A mother of six sold a pack of Pokemon cards for $142.51 - that's one pack - and it was opened to boot. How did she do it? By involving prospects in her story of how she came to own the cards. Her eBay post received 14,000 hits and had over 800 people watching it. People were so sold on her, and her story, that they dramatically overbid the item and she received three job offers.
What's the sales lesson here?
Compelling stories sell. "People are conditioned to resist a sales pitch, but no one can resist a god story," says presentation guru Patricia Fripp in Top Dog Sales Secrets. "Give your stories interesting characters and dialogue, plus a dramatic lesson your prospects can relate to. Don't say 'Certain companies have used our software.' Don't even say, 'IBM has used our software.' Instead, say 'Joe Smith at IBM told me, 'If we don't increase sales turnover by 20%, we won't make our projections.'"
Here's the Pokemon Mom's listing. We hope it inspires you to use stories to sell.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Solutions for a Sticky Situation
Buying gas in San Diego is always an interesting experience. Not only is this a commuter city with limited public transportation, it's also an expensive city - the gas prices reflect that, and you never know what you're going to get at the pump.
Lucky for the gas companies, they don't have to speak directly to their customers when they raise prices. Unfortunately, at some time, you as a salesperson may have to do so.
Dave Kahle is a veteran of communicating price increases. Here's some of Dave's advice to help you make the transition with ease.
How do you manage to pass on a price increase without losing business or giving away margin dollars? Anxiety abounds: "Will the customer refuse to accept it? Or solicit prices from a competitor? Will I have to give away gross margin and absorb the price increase in order to keep the business?" These kinds of doubts lead to anxious and intimidated salespeople, declining sales and shrinking margins.
Here's a series of seven specific ideas to help you effectively manage price increases.
1. Set up the situation.
The announcement of an 8% price increase on a major product line shouldn't come unexpectedly out of the blue. Of course the customer is going to react strongly to the suddenness of the information. Nobody likes to receive price increases, and even worse, nobody likes to receive them without any indication that they are coming.
It's like the day I received a bill for health insurance which was 60% higher than the previous month was. No prior notice, no hint of the increase, no letter explaining it was on the way, no preparation - just a much higher premium. I reacted conventionally, and immediately picked up the phone to complain and solicit other sources. The sudden nature of the bad news fueled my negative reaction just as much as the details of the increase.
Don't let that happen to your customers. Don't wait until the price increase is a fait accompli to inform the customer. Weeks before, have a conversation with that customer about the trends in the economy toward more price increases. Share the big picture with him. Then mention other price increases that you have received in the past few months. Be specific with names of manufacturers and products to which he can relate. Mention the soaring price of oil and the inevitable downstream effect that has on all kinds of products. Mention that you are expecting an increase from XYZ component or manufacturer.
Build into your customer the general expectation that prices are going to go up, so that when the deal happens, he isn't blind sided by the information.
For the rest of Dave Kahle's tips for communicating price increases, click here.
Dave Kahle is a consultant and trainer who helps his clients increase their sales and improve their sales productivity. He speaks from real world experience, having been the number one salesperson in the country for two companies in two distinct industries. Dave has trained thousands of salespeople to be more successful in the Information Age economy. He's the author of over 1,000 articles, a monthly ezine, and six books including: 10 Secrets of Time Management for Salespeople and Transforming Your Sales Force for the 21st Century. He has a gift for creating powerful training events that get audiences thinking differently about sales.
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 www.davekahle.com/mailinglist.htm.
You can reach Dave by e-mail at info@davekahle.com or by phone at 800-331-1287. Check out his website at www.davekahle.com
Lucky for the gas companies, they don't have to speak directly to their customers when they raise prices. Unfortunately, at some time, you as a salesperson may have to do so.
Dave Kahle is a veteran of communicating price increases. Here's some of Dave's advice to help you make the transition with ease.
How do you manage to pass on a price increase without losing business or giving away margin dollars? Anxiety abounds: "Will the customer refuse to accept it? Or solicit prices from a competitor? Will I have to give away gross margin and absorb the price increase in order to keep the business?" These kinds of doubts lead to anxious and intimidated salespeople, declining sales and shrinking margins.
Here's a series of seven specific ideas to help you effectively manage price increases.
1. Set up the situation.
The announcement of an 8% price increase on a major product line shouldn't come unexpectedly out of the blue. Of course the customer is going to react strongly to the suddenness of the information. Nobody likes to receive price increases, and even worse, nobody likes to receive them without any indication that they are coming.
It's like the day I received a bill for health insurance which was 60% higher than the previous month was. No prior notice, no hint of the increase, no letter explaining it was on the way, no preparation - just a much higher premium. I reacted conventionally, and immediately picked up the phone to complain and solicit other sources. The sudden nature of the bad news fueled my negative reaction just as much as the details of the increase.
Don't let that happen to your customers. Don't wait until the price increase is a fait accompli to inform the customer. Weeks before, have a conversation with that customer about the trends in the economy toward more price increases. Share the big picture with him. Then mention other price increases that you have received in the past few months. Be specific with names of manufacturers and products to which he can relate. Mention the soaring price of oil and the inevitable downstream effect that has on all kinds of products. Mention that you are expecting an increase from XYZ component or manufacturer.
