As a sales person how do you know when to give up on a lead. The short answer is never. People’s situation’s and circumstances change. You never really know when you can catch the client at the right moment for them.

I sell life insurance and the Majority of my clients come from a lead program with National Agents Alliance. In my Opinion they have the best lead program I have ever seen. I typically take 10 to 20 leads each week. I place the date I receive the lead and type of lead in the upper right hand corner. I typically will call a lead for about a month after I receive it then I place the lead in a separate pile.

My Goal is to schedule 15 to 20 Appointments each week off of these leads. My Prime calling times for appointment setting is Tuesday and Wednesday morning from 8am to about 9:30am and Tuesday and Wednesday evening from 6pm to 9pm.

Last week I only had about 9 or 10 appointments set with my most recent leads. I went back to my piles of leads and started calling on my leads from September, October and November. I was able to make 7 more appointments which have resulted in 3 sales and 2 follow-up appointments.

This week when I set my appointments I concentrated on the newer leads first and I did manage to set 12 appointments by Early Wednesday morning with leads no more then a month old. I also have 6 additional appointments with leads from September through November.

As a commission only salesperson my activity determines my paycheck. The more appointments I set, the more people I sit in front of. The More people I sit in front of the More Sales I make. The more sales the bigger my paycheck. There really is Gold in them there old leads all you need to do is mine it.

After some initial how-are-you, rapport building conversation, your prospect brings up what they called you about: “I called you because I don’t like the results we’re currently getting. I’ve heard you have something you can help us with.” What an opener for someone who provides a product or service to improve whatever the problem is! Maybe; if the provider or seller listens and understands first.

At this conversational juncture the meaning of the adage “Selling ain’t telling, asking is” takes on life form with buyer and seller face to face. It’s time to get to know the specifics of what’s said and not to respond with a sales presentation because you are eager talk just about what you can do!

One of the most difficult tasks a consultant, a salesperson, a manager or anyone tasked with the role of solution provider is to effectively influence a person to clarify their expectations.

Most customers, clients or buyers need help in clarifying what the issues are! Most may even need help in clarifying their objections. Sometimes they know and can’t express it. Sometimes they just don’t know.

An early task for a salesperson with a customer service spirit is to assess if a solution you have is the appropriate resolution to a potential customer’s situation. This requires that we ask questions and as a listener, help the client turn their statements and objections into specific information we can work with. It’s sort of like taking a lump of clay and then molding it into recognizable art.

Getting the specifics of a personal experience as opposed to our assessed or judgmental interpretation gives us information from the clients point of view. It helps them clarify their language when appropriate. If you want to travel from where you live to San Francisco, California, you would use a map which goes to San Francisco, not to Atlanta, Georgia. Use your client’s map of experiences. Leverage your personal experiences to explain things in your clients' way of understanding.

How will this knowledge about listening and clarifying of information cause power? It might not. To be effective at influencing our clients and to clarify what it is they want to achieve requires us to put in action skills such as listening and questions. This requires more than good intentions. It requires commitment. Commitment to understand first, and then to be understood.

If you have a GPS, Global Positioning System in your car, you already appreciate the value of knowing where you are at all times. We don't have one of these GPS systems and I'm thinking about investing in one for our next vehicle. Although, I have a wonderful sense of direction, really, I prefer to rent a vehicle with a GPS system when traveling. A GPS system is invaluable on the road with the system alerts that notify you when you get off track or as you approach an important off ramp. The satellite system is a great tool for people on the move. If you think driving is the only way to use a GPS system, think again. A GPS sales system saves a business time and lost customers. The built in prospect and customer tracking system reduces the loss of opportunities and customers. It is almost like tracking a FEDEX package across the country in that you will know where the sales opportunity is all the time.

The Sales GPS System

One of the reasons salespeople get lost in sales is they don't have a map. Having a map is critical to ending any journey with success. Unfortunately, many business owners and salespeople don't have a sales or marketing map.

I have to confess, there was a time when I didn't have a sales map. Naturally, I got lost many times. It was a challenge of not knowing where I was or where the prospect was in the sales process. Remember, I mentioned earlier, my sense of direction is good. Well, it wasn't working during the early stages of my selling career. The routine of making sales calls and doing the sales activities just didn't get the results I was looking for. It would be years later that I would fine tune my sales process and develop the GPS and mapping system of selling. The evolution of this system is what we offer today.

If the words, sales process and sales map are foreign to you or you can't tell where you are with each prospect, there are ways to calculate your position. NO, the answer isn't in the stars. Let's make it simple and position you in a two step selling process.

* If you have more questions than you have answers about a prospect, you are in the discovery phase. This is the first phase of selling and you should ask more questions than speaking.
* If you have more answers than you have questions for the prospect, you are in the development phase. This is the second phase of selling and you must have a few answers to the problems the prospect has. You have this because you asked good questions in the first phase.

This simple test will tell you where you are in each step of a selling process with prospects. If you want a better description of how to know where you are in sales, we encourage you to join our webinar on "the game of sales." We regularly share our success secrets about the selling process and the game of sales.

