Archive for Sales Tips
06.07.08
Posted in Sales Tips at 2:55 am by
It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for. You’re calling a customer to wrap up a sale you’ve been working on for weeks. You’re confident that all your time and work will pay off. Then comes the rude awakening: your customer has already gone with another company. You struggle to find words to salvage the sale, but it’s too late. The sale is gone.
We all know how devastating this can be. Salespeople are emotional creatures by nature, which makes us so good at dealing with people. Unfortunately, this makes it very tempting to become negative and take it personally when you lose a sale you think should have won. Allowing that one lost sale to defeat your attitude will cost you much more than just that one sale. Your poor attitude will damage your future sales presentations and, therefore, future sales, sending you into a down cycle.
The difference between being an average salesperson and a great salesperson depends on how quickly you recover from a lost sale. In sales, success depends largely on your attitude, which affects every aspect of your selling cycle. It determines the words that come out of your mouth and the actions that you take. After a lost sale, it is human nature to temporarily have a bad attitude, but a professional salesperson will quickly shake that attitude and replace it with the confidence necessary to get back on top.
You have that ability to push through your lost sale and quickly return to sales glory. It just takes some discipline and the support from those around you. If you’re not sure how to pick yourself up again, try these steps:
Step One: Turn to Your Personal Foundation
Your personal foundation is made up of those people that believe in you and inspire you to be your best. This includes networking associates, family, or colleagues. These people play an important role in your personal and professional life and it is important to use them when you need them most. Turn to these people as you begin recovering from a confidence-shaking lost sale. They’ll know exactly how to get you feeling like yourself again.
Step Two: Walk Away
Dwelling on your negative feelings will only make it worse. Until your attitude (and ego) is repaired, you’re in no shape to be talking to customers. So if you’re rattled from losing a sale, walk away and get your mind off of it for a while! Something as simple as doing a crossword puzzle, working on a hobby, or playing with your kids will give you that needed break to get over your lost sale.
Step Three: Talk to the Customers Who Love You
Pick up the phone and call those who love to do business with you. Make sure everything is going well for them or just chat. They’ll remind you of why it is great doing business with you.
Step Four: Read Something Inspirational
Having an inspirational book or audio program nearby is always beneficial, especially when trying to recover from a lost sale. Read a few pages or chapters of your book to rebuild your confidence and maintain a positive attitude. The motivation and inspiration you gain will help you get back into doing what you do best.
Step Five: Revise Your Plans
If the lost sale changes your monthly sales plan, be sure to revise that plan accordingly. Try not to make up the lost sale with just one big sale. It is more effective and realistic to spread the lost sales volume over several smaller sales. By having your revised plan and a fresh, positive attitude, you can hit the road again and get back on task to hit your monthly sales goal.
Use these steps to remind yourself how great it is doing business with you. When you believe it, so will your customers!
Tom Richard conducts seminars on sales and customer service topics nationwide. Tom is also the author of Smart Salespeople Don’t Advertise: 10 Ways to Outsmart Your Competition With Guerilla Marketing, and publishes a free weekly ezine on selling skills titled Sales Muscle. To subscribe to this free weekly ezine go to http://www.tomrichard.com/subscribe.
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05.19.08
Posted in Sales Tips at 11:44 pm by
Contrary to many of the books on how to be an effective salesperson, selling in today’s market place is just the same as yesterday’s. Goods and services are still being bought and sold. Success is still measured by how many sales you close and the profitability within each sale.
So what separates successful sales personnel from not so successful? The answer to this question lies in the ability to ask questions that help the potential buyers better understand their needs while demonstrating the value you bring by asking good questions. Remember, being a good salesperson begins by focusing on the needs of the prospect and not your needs.
Good questions don’t need to be hard. Simplicity is sometimes the better route to take. Simple questions allow the prospect better comprehension and provide opportunities for them to share even more information.
For example, the word “and” can be used as a question after a particular experience has been shared to keep your prospect talking. “And?”
Continuing to listen to the prospect will allow you to ask, “What happened next?” As the dialogue continues, you build a relationship through active listening while discovering additional needs or as some say “pain.”
Another question “Could you please tell me more about that?” allows further exploration into the current need. Again, you are demonstrating real concern about your prospect.
As the conversation continues, the prospect may share some other solutions that may or may not have worked. At this time, you may wish to ask “Specifically, how many?” Upon hearing the response, two follow-up questions that achieve great results are “And how did that work for you?” and “How did that make you feel?”
Additional questions might be “What other result or results were you expecting?” and “How can you be sure of that?” Finally, before you end your meeting, a final question of “Is there anything else?” might prove beneficial.
Good salespeople understand that no one likes to be sold, but everyone likes to buy. Your ability to ask questions that create an emotional desire to buy will help you reach that next level of sales success.
Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S. President of ADVANCED SYSTEMS, is the Process Specialist. With over 25 years of business and education experience, she builds peace and abundance by connecting the 3P’s of Passion, Purpose and Performance through process improvement. Her ROI driven process solutions affect sustainable change in 4 key areas: financials, leadership, relationships and growth & innovation with a variety of industries. She aligns the strategies, systems and people to develop loyal internal customers that lead to external customers. As co-author of M.A.G.I.C.A.L. Potential:Living an Amazing Life Beyond Purpose to Achievement due for June 2005 release, Leanne speaks nationally to a variety of audiences. Please call Leanne a call at 219.759.5601 or leanne@processspecialist.com if you are seeking amazing results.
Copyright 2005(c) Leanne Hoagland-Smith, http://www.processspecialist.com
Permission to publish this article, electronically or in print, as long as the bylines are included, with a live link, and the article is not changed in any way (grammatical corrections accepted).
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05.18.08
Posted in Sales Tips at 6:45 pm by
HANDLING OBJECTIONS
Sales presentation is not always going to be plain sailing. You must expect objections. The important thing is to know this and be prepared to deal with them. Welcome them as sign of interest which can be turned to your advantage.
Most of the objections we come across will arise from
1. The Customer having insufficient information.
2. The Customer’s particular circumstances.
3. Opinion of friends and relatives.
4. Price and running cost.
5. Colour, size, and style.
6. Procrastination.
Never avoid or argue an objections. To Customers it is a valid point that they raised and they will expect it to be dealt with a courteous and helpful manner. Don’t get into argument because that will antagonise your customer and destroy your relationship. Do answer their objections as fully as necessary before continuing your presentation. Expect objections to be raised. If you do them they will not come as a surprise and you will be prepared to handle them. Over come objections using facts and demonstrations.
1. Listen to objections.
2. Repeat the objections.
3. Restate the objections with emphasis.
If you listen carefully to customer’s objection you will avoid any misunderstanding, and if you repeat it to the customer it will show you have fully understood what they said. This implies that you are concerned with their problem. When you restate their objection with emphasis this tends to diminish the objection while getting agreement that there is nothing which is worrying them and you can use your knowledge and understanding to overcome the problem.
People object because they are unsure that what you are offering is really going to satisfy their problem. They are objecting because they need more information. So you have to build a trust before you can do anything. So start to build a relationship and break the barriers between you and the customer. Once you do that customer will feel comfortable to do business with you.
There are many kinds of objections
1. I am happier with my current provider.
2. I am not interested.
3. Ring me after few weeks.
4. Send me more information.
5. I don’t need it.
The list is endless.
You should write down all the common ones you experience in your every day life. By doing so you will be able to pin point the major objections to your products or services and act on the answers accordingly.
If the Customer says “I will have to think about it”
Say to the Customer
I can appreciate that you would like to think it over, what it says to me is that you are interested. I just want to make sure whether I have explained everything properly. Would you mind telling me which particular aspect you would like to think about.
When a customer objects He or She is really saying I am interested or I need help.
If the Customer says “I can’t afford it”
Say to the customer
I do understand what you mean. We can sit together and find a solution that may suit your budget. If the customer does not want to sit down with you, he is having you on or genuinely not prepared to commit himself due to financial situations. Ask Questions to deal with Objections.
Winston Saga is one of the world’s leading sales legends. He is also the CEO of Sales and Motivation International. Winston has been acknowledged as a unique and distinctive authority in the field of sales and personal development. Last year International Biography Centre selected him ”International Man of the Year” for his outstanding contribution to sales and Service. He has written 100’s of articles to magazine, journals and websites.
Visit http://www.telesalestips.com to know more about the author
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05.16.08
Posted in Sales Tips at 5:25 am by
It is fairly common for real estate companies and mortgage brokers to use leads. There is a difference between mortgage lead generation and real estate generation. Mortgage lead generation deals with people who need to refinance their homes or apply for loans, while real estate lead generation is a service that connects potential buyers with real estate agents.
Mortgage leads are generated in a number of different ways. One way to create the leads is for the lender, that is the mortgage broker, to appear in a paper or online directory. This lets potential customers make the first contact. The lenders give information about themselves, like the interest rates they charge and types of lending programs they offer, along with their contact information. This allows potential borrowers to search out the lender that is best for them.
Real Estate lead generation is somewhat different. It involves connecting prospective buyers to real estate agents. It is usually a good idea to use a real estate lead generation service that uses only inbound leads, meaning that the buyer contacts the lead generator looking for a real estate agent. This way, the lead generator can get the most information possible from the buyer in order to find the most appropriate real estate agent. Many lead generation services use tricks to lure prospective buyers.
Mortgage lead generation helps lenders and borrowers find each other. This service benefits everyone involved. Some of the most successful businesses on the Internet are lead generation agencies.
Lead Generation Info provides detailed information about sales, mortage, MLM, business-to-business, internet, and insurance lead generation, lead generation telemarketing, and more. Lead Generation Info is the sister site of MLM Leads Web.
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