More and more USB-Sticks are applied as give-aways. There ar a lot of good understandings for this. On the one hand USB-Memory-Sticks are really popular. They are usable advertising gift, which are used and needed by many people. On the dot this is the role of a practically give-away. USB Memory Sticks ar also really little and so can carried with you all time. Moreover, several someones ar involved in data transportations, which means, that additional someones will see the promotion on the printed USB Stick. A point, which is really important, is that such an Flashmemory Stick is absolutely affordable. Advertizing bureaus offer printed USB sticks for as little as ten euros. If the long time which such an promotional gift can reach is calculated against, one gets to the conclusion that it concerns a worthwhile investment. And there is the USB Connector in countless executions and colorings. Therefore everyone can select on the nose the promotional material which suits to the target group, whether seriously, molder or brilliantly. That brings me to the next argument, its a merchandise that nearly everybody can use.
More than one advertisement event
Advertizing can be realised by two modes by a USB Connector. So you can print advertizement on the USB stick on the classical way, such on any another advertizing medium, tooOn One Hand, it can be also published quite classically, how every other advertising article. It can be a business logo or an addressYou can print your trading logo or an address. On the other hand its possible to put in your advertizing material on the printed USB-Stick itselfOtherwise it is obvious to storage away advertising media on the USB-Stick. You can also establish a block organisation to make it impossible to edit it. On this function, it can include a business introduction, ware presentations, around service offerings or something like that. By the longevity of the USB-Sticks and the joining of many various someones much selective information is shared out to different additional somebodies. Thats why the USB-stick has turned quite justly one of the most popular advertizement media at all.
Posted by admin as House Of Sales, Shopping Hall, Universe Of Products at 4:26 AM CDT
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Affiliate marketing is very much like an auction. Your internet site features various products and for all your work, every purchase brings in commission. There is less work needed, few overheads, it sells twenty-four hours a day, and what is even better, it is comparatively simple to pick up.
At the beginning, you must make a decision as to just which niche market best suits you. A effective way to do this is, you need to find out what a particular group of customers are looking for, and then which solutions are on offer to help them. One of the most efficient means to find this quickly is to look for specific sets of long tail keywords; more often than not customers search for these less, all the same they will convert far more into sales. These essential keywords can be obtained by using Micro Niche Finder. Data gathered by this software or other programs or services creates a listing of associated keywords which you can focus on in order to get an advantage in the rankings on an internet based search engine. Micro Niche Finder will in addition calculate the exact number of times every keyword or phrase is searched for, the number of other sites using the particular keyword or phrase, and how good the competition is. Ultimately, Micro Niche Finder information can identify desirable domains, material for your internet site, and reveal the best sales opportunities.
Constructing a web site is next on the list; but you will plainly have to do more than that. Search engine optimization is absolutely fundamental. Applications like SEO Elite should make this less problematic. This program automatically analyzes competing web sites and advises you what you can do to get good rankings in the search engine results.
With SEO Elite the data produced from the application advises you on links, the most profitable keywords, and a list of sites to submit articles to use. Briefly, SEO Elite information is similar to the suggestions you would receive from a skilled SEO specialist.
When you know which niche you’d like to concentrate on, put together your product promotion, and your website is ready to go, then you are ready to extend your search results. The profits will roll in regularly and wonder why you ever doubted that this method of marketing could be successful for you!
Posted by admin as Commerce Opps, House Of Sales at 2:54 PM CST
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As a previous owner of a Franchise I know the importance of maintaining employee commitment, loyalty and enthusiasm in maximising customer satisfaction, generating positive customer perception and protecting your investment.
Repeat business is the life-blood of any business worth its salt. Coupled with a structured approach to increasing market share, looking at the ‘window of opportunity’ and delivering services with excellence and cultivating positive customer perceptions would appear to be a recipe for success.
Have you ever stood at the front counter of a business and overheard employee dialogue or noticed that some employees appear to convey displeasure with their jobs?
