"Losing is a learning experience. It teaches you humility. It teaches you to work harder. It's also a powerful motivator." -- Yogi Berra
When you lose a prospect or client how do you react? Do you let it defeat you and keep you from making more sales, or do you take that loss as an inspiration to work harder and do better for your clients? Take inspiration from every setback, and you'll find that nothing can keep you from success!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Organized for Success or for Failure?
Today sales expert Colleen Francis discusses what you need to stay organized in today's busy selling world. After all, your level of organization is key to your success!
You can not be successful if you are not organized. Being organized does not mean having a spotless sanitized desk with a pen in every color to match your color coded file system. Nope. Being organized means having one place, one contact management system that you use everyday to manage all client files, your complete calendar, every task, and all information you need to prepare for each sales call.
There are a variety of systems you can use. Chose one that meets your business needs. I will not tell you what to buy. I will tell you that spreadsheets, databases and email systems are worthless systems to manage your sales opportunities. They do not allow you to manage key aspects of your business such as, scheduled follow up calls, your calendar, multiple account contacts, and your sales opportunity funnel, in one place.
I recommend a true sales force automation system such as, (for example) Infusion Act! Landslide, Salesforce.com, SugarCRM, Maximiser, Pivotal, Saleslogix, Goldmine or Oncontact, because they become your sales dashboard. A well used contact management system, organizes your day and your calls, while allowing you a complete view on all tasks required to close a sale. Please note that I am not endorsing any of these systems above. They were the only ones that I could think of off the top of my head….
A well implemented CRM is NOT an administration tool, it is a sales tool. If used properly it will help you sell more, in less time, and with less stress! Your objective is to get into the habit of using it everyday, for everything. The best sales people I know use their contact management systems to track, at a minimum:
1) Customer contact details for multiple account contacts
2) Personal and professional milestone dates such as birthdays and company anniversaries
3) Sales funnel opportunities such as how much a prospect will buy and when
4) Status of the prospect in the sales cycles, probability of close, and by when
5) Scheduled meetings, calls, and follow up tasks
6) Notes of past calls and actions
7) Links of emails sent
In short, every correspondence to or from a customer goes into the contact manager. Using it this way allows a top performer to empty their mind of data clutter, and forever eliminates the “…I have a funny feeling I have to do something today but I can’t remember what…” problem we inevitable get when we are busy, and disorganized.
With their mind freed up from “customer information clutter” the top 10% can focus their attention completely on the task they are working on at the moment, usually prospecting, presenting and closing without fear of missing another important task..
Here is an interesting story that shows how ineffective a sales call can be when you are not organized:
A few months ago I had a voice mail left from the office of a very prominent author and consultant. You would all know his name if I told you, so I won’t. The sales rep’s message was that Mr. Big Wig wanted to invite me to an event. I was intrigued and flattered so I called back, got the rep on the phone and said, “This is Colleen Francis, you called yesterday about a meeting with Mr. Big Wig?” He said…
“Oh…. I did?…. When did you say I called?”
“Yesterday.” Was my patient reply.
“Oh”…… (long pause)….”Hmm… “What did you say your name was again?”
“Colleen Francis” was my not so patient reply
“Hmm? I’m not sure what this was regarding; did you say you met X at an event?”
I went on to explain to the situation to the rep. He interrupted and said “Oh yeah!” and followed up with a sales pitch to a seminar.
Do you think I bought?
Now, to be fair, I am NOT saying that this selling atrocity would not have occurred had the rep been using a contact management system. Nothing can take the place of a bit of common sense or a human brain. What I am saying, is that had this sales rep been using a proper contact management system, he could have looked up my name while we were talking (even put me on hold for a minute while he did this), scanned his notes from yesterday to see why he called me and recovered the call quickly and effectively.
You can’t be expected to commit every sales activity to memory. This is a sure recipe for failure and the reason why sales reps forget calls, are late sending proposals or routinely repeat the same questions to clients in successive meetings.
