tips: What are you really "negotiating" and why?
- 06/28/11 04:29 AM
What are you really "negotiating" and why? " teach me about negotiations!" Why?"Well, because my prospects always want to negotiate the deal."No, they want to negotiate your price."Well, yes." REALITY: People that want to negotiate your price are in reality negotiating your profit. Any time the word "negotiate" appears in a sales situation, it means both your price AND your profit are going down. RETHINK NEGOTIATION: Where's "value negotiation?" Where's "customer profitability negotiation?" Where's "customer productivity negotiation?" Where's "customer improved morale negotiation?" Uh, they're nowhere. That's because negotiations in sales have "lower price and loss of profit to the seller" at … (0 comments)
tips: Never project your buying prejudices into the sales process
- 06/24/11 06:42 AM
Never project your buying prejudices into the sales process. The objection that you will tend to have the most difficulty answering successfully is that objection that is the most consistent with your own value system. If you are a price buyer and your prospect objects to price you will tend to accept their objection. If you are the type of buyer who tends to think decisions over before making a purchase and your prospect says to you, "We need to think this over." Again, you will tend to go along with their objection as rational or making perfect sense (because that … (1 comments)
tips: In a slump? 2 ways to energize your daily routine!
- 06/22/11 10:55 AM
In a slump? 2 ways to energize your daily routine. The most seasoned sales professionals will occasionally deal with slumps. They happen for a number of reasons, but the most important part is finding a way out! Here are two ways to focus your efforts and get back on track: Become the early bird. Granted, you may have entered a slump because you are feeling burnt out, but there is a clear difference between working hard and working smart. One way to working smarter could be to get into the office an hour earlier to organize your day, establish your goals … (3 comments)
tips: A shoeshine and a smile are never out of date
- 06/21/11 02:04 AM
A shoeshine and a smile are never out of date Styles change, and your shoes may not be the kind that should shine, but if they are, they should. That is a part of the packaging of the product and service you sell. The smile is a universal component of all sales. Get good at it and you will earn a good living as a result. People like to do business with people they like, and having a sunny countenance makes people like you. Few people like a sourpuss. Given the choice of being happy or sad, why not smile on … (5 comments)
tips: What makes you so good? Do more of it!
- 06/16/11 08:15 AM
What makes you so good? Do more of it! Few of us will live long enough to fix our weaknesses. Relax; life is too short to focus on our shortcomings. What has God given you that works? The more you know about what you do best, the better you will be able to do it. Do a little research with your friends who are also your customers. Ask them in a positive moment why they buy from you. Some answers will surprise you, but you will find that several people will tell you the same things. Those are the things that … (3 comments)
tips: What do you do and what do you have that your competition doesn't?
- 06/15/11 10:07 AM
What do you do and what do you have that your competition doesn't? We all have little things that we do that no one else does for customers. Be sure you know what they are. It might be a special thank you. It might be flowers for a great quarter. It may be a consultative sales approach that offers real value to your clients business. It may be the way we greet our customers and our customers' customer when they walk into our office. Whatever it is, it is part of why people buy from you and not someone else. What … (2 comments)
tips: What is the objective for the next call? Be one step ahead!
- 06/15/11 05:13 AM
What is the objective for the next call? Be one step ahead! The sales cycle often takes several calls or a number of steps. Don't be afraid to skip to the close whenever it seems like a good idea to do so, but when you do get agreement on phase one, be sure you plan what your next move should be. Write it down so that you don't have to try to remember exactly where things were left hanging. (Folks this is value proposition #1 on call reports and call logs) Who said yes? Whom else do you need agreement from? … (0 comments)
We are told not to take rejection personally. No one has ever explained how not to take it personally. A sports analogy is often used which says that a Hall of Fame baseball player strikes out seven out of ten times at bat. You might wonder how they would handle going zero for fifty or a hundred, which is the norm in many selling fields. Regardless of the numbers, there are tricks of the trade to help deal with the built-in adversity of the world of selling. First, you can't take things … (2 comments)
tips: Know thy enemies as thee know thyself
- 06/09/11 03:58 AM
Know thy enemies as thee know thyself How do you go above and beyond to really know your competitors and develop strategies for winning more business?
Your customers are a great resource. It is extremely likely that many of your customers know more about your competition than you do. That is because they have likely conducted business with our competitors in the past. They may be intentionally doing a split of business for fear of putting all of their eggs in one basket. You can learn from their experience by scheduling a routine meeting with them. In the course of … (2 comments)
tips: A Sale Is Not A Sale Until It Is Opened, Closed and Paid For!
