Are You Stuck on the Spin Cycle of Selling?

The following advice is from a post I read in Kim Duke's blog. Otherwise known as "The Sales Diva," Kim shows women how to increase sales in a fun, sassy way that I really enjoy. It's a sales lesson and a chat with your favorite girlfriend all at once. And guys - the lessons are applicable to you too!

So many people in sales are "information dumpers" when they meet a client. What do they information dump about? All the BORING features and benefits of what is marvelous about their product or service. Yawn.

Instead, as a customer, I am interested in someone who is a PAIN-REDUCER. For instance, I was recently buying new appliances for my home. The first 3 places I looked, I had salespeople who didn't ask me ONE QUESTION about what was the most important thing I was looking for. Instead they babbled on for 10 minutes (as I was looking around frantically for an oxygen tank to give them) about all the wonderful features of this and this and this. (hellllo spin cycle!)

They lost me. I wasn't even thinking about the appliance and all its "pleasurable" features any longer. I was looking for the next exit.

So who sold me the fancy schmancy appliances? A guy who did a wonderful job of asking me questions that weren't pushy. For example, he asked me if I liked to cook (I LOVE it), he asked me if I hated doing laundry (are there people out there who actually like it??) and he also asked me how important it was for me to have environmentally friendly appliances. (Al Gore is my hero).

And based upon my responses he did something you're probably not doing. He made a RECOMMENDATION.

He recommended I have:

• Dual ovens so I wouldn't be serving food on cold plates to my guests.
• A convection oven so I can quit wasting 25% of my time WAITING for meals to be ready
• A washing machine and dryer on stands which also use a teaspoon of soap so I am not harming the environment or always shopping for laundry soap
• And sooo much more

And he also made a very big sale.

So what are you doing still flopping on spin cycle?
I know. I know. You were taught by someone that being a good salesperson is being a smooth talker. Ditch that thought. Instead - FOCUS on all the PAINFUL PROBLEMS you've learned from your client and cater to that instead. I don't care about all your features and benefits. They just go down the drain. I want to know HOW you'll solve my problem better than anyone else.

Answer that and you're out of the spin cycle!

Kim Duke is an unconventional, sassy and savvy sales expert who shows women small biz owners and entrepreneurs sizzling sales tips on how to increase sales in a fun, easy, stress-free way! Learn more and sign up for her free e-zine at www.salesdivas.com

Got voicemail? No problem!

Are you leaving message after message with no response? If you answered yes, try these quick tips from sales trainer and speaker Mark Hunter. Your phone just might start ringing off the hook!

• If your goal is to get the phone call returned, don't leave information that would allow the person to make up their mind. Add a call-to-action to your message by providing a key date or something of interest that will encourage the person to return the call. You have to create a reason for them to call you back.

• Avoid asking people to call you back at a certain time. This gives them an excuse not to call you. For the same reason, never state in the message that you will call them back.

• When leaving a message with multiple points, be sure to immediately disclose how many you will be making. This will prevent the recipient from accidentally fast-forwarding or deleting before it is completely heard.

Mark Hunter, "The Sales Hunter," is a motivational sales speaker and industry expert who addresses thousands each year on how to increase their sales profitability. For more information on his sales training or to receive a free weekly sales tip via email, contact "The Sales hunter" at www.TheSalesHunter.com.

"Setting the Table" for Referrals

Getting referrals is one of the best (and easiest!) ways to build your business. However, many salespeople are timid about asking for referrals. Business coach Tom Kelly has the advice you need to ask for referrals in a considerate and professional manner.

"In order to effectively generate referrals for your business, you need to set the expectation up front with your clients," says Kelly. "This way, your clients know that you are looking for referrals, and you know what exactly you need to do to earn their referrals." Below is an example of how to accomplish this:

You: "Mrs. Client, may I take a moment to share with you how I build my business?"

Client: "Sure."

You: "Well, what I enjoy most about what I do and where my time is best served is working with my clients. I want to spend as much time as possible serving my clients and exceeding your expectations. In order for me to spend more time with my clients and less time marketing or prospecting for new business I really need the help of my satisfied clients."

"Please understand, I'm certainly not asking for any referrals from you now. After all, we just started working together! However, in a couple of months or even weeks, when you are clearly realizing the benefits of my services and have gotten even more value than you expected, would you be comfortable sharing the results you have experienced with others and introduce me to those people who might benefit from my services?"

