Maryland Operation Closely Vets Affiliates

BALTIMORE, Md.— Established in 1993, ZBest Worldwide has provided luxury ground transportation service for everyone from the executive business traveler to large groups headed to conventions, meetings or other events. ZBest does a minimum of 50 on-demand rides per day and the number is increasing all of the time. Within a year, its business make up is about 65% corporate and 35% retail. The retail business segment is growing and profitable.

According to its LCT Connect profile, ZBest understands when it comes to business events and related travel, there’s no room for error. The company’s primary and secondary service areas include Baltimore, Annapolis, and Washington, D.C. Affiliate manager Renee Ferraro says of the total affiliate work received, 10% is farm-in and 21% is farm-out.

While she has many tips for handling affiliate work, one of the most important is to look for recommendations from your already well-established affiliates. This way, you know they are vetted and good companies to work with.

“Site visits are a must now so you can see firsthand your affiliate’s fleet and how they operate,” she says. The only way your company can provide 24-hour service is by confirming your affiliate is a live 24 hour operation as well. “It’s also important to review their chauffeur training manual and dress code.”

Since the company has been in business for 24 years, it has plenty of experience in handling affiliate work, Ferraro says. ZBest has scheduled shift chauffeurs to help affiliates with last minute requests, and it has plenty of newer vehicles to wow your clients. These include two 2017 Lincoln-Continentals, 2016 Cadillac XTSs and Lincoln MKTs, a 2015 Mercedes Sprinter, and some Grech buses. They are located five minutes away from Baltimore–Washington International Airport and also cover Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, and Philadelphia International Airport.

LCT CONNECT PROFILE HERE

Ferraro believes the LCT Connect website along with social media groups have all changed how operators pick affiliates. However, she points out a potential affiliate should be judged on all factors, not just a few.

“Even with all the latest technology to help us provide the best service, we have to remember we’re all still human and mistakes do happen. From pick up times, wrong addresses, flat tires, accidents, and even chauffeurs running late, we have to be honest and tell the truth. It is how, and how fast, you recover from your mistakes that determine how strongly other affiliates recommend your company. Word of mouth is still the most powerful referral,” she explains.

ZBest believes LCT Connect is a great opportunity to promote itself. “A lot of people go online and really look for a site that has a lot of information. LCT Connect lets us provide that for others as well as pictures,” Ferraro says.

Keywords

affiliate networks   Affiliate Report   farm-in   farm-out   how to   LCTconnect.com   Maryland operators   

 

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10 Things You May Get Wrong While Selling

We’ve often heard in business that “increasing sales cures all ills,” and many times it’s true. Selling techniques play a vital role in whether you will succeed in getting more revenue.

I read an interesting article in Forbes that addressed the “10 Essential Selling Principles Most Salespeople Get Wrong.” Correcting each of them will give you advantages over your competition. We should all strive to implement sound selling techniques to build our businesses.

I would suggest if you have anyone selling your services, you join that person on the next couple of sales calls to see if any of the 10 points below are happening:

1. Assuming the problem the prospect communicates is the real problem. It is normal and natural to assume this. But you should look deeper into each scenario. Before diagnosing and offering how we can address their challenges, we have to ask more questions to get at the root of their problem and bring value to the prospect by supporting their true goals.
2. Thinking your sales presentation will seal the deal. You should always be helping the prospect discover the best reasons to buy from you — not telling them why they should. The prospect should think they’ll buy from you long before you present your final pitch or proposal.
3. Talking too much. At the start of a relationship, salespeople think they need to be doing all the talking when they should be listening and asking questions. If a prospect wanted a rundown of your services, they could just visit your website. The sales process is a conversation, and needs to be an honest and open one.
4. Believing you can sell anybody anything. A prospect must go through a period of self-discovery before deciding your service is the right solution. Resistance is pre-programmed and people don’t like to be told what to do (or buy). The best approach is to ask key questions or relate third party stories that allow the prospect to “discover” the benefits and advantages of your services.
5. Over-educating the prospect when you should be selling. The initial goal in selling is to find out why and under what circumstances the prospect will buy from you. First ask questions and then share your materials and specifics.
6. Failing to remember salespeople are decision makers too. Every step of the way through the sales cycle, a salesperson must make critical decisions as to whether to continue investing time in the relationship with the prospect. If a salesperson is a poor decision maker, the lack of clarity and decisive action will be mirrored in the prospect’s behavior. The shorter the selling cycle, the more leads you will close over time.
7. Reading minds. Always get the facts from your prospects about what they need and why. When your prospect is vague, politely ask for clarity. Veteran salespeople are often the culprits of “reading minds” because they think they’ve seen it all. When you jump to conclusions, wrong assumptions will lead to wasted time at best, lost opportunities at worst.
8. Working as an “unpaid consultant” to close a deal. Salespeople will be in situations where a prospect asks for additional work and information before making a buying decision. The prospect must be asked to picture a scenario where you complete the additional groundwork and provide a solution that fits everything the prospect needs. Then what happens? Will they buy from you? If they can’t envision pulling the trigger even after you’ve done the additional work, or if they’d still need another step in the process, it may be time to walk away.
9. Being your own worst enemy. Never blame the prospect for stalling the process. Instead, look inward. It’s the job of the salespeople to assure the prospect and address detours. The only way to streamline the process is to refine your sales approach and technique.
10. Keeping your fingers crossed a prospect doesn’t notice a problem. The only way to avoid a potential disaster is to address it before it erupts. Always be open and transparent if problems arise along the selling cycle.

Ron Sorci is the founder and CEO of Miami-based Professional Consulting Resources Inc. (www.pcrforyou.com). A former senior executive at public and private companies, Sorci most recently worked as CFO of Aventura Worldwide Transportation in Miami. He also served as President of the National Limousine Association from 2009-2010. He can be reached at Ron@pcrforyou.com or (786) 229-3662.

Keywords

customer service   Profit Driven   Ron Sorci   Sales & Marketing   salesperson   selling techniques   staff training   

 

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