Why Salespeople Need To Do More Than Practice Selling February 4, 2009
Posted in : Sellers Market , comments closedThe saying goes, “pride come before a fall” and indeed, when it comes to sales and marketing skills for smaller businesses.
The people that most need to improve their sales skills are those who think they don’t. Sounds contrary but it is rare to come across someone in a small business that acknowledges their weaknesses in sales and marketing skills and goes out to address it.
We recently conducted some telemarketing for a client that really hit home on this point. The client was offering £1000 funding to smaller business towards investment in the principals or directors. I need to repeat that sum in case you missed it: ONE THOUSAND POUNDS. Now sure, some contribution was required from the prospect company but we need to get clear, this was free money on offer. I thought we would have a tremendous response. As you might have guessed, most companies were either very sceptical or just did not see the value of investing in their major decision makers. I am humble enough to accept that it could have been the quality of my company’s telemarketing, but, take my word for it, we tried many different approaches and our telemarketers know a good few persuasive techniques!
Contrast this with my life partner who is a business development director in multinational market research firm. They send her on training courses for soft skills every 6 months or so. Moreover, they were virtually throwing a premium quality business coach at her, even thought she ADMITTED to that coach that she was considering leaving the company so it was probably not a sensible investment! They don’t need a £1000 inducement to improve her skills because they know that a few tip and hints that help her win one new piece of business pays for 5 years of training.
Spot the difference between our telemarketing prospects and the market research firm. Now I am not moaning just because one division of my company undertakes sales training and most of our prospects are smaller companies. I say this because improved sales and marketing skills for smaller businesses can really help them leverage their advantages over smaller firms. Having a small motivated workforce makes companies hungry and lean so clients get better value and a can-do attitude backed up with accountability.
I can already hear the legions of directors of small companies reading this who are moaning that they do not have the time, funds to invest or ability to implement the great ideas they may learn. Each of those excuses can be cured by investment in improved time management, delegation and borrowing to help grow the business.
In fact the problem is as much with luddite entrepreneurs as their archane decision-making abilities. So many business groups seem to accept the excuses their members make about not wanting to change successful formulae, IITWWHADI (it is the way we have always done it) or our customers would not stand for us using such new-fangled methods.
This government to its credit has created many schemes to help business and Business Link has some superb people and services to offer start-ups as much as to established ambitious concerns. Sure, there are many valid criticisms of red tape but smaller firms DO have many places they can turn to. But again, I have lost count of Business Link representatives and their equivalent that complain that they have the funds but can’t easily find the serious clients. I have associations with the Prince’s Trust and they have an excess of volunteers over young people coming forward to claim up to £5000 funding for a business along with the support of an experienced business mentor.
And let us not forget the rash of business networking groups that now exist. In fact, we visit various groups and there is a marked contrast in the types of membership. Some groups actively solicit free training and develop the sales and marketing skills of their members. But the other 90% of groups perfectly illustrate the stick-in-the-mud attitude to improving the way they bring in new business. The irony that so many members have joined dynamic networking groups, only to refuse to change they way they approach prospects or change their thinking, is startling.
So let this be a rallying call to all small businesses, entrepreneurs and sole proprietors: get off your bums and seek out new sales and marketing skills. No-one else is going to do it for you and there is a wealth of resource out there to generate you double digit growth next year.
Andy Szebeni is director of sales training and telemarketing company A&P. For more information and free tips and hints go to http://www.a-and-p.com.
10 Recession-Busting Sales Letter Tips! January 26, 2009
Posted in : Sellers Market , comments closed1. Highlight all the important keywords and phrases in your ad copy. You could use bolding, underlining and color to highlight the important words.
2. Highlight buying incentives like free bonuses and money back guarantees. You could place them in boxes or in front of a different colored background.
3. Use short sentences or sentence fragments in the body of your ad copy. A short burst of words can catch a skimmers eye with one quick glance.
4. Place colorful graphs, pie charts and other charts in your ad copy. Use charts that will grab a person’s eyes and also support your product claims.
5. Place attention grabbing pictures above and within your ad copy. A powerful technique is to use before and after pictures of people using your product.