Get and start using a contact management system today. If you have one in place, make sure you are using it to its full capability. This is the only action I am recommending you take this week. You will be glad you did.
Colleen Francis, President of Engage Selling Solutions, helps sales professionals everywhere make an immediate and lasting impact on their sales. She offers key note speaking, sales training and sales coaching, all delivered with a savvy, no-nonsense approach. Learn more at www.engageselling.com
You can not be successful if you are not organized. Being organized does not mean having a spotless sanitized desk with a pen in every color to match your color coded file system. Nope. Being organized means having one place, one contact management system that you use everyday to manage all client files, your complete calendar, every task, and all information you need to prepare for each sales call.
There are a variety of systems you can use. Chose one that meets your business needs. I will not tell you what to buy. I will tell you that spreadsheets, databases and email systems are worthless systems to manage your sales opportunities. They do not allow you to manage key aspects of your business such as, scheduled follow up calls, your calendar, multiple account contacts, and your sales opportunity funnel, in one place.
I recommend a true sales force automation system such as, (for example) Infusion Act! Landslide, Salesforce.com, SugarCRM, Maximiser, Pivotal, Saleslogix, Goldmine or Oncontact, because they become your sales dashboard. A well used contact management system, organizes your day and your calls, while allowing you a complete view on all tasks required to close a sale. Please note that I am not endorsing any of these systems above. They were the only ones that I could think of off the top of my head….
A well implemented CRM is NOT an administration tool, it is a sales tool. If used properly it will help you sell more, in less time, and with less stress! Your objective is to get into the habit of using it everyday, for everything. The best sales people I know use their contact management systems to track, at a minimum:
1) Customer contact details for multiple account contacts
2) Personal and professional milestone dates such as birthdays and company anniversaries
3) Sales funnel opportunities such as how much a prospect will buy and when
4) Status of the prospect in the sales cycles, probability of close, and by when
5) Scheduled meetings, calls, and follow up tasks
6) Notes of past calls and actions
7) Links of emails sent
In short, every correspondence to or from a customer goes into the contact manager. Using it this way allows a top performer to empty their mind of data clutter, and forever eliminates the “…I have a funny feeling I have to do something today but I can’t remember what…” problem we inevitable get when we are busy, and disorganized.
With their mind freed up from “customer information clutter” the top 10% can focus their attention completely on the task they are working on at the moment, usually prospecting, presenting and closing without fear of missing another important task..
Here is an interesting story that shows how ineffective a sales call can be when you are not organized:
A few months ago I had a voice mail left from the office of a very prominent author and consultant. You would all know his name if I told you, so I won’t. The sales rep’s message was that Mr. Big Wig wanted to invite me to an event. I was intrigued and flattered so I called back, got the rep on the phone and said, “This is Colleen Francis, you called yesterday about a meeting with Mr. Big Wig?” He said…
“Oh…. I did?…. When did you say I called?”
“Yesterday.” Was my patient reply.
“Oh”…… (long pause)….”Hmm… “What did you say your name was again?”
“Colleen Francis” was my not so patient reply
“Hmm? I’m not sure what this was regarding; did you say you met X at an event?”
I went on to explain to the situation to the rep. He interrupted and said “Oh yeah!” and followed up with a sales pitch to a seminar.
Do you think I bought?
Now, to be fair, I am NOT saying that this selling atrocity would not have occurred had the rep been using a contact management system. Nothing can take the place of a bit of common sense or a human brain. What I am saying, is that had this sales rep been using a proper contact management system, he could have looked up my name while we were talking (even put me on hold for a minute while he did this), scanned his notes from yesterday to see why he called me and recovered the call quickly and effectively.
You can’t be expected to commit every sales activity to memory. This is a sure recipe for failure and the reason why sales reps forget calls, are late sending proposals or routinely repeat the same questions to clients in successive meetings.
