Are Longwinded Sales Letters Still Effective

Writen by Robin Henry

Once or twice in the last five years I've read one of those inordinately lengthy sales letters from start to finish. (You know, the ones that Internet marketing gurus claim are essential to make huge sales.) They must have been some of the better written, interesting letters. Or I must have been starved for some literary stimulation.

Now I realise that I really don't have time to read all the hackneyed stuff inserted to establish credibility and to show how many testimonials one has collected. After the third or fourth testimonial, it all gets a bit 'ho hum'. We get the message.

Similarly, audio snippets are of little benefit and I usually pass them by. The ones I have listened to were simply readings of the written test. Why would I need to read it and hear it?

Today I came across one of those long sales letters and this time I took special note of how I process the information. First I read the opening paragraph to make sure that the program I had seen advertised was the one discussed here. Yes, it was. Yes, I was able to get a good overview of what this program was about right up front. I didn't have to wade through a tonne of fluff to find out what in hell this program was all about.

Next, I needed to know how much I was going to have to pay to own this program. Was that up front? No way. I scrolled down to the bottom of the six foot long page and eventually found a "Buy Now" button. Still no dollar signs anywhere to be seen. So I clicked on the Buy Now button and went to a processing site. Yes, the price was $97 and according to the writer, a terribly good bargain for a product who has made literally millions for so many people. If only I were to buy this program, my Internet marketing woes would all vanish and one day I'd be rolling in money like all of those about whom testimonials had been written.

While deciding whether I needed yet another program telling me how to make millions, I suddenly saw the freight fee of $75 and decided that today I could do without this product. ($172US is a fair stack of money in any currency).

So I backed out of the credit card processing pages and looked for another site I had on my list.

Now you know my MO. First, I verify what the program or service is ... does it promote link management, is it MLM, a pyramid scheme, or simply an ebook you buy? Next, I want to know how much it costs and specifically if the fee is recurring (these can be a real trap!). After that I look for some additional information if I need it that will give me some reason to believe it's worth the fee being charged. Most of the ebooks and other digital media I come across are over-priced when considering what you pay for similar type information in hard copy format.

I spoke with several of my colleagues who buy information products and services online and asked how they handle long sales letters. Without exception, they do the same as me; get an overview, look for the price and then make a decision about whether to purchase. Also without exception, they are annoyed when they can't find a price until they click on an order button.

I strongly suspect that the reason why long copy is being used and 'said' to be so much more successful is that copywriters earn more producing long copy. Now, I may be completely off track, but one has to wonder. What would be more conclusive is for one of the high fliers of Internet marketing to run some different advertisements, some short, the others long and see what works best.

Now there's a challenge. One option for the short sales letters is to either provide two options for users - one long, one short and let them choose (click through statistics would reveal preferences). Alternatively, brief information could be provided at the sales letter stage and a link provided to further information for anyone who wants to read it.

While I'm deciding whether length is better than quality, I've changed one of my ebook sites to a shorter version with a subscription box where visitors can get further information by autoresponder if required. That way I get an email address too.

I'll see what eventuates with this altered approach and determine whether my belief that surfers are fatigued by the long-winded sales letter and now prefer the concise, succinct version. Watch this space for a reply.

Copyright Robin Henry 2005

Robin Henry is an educator, human resources specialist and Internet entrepreneur. He helps small and home-based businesses and individuals improve performance by applying smart technology and processes and developing personally. He runs his business Desert Wave Enterprises from his home base at Alice Springs in Central Australia, although at present he is working in the United Arab Emirates.

Whats Your Clients Style

Writen by Susan Cullen

When it comes to effective selling, one simple fact never changes: Selling is a relationship business. You already know all about your company's products and services – and you've learned the fundamental aspects of the sales cycle.

But have you ever asked yourself … What helps one salesperson develop immediate rapport with prospects, and not others? What is he or she doing that is leading to long-term client relationships? How can I learn to do the same thing?

Research shows that prospects are more likely to buy when they unconsciously trust, and feel at ease with, the salesperson. They are more willing to open up and provide information critical to closing the sale. It appears that they are almost "helping" you make the sale, as opposed to fighting you in the process.

So how do you build this rapport?

AND YOU ARE...

The first key is to recognize that different behavioral styles do exist among prospects. You've probably seen from your own experience how one sales approach worked great with one person, yet you got a very different reaction from someone else.

Behavioral styles impact:

1. How a prospect wants you to sell to them.

2. How a prospect wants you to present information.

3. How much information you present.

4. How a prospect makes buying decisions.

The same approach won't work with everyone. As you learn to adapt your approach to make the customer feel more at ease, the relationship will improve and more sales will eventually result.

You can identify an individual's behavioral style preference by using the Personal Profile System® developed by Carlson Learning Company. It classifies behavior into four styles: "D", "I", "S", and "C".

HOW DO YOU LIKE MY STYLE?

"D" STYLE

Your ID, please? You can recognize these individuals as being fast-paced and direct when speaking – they're more interested in telling you information than in asking your opinion. They tend to think in terms of the bottom line. These individuals may have more formal, "can't read" facial expressions than other styles.

Sign here, please. When selling to the "D" style, don't bog them down with excessive socializing or details – get to the point quickly. Directly focus on how your product or service can help them achieve their goals. Emphasize the results you can help them obtain, while always letting them feel they're in charge. In other words, don't waste their time. Make your sales presentation direct and meaningful toward helping them achieve their objectives.

"I" STYLE

Your ID, please? "Influence," or "I" behavioral-style individuals are frequently thought of as "people persons." They're enthusiastic and upbeat – enjoying the interaction with others in a humorous, lighthearted way. These individuals can appear to be the eternal optimists, usually seeing the glass as half-full rather than half-empty, and can be quite persuasive about things they're passionate about.

You can identify them as being outgoing and direct, very talkative and interactive. These people tend to speak quickly, use animated expressions, and express their feelings freely. They can appear to be casual and friendly in their interactions with others and love to express themselves in a jovial, humorous way. Sometimes you'll notice trinkets or fun gadgets in their office – it's their way of adding levity to the work environment.

Sign here, please. When selling to the "I" style, match your pace and presentation to their energetic approach. Be friendly and sociable – let them know you like them personally. Where appropriate, take them to lunch. You need to provide testimonials and personal stories on how other people have responded to your company's product or service. Show enthusiasm for the benefits your product or service can provide. Also, make sure you support the individuals by providing whatever detailed follow-up work is necessary; don't ask them to do it. Make it easy for them to buy from you.

"S" STYLE

Your ID, please? The "Steadiness," or "S" behavioral style, is also people-oriented – but at a much slower pace than the "I" style. The "S" person doesn't like to be forced into making changes or quick decisions. They're patient, loyal, and calm, making them excellent listeners and "peacekeepers" when conflict breaks out. Their focus is on cooperating with people.

You can identify these individuals by their reserved, indirect, but people-oriented approach to others. Their speech may appear softer, with an open posture. They will have relaxed, warm facial expressions and prefer a casual approach.

Sign here, please. When selling to the "S" style, it's important that you listen to them. They need to feel you understand their needs. Assure the individuals that you and your organization are customer- and service-oriented. Just don't push them into quick buying decisions. Show how you're interested in a long-term relationship with their company, and that they can depend on you whenever necessary. The "S" style customers are more loyal to you when other vendors come knocking on their door.

"C" STYLE

Your ID, please? The "Conscientiousness," or "C" behavioral style, is quality-focused, slow-paced, methodical, and task-oriented. They focus on the details and are primarily concerned about doing things the "right" or "correct way." These individuals are analytical and frequently set higher standards for themselves than others.

You can recognize them as being reserved and more indirect than other styles. These people are formal, with a closed posture and "can't read" facial expressions. They don't like to express their feelings readily.

Sign here, please. When selling to the "C" style, make sure you have your facts straight. You'll need to answer analytical questions, showing references where possible. These individuals don't need you to socialize with them – they really don't want you to. These people want you to provide detailed information in order to make a correct buying decision. Then they will thoroughly assess your information before coming to a conclusion. Be slow-paced and formal in your approach with them – don't become overly enthusiastic or animated. Focus instead on facts, logic, and detailed analysis.

SCHIZOS

Although individuals have the ability to behave within all four styles, they tend to use one or two most often. There is no right or wrong style. Each has its own strengths and limitations. However, there are three key steps when applying the knowledge of behavioral styles to a sales situation:

1. Understand your own behavioral style in the sales environment.

2. Identify the prospect's behavioral style.

3. Adapt your approach to best fit the prospect's behavioral style needs.

DO's & DON'TS

Most salespeople tend to sell to others the way they would like someone to sell to them. That's not going to work!

"D" for Dominant

Do
* Focus on "what"
* Provide options
* Be efficient
* Focus on results

Don't
* Assume without getting an opinion
* Over socialize
* Emphasize unnecessary details
* Waste time

"I" for Influence

Do
* Focus on "who"
* Provide testimonials
* Be upbeat and friendly
* Handle details when possible

Don't
* Emphasize technicalities of product
* Be overly formal or reserved
* Add to client's workload
* Leave decisions unclear

In sales it's important to remember this rule: "Do unto others as they would have you do unto them."

