Whats Your Opening Average

Writen by Teri Samuels

"Closing the Sale" remains the focal point of selling and training, but … how do you 'Close' the sale if you don't know how to 'Open' it?

The most overlooked steps in the selling process are:

1. Establishing Rapport – Not BS
2. Effective Qualifying – Asking Questions.

These two steps will make or break your "Opening" average.

Help the customer feel comfortable with you by taking a sincere interest in their specific problems or challenges.

Ask specific, yet "non invasive" questions to better understand your customers' specific needs or wants. Clarify your understanding of their issues.

Regardless of the type of product or service you sell the fundamental foundation of selling (qualifying) will always remain the same.

"Closing the Sale" becomes seamless when you eliminate the guess work, remove the obstacles, and understand your customer's buying style and motivation. This step is accomplished in the "opening" not the "closing".

The most effective way to accomplish this is by asking relevant, specific questions.

To improve your 'Closing Average' you will need to improve your 'Opening Average'.

The quickest way to achieve this is to have a well thought out selling process with your primary focus on qualifying.

To learn more about your selling strengths and weaknesses and how to improve them TAKE advantage of our Annual Promotion. Receive a mini evaluation, which quickly identifies your strengths and weaknesses to get you on track fast. Included, you will receive a free list of effective, qualifying questions and how to use them. Email Teri at tsamuels@unitedsalestraining.com to receive promo information.

Teri Samuels, CEO - United Sales Training (http://www.unitedsalestraining.com), 20 years as a Professional Sales and Marketing Troubleshooter, Trainer, Recruiter, Upper Level Manager, and Consulting Professional. Dedicated to the "keep it simple" approach.

Sooner Or Later Every Good Salesman Must Admit That He Needs Professional Help To Become Great

Writen by Lance Winslow

For most of my youth I had been in business and ran companies, expanded and kept going. So, you could say I have met a number of salesmen in my day, selling me stuff and working for me in our sales departments and blitz marketing teams. One thing I always found fun was all the high-energy and ego, but in the end one thing is true about all this and that is that sooner or later Every Good Salesman must admit that he needs professional help to become Great.

Oh sure, you can parade around as if you have arrived and even post some great sales figures year after year, but you will not know greatness until you learn from the greatest mentors. My best advice after years of reviewing the sales performances in our company and observing those who sold to our company is that those who took their jobs seriously and got professional help, went to sales seminars, read books, listen to tapes and watched videos, well those are the ones who accomplished the most over time.

Stop beating your head against the wall and please just ditch the ego for a few minutes and here me out. If you will seek professional help in your sales career you will succeed beyond your wildest dreams and learn to enjoy all there is to love about sales even more. I stake my reputation and success as a businessman to these words so please consider all this in 2006.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Get The Help You Need With Fund Raising Ideas

Writen by Peter Crump

There are many fund raising ideas on the market today for anyone that is looking for them. Fund raising ideas are easy to come up with and are very successful in some cases. Before you start on fund raising there are a few things to do to make it as good as it can be, such as selecting a good leader. This should be someone who is use to organizing and basically used to telling people what they have to do. When fundraising, make sure you have as many volunteers as you can get in all areas that you will need them such as handling the money, setting up tables, advertising, selling the goods, and the all important clean up.

Your fund raising program should be full of ideas that will attract people to come and purchase your goods such as a bake sale. If a bake sale is one of your fundraising ideas, be sure to specify how much and what kind is needed. This will ensure that you don't end up with a pile of the same product. Bake sales are a tried and true fund raising event and it is one of the most popular fundraising ideas. With all of the baked goods being donated by the congregation of a church it is an excellent moneymaker.

You will also find a craft sale makes a wonderful fundraiser, especially near any holiday. Christmas is often the time when you find craft sales as popular fundraising ideas. Everyone loves something homemade as decorations and to give as gifts. Fund raising programs are fun in themselves. as it gives everyone the opportunity to do something for their church or school and at the same time visit with their neighbors.

Another fun fundraising program would be a candle sale where all the congregation of a church would make candles and decorate them. Fundraising ideas for selling candles could include putting different scents in them and sellling them at a candle sale. All of us love candles and they are not hard or expensive to make.

So go ahead and get your fundraising program in place you will be amazed at how eager people will be to help and the support you will get from the people that want to give to your cause whether it is for a church, school, band or for charity you will not go wrong if it is organized right. Why not have a fundraising ideas party, where you ask people to brainstorm a list of ideas that could help you make money?

Need some fund raising ideas? There's lots out there.

For a website totally devoted to Fundraising visit Peter's Website Fundraising Answers and find out about Church Fundraisers as well as School Fund Raising and more, including Cheerleading Fundraising, Cookie Dough Fundraisers and School Fundraisers.