 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
November 13, 2008
Have you ever seen anyone walk in with a tie that clashes with the rest of their suit? How about when someone says something totally inappropriate for a conversation? Doesn't that just jar people into silence and staring? It's an immediate turn-off and people will often mock things that are out of ..
November 13, 2008
The success of a chameleon depends on its ability to blend in with its environment to escape detection. This strategy is similar in that you want to blend in with the marketplace, not to avoid detection though, but to enhance the probability that your offering will be accepted as a natural part of ..
November 13, 2008
People understand the great motivation to lie: self-gain. Lying in this day and age is rampant, from politicians to lovers. People lie to get their way. Just like when you were little and your parents asked you:"Did you do your homework?" And, you lied to get out of having to do it. If our parents ..
November 13, 2008
The timing for this strategy is at the beginning, in the middle, and near the end. At the beginning, you are trying to establish rapport with your sales prospect by finding innocuous ways to connect and harmonize with the other person. In face-to-face interactions this might mean having a cup of ..
November 12, 2008
If you wish to guarantee that people will enjoy being around you, smile. Smiling says to the world, “Hey look at me! I am happy and I would like to meet you. I hope you have a great day. I am positive and fun and attractive.Attractive people do more business and all it takes is a smile. A ..
November 12, 2008
It's been one week since we elected a new president.It doesn't matter if you are a Democrat or a Republican, change is coming to town.So what are we in for?Take a look at these headlines from the Wall Street Journal last week. That's right these headlines were all in last week's papers."Bank ..
November 12, 2008
85% of new sales people leave the job within their first three years. Fast food joints have a better retention rate and they're paying people minimum wage. You're offering to make them rich and they're still running out the door so fast you need to grease the hinges weekly. Take a step back and ..
November 12, 2008
Agents lose control of the listing presentation when they allow the sellers’ agenda to take over the discussion. I have listened to agents who have lost control to the seller in the first five minutes. The problem for most agents is once they lose control, they don't have the skill to wrestle .
November 12, 2008
In a recent article, I gave you 5 of my favorite strategies for getting those first few clients FAST, especially when you're short on marketing money.You may have noticed something about these strategies - most of them involve “getting yourself out there" and approaching others. Now, I'm all .
November 12, 2008
Testing the response you get over the phone can be difficult as everyone you speak to is different and everyone will react in a different way but there are things you can test your potential customers response to when you talk to them over the phone.Firstly it is a very good idea to have a script ..
November 11, 2008
1. Map your route. Good logistics can save you 30 minutes or more between calls. Don't leave it up to chance, teach your assistant how to read a map and map out your week.2. If it ain't closing, kill it. Any prospect that is still circling the top of the funnel long after the buzzards have landed ..
November 11, 2008
1. Retrace your steps. The simplest customer to sell is the one you've already sold. Do you really have 100% of the business that this client could give you? If you don't know, then you're not really inside of that account. Get to know your clients and your share of wallet with each one. Have a ..
November 11, 2008
In one really successful distribution company that I work with, all of the outside sales people have the business card title, Business Development Representative.I didn't create it but I really like it!Think about it! If you could help everyone of your customers and potential customers to achieve ..
November 11, 2008
All successful salespeople know that the secret to success, particularly at the wholesale distribution and long-term sales game, revolves around trust and relationships that you have built over time. You get that trust and build those relationships by following a set of “sales golden rules". ..
November 11, 2008
Shakespeare's famous quote “To be or not to be, that is the question" can easily be changed to focus our attention on a key question facing every business just getting started: “What to sell or what to service, that is the question".Many people think they want to start a business of ..
November 11, 2008
The first question I am going to ask - do you ask for referrals? Amazingly, most people do not. Second question, are your customers so happy with you and your product/service that they tell others about you? If they are, then you should be asking even more. Do you get upset when someone asks you ..
November 11, 2008
For the last five to 10 years, many entrepreneurs have been promoting and living by the idea of “Ready, Fire, Aim!" Using this strategy, a business owner invests more in rapid development. They create products, workshops and service offerings that may or may not work. They throw their entry ..