Get and start using a contact management system today. If you have one in place, make sure you are using it to its full capability. This is the only action I am recommending you take this week. You will be glad you did.
Colleen Francis, President of Engage Selling Solutions, helps sales professionals everywhere make an immediate and lasting impact on their sales. She offers key note speaking, sales training and sales coaching, all delivered with a savvy, no-nonsense approach. Learn more at www.engageselling.com
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Listen Constructively
While we all know the importance of listening, today sales expert Dave Kahle shares the importance of listening constructively. It's a great read!
A study of the behavioral characteristics of the best sales people was published a few years ago. One of the not-so-surprising conclusions was this: The best sales people “listen more constructively” than their more average counterparts.
What does it mean to “listen constructively?” My wife is a crises counselor, and she talks about listening “empathetically.” That means that she listens to understand and relate to how people are feeling. But the study didn’t say great sales people listen “empathetically,” it said they listen “constructively.”
There is a clue to its meaning in the word itself. Think “constructively = construction = building.” Listening constructively means to listen for things upon which to build.
Great sale people ask great questions, and then listen more constructively. They focus intently on what the customer is saying, filter it through the perspective of things “upon which to build.” So, they build their next question on the braces and beams of the customer’s answer. As they dig deeper and listen intently, they gather a better picture of the customer’s issues, needs, situation, motivation and concerns. They form a clearer mental “blue print” of the selling situation, and are able, therefore, to provide a more accurate and appealing solution.
This, of course, flies in the face of a piece of conventional wisdom that proclaims that good sales people are good talkers. Nothing could be further from the truth. Good sales people are good listeners, not good talkers.
A study published by RainToday.com, found that 74% of 200 purchasers surveyed at companies nationwide said they would be “much more likely” to buy from a sales person if the seller would simply listen to the prospect.
Imagine that. Almost three quarters of customers would be more likely to buy if the sales person would just listen!
Listening well -- listening constructively -- is not a natural skill. It takes intentionality and dedication to work consistently at it and to become, over time, one of the best listeners. As in every aspect of sales success, the best decide to become the best, and put in the time and effort it takes to gradually develop the skills that take them to the top.
There are few things more important than listening well. The best do it better than the average. That’s why they are the best.
Dave Kahle is the President of the DaCo Corporation, specializing in helping business-to-business companies increase sales and develop their people. Learn more at www.davekahle.com
A study of the behavioral characteristics of the best sales people was published a few years ago. One of the not-so-surprising conclusions was this: The best sales people “listen more constructively” than their more average counterparts.
What does it mean to “listen constructively?” My wife is a crises counselor, and she talks about listening “empathetically.” That means that she listens to understand and relate to how people are feeling. But the study didn’t say great sales people listen “empathetically,” it said they listen “constructively.”
There is a clue to its meaning in the word itself. Think “constructively = construction = building.” Listening constructively means to listen for things upon which to build.
Great sale people ask great questions, and then listen more constructively. They focus intently on what the customer is saying, filter it through the perspective of things “upon which to build.” So, they build their next question on the braces and beams of the customer’s answer. As they dig deeper and listen intently, they gather a better picture of the customer’s issues, needs, situation, motivation and concerns. They form a clearer mental “blue print” of the selling situation, and are able, therefore, to provide a more accurate and appealing solution.
This, of course, flies in the face of a piece of conventional wisdom that proclaims that good sales people are good talkers. Nothing could be further from the truth. Good sales people are good listeners, not good talkers.
A study published by RainToday.com, found that 74% of 200 purchasers surveyed at companies nationwide said they would be “much more likely” to buy from a sales person if the seller would simply listen to the prospect.
Imagine that. Almost three quarters of customers would be more likely to buy if the sales person would just listen!
Listening well -- listening constructively -- is not a natural skill. It takes intentionality and dedication to work consistently at it and to become, over time, one of the best listeners. As in every aspect of sales success, the best decide to become the best, and put in the time and effort it takes to gradually develop the skills that take them to the top.