As a person, and practitioner, interested in people it has often been my observation that many Franchisees need to wake up and realise that people management is not that complicated or as difficult as they may have thought. There are a few simple things that can be done to build an environment of high trust amongst employees.
However, it appears that not all franchise owners practise what they preach. Many espouse that ‘we treat our employees as valuable assets of the business’. This has always been a great source of amusement to me (because experience has often demonstrated otherwise).
Some people engage subtlety in intimidating staff, constantly making nit picking comments, refusing to lead by example and reducing staff numbers to the point where the bear minimum of staff are left to serve in the business. This begins to seriously effect employee moral, customers are disenfranchised and owners wonder why profits are down.
Take this true, real life example which I was actively involved in some months ago (names and details changed to ensure privacy).
Aunty Marges was a Brisbane Franchise that appeared on the scene several years ago. Aunty Marges specialised in quality cookies, cake and coffee. A husband and wife bought two of these Franchises.
The new owner’s employed 4 staff in one particular location. Staff was rostered on at different times throughout the day with one of the owners helping for part of the day. The roster started at 7.30am and normally finished at 6.00pm
It was a busy business located in a popular shopping centre, was a pressurised environment. The owners had over-extended their borrowing capacity.
Janelle, a teenager had been employed along with the other 3 employees to work in the business.
Janelle was known to be a hard worker who went out of her way to up-sell, interacted well with customers and took her job seriously. Despite being in her last year of college she took her responsibilities seriously.
One morning the owners called a staff meeting where they admitted that they were over-committed and requested that employees put in an extra effort. When staff left they were not replaced.
The friendliness soon began to disappear and the owners began to leave critical notes scolding employees and placing more demands on them. As a result staff began resigning.
One night as our family was over at Janelle’s place the telephone rang. It was for Janelle. The business owner (the wife) rang up and was obviously berating the teenager on the telephone.
Janelle went to her room sobbing and came back some time later to tell her parents and our family what had occurred.
Over the next four months this became a consistent occurrence. Finally Janelle had enough and I was asked to speak with the owners, which I did.
Why is it that some people seem to have a moribund fascination in causing other people pain and afflicting them with a life a drudgery and frustration. Our teenagers need positive role models instead of having roadblocks placed in their paths.
Why is it that we consistently hear about businesses that seem to pay lip service to ‘our employees are our most valuable assets’ behave abominably and wonder why the books are down?
What is Workplace Harassment?
Under the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 employers have an obligation to ensure the health and safety of all workers by managing risks at the workplace.
1. A person is subjected to “workplace harassment” if the person is subjected to repeated behaviour, by a person, including the person’s employer or a co-worker or group of co-workers of the person that-
(a) is unwelcome and unsolicited; and.
(b) the person considers to be offensive, intimidating, humiliating or threatening; and
(c) a reasonable person would consider to be offensive, humiliating, intimidating or threatening.
A recent draft statement released by the Queensland Government includes some examples of behaviour, where repeated or occurring as part of a pattern of behaviour, may be considered workplace harassment includes the following.
Abusing the person/s loudly, usually when others are present;
Repeated threats of dismissal or other severe punishment for no reason;
Constant ridicule and being put down;
Leaving offensive messages on email or the telephone;
Sabotaging the person’s work for example by deliberately withholding or supplying incorrect information; hiding documents or equipment; not passing on messages; and in other ways, getting the worker into trouble;
Maliciously excluding and isolating the person/s from workplace activities;
Persistent and unjustified criticisms, usually of the nit-picking variety;
Humiliating the person/s through sarcasm, criticism and insults, often in front of customers, management or other workers;
Spreading gossip or false, malicious rumours about the person/s with an intent to cause them harm;
Singling out and treating person/s differently from others, without good reason
Effects of Workplace Harassment on the Employees and the Business
Workplace harassment has detrimental effects on workers and the workplace.