"S" for Steadiness

Do
* Focus on "how"
* Assure client's buying decision
* Provide excellent attention and service
* Patiently listen to needs

Don't
* Rush client into quick buying decisions
* Forget to regularly follow up
* Have an "I don't care" attitude
* Be abrupt or fast

"C" for Conscientiousness

Do
* Focus on "why"
* Use a logical approach
* Answer questions accurately
* Provide evidence of quality

Don't
* Be overly enthusiastic or social
* Be unprepared or lack product knowledge
* Appear disorganized
* Rush decision-making

Susan Cullen is President of Quantum Learning Solutions, Inc., based in New Jersey (609) 683-9218. She speaks on the topic of "People Literacy" and is a distributor for Inscape Publishing, publishers of the Personal Profile System®. She has over 15 years experience in Organizational Development and is considered an expert in the use of blended learning methodologies for lasting organizational change. For more information go to http://www.quantumlearn.com or you can reach us at (800) 683-0681.

Communicate To Succeed

Writen by Kelley Robertson

During a recent visit to a local electronics retailer the sales person I usually dealt with was engaged with another customer so someone else helped me and answered my questions. I wasn't ready to make the purchase that day but when I returned almost two weeks later my regular "sales guy", had obviously been told what product I was considering. That meant that I didn't have to go through the entire sales process again which saved me time.

A couple of days later, I discovered that a particular component was missing from the package so I called the store to have it replaced. My sales person was not working but someone else handled the call and told me I could pick it anytime. When I arrived at the store the following day, the sales person—a different one than the previous two— was expecting me and knew exactly what I needed. Once again, it was obvious that his coworker had briefed him on the situation.

This level of communication among the employees definitely reinforced my decision to continue buying from that store. Plus, it got me thinking about the impact effective communication can have on a business.

Customers often make requests, and while the person they initially spoke to is aware of the situation, their coworkers usually don't know what's going on. This means that the customer has to explain their situation again—in some cases, several times—before the situation gets resolved. Think of situations when you call a company and tell the person who answers the telephone about your situation. They transfer you to someone else and you have to re-state your concern or problem again. Sometimes, this person cannot help you so they pass you to yet another person. Once again, you have to repeat your story and it's not uncommon for this process to be repeated several times before you connect with the right person and finally get a resolution to your situation.

All of this takes time. And time is the most precious commodity people have today. When you communicate customer concerns or situations to other people on your team you make it easy for people to do business with you. You save them time. You demonstrate a higher level of customer service. And this encourages people to buy from you.

This also applies to the speed at which you respond to your customers whether it's by email, telephone, or in face-to-face situations. I can't count the number of time I have contacted companies by filling out their on-line web-forms but never received a response. A car dealership I deal with suggests making service appointments via their website but their process doesn't always work which means the appointment doesn't get made or that relevant information gets lost. In other cases, I have requested quotes for products or services but no one ever responded. In fact, in one situation a salesperson called me two months AFTER I submitted my request. By that time, I had already given my business to one of their competitors. On a positive note, I have emailed some companies and received a response within a few hours. Unfortunately, this tends to be the exception rather than the rule.

Effective communication means reducing the number of steps your customers have to take. It means making sure that the automated systems you put into place work and that someone actually responds by emailing or calling that customer quickly. Here are a few other situations that prompt, effective and communication will help you improve your business and customer loyalty.

When customers are waiting for back-orders. Instead of forcing your customer to contact you, be proactive and keep them apprised of their order. While it's not enjoyable telling people that their order hasn't arrived yet, it's better to be proactive.

When your customers have complaints or concerns. The faster you take care of customer concerns and the fewer hoops you make them jump through, the more satisfied they will be. If you can't solve their problem immediately, give them a time frame then keep them updated of the progress. Don't make them call you. When policies change. Give your customers advance notice when your policies change. This will give them time to adapt to the change and reduce the number of complaints you receive. In today's highly competitive business world you can't afford to make it difficult for your customers to do business with you. Otherwise, you run the risk that they will jump ship and use another company or supplier.

When you improve your communication with your customers and within your company, you improve your service which leads to repeat sales. Effective communication can help you improve your sales. It may seem trivial but it definitely makes a difference. © 2006 Kelley Robertson, All rights reserved.

Kelley Robertson, President of the Robertson Training Group, works with businesses to help them increase their sales & profitability, improve their customer service, and motivate their employees. Receive a FREE copy of "100 Ways to Increase Your Sales" by subscribing to his free newsletter available at http://www.RobertsonTrainingGroup.com Kelley speaks regularly at conferences, sales meetings, and corporate functions. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or Kelley@RobertsonTrainingGroup.com.

Selling Trade Show Sales For Services

Writen by Lance Winslow

If you own a service company perhaps you might look into selling to tradeshow exhibitors. There are so many services that tradeshow exhibitors need from cleaning and detailing of equipment, automobiles and trucks to consulting, tradeshow models and catering.

If you own a service company this can be of great benefit to you, but first you must be certified to work on the property and give a copy of your insurance to the managers of the tradeshow facility. And additionally they'll want you to fill out forms to make sure they know who you are and what you will be doing.

There are many services that only the union people will be allowed to do in the tradeshow facility might there are also many services that the union workers at the tradeshow company will not be able to perform because they do not have the expertise to do it properly. The trick to selling tradeshow services is to have a proper list of all the vendors and exhibitors that will be at the tradeshow in advance so that you can call the marketing departments of each company to make a contact and find out what they need and the services they desire.

Selling services to trade shows or helping them with sales staff may not be as hard you think. Most exhibitors would rather higher out is much as they can rather than have extra people to come with the team and pay for their hotels, food and travel expenses. You will be making money by saving them money and therefore you will always be a desired and needed service please consider this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

The Basic Secrets Of A Million Dollar Sales Letter

Writen by Gerri D Smith

"Accepting the consequences, good or bad, will free you; take a risk, but be aware that things sometimes turn out differently than you expected." -Marcia Wieder

No matter what you try to sell, you really won't sell anything without getting a prospective buyer to purchase your product or service. In attempting to sell your merchandise or services, the sales letter you send out is when and how you talk to your prospect.

All winning sales letters speak to your prospect by creating an image in the mind of the reader. They set the scene by appealing to a desire or need, then flows smoothly into the visionary part of the sales presentation. This visionary process describes in detail how wonderful life will be and how good the prospect is going to feel after the product is purchased or the service has been performed. This is the heart, soul, and secret of a million dollar sales letter. In your sales letter and your marketing campaigns, give your prospect a clear vision of the benefits they will receive or take away from what you are offering.

For this to happen, your winning sales letter must follow a time-tested and proven formula known by the acronym AIDA:

A - You must get your prospect's Attention.

I - Give your prospect an Interest in what you can do for her.

D - Create a Desire for the benefits you're offering.

A - Request some Action from your prospect.

The Attention for your offer first comes from your headline. If it's not compelling or a heart-stopping attention getter, work a little harder to make it so. Look at other advertisements that have made you stop and take a second look at what was offered. Then come up with a better one of your own that fits your offer. A powerful headline is 80% of the success or failure of your sales letters and promotions.

When your headline expresses your unique positioning statement -- the million dollar phrase that captures in just a few words the "essence" of what you have to offer and how it will benefit a customer. A compelling headline can go the extra distance as an opening line for your sales letter and goes a long way towards establishing your "brand."

Is the offer of Interest to your potential customer? What makes your product or service distinctive from your competition? Why would a prospect buy your product or use your service over another's? Make the image of your product important. Whatever you offer should have the power to stay in the marketplace a long time. Just because life changes so rapidly, your product and/or service doesn't have to conform. Potential customers need to know you'll be there when they are ready to purchase your product or service.

How can you make your product or service Desirable? This is where the benefits are highlighted. Will it make the prospect feel more healthy? Save money? Lose more pounds ? Will it make them look more beautiful? Find ways to communicate the benefits to your potential customers. Use words that are powerful and irresistible like: magic, caring, power, richer happier, abundance, appealing, and enticing.

After announcing or promoting your offer, what is the result or, what type of Action do you wish your prospect to take? Be clear on your directions. Do you want them to request additional information, by telephone? By email? Must she mail a check? Call for further details? Or, just give an opinion?

Working the above AIDA formula into each of your sales letters and business marketing campaigns will determine the success of your business. And putting passion, purpose, and truthfulness into each sales message will work wonders - and bring you success.

Copyright, 2004

Gerri D Smith is publisher and host of multiple Gateways to inspiration, motivation, and support for individuals, women business owners, and entrepreneurs. Gerri's internet resource offers ways to unlock the doors to your personal and business empowerment. Now is a perfect time to own your own business and discover some of the best ways to market a product. One is by letting your customers see it before they buy it. This concept is a sharing of information and is made available by the Internet. Best of all it's delivered right to your email doorstep. Why not invest in your future, now. To help you reach more of your personal and business goals, subscribe to Gerri's Free bi-monthly inspirational newsletter.