November 11, 2008
I just finished Michael Port's book “The Contrarian Effect - Why It Pays (BIG) to Take Typical Sales Advice and Do the Opposite". Michael and coauthor Elizabeth Marshall have put into words what I and many top sales professionals have be doing and preaching for years.If you're in sales (and ..
October 22, 2008
In a time with so much economic uncertainly, consumers are on the hunt for bargains. And consumers aren't the only ones tightening up their belts; businesses large and small are scrutinizing purchases more than ever.Whether your company sells to consumers or business, creative promotion strategies ..
October 22, 2008
I was speaking with a client the other day about the economy and business, and he said something that surprised me. We were talking about advertising and just as I was waiting for him to tell me he was pulling back, he told me he was charging ahead as aggressively as he could. When I asked him why, .
October 21, 2008
Remember the last time you daydreamed? You left your conscious self for a moment and took a mental vacation. A similar thing can happen in the sales process. It's all about building anticipation in your prospects.Whey you go to a restaurant, the server may tell you about the day's specials. If he ..
October 05, 2008
You should know that not all retailers, large or small, get their merchandise directly from the manufacturers. Often, retailers will use what is called wholesale distributors to acquire the products to sell to you, an individual consumer. These wholesale distributors will purchase very large ..
October 05, 2008
During challenging times you have two choices; whine, complain and sit and wait for things to get better or you can start to see your challenges in new creative ways learning how to use these difficult periods as opportunities to get better, smarter and more effective.Generally speaking poor ..
October 04, 2008
Why be different when you can be the same as everyone else?Why stand-out when you can blend in?Why is blending in so much easier?Why is standing out from the competitive crowd often viewed as risky business?It all starts with your childhood. Now, I'm not a shrink but I do think it goes all the way ..
September 26, 2008
I am right there with you, executing daily my To Do List that consists of what I feel will get my product line the attention it deserves and so desperately needs. We all churn away at the endless list of things that we hope and, often times feel certain, will drive our companies to that next level ..
September 25, 2008
Do you find that your prospects are focused on the price of your products and services and often pressure you to give them discounts?You've told your prospects in so much detail about all the great value they will receive but they just don't seem to get it. You know that if only they could see the ..
September 24, 2008
The news says everyone is worried about the economy and consumers are spending less. Is this causing your product sales to decline? Typically consumers cut back spending during hard economic times. So how can you counteract product doldrums when the economy is in a recession or a slowdown?The first .
September 24, 2008
Do you hate selling?Maybe you're even one of the many people who hates sales, salespeople and everything that goes along with it. Honestly, these days I don't blame you.From telemarketers to used car salesmen, we're bombarded with people trying to force us to buy things we don't really want or ..
September 23, 2008
On a recent call, one of my protégé students had posted to our forum something that illustrated yet again one of the most important points in selling and that's the difference between persuasive sales versus the manipulative close.When I was about 19 or 20 years old I owned a health spa which I ..
September 22, 2008
What's your selling style?Ready aim fire . . .Ready fire aim . . .Ready aim, aim, aim . . .Are you ready to sell?How do you know you're ready?10 . . . 9 . . . 8 . . . 7 . . . 6 . . . 5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .Lift-off!Imagine you're the pilot of the space shuttle.Months of preparation ..
September 22, 2008
I find it incredible that so many people intentionally try to make their advertisement, look like advertisement...There has been numerous studies done by the New York Times that prove that articles get up to 80% more readership than ads.So why does everyone and their mother make websites that look ..
September 22, 2008
Sales just might be the most feared of all professions there are. Either you are fearful of the aggressive, overbearing and totally unprofessional sales person or you are fearful to become that sales person...or maybe your fear both!It's interesting, I have been a professional sales consultant my ..
September 21, 2008
While spending the week with family in Colorado, my brother-in-law, Jason, and I spent one morning traveling the mountainous back country on my father's ATVs. Thrilled by both scenery and speed, we took the hills with that wonderful combination of confidence and naiveté that men on 4-wheelers ..
