Paradenitis

Are you in sales?

You may not think you sell for a living, yet the answer to the question is probably, “Yes.”

Whether your business success revolves around bringing in more clients, receiving quality referrals, or actually closing more deals… you’re in sales, and just like the rest of us, you’re selling all the time.

Nothing happens in the world of commerce until something gets sold.

The fact that you’re in sales means you face a dilemma. You have to sell to live… and virtually no one likes to be sold to.

You’re probably proud of the product, service, or expertise you market and sell, yet most of the people that work with me in my “Language of Success” programs tell me that they’re not really comfortable with “the whole sales thing.”

I tell them that they’re not alone in the way they feel. That may not give them much comfort, but it’s true.

Here’s a little game I play with my speaking audiences that shines a glaring spotlight on our discomfort with selling.

I give them a familiar word and ask them to respond with the first word that comes to mind.

You can play along right now. Here’s the word. Remember to respond with the first word that comes to mind.

Ready? The word I’d like you to respond to is, “salesman.”

The audience members start shouting out words like, sleazy, liar, run away, slick and manipulator.

What did you come up with?

Whatever the word, I’ll bet you it isn’t flattering.

Listen to the internal dialogue we have about selling and sales.

It’s amazing we sell anything at all.

In order to sell more… you need to make a shift in the language you use when talking to others about what you do.

In order to sell more… you need to make a shift in the language you use when talking to yourself about what you do.

The Language of Success provides you with a new way to think about your business and a new way to talk about your business.

Here’s the tip – Pay close attention to your internal dialogue about selling and sales. Do the words you use motivate you, or depress you, when it comes to your business development efforts?

In the next installment of these “Language of Success” articles I will provide you with a different way to look at what you do so you can get in front of more quality contacts, and then “Turn those contacts into contracts, or clients, more easily and more often.”

Copyright 2006 Ike Krieger

Ike Krieger is a business educator, author, and popular speaker. Ike’s Language of Success programs will help attract more clients, referrals and sales, and do it with dignity. Learn more about the Language of Success and subscribe to Ike’s newsletter at http://www.BusinessSuccessBuilder.com.

A few years back, a major tire company happened upon the strongest and most powerful sales statement anyone could make.

Do you remember it?

I’ll share it with you, later in this article.

For now, let’s imagine that you want to date someone, to strike up a serious, meaningful relationship.

What would be the strongest, most appealing thing you could feel or say?

“We were meant for each other!”

Now, I hope you won’t abuse this line, because it taps into one of the most intense archetypes we have as human beings: destiny. Most of us feel, at one time in our lives or another, that we were chosen to hit a winning home run in a crucial game, or to be standing on that street corner in Beverly Hills at just the right time to ask the single most important question in the world to writer, Ray Bradbury.

We feel it was simply meant to be. Fate or Providence guided us.

Well, there is a sales equivalent of “we were meant for each other.”

The General Tire Company expressed it with this slogan:

“Sooner or later, you’ll own Generals!”

In other words, it’s INEVITABLE.

Examine all of the social movements of the middle of the last century. What was the single, most significant persuasive statement they all made?

Change is inevitableaccept it now, gracefully, and you’ll be happy you did!

Try to weave this incredibly effective idea into your sales presentations, and I promise you’ll cut through a lot of resistance and get your prospects to see the wisdom of doing business with you, much sooner!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

“I’ve got two live cards!” It’s one of the favorite expressions of the short stack who has gotten caught trying to steal his way out of the low man on the totem pole spot. Having two live cards in online poker means that you have two cards that no one else in the pot against you does, such as a 4 6 against AK, or so on.

The statement is usually used when the player needs to come from behind a bigger hand to win, and is therefore trying to cheer himself up by knowing that even though he is behind right now, there are plenty of cards in the deck that can come and change the situation.

Having ‘live cards’ in Texas Holdem is pretty much the opposite of the concept of ‘dominated hands,’ where the players share cards and one player is ahead by having a better kicker. Obviously it is always better to have live cards than dead ones, and there’s probably some want for an electrical surge to come fill the cards and give them what they need to overcome the favorite.

If you don’t have two live cards, you might say you have ‘one live card,’ such as hold a hand like K 10 against QQ, wherein your ‘Kings are live,’ and if you hit one of the remaining kings, you will win the pot.

Property Index is an online platform that gives buyers access to thousands of properties www.propertyindex.com. Property in Spain is currently booming so browse the range on offer at Property Index.

