the trail clogging the gears and threatening permanent mechanical outages. A quick rinse of the bikes at the quaint village of Fish Creek and all was back in order on the tarmac roads. As the riders passed in the shadow of the giant propellers of the aptly placed Toora wind farm the rain was long forgotten. Some strong pace work was possible with the sustained tailwind, speeds hitting 50kms on the long flat stretches into the early lunch destination, Yarram. There were plenty of calories to replace and Kiwi Wayne Oxenham led the field, the family-sized 20cm Boston bun no doubt helping ease the pain felt as his mighty All Blacks fell for the first time to the green of Ireland. He even smiled when handed a cold Guinness at the end of the ride – true pluck. The run into Sale was hard grind on dead roads. Chloe Irwin Whitney, the first woman to ride the Tour de Chance, is pictured above wearing the Spirit jersey, awarded to her on Saturday night to mark this milestone – chapeau! Day three is another long slog of 177 km with 1342m of vertical, a mere warm up for day 4. Oh, the humanity! Tour fact : Using today’s 7 plus hours in the saddle and conservative estimate of an average energy output of 175 watts per cyclist, our team today has generated enough kilowatts to power an average Australian household for two days.

The KONA Group is Australia’s Leading Sales and Sales Management Training and Coaching company and provides customised training programs that include: Sales Strategy, Sales Training & Coaching, Call Centre Training & Coaching, Negotiation Skills Training & Coaching, Motivational Speakers, and more.

So contact KONA today on 1300 611 288 or email: info@kona.com.au to discuss how we can help you to improve your business results.

Tour de Chance – Day 3

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
The KONA Group’s Glenn Dobson continues his daily blog as he rides from Melbourne to Sydney to raise money for the company charity, ‘Fighting Chance’. A long slog to the Snowy River town of Orbost began well with sun and a following breeze for day three of the Tour de Chance. The road and trail from Sale to Bairnsdale was a pleasant mix, notwithstanding the occasional navigational glitch. The run to lunch at Lakes Entrance ended with a panoramic downhill vista of the outlet to the sea from the vast lake system. Sadly an unfortunate rear-ending incident just short of Lakes took two riders out for the day, one needing a reassuring visit to the medical centre. This left a depleted team to tackle the most gruelling stage yet, the 50kms into Orbost. Eight to nine hours in the saddle today. Whew! With sincerest apologies to AB “Banjo” Patterson and The Man From Snowy River, this scrap of doggerel attempts to tell the tale. There was movement at the nurses station, for the word had got around That Jack of No Regret had got in strife, And banged his head – his bike was worth a thousand pound, But now was all cracked and gathered in the fray. All the tried and noted riders from the cities near and far Had mustered at Orbost overnight, For the bike boys love hard riding where the wild hills are, And the bikes themselves were polished shiny bright. And tomorrow down by Kosciusko, where the pine clad ridges raise Their torn and rugged battlements on high, This Jack from Snowy River will be a household word, And the Tour de Chancemen will tell the story of his ride. Day four to Bombala is tough enough to be a Tour de France stage – 162kms and 2,698m of vertical. Allez! Allez! Allez! Tour fact. Day four’s climbing will be 470m more than Mt Kosciusko’s height and will take the cumulative climb to 6370m, higher than Mr Kilimanjaro. Some time on Day six the team will have topped Everest!

The KONA Group is Australia’s Leading Sales and Sales Management Training and Coaching company and provides customised training programs that include: Sales Strategy, Sales Training & Coaching, Call Centre Training & Coaching, Negotiation Skills Training & Coaching, Motivational Speakers, and more.

So contact KONA today on 1300 611 288 or email: info@kona.com.au to discuss how we can help you to improve your business results.

Sales Excuse # 3 – Our Price is too high!

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson
high-price-road-sign

In Sales Excuse #1 we looked at the common excuse of “No One is Buying”. In Sales Excuse #2 we looked at ways for sales people to improve their time management

In Sales Excuse #3, how often do your sales team say they didn’t make the sale because “Our price is too high? We are too expensive”, “Our competition is cheaper than us!”, “If we were cheaper we could sell more!”?

This is just another excuse where sales people focus on their own ‘3Ps’ of Product, Price and Problems rather than on the value they can add to customers.  There are some simple things we can all do to have quality conversations with our customers, which in turn, leads to better quality sales and repeat business.

At The KONA Group we train and coach Sales Teams every day that are looking to improve their results and when price is a common excuse for underperformance we recommend the following 3 insights as a starting point.

