Sales Tips

One-of-A-Kind Marketing

Many folks buy because of a "fear of loss". Can you market your product as a "one-of-a-kind" for a "limited time only?" Show them what they stand to gain as well as what they will lose if they don't order now. One auto salesperson we know always shows the purchaser a model that is a "second choice" in case the "preferred model" gets sold before the customer makes a decision. This can really speed up the sales process.

quote:

Originally posted by Art Post:
One-of-A-Kind Marketing

Many folks buy because of a "fear of loss". Can you market your product as a "one-of-a-kind" for a "limited time only?" Show them what they stand to gain as well as what they will lose if they don't order now. One auto salesperson we know always shows the purchaser a model that is a "second choice" in case the "preferred model" gets sold before the customer makes a decision. This can really speed up the sales process.

Yes the "impending event close" is still a viable choice in our business. Whether it's the classic "This special price is only available for X amount of time" or "This is the only one we have at this price and my sales manager said the first one with paper work get it" still work. I know it can sound cheesy but if you can make it NOT sound cheesy.. it's good.

Be Ready for Those Last-Minute Purchasing Decisions

Many customers and prospects always seem to make buying decisions at the last moment...leaving you scrambling! Preparation on your part is essential if you want to continually win the hearts and business of the "last minute Charlies." Some tips:

- Prepare proposal "templates" on your computer that can be easily completed, then faxed or emailed.
- Purchase a mobile phone that you always carry with you. Make sure that your prospects know the number so they can reach you any time during the business day.
- Send direct marketing mailings or e-mails every 30 days so that you keep your name in front of them

Don't Be Outdated

Many customers and prospects always want to feel they are purchasing services from someone "in the know." The smart marketer always keeps up with the latest information in their prospects' industries. Make sure your prospects know that you know. Make it a point to call or email them when you come across information that can cause changes in their industries. This extra effort can be time-consuming on your part, but can lead to more sales in the long run. Time-saving tactics.

Major Shift? Go to the Top

If you are selling a service or product that causes a major shift in a corporation, then only sell to the top. A smart day-care center owner we know only markets to the presidents or CEOs of large corporations. Most large organizations don't want the "shift" and overhead of providing an in-house day-care center. Our entrepreneur proves to top management that she can provide them a needed service without a major shift.

Don't Be So Exclusive

In business, it's easy for clients to think that you only offer one service or product - the one they've most recently bought from you. Make the extra effort to educate your clients about all your products and services. A financial planner we know conducts a monthly direct mail campaign that highlights one service or financial product that he offers. This has lead to a great number of referrals from clients who may not need that particular service/product, but pass the word to those who do.

Highlight What's Important

Sending out FYI articles to your prospects and customers? Go the extra mile and use a yellow highlighter marker to identify the information in the article that you believe will interest each person the most. This saves the prospect/customer time by allowing them to immediately focus on the most important sentences, which in this busy world, will be greatly appreciated.

Displacing a competitor

from their accounts can be a very difficult task. At the same time, displacing a competitor can be very lucrative for salespeople and an extremely profitable way for your company to increase its market share. To be successful, salespeople should be careful in their approach and message to the competitor’s client.

So you are going to sell a product that you believe in.

Next thing you need to do is your research. Do your "homework". Find out as much as you can about the product and the sort of people you will be selling the product to.

If you are selling to a select clientel then you will need to understand them and be able to talk to them in their "language" using their terminology.

If you are going to be selling to a wide range of people then you will have to become adept in being able to pick people and then speak to them in their language. Being able to communicate on all levels is the key....
When you communicate to a person at their level they feel comfortable with you and will relaxe and lower their resistance to sales people.
If you talk to a person and use a lot of technical terms that are over their heads they will think you are trying to make them feel stupid and will resist what you are saying and think that you are lying to them.

Therefore its important to keep things simple...learn how to translate anything complicated into more simple terms..if the situation lends itself you can have paper and pen and you can draw things and write things down to explain it to people using visuals will help someone understand something a bit more complicated.