Regardless the fact that PropertyIndex.com is seen as a fairly young enterprise, starting their business only in March of 2007, they have achieved expert status very quickly. As a matter of fact, they are a fairly hassle free enterprise and focus on offering advice to anyone who is attempting to let real estate assets in most areas of the world. Their agreement: to be of assistance to you to pinpoint squarely what you desire very swiftly plus unproblematically. Property is at your fingertips in most areas of the world these days, one of the elite areas being property for sale in Spain. It should be fairly easy to chart the marvelous property for sale in Spain, one motive for selecting properties here being a combination of the houses and apartments on the market and the chance of being able to live amongst such a passionate and exciting people.

It’s one of the truly favored markets these days, and with the scenic beauty and sunshine surrounding you here, how could you go wrong…. Property in Spain is steeped in history, this area of the world is and has always been home to lots of sophisticated cultures. Some thirty years back you’d find just a small number of English looking for property in Spain. Ask anyone who has relocated to Spain and they will substantiate it. Quite a few people would would view it as a short-lived rage and others would view it as a practically an infatuation! Patrons that transfer to this area extend from yuppie couples keen on a life perspective to older people looking to put their feet up.

Bear in mind, though, that you may encounter some complications when acquiring property abroad – you’ll find there are a hundred heterogeneous procedures whether plotting, paying a visit or purchasing. If you only miss one minor action this is sure to engender wide-ranging complications not to forget, critically, a failed investment. Obviously and expectably with this fashionable place, property may well be very dear in this area and that’s basically a result of the increasing market demand. Yet, property buyers truly are spoilt in terms of choice in such a place blessed by glorious surroundings. It’s patently got the whole lot patrons could conceivably require and plenty more.

The greatest cry and need of sales people and sales organizations that I know of is leads and prospects. Too often, the word is, “I have no one to go see or to call.” Or, “I need more leads!” Have you ever heard a fellow sales person say that? Or worse yet, have YOU said it? Let me tell you right off the bat, there is hope for more prospects, & more clients. How? You ask. Well, besides getting on the phone and going through some phone book, or going door to door, (whether it is house to house, or business to business), or asking all your friends, there is a another way. You might be able to talk to 100 people per day by phone or see 20 people door to door. But, now…there are much better ways!

Needless to say, we live in a highly technological world, and there are software packages for those sales professionals and companies that do conventional & direct sales and/or home based businesses. You CAN increase your sales potential by using technological resources now available to you.

Some packages are one-stop prospecting, marketing & lead generation systems that can actually have prospects calling you back for more information. Need more prospects? Through such systems, hundreds, if not thousands can be contacted quickly (less than 30 minutes for several thousand people) and tracked and many converted into sales and clients.

The following is the scenario why: you are talking to people who really want to talk to you. You can reach hundreds or even thousands of potential clients without personally calling each one. And…once you talk to them, (after they call you back), you can continue to keep in touch with them through the software’s contact management system. As a business owner or a sales professional, you are able to use your time more wisely, talk to only interested prospects, and place them in a database for follow-up, where you will never lose them. Communication/data base systems are rapidly gaining wide spread enthusiasm from direct sales organizations and traditional businesses, as well as multi level marketing and home-based businesses. These systems are being marketed to many professionals across the spectrum, from real estate agents, to mortgage brokers, stock brokers, insurance agents, credit card merchant services, car dealerships, and network marketers, among others. Communication systems will revolutionize how we think about contacting prospects and clients today and in the years to come. It will be more efficient and cost effective.

Need more prospects? You can do the traditional methods of obtaining prospects, (like cold calling), including getting referrals, (which every professional should target) or you can add to your marketing arsenal such advancements as the software systems that make your contacts want to call you.

Instead of giving your customers or potential customers a choice between you and your competition and having them choose the other guy, have them choose you.

Michelle Dunn’s new book” Become the Squeaky Wheel,” says creating a credit policy can have surprising results.

According to Dunn, a leader in the debt collection industry, some customers, when given the choice, between signing a credit application or paying at the time of sale, mostly choose the credit application regardless of who has the cheaper prices. It is true that some customers will buy more from you if they are approved for credit and have more time to pay. It makes it easy for them to place orders and receive a bill, rather than have to pay at the point of sale.

Like everything else, the easier you make it for the customer to buy from you the more sales you will have. Customers want things to be easy, fast and instant. If they are credit approved and can call and order and have the item quickly, then pay when they receive a bill, they will be more likely to order from you than someone who doesn’t offer that option. Resulting in your business making more money and more sales.

Michelle Dunn has over 17 years experience in credit and debt collection. She is the founder of Never Dunn Publishing, LLC, is a writer, consultant and the Editorial Advisor for Eli Financial Debt Collection Compliance Alert Newsletter. Michelle started M.A.D. Collection Agency and ran is successfully for 7 years. She also owns and runs Credit & Collections.com an online community for credit and business professionals.

