The Power of a Hand-Written Note

Yesterday we started the week with a reminder to extend this season of thanks with gratitude to those who play a part in your sales success. Your customers certainly play a big part in your sales success - why they define it. Sending a hand-written note of thanks is an ideal way to express your gratitude.

"The true power of the handwritten note is that it is personal," says sales trainer Tom Richard. "Think of the people who send you handwritten notes. Mostly family and friends, right? Receiving a handwritten note from you is as comforting and pleasant for your customer as hearing from an old friend. It does more than just say 'thank you' for the meeting, lunch, phone call or referral. It sends an important message about you, and how you like to conduct business."

"If you think sending handwritten cards is a lot of work, you're right. That's why your competitors aren't doing it. In today's selling world, success depends on separating yourself from the competition every chance you get."

Just think: a few minutes and a stamp can help you grab your prospect's attention, maintain strong customer relationships, and make someone feel special. Why are you waiting?

This advice was excerpted from Top Dog Sales Secrets. Tom Richard is an author and sales trainer. Learn more about him at www.TomRichard.com

No Money? No Problem.

Today we tackle the second obstacle to sales: "no money."

Sometimes the no-money objection is only an excuse, suggests sales training firm The Brooks Group. But when funding to buy your product or service is your prospect's genuine concern, try these suggestions:

Deal only with prospects at the senior level who can revise the budget, develop strategies and make emergency purchases for products or services that fall into unforeseen areas.

Before visiting a prospect, discover what items are - and are not - usually included in the company's budget. Is your type of product or service usually budgeted for? Know the potential customer's budget cycle, planning times, policy for disposing of excess funds and who controls what parts of the budget process.

Finally, to gather more information to help the prospect solve the no-money problem, The Brooks Group suggests that you continue the discussion by asking the following questions:

• How have you funded this type of project before?
• We encounter this quite often. Let me suggest how other organizations have found ways to handle it.
• How much money have you set aside that may not be used? Are there ways we could access those funds to start this project?

Try these tips the next time the "no money" obstacle arises. You'll soon be saying, "No money...no problem!"

The Brooks Group is a world-renowned sales training firm specializing in business-to-business selling. Visit their website at www.brooksgroup.com
Tomorrow's obstacle: "no hurry."

Rate Your People Skills

Sales trainer John Boe has an uncanny ability to read people - their behavior and temperament style. He can analyze an individual based on a picture, brief phone conversation, or face-to-face meeting. SalesDog's Managing Editor, Tina LoSasso, can attest to this. After two minutes on the phone, John pegged her as an "introvert germophobe with neurotic tendencies." Considering that most people assume (incorrectly) that she's extroverted, she was impressed, and forgave him for the 'neurotic' part.

John teaches salespeople how to be more persuasive by deciphering their prospects' body language.

"Your body language reveals your deepest feelings and hidden thoughts to total strangers. As a professional salesperson you must continuously monitor your customer's body language and adjust your presentation style accordingly," says Boe. "By understanding your prospect's temperament style and body language gestures, you'll minimize perceived sales pressure and close more sales in less time!"

Think you have great people skills? Rate yourself by taking John Boe's fun People Skills Quiz.

Unstuck the Staller

You know the type - they hem and haw through all your follow-up phone calls and just can't seem to make a decision. Phone call after phone call, meeting after meeting, and you're no closer to a deal. What can you do to get them to take action? Try this advice from author and speaker Dianna Booher:

Offer guarantees

"Stallers typically suffer from indecisiveness," explains Booher. "Create opportunities for the indecisive to touch, see, feel, and experience your product or service. Provide all the possible evidence of results. Put the indecisive in touch with references who can offer assurances. Delay payment options until the buyer has opportunity to sample your service and trust that you will not deliver and then run and hide."

Help the indecisive to pass the buck

"Once you determine your Staller is incapable of making a decision no matter what guarantees you offer, help him to pass the decision off to others, for example, his boss, a team of colleagues such as a task force, or even a subordinate 'who needs to develop judgment.' If the would-be target is a task force, volunteer to help get the group organized. Yes, generally, it is tougher to sell to a committee, but you have a better chance of selling to an action-oriented committee than a stalled individual," says Booher.

You probably have a few Stallers clogging up your pipeline right now. So, get in gear and put this advice to work for you right away.

-- Dianna Booher, founder of Booher Consultants, is a contributor to Top Dog Sales Secrets. She delivers keynotes and training on business communication.