- 06/09/11 02:19 AM
A Sale Is Not A Sale Until It Is Opened, Closed and Paid For! Have you ever walked away from a meeting or presentation with a great feeling and a commitment to do future business (my next deal is yours!), but you felt that something was not quite right? Maybe the presentation went too smoothly, or closing the deal was just a tad too easy? You shoot an email off to your broker or sales manager "we've got Jane Smith as a client!". Three weeks later you hear back from the broker "how did it go with Jane Smith?" And you realize … (0 comments)
tips: The less you say, the more it appears you are listening
- 06/08/11 01:50 AM
The less you say, the more it appears you are listening Many of us were hired into sales because we are talkers. We have the gift of gab. We want to work with people. These were all the wrong reasons for getting the job. As it turns out, you have to be concerned about others, not yourself. We have to listen to others, not to ourselves, or we will begin to starve! What to do? Take a deep breath. Lots of them! We have to learn to let the other, less interesting people talk. This is a tough business we are … (3 comments)
tips: DO YOU HAVE A YOUTUBE VIDEO??
- 06/06/11 10:43 AM
DO YOU HAVE A YOUTUBE VIDEO?? Did you know that 13 hours of videos are uploaded on YouTube.com every minute and 100 million videos are viewed daily. If you don't have any exposure on YouTube please take a look at my 35 second video that you can create in 5 minutes.
Not to be paranoid, but things change, and if you are not in favor of big surprises, it is best to test all major waters on a regular basis. There might be some good surprises waiting to be discovered. If you don't get to them in a timely fashion, perhaps somebody else will. If it's good news-wonderful. If it's bad news, the sooner you know, the better, and better you know first before everyone else knows the sky is falling.
It may be as simple as confirming appointments or checking by phone to … (1 comments)
tips: Impatience is a virtue- Push a little harder
- 06/06/11 01:57 AM
Impatience is a virtue. Push a little harder. No one likes to be pushed, so we all try to be gentle with our prospects and customers. Unfortunately, that's really not good for them-or for us. We are paid to help them move forward (with our product or service). We have to move the question. We have to do it politely, but persistently. We must do it with a smile, but we must keep the sales process moving. "Give me a call when you are ready," or "Let me just leave some information for you," are not acceptable sales sentences. We are … (5 comments)
tips: A new perspective on winning... and losing
- 04/26/11 10:58 AM
A new perspective on winning... and losing. Simon has autism. Simon loves to win. Actually Simon needs to win, and thrives on coming in first. Simon also HATES to lose, and some of his autistic symptoms manifest themselves when he can't claim, "I WON!" or even, "I DID IT!" You know how kids are. They'll yell, "Race you to the tree!" when they're already half way there, and in full stride. When they reach the tree they triumphantly scream, "I WIN! I WIN!" without regard for how they won. Simon is the epitome of that scenario. Simon is eight years old. … (0 comments)
tips: Want some more? All you have to do is up-sell!
- 04/20/11 09:21 AM
Want some more? All you have to do is up-sell! Walking through Seattle's Pike Place Market (where the inspiration for the book FISH! came from, and also the location of the original Starbucks), I couldn't resist the Queen Anne cherries. Huge and just picked. "Give me a half a pound," I said with positive anticipation of eating them as I walked around. The young woman running the fruit stand obliged, and weighed them. Then she showed me the inside of the paper sack, 25% full of cherries. "Are you sure that's enough?" Startled at her question, I smiled and said, "Make … (2 comments)
tips: BUSINESS TIP OF THE WEEK...
- 04/19/11 07:51 AM
BUSINESS TIP OF THE WEEK... Two of the most powerful words in business are "thank you." Let your customers and employees know how much you appreciate them. Say "thank you" often. Even better, write them a note--not an email, text or Tweet, but an old-fashioned, hand-written, personal note!
… (2 comments)
tips: How serious are you about social media?
- 04/18/11 06:29 AM
It started like a small bunch of rustling leaves. A little Facebook here and there - a blog or two. And then the wind picked up. LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube. Growing from a windstorm to a firestorm, social media in now a tornado running wild over the Internet plains. How social are you?How serious are you about social media? REALITY: You can't ignore it. Hundreds of millions of people are involved so far, and it's just a few years old. I tried to ignore it for a while, but it soon became apparent that this was the new, new wave - about … (1 comments)
Real Estate News with a Value added punch Clear Lake Texas Real Estate
I think this is a good rule to live by!
"We are not put on this earth for ourselves, but are placed here for each other. If you are always there for others, then in time of need, someone will be there for you."
~ Jeff Warner
What are you really "negotiating" and why?
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