Research doesn't stop with just your product. You will need also to research all of your competition. You will have to understand them and their product so you can compare your product to theirs and explain to a person why they should buy your product instead of the competitors.

If it was a retail situation, I would personally be a shopper in the other stores and find out what their key selling points are and come up with counter selling points.

Sales pros have compiled a list of 25 critical questions that organizations must be able to answer before they can achieve record-breaking sales results.

Questions like:
Which lead sources result in the highest percentage of closed business deals?

What sales process does your best sales rep use to close the most deals?

How effectively do you distribute sales leads among new and experienced sales people?

Which competitors do you lose the most business to and why?

The very first rule about selling anything is you have to believe in what you are selling.

How many sales people do you meet and you know straight away that they don't believe in what they are selling because you can feel it when people are lying to you.

I have quite often got that feeling from used car sales people because they often know they are selling you something that you will be having trouble with later. Most of the time people sell cars because they are having trouble with them or they think they will start to have trouble with them soon.

People will know when you are genuine and will be able to feel your enthusiasm for the product.

Personally I would never ever sell something that I did not believe in. So believe in the Ricoh and you will have successes.

Sales Pipeline:

A sales pipeline is a very important concept in selling because it is the recognition of the origin and result of each sale. Each sale starts as a lead -- which is a phone number, a name, an email address, a referral or someone who walks into your store -- they are leads. From there, you qualify the lead, which means, you make sure this person is capable of becoming a customer -- either they have enough money or the right size outfit for your product. For instance, you might sell mini-vans, and a good qualifying question is: Do you have any children. If so, you might try to sell this person. If not, you would try to sell them another vehicle that isn't so family oriented. From there, after you've qualified a lead, you sell to them and you either get a "continue", an "advance" or a "decline." I'll explain those later. A "continue" can turn into an "advance" which can turn into a customer -- or a sale. chiching.
So a sales pipeline goes like this:
lead ---> qualified lead --> continue/advance --> customer --> repeat customer

Some products have a quick pipeline. Some products have a longer pipeline. Generally, the more expensive the product, the longer the pipeline (although that is only a general rule.)

An important part of selling is to

keep track of the ratios and numbers so you can understand your pipeline and improve it. How many calls does it take to get an appointment? How many appointments does it take to get a sale? And so on. Eventually, you'll find that it generally takes 10 calls to make an appointment and 10 appointments to make a sale, for instance. Then you'll realize that if you made 1000 calls last month and made $5000, then you'll want to make 2000 calls to make $10,000. Once you start knowing your numbers, you start to understand your pipeline.

Suppose you make 100 calls one month and get 20 appointments for the next month, but that next month you're busy going to appointments so you didn't make any calls -- how many appointments will you have on the third month? None. That's because you didn't feed the pipeline.


Of course, if you've done any sales already, you're quick to realize that If you made $20000 in sales this month, it's because you made 2000 calls last month. Or something like that. That's the sales pipeline in reality.

You can draw sales pipeline like one:
* Leads *
* qualified leads *
* cont. *
*advances *
*sales!*

Tracking data

When selling, it's important to keep track of the numbers. It is important for many reasons. Keep track of:
1. The number of dials you make
2. Messages left
3. People you reach
4. First appointments made
5. Number of people who give three "No's".
6. Messages returned
7. Number of new leads added to the intranet
We will also be tracking total number of sales visits and number of sales. Eventually, we'll get a handle on the value of our pipeline. Then we can work out how many calls we need to make each day to reach our goal.

Elements of a cold call

1. Get the person's attention -- saying their name is enough
2. Identify yourself and your company -- give a commercial for the company
3. Give the reason for your call -- the objective of the call is to get an appointment
4. Make a qualifying/questioning statement -- give an opportunity for the lead to respond in kind (ie. favourably)
5. Set the appointment

Drink Water

Before you give a speech, deliver a sales presentation or make phone calls - drink one to two glasses of water. It lubricates your vocal chords, helps your voice and gives you needed fluids that you lose while speaking. Lukewarm water is best. Cool water is OK. Ice water is not good for your vocal chords. Avoid dairy products because they create phloem in your throat.