6. Use a headline that catches the attention of your target audience. One of the most effective ways is to use a free offer as your headline.
7. Make your ad’s keywords and phrases standout by enlarging the text. This technique works wonders with headlines and sub headlines.
8. Make your product’s list of benefits and features stand out by using a symbol in front of each of them. The symbol could be a dash, solid circle, star, etc.
9. Use sub headlines to break up your ad copy and to capture a skimmers eye. You could make them even more powerful by highlighting them with color.
10. Use attention grabbing adjectives to describe your product. For example sizzling, incredible, high power, ultramodern, killer, eye popping, etc.
10 Electrifying Ways To Explode Your Orders January 24, 2009
Posted in : Sellers Market , comments closed1. Persuade visitors to link to your web site. Give
them a freebie in exchange for them linking to your
web site. It could be content, software, etc.
2. Link to web sites that provide useful information
or services for your visitors. If you have many useful
links on your site, they may make it their start page.
3. Spice-up your web site’s wording using plenty of
adjectives. It gives your visitors a clearer vision of
what your explaining or describing to them.
4. Don’t make your banner ads look like ads. Most
people ignore banner ads. Design them to look like
content and have them click to read the rest.
5. Join affiliate programs that go with the theme of
your web site. You’ll just be wasting valuable space
and time if your visitors aren’t interested in them.
6. Market your web site as a free club instead of
a web site. This’ll increase your repeat visitors and
sales because people enjoy belonging to groups.
7. Interact with your online customers on a regular
basis. This’ll show them you care about them. You
could use a chat room, forum or message system.
8. Check your web site links regularly. After people
click on one link, and it doesn’t work, they usually
won’t risk wasting their time clicking on another one.
9. Give visitors a positive experience when they’re
at your web site. Provide them with original content
and free stuff. They’ll tell all of their friends about it.
10. Share customers with other businesses that have
the same target audience. Offer their product to your
customers if, in exchange they do the same for you.
About the author:
Rojo Sunsen is a specialized bounty hunter who prefers to work quietly/confidentially for the benefit of her clients.
Selling, What it Takes January 23, 2009
Posted in : Sellers Market , comments closedIn its essentials, Selling is a craft, more than an art and, is based on sound principles. Understand and apply those principles diligently and, more often than not you will succeed in finding a buyer, offline or online.
1. Maintain a List. This list is populated by people who have evinced some interest in your wares at some time. Organise the list in the following order of precedence.
a. Hot prospects, people who you know are very interested and are just waiting for that final nudge from you, to convert from prospect to customer.
b. Medium prospects, people who you know are reasonably interested in your wares but will take a lot of working on to develop into clients.
c. Likely prospects, people who are but mildly interested and will need a huge amount of convincing to cross the line.
It should be evident from the above classification, where your energies are better spent.
2. Keep yourself up to date with the complete details of your product, its advantages and, disadvantages as well. A salesman anticipates and meets a need in the market. A prospective customer may either not be aware of your product or, may only be vaguely aware. It is to your benefit if you are able to match the customer’s perceived need to your product. Give him the unique privilege of learning from you about how your product could help in making his life easier and he will always come back to you.
3. Be curious. Once you are able to interact with a prospect, ask a lot of questions, of course, as unobtrusively as possible. Engage the prospect in a conversation, gently advance the usefulness of your product and elicit the prospect’s response to the stated benefits. See if you can understand the prospect’s mindset and any objections he may have to the product as presented. This will enable you to recast your approach as well as improve and modify the product if enough feedback warrants it.
4. Close the Sale. You generally know when the prospect has been brought round to the stage of buying the product or service. Still, he needs that final push, nudge to complete the sale. Do not hesitate to ask for the order. This can be accomplished by simply asking him his preferred mode of payment and giving him the available options. Once you have brought him round to see the benefits of the product and offered him a suitable payment option well, the sale is in the bag alright.
