How are sales like jump-starting your car?

I hope it has been some time since you last had a dead battery. It's not a lot of fun, especially if it is pouring rain and you don't have a set of jumper cables.

Most people know a battery has a positive and a negative terminal. When jump-starting a car it is very important to know which is which. If you don't connect the negative terminal on one battery to the negative on the other, and then do the same with the positive connections, one can do serious damage to the battery and alternator. 

So what does this have to do with sales? Well if you think about it, those in sales have a negative and a positive. Instead of terminals, we call it attitude.

Unlike a car battery, everyone knows the difference between a positive attitude and a negative attitude ... or do they? You would think this question is a no-brainer. A recent encounter caused me to wonder how evident this fact is.

It is no secret to many in sales that those who maintain a positive mindset towards their daily tasks, their prospects and their clients will out perform those at the other end of the spectrum.

Have you ever come across someone who didn't realize they have a negative attitude? I encountered someone recently that if you looked up the word negative in the dictionary you would have found a picture of this person. Envision a person firmly closed to new ideas or different ways of thinking. He was sceptical about the impact of mindset on actions and behaviors. He believes established processes are more critical than creatively thinking through a solution. He was openly argumentative with his peers, challenged his manager, and discounted others results. His only defence, "I’ve always done it this way." He was fortunate in having established a sizable block of business contacts over the years; which helped him produce above the required corporate quota.

I was left to wonder what his true potential could be if were to flip the dial from negative to positive.

Those familiar with the pioneering work of psychologist Dr. Henry Murray will know he was one of the first to postulate a direct, observable link between thinking and behavior. In the 1960s and 70s, a Harvard professor, Dr. David McClelland extensively studied achievement motivation and concluded that successful individuals have a significantly stronger drive or motivation to succeed than do average or below average individuals. Building on these works, the late Dr. Clayton Lafferty noted that successful sales people were likely to engage in constructive thinking, while unsuccessful sales people were prone to think in counter-productive ways.

Top sales people learn to be effective thinkers. That is, they consciously maintain a positive mindset; they focus on the sale and have established an inner drive to succeed. They combine their strong relationship skills with a strong belief in their clients. If you want to see what they look like, look up the word success in the dictionary!

If you want to jump-start your sales performance - connect to the positive terminal.

High Probability Selling for Sales Professionals: Turn Cold Calling into Warm Sales Leads

Like most sales lead consultants, I do not advocate cold calling . However, I acknowledge that cold calling is necessary at times.

You need prospective clients and customers: If you don't have a customer list from which to solicit referrals, and you also lack an advertising/marketing budget, cold-calling to a highly targeted list is the fastest route to finding high probability prospects.

A High Probability Prospect is one who wants, needs, can afford, and is ready to buy your product or service- now. Those who only want, need, and can afford- but are not ready to buy now- are prospects that you will not meet with now. But, you will continue to contact in the future, until they are ready to buy.

How does Cold Calling fit into High Probability Prospecting?

Before picking up the phone, you need to define your target market. Your target markets are consumers and/or companies who are likely to want your product or service. If you haven't gone through the exercise of defining your target market, start by making a list of your best customers: What characteristics do they share? Are they in similar industries? Are they companies of about the same size, or in the same vertical markets? In B2C sales, look for similar socio-economic factors.

Your prospect list, whether you've created it yourself or purchased it, is the basis of your prospecting campaign. Contact each person on the list repeatedly, each time with a different offer. In High Probability Prospecting, an offer is a succinct distillation of two features of your product or service. Every time you re-contact a prospect, present a different offer.

When call your list, only first-time calls are cold calls in High Probability Prospecting. A truly effective prospecting campaign requires that you call the same list every 3 to 4 weeks, so after a short period of time, most of your calls will be 'warm' calls. A higher percentage of the people on your list will say "Yes" to your prospecting offer with each successive call.

5 Simple rules for maximum effectiveness and maximum efficiency:

Don't repeat the same prospecting offer more frequently than every third call.
Your offer must be no longer than 45 words, describing your product/service and mentioning two if its features.
Your prospecting offer must clearly request a "Yes" or "No" answer.
When prospects say "No," you say, "Okay, good-bye."
When prospects say "Yes," you say, "Why?"