Once you understand the selling process and your sales map, selling gets easier. You will also discover that there isn't much difference between a GPS and our Selling Magic sales acceleration program. Both systems will help you stay on track with reminders and guides. Both systems are automated and will save you time while helping you reach a successful destination. Each of these systems is simple to operate.

Two products that some may say independently epitomise America and Britain are chewing gum and tea. These two items have played a role in dramatically changing our lives.

Not because the Americans are known for chewing gum and the Britain's are known for drinking tea, but those two products have represented their countries in being the very first to wear a barcode.

When Andrew Melrose chose to sell tea for a living, did he know what landmarks he would bequeath? In 1833 Melrose's became the first company to legally land tea independently of the East Indies Trading Co. William Wrigley only went into the chewing gum business after discovering that the gum he gave away as an incentive to buy his father's soap was more popular with customers than the soap itself.

Was it choice or circumstance that chewing gum pieces in the USA and tea in the UK would be the first to start the Epos industry rolling?

In the UK we have nothing left to celebrate this great achievement. The keymarkets supermarket in Spalding, Lincolnshire was absorbed by another giant in the 80's, the identity of the would-be famous shopper who bought those teabags is unknown as is the fate of that first bar-coded box of tea bags. The person who used the barcode scanner is also unknown.

However, the packet of Wrigley's chewing gum that was the first American product to be barcoded and scanned in June 26, 1974, at Marsh's supermarket in Troy, Ohio - now proudly sits in the Smithsonian Museum alongside other objects of distinction such as the Hope diamond. The customer is known as Clyde Dawson and Sharon Buchanan (now retired) was the cashier who made the first UPC scan.

We don't know why the Keymarkets store in Spalding (UK) was chosen or whether it was a blanket operation and it just happened to be the branch that used the scanner first. Surely they would have used the Boston branch for their tea party?

We do know that the Troy store was specifically chosen because of its close proximity to the Dayton based NCR Corporation, the designers of checkout counter.

Three decades later, let's look at some comparisons. The actual scanner used was from PSC Inc., and at the time cost $4,000 (the entire check-out counter cost $10,000). These days, scanners cost a fraction of that, we can buy a CCD reader for £55.00 ...a far cry from $4,000.

The box of tea bags at the time didn't have a factory-applied barcode, Keymarkets shop workers stuck the barcode labels on products before they were put on the shop shelves ready for customers to buy. Because Keymarkets no longer exist, we can look at the other giants; J. Sainsbury, for example, operated 201 stores in 1975. Today it has 735 and the vast majority of those have at least double the floor space of those mid-70s stores. At that time grocers only stocked a couple of thousand or so product lines at the most. Simply because of the logistics in putting price stickers on all those products allbeit boxes, packets, bags, bottles or cans, the intellectual load on staff who had to know how much each individual product cost and also because of margins for error made this an impossible and expensive task.

Despite the fact that the price of barcode scanners and barcode reading equipment has plummeted, the 1970s UK inflation peaked at 28%, now it hovers around the 2% mark. Prices are bound to go down when almost every shop and store in the modern world uses them. Bulk buying and mass production aside, technology has enhanced reliability.

CCD readers are the most popular type of bar code reader for low to medium use. No moving parts means a high level of reliability and robustness. Unlike the bar code wand/pen reader which has to be 'swiped' across the code, the CCD remains still during scanning - the scanner normally being activated by depressing the button/trigger.

The limiting factor to the type of code you may scan with this sort of reader is the physical width of the read head - either 65mm or 90mm. If you need to scan a code wider than 90mm, you need to specify either a Linear Imager or a Laser Scanner.

How is it used....?

The read head is placed on the bar code and the trigger depressed. The reader connects to your computer via either PS2 keyboard wedge, RS232 serial interface or via USB

Was the barcode invented just to assist the retail industry? Are bar code systems strictly for big business or can a small or medium sized business or service centre adopt bar code systems to streamline operations, increase profit and save money? Are the Mac or Windows suitable platforms for bar code based data collection and control?

In 1959 David J. Collins earned his master's degree and went to work for the Syvania Corporation, whilst they were researching military applications for computers, Collins had his mind on a new venture. He had previously worked for The Pennsyvania Railroad and knew that there was an urgent need to create a system that could identify, track and handle the gathered information relating to the movement of freight cars. A coded label seemed to be the cheapest solution. Instead of being black and white, labels were orange and blue.

The system worked and it pushed Collins to look at other applications. In 1967 he approached his bosses at Synania and said that he wanted to develop a black and white version for conveyor control and just about everything that moves. The bosses refused to invest in the idea because they felt they had a massive market already. Collins was adamant that the future was in the black and white bar codes and resigned, he co-founded Computer Identics Corporation.

Whilst Sylvania never made any money from their system and suffered during the recession, Computer Identics Corporation truly prospered. It used laser ( Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation ) as opposed to a milliwatt helium-neon beam used by others. The fine red stripe was absorbed by the black bars and reflected by the white. The great advantage was that lasers could read the codes several feet away from many different angles and still read damaged labels, useful for warehouse, point of sale and many other applications. .