Paramesh
Exciting Lessons, Free Mentoring and more at http://www.InternetProfitMentor.com. 12+ Hours of Video coaching and invaluable tips
Closing Sales Is Not A Problem, It’s A Process January 14, 2009
Posted in : Sellers Market , comments closedIn my opinion, the most overrated topic in sales training is the subject of closing. In year’s past, it seems the object of most sales training courses was to fill the heads of participants with as many closing techniques as possible. The logic was simple, if the “Ben Franklin” close didn’t work, you could rummage around in your head for the the “secondary question” technique, the “order-blank” method or the “forced choice” close to tie off your sale. Selling in the old school of training was basically learning 54 or 84 ways to close.
Today, most successful sales professionals know that if you use a consultative sales process, one with a series of selling steps like those listed below, the close (asking for the business) will literally take care of itself. Closing is an integral part of the following; a solid sales process–not a specific stand alone technique:
- Building rapport and trust;
- Obtaining your prospect’s attention;
- Probing for problems, opportunities, needs and values;
- Demonstrating products based on the specific needs you have discovered,
- Asking trial closing questions and answering objections, then
- Asking for the business.
By first building rapport with a prospective customer or client, a sales or service industry professional can create the trust that our research shows is vital to consistently obtaining sales success. Through using an attention getting provocative question and then taking away your offer, you can open your prospect’s mind to answering your questions and later accept the suggestions that you make in your sales presentation. By asking open-ended, probing questions, you can learn about hidden needs and problems that can be solved by your products and/or services. Through effectively demonstrating your products and/or services, answering objections and asking trial closing questions, you then set the stage for closing the sale. All that is left in this process is to ask for the business.
In my self-directed learning manual entitled Sales Success Strategies, (see www.TheSellingEdge.com/manual1.htm) I explore the steps that must precede a successful close. This unique learning guide won’t give you a dozen closing techniques to memorize, nor a list of power words that will impel your prospect, client or customer to sign on the dotted line, because these words and closes simply don’t work with today’s sophisticated consumers. If you take time to review them and apply them to your daily sales activities, the ideas discussed can make a significant difference in your ability to regularly generate business for your company or professional firm.
VIRDEN THORNTON is the founder and President of The $elling Edge®, Inc. a firm specializing in sales, customer relations, and management training and development. Clients have included Sears Optical, Eastman Kodak, IBM, Deloitte & Touché, Bank One, Jefferson Pilot, and Wal-Mart to name a few. Virden is the author of Prospecting: The Key To Sales Success and the best selling Building & Closing the Sale, Fifty-Minute series books and Close That Sale, a video/audio tape series published by Crisp Publications, Inc. Menlo Park, California. He has also authored a Self-Directed Learning series of sales, coaching & team development, telemarketing, and personal productivity training guides.
Virden assists clients through a unique personal coaching (telephone)program. He has taught at the Center For Professional Development, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas and the School Of Entrepreneurship, Marriott School Of Management, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. You can contact Virden at: Virden@TheSellingEdge.com. or learn more about him at: http://www.TheSellingEdge.com
Leave a Better Voice Mail Message January 4, 2009
Posted in : Sellers Market , comments closedYesterday I received a call from a financial planner named Richard doing a cold call. My policy is to always return those calls which help me to understand why I would personally benefit from doing business with a sales person. This one didn’t, so it ended up getting deleted.
This is what he said.
“Hello, Scott. My name is Richard ______ and I’m with ABC Financial in Phoenix, Arizona. We do 401K’s for employers. My number is 480-555-1212. Please call me back.”
That was it. Nothing compelling. No benefit for me in there somewhere. Nothing to incite me to return the call.
The next time you are making a cold call and leaving a message for a prospect, consider these four steps in the call.
First, state your name and your phone number first. The prospect usually has a pen in his or her hand when checking voice mail, so if you start with your phone number at least you’ll get on the list of people whose calls might get returned.
Second, tell him what is unique about your firm. This sales person could have said something like “Our business takes the headache out of financial management for companies by being the sole outsource provider of employee investment programs. In other words, we do all the work, and make you look like a hero with your employees.” Within your unique selling proposition, or elevator speech, there must be a personal benefit for the end user. For example, when I leave a message for a sales manager for my sales training, I say “I improve sales performance of organizations by showing sales reps how to become more disciplined, more focused, and how to sell from the heart.” The focus of my USP is on them, not me. I start with their benefit, and then tell them how I do it. The personal benefit of your features is more important than your features, and nobody cares what you do, only how that benefits them.