Visit: http://www.distinctivebusinesswomen.com Or, send a blank email and your correct email address and mailto: gerri@distinctivebusinesswomen.com?Subject=EZ-Scribe

Overcoming Selfdoubt In Selling

Writen by Jacques Werth

Anyone who has done any selling realizes that some forms of rejection are inherent in the selling process. Obviously, not everyone will buy.

When a sale doesn't close, two types of salespeople emerge. One knows that his/her best has been done, but factors beyond their control may have caused a blockage to making the sale. The other type of salesperson is one who takes rejection personally, experiencing residual low self-esteem, and self-doubt about the future or the next selling opportunity. Such self-doubt will most likely cause this type of salesperson to attempt to dominate and/or control the next prospect. This action will greatly inhibit the possibility of closing the next sale. Unspoken customer resentment, or, apathy will result.

It has been my experience, while working with salespeople over the last few years, that the chief inhibiting force that precludes sales success is self-doubt. How does this self-defeating mechanism originate? In childhood! So many parents see their children as extensions of themselves! If they experience self-doubt as parents or in their overall personas, they often impose their self-doubt on their children through domination, or control to compensate for perceptions of weakness. Any lack of personal strength or self-doubt in a parent will greatly reduce recognition of a child's own strong abilities. They may even regard their children as a threat. A child's strengths can be a powerful spotlight on what they failed to accomplish - either in their own childhood or in their adult life. It is quite difficult for a child to succeed or realize their potential in this environment.

Success may even bring guilt for the child, because it may create a perception of separation from who and what the parent is. A foundation for self-doubt has been laid- the child may succeed in some way, but will it be acknowledged? Or, the child's success may bring out that classic remark, "You should have done better." "Why didn't you get an A?" A child will then have self-doubt and any success will appear empty. In this powerfully negative dimension, an overall question will surely arise - "If I'm successful, who will recognize or appreciate it?" Thus begins self-doubt, which can become a life-long pattern.

Very few people become salespeople as their first choice of occupations. They land in a sales job. The principal reason for this may be about money, but a more important reason is that in sales there is a daily opportunity to prove oneself - in an attempt overcome self-doubt. Along with this quest for validation, difficult questions will soon emerge: "Can I really do this work successfully? Can I perpetuate any success that I might create? How can I move up to the next level of success?" Infused with some degree of self-doubt, these reactions often become part of the fabric of a salesperson's work life and personal life.

How can these patterns of self-doubt be healed or changed? First, there must be an acceptance that no degree of selling success can fill in the emotional or practical reactions to what did, or didn't, happen in one's youth. Any attempt to gain power over others in the selling process to compensate for self-doubt or weakness in one's background is completely futile.

Secondly, realize that everyone, at times, has self-doubt. A way to overcome it is to make conscious supportive choices at these difficult times. A fine one is to seek out communicational intimacy, with a trusted friend or relative, through emotional honesty. Positive emotional connections help to create a supportive environment when self-doubt is present. The power of emotional truth also creates a profound sense of unity and well-being at times when low self-esteem spontaneously arises out of self-doubt.

Thirdly, organize your daily thinking around the inner strengths that you possess. These might be honesty, loyalty, creativity, dedication to completing tasks, tenacity and/or most importantly, your love for family or friends. Whatever your personal strengths may be, honor them. Remember, it is the qualities that cannot be taken away from you that have the most value in life - even in the face of self-doubt. This isn't just self-talk in the midst of self-defeating patterns. It is honoring the best of who you are while in the midst of adversity.

©Jacques Werth, High Probability® Selling - All rights reserved.

Jacques Werth, author of "High Probability Selling," is an internationally respected Sales Trainer and Sales Consultant. HPS graduates are excelling as Top Producers in over 70 industries. Visit http://www.highprobsell.com to read more articles, preview the book, and learn more about High Probability Selling.

What Are Referral Fees And How Can They Get You Key Introductions

Writen by Mark Smock

As a proactive business buyer you sometimes must get as creative as you can to qualify viable business acquisition candidates. If you have your eye on a company that is of great interest to you and it is particularly challenging to get to a specific corporate decision maker, you may want to consider using referral fee's as a creative means to get that critical introduction.

Use of referral fee's in many industries is nothing new to get highly sought after introductions, but using them in a business buyer qualification process is quite unique.

Responding to a business-for-sale listing is easy for a business buyer because the business seller has made an "official" proclamation that he intends to sell his company. For companies that are not "for sale", but might be, it is imperative that the business buyer contact a senior level manager who has the authority, knowledge and potential motivation to consider a viable purchase offer. Being able to differentiate which managers within a targeted organization have the status and motivation to say "yes" to a purchase inquiry, versus most managers within the same company who naturally have other motives and reasons to always say "no"… is fundamental to securing realistic initial acquisition discussions.

How Do I Get to That Guy?

Automated phone answering systems, voice mail, administrative assistants and receptionists limit initial voice contact with senior executives. E Mails are also often deleted, or never read if the corporate receiver does not recognize the sender's name among hundreds of daily e mails they receive. Approaching senior managers in company parking lots is forbidden and trying to talk with them privately at a trade show is very challenging.

Effective use of a reward base referral technique from someone who either knows or works with your targeted corporate contact can differentiate you from all other business buyers. It may also be the best and ONLY means you have to start a merger or acquisition dialogue.

Salesman: God Bless Them!

Sales personnel, either targeted company employees, or better yet, contracted independent sales representatives; offer you the easiest channel to get that targeted company introduction.

It may be too much of a generalization to make, but sales personnel more than any other function in a company offer you, the business buyer, five traits that you can leverage to your advantage.

1) Sale types typically will talk to anyone about anything – simply contact them, ask your questions or seek their help.

2) Sales personnel are inclined to be "independent operators", even within the most disciplined of organizations; they work their own programs, when and where they want, with relatively little concern about internal politics

3) Sales people answer their phones, listen to their voice mail, read messages and return calls because they think you want to BUY something!

4) Salesman know just about everyone within every branch of the company and for various reasons have consistent exposure and often well established relationships with key corporate decision makers

5) Sales types are very motivated by money! They will especially talk to you if you can potentially do two things for them:

A) Offer them "easy money"
B) Provide another viable contact for them to potentially land a better sales position

So… How Does the Deal Go Down?

From anywhere in the country you can call into the corporate office and ask to speak to a local or regional sales representative. Once you get their number, simply call them and introduce yourself as someone who greatly admires their company and has interest in understanding who within their senior management can say "yes" to a business merger proposal (be sure to say only "merger"). Sales types understand and appreciate this inquiry process because they live it everyday. You have a person on the other end of the phone who is naturally motivated to help you. More often than not, all you got to do is shut up and listen to the information that flows.

If you get any form of resistance or down right rejection, remember you can always simply thank them for their time and go call another sales person. If you are hearing cooperation then, and only then, do you offer a modest referral fee arrangement. It is critical that you tell the salesman that the referral fee is standard practice for your firm and that it can either be paid to them directly, in confidence, upon eventual merger or acquisition closing, or, you'd be happy to donate the money to their favorite charity. Most will simply help you for no fee.

To conclude, the referral fee process, be sure to document the following relevant information gotten from the sales representative: The spelling of the name of the senior manager, their official title, confirmation that this manager is the best contact within the company, a clear understanding of their relationship with that senior manager (if weak, try another sales person) and their OK that you can use their name to get the senior manager to talk with you.

Remember, you really only have one shot to get to that senior manager, so if you think you need to contact two or three salesman to validate who really is the key manager to call about mergers and acquisition inquiries and who of the three salesman has the best relationship with that senior manager than it is in your best interest to do so.

Getting to difficult-to-contact executives about acquisition interests often has to be a premeditated, systematic, creative process. Like in any selling situation, getting to the "right" decision maker dramatically increases the probability of sales success. Incorporate this technique into your company acquisition qualification process.

About the Author:

Mark Smock is President of http://www.business-buyer-directory.com, the FIRST international business buyer directory of its kind. Business Buyer Directory provides a non-traditional means for proactive business buyers to locate businesses for sale worldwide that meet their exact registered purchase criteria

Avoid The What If Approach

Writen by Kelley Robertson

"What if I could show you how you could save money, would that be of interest to you?" "What if I told you that you could capture more market share, would you like to hear how we can help you do this?" "What if our system saved you time, would that be of value to you?" "What if I matched our competitor's price, would you buy it?"

What if you were a buyer who heard one of these lines? Would you feel compelled to buy from that person? I highly doubt it.

Manipulative selling techniques are seldom effective when it comes to dealing with customer objections and they really have no place in the world of professional selling. Even though it's an old and tired approach, I encounter sales people who think that the "What if" method of overcoming objections is still effective.