With practice, you should be able to make at least 50 dials per hour. You'll find an increasing number of High Probability Prospects- people who respond with 'Yes' to your offer- with each pass through your list. You'll be on your way to making appointments with people who are ready to buy what you're selling- right now.

High Probability Prospecting doesn't eliminate cold-calling entirely. You will, however, make successively fewer Cold Calls and far more "Warm Calls". That will eliminate most of the Rejection associated with cold-calling. Thus, you will turn telephone prospecting into an efficient and enjoyable activity.

Greater Conversion -- Three Things Everyone Should Do to Get More Sales

Many more people want to buy your product or service, but they don’t end up doing it! That’s because many companies are stuck in the print marketing mindset, and don’t realize that there are a couple simple things that they can do online to increase their conversion rates. In this article, I’ll outline three easy to implement changes that will take those extra sales right to the bank!

1) Product / Service Image Size
Chances are you’ve got images that represent or depict your product or service -- that’s a common sense way to add familiarity to what you have or do! An eye tracking study has shown that small images are oftentimes overlooked and that medium sized images (210x230 pixels) provide near a 150% increase in the amount of time spent looking at the image. The same study has shown that people tend to focus their attention on photographs that contain a human face. Medium sized pictures with faces in them retain interest longer!

2) Linking Images
The same study showed that people click on pictures, even when there is no indication that the picture is a link. For those images of products, link the image to the product page where they can buy your product! For those images depicting services, link the image to the related service information page or a contact page! Always link your images to the next step of your conversion process!

3) Call to Action
Visitors that are interested in your product or service may not know what to do to get it. Or they may be interested enough to purchase or subscribe, but only if it’s easy -- otherwise they’re not interested. This often overlooked scenario is easily overcome by a call to action link on every page. The call to action could be as simple as "Find out more about XYZ Widget Model 3 here!" It could be a Buy Now button underneath an image. The most important part of content written for sales is to make that call to action. You’ll quickly see that doing so will have you smiling all the way to the bank! Always have your visitors do something!

After you’ve implemented these three simple changes into your website, sit back and watch your stats increase. You’ll find that getting more conversions is a very pleasing scenario! As one last word of advice, other eye tracking studies (and possibly the same one I’ve referenced throughout this article) have confirmed that many people let their eyes wander below a picture when there’s text below it. Use that to your advantage by placing "Buy Now" buttons underneath your images. Good luck!

Get them with a powerful sales letter!

The main reason why 95% of online businesses fail is because of poor sales letter. Write your sales letter with an Individual in mind; think as if you are writing personally to them. People love to read good stories, tell them stories that illustrate a point you are trying to make.
1.Heading.
Write attention grabbing & powerful heading. Remember you have 15 seconds or less to capture your visitors attention before they click away. Offer the best benefits or the biggest promise to your visitors. Increase their curiosity by showing them self-serving benefits. Your heading should immediately create a desire in the reader to want to know more.
2. Testimonials
One of the biggest problems on the internet is being believed. Testimonials are the best way to assure people that you are not a scam artist. People want to know what others are saying about the product. In fact, a good testimonial from respected well-known authorities within your targeted field will definitely build your credibility & boost sales. Try to include a testimonial as close to the top of your sales letter as you will get people immediately believing what you say even before they read your sales letter.
3. Build Interest.
Build interest in your reader by discussing a problem or telling a story. The first part of your sales letter should build interest in your readers and try to expand the benefits you got people excited about in your headings. People love to read stories, so tell them some exciting story of your past experience, but remember the story should be within your targeted field.
4. Bullets.
Bullets are one of the most powerful persuader in sales letter. People spend a lot of time reading bulleted list. Bullets arose the curiosity of your visitor, so use them to stress the benefits of your products or services and spell out exactly what is included in your offer. Make you bullets like a mini heading. Use them to narrate the benefits of your products in a step-by-step way.
5. Comparison.
To prove that your product or services is of a great value you need to show them what you are offering is much better them your competitors. Show them that others are charging much more for a less quality product then yours. Explain them that they are getting a better deal by ordering from you. This way you can prove your products or services are of a great value.
6. Bonuses
Make your offer different & valuable by adding some good products as bonuses. Do not give away outdated junk as a bonus it will damage the credibility of your main product. Your bonuses should be as good as they could sell on their own. Remember sometimes people buy the main product just because of the bonuses.
7. Guarantee.
If you have a good product then there is no need to worry about offering a strong guarantee. Make your guarantee look like a personal promise. Try to convince your visitors that they have nothing to lose all the burden is on you to deliver what you promised.
8. Demand Immediate Action
Include a deadline to create a sense of urgency in the mind of your customer. Nobody wants to make a decision, so let your customer know that they will be missing out on a great deal if they do not act now.
9. What to do next?
Do not make your customer guess what you want them to do next. Tell them clearly that “Click here” to order or get immediate access. Make this process as simple & understanding as you can.
10. P.S.
P.S. is very important part of your sales letter as most of your site visitors will immediately scroll down to the end of your page to find out how much it would cost.
A P.S. is a best place to summarize your product or services as visitor checking your price will also have a detailed description of what they will get if they order now.
Did you find this article useful? For more useful tips, hints, points to ponder and keep in mind, techniques, and insights pertaining to guides on sales letters, query letters, bylines, with solutions , do please browse for more information at our websites.