Third, drop a name or two. Use Robert Cialdini’s principle of social proof in getting your calls returned. In his book Influence: Science and Practice, Dr. Cialdini explains the six reasons why people are influenced and puts them in the form of malleable principles. (For a free special report outlining those six principles, email me at scott@scottlove.com and I’ll send you the executive summary). “We work with organizations such as Pineapple Computers…” If you work with a competitor of your prospect, state that name in your voice mail. Remember that trust is a byproduct of rapport, and rapport is a byproduct of common areas of interest. By establishing a common bond with someone you have never even talked with before, you are leveraging the principles of social proof and rapport to increase the likelihood of a call back.
Fourth, give them a time to call back, such as between three and five o’clock. This makes you sound busy, and if you are busy you are important.
Bonus tip: Tell them that if you don’t hear from them by Wednesday (assuming it’s a Monday), then tell them that you will put another call in to them on that day. This keeps you from appearing desperate and increases the likelihood of a call back because that person knows that you are serious about talking with them.
And if you every run across a guy named Richard in Phoenix who does financial planning, please forward this article to him.
Copyright © 2004 Scott Love
Scott Love improves employee performance by showing managers how to put meaning back into work, how to build authentic employee motivation, and how to lead. To have him speak at your annual franchise, association, or corporate meeting, call him at 828-225-7700. To access his leadership resources and archive of leadership articles, visit www.scottlove.com.
How To Get Your First Customer December 31, 2008
Posted in : Sellers Market , comments closedStarting a new business is always tough. You have spent hours and hours putting your Business Plan together, sorting out the financing, arranging your office and buying equipment. And the big day arrives … you have to get out there and secure your first customer. It all looked so easy when you were planning, but now this is real and doesn’t seem as effortless as you thought.
What practical steps can you take to ensure your business gets off to a flying start?
Put a Plan in Place
If you didn’t write a Business Plan (tut tut!) then putting pen to paper is your first step. You have to careful plan what you want to achieve and what you are trying to do. A Plan will help crystalise your thoughts and ideas and act as a spring board for creative thought.
It also will be a useful boost when you come to review your progress against what you set out to achieve – a cause for celebration or a kick up the backside!
The key element in your Plan is to spell out exactly who your typical customer is going to be. Are they young or old? Well off, or on the look out for bargains? Single or married?
Once you have clearly defined who you are after then chasing your first sale becomes easier.
E-Mail All Your Contacts
You may not think that personal friends and family may be interested in your product or service, but don’t forget that they have friends and family as well and so can help spread the word!
E-mail every one in your address book and tell them, if they don’t already know, that you are starting up in business and need their help. In your e-mail describe what you do and the products you offer and request that they forward it to everyone in their address book. A bit ’spammy’ I know but when such a note comes from someone you know then it doesn’t seem so bad.
For those family and friends who don’t have e-mail, call them, write to them, to officially launch your business. Very quickly word will spread and enquiries and orders will start to flood in.
Ask For a Referral
It’s possible you may have ‘road-tested’ your business before you decided to go full time. In that case you will already have a small database of customers. Ask them if they can provide you with some names of people or businesses whom they think may be interested in what you have on offer.
A referral, or positive recommendation, is a powerful and easy way to give your business a kick start. If you want, why not offer a small gift, or a discount on the next sale, for all customers who refer someone to you? This gesture will further cement your relationship.
Tell Everyone You Meet
Be a walking advertising board for your business! Find any opportunity to tell people, especially strangers, what you do. Be enthusiastic! Have a rehearsed opening which encapsulates everything about the benefits and problems your business offers and solves.
Take your business cards wherever you go and leave them all over the place! Supermarkets, restaurants, shops, anywhere where people will find them.