The real key is to address your prospect's objections during the sales process. This means asking the right questions early in the sales process and positioning your product, service, or solution so that you answer their objections before they express them.

It's fair to say that many people will have objections about buying your product and the most effective way to get past this is to uncover what their true concerns are before you start talking about your solution. This means that you need to invest time asking questions to learn more about their particular situation. It really doesn't matter what you sell; this is a critical aspect of successful selling.

You need to ask high-quality questions that make your customer or prospect think. This may sound easy but in reality, it is actually very difficult because thought-provoking question are tough to ask. Many sales people perceive these types of questions as personal and often think that their customers and prospects will not be willing to respond to them. What's important to remember is that most business people, especially senior executives ask tough questions, and as a result. have little or no hesitation in responding to them. In fact, their level of respect for you will increase when you pose challenging questions. I'm not suggesting that you challenge your prospect; I'm simply recommending that you learn to ask high-level questions.

Here are some examples of thought-provoking, high-level questions:

▪ What are your goals in the next 6-12 months?

▪ How do you plan to achieve these goals?

▪ What challenges are you experiencing in reaching these goals?

One of the challenges sales people have in asking these types of questions is that they can't always anticipate the answer which means they don't have an immediate response available. But that's not the objective. Your goal is to find out what problems your prospect is facing. Then, assuming your product or service can help them, you can position solution more effectively.

You need to develop the courage to ask difficult questions; questions that you may not feel comfortable posing. This means that you should practise asking these questions before you actually meet with your prospect. I remember a sales meeting with a new prospect and as the meeting drew to a close, I had one question that I was very uncomfortable asking. Fortunately, I had rehearsed this question before the meeting so I took the leap and presented it to my prospect. There was a long silence afterwards but I remained silent and after a few moments, my prospect responded and gave me the additional information I needed to move the sale forward. Had I not asked that particular question, I would have developed a proposal that would not have addressed their specific needs and situation. And I probably would have lost the sale.

That was a huge learning experience and it taught me the importance of rehearsing and verbally stating the questions I wanted to ask. As I reflected on this conversation, I realized that I could have posed this same question with other prospects in the past and achieved difference results.

Let's face it. Your customers and buyers are much more sophisticated than ever before and in all likelihood they have heard every line similar to this. And they despise people who use tired and traditional lines or manipulative approaches. If you have been selling for any period of time, you know that most people express certain objections about making a buying decision. In fact, you probably hear similar objections on a regular basis. Most sales are closed because your customer sees the value in your product or service or because you have established yourself as an expert who can help them solve a problem.

Asking, "What if I could" is not an effective approach. It's old. It's tired. And it seldom works. © 2006 Kelley Robertson, All rights reserved.

Receive a FREE copy of "100 Ways to Increase Your Sales" by subscribing to his free newsletter available at http://www.RobertsonTrainingGroup.com.

Kelley speaks regularly at conferences, sales meetings, and corporate functions. For information on his programs contact him at Kelley@RobertsonTrainingGroup.com or 905-633-7750.

Kelley Robertson, President of the Robertson Training Group, works with specialty retailers to help their employees get the most from each sale."

Einsteins Theory Of Selling

Writen by Maura Schreier-Fleming

Did you know that Albert Einstein had a theory on selling? He said, "Doing things the same way you always have and expecting the results to be different is insanity." He may not have realized it at the time, but what better theory to apply to selling? Selling is complex and we face many challenges. We think that doing what we've always done is a strategy for success. Yet the choices we make are critical to our success. As your new year unfolds, what are you planning to do? Is it more insanity or getting different results? Doing it. What do you want to do different? Sometimes when we're busy doing our job we lose sight of where our challenges are. What has stressed you? Think about all the times you thought last year "if only I could do X," "if only I knew more about Y," or "there's got to be a better way to do this." Maybe it was putting a bid proposal together, addressing the time inefficiencies of business travel, or improving your use of technology. Remember those thoughts and make a plan to incorporate them as goals in your 1999 selling. Write your goals down, set a due date and quantify how you will achieve them.

For some people, it's hard to be creative and come up with new ideas for change. Get others to help you achieve your goals. You don't have to reinvent the wheel. There are enough salespeople, books and Internet sites that can be ready sources of guidance. Expect that it may take time to see results. Just remember, if you're going to be complaining to yourself this year about something you faced last year, you're contradicting Einstein's Theory of Selling.

Showing it. We can plan to do things differently for our customers as well. How do you show your customers you appreciate them? Lunches are fine, but everyone does them. What else could you do that sets you apart that also builds rapport with your customers? When you read the newspaper and other journals, are you looking for articles that are of particular interest to select clients? What business book (or other book) could you recommend to your customer that would enhance his job performance? Each time you send information that helps your customers, you are also saying you care about them and their business.

What about our customers' expectations?

We certainly demonstrate by our past actions what our customers can expect from us as suppliers. We also know the results we have gotten from our behavior. If these results are what you want, keep doing more of the same. If they're not, Albert would say to do something different.

Now that the year is new, you can make it a different one. You can choose what you do in your selling. You can set your own expectations for results. Then later this year when you examine your results, remember that selling is all relative. It's relative to your choices and your expectations. Even Einstein would agree.

Maura Schreier-Fleming works with business and sales professionals on skills and strategies so they can sell more and be more productive at work. She is the author of Real-World Selling for Out-of-this-World Results which is available at http://www.BestatSelling.com She founded her company Best@Selling in 1997. You can reach her at 972.380.0200 or info@Bestatsellling.com

What Does Should Have To Do With Selling

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

A few days ago I was thinking about my business, doing some calculations.

If I gather twenty business cards and call them all, I should be able to get ten on the line, and of the ten, I should be able to set three appointments.

From the three, I should close one.

So, it should take twenty prospects to close one deal, I told myself.

This exercise is called, doing the math of success, and every experienced salesperson does at least a version of it.

But there is a sneaky, insidious word, smack in the middle of this thought flow:

"Should."

Should isn't a factual term, and you won't find it in a text on logic, either. Mathematics doesn't speak in terms of should, and salespeople are to be cautioned about it's misuse, as well.

Should is actually a normative word, a moralistic term, as in, all good children should say please and thank-you, or I really should change my oil next week. Should pertains to desirable and undesirable, good and bad, right and wrong.

The problem in telling ourselves that we should earn one sale from calling a list of twenty prospects is it sets up an expectation that is more than a probability. If we miss, and we don't get one, we tell ourselves something is wrong.

This adds an unnecessary "charge" to our experience, a form of condemnation. Good salespeople, or at least competent ones, we tell ourselves, should get one in twenty.

But what if you get one in forty? What, then?

Are you cursed, in a slump, or a lousy salesperson?

All we know, factually, is it takes you 40 to get one, so for each sale you want to close, put 40 prospects into the calling cue.

That's reality, and "should" has nothing to do with it!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, "The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable," published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

Truths For Introverts Who Sell What We Dont Need To Learn The Extroverted Hard Way Part Two

Writen by Patricia Weber

Communications consists of both speaking and listening. There are studies on the customer side of two-way communications that point out qualities that introverts naturally have what buyers are craving. The key finding is a focus on listening to understand!

I don't usually give personal information readily.

Fact is, introverts listen more than talk. Now guess what extroverts who seem to have the corner on the rules in business, do more of? They talk! So, isn't this terrific? And, it's quite a coupe in the way that all is balanced in nature.

Whether you give a sales presentation, hold a staff meeting or attend a business-networking event, most people are more interested in what they have to say, not what someone else has to say. And introverts are right there ready to listen!

Why might introverts be less talkative and more taking in conversation? In The Introvert Advantage. Marti Olsen Laney discusses research that reveals introverts and extroverts are hard-wired differently. "…the introverted brain has a higher level of internal activity and thinking than the extroverted brain."

Introverts build idea sandboxes in their heads so that when they do speak in conversation, the information tends to be more thought out, on purpose and focused.

Take this sandbox metaphor further. An introvert's sand sculpture is highly likely more detailed, takes longer to build and may surprise people. The extrovert's sand sculpture may sometimes appear as if – it was built with a stop watch timer.

By the time introverts are ready to offer personal information, it is likely the time when there is a heightened rapport in a relationship. That means what is said will more likely be listened to and remembered.

Being focused on others; isn't that a sales basic?

Want to know if you are more introverted than not? Assess your degree of introversion at http://www.prostrategies.com/free/Type_Assess.php

You can also sign up at Pat's website at http://www.prostrategies.com for her free teleclasses! And a free monthly ezine.

Pat Weber - coach, certified telelcass leader, and corporate trainer, America's #1 Coach for Introverts. Working with salespeople, independent professionals and small business owners, to be as successful as you want to be, have fun and work with more energy.

Selling Without Selling

Writen by Lance Winslow

Have you even watched some sales people as they sell and you think to yourself they do not appear to be selling anything at all? Sure, they are a salesperson or account executive or whatever their fancy title for sales person says on their business card. They certainly are not hiding anything, they are selling and everyone knows it.