Workers who are harassed can become:
distressed, anxious, withdrawn and depressed
physically ill, sleep deprived
aggressive, vengeful
less self-confident and develop low self-esteem.
Workplace harassment may result in:
loss of trained and talented workers;
loss of profits;
reduced productivity and morale;
an unsafe working environment; and
legal costs for a workplace.
Employer Costs - (off your bottom-line)
Employers who engage in these behaviours may face stiff penalties and the full weight of the law.
• Costs to the employer include high staff turnover, which inturn places added pressure on owners to spend longer hours in the business.
• Low morale which decreases productivity
• Workplace investigations by the OH&S people
• Higher workers compensation premiums where the claim has been proven
• Legal penalties and damages awards in some circumstances
• Mediation Fees
• Becoming known as a ‘bad’ employer
• Indirect costs (often significant) added to the bottom line.
• Incurring the displeasure of the master franchise holder.
It has been my experience that on average an employer will be out of pocket through direct and indirect means by $25,000 for one incidence.
Prevention
You can effectively manage workplace harassment by adopting some of the following procedures
Recognise your strengths and weaknesses and educate yourself and your employees.
Make a commitment to treat staff with respect. You have a vested interest in doing this.
Introduce a workplace specific harassment policy for all levels of management and staff.
Arrange for an in-house seminar on workplace harassment and have employees sign to say they will comply with the policy.
Deal with all complaints immediately, confidentially and thoroughly.
The place where Janelle previously was employed continues to be an unhappy place, the owners are stressed and the master franchise holder is unhappy with the owners.
Do not ignore workplace harassment and think you will get away with it. You can find other helpful articles at www.biz-momentum.com
Philip Lye is the founder of Biz Momentum providing strategic human resource management to help you grow your business. He is an expert in workplace team building and prevention of workplace conflict. Drop by today and find helpful information at http://www.biz-momentum.com. Send us your question for an answer from us.
Posted by admin as House Of Sales at 10:06 AM CDT
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If you attended a Sales Meeting or recently read a book that motivated you to change a poor sales habit, you probably feel a tug that will send you back to your old ways. If we are not careful, the tug will become strong enough to send us back to restore our bad methods and into places that won’t take us to where we want to be. This tugging action is just like a rubber band that is trying to pull us back as we stretch away from it. Sometimes it is hard to remain focused on the benefits of the new routine we are trying to construct.
At some point in time there is a point-of-no-return. This is when we have traveled far enough and long enough that the rubber band breaks and our new practice becomes habitual. Perhaps we wake up in the morning and the fresh routine is simply part of what we do everyday. I remember what it was like when I gave up coffee after my Physician advised me to eliminate caffeine. It didn’t help that my office was directly across the hall from the coffee maker and I was consuming 10 cups a day.
The aroma of fresh brewed coffee was tantalizing and I yearned for a cup so badly that I wasn’t sure I would be able to maintain my Doctor’s recommendation. It has been about 20 years since I have savored a cup of the dark brew. I no longer miss it and I’m delighted that I made the change. Besides, I couldn’t afford a 10 cup a day habit at Starbucks.
Creating change tactics
“Begin with the end in mind”. Any goal we establish must have a vision for completion and accomplishment. A sales goal is just like a weight loss goal, we know what we want the results to look like. It can be hard to accomplish on our own that is why we should look to our co-workers and friends for support. A real goal is one that is written and reviewed daily.
When I was trying to eliminate coffee from my life, my friends helped out a lot and stopped asking me if I wanted a cup. This was in part because I shared my goal of a caffeine free diet and my friends helped support my goal.
If your goal is to make more contacts or make more telephone calls during the day, your friends and co-workers can find ways to help support your efforts. The key to this action is to ask for their support and be certain that your goal is in their best interest as well. We know that there are temptations that will draw us toward our bad habits. Stay away from them and it will become less of a temptation. In my crave for coffee, I stayed away from donuts and the break room.