Getting The Most Out Of New Sales Leads

Employing Effective Sales Techniques

When selling anything, there are 5 basic stages of action that a salesperson must induce from a potential customer to make that sale. After youТve obtained your lead, be sure to follow these guidelines. They are:

* Attention: You must get the potential customer focused on your product through prospecting or advertising.

* Interest: Now you must keep their attention and develop their need to know more; this is often done through an emotional appeal that is backed-up by a logical connection. (If youТre selling life insurance the question, УWill your family be financially secure if you pass on?Ф is logical, but it also plays upon the emotion of a husband or wife dying and leaving their spouse and kids forlorn.)

* Desire: The lead must want what youТre selling and not what someone else is selling. Build their desire for your product by revealing its value and your companyТs commitment.

* Conviction: Use statistics and facts to make your case. If selling life insurance, point out the fiscal deficit the family will face due to an untimely death and how a policy will fill the gap. Use national figures regarding mortality, insurance rates and payoffs and anything else that might convince that person to purchase your product.

* Action: Now itТs time to close the deal. You need a verbal call to action. If the lead has concerns, address them.

There are numerous techniques you can employ to close the deal. Some are straightforward and others are less direct. Here are a few.

* Direct Close: You ask if the lead is ready to order. ItТs that simple.

* Product Value Close: This technique gives the lead the feeling that they are getting great value for their money.

* Time Close: Basically, if they donТt act fast the lead will lose a fantastic opportunity because rates or prices could go up.

* Trial Offer Close: This one works if youТre able to let someone sample the product. Not really a great one for insurance. Although, itТs connected to the shortened term close below.

* Shortened Term Close: Perhaps the lead is willing to purchase a year of term insurance rather than 5 years.

* Discount Close: Is it cheaper to buy a longer period of coverage? Close the deal by emphasizing that fact.

* Reduced Benefit Close: If money is an issue, they can purchase less insurance for less money but still retain some security.

There are many techniques that you can employ to initiate these various actions that will ultimately make the sale. Here are some procedures and methods that will prove useful in converting that lead to a sale.

Listen to Your Lead: They will often point you in the direction they want you to take them. Is there an emotional connection to your product? Do they talk about their kids or their job a lot? Are they less emotional and more logical concerning life and their needs? What are your prospectТs priorities? If you can connect by listening, you could have a long-term customer.

Employ Language that Makes the Lead the Focus: Yes, life insurance is important, but it only becomes important to your lead if they think it is. Use pronouns such as УYouФ and УYourФ and stay away from УIФ and Уme.Ф Make the lead the center of the universe and connect him or her to your product to make a sale.