The prospect and potential customer and anyone else who is watching; yet they seem so smooth you wonder what are they doing and how are they so good at it? Well, they doing what I call selling without selling. Instead of what we think of when we hear the word selling, they are doing something totally different.

They are not doing most of the talking, they are not telling the customer to buy this or that or the other thing, no, instead they are selling, but without really selling you see? They are discussing with the potential customer or client their needs, interests and desires. They are engaging the prospect and customer in objections, likes and dislikes of the product or service.

They are developing rapport with client and making sure that what they are selling can do the trick for them. No on the surface it does not look like selling does it and perhaps this is why they make so many sales and still find it in them to walk away without remorse when the product or service that they are selling is not a good fit. I sincerely hope you will consider this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

Who Is In Control Of A Sales Call The Quiet One

Writen by Steve Martinez

Have you ever asked a salesperson a question and instead of getting your answer, you are asked another question? While this may seem frustrating, it is common for an experienced salesperson to use this tactic. Experienced sales people understand the art of questioning and how to take control of a conversation by asking questions. It is the inexperienced salesperson who thinks that by talking or presenting, you'll take control of the conversation.

Many salespeople never learn the power or value of asking questions and this can prevent them from reaching higher sales volumes. The most important thing to establish is a purpose for the conversation. I am surprised by how many salespeople initiate a sales conversation without a plan or objective for the outcome. In this article we explore methods of taking control of a conversation using a few rules to follow as we enter into a conversation.

If conversations were a game and points were awarded toward a victory, the victory would always go to the person who asks the most questions. In sales, we sometimes think we're in control when we're talking or presenting. Too often an inexperienced sales person believes that an aggressive sales pitch and going straight for the presentation will impress the client. This might work well on a used car lot, but it does tremendous damage on the sales front in business to business. The following are a few rules to help you maintain control of a sales conversation.

Rule No. One: Set the stage at the beginning of the call.
If you don't begin your appointments by gathering or verifying your information, the contact may be in the dark about why you are talking to them in the first place. By sharing your objective with the contact, you invite their support and assistance toward your goal. In this way, you are asking the contact to help you achieve the right objective.

This will establish the team effort and your contact will know why you are asking some of the questions you might ask. Here is an example: "Before we review and present the benefits of my service, let's verify that my assessment of your application is accurate, by confirming a few questions."

Rule No. Two: Prepare for the contact and the conversation.
Seasoned salespeople know the questions they will ask, and based on the answers they get they will guide clients through the conversation they desire. They ask open and closed probing questions toward an objective. For some, the skill of asking questions has become an art form. They intuitively know the questions to ask -- to get the information they need -- to move forward in the sales process. For the less experienced, each opportunity in front of a contact is challenging and in these cases, preparation is key. We recommend you walk into each situation with a minimum of three questions.

Rule No. Three: Slow down, savor the opportunity and listen.
Regardless of the situation, take your time. There is nothing worse than to rush a conversation even if you have another appointment later. Always allow for enough time, when you can't either reschedule or push back the next appointment. If you are prepared and confident, you can take time with your questions. Listen intently and use silence when appropriate. A little silence will often prompt the client to offer more information to fill the void of discussion. Remember, the answers will help you develop the next question. If you feel rushed, slow down, act relaxed. It might also be wise to ask for a drink of water.

Steve Martinez is a Sales Management Growth Strategist and Founder of Selling Magic. Ask for a Sales Audit and subscribe to his ezine to Increase sales with the best practices of sales management at Selling Magic

Sales Speaker Says Forget The Competition

Writen by Dr. Gary S. Goodman

Have you ever heard the sports saying, "You have to run your own race"?

I interpret it this way, and I believe it pertains even more to selling.

(1) You can't focus on two things at once.

(2) You can only control your performance.

(3) The grass is greener on the other side, and from a distance our competitors look like giants, instead of the ants they probably are.

(4) Competitive advantages like a lower price are misleading and usually temporary.

(5) When they make you concentrate on them, they've won!

Our greatest fear, as salespeople and as businesspeople is that we are, fundamentally the same as our competitors, but this is patently false.

Even if you sell a commodity, such as steel or coal, or computer memory, there are dozens of things that distinguish you from your competition. These include your delivery and financing terms, your personality, your customer service attitudes, capabilities, and practices, your reputation, your experience with similar clients, your expertise, your availability, and even your good cheer and humor.

I could go on.

Although prospects like to tease us and to grind down our prices by shopping the competition, they still want to deal with us.

If we even come close on price, if they have sense they'll grab the deal because they know we're far and away the best choice available.

Keep that in mind, instead of worrying about your competition!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of http://www.Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, "The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable," published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations from Santa Monica to South Africa. He holds the rank of Shodan, 1st Degree Black Belt in Kenpo Karate. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com

For information about coaching, consulting, training, books, videos and audios, please go to http://www.customersatisfaction.com

The Allure Of Antique Store Fixtures

Writen by Jimmy Sturo

They say if you wait long enough, a style you liked in almost any genre will come back. This is as true for retail store fixtures as it is for clothing or styles of music. The look of the 1960s came back strong in the early 90s and now it appears as if the 1970s are enjoying a renaissance. This rule of thumb applies not only to the style and type of merchandise being sold, but also to the look and feel of the retail establishments selling them. A good way for a new retail business to save money on start up expenses is to do some research and find vintage store fixtures which can often be purchased for a fraction of their original cost. You may find yourself in a bidding war, however, as vintage store fixtures maintained in good condition are few and far between.

At one time or another in the last 100 years or so, a certain look was popular in retail stores. There was an era when wood was all the rage and in another era the look of choice was brushed metal. When plastics became big business in the 1950s, everybody jumped on the bandwagon and you couldn't turn around in a store without touching some form of display made out of plastic. Later, it was metal strands coated in rubbery plastic materials with outrageously loud colors such as bright orange spinning book racks or yellow and red clothes hangers made out of steel and coated with colored plastic.

In the retail industry as a whole, 28% of existing establishments close each year and over time almost 80% of stores close up or get bought out by competitors. Though it's not always good news for the retailer closing shop, it can be good for the new retailer because the old fixtures most likely get sold as scrap or auctioned off. If you are planning on opening your own retail store, start checking the local auctions in the city where you live. If there aren't enough, check the newspapers in the cities near you and be ready to travel. If all else fails, go online and check out the auction sites. Attractive, vintage store fixtures sometimes go unnoticed and can be purchased for pennies on the dollar if they happen to be just what you're looking for.

Store Fixtures Info provides detailed information on metal, antique, wholesale, and used store fixtures and store fixture parts. Store Fixtures Info is the sister site of Mannequins Web.

How To Write A Riveting Sales Letter That Closes Sales

Writen by Mike Jezek

How do you get people's attention and build their interest to take the time to read your sales letter? Let's face it. If you can't get the attention of prospects and keep their interest your sales letter will just fall flat on it's face and thus not make you much money.

Today, I'm going to show you how to take that limp sales letter and inject more money making power into it. How? You make your sales letter more riveting. And you do that by creating a thread of curiosity and or surprising information that keeps your prospects on the edge of their seats. There are various ways to do this, but today I'm going to show you three simple things you can do right away to make your sales letter more riveting.

1) The 25% Rule: Simply stated, if the first quarter of your sales letter isn't absolutely compelling and interesting enough your sales letter will bomb. So here's what you do. You craft an irresistible benefit laden headline and subhead that pull people into the first sentence of your body copy. You write the copy in such a way that to complete the thought forces your audience into the next sentence. Next, your first paragraph will naturally flow into the second paragraph and then into the third and so on. The trick again, is to write the copy in such a way that you're using stories, case histories, testimonials news or even descriptions that take several paragraphs to write. Then you break this huge block of copy up into multiple paragraphs. As a result, the first 25% of your sales letter should become riveting.

2) Sentence Enders: At the end of key paragraphs you can add a special sentence that beckons your prospects to read into the next paragraph. Here are several examples: "Stay with me." "Let me explain." There's more." "What happened next will surprise you." "I was blown away by what happened next." "Now here comes the good part."

3) Preview: Have you ever noticed on talk radio or on various news programs that the announcer or radio host will give you a preview of what's to come in their show in order to whet your appetite to know more? You can do the same thing throughout your sales letter. Note this technique is closely related to Sentence Enders. Here are a few examples. "As you read on, you're about to discover how XXX can boost your sales by 30% to 400% in just 7 short days." "I'm going to reveal my magic metabolism secrets that can peel off 20 lbs within 30 days time. But before I do ... " "In the next 5 minutes as you read every word of this letter, you will know the 7 secrets to exploding your online profits without paying a single dime in advertising costs." "By the time you finish reading this eye-opening letter you will know how to take these three fighting techniques and stop any attacker foolish enough to get in your face."

Here's the bottom line. You must keep your prospects focused on your sales message. If your sales letter is like most people's sale letters - boring - no prospect will take the time to read it and as a result you won't get sales. Use these three techniques and try inventing some of your own to keep your reader focused and riveted on what you've written. Build suspense in your sales letter. As if you're constantly dangling a carrot before them. Do this and you should see your sales boost.