Modern cost effective hand held barcode laser scanners

Older types of laser scanner had spinning mirrors and prisms and were rather prone to damage if handled roughly. Modern devices have cut down on the amount of moving parts and so are much more reliable. Many such scanners now carry 2, 3 and 5 year warranties.

There are a number of substances which 'Lase'. Modern laser devices such as these, are based on a semiconductor which is excited by a current which then emits light of a single wavelength (normally red) which is then focused. Many household appliances such as computer printers, CD and DVD players, now utilise the unique properties of Lasers.

Back in the spring of 1969 Collins was installing what were probably the first true bar code sytems anywhere in the world. One into General Motors and the other into General Trading Company. Today just about everything has a barcode.

We often think of barcodes being a retail application but they are used as much for security purposes and asset tracking.

Citizen Watch Company is a watch brand that was established in 1924. The men who established the company chose Citizen as the name so that it would be easily recognizable to people everywhere. Citizen has become a world wide company in the last seventy-five years and is now recognized as a global brand. Every year since the year 1986 Citizen has been recognized as the largest watchmaker in the world. Citizen is also recognized for the innovative technology that they use to make Citizen watches. Citizen has been first for many types of watches. They were the first to create the world’s slimmest LCD. They had the first voice recognition watch. The Citizen dive watches were the first to have an electronic depth sensor. New to Citizen watches is the Eco-Drive collection, which is ecologically friendly. Eco-Drive watches are powered by light rather than a battery.

Citizen Watch Company is accessible a few different ways. You can access their website. Their website has a section that tells about the company. It also allows you to shop for watches. When you shop on the website for watches you can do specific searches. For example, you can search for ladies Citizen watches in $201 to $300 range. You can also do a search for Citizen watches by keyword. The website also includes links for press releases, a store locator, my favorites, corporate gifts and technical support. The store locator link will help you find the nearest Citizen Watch Company store. The My Favorites link lets you keep a list of your favorite watches so that you can easily find them again. The corporate gifts link shows you a watch to give as a gift from your corporation to an employee. The technical support link gives you information regarding setting your Citizen watch, recharging guides, FAQs, and Service information. You can also go into one of their stores. A third way you can access Citizen Watch Company is to call them.

Citizen Watch Company makes watches for men and women. They make every kind of watch you can think of. There are Citizen dress watches. There are Citizen diving watches. You can find Citizen sport watches. There is a wide range in the price of Citizen watches online. They start at about $135 and go up to $700. If you are interested in purchasing a Citizen watch you should shop around. Citizen retailers are all over the world. If you prefer to shop on the internet, then you can find discounted Citizen watches if you do an internet search, rather than paying full price through the Citizen website. If you purchase a Citizen watch online make sure you are doing so through a reputable dealer. Also make sure that the payment gateways are safe. You will want to be sure that you check into the price and guarantee to make sure they are not hiding anything from you. It might be helpful to ask around and order from a site that people you know have ordered from and had success with previously.

If you are a loan officer or mortgage broker looking for sub prime internet mortgage leads. Look for a lead provider that allows for you to view the lead before you buy it.

Also, look for lead providers that gather information that is important to loan officers looking for sub prime leads. For example, when working with sub prime customers, you want to have leads that offer a comment section so that you can get a good idea of what the customers needs are and you can than base your decision to buy the lead based on this information.

Lets say you call a prospect and they tell you that the bank has already begun the foreclosure process. Chances are, this is a dead lead for you.

Now, if you have the opportunity to view the lead before you purchase it and you can see what comments the prospect has made on the lead and they stated that they were heading into foreclosure, you probably never would have bought the lead to begin with if you did not specialize in foreclosures.

Take the time to research the internet lead providers that are out there. There are many, so take your time.

Here are a few things you can look for.

Where does the internet provider obtain their leads from?

Make sure the lead company that you are considering obtain their own leads. By this I mean, make sure they obtain them through lead generation web sites they own and operate on their own.

Steer clear of the mortgage lead companies that are recycling their leads or are purchasing their leads from third party vendors than selling them to loan officers at a profit.

You don’t want to call a customer and have them tell you that you are the tenth person to call them this week.

Also, make sure you speak with someone in customer service. It is always good to know that there is someone to speak with in the event you need some assistance or you are looking for a refund on a bad lead.

And remember, the type of customer service you are provided with should be a clear-cut indication of the quality of the leads you receive.

If the customer service stinks, than most likely the leads will also.

Work. Bust my butt. That's how you do it. I just need to do a little work here around the greens and get my stroke organized, " said Tiger Woods. Woods was the defending champion, had just shot a 4-under-par 68 and was three strokes behind the leader at the Dubai Classic. Woods flew halfway around the world just days after cruising to win the Buick Invitational on Sunday for his seventh straight victory on the PGA Tour. How does Tiger Woods stay motivated? He is the most successful golfer in history, working on an incomparable winning streak and is on the verge of becoming golf's first $1 billion player, and perhaps the first billionaire to accumulate his wealth as an athlete.