WhatТs the Bottom Line? Make the bottom line clear to the lead. Spell it out very specifically using facts and figures to which they can connect. How do they stand to benefit financially? You may also employ an emotional bottom line, which focuses on the peace of mind insurance can induce.

WhatТs it to Them? What benefits will the lead realize if they purchase the product from you? Focus on the positive and how they will be better off if they decide to buy from you. DonТt dwell on the product itself, but instead, its potential to better that personТs life and your commitment to ensuring that they do benefit.

Get to Know Your Customer: Try to find out as much as you can about them. This will help you to understand their needs and desires, which you are trying to utilize to create a sale. What are their priorities? Do they want to make a lot of money, have a secure family life or retire at 40?

Never Rush a Sale: DonТt push your lead into a sale. In the end, you want them to feel positive about their investment. If they need time to think it over or discuss it with their spouse, respect that request. That respect for their process can mean dividends in the end for you.

Offer Explanations and not Excuses: If something goes wrong or you make a mistake, you need to be upfront. Making excuses doesnТt usually fly, and it can jeopardize any sort of relationship youТve created thus far.

Be a Resource for Your Client: Knowing your product and the market and being a resource for your client can help cement a long-term relationship between the two of you. That translates into repeat business, good word of mouth and trust that you canТt garner in any other way.

See Them in a Positive Light: Make sure your potential client can tell that you have a positive image of them. It can come from complimenting them on something that they take pride in or noting that they are wise in thinking about life insurance (or another product) at this time in their life.

Nurture Their Success: One youТve built a relationship with a client, be sure to acknowledge their success and be part of the positive image they have of themselves.

Be True to Your Word: Your word, although usually not legally binding, can make or break you in any business. If you promise to do something - do it. Not following through for one person usually translates to around 15 to 25 people hearing about it.

If you manage to do all of the above, you may be able to parlay the trust youТve developed, your reputation as a resource and the positive image youТve helped reinforce in your client into sales. This is called relationship selling, where future business transactions are based on the relationship youТve cultivated with a specific client.

Relationship selling allows you to utilize the clients you already have, expanding your sales without having to find new leads and develop new relationships. You will certainly still work at finding new customers, but the fact is it takes a lot less time, effort and money to sell a new product to an old client than an old product to a new client.

Thus, in order to be successful, you must not think in terms of making one sale to one person. Rather, you need to consider the long run and developing a solid relationship with your customers. In this scenario, the person who you sold that term life insurance policy to last year may decide they want to buy a permanent life policy next or purchase insurance for that new business theyТre starting. If youТve created a good relationship with them, they will come to you.

Fifty years ago an insurance salesman visited the home, sat down with mom and dad and had a cup of coffee as he talked about his products. It was very cozy and homey - there was a direct connection.

ThatТs not done anymore. Still, you want to create that type of relationship - that personal, one-on-one connection. ItТs still possible today, but itТs not as easy as it used to be. Using some of the techniques described above will help. Personalized e-mail can help in this area and as online chat sales develop, that has the chance to revolutionize how we do business.

However you connect with a client, you must realize that the operative word is Уconnect.Ф Creating that personal connection will allow you to make a lead realize the benefits of your product. That can be the start of a beautiful relationship.

Generating Leads And Making Sales: Advice For Trade Show Exhibitors

If you are getting ready to set up a trade show booth for a show, then you are already being business-savvy and doing the smart thing. Trade shows are one of the best ways to market your products or services and advertise your business to interested buyers. Even for successful companies, trade shows can increase sales and public exposure dramatically. Trade show booths allow businesses to directly connect with the people that purchase their products or services.

Though the reasons for exhibiting at a trade show are obvious, simply setting up a trade show booth is not enough if you really want to make the most of your expense and time. Generating leads and making sales are your priorities and your trade show booth – both the physical space and the display – can help you do this. When you are displaying a trade show booth, you want to project just the right image for your company; one that makes potential clients want to learn more after their first glance. Although people’s eyes should be drawn to your trade show booth, it shouldn’t be because it is simply flashier or louder than the others. Flashy or loud may be good for sales if your business is video games or music, but if your business is selling gourmet foods to restaurants you probably don’t want to advertise your booth with a flashing neon light or loud ear-splitting rap music. Your trade show booth should reflect your company’s brand and market, while still offering just that little extra effect that makes it stand out. This may sound difficult, but it really isn’t. It just takes a little pre-trade show planning.