Client: "Sure, I don't see why not."

You: "That sounds great. Thanks in advance for the consideration. Just so I know what it will take to make you a raving fan, what can I do to make you comfortable enough to actually want to refer business to me?"

"Having this conversation up front with your clients allows you to let your clients know that you are looking for referrals, gets their permission to do so, and also allows them to tell you exactly what you need to do to earn their referrals," says Kelly.

"By 'setting the table' up front, you remove any awkwardness around the process of referring business to you, and it allows you to feel comfortable after you exceed their expectations to ask them for referrals."

Tom Kelly is the founder and owner of Potential In Motion, Inc. As a coach, Tom is dedicated to working with salespeople, entrepreneurs and small business owners that want to reach their full potential in business and life. Visit his website at www.potentialinmotion.com

Selling to the Opposite Sex

No one will deny men and women have different ways of communicating - just ask any married couple. The question is - how do you deal with these different styles when selling to the opposite sex? Sales trainer Will Turner has the advice you need to break down the communication barrier and start selling.

If you're a female salesperson calling on a male prospect, focus your talk on goal-oriented activities, tangible accomplishments, or problem solving. Observe and listen rather than processing out loud, and be succinct and bottom-line focused. Be careful not to offer help before it is asked for, as doing so may indicate a lack of trust in his ability. Above all, never force a man to talk if he is not ready.

If you are a male salesperson calling on a female prospect, ask what you can do to help, as she will interpret this as a show of support. Understand that women may process out loud as a way of including others and building relationships. Listen patiently to the stories of your prospect, even when you are anxious to get to the bottom line. Never short-circuit the opportunity to get to know your prospect.

This nugget of sales wisdom was excerpted from Top Dog Sales Secrets, a collection of sales advice of 50 top experts edited by Michael Dalton Johnson. To get your copy plus $2,500 worth of FREE BONUS GIFTS when you buy today, click here.

Be memorable, and make more sales

I recently came across an article on Entrepreneur.com that got me thinking. Here's an excerpt:

"Every time John Costigan of John Costigan Companies hands out one of his metal business cards with a custom cutout of his own profile, he's giving away $2. But Costigan, whose Cary, North Carolina sales training firm grows yearly, says it doesn't hold him back one second. He estimates that he's gained over $100,000 in business since debuting the cards in 2003. 'Metal represents what my company is - sharp, different, bold,' says Costigan, 43. He hands out a card to every person who takes his class, reasoning, 'The return on investment is more than worth it.'"

What an interesting idea - a subtle marketing message built into your business card. There are so many ways to make yourself memorable - whether with your business card, a thank you note, or simply the way you treat customers.

What are you doing to be memorable?

The 5 Secrets of Winning Emails

How would you like to harness the power of email to connect with customers? Here are five secrets of winning emails from Mike Brooks, Mr. Inside Sales, to set your email apart from everyone else's.

Use the prospect's first name in the subject line. Putting your prospect's first name in the subject line will automatically distinguish your email from the hundreds of others your prospect gets. In addition, we're all partial to our own name, and this will draw your prospect's eyes like a magnet.

Customize the first few lines of your email as much as possible. Many people preview emails by reading the first paragraph in Outlook. So the beginning better be short and have immediate value to your prospect. Example:

"Hi Barbara, Mike Brooks here with MHS Software. I've got some ideas about your networking issues for your new office that's opening in Houston next month. We've helped a lot of companies in this area, and I think you'll find it useful if we talk."

Keep your email short and easy to read! Nothing will turn your prospect off more than long, information packed paragraphs. Break up your sentences into different paragraphs if possible, to make them easy to read and accessible - no more than three sentences per paragraph.

Ask for a return response - whether they're interested or not. This is a great way to end your email and a good way to get a response. Simply thank them in advance for their consideration and say you're looking forward to their response.

Promise to follow up by phone if they don't respond. Let them know that you understand they are busy, and that out of consideration, if you don't hear from them you'll follow up with a call in a day or two. This really increases your response rate - and be happy if you get a "not interested" response. These prospects just disqualified themselves and saved you a lot of time and energy.

Try out these email secrets from Mr. Inside Sales, Mike Brooks, and watch your response rate go up! If you've got an email secret to add to the list, let us know!

Mike Brooks, Mr. Inside Sales, specializes in helping sales reps avoid rejection and make more money. Check out his free ezine at http://www.mrinsidesales.com/ezine.htm