Tiger Woods stays motivated to win because he HATES TO LOSE! So now you know why he does it, want to know how he does it? Four simple words. "Work. Bust my butt". There are no shortcuts. Tiger Woods was born with a talent to hit a golf ball like no one else before him. Yet even with all that talent, he knows that if he wants to remain the best in the world, he has to continue to work and bust his butt. How bad do you hate to lose? What are you doing to make sure that you succeed like a tiger?

There are so many attributes that are required in order to succeed, but motivation has to be near the top of the list. Without it, it doesn't matter how many of the other attributes that you have. So often, I hear people say that they could be great saleman, simple because they have wonderful people skills. Well, I'm here to tell you that people skills are a dime a dozen. If you are not motivated enough to hone your people skills by hard work and by busting your butt, there will always be someone else out there that will. No one can motivate you but yourself. Your boss can threaten you, your spouse can cajole you, your parents can nag you, your kids can plead with you, your banker can scare you, but no one can light that fire inside of you except for yourself. So what is one of the best ways to become motivated and stay motivated? Have a passion for what you do. If you truly love what you do for a living, you will happily work your butt off everyday looking for ways to improve yourself. In fact, if you really have a passion for your chosen career, your spouse might have to cajole you into taking some time off.

The truth is, knowing what NOT to do in sales is just as powerful as knowing what TO do. Make sense? So I’ve assembled a list of ten of the dumbest things that we’ve seen salespeople do – things that are virtually guaranteed to totally and completely de-rail your selling career.

1. They don’t become students of their craft.

They begin strong selling careers, and they really get into it – but then they go to sleep at the switch and forget to do things like read industry publications or new books by sales masters. They don’t go to sales seminars. They don’t listen to audios or view videos on sales-related topics. In short, they don’t constantly re-invigorate themselves.

Did you know that the golfer Tiger Woods spends a million dollars a year on his Swing Coach? A million dollars working on his swing, every year! He is always looking to get better – and look where he is!

I am amazed by salespeople who don’t spend more than five or ten dollars a year on their own professional growth. We’re in a profession that’s changing by leaps and bounds, and we’re into the twenty-first century. If you’re still selling the way you sold in the last century – you’re in trouble!

2. They don’t “narrowcast” their offering.

Now, what do I mean by that? I mean that they don’t become specialists at a segment, or a particular type of market, or at delivering a specific type of product. They stay generalists.

Think about it. People get paid more to be medical specialists than they do to be medical generalists. The specialist has narrowcasted his or her offering.

The most successful salespeople master the art of narrowcasting their offerings. They become well known specialists in selling one thing, and people come to them for that one thing, every time they need it.

3. They fail to position themselves correctly.

The way people position themselves determines how they’re seen by their prospects and customers. In short, people pay attention to people whom they perceive as having something important to say to them.

The best way to sell is not position yourself as a salesperson, but to position yourself as an expert. One of the best ways we’ve seen to position yourself is to host an information session or how-to clinic on a topic related to what you sell. For example, a realtor might offer a seminar on “How to Get Financed for the Home You Want.” Or an industrial equipment distributor might host a workshop on how to install a particular piece of new equipment.

See? The goal of these sessions isn’t to sell something, per se. Instead, it’s to show people that you know a lot about everything to do with your business, and you’re willing to share your knowledge. (Other great ways to do this are through trade journals or articles, or speeches or seminars, or advocacy within an association or organization.)

4. They fail to prospect.

This is huge. The biggest cause of failure in sales is having an inadequate supply of qualified prospects. How do you get prospects? Like I said above – host informative sessions for prospective clients. Or send mailings targeted lists. Or speak at association meetings. Or host user’s groups. Or offer a webinar.

You always should have multiple methods of prospecting, because you want to be sure you’ve got a variety of types of prospects constantly filling your pipeline. And I have to say, take advantage of all the latest digital technologies that really can make it seamless and simple to deploy an effective prospecting strategies into the marketplace.

5. They get in front of the wrong people.

There’s an old statement that goes like this: “You can’t get rich selling to the wrong people.” You had better be in front of people who: - Can make a decision. - Have a need. - Have a perceived problem, or a “pain.” - Are willing to listen to you.

It can be easy to confuse activity with results because you are worried most about reports and numbers you give to your sales manager. You want to be able to go back and say, “Well, I was in front of these (number) of people.” But, my question to you is, “Are they the right people?”

Your own self-image, your sense of self-worth, and how well you’ve positioned yourself – they’re all going to affect whether you’re in front of the right people. And the problem is, if you enter at the wrong level, it’s very hard to work yourself up! You may alienate the people you first interfaced with, and the people who are at the top won’t see you as having something valuable to say, because you didn’t get to them in the first place.

6. They listen to their peers.

Listening to your peers often means you get too much negative input. You hear things like, “This isn’t the way you sell. Don’t listen to these guys, don’t follow their process. Don’t use this…it’s too theoretical. You can’t make more than ‘X’ amount of dollars in this business. This company is really bad, they’re always out to get us. We’ve got an inferior product. Our delivery is bad. Our prices are out of line. The commission structure on prices is unfair. The future’s bleak, the economy is bad. My boss is a jerk.”