There is a general impression held by many both inside and outside the business world that salesmen are full of hot air.

Many people associate the sales profession with the smooth-talking car salesman who wants to sell you a car that was owned by the proverbial little old lady who only drove it to church on Sundays.

Reality is that most sales people are average everyday individuals who are friendly and considerate and have friends and families, just like people who are accountants, engineers, journalists, architects, house painters, scientists and the like.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to travel far without coming across a sales rep who likes to talk, talk, talk and push, push, push. The most common personality types found in sales are admittedly not the best listeners. They can be impatient and more focused on closing the sale rather than listening to their customer’s needs. Even the best sales professionals can use a refresher on how to listen effectively.

The very first rule about selling anything is you have to believe in what you are selling.
How many sales people do you meet and you know straight away that they don't believe in what they are selling because you can feel it when people are lying to you.

I have quite often got that feeling from used car sales people because they often know they are selling you something that you will be having trouble with later. Most of the time people sell cars because they are having trouble with them or they think they will start to have trouble with them soon.
People will know when you are genuine and will be able to feel your enthusiasm for the product.

Personally I would never ever sell something that I did not believe in.

So you are going to sell a product that you believe in.

Next thing you need to do is your research. Do your "homework". Find out as much as you can about the product and the sort of people you will be selling the product to.

If you are selling to a select clientel then you will need to understand them and be able to talk to them in their "language" using their terminology.

If you are going to be selling to a wide range of people then you will have to become adept in being able to pick people and then speak to them in their language. Being able to communicate on all levels is the key....
When you communicate to a person at their level they feel comfortable with you and will relaxe and lower their resistance to sales people.
If you talk to a person and use a lot of technical terms that are over their heads they will think you are trying to make them feel stupid and will resist what you are saying and think that you are lying to them.
Therefore its important to keep things simple...learn how to translate anything complicated into more simple terms..if the situation lends itself you can have paper and pen and you can draw things and write things down to explain it to people using visuals will help someone understand something a bit more complicated.

Research doesn't stop with just your product. You will need also to research all of your competition. You will have to understand them and their product so you can compare your product to theirs and explain to a person why they should buy your product instead of the competitors.

If it was a retail situation, I would personally be a shopper in the other stores and find out what their key selling points are and come up with counter selling points.

Ask for more business

After the initial order is placed, offer supplemental items for more revenue or ask for referrals, etc.

Ask these questions:

"Can I show you another program we're offering because it's a great deal too?"
"Can you think of anyone else I should contact?"

Your Competitive Advantage Selling Your Unique Attributes

What's your competitive advantage? You can turn those cold calls into warm calls by explaining to your prospect just what makes you unique, different and better than the competition!

The best way to explain a competitive advantage is by first talking about what it is not. "We give great customer service" is NOT aunique competitive advantage. Every company in the world makes this claim - whether it is true or not. This type of line is just a "throw-away." It doesn't set you apart from anyone.

Look at your company, it's products and services andfigure out what makes you truly special. Then sell those points whenyou are making a cold call. How can you save your prospect money,increase profit, add peace of mind, save time and create more valueoverall? For example, at (your company), one of our competitiveadvantages is that you will always be able to reach the president of the company.
In the sometimes disreputable industry we are apart of, clients are comforted to know that they can easily talk to 'where the buck stops'. Now that's unique!

Another advantage I like to mention is that at the end of the campaign your call list will be returned to you "qualified" with the information we have learned about your prospects. You list will now contain thedecision maker's name and a record of the conversation that tookplace to assist you in your future marketing or mailing efforts.

One of the best ways to come up with your competitive advantages is to think about how you've helped a particular industry, target thatgroup, and "speak their language." How can you add value specifically to that market segment?

Of course, you should mention your competitive advantages in your phone call, but don't forget to use them in your follow-up letters or emails also. After completing a phone call or in-person meeting, send an email recap to remind the prospect about exactly what was discussed in the phone call. Add a paragraph or two, or bullet points atthe bottom of the re-cap as a reminder of exactly what makes your company unique, different and the right choice for your prospect.