Steve Martinez teaches businesses how to increase sales by automating the best practices of sales. http://www.sellingmagic.com
Posted by admin as House Of Sales at 11:59 PM CDT
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“Hi! I am Jack Higgins, I sell chocolate cookies, likes of which you have never tasted before. I have been in this business for the past six years, buy from me.”
Some would consider this to be a good sales pitch to attract people to buy cookies. However, if you want to attract intelligent and shrewd consumers to buy your cookies then you may have to work harder at your sales gimmick.
Most of the business and service providers don’t have a clue about how to sell their product to the masses. Selling a product or a service is all about how you package and present it to the people. A good sales pitch should have substance, be attractive and believable and most importantly it should “compel” the user to buy the product or the service. This is not such a difficult task, all it requires is a bit of ingenuity and research. All this sleuthing would enable you to pinpoint on the compelling sales pitch to attract the people.
This sales pitch could emerge from anywhere. You may find it in someone’s reaction to the product or in the processes involved in making the product. You could also find it in the very reason because of which you started this business.
Looking at the example of the chocolate cookies, perhaps after much investigation and research, you would come to know that these chocolate cookies had a special recipe. This was the recipe of a chocolate connoisseur, who used a very special kind of chocolate with healing powers in it. As a result, besides giving flavour these biscuits also heal the soul. The chocolate uses ancient healing herbs and original cocoa as ingredients,
Armed with this knowledge, you can make your sales pitch sound like, “Delicious, yummy chocolate cookies made with the original, pure cocoa. Cookies so yummy, that they are sure to make your mouth water. Cookies made with special healing herbs. Cookies that come with unique money back guarantee. If you don’t like them we will give your money back.”
As you can see and observe for yourself, there is a vast difference in how the same product has appeared here and in the opening paragraph of this article. Customers also start looking at the product differently. This has been possible because of the effort that has gone into finding the right sales pitch that will be attractive to the customer. This theory will work for most sales promotion campaigns.
For selling any product or service, you need to do a research into its background to find the right pitch. Let us, take another example of selling a new kind of aerobic exercise video. As you know, the market is flooded with these kind of exercise videos and you will have to make an extra effort to make your video more appealing than the rest.
For finding the right sales idea, you can start looking into that various factors that go into making the video, the exercises and their effect. Next, look at the number of people that it has affected giving positive results. Also, investigate into its side effects if any. With all this knowledge, you are bound to come up with the right sales pitch.
Maybe after much research you would come up with the information that these aerobic exercises have a far-reaching and fast effect on the abs. Moreover, maybe these aerobic exercises have been inspired from a particular dancing style like the jazz.
You can now use all this information to plan your sales gimmick and make it very attractive to the customers and prospects. Otherwise, you would have given a simple idea, which would not have had such a great effect. Fewer people would have been attracted to your video and still lesser number would have gone on to buy it.
Now, your sales promo may look something like this, “Enjoy the benefits of aerobic workout along with exciting jazz dancing for great looking abs in quick-time!” The impact of the right sales pitch makes it worthy of a fortune. To find the right pitch depends on you and the product or the service that you want to launch. All you need to do is to introduce the right sales pitch in your ads and promotion messages that people come running to you, armed with cash.
This article was written by Craig Dawber of smarket-associates.com
Need advice and guidance with your online
business check out the resources found in this website.
Posted by admin as House Of Sales at 7:58 PM CDT
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Doing what it takes to make the sale
It was 7 am when I opened my office door and saw my boss sitting
at my desk. He had just two words for me…
The day before had not gone that well. First, I was late meeting
my local rep, Bill, for breakfast. We choked down a few eggs and
waited so long for the check that I thought the waitress had
gone home. Finally, I tossed my briefcase in the back of Bill’s
SUV and we headed out towards the IBM plant. You’ve been there,
so you know what happened next. Whenever you are late, the
traffic is unusually bad. As I stared straight ahead, Bill, who
had only been representing us for 6 weeks, was trying hard not
to ruin the day by jumping down my throat. Finally, we reached
the visitors lot with 10 minutes to spare. We both knew the 4
engineers and two buyers, who had reluctantly agreed to see us,
had no patience for lateness. As I jumped out of the Jeep, I hit
the electric door lock and ran to the back gate to get my
briefcase. Bill said, “Did you just lock the doors?”