It goes on and on and on. You’ve got to understand something: 80% of your peers are only delivering 20% of the results. And you know what? They’ve got nothing better to do than hope YOU’RE not successful, either. So do you really want to listen to 80% of salespeople? Get it?

Instead, listen to positive, upbeat stuff that really does make you feel good and think clearly. Whether it’s music, or motivational content, or something else that’s upbeat, or uplifting: Listen to it…and remember, most of your peers are not doing well in sales!

7. They don’t understand the economics of their product or service.

Here’s what I mean: Would you sell something for a buck and a half that cost you a buck? No you wouldn’t… But unfortunately, lots of salespeople don’t understand ‘value costing,” and that’s EXACTLY what they end up doing!

They don’t truly understand what it costs to deploy their solutions in the field. They don’t understand what telephone costs are, what manufacturing costs are, what advertising, marketing, promotion, and all other costs are – so they end up giving the product or service away.

And here’s a review of Economics 101 – if you’re losing money on every deal, you can’t EVER make it up in volume! But what so many salespeople think is “Look, it comes out of the company’s side – it doesn’t come out of my side.” To them, the company’s got a boundless supply of money and resources. But the truth is, the company’s money comes out of selling product at a profit. Period.

What salespeople are for is to sell, and to sell at a profit. If you don’t understand the economies of your product and your company – how can you ever sell it for the right price?

8. They mentally spend their income – before they earn it.

If your pay plan is somehow designed to reward you for production or performance – not just a base salary for being around – listen to me! The sale is not made until you have received your commission check and it’s gone into the bank, and it’s cleared – only then is the sale consummated.

Why not? Think about all the things that can happen. You can have delivery problems, you can have delays. You can have cancellations, you can get knocked out of the box. Just because you receive a Purchase Order, doesn’t mean anybody has to exercise it!

9. They fail to ask the right questions.

In fact, not only would I say that they failed to ask the right questions – but maybe they failed to ask questions at all. Or worse, they did ask questions, but didn’t listen to the answers. So there are lots of important things to think about:

* Are they the right questions?
* Do you listen to the answer?
* Do you ask questions in the right way?
* Do you right them down?
* Do you ask them the right sequence?
* Can you extrapolate one question to the next?
* Are you really listening to what they say?
* Are you anticipating more about what you’re going to say next?

10. They are either digitally compulsive or digitally impaired.

In other words, they are so compulsive about digital technology, that they spend all of their time on the Internet, or in Sales Force Automation products, or on their Blackberry phones, or whatever. Or, they’re so impaired that they’re absolutely frozen about utilizing it.

But as simple as it sounds, as basic and fundamental as it sounds – the truth is, the most successful person is going to be the one who’s going to be in the middle. Bottom line: You should not be sitting in front of your computer screen all day long. You need to be eyeball to eyeball with prospects and customers.

Computers are tools. When somebody is out building a house, they don’t use a hammer for everything. They use a hammer for specific things that they’ve got to do. This is your hammer. When you’ve got a tool like a contact management software program – it’s a hammer. Pull it out, use it when you need it, and then put it back in your belt. Go on and do what you do…don’t live in front of this thing. But, also, don’t go out and try to build a house without a hammer in your tool belt. Use it, when it’s appropriate.”

This is the best that I can give you of the ten reasons why we’ve seen salespeople fail. So what does that mean? It’s pretty simple: Don’t do these things! You’ll keep your selling career on the right path.

How do you get your prospects and customers to see you as a credible, trustworthy, and professional sales representative during your first sales call?

First, a quick story to help make the point.

Have you ever seen an ice sculptor at work?

Imagine this scene and setting.

You're going to a breakfast buffet on a cruise ship. As you stand in line you notice a man with a white beret and chef's apron hovering over two huge blocks of ice. As you move forward through the mountains of food on the buffet line you see the sculptor chipping away at the ice.

You and your spouse find a table not too far away from the ice sculpture.

When he's finished, you're amazed to see what has been sculpted from the two large blocks of ice.

It was a hippopotamus.

You couldn't help but hear what someone asked as he approached the ice sculptor.

"That's beautiful - how did you ever do that?"

The sculptor responded, "It was easy, I simply chipped away everything that didn't look like a hippopotamus."

Now back to the original question. The answer is for you to chip away at everything that doesn't make you credible, trustworthy, and professional.

For example:

Don't begin your sales call the way your competitors do.

Don't talk too much.

Don't ask closed-ended sales questions.

Don't say you can save them time and money.

Don't show up without written sales call objectives.

Don't lower your price without asking for something in return.

Don't ask, "How soon do you need it?"

Don't keep blabbering until your prospect gets fidgety and says, "Your time is up."

Don't forget to send a handwritten thank you note.

To sum it up to you should avoid doing what your competition is doing.

First impressions are precious!

You can make your first impression, with all new sales prospects and customers, count by being better and different.

If you want to project that you're credible, trustworthy, and professional you have to act the part and play the role.