There are few things more important than listening well. The best do it better than the average. That’s why they are the best.
Dave Kahle is the President of the DaCo Corporation, specializing in helping business-to-business companies increase sales and develop their people. Learn more at www.davekahle.com
Monday, June 20, 2011
Quote of the Week
"Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions." -- Albert Einstein, Physicist
If you want something, you need to be able to imagine it first. Think in detail about what you want, and picture yourself achieving it. Then get started on what you need to do to make it happen!
If you want something, you need to be able to imagine it first. Think in detail about what you want, and picture yourself achieving it. Then get started on what you need to do to make it happen!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Time Management Tip - 1 in 20
I love time management tips, and this one from business expert Diane Helbig is excellent!
So many people are struggling these days with time management. I hear it all the time 'I just need to figure out how to schedule an hour a day...'
Here's a thought - STOP trying!
I think the mistake we make is trying to carve out big blocks of time. They're too big so we don't do it. Let's face it, if we had an hour to do something, well, we'd be totally organized and productive!
Try looking at it differently. Compartmentalize. Pick 1 thing to do in 20 minutes in one day. Don't over-analyze it or worry over it. Just set out to do 1 thing in 20 minutes today. Tomorrow you can pick a different thing to do in 20 minutes.
This serves two purposes
1. it helps you break your tasks down into little bite-size, DOABLE, pieces.
2. it puts that thing into a little space so you can do it and move on.
When you work this way you will find that you are accomplishing things. This will prompt you to continue the process, which will serve to accomplish more and more things in your business. How great is that??!!
Diane Helbig is a Professional Coach, and President of Seize This Day Coaching. She works one-on-one and in groups with business owners, entrepreneurs, and salespeople. Visit her website at www.seizethisdaycoaching.com
So many people are struggling these days with time management. I hear it all the time 'I just need to figure out how to schedule an hour a day...'
Here's a thought - STOP trying!
I think the mistake we make is trying to carve out big blocks of time. They're too big so we don't do it. Let's face it, if we had an hour to do something, well, we'd be totally organized and productive!
Try looking at it differently. Compartmentalize. Pick 1 thing to do in 20 minutes in one day. Don't over-analyze it or worry over it. Just set out to do 1 thing in 20 minutes today. Tomorrow you can pick a different thing to do in 20 minutes.
This serves two purposes
1. it helps you break your tasks down into little bite-size, DOABLE, pieces.
2. it puts that thing into a little space so you can do it and move on.
When you work this way you will find that you are accomplishing things. This will prompt you to continue the process, which will serve to accomplish more and more things in your business. How great is that??!!
Diane Helbig is a Professional Coach, and President of Seize This Day Coaching. She works one-on-one and in groups with business owners, entrepreneurs, and salespeople. Visit her website at www.seizethisdaycoaching.com
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Are You Giving A Profound Show and Tell Experience?
Today sales expert Kim Duke shares an important sales lesson - with a fun story, like always!
I love to cook! As a kid growing up on the Canadian prairies - it seemed a rite of passage to learn how to cook from your mother. By the age of 12 I could make a complete roast beef dinner complete with mashed potatoes and gravy. Cooking truly is one of the joys of my life!
When I was recently in France, one of my favorite fun things to do was to shop at the local village markets. There's a local market happening almost every day of the week.
We stopped at a table where a man was selling knives of every shape and size. The prices were high but that's not the most important thing to a cook.
What's important?
Having SHARP Knives.
Using my limited French skills I asked...."How sharp are these knives?"
The man looked at me and said nothing. And then he provided a PROFOUND Show and Tell Experience.
First he picked up a piece of paper, held it in the air and cut it into thin, clean strips with short strokes as if he was a fencing expert.
Are You Giving A Profound Show and Tell Experience?
Here's a big hint for you.