Ok, so I’m an idiot. But how was I to know that in Texas they
don’t lock their cars and they leave their keys on the floor
mat! With 8 minutes left to get to the meeting and my
presentation locked in the SUV, I flagged down the security
truck. I was hoping he had one of those metal straps that cops
and chop-shops use to get into cars in a nanosecond. No such
luck. All he had was a tire iron.
The next few second seemed like slow motion to me. I grabbed the
tire iron and, in one fluid motion, I smashed the back window,
grabbed my briefcase and returned the tool to the security
truck. Bill looked like… he looked like a guy who had just seen
his brand new expensive toy vandalized in front of his very
eyes. I just started walking to the main building. Quickly!
This stuff happens. If you’ve spent any time in the field as a
sales rep you have suffered through a disaster or two yourself.
(by the way, I’d love to hear about yours if you care to send
them to me. Let me know if I can share them.)
I’m no psychologist, but I’m told that Dr. Phil, Dr. Laura and
Oprah all give the same advice: They say, “It’s not what happens
to you that matters, it’s what you do about it.” So what’s the
plan? For me it’s a 5 step process that we can apply to our
sales lives and beyond.
First, anticipate potential problems early. Whether it’s the
possibility of the demo crashing, four extra people showing up
for the meeting, or a traffic delay on the Long Island
Expressway, it’s our job to plan ahead. Have breakfast near the
client’s site rather than at the hotel. Leave extra time for
traffic. Double check the demo system the night before. You’ll
know what to do if you think about it.
Second, have a plan B. This is especially true for the two T’s:
Travel and Technology. Neither can be predicted with certainty.
I remember Windows 98 crashing during Bill Gates’ demo at
Comdex, do you? And who among us hasn’t missed a flight due to
weather or the mysterious ‘mechanical’ delays? Bring a spare
system for the demo. Have someone else who can give the
presentation (send the slides ahead via email).
Third, panic early, is my favorite step. Don’t wait until you
are standing there in a flop-sweat to decide what to do. When
everyone is in the room and the demo system is clearly not
having a good day, move to your screen shots in PowerPoint or
call the whole thing off and reschedule. Better that than having
your team looking like the Three Stooges in front of the client.
Fourth: If all else does fail, fail with grace. Keep your sense
of humor, respect others time and move on. If you anticipated
this situation, it’s easier to be cool, or at least fake it.
Finally, remember that the world works on the Law of Positive
Negatives. In other words, the world likes those who recover
well. I’ve seen presenters who forgot their lines, get a
standing ovation for the way they handled it. I’ve seen
customers award contracts to sales people after they recovered
well from a disastrous demonstration. Why? Because we are all
human and we connect with people who are real; like us!
The big thing to avoid is getting trapped in the Blame Game.
That’s where we blame everyone else for the situation and take
no ownership. Whenever you do, you’ll find yourself locked in a
fight and rapidly moving further from a solution. That’s why I
wrote my most popular book, Ending the Blame Game. I had had it
up to my ears with sales people whining about the factory did
this or my manager did that. Who cares? Not me. Not the client.
Certainly not your boss. The sooner we accept the blame, the
sooner we see ourselves as the solution. In the end, it doesn’t
matter whose fault it is. All that matters is who is going to
fix it.
About my boss… He was sitting there in my chair at 7 am to tell
me two words: We won! The buyer had faxed the order in the night
before, after I was already on the plane home. I was lucky, but
I had learned a lesson that I will always remember.