About The Author

Mike Jezek is the creator of Mega-Persuasion Psychology™ the science behind "Irresistible Copywriting" which employs a powerful combination of results-producing influence techniques and psychologically persuasive sales devices -- proven to increase Web SALES by 30% to 400% or more.

Sign up for Mike Jezek's acclaimed "Confidential Psychological Selling Tactics" mini-course today at irresistiblecopy@worldresponders.com or enjoy more of his articles at www.irresistiblecopywriting.com

7 Ways To Stop Quotsellingquot Amp Start Building Relationships

Writen by Ari Galper

Sometimes we can all use a friendly reminder to keep us from backsliding into old ways of thinking about selling that lead us down the wrong path with potential clients.

I was inspired to write this article after a few coaching sessions with a client named Michael, who sells a technology solution. Michael had been struggling with a mental block about how to detach from the traditional sales thinking he had learned from old-school sales "gurus".

You know who they are. You may even have some of their books or tapes. And you know their sales messages too: "Always be closing," "Think positive, and you'll overcome all your cold calling fears," "All you need to boost your sales is a few new sales techniques."

But all these outdated sales messages fail to address the core issue of how we think about selling. And unless we get to that core, and change it once and for all, we'll go on struggling with the same counterproductive sales behaviors. We'll go on experiencing the same difficulties and frustrations. And we'll continue to believe that we're always just one new sales technique away from the breakthrough we're looking for.

New Thinking = New Results

Maybe it's time to take a different approach. Maybe we need to seriously analyze our sales thinking so we can identify why we're not making more sales. Take a look at the table below and thinkabout your current selling mindset. How would your selling behaviors change if you changed your sales thinking?

Traditional Sales Mindset: Always deliver a strong sales pitch. New Sales Mindset: Stop the sales pitch -- and start a conversation.

Traditional Sales Mindset: Your central objective is always to close the sale. New Sales Mindset: Your central goal is always to discover whether you and your potential client are a good fit.

Traditional Sales Mindset: When you lose a sale, it's usually at the end of the sales process. New Sales Mindset: When you lose a sale, it's usually right at the beginning of the sales process.

Traditional Sales Mindset: Rejection is a normal part of selling. New Sales Mindset: Sales pressure is the only cause of rejection. Rejection should never happen.

Traditional Sales Mindset: Keep chasing every potential client until you get a yes or a no. New Sales Mindset: Never chase a potential client -- you'll only trigger more sales pressure.

Traditional Sales Mindset: When a prospect offers objections,challenge and/or counter them. New Sales Mindset: When a potential client offers objections, uncover the truth behind them.

Traditional Sales Mindset: If a potential client challenges the value of your product or service, you must defend yourself and explain the value. New Sales Mindset: Never defend yourself or what you have to offer -- it only creates more sales pressure.

Let's take a closer look at these central concepts so you can begin to open up your current sales thinking and become more effective in your selling activities:

1) Stop the sales pitch -- and start a conversation.

When you call someone, avoid making a mini-presentation about yourself, your company, and what you have to offer. Start with an opening conversational phrase that focuses on a specific problem that your product or service solves. If you don't know what this is, ask your current customers why they purchased your solution. One example of an opening phrase might be, "I'm just calling to see if you'd be open to some different ideas related to lowering the risk of any computer downtime you may be having in your company?" Notice that you are not pitching your solution with this opening phrase.

2) Your central goal is always to discover whether you and your potential client are a good fit.

Let go of trying to "close the sale" or "get the appointment"-- and you will discover that you don't have to take responsibility for moving the sales process forward. If you simply focus your conversation on problems that you can help potential clients solve, and if you don't jump the gun by trying to move the sales process forward, you will find that potential clients will actually bring you into their buying process.

3) When you lose a sale, it's usually right at the beginning of the sales process.

If you believe that you lose sales because you make a mistake at the end of the process, take a look back at how you began the relationship. Did you start with a presentation? Did you use traditional sales language like, "We have a solution that I believe you really need" or "Others in your industry have bought our solution, so you should consider it as well"?

When you use traditional sales language, potential clients can't help but label you with the negative stereotype of "salesperson." This makes it almost impossible for them to relate to you from a position of trust. And if trust isn't established at the outset, honest communication about the problems they're trying to solve, and how you might be able to help them, becomes impossible too.

4) Sales pressure is the only cause of rejection. Rejection should never happen.

Rejection happens for only one reason: Something you said, as subtle as it might have been, triggered a defensive reaction from your potential client. Yes, something you said. To eliminate rejection, simply shift your mindset so that you give up the hidden agenda of hoping to make a sale. Instead, everything you say and do should stem from the basic mindset that you are there to help potential clients. This makes you able to ask, "Would you be open to talking about issues you might be having affecting your business?"

5) Never chase a potential client--you'll only trigger more sales pressure.

"Chasing" potential clients has always been considered normal and necessary, but it's rooted in the macho selling image that, "If you don't keep chasing, it means you're giving up -- and that means you're a failure." This is dead wrong! Instead of chasing potential clients, tell them that you would like to avoid anything that resembles the old cat-and-mouse chasing game by scheduling a time for your next chat.

6) When a potential client offers objections, uncover the truth behind them.

Most traditional sales programs spend a lot of time focusing on "overcoming objections." These tactics only put more sales pressure on potential clients and also fail to explore or understand the truth behind what the potential client is saying. When you hear, "We don't have the budget," "Send me information," or "Call me in a few months," do you think you're hearing the truth, or do you suspect that these are polite evasions designed to end the conversation?

Rather than trying to counter objections, you can uncover the truth by replying, "That's not a problem" -- no matter what clients are "objecting" to -- and then using gentle, dignified language that invites them to reveal the truth about their situation.

7) Never defend yourself or what you have to offer -- it only creates more sales pressure.

When a potential client says, "Why should I choose you over your competition?," your first, instinctive reaction is probably to start defending your product or service because you want to convince them to buy. But what do you think goes through your potential client's mind at that point?

Something like, "This 'salesperson' is trying to sell me on why what they have to offer is better, but I hate feeling as if I'm being sold." Rather than defending yourself, try suggesting that you aren't going to try to convince them of anything because that would only create sales pressure. Instead, ask them about the key problems that they are trying to solve, and then explore how your product or service might solve those problems --without ever trying to persuade.. Let potential clients feel that they can choose you without feeling "sold."

With a Masters Degree in Instructional Design and over a decade of experience creating breakthrough sales strategies for global companies such as UPS and QUALCOMM, Ari Galper discovered the missing link that people who sell have been seeking for years.

His profound discovery of shifting one's mindset to a place of complete integrity, based on new words and phrases grounded in sincerity, has earned him distinction as the world's leading authority on how to build trust in the world of selling.

Leading companies such as Gateway, Clear Channel Communications, Brother International and Fidelity National Mortgage have called on Ari to keep them on the leading edge of sales performance. Visit http://www.unlockthegame.com to get his free sales training lessons.

Sales For Car Wash Fundraiser Tickets

Writen by Lance Winslow

As a professional sales person I bet you have never considered that your expertise could be used at a local nonprofit group to sell car wash fundraiser tickets. As a professional sales person you know that networking and word-of-mouth advertising with good referrals can help you in your sales career.

These are the exact fundamentals needed for nonprofit groups, which sell car wash fundraiser tickets. Consider a high school band with 100 members and they need to raise $40,000 for the upcoming season in order to pay additional cost of transportation due to the high diesel fuel costs for the buses.

If these kids can sell enough carwash tickets at 5 dollars each they might be able to raise either half of the money they need or all of it in one single car wash fundraiser. The selling of carwash fundraiser tickets is not difficult if you have 100 salespeople. But how you get each kid to sell that number of tickets that you need in order to reach your goal?

Well, if you consider that each of the children or kids has one or more parents who have a job somewhere, then perhaps each parent can take 10 tickets to work with them. And the kids can sell the rest. If the kids are going to sell in groups of two and use team selling then you divide up the number of neighborhoods in the city so that the kids do not overlap. You may find that they sell all the tickets they need to reach your goal. Please consider all this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

5 Tips To Success With Sales Leads

Writen by Joe Ramirez

Leads are the life blood of any sales profession. Good leads are worth their weight in gold while bad leads can end up costing thousands of dollars and more importantly they waste your valuable time.

A few tips and suggestions to keep in mind as you get started:

1) Keep Track of Your Results

Keep track of your results. You can't compare sources and channels if you aren't collecting data. This can be tedious but it will pay off. It's a simple concept but one that is frequently underutilized. Devote more resources to performing channels and less to struggling ones. As I said, simple and obvious – but this is something I wish I did more consistently from day one.

2) Diversify

In my opinion, the best overall strategy is a diversified one. Don't depend on any one channel for your leads. Spread out your resources and develop multiple channels of lead generation. Especially if you are experiencing some success, take some time to explore something new. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Ask yourself, what would happen if my source of leads dried up tomorrow?