Be a Media Star
The local newspaper or radio stations are always on the look out for stories which are of interest to the locality. Don’t expect them to run a story along the lines of ‘And today, Joe Bloggs has just started in business doing …’. Your story needs to be interesting and have an unusual slant. Did you travel the world and come up with your idea whilst riding a train in India? Did you have a flash of inspiration following a shocking experience? Carry out a survey which shows that local people are crying out for a service such as yours. Think of something that will grab the editor’s attention and this will increase your chances of appearing in print.
Build Relationships
Don’t be disappointed if you don’t get a sale on the first approach. Sometimes you have to patient. A way of achieving your batch of first sales is to concentrate on building a relationship with your prospective clients. Keep in touch, remind them you are still around and, assuming you have targeted correctly, they may eventually place that coveted order!
If you are about to start your business get planning right now and start to implement some of these ideas to get your new business off to a flying start.
Small Business Success is a resource dedicated to helping small business owners be more successful. If you are looking for a regular flow of ideas and tips then subscribe to Small Business Success a free newsletter, which provides you with quick tips, ideas and articles. Visit http://smallbusinesssuccess.biz
Selling on Ebay and Wholesale …. Would You Like to Resell Mexican Products for Great Profits ? December 29, 2008
Posted in : Sellers Market , comments closedAre You Interested in Importing Products from Mexico ?
+ Get access to The hard – to – find – low – cost sources
+ Get in touch with real Mexican manufacturers that you most likely won’t find on the web.
+ Suppliers of beautiful art and lucrative hand crafted products like wrought / forged iron, ceramic crafts, blown crystal, talavera pottery, taxco silver, rustic furniture, luxurious clay and a great variety of handmade leather products among many more.
+ Cut the extra middle men and take their BIG profits to YOUR bank account, and…
+ Give better prices to your clients !
+ Increase your product offerings and never depend on a single provider
At Mexico Store.com You can access these 3 incredible and updated sources of information:
1- The Mexican Rustic Handcrafts Manufacturers Directory
2- The Mexican Taxco Silver Jewelry Manufacturers Directory, and
3- The Mexican Leather Products Manufacturers Directory
These 3 trade directories are an excellent source for low cost products if you plan to sell silver jewelry, art, hand crafts or first class leather products on Ebay or start a wholesale or retail operation on the web and any where else.
Business Fact #1: There is no such thing as Free Lunch .-
We know that you can probably find some Mexican silver, leather products, rustic handcrafts or furniture marketers on the web for free. But those “sources” will most likely be American companies or individuals that are basically resellers. The truth is that with them as your sources you won’t even get close to having the best possible wholesale prices.
To make JUICY profits in the import / export business you definitely MUST get in touch with the real – hard – to – find – low – cost – sources. There is simply no other way to make it BIG in this business. You NEED the Low cost SOURCES. Find them today at Mexico-Store.com
The problem is that discovering real low cost sources can be a difficult, time consuming and expensive mission. Some information providers on the web are charging $30 per manufacturer profile, while others can charge you more than $1000 per business directory, or even a subcription fee to access their trade leads database. But who do you think is listed on their databases? The Mexican manufacturers? or just another reseller eager to sell at a nice profit? Exactly!. Those trade leads databases are mainly filled with lists and lists of intermediaries and marketers that want to make money reselling the product for a heavy profit.
Its all about the profits. YOUR Profits! at Mexico-Store.com .-
Don’t get us wrong. We don’t have any problem with being a product reseller. But being a reseller your self, wouldn’t it be better if you could cut the extra middleman and offer a better price to your customers ?
Order the updated Mexico Trade Manufacturers Directories today and Get access to manufacturers of thousands of Mexican products that sell incredibly well in the USA and other countries.
Our trade directories contain low cost Mexican manufacturers of beautiful rustic wrought iron, taxco silver bracelets, earrings and more elegant jewelry, leather briefcases, folk art, leather clothing, blown crystal, luxurius leather furniture, Talavera pottery, textile and gift items, pewter décor, wood hand crafts, leather shoes and exotic boots, crocodile leather, swine, lamb and ostrich, oil paintings all made by skilled craftsmen and RELIABLE suppliers at incredible low prices.