Build into your customer the general expectation that prices are going to go up, so that when the deal happens, he isn't blind sided by the information.
For the rest of Dave Kahle's tips for communicating price increases, click here.
Dave Kahle is a consultant and trainer who helps his clients increase their sales and improve their sales productivity. He speaks from real world experience, having been the number one salesperson in the country for two companies in two distinct industries. Dave has trained thousands of salespeople to be more successful in the Information Age economy. He's the author of over 1,000 articles, a monthly ezine, and six books including: 10 Secrets of Time Management for Salespeople and Transforming Your Sales Force for the 21st Century. He has a gift for creating powerful training events that get audiences thinking differently about sales.
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 www.davekahle.com/mailinglist.htm.
You can reach Dave by e-mail at info@davekahle.com or by phone at 800-331-1287. Check out his website at www.davekahle.com
Monday, August 20, 2007
Friday, August 17, 2007
"Trust Me"
When was the last time you bought something from someone you didn't trust? If you're like most people you only buy from those you trust. Sales trainer and human behavior expert John Boe has some useful advice on how to establish trust so you can make the sale.
Use active listening skills. The quickest way to destroy trust and rapport is to dominate the conversation. Successful salespeople take notes, listen attentively, and avoid the temptation to interrupt, criticize, or argue. To develop and encourage conversation, use open-ended questions to probe the meaning behind your prospect's statements. Occasionally repeat your prospect's words verbatim. By restating their key words or phrases you not only clarify communication, but also build rapport.
Adjust to your prospect's temperament style. Research indicates people are born into one of four primary temperament styles: aggressive, expressive, passive, or analytical. Each of these four styles requires a unique approach and selling strategy. For example, if you are selling to the impatient, aggressive style, they prefer a short warm up and expect a quick, bottom line presentation. While at the other extreme, the cautious, analytical style is slow to warm up and is interested in every detail. Once you learn how to identify each of the four primary styles, you will be able to close more sales in less time by adjusting to your prospect's buying style.
For more tips for building trust, read the entire article here.
Use active listening skills. The quickest way to destroy trust and rapport is to dominate the conversation. Successful salespeople take notes, listen attentively, and avoid the temptation to interrupt, criticize, or argue. To develop and encourage conversation, use open-ended questions to probe the meaning behind your prospect's statements. Occasionally repeat your prospect's words verbatim. By restating their key words or phrases you not only clarify communication, but also build rapport.
Adjust to your prospect's temperament style. Research indicates people are born into one of four primary temperament styles: aggressive, expressive, passive, or analytical. Each of these four styles requires a unique approach and selling strategy. For example, if you are selling to the impatient, aggressive style, they prefer a short warm up and expect a quick, bottom line presentation. While at the other extreme, the cautious, analytical style is slow to warm up and is interested in every detail. Once you learn how to identify each of the four primary styles, you will be able to close more sales in less time by adjusting to your prospect's buying style.
For more tips for building trust, read the entire article here.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Don't 'Be Honest' and Make More Sales
Sales trainer Al Uszynski explains how an overused phrase can actually hurt your sales.
"To be honest with you ..."
Why do people feel the need to announce their honesty? Does this mean that they're lying otherwise? Generally, people use this phrase to set up a statement that might be inconsistent with the goals they are trying to achieve, for example, "To be honest with you, our competitor's system is somewhat faster."
The alternative is to omit the "be honest" phrase altogether and get to the point. If you feel compelled to announce that you are being upfront, Al suggests replacing the phrase with one word - candidly. It's simple and it focuses more on spontaneity than honesty. As Al so rightly says, "It goes without saying that we should always be honest - and when we are, it's much easier to remember what we've said!"
Al Uszynski is one of 50 top experts featured in Top Dog Sales Secrets. Al has over 17 years' experience as a sales professional. From sales rep to national sales manager, he has sold for small companies and big companies alike. Today he provides customized training programs for clients like Bloomberg, Philadelphia Weekly and Hunter Douglas. You can reach Al by visiting his website or by calling him at 877-49-SALES.
"To be honest with you ..."
Why do people feel the need to announce their honesty? Does this mean that they're lying otherwise? Generally, people use this phrase to set up a statement that might be inconsistent with the goals they are trying to achieve, for example, "To be honest with you, our competitor's system is somewhat faster."
The alternative is to omit the "be honest" phrase altogether and get to the point. If you feel compelled to announce that you are being upfront, Al suggests replacing the phrase with one word - candidly. It's simple and it focuses more on spontaneity than honesty. As Al so rightly says, "It goes without saying that we should always be honest - and when we are, it's much easier to remember what we've said!"
Al Uszynski is one of 50 top experts featured in Top Dog Sales Secrets. Al has over 17 years' experience as a sales professional. From sales rep to national sales manager, he has sold for small companies and big companies alike. Today he provides customized training programs for clients like Bloomberg, Philadelphia Weekly and Hunter Douglas. You can reach Al by visiting his website or by calling him at 877-49-SALES.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
No Better Time
Salesdog agrees with what legendary Hollywood agent Swifty Lazar once said, "Make something happen before lunch."
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