You gotta look good and sound good - and that's a simple truth!

We were stuck in a recession that some folks thought teetered on a depression.

Enrollments in my public seminars were shrinking. My sponsors canceled one program after the next.

Where would my revenues and profits come from?

Absolutely nothing about the QUALITY of what I do or the value clients get from it had changed. I wasn’t the problem.

The national refrain became, “It’s the economy, stupid!”

But I wouldn’t surrender to that sort of excuse making.

I needed a solution, and fast.

Suddenly, it hit me. I had to absolutely, unequivocally GUARANTEE the success of my programs, whether they were public seminars or extensive on site development programs.

And this is exactly what I did, and it made a night and day difference, well, practically overnight.

My prospects needed to be assured my consulting and training remedies would work. They and their companies were so worried about sustaining losses that they had to be told, emphatically, “With me, you cannot lose!”

What’s interesting about this move is I waited until times were tough to make it. Without a poor economy I would have muddled through the same way I always had done.

But bad times forced me onto a very good thing. As long as I did GUARANTEED selling, and featured this “can’t lose” message, I couldn’t lose, either.

Plus, it forced me to rethink my deliverables and to focus more on achieving specific, measurable results. I monitored my progress more carefully. Greater accountability made for a better all-around business.

If you can figure out ways to dramatically reduce or to altogether eliminate your buyers’ risks, you will get more sales, larger individual orders, and close business faster than ever before.

Is there a downside?

Yes, if clients are ONLY buying your guarantee, and not the underlying benefits of your products and services, you’ll be giving them an opportunity to undo deals, and a fraction of them will do just that.

Also, this appeal may resonate better in poor versus robust economies, but I believe it achieves better results in both, and still, the pluses outweigh the minuses.

When it comes to selling, at least from the client’s viewpoint, the thinking is:

No risks bring BIG rewards!

Recently, I wrote an article about the awesome value of using guarantees in selling.

When properly crafted and communicated, they lower buyers’ perceived risks, making them inclined to agree faster, more often, and to purchase in larger quantities.

Very few people, statistically, will undo deals, so the advantages of guarantees tend to outweigh the disadvantages.

But there is a warning I should issue.

You have to make sure that your MESSAGE doesn’t backfire; that you don’t oversell the “out-clause” so much that you train your buyers to do the wrong thing, in droves.

Specifically, you never want to design your presentation so your CLOSE-LINE, the very last thing you say to induce an “OK” hinges on undoing the deal.

EXAMPLE: “So, what we’ll do is get this video program out to you and if you don’t like it, simply pop it back into the mail and that will be that; OK?”

By the way, the phrasing of that example is GOLDEN, but-for the poor placement of its guarantee language.

Here’s a much preferred way of phrasing it:

BETTER EXAMPLE: “So, what we’ll do is get this video program out to you and if you don’t like it, simply pop it back into the mail, but we’re sure you’re going to love it and want to add it to your training library; OK?”

Take a quick second to analyze the differences. What stands out to you?

In the first example we end on a NEGATIVE, so the client is saying yes to a no, so to speak. We’re training them to return the video, to expect to not like it.

The second version ends on a POSITIVE note. It says, you’re going to love it and want to keep it.

We tested both versions at Time-Life, famous for its 10-day trials and guarantees, and we found the second version has a HUGE impact on the proportion of people who keep and pay for their products.

By all means use guarantees, but above all, make sure to avoid overselling them!

It is legend in sales that selling starts with the word “no” or starts with an objection, which is sales vernacular for a reason not to buy. Objections are really requests for information. It is the sales rep’s job to help the buyer understand the product better. Objections help the sales rep move the sales process along; thus, no can be an “enabling sales technology”. Yet, the word no can be disabling for many.

Buyers will automatically say no even when they mean yes. Ever walk into a shoe store and have a sales rep ask, “Do you need any help?” Invariably, we say, “No.” Then we turn to the shoe rack and pick out a shoe and then ask the same sales rep for help. Shoe sales people learn that this cat and mouse game is all part of the sales ritual. It all starts with no.

While not of all us are cut out for sales, fear of rejection can be overcome by a simple technique called systematic desensitization. Oddly enough, the more you do something the easier it becomes, while conversely the less you do something the harder it becomes. The single best way to confront our fear of rejection is to do what scares us the most. In the shoe sales person’s case, he or she confronts the fear by continually asking the question, “May I help you?” The sales rep becomes desensitized to the rejection through repetition.

Another example is the fear of public speaking; some studies have shown the fear of public speaking to be greater for some people than the fear of death. They avoid speaking publicly at all costs. Yet, the best way to beat the fear of public speaking may be by speaking publicly. Toastmasters International, the world renowned public speaking training organization, advocates making speeches weekly to conquer this fear. They believe that only with repetition can this fear be truly beaten.

Here are few tips on confronting the fear of rejection:

- Look for no. Keep a record of how many times you hear no in a day. Try to beat yesterday’s tally. Track weekly.

- Visualize your customer saying no, but tell yourself it means they have questions.