Avoid those expensive resellers and get in touch with the real Mexican manufacturers today ! .-
We provide you with all the neccessary contact information including email in many cases.
Some of these silver jewelry, hand crafts and leather products manufacturers do have a website. But that doesn’t mean you can easily find them on the search engines. As we all know, its very hard to make it to the top of the search engine rankings and it can take more than 6 months to even get a website listed with them. That and the fact that most Mexican artisans are not as computer savvy as “we all think” are the main reason why you won’t find that many websites at all of Mexican manufacturers listed on Google or Yahoo. In many cases their websites are not even optimized for the search engines to list them.
Don’t expect to get the best possible prices from those “mexican products providers” that you can find on the web for free.-
Most of the guys and companies that are ranking at the top of the search engine results are basically American companies that are reselling Mexican products. So don’t expect to get the best possible prices from them. Don’t kid your self.
Get our updated Mexico trade directories and start getting incredible low prices per silver gram or per handcrafted product that you can easily resell twice as much or translate into GREATER profit margins for your self.
Once you order from us, you will receive an email providing you with the valuable information for download and fast access.
Forget about having to wait for the directory in the mail and paying an extra fee for shipping and handling.
With us You get fast access to this information so that you can get in contact with the suppliers as quick and convenient for you as possible.
Low cost Mexican products that sell incredibly well worldwide ! at Mexico-Store.com .-
1- With our Mexican Silver Manufacturers Directory you will great deals on silver rings for men and women in all sizes, earrings, necklaces, bangles, charms, chains and bracelets at incredible low prices per gram !
2- With the updated Mexican hand crafts and rustic furniture manufacturers you can get access to thousands of Mexican products that sell incredibly well in the USA and other countries.
Our hand craftfs directory contains Mexican manufacturers of beautiful rustic wrought iron, folk art, blown crystal, talavera pottery, textile and gift items, pewter décor, wood hand crafts and oil paintings all made by skilled craftsmen at incredible low prices.
3- With the updated Mexican Leather products manufacturers directory you can access low cost suppliers of exotic, luxurius and profitable leather products that sell incredibly well.
We are talking about leather clothing, exotic boots and leather footware for men, woman and children, made of crocodile leather, ostrich, goat, swine, bovine and lamb, handbags, purses, elegant briefcases, soccer balls, wallets, leather cigar cases, laptop cases, sport and casual cloths among many more great products.
P.S: Bigger profits just around the corner.
If you already sell silver jewelry, leather or mexican handcrafts, imagine the savings and the immediate extra profits that you can generate by contacting cheaper reliable suppliers.
Take this opportunity and Visit us TODAY! at Mexico-Store.com
Sick of the Mall Hassle December 26, 2008
Posted in : Sellers Market , comments closedWe have what you need to bring the beauties of the world into
your home. We have all types of gifts for both you and your
loved ones. If you are looking for something cheaply made don’t
waste your time because we pride ourselves on our products. We
have Native American, African American, candles, figurines, and
just about any kind of animal you are looking for. If you are
looking for a variety of treasures from around the world we are
the place to look at. We have gifts for all holidays and
occasions. We also have Christmas gifts in, but shop soon before
all are out of stock. Why should you buy from us? 1) Because we
offer secure ordering. 2) We guarantee our entire line of
product for 30 days no questions asked. 3) We have been in
business for 3 years and are well established. 4) We have the
best gifts at an affordable price. So now my question to you is:
Why not have the beauties of the world in your home today? Most
consumers have figured out that it is much easier to shop while
relaxing in the comfort of their own home at their own leisure,
than to fight traffic, battle for parking and walk miles in
crowded shops when they can do it quicker and easier using the
convenience of the internet for their shopping needs. Whether it
is a gift for yourself or for someone you love and wish to show
them how much you care, our place is the place for you to look.
What do you have to lose by stopping by to look? 5 minutes. You
could go down to the mall and waste 1 or 2 hours trying to find
that perfect gift you are looking for. So now, quit wasting all
that time in the mall and come see us, we are positive you will
not be disappointed http://www.countrycharisma.net/ If you have
questions feel free to contact us at
http://www.info@countrycharisma.net You will not get answered by
an auto responder, you will get a response from a real person.