For the sake of keeping it simple, let’s say that your business is selling candles wholesale to retail outlets. You want your trade show booth to let people know immediately what your business is all about and understand immediately why your business is unique and worth looking into. Remember, depending on the trade show there may be other businesses that sell the same thing you do, so just simply stating your business name and what you do will not be enough. You don’t want to be obnoxious, though, so having a hundred lit candles placed all over your booth would be too much. Don’t overwhelm potential clients – it will turn people away. A better idea would be to display your best candles around the booth, unlit, and then have professional brochures placed next to each type of candle that you are advertising. Offer coupons for large discounts or money-back guarantees on a first bulk-purchase – this shows that you have complete confidence in your product. And consider a giveaway like a tealight or other small candle so attendees can take your product with them. This encourages them to use your product and to contact you if they are interested.

Remember that it is your expertise and professional demeanor that people will remember the most, despite all of your display magic. Though the day may prove to be long, remember to sound fresh and excited when talking to each prospective client. Every interaction is a chance to make sales and generate leads. Practice your sales techniques in front of a mirror if you think that will help. Ask friends and colleagues what they think of your sales pitches, and be willing to accept constructive criticism. Most of all, with each potential client, project confidence. If you can show that you really believe and are excited about your product, your enthusiasm will be contagious.

A trade show is a good venue to generate sales leads and establish new business contacts. Making a sales presentation is easy - you know your product and can speak to its features and benefits. You likely have several different presentations depending on the audience, length of time you have to speak and the product you are showcasing. Use these presentations while you are meeting with prospective clients at your trade show booth and you will feel confident that you are providing them with the pertinent information they need about your company and products. Think of a trade show as a place where you can make many sales presentations all day long to a targeted audience of people attending the trade show. This is the best way to exude confidence and make sales.

Garage Sales - Good For Everyone

Ah, the garage sale! That little slice of suburbia that ties communities together, brings friends and neighbours to your doorstep, and helps your turn the cast off flotsam of bygone years into money in your pocket. These familiar scenes of summertime are a great way for people to buy the stuff they need at a fraction of the retail cost.

Similarly, garage sales are a great way to get rid of stuff that you no longer use or need. A garage sale is a favourite of collectors, bargain hunters, and the random passer-by with an idea of seeing what there is to buy at low, low prices. Having a garage sale can be fun or stressful, useful or counter-productive, profitable or costly.

There are many reasons for having a garage sale. Perhaps you want to sell all those unused "treasures" taking up space in your house. Perhaps it is to clean out the house prior to an imminent move. Perhaps you simply want to make a few extra dollars. Some people simply do it for an opportunity to meet the neighbours and do a little haggling. A garage sale is very useful at all these times and for all these reasons.

With a garage sale, you need to give the people what they want (reasonably decent stuff at cheap prices) to get what you want (floor space in your house). While the phrase “one man’s junk is another man’s treasure” is true, there is another fact that is equally true, and even more important.

Junk is Junk   and nobody will buy it . usually.

You can always try to sell broken or non-working so they can be used as parts for repairing other things people may have at home. Just be honest about it and price it as a broken item. You’ll be surprised just what kinds of things people will buy.

People who go to a garage sale have many things they may be looking for. Some are just on the lookout for good stuff at great prices. A few will just be passing by and spot something they have always wanted but could not afford until they saw it at your sale. Some are dedicated garage-salers armed with maps of advertised garage sales, hunting for specific items or items they never knew they needed. Some will attend simply to meet the folks from down the block. Some will even attend your garage sale just to have items for their own garage sales. Whatever their reasons, you need to attract buyers who will see your items, like your prices, and walk away with the things they do actually want and need.

But setting up a garage sale properly and pricing your goods so that they sell fast and furious at a price you like well those are topics for other articles.