BTW, Bill never charged me for the car window. I guess he
figured that his $10,000 commission on the deal covered it.
For a free copy of “How to Leave a Voice Mail That Gets
Results”, please email article20@waterhousegroup.com and ask for
article #20
Stephen Waterhouse is Principal and Founder of Waterhouse Group
(www.waterhousegroup.com). They specialize in helping companies
increase their sales and profits. He can be reached at
1-800-57-LEARN or steve@waterhousegroup.com.
Re-Print Permission This article may be reprinted in it’s
entirety if the following conditions are met:
The complete tag with the author’s name and contact information
is included immediately after the article. A copy of the printed
article is mailed to the author at 1467 Walnut Creek Drive,
Orange Park, FL 32003 within 30 days of publication. The article
is presented in a positive light as part of an appropriate
business related publication.
Posted by admin as House Of Sales at 7:52 PM CDT
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1) Identify Your Essential Competencies and Performance Metrics
If I asked you to list all the essential competencies that YOU are in control of - the ones that are absolutely critical for you to be successful in your sales position…could you do it?
For example…
Essential Competency or not?
” Converting conversations to appointments? (yes it is)
” What about filling out paperwork? No! (That’s a related task)
” What about closing ratio? (Sure it is.)
” Degree of success in turning a first appointment into an opportunity? (absolutely)
Get the picture?
Now, if you truly want to adopt a self-management system that will work FOR you - not against you, you first have to “access” what is an essential competency and what’s merely a related competency.
To do this, sit down and list any sales metrics and performance numbers inter-related to your competency numbers and your desired revenue results. (Hint: “Sales Cycle” and “Average Revenue” per sale are two.)
2) Diagnose Your Business on a Single Sheet of Paper
If I ran into you on a train or in an elevator, would you be prepared to tell me what you do (and how it benefits me or those I know) - in under 1 minute…
That’s called your 30-second commercial. Most people don’t have one, yet everybody needs one.
One way to understand more of the obvious benefits your products and services bring to the table is to start to view and diagnose your business more scientifically. You will also see how the numbers work and which areas are most important to your short and long-term success.
Ask yourself…What happens if your closing ratio reduces by 30% and your average revenue per sale increases by $2500? How does that affect your desired results?
Write your competency measurements and sales metrics on a sheet of paper. Calculate ratios in line with competencies and average numbers in line with your sales metrics. Assign your revenue object or quota. Play with the numbers and ratios to see how they are inter-related and how they affect each other.
3) Calculate your ‘Magic Number’
“Not setting enough new appointments on a routine basis” is like a malignant cancerous growth slowly eating away at the heart of most sales organizations - - Jeff Hardesty.
The reason for this is because most of us do not identify how many new appointments are needed on a weekly basis based on individual competency numbers and performance metrics.
That’s like diagnosing with blindfolds on.
Every one is different; we all have a ‘Magic Number’. And it’s personal to only you. If you routinely achieve it, you will routinely meet your desired results. Since it is a dynamic number that changes from week to week, it’s important to understand how it is inter-related with other competency ratios, performance metrics and desired revenue results.
It’s important to include your ‘Magic Number’ in your self-management system.
4) Train to the ‘Napkin Rule’
The ‘Napkin Rule’ simple means, putting aside all those sales automation systems for 30 days and keep track of your essential competency and performance metrics on a single napkin.
Compute updates daily. Store the napkin in your pocket. When the napkin fills up, transfer it to a legal pad to show month to date. Have nothing else on the legal pad except your essential competency ratios and sales performance metrics. After 30 business days, transpose the legal pad metrics to your favorite computer software spreadsheet, and track it for 90 days.
This simple but powerful “Napkin Rule”
will help you become the CEO of your business.
5) Run Your Numbers, Don’t Run after Quota
Concentrate on your numbers NOT your quota so you can diagnose performance trends before a revenue crisis. Then you have the power to institute strategies and tactics for immediate recovery.