People don't like to buy risky things at risky prices from risky people. So if someone doesn't know or trust you - guess what? They think YOU'RE RISKY.
What's One Of The Fastest Ways To Reduce Risk?
Show and Tell. (Notice how the word SHOW comes before TELL?)
Are you consistently...
•Displaying before and after pictures?
•Showing powerful testimonials with names, locations and pics?
•Allowing people to test your product or service?
•Providing samples?
•Using endorsements of celebrities (if applicable)?
•Showing the media coverage you've had?
•Offering a variety of ways for them to "sample you"? ie/ ezines, articles, printed newsletters, video, audio, podcasts, blogs, Facebook etc?
If you're not? I bet you're struggling. And really - selling doesn't have to be a struggle!
What you need to do is evaluate HOW and WHAT you can do to offer your customers a
PROFOUND Show and Tell Experience.
Now...back to France. HOW did the gentleman give me a PROFOUND Show and Tell Experience?
He didn't say a word. Instead he put his hand in front of me - lifted his thumb...
..and proceeded to shave thin shavings off the front of his thumbnail with the knife.
He looked at me with a smile and I looked back with an even bigger one.
SOLD! I bought 3 knives in about 3 seconds.
I was happy and so was he.
Don't be the risky person with the risky product or service and the risky price. Come up with a PROFOUND Show and Tell Experience for your potential customers instead.
Kim Duke is an unconventional, sassy and savvy sales expert who shows women small biz owners and entrepreneurs 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
I love to cook! As a kid growing up on the Canadian prairies - it seemed a rite of passage to learn how to cook from your mother. By the age of 12 I could make a complete roast beef dinner complete with mashed potatoes and gravy. Cooking truly is one of the joys of my life!
When I was recently in France, one of my favorite fun things to do was to shop at the local village markets. There's a local market happening almost every day of the week.
We stopped at a table where a man was selling knives of every shape and size. The prices were high but that's not the most important thing to a cook.
What's important?
Having SHARP Knives.
Using my limited French skills I asked...."How sharp are these knives?"
The man looked at me and said nothing. And then he provided a PROFOUND Show and Tell Experience.
First he picked up a piece of paper, held it in the air and cut it into thin, clean strips with short strokes as if he was a fencing expert.
Are You Giving A Profound Show and Tell Experience?
Here's a big hint for you.
People don't like to buy risky things at risky prices from risky people. So if someone doesn't know or trust you - guess what? They think YOU'RE RISKY.
What's One Of The Fastest Ways To Reduce Risk?
Show and Tell. (Notice how the word SHOW comes before TELL?)
Are you consistently...
•Displaying before and after pictures?
•Showing powerful testimonials with names, locations and pics?
•Allowing people to test your product or service?
•Providing samples?
•Using endorsements of celebrities (if applicable)?
•Showing the media coverage you've had?
•Offering a variety of ways for them to "sample you"? ie/ ezines, articles, printed newsletters, video, audio, podcasts, blogs, Facebook etc?
If you're not? I bet you're struggling. And really - selling doesn't have to be a struggle!
What you need to do is evaluate HOW and WHAT you can do to offer your customers a
PROFOUND Show and Tell Experience.
Now...back to France. HOW did the gentleman give me a PROFOUND Show and Tell Experience?
He didn't say a word. Instead he put his hand in front of me - lifted his thumb...
..and proceeded to shave thin shavings off the front of his thumbnail with the knife.
He looked at me with a smile and I looked back with an even bigger one.
SOLD! I bought 3 knives in about 3 seconds.
I was happy and so was he.
Don't be the risky person with the risky product or service and the risky price. Come up with a PROFOUND Show and Tell Experience for your potential customers instead.
Kim Duke is an unconventional, sassy and savvy sales expert who shows women small biz owners and entrepreneurs 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
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Don’t Make These Sales and Marketing Mistakes
Today sales trainer Jim Meisenheimer shares some important tips (and things to avoid!) when selling.