If you would like to be put on our new mailing list let me know
and I will keep you updated to new gifts items as they come
available.
Selling the Dr. Seuss Way December 18, 2008
Posted in : Sellers Market , comments closed“I am Sam. Sam I am. Do you like green eggs and ham? Would you like them here or there? Would you like them in a box, would you like them with a fox?”
I think most people have read this Dr. Seuss tale either as kids or to their children. What is interesting is the relevance this story has to selling. First of all, Sam is selling a product and although his prospect is not initially interested, Sam doesn’t let that deter him from asking. Secondly, Sam consistently offers the prospect a choice when trying to close the sale. Thirdly, he refuses to give up. No matter how many times his prospect says ‘no’ Sam keeps offering alternatives. In fact, he offers fourteen options before he finally closes the sale.
Now, I am not suggesting that you pester your customers or prospects but I do believe most people give up too early in the sales process. We hear a few “no’s” and decide to turn our attention elsewhere. It is your responsibility as a sales professional to ask the customer to make a decision – you cannot expect a customer to do the work for you. If you have been effective in learning about their specific needs and current situation and presented the appropriate solution to your prospect then you have earned the right to ask them for their money. Here are a few ideas that will help you reach this point:
Avoid launching into a lengthy discussion of what you can do for your client until you thoroughly understand what business challenges they face and the problems, concerns or issues they need resolved. Use open questioning to gather this information and avoid making assumptions or jumping to conclusions too quickly. Instead, listen carefully to what they say and clarify anything that is not clear. Ask them to elaborate by using prompters such as “uh-huh,” “tell me more,” and “what else?”
When it comes time to present your product or service, try not to limit the prospect to one option. Provide a choice of solutions that meet their specific concerns. Explain the benefits of each option, and when necessary, also discuss the drawbacks of each alternative. However, do not present so many options that the decision becomes overwhelming or difficult. Be prepared to tell your prospect which option best suits their needs if they ask.
Speak in terms they can understand, avoiding the use of terminology they may not recognize. A case in point; as I developed my web site, I found myself talking to people who were extremely knowledgeable but they used terminology that sounded like a foreign language to me. I found myself getting frustrated, and in some cases feeling a bit dumb, because I had to keep asking them what they meant. Be very cautious how much jargon you use in your presentations and make sure your customer understands what you are saying.
Recognize that objections are a natural component of the sales process. It’s common for a customer express several objections before she makes the decision to commit to the purchase. Don’t take these objections personally and do not assume that it means the other person is not interested. Understand that your prospect will likely have specific concerns about making a decision particularly if they have never done business with you. Clarify their objections to uncover the true hesitation – do not hesitate to probe deeper to explore the real issues preventing them from making a decision. In most cases, your prospect will give you the information you need providing you keep your approach non-confrontational and neutral. Learn to handle objections in a non-argumentative manner. When you uncover their true objection keep your response brief and to the point. Talking too much will seem that you are trying to justify your product or price. Plus, you can sometimes talk yourself out a sale if you aren’t careful.
Ask for the sale. In many cases, your prospect expects you to ask for the sale. And as long as you do not pressure or try to coerce them into making a decision, they won’t be offended by your request. Develop the confidence to ask for the sale in a variety of ways and begin asking every qualified person for their commitment. Recognize that many people want to be given permission to make a decision and look to the salesperson for that permission.
Lastly, take a lesson from Sam and learn the importance of polite persistence. The most successful sales people ask for the sale seven or eight times and don’t give up at the first sign of resistance. Research has shown that these individuals consistently earn more than their coworkers and peers.
Copyright 2004, Kelley Robertson
Kelley Robertson, President of the Robertson Training Group, works with businesses to help them increase their sales and motivate their employees. He is also the author of “Stop, Ask & Listen – Proven sales techniques to turn browsers into buyers.” Visit his website at www.RobertsonTrainingGroup.com and receive a FREE copy of “100 Ways to Increase Your Sales” by subscribing to his 59-Second Tip, a free weekly e-zine.