She has written 5 books in her Collecting Money Series. She is currently writing a book for the Streetwise Series, part of the Adams Media Corporation. In addition to writing and marketing her books, Michelle moderates and runs Credit & Collections.com and was a member of The American Collectors Association for 9 years. Visit http://www.michelledunn.com or http://www.credit-and-collections.com for more information on any of Michelle’s books or services.

As the old adage goes, Life is like a market where everything comes with a price.

This goes to show that life itself entails some marketing skills in order to succeed in life. In fact, businessmen and sales people state that everything in life is saleable, from thoughts to actions.

For example, just by telling your ideas about a certain thing, you are already selling what you know to the person you are talking to. The question is: Will that person buy your idea?

In reality, many people see sales or selling as an antagonistic and highly competitive world. There is always the concept of win or lose strategy.

It is for this reason, perhaps, that some people like you might even think that you cannot sell and believe on the concept that the salespeople are born not made.

Whats worse, some people even think that selling is not an important tool on a business or in any kind of venture.

These notions of some people are, in reality, not worth trying and contemplating. This is because selling is, indeed, a part of our everyday life and that all the things that surrounds us are continuously evolving and reproducing all because of selling.

So, in order to learn how to sell your way to good life, here are some tips that you need to employ just so you can live a life to the fullest.

1. Be a true marketer or seller

The strategy to selling is to not delve more on one product only. What matters most is to try selling almost everything that has value in it.

Some entrepreneurs assert that in running a business, you do not have to focus on one product. Of course, there is sort of a flagship item, but you do not have to stop on that. Multiple product selling is still an effective strategy in earning more.

2. Take on part-time work lots of it

It is best if you can find some work that will not require 100% of your time. In this way, you can incorporate some selling activities that would provide you with more income.

Usually, there are items that are entirely dependent on a network. The garments and the giveaways, for instance, are a hit only during the Christmas season. Since it is only once in a year that you get to have a bigger income, it is best if you can ge4t hold of the opportunity and make the most out of it.

Best of all, if you have many part-time jobs, there is a higher probability of earning more money than you would have if you are employed in an 8-hour job that usually would take you more than eight hours, so to speak.

3. Become a distributor of a basic need

Some business people assert that when you thought of going into business, having one in an industry that can be considered as something that falls under the category of a basic need is good in the sense that even if you do not sell, you will surely get a 50% profit.

Thus, selling necessities is one way of ensuring yourself of a notable return of investment.

You may start selling things that are considered as basic needs. Like food, medicine is a basic need. From there, you can start from procurement to promotion to picking up the medicines from the main warehouse to distribution up to collection.

There may be many problems that would come your way, but you need to strive hard in order to succeed.

The key point here is that more than intelligence, you need guts. So you should start young because as you grow older your drive wanes. And energy is such an important factor in selling.

4. Sell your specialty

If you love cooking, try to make something profitable out of it. Cook some meals that you can sell to your officemates.

And with the word of mouth, you could expand your business once you have acquired many customers already.

Just remember, in any kind of selling, competitions can be very stiff. Hence, your prices have to be competitive and your food has to be really good.

Number one priority is quality of food and cleanliness, even if people do not see how you work.

5. Pursue your hobby professionally

In this way, you can start on something that you find truly of great interest. This means that you do not only find it gratifying but financially satisfying as well.

All of these things are boiled down to the fact that in order to sell your way to a good life, you just have to remember that selling should never be hard. What you should do is to tap the right side of your brain. No pressure, just fun. That, on its basic sense is the best way to have a good and wealthy life.

Have you ever had a sale that didn’t close and you weren’t sure why? Chances are you lost the sale because you didn’t establish sufficient trust and rapport with your prospect. Once you have developed trust and rapport you’ve actually got the hard part behind you and you’re probably going to make a sale! For you see, it really doesn’t matter how knowledgeable you are about your product or how skilled you might be at closing, unless you have earned your prospects confidence, you are not going to make the sale – period. The bottom line here is that people want to do business with salespeople that they relate to and that they feel understand their needs. Obviously, the challenge and importance of developing trust and rapport will escalate in direct relationship to the price of your product or service.

1.Be mindful of your body language gestures and remember to keep them positive! Unfold your arms, uncross your legs, show your palms and remember to smile. Develop awareness and sensitivity to your prospect’s body language. An effective listener notices all aspects of communication and is aware of voice tone, facial expression, repetitive movements, and muscle tension. Watch for inconsistencies between your prospect’s spoken word and their nonverbal communication. Rely on the nonverbal as a much more accurate indicator of intent. By understanding your prospect’s body language you will minimize perceived sales pressure and know when it is appropriate to close the sale.