How would you rate your sales and marketing effectiveness?
When it comes to sales and marketing, you can either be effective or ineffective.
I saw an incredible demonstration recently on how to do it right.
Let me explain. Recently my wife and I went to Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota. The show was “George Gershwin Alone.” It was a one man show about the music and lyrics by the brothers George and Ira Gershwin.
It was based on the book written by Hershey Felder who also happened to be the star of the show. What a terrific performance.
Depending on how good the show is there usually are curtain calls.
When this show ended Hershey came out to a standing ovation. But this was different.
After a short minute or two he waved at the audience to take our seats and we did.
He asked the audience to call out George Gershwin song titles for him to play and sing. Then he proceeded to sing some songs and had fun with the audience.
So when he finishes this routine he says the Theatre asked him for his help.
He said in one week he would be doing another limited engagement show, “Maestro – The Art Of Leonard Bernstein.” He told us he wanted us to go to the Box Office right after the show and buy tickets because we would save 20% because we were at today’s show.
Well of course I was the first one in line to buy these tickets.
He said the Theatre asked for even more help. He agreed. He told us he brought just 200 copies of his soon to be released NEW CD and he would donate all the proceeds to the Theatre.
He said he would also be happy to autograph the CDs.
After I bought the tickets to his next show, I also bought his new CD for $50.
Look, Hershey gave an amazing performance and then proceeded to demonstrate the art of salesmanship.
He gave us a call to action. He told us where to go to buy the tickets today.
He gave us an incentive for buying today – save 20%.
He created a sense of urgency with his CDs by saying the supply was limited and he only had 200 copies.
He added more value by offering to autograph the CDs.
I go to a show to be entertained and I was. I also had the opportunity to see a brilliant display of salesmanship.
Let me put this into a business perspective for you.
Some of the biggest sales and marketing mistakes I see salespeople and companies making include the following:
Selling on price. Why sell on price when you can sell on value? I believe the word discount should be eliminated from all marketing and advertising materials.
The word discount should be replaced with the words value and incentives. And whenever possible your value should be quantified in dollars.
If you can’t quantify your value don’t expect your sales prospects and customers to be able to see it.
Selling features instead of selling benefits. This is a huge mistake marketers make. Salespeople also do the same thing and are always talking about features instead of focusing on the product’s benefits.
Let’s take a windshield wiper blade for example. These blades are made of rubber plain and simple. Yes they cling to the windshield and remove rain, sleet, and snow from your windshield.
But what’s the benefit for your customer? Well, the benefit for a senior citizen who has to drive down a mountain to buy groceries and go to church during a winter storm is peace of mind and safety because the windshield wiper blades enable your customer to see clearly and drive safely.
Emphasize the benefits if you want to motivate your sales prospects and customers to buy your products.
No sense of urgency. Tell your sales prospects and customers that, using this example, your supply of wiper blades is limited, just like Hershey did. In fact tell them how many you have in stock and they need to hurry in because they’ll be all gone in a few days.
No call to action. This one is a no-brainer. Do what you can to make it easier for your customers to buy.
Bernadette, my wife, goes ballistic when she sees an article or an advertisement for a product she’s interested in and there’s no contact information.
Be sure to include a person’s name, an address, a phone number, store hours, and a website if your product can be ordered on line.
Tell people to visit your place of business or your website today to get a special bonus product with every purchase.
Make it easy for your customers to do business with you and they’ll keep coming back.
And always say, “Thank you for your business,” enthusiastically!
And I must thank Hershey again for his 2 brilliant and memorable performances.
Jim Meisenheimer publishes The No-Brainer Selling Tips Newsletter, a fresh and high content newsletter dedicated to helping you grow your business and multiply your income. Use this link to sign-up for Jim's F-R-E-E The Start Selling More Newsletter and to get your copy of his Special Report titled, "The 12 Dumbest Things Salespeople Do."