- Let the customer know that no is an acceptable answer, since you are interested in a long term relationship with them. Watch or hear them exhale with relief. The pressure is off. Ask them to tell you about their concerns.

- Remember that in selling it is not about you. Rather, it is all about the customer; focus your thoughts on them and their needs. The commissions will come later.

So for the sales rep with fear of rejection, the best way to beat it is to pick up the phone or knock on the door. Then, go do it again. And, again.

Many people struggle with selling. Whether as employed and trained sales personnel, working in a professional services firm with a client fee target, or as a small business owner who needs customers to survive you need to sell. Why is it an issue? For many it starts with their own self-perception and how they, personally, relate to selling – or what they perceive as selling! Certainly, for many people the idea is that sales people have to spend their time finding potential customers (or clients!) and then convincing them to buy the product or service. This may have to mean pushing, manipulating or coercing them in some way. WRONG! Effective, professional selling is radically different

The important thing is to be very clear about what is selling. Having spent much of my working life in sales, sales management and training and developing people in the skills and attitudes to be successful in these areas I can confidently state that many people do not have a full understanding of it. Yes, they know that it is about a transaction or exchange of some sort. However, when I looked up “to sell” in a dictionary some years ago it had a great phrase within the definition – “to convince of value”. Hold this thought for a minute! When moving on to look up “salesmanship”, the interesting part, for me at least, was “to persuade purchaser to buy”.

These two parts of the definitions provide the possibility of a total rethink of what is required to be successful in selling, regardless of your market. To achieve these two effectively and consistently an organisation needs to think about its sales strategy, sales management style, sales culture and sales approach. The old style “push, push” element will not work in achieving consistent results. In the short-term there may be spasmodic success – with a turnover of customers and selling personnel too!

Let us look at the definitions and consider why they might make a difference. “To convince of value” – what does value mean to you? The beauty of the idea of value is that it is highly individual and personal – and can change according to circumstances. It is not a constant. Most people will tell you they want value for money, but what does that mean? The key challenge for anyone having to sell, is that we need to be able to find what our prospective customers consider to be value at the time. Anyone reading this who has issues about “selling” or being thought of as selling can redefine what you do! If you think about this, your role as a sales person is not to sell or impose products or services on people. It is to find what they believe is value and then show them how you can deliver it. While on this subject, remember that it is the prospect or customer who defines value! Beware of claims which claim to offer added value or value added – the supplier does not define this!

The successful sales people will still use a large number of the fundamental selling skills. A well thought through sales process will help to achieve results and help sales managers and sales people work together towards this end. Do it well and there will be much less rejection and far fewer objections. So, where do you need to start?

Begin with yourself and your own mindset! You will be helping them to buy something – if it is appropriate and they believe it is good value. As an aside, you do need to believe in your own products and services and that they are good value! If you have any problems with this, it is very difficult to put across a positive message with any conviction or integrity! While working on your mindset, remember that any meeting or contact with a prospective client is about them, their situation and what they want. They are the focus, not you, your product or your sales target!

If you have to do any form of prospecting, this is important to remember too. Why should they talk to you or agree to see you? You need to approach them with an understanding of the issues they may be facing and get them talking about these. More about this another time!

When you do get face to face with a prospect, there are a few basic steps to follow in order to get to the situation where you can find out what they consider to be value. The first stage is to gain a degree of rapport, which needs to be the right level for the prospect. During the early phase of any meeting the prospect is making a variety of judgements about you – and your organisation! These may be accurate or totally unreasonable as they will almost certainly be subjective, or based on subjective criteria! Regardless of this, we have to be able to gain some degree of trust from the prospect. Without this, it will be extremely difficult to get the real information from them.

Once there is rapport, the conversation can move to the “sales” part. Hold it – do not start telling them all about your company, product or service! The key element to establish is what they are really looking for – and why! There is a great quote from “The One-Minute Sales Person”, “When I want to sell, I remember how I, and others, like to buy.” Stop and think. How do you like to buy? When you last bought something which was a significant purchasing decision, what was important to you? Why did you choose the product and supplier?

Whatever your reasons for this – their combination will have matched what “convinced you of value”. The challenge in a sales situation is to find out these criteria from your prospect. I call this their “shopping list”. Do this before talking about what you can offer, because the things the prospect is interested in will be related to what is on this list and not the other aspects you think are important for them.

So, once you have a sense that you are moving into the “sales” phase of the process, it is really useful to ask a question to get the prospect’s shopping list. Something along the lines of, “When you are choosing a supplier, what is important to you?” or “When you last chose a new provider, what made you choose them?” This can cause the prospect to stop and think!! They do not get asked this very often – too many people are too keen to tell rather than sell! Listen, write down what they tell you, and keep asking, “…and what else? until you have their list!

This is the key starting point, because this list is their set of value criteria right now! (It might change when you visit them again next month, so you need to check it again.) If you show them how your product or service can deliver against this list you will be able to “convince them of value”. As you keep the focus of your conversation and presentation around what is on their list and they can see you are doing so, the will want to buy from you. In doing this, you have a much smoother and simpler conversation and by dealing with the elements the prospect wants you will have fewer objections to deal with and will feel more confident in asking for commitment.