2.Create harmony! “Matching and Mirroring” your prospect’s body language gestures will psychologically cause them to identify with you. The power behind this principle is firmly grounded in the precept that people trust people that they believe are similar to them. Matching and mirroring is an unconscious mimicry by which one person tells another that he is in agreement with their ideas and attitudes. Likewise, studies have shown that when people disagree they subconsciously mismatch their body language gestures. You want to be careful not to be too obvious when you are consciously matching someone because it will be perceived as manipulative if you don’t do it naturally. An effective way to begin matching is to subtly nod your head in agreement when your prospect nods their head.

3.Remember to make eye contact and listen with genuine interest. You are certain to create an unfavorable impression if you give your prospect the idea that you are not fully present in the conversation. Unfortunately, we are often busy game-planning our response instead of truly listening to what is being said. I suggest that you occasionally repeat verbatim what your prospect says – especially their key words or phrases. Restating in your own words serves to clarify communication, but you deepen rapport when you use their words.

4.During your needs analysis interview, I recommend that you ask open-ended, clarifying questions with who, where, what, when and how. Open-ended questions will require your prospect to give in-depth responses. Become an active listener. While it is important to educate your prospect about your product or service, as a general rule you should listen more than you talk. Keep your attention focused on your prospect and avoid the temptation to interrupt and dominate the conversation. The quickest way to destroy trust and rapport is to interrupt another person while they are speaking. If you do interrupt, minimize the damage by apologizing and ask them to please continue.

5.Dress and act professionally. While it may seem unfair, we are judged on our appearance. Research indicates that people form a lasting impression of us within the first five minutes. Be personable but not overly familiar. If appropriate, occasionally call your prospect by their first name. The sweetest sound to the human ear is the sound of our own name.

Customers buy from you because they expect to get something more valuable to them than the money they pay for it. You can assure them of getting that value by answering 7 important questions. Prospective buyers usually don’t ask these questions. They may not even think of them. But they won’t buy from you until all 7 questions are answered in their mind.

1. EXACTLY WHAT ARE YOU PROPOSING?

Prospects won’t buy unless they know exactly what you’re offering them. Make your proposition simple and easy to understand.

2. WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME?

Prospective customers don’t really care about you or your company. They only care about how they can personally benefit by using your product or service. Tell them what they want to know. Describe in detail how their life will improve when they buy your product or service — and why it’s worth the price.

3. HOW FAST CAN I GET IT?

The faster you can deliver your product or service the more sales you’ll get. Consider offering an option for overnight delivery if you sell something that cannot be delivered immediately after being purchased. One Internet marketer told me her orders increased almost 30 percent when she added the option for overnight delivery — even though she charged the additional cost to the customer.

4. WHAT IF I DON’T LIKE IT?

People are reluctant to risk the chance of not getting what they expect after buying your product or service. Offer the most liberal guarantee you can afford. An unconditional, money back guarantee will produce the most sales because it completely eliminates all of the customer’s risk. State your guarantee prominently and in detail. Clearly reveal any conditions that apply.

5. WHY SHOULD I BELIEVE YOU?

A prospective customer will not buy from you until you remove all doubt in his or her mind that you can and will deliver exactly what you promise. Testimonials are a powerful tool you can use to accomplish this. They provide proof you’ve already delivered satisfaction to other customers.

TIP: Avoid using any claim that sounds exaggerated …even if it’s true. A bold claim creates doubt in your prospect’s mind and jeopardizes the sale. Reduce any bold claims to a more believable level.

6. IS MY DECISION TO BUY A GOOD ONE?

Customers usually make an emotional decision to buy. Then they look for logical reasons to prove their decision was a wise one. That’s the time for you to talk about how long you’ve been in business, how experienced you are or how much research went into developing your product or service. It provides the logical reasons your customer needs to justify their emotional decision.

7. HOW DO I GET IT?

Did you ever walk out of a store empty handed instead of waiting in a long line for somebody to take your money. I have. Many buyers abandon their orders at online shopping carts instead of trying to figure out the confusing instructions.

It’s a total waste to lose sales from ready buyers because the buying process is too complicated or lengthy. Don’t let that happen to you. Make sure your buying process is simple, easy and fast.

A prospective customer won’t buy from you until all 7 of these questions are answered in his or her mind. Take some time now to review your web site and other sales tools. Do they clearly answer all of these questions? If not, revise them so they do. You’ll see an immediate increase in the number of sales you get.