How would you rate your sales and marketing effectiveness?
When it comes to sales and marketing, you can either be effective or ineffective.
I saw an incredible demonstration recently on how to do it right.
Let me explain. Recently my wife and I went to Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota. The show was “George Gershwin Alone.” It was a one man show about the music and lyrics by the brothers George and Ira Gershwin.
It was based on the book written by Hershey Felder who also happened to be the star of the show. What a terrific performance.
Depending on how good the show is there usually are curtain calls.
When this show ended Hershey came out to a standing ovation. But this was different.
After a short minute or two he waved at the audience to take our seats and we did.
He asked the audience to call out George Gershwin song titles for him to play and sing. Then he proceeded to sing some songs and had fun with the audience.
So when he finishes this routine he says the Theatre asked him for his help.
He said in one week he would be doing another limited engagement show, “Maestro – The Art Of Leonard Bernstein.” He told us he wanted us to go to the Box Office right after the show and buy tickets because we would save 20% because we were at today’s show.
Well of course I was the first one in line to buy these tickets.
He said the Theatre asked for even more help. He agreed. He told us he brought just 200 copies of his soon to be released NEW CD and he would donate all the proceeds to the Theatre.
He said he would also be happy to autograph the CDs.
After I bought the tickets to his next show, I also bought his new CD for $50.
Look, Hershey gave an amazing performance and then proceeded to demonstrate the art of salesmanship.
He gave us a call to action. He told us where to go to buy the tickets today.
He gave us an incentive for buying today – save 20%.
He created a sense of urgency with his CDs by saying the supply was limited and he only had 200 copies.
He added more value by offering to autograph the CDs.
I go to a show to be entertained and I was. I also had the opportunity to see a brilliant display of salesmanship.
Let me put this into a business perspective for you.
Some of the biggest sales and marketing mistakes I see salespeople and companies making include the following:
Selling on price. Why sell on price when you can sell on value? I believe the word discount should be eliminated from all marketing and advertising materials.
The word discount should be replaced with the words value and incentives. And whenever possible your value should be quantified in dollars.
If you can’t quantify your value don’t expect your sales prospects and customers to be able to see it.
Selling features instead of selling benefits. This is a huge mistake marketers make. Salespeople also do the same thing and are always talking about features instead of focusing on the product’s benefits.
Let’s take a windshield wiper blade for example. These blades are made of rubber plain and simple. Yes they cling to the windshield and remove rain, sleet, and snow from your windshield.
But what’s the benefit for your customer? Well, the benefit for a senior citizen who has to drive down a mountain to buy groceries and go to church during a winter storm is peace of mind and safety because the windshield wiper blades enable your customer to see clearly and drive safely.
Emphasize the benefits if you want to motivate your sales prospects and customers to buy your products.
No sense of urgency. Tell your sales prospects and customers that, using this example, your supply of wiper blades is limited, just like Hershey did. In fact tell them how many you have in stock and they need to hurry in because they’ll be all gone in a few days.
No call to action. This one is a no-brainer. Do what you can to make it easier for your customers to buy.
Bernadette, my wife, goes ballistic when she sees an article or an advertisement for a product she’s interested in and there’s no contact information.
Be sure to include a person’s name, an address, a phone number, store hours, and a website if your product can be ordered on line.
Tell people to visit your place of business or your website today to get a special bonus product with every purchase.
Make it easy for your customers to do business with you and they’ll keep coming back.
And always say, “Thank you for your business,” enthusiastically!
And I must thank Hershey again for his 2 brilliant and memorable performances.
Jim Meisenheimer publishes The No-Brainer Selling Tips Newsletter, a fresh and high content newsletter dedicated to helping you grow your business and multiply your income. Use this link to sign-up for Jim's F-R-E-E The Start Selling More Newsletter and to get your copy of his Special Report titled, "The 12 Dumbest Things Salespeople Do."
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