September 21, 2008
One could make the argument that standing firmly by what we believe, regardless of popular opinion, is an important value to most Americans. It's too bad our politicians don't share this conviction. In both parties there are examples of politicians trying to fit in, whether it's Mitt Romney singing .
September 21, 2008
As I visited my mother in Florida, I made sure that the vehicle I was to be driving was equipped with a GPS system. There is nothing worse than being in a strange town and not knowing your way around.The lovely lady's voice coming from the GPS unit was reassuring, and I quickly learned to trust her .
September 21, 2008
Arriving at a coffee shop I have been to a thousand times before, I was slightly perturbed when I noticed that my regular seat was occupied. Noticing that the person I was there to meet had already reserved a different table, I grabbed a new chair as we shook hands and went through the regular, ..
September 17, 2008
As brokers, managers, and Agents we become caught up in the myth of sales volume. This myth does some of the greatest damage in this industry. We glorify the Agents with high sales volume and promote and encourage other Agents to be more like them. We award Agents and offices based on the sales ..
September 16, 2008
In a world filled with massive corporations that span across the globe, their stores in every single country, there is something appealing about the idea of a local business.Too often companies become so large there is no connection with them anymore. I feel like I am going into a store run by a ..
September 16, 2008
Not getting the bang for the buck from your sales efforts? Crank up the sales productivity the sales activity the energy and the pace. What you will need is first a commitment that this sales productivity program your about to introduce to your sales team is sustainable, a program or an idea de ..
September 16, 2008
For a business to grow, one is required to derive ways to increase the profit. Planning is the most important thing before any strategy can be set in motion. One must plan the whole profit making exercise, how it will be accomplished, and the necessary steps to take to achieve the plan. The best ..
September 16, 2008
Every company's main goal is to increase sales. This is because the rise in sales translates into more revenue which is profitability in a company. Sales are the parameters which are used to figure out the levels of development in many organizations. Due to the importance of sales, the sales ..
September 15, 2008
When you order a burger and the salesperson asks “Would you like fries with that," you've experienced a marketing tactic called cross-selling. This strategy encourages customers to purchase additional products and services that are related to the item they are already buying. Cross-selling ..
August 28, 2008
"Master," the Young Professional addressed his mentor, “You have told us that in order to hire us, a client must Like us and Trust us.""That is correct, Grasshopper," the Master replied."I understand how I can earn a client's Trust," continued the Young Professional, “But how do I get ..
August 27, 2008
Does this sound familiar?After dozens of phones calls and emails as well as several face-to-face meetings, you finally reach an agreement with a prospect who is intent on buying your service, product or solution."Whew! Another sale done," you think to yourself.But, wait. Before you start counting ..
August 26, 2008
While many are after the quick sale, that often results in a one-time sale, and could even hurt business in the future.How? By ensuring that your word-of-mouth advertising is negative rather than positive.Think of the real estate agent who covers up some defect in a house or property in his or her ..
August 26, 2008
"Without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value." --Jim RohnLet me repeat that because it's a building block of persuasion: without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value. That's an incredibly powerful statement and is absolutely spot on. In persuasion, once you've created trust and a ..
August 26, 2008
1. How much time have you allowed for our meeting?2. To understand how I may be of value to you I have to ask you some in depth questions, how do you feel about that?3. What do you currently have in place to protect succession, capital & revenue?4. Would you like the opportunity to get greater ..
August 25, 2008
I want to ask yourself this question right now: What is the true cost for a new client? After you factor in any mailings, the ads, the cold calling and time driving around to and from meeting with them, what are you looking at in terms of dollars? A hundred, two hundred, a thousand?You see, you ..
August 25, 2008
If you are selling to companies, chances are you are selling to multiple buyers. In some ways everything is the same when selling to multiple buyers as opposed to single buyers, and then again everything is different.Selling to multiple buyers is the same as selling to single buyers in that for ..
August 25, 2008
I don't know about you but if I were to open up a small business....my number one goal would be to make money. I'd like to take a cruise and dine in the finest of restaurants whenever my heart desires.Oh, and let's not forget...buy only bottled water and daily massages for my boxer, Boula. I can ..
| | |
Arts & Entertainment