3) Take Control

I have tried all types of leads….purchased, leads generated by telemarketers, direct mail, on-line systems… you name it. They all have their benefits and drawbacks. Try a new lead source every month. Even better, spend some time creating your own system every month. I know that I'm more confident in my long term success when I'm in total control of the process. When I look at the amount of money companies spend on leads each month, I am frequently astounded. Granted, if the ROI is there, it definitely makes sense. But imagine the ROI that is achieved once you construct a system that you own and control. One that, once built, will generate leads for months and hopefully years to come.

4) Free Leads Don't Exist

There is no such thing as a free lead. However, there is such a thing as lead that costs next to nothing especially if you develop your own generation system. A $5,000 upfront investment that generates 500 exclusive and qualified leads over five years produces a much more attractive ROI than a one time purchase of 100 semi exclusive and qualified leads for $5,000. Short term, your results will better with the one time upfront purchase, but over the long run, the better bet is a self contained lead generation system.

5) If You Build It They Will Come does not apply to the Internet

Type in "refinance" or "insurance quote" into any search engine and you will instantly see how crowded the internet is. If you expect that you can generate leads by paying some service to host a website with a few articles and an online application and then walk away, you're about to waste a lot of money. With thousands of pages being added each day targeting your customers, you need to work on driving off-line traffic to your on-line presence.

For free marketing tips, vist The Lead Outpost. For marketing ideas focusing on the Mortgage Industray, vist Mortgage Marketing Ideas and sign up for the free free mortgage marketing newsletter.

The Ultimate Survival Skill For The Information Age

Writen by Dave Kahle

We're living in incredibly turbulent times.

The well spring of this uncertainty lies in one of the characteristics of the newly-arrived Information Age. Business people are being buffeted by an increasingly rapid rate of change. Consider this. In 1900, the total amount of knowledge available to mankind was doubling about every 500 years. In 1990, it was doubling about every two years.

Imagine the implications of that kind of increase in the rate of change! It means new products, new regulations, new market configurations, new customers, and new technology in almost every industry. It's no wonder that we're confused and uncertain about what to do.

And the growth of that knowledge continues at an expanding rate. One futurist predicts that today's high school students will have to absorb more information in their senior year alone than their grandparents did in their entire lifetime. And Nesbitt is on record as predicting that in the year 2020, the rate of knowledge will double every 35 days!

That incredibly rapid pace of new knowledge is driving the forces of change at an unprecedented rate. And that rate of change is continuing to accelerate. The effect of that snowballing rate of change on our businesses and our jobs can be cataclysmic. It's almost as if a malevolent spirit were stalking our economy, rendering all the wisdom of the past useless, and casting a spell of confusion and uncertainty over the land.

The indications are that this rapid state of change will not be a temporary phenomena we all must live through. Rather, it will be the permanent condition we must accept for the foreseeable future. Rapid change is not a phase we're passing through, it's a process we're entering into.

That means it is likely that the conclusions, paradigms and core beliefs upon which we based our decisions just two or three years ago are likely to be obsolete today. Even more sobering, the conclusions and strategies which we develop today will be obsolete in a couple of years. We can count on this continuing obsolescence of our best ideas and strategies to be the constant state of affairs.

One of my clients recently told his employees, "The only thing you can count on is that you won't be doing this job in three years." His point was that the job will change in that period of time to such a degree that it'll be a different job. The technology used will likely change, as will the customers, the systems and the focus of the job.

The insightful person will accept that rapid change is now a defining characteristic of our economy, and plan to deal with it effectively on an on-going basis. Instead of thinking we should just persevere until it's behind us, we should prepare for rapid change to be a way of life.

What's the best way to go forward in the light of this rapid change? What mind sets can we adopt that will equip us to survive and prosper in turbulent times? What skills do we need to survive and prosper in the information age?

I believe there is one core skill which will define the most successful individuals. It's the ability and propensity to engage in self-directed learning. The only sustainable effective response to a rapidly changing world is cultivating the ability to positively transform ourselves and our organizations. And that's the definition of self-directed learning.

In the face of a world that is different one week to the next, our most powerful positive response is to cultivate the ability to learn. By "learning," I don't mean just the acquisition of new information, although that is a necessary prerequisite. Rather, I mean the kind of "learning" that requires one to change behavior on the basis of an ever changing understanding of the world. Learning without behavior change is impotent.

The individuals who become disciplined, systematic self-directed learners will be the success stories of the information age. Likewise, those organizations that become learning organizations will have the best chance of surviving and prospering.

Read what other have said about it:

"...the key thing as we go forward is the ability to learn. You can not arrest the pace of development in the marketplace, in the world, socially and technologically. It is coming at an increasing rate. You've got to be able to learn and adapt..." Beale. Because of the forces surging through our economy, it's safe to say that tomorrow will be significantly different from today. It will be more complex and somehow significantly changed. And that will be true of all the tomorrows in the foreseeable future.

The most skilled employees, therefore, will be the ones who can continually access the changing facts and growing complexity of their jobs, and then change appropriately.

That's "self-directed learning." "We understand that the only competitive advantage the company of the future will have is its managers´ ability to learn faster than their competitors." Arie P. DeGeus. In a world that is rapidly changing, today's hot new product is tomorrow's obsolete dinosaur. More important than any one product is the ability to continually create new products. Today's strongest employee could very well be tomorrow's employment problem. More important than any one employee is the ability to find and maintain employees who are constantly growing. Today's closest customers could be out of business tomorrow. More important than any one customer is the ability to attract and retain customers.

All of these are applications of the ultimate competitive advantage -- the ability to learn faster than your competitors. "In fact, I would argue that the rate at which individuals and organizations learn may become the only sustainable competitive advantage." Ray Stata. As the economy becomes more and more global, competition will increase. Few businesses will enjoy a secure market position. The quality of competition will also improve as competitors strive to out do one another in providing customer service and value added products and services. In this new economy, those who survive and prosper will be those who know how to learn, and who do so faster and more systematically than their competitors.

And those organizations that become learning organizations will be those who fill themselves with people who regularly engage in self-directed learning.

How, then, do you instill this "self-directed learning" in your organization?

Here are three tactics to begin the process.

1. Wipe the Slate Clean.

Imagine that you have written the history of your company or your career on a blackboard. You have every decision, every strategy, every success and every failure noted in detail. The sum of this experience provides the rationale for why and how you do everything that you now do.

Now, take a wet towel, and wipe the board clean. Erase the past. As you do so, you eliminate the unspoken acceptance of the way things are, and replace it with the new understanding that things may not be the way they should be. Just because something is, doesn't mean it should be. The reason you started doing something may no longer exist. Remember, with a world turning over more or less completely every two to three years, any decision or procedure which had its roots in a situation that three or more years old may not be justified today.

This little exercise provides a mental image for a change in thinking that needs to take place if you're going to become a learning organization. You must begin to think about things that you do, not on the basis of the past (three or more years ago), but rather on the basis of the present and the future.

It's a way of eliminating one of the biggest barriers to learning and changing. That barrier is the mental obstacles that we put in our own way. Here's an example. One of my clients was frustrated with his continuing inability to motivate his sales force. He spent much of his mental energy and financial resources attempting to get his force of largely independent agents to spend more time with his product. Yet he never thought about going to market in ways other than through his traditional methods. When we broke down that barrier of relying on the past and wiped the slate clean, we discovered a marketing method which holds tremendous potential for his business. However, it took a change in thinking, a thought process that wasn't tied to his past in order to look at the situation on the basis of the present and the future rather than the past.

That principle can be applied in every area of your business, from something so fundamental and important as your method of reaching your customers, to something as mundane as the way you answer the phone, or fill out a receiving document.

2. Give Learning a Strategic Emphasis.

Build in the need to become a learning organization in the most fundamental building blocks of your business.

Write it into your mission statement. Get the board to pass a resolution advocating it. Display your commitment to it predominantly in your personnel manual.

Talk about it at your employee meetings. Make it an agenda item in your executive meetings. Articulate it as an initiative in your strategic planning sessions. And, begin to model learning behavior yourself.

3. Make self-directed learning a part of everyone's job description.

Begin to create learning expectations for yourself and all your employees. Talk about their need to learn and grow. Include it as an item on every job description.

Then encourage, develop and support learning opportunities throughout your organization. Here's some things other organizations have done: ONE: Require every employee to attend a certain number of outside seminars per year.

TWO: Create "Learning Groups" within your company. These are temporary groups of people who come together for a short period of time to learn from and with one another. One of my clients, for example, has a weekly manager's lunch where everyone brown bags lunch and discusses one chapter of Steven Covey's book, Seven Habits of Highly Successful People. The principle of short term, small group meetings conducted around the free-flowing discussion of some body of content, can be used throughout your organization. We organize and train sales people and sales mangers to enter into this process, for example. People on the shop floor, service technicians, customer service reps, etc. can all enter into short term learning groups. Since they are temporary, the configuration of the groups constantly change, thus exposing everyone to diverse perspectives. The groups can be homogeneous (people from the same department or job title) or heterogeneous (people from different departments and job titles). The important thing is that your employees are expected to engage in self-directed learning, and you're encouraging and facilitation that process.