"Call me after the Holidays" is Here but Your Business Doesn't Stop!

Thanksgiving is early this year, extending the holiday season byabout a week. But just because business (decision-making) slowsfrom Thanksgiving to New Year's Day, doesn't mean that youshould stop marketing.

In fact, with the right attitude, you can use the month of Decemberto be ready to get back to work on Jan. 2, a time when many of your competitors are just starting to think about setting those sales calls.

It may seem that the most frequent words you'll hear on the phoneright now are, "Call me after the holidays." Don't let it frustrate you.Try this rebuttal: "My calendar fills up pretty quickly. Why don't we set a tentative appointment now for January? Do you have your calendar in front of you?"

Tentative is a great word, because it won't make your prospect feel asif they are making a hard and fast commitment. Always ask theprospect to take out their calendar. It makes it much more likely that they will agree to an appointment.

Remember, any appointment you make now will make it a little easierto get back into the swing of things in January when the holidays are over.

1. Pick favorites

Personalize your product selection by picking favorites. Tell each seller to find one or two items that they like and then promote those enthusiastically.

"This gift wrap is my favorite."

WHAT IS OUTSTANDING SERVICE?

To answer this question, we contacted their salespeople--more than 300 of them--and asked the following question: "What steps do you take to ensure that your clients receive outstanding service?"

Before reading any further, take a sheet of paper and list 10 ways in which you or your salespeople are servicing your accounts. Then, compare your answers to the following list.

1. Discuss job with client and gather specs.
2. Prepare and submit quote.
3. Pick up artwork.
4. Deliver proofs when necessary.
5. Make changes and corrections.
6. Keep client informed of job progress.
7. Attend for press proof.
8. Ensure timely delivery.
9. Follow up to ensure satisfaction and address any problems or concerns.
10. Keep track of client’s printing needs and advise them when it’s time to re-order.
To be blunt, if you scored anything less than 10/10, you don’t deserve the customers you have, and your clients know it. But even if you managed to get a perfect score, you’re still not serving your accounts. As a salesperson, it is your obligation to do anything and everything to ensure that the job gets to press and is delivered on time, and these top 10 responses adequately describe this responsibility. Doing what you must do, however, is not servicing your accounts--you are merely performing your duty. Service is what you do for your clients above and beyond duty.

Cardinal prospecting rule

In both of these examples, getting the appointment would have been easy had the salesperson not contributed to their own demise. They destroyed their chances of landing the appointment by breaking a cardinal prospecting rule: They told their prospect what they were selling.

The moment that you read the words "carpet cleaning" and "real estate," you, too, immediately stopped absorbing the presentation and began to prejudge the value of the call. So when you’re prospecting for new business, keep in mind that the person you’re talking to is going through this same mental evaluation process.

For example, if a receptionist answers the call and you say, "Good morning, it’s Peter from Lucky Print. How are you today? Could you please tell me who orders the printing for your company?" he or she will most likely respond, "Thank you for calling, but we’re not interested right now. We’re happy with our printer."

The receptionist knows to respond that way because she’s been listening for and has just heard the key words that allow the call to be screened. The moment that you said "printing," the sale was over!

Many receptionists have clear instructions to block salespeople, so it is crucial that your initial telephone presentation bypasses screening techniques.

The most important prospecting rule of all: When making a cold call, never tell the receptionist what you are selling. Instead, use one of the following techniques:

Don’t mention your company name. Instead, just ask for the person you want to speak to. "Good morning, could I please get the correct spelling of your marketing manager’s last name?
Use an acronym. Instead of saying, "It’s Peter from Lucky Print" use the first letters of the company name and say, "Good morning. It’s Peter from L&P."

Since the receptionist doesn’t hear the key words, he or she cannot screen your call. Although you may be asked probing questions, if the receptionist is busy, he or she is just as likely to answer your question and put your call through. By making this small but all-important change, you will dramatically increase the number of appointments you land, while making fewer cold calls.