Here’s why.
Reaching and exceeding sales quotas consistently has very little to do with product, pricing and competition. But it has everything to do with ‘Process’.
Identify the core competencies that are necessary to be successful in your sales routine. Then train to Powerful Routines to increase your ratios of effectiveness. Document these meaningful business metrics and review them weekly. Build a simple but dynamic self-management system and outperform your peers and competition while assuring your revenue success.
Jeff Hardesty is President of JDH Group, Inc. and the Developer of the X2 Sales System®, a blended training system that teaches sales professionals the competency of setting C-level business appointments.
Jeff has been featured in numerous National publications such as Business First, Dartnell’s SELL!NG , Chief Learning Officer and Training Magazine with reference to Blended Learning Systems and improving sales teams Key Performance Indicators.
He travels the country conducting live X2 ‘Boot Camps’ and Train-the-trainer sessions helping sales organizations get more reps to Quota in less time, shorten new-hire ‘Ramp-to-Quota’ and eliminate Turnover costs due to low sales activity.
Jeff can be reached at jeff@convertmoresales.com.
To view a complimentary suite of sales training ROI calculators and determine your sales team’s Key Performance Indicators in line with your sales objectives visit http://convertmoresales.com/roi_calculators.php.
Posted by admin as House Of Sales at 3:10 PM CDT
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Sales calls that you control are what all salespeople want. I am a big believer that questioning is the most important skill for sales professionals. In order to stay in control of your sales calls, whether by phone or in person, you need to be the one asking questions most of the time.
To be the one asking questions most of the time, you have to get to questioning right from the start of your sales calls. This issue’s tip is about how to make this transition quickly with finesse, whether you are calling by phone or are in person.
To accomplish this, you will need to eliminate beginning your sales calls with long-winded “presentations” about your company. This may seem counter-intuitive. You may have reasoned that your prospect doesn’t know who you are, and needs your introductory “presentation” as background for a sales discussion.
Although this is the mode many of us are used to, the reality is different. If you politely give your customer a valid business reason for you to ask questions from the start, you will find that virtually all of your customers will let you do this. You will then be able to spend most of your valuable time investigating what your customer wants and needs.
OK so here’s how you do this. Once your sales calls have started and you have established rapport, you say something like the following:
“Mr. Jones, I am with XYZ Company, and we help companies to [insert your benefit here]. What I would like to do today is ask you a few questions to see if it makes sense for our companies to do business together. How does that sound to you?”
You can modify the above to your own style, but let me first show you what makes this opening work. In reverse order, you are asking permission to ask questions, you are stating that your purpose is to see if it makes sense to do business together, and you are suggesting a common benefit of doing business with your company.
By asking permission to ask questions, you establish the format of your sales calls, and put yourself firmly in charge. In stating that you want to see if it makes sense to do business together, you are saying that this is a mutual decision, and that you aren’t just out to sell them something that they may not need. By suggesting a common benefit of doing business with you, you are giving a prospect, who may not know much about you, a reason to continue with the sales call.
Until a prospect has decided that you understand their business problems, a simple benefit of doing business with you suffices to get your sales calls started. If your company is a known quantity in your market or to your prospect, you can skip the benefit completely as the prospect already has a reason and context for the discussion.
There’s no need for long-winded openers on your sales calls.
© 1999-2004 Shamus Brown, All Rights Reserved.
Shamus Brown is a Professional Sales Coach and former high-tech sales pro who began his career selling for IBM. Shamus has written more than 50 articles on selling and is the creator of the popular Persuasive Selling Skills CD Audio Program. You can read more of Shamus Brown’s sales tips at http://Sales-Tips.industrialEGO.com/ and you can learn more about his persuasive sales skills training at http://www.Persuasive-Sales-Skills.com/
Posted by admin as House Of Sales at 11:08 PM CDT
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