THREE: Reward the effective application of learning. In other words, when someone finds an effective way to change things, reward them. One of my clients holds a monthly employee meeting, where the employee who has made the biggest positive change in the way things are done is rewarded with $150.00 cash bonus. Begin to implement these strategies and you'll take the first steps to transforming your organization into a learning organization. You'll begin the process of mastering the ultimate skill for the information age.

Copyright 2006

About Dave Kahle, The Growth Coach®:
Dave Kahle is a consultant and trainer who helps his clients increase their sales and improve their sales productivity. Dave has trained thousands of salespeople to be more successful in the Information Age economy. He's the author of over 500 articles and five books. His latest is 10 Secrets of Time Management for Salespeople. His "Thinking About Sales" Ezine features content-filled motivating articles, practical tips for immediate improvements, useful resources and helpful tips to help increase sales. Join for NOTHING on-line at http://www.davekahle.com/mailinglist.htm.

You can reach Dave at:
The DaCo Corporation
3736 West River Drive
Comstock Park, MI 49321
Phone: 800-331-1287 / 616-451-9377
Fax: 616-451-9412
info@davekahle.com
http://www.davekahle.com

Creating A New You Through The Mind Is It Real Or Hocus Pocus

Writen by Don Price

Success arguably is a process of small steps. Yes. There are those who have experienced some whimsical flash of luck by hitting the lottery or inheriting large sums of money – but rarely could you call them successful.

Clearly, many people experience different forms of success. Winning in a competitive sport and when you are up against others you definitely demonstrate success through your outcome.

As children grow up they are vulnerable to many unpleasant experiences that produce self-defeating, fears, stress, worries, and concerns later in adult life; setting up boundaries, barriers, roadblocks and lack of confidence for achievement and success.

Embedded deeply in our subconscious mind these self-defeating beliefs exert a powerful influence over our behavior and habits. When overwhelmed by this influence we feel emotionally blocked,then self destruction sets in and takes on forms of additional lack and limitation, disease and illness.

We not only have to unravel the mind to overcome our mental thoughts - but we have to make repairs to our immune system for rejuvenation and healthy cellular growth. Getting our mind and body in harmony for a well balance healthy and happy lifestyle will put us back on the road to success.

The big challenge faced by all; is getting our mind in shape for success to occur in our life. Conscious determination and will power may work for a while, but too often the undesirable habits and behaviors return like a blast out of the past. The greater power of our mind will always win out unless we change it and the most credible way to change is with hypnosis.

Hypnosis is safe, drug-free, dynamic, and effective for rewriting negative scripts into more fulfilling positive scripts for higher levels of success in life and more pleasing outcomes. As for the body - modern medicine and new discoveries into nutritional supplements, homeopathic medicines, treatments and cures are creating, what we once said, could be accomplished only by a miracle. A good example: Discovering the Secret of Youth through life changing nutritional supplements.

Let's look at mental fitness through hypnosis and the power in YOU!

The late Albert Schweitzer said: "The greatest discovery of any generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of minds."

The healing power of hypnosis according to latest Medical research shows that it can ease pain, speed healing, increase fertility and even fight cancer.

Our own case studies and more than 38 years of coaching minds to success through hypnosis has empowered people from all walks of life to improve their mental state of mind. They play better golf, tennis, overcome stage fright, fear of flying, stop smoking, loss weight, overcome procrastination and a host of other phobias, fears, anxieties and become better sales people and leaders in business.

What exactly is hypnosis, how does it work? Why is there so many misconception about hypnosis?

Though researchers can't fully explain how hypnosis works -- they clearly describe hypnosis as an altered state of mind in which one's normal cynicism is largely suspended. This then, allows a reintegration into the subconscious mind with powerful creative imaging, positive words, concepts and ideas for re-scripting thoughts and setting in motion for more positive outcomes to occur in a person's life.

New brain scan technology supports and shows that hypnosis can alter the way sensory messages are received in the brain and experienced in the body.

You feel the way you think. Negative and distorted thinking always results in some form of painful emotion, poor results and low productivity. In sales, productivity increases when tension, stress, anxiety and depressed emotional order decreases. In sports, performance improves when tension and stress of competition are reduced; allowing the athlete to focus so clearly that he/she can block out negative self talk, noise and other distractions.

Unquestionably when the word hypnosis pops-up in a conversation or in the mainstream press, nostrils flair, minds conjure up strong reactions of parlor tricks and pictures of late night scary movies where starry-eyed maidens are seduced to carry out satanic acts.

Here we are, in modern times, where we have set foot on the moon, (ops – better watch my words – there are people who still think the earth is flat) broke the sound barrier, communicate wireless with the most modern technology and still people see hypnosis as a hoax. Even the well educated are not off the hook from such lack of knowledge and ignorant responses.

Altered states and trance experiences have been around long before the word hypnosis. What is unique about hypnotic communications, is that it's truly magical and at the same time clearly explainable and understandable. Regardless, of the mystique surrounding hypnotic communication, there is no hocus-pocus involved.

Follow along and lets' remove a couple of old misconceptions that a hypnotist is supposed to use a gold dangling watch and talk in a monotone voice when performing hypnosis on someone and that you'll be under complete control of the hypnotist.

A more dynamic understanding is -- that hypnosis is a powerful communications tool to influence the subconscious mind of self and others and that there is no evidence that you come under control of someone else.

Example: It is clearly evident that advertising communications – persuasive salespeople, politicians, religious leaders, and business leaders just to name a few use hypnotic key commands and suggestions to influence others. As strong as the influence may be, an individual doesn't come under the control unless they submit to the control – clearly fear would be a factor of control.

The hypnotist may take you into an altered state by using a monotone voice for getting a particular outcome or result. Similarly, a more animated approach -- just like a glib politician -- can wow you into the same altered state through their mesmerizing performance. Influence you yes; control you no!

The mind is malleable and distorts truth to the detriment of the individual. Under hypnosis you can re-script distorted truth into more positive results.

The following negatives can be overcome through Hypnosis:

* Overgeneralization: If it happened to me once then it will happen over and over. (Example) A salesperson walks out of his first appointment of the day without a sale… Self -Talk: Just my luck no body is going to buy this product – the price is too high.

* Disqualifying: Turning positive experiences into negative ones = you have developed the talent for instantly transforming joy into misery. (Example) someone praises your appearance or your work, you automatically tell yourself, "They're just saying that – they could care less about me. You just disqualified their complement.

* Jumping to conclusions: You jump to a negative conclusion without knowing the facts. (Example) You have called a prospective client several times and she/he has not returned your call – you make the assumption and are convinced, they are not interested in doing business with you - so you avoid making any further calls because you think that you would be obnoxious and don't want to feel rejected.

Or you call a friend who fails to call you back and you jump to the conclusion that your friend isn't interested enough to call you back.

* Emotional Sabotage: Emotions are misleading because they reflect your thoughts and beliefs. (Example) All salespeople are pushing -- I don't like pushy sales people and feel pushing when asking a person to sign a contract. Emotional Sabotage shows up in the form of procrastination.

* Personalization: You assume responsibility for a negative event even when there is no basis for doing so. You arbitrarily conclude that what happened was your fault or reflects your inadequacy, even when you were not responsible for it. (Example) Your client's loan was approved and everything that you did was good, but at closing there was a last minute requirement to be met by your client which they were unable to satisfy and the loan was denied.

New habits of behavior, without a doubt, can be learned through self-hypnotic communications and work specifically for changing any unwanted behaviors in life. You can learn to eliminate habits of behavior that would enable you to stop smoking, eliminate weight, overcome fears, improve in sports, become and better speaker, sale person, business leader, control pain in your body, control weight and to create new habits of behavior for greater success in life.

The mind is much more malleable than we thought and marketers and sales people are learning to understand and capitalize on what influences consumer's unconscious minds as much as their conscious minds do.

Learning hypnotic communications through self-hypnosis will clearly help you guard your mind against self-sabotaging acts and bring strength and awareness of external influence. And, you will experience harmonious balance and control in your life.

Don L. Price - Coaching Minds To Succeed - Professional International Speaker, Author, Sales and Marketing Positive Change Solution Provider: http://www.donlprice.com

Invite Don to speak at your next Convention, Meeting or Retreat. Optimize your Power to Succeed with Strategic Performance Marketing/Sales and Success Coaching, for Reaching Higher Performance in Your Personal and Business Life.

-- Seminars, Keynotes, Retreats, Consulting -- http://www.donlprice.com

Subscribe FREE to Price on Success e-Newsletter http://tinyurl.com/5bz7w

Receive our Free Report:

21 Undisputable Success Steps Of The Rich For Boosting Their Income Upwards of 349% to 1001%