1. Have the right conversations.

Quality Conversations start with Quality Questions.  Asking interesting ‘High Value’ open questions that encourage your prospects and customers to talk about themselves and their business is critical. You want customers to value having a conversation with you, not look for a reason to get rid of you as early as possible, so how do you have these conversations? It’s easy really, you ask the right questions based on your customers Business, Market, Competition and Future…. and then you shut up and listen.

In meetings with customers and prospects your salespeople should only be talking 20% of the time. Listening means really listen, not just be quiet whilst waiting for your turn to speak.

2. Adding value to your customers BUSINESS is the key to make selling easy.

Adding value to an existing or potential customer is not just about selling your product or service. Often during a quality conversation with a customer many opportunities to add value will emerge and while some of these will involve your products and services, if you look at the non-product related challenges they face from a Business perspective, you will find more opportunities to add value.

Most businesses are bombarded with salespeople trying to flog them a product or a service regardless of their need however your Sales Team will be amazed at what happens when they start to have quality conversations focused on the customer’s Business rather than the 3Ps. Think rapport building on steroids!

3. Make it about the customer, even when you want it to be about you…

It is easy to say ‘Put the customer at the centre of everything your do’ but salespeople rarely do. It is not about you but rather is always about the customer, even when it really is about you.  The moment a customer or a prospect believes that you are only in it for yourself then TRUST melts away and you are back to a price based haggle.

Put your own self-interest to one side and focus on the customer, their organisation, their issues, their strategy and allow the opportunities to add value with your products and services to emerge.  You may even find that you never have to actually close the deal, your prospect may do it for you! At the end of the day, all else being equal, most customers will make a price-based decision.  It a salespersons job to make sure that all things are not equal.  

They need to be the difference, the X factor, the point of differentiation, and then their customers will buy from them, regardless of price!

 

Going forward: If Quality ‘non-product’ conversations are a challenge for your team then customised sales training and coaching WILL help your people to become more successful. Constantly ‘sharpening the saw’, as Stephen Covey puts it, is a critical component of being a sales professional.

So to discuss how we can design a customised sales training and coaching program for your organisation please contact the KONA Sales Performance Specialists via email at info@kona.com.au or call 1300 611 288.

Because Hope Is NOT a Sales Strategy

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Author – Garret Norris – https://www.linkedin.com/in/garretnorris/

Tour de Chance – Day 1, but not without casualties..

Posted on | by Sienna Anderson

The KONA Group’s Glenn Dobson continues his daily blog as he rides from Melbourne to Sydney to raise money for the company charity, ‘Fighting Chance’.

Day 1 completed, but not without casualties!  Bad luck struck early as the first day of the Tour de Chance was blown off course by gale force winds and three metre swell

On the road before 6am and 5 kms after starting, in rain and near dark, we had our first casualty when one of the cyclists crashed to the ground from his bike smashing his head into the asphalt 

He was taken to the nearby Mornington Hospital severely concussed and through safety protocols was later required to retire from riding for a week and out of the Tour De Chance

The remainder of the team restarted and headed cautiously for destination one, the Phillip Island ferry at Cribb Point. 

Ten minutes into the crossing the skipper called off the journey because of high seas threatening the ferry and after smashing into one of the docks during a half way drop off

Back on terra firma the sun opened one eye and,  peeping through a blanket of clouds decided it was too wet and cold, rolled back over and went back to sleep leaving the remaining cyclists to battle the elements

Time for plan B, which was now plan C, when what was supposed to be a fast ride along the beautiful sun drenched Victorian coastline was severely challenged as we were continuously smashed by a driving wind, intermittent showers and a grey and threatening sea to our right 

One of the lighter riders (65kgs) even got lifted of the ground as they rode along but maintained their composure long enough to avoid another accident

A large part of todays ride was on a traffic-free trail and the risks posed by the high winds were carefully measured before riders completed the run from Wonthaggi to Inverloch, cold and wet but with an enthusiasm that defied the weather and the day’s setbacks.

Day 2 promises less wind, further rain, a challenging 188kms of cycling and an accumulated 823m of climbing, and I can’t wait!

Tour fact. Should we raise our target of $500,000 from our 23 riders, that works out at just over $17 per km per rider. 

Based on today’s performance, that’s great value so please either meet us with a hot cup of tea, or better still donate to this great charity at https://tourdechance2016.raisely.com/glenndobson

The KONA Group is Australia’s Leading Sales and Sales Management Training and Coaching company and provides customised training programs that include: Sales Strategy, Sales Training & Coaching, Call Centre Training & Coaching, Negotiation Skills Training & Coaching, Motivational Speakers, and more.

So contact KONA today on 1300 611 288 or email: info@kona.com.au to discuss how we can help you to improve your business results.