ASTONISH CUSTOMERS

Providing outstanding service means nurturing your clients by consistently doing things that move the customer from mere satisfaction to astonishment. In other words, even though delivering a quality job on time may often require that your salespeople go out of their way, in most cases the client won’t acknowledge the salesperson’s extra efforts because they perceive these efforts as the salesperson’s duty. It is only when you go beyond the expected--when you astonish your clients--that you embark upon the realm of outstanding service.
Although most managers and salespeople truly believe they are providing their clients with outstanding service, our study shows that this is not the case. Seventy-four percent of the salespeople were merely doing their duty: whatever was necessary to get the job delivered on time. Nine percent did little or nothing after they landed the order, and only 17 percent actually provided their clients with outstanding service. In other words, most of us only think that we are servicing our accounts.

1. Sellers should state their personal goal out loud

By publicly stating what you'll accomplish to your peer group, you've reinforced the commitment. Who wants to say publicly that they'll fail to achieve?

Make a prospect list and work it

All sellers should make a list of prospective customers before they start. Review it and make sure they have at least ten good prospects.

Art...a very good point! Might I add that not only is this important as one needs a starting off point and a game plan, but this has to be broken down into weekly and even a daily game plan. One of the things I always stressed with my salesmen was to sit down either Sunday night or early Monday morning and put together what they wanted to accomplish this week. Every evening to put together their next day. Never...never come into the office and not know what you're doing the minute your feet hit the floor the next day.
I know it's an old adage, but if you fail to plan then you plan to fail!

Rehearse the sales pitch

Have everyone practice your group's sales pitch at home. Fine tune your two-sentence value proposition and make sure that every seller uses it.

Smile and introduce yourself

Remind all your sellers to smile and introduce themselves before launching into their two-sentence pitch.

Leverage the power of "because"

Use the word "because" when stating the group's goal and your first request for help. Why? Because it's an extremely potent trigger word.
"We need your help because our band needs new uniforms."

Always ask for the order
Always include a direct request for an order in your sales script after the because statement.
"Can you help us meet our goal?"

Research your target companies individually, discovering as much information as needed before your sales call

Find detailed people listings that include biographies (when available) and job titles
Read about a company's products and operations so you can tailor your sales pitch to show how your product can fit their needs
Access a database of over 23 million companies
Receive news updates via email about your prospect companies

There are two words that are critical to use when responding to an objection.

And two words NOT to say.
What are these words?
Examples
When you hear the objection:
"We buy all of our imaging supplies from (your competitor), the XYZ Company."
Some may respond (and the natural inclination could be to say):
"Yes, but the XYZ Company doesn't stock Ricoh brand copier toner and we can supply you with Ricoh products."
Two words NOT to say: "Yes, but . . ."
Because it sounds argumentative.

I don't see the two words that ARE critical to say in the above example, I assume they are "Thank You".

I think they are talking about the "yes, but..."

Words Count

How quickly you capture a customer’s attention depends on how carefully you choose your words, according to Maura Schreier-Fleming, author of Real-World Selling for Out-of-this-World Results (First Books Library, 2002).
"If a customer has a concern, our job as salespeople is to listen, to acknowledge and to hear that concern. Using the word *but* negates everything you’ve said before it," warns Schreier-Fleming. "What your customer hears is the disagreement that precedes an argument."

quote:

Originally posted by Art Post:
There are two words that are critical to use when responding to an objection.

And two words NOT to say.

The two words NOT to say are "yes, but". The two words that ARE critical to say are not listed.

Unless this is some kind of riddle and "yes, but" is both of them, and I don't get it.

quote:

Originally posted by JasonR:

quote:

Originally posted by Art Post:
There are two words that are critical to use when responding to an objection.

And two words NOT to say.

The two words NOT to say are "yes, but". The two words that ARE critical to say are not listed.

Unless this is some kind of riddle and "yes, but" is both of them, and I don't get it.

I just post it for all, I don't write, I do agree with the riffle though!