Whatever your business, you need to find clients or customers. They will choose to use you to supply them provided you can offer them “value”. For me, one of the enjoyable aspects of selling is meeting different people and finding out more about each person’s challenges or issues and what is on their “shopping list” at the time. This really makes each sales meeting unique and fun! Once I have this, I am not selling to them. I can help them to achieve what they need to in a way which matches the factors on their list – and if I do this effectively, they will buy from me. Selling does not have to be a battle or a challenge, it is about working together giving the prospect what they want and need to get value.

This is one of the most common misconceptions about business today. The reason that people think of salespeople as being pushy and aggressive is because for the last 60 years, they have been pushy and aggressive. Most sales people today still are.

The problem lies in the way they've been trained for the last 60 years. Unknowledgeable sales trainers have taught them to use tricks and techniques to persuade prospects into buying our products and joining our companies regardless of whether it was the right thing for them or not. But this is not the way at all. It is unethical.

Professional selling (business) today is about presenting the products, services and business, in an organised fashion, without using trickery or manipulation. It's about having a casual conversation coupled with good questions about what's important to our prospects.

A sales conversation with your prospect should sound as natural as speaking with a good friend in your home, with a cup of coffee, sitting in your favourite easy chair.

Being Aggressive Won’t Get You Sales

When people think of salespeople, one of the unpleasant characteristics that springs to mind is them being pushy or aggressive.

We have all had experiences when the salesman hasn’t stopped talking and you sense yourself being forced to say "yes". Only to feel "sore" that you made a wrong decision.

Many business owners, when presenting their sales pitch, don’t think about whether their style could be perceived as "pushy", and don’t realise what they could be losing.

Definition of Pushy-How it Relates to You and Your Customer

Being pushy, whether intentionally or unintentionally, can be the ruin of a salesperson. But what defines "pushy"?

In a sales context, it means forcing your will onto the buyer, countering resistance with excessive force, using effort to get a result. This is not how to make a sale or encourage someone to buy from you again. Always remember that a customer is with you because he wants to be there and he/she can quickly change his/her mind.

Here are some of the possible outcomes if you are too "pushy" :

You may be lucky to get a customer who is too meek to fight back. You may make a sale from those customers but chances are, they will never buy from you again. Missing out on repeat business means you lose real profits!

If the customer is just as aggressive as you are, an argument quickly develops. You can never close a sale under such circumstances. Worse still, if you are in the retail trade, potential customers wandering around your shop may sense the tense atmosphere and be out of your shop fast!

Double or Triple Your Sales. Follow These Steps:

1. Early in the sales presentation, ask if you can address them by their first name.

2. Actively listen to what the customer is saying. Ask the right questions to find out what the customer is really thinking.

3. Watch their body language. Do they appear happy? If not, step back and use questions to check their mood. Slow the pace down and clarify any concerns.

4. If, at the end of the sales presentation, you still get a "no", don’t argue. Leave the door open for another day.

And whatever you do, don’t follow up a few days later with a telephone call!

Leave the customer alone and he/she may come back of his/her own free will. That is the last resort.

In the business world there are so many products that can complement your product if you look for them. You don’t want to do that because by finding a strategic business partner you will increase your sales ratio. You don’t want profits, and aligning with someone will increase the chances their customers will spill over to your products and result in too many sales.

Perhaps one day a partner will come knocking at your door; you want to look for ones that don’t have the same objective. An example of this is when you sell computer parts and the other partner sells perfume. This method is a sure win-win solution to decreasing profits. Normally when you form a partnership with a business owner, you will trade leads, share marketing info and sell package deals that benefit both sides. However, you don’t want any profit, so you want to make sure any deal resulting from the partnership will fail to incite customer’s interest.

Whatever you do, don’t brand your name and business. One of the best ways to gather traffic to your site is by writing articles and submitting them to e-zines or web sites for republishing. You don’t want to do this because it is free advertising that too many people will see. Once people start to recognize you are indeed knowledgeable about your topic, they will flock to your website for more information. Never do this as it will increase your sales too much. And god forbid, once people see your article and love it so much that they will post it on their own sites. Imagine the horror of your link on dozens of website without you even doing anything other than submitting an article. What an awful mess, you might actually make some profits, noooooooooo!

Do you know eBay regularly pull in millions of customers in a day? Imagine the traffic if you decide to go and list (post) your product on the eBay website. Stop right there, you don’t want this. It is a good thing I warned you ahead of time because otherwise you will might make a mistake and market to the eBay market.

Another option I have seen people do is starting an auction on their web site. The types of auction they start are usually related to the theme of their site. Don’t go and start any auction on your site, you might draw traffic from auctioneers and bidders. Remember I gave you a warning, if you didn’t listen to me and went and do exactly the opposite of what I told you to do, you will generate some sales.

Everybody talks about time management. Who cares? We don’t want to make any profits. Spend all your time playing games and procrastinating. Remember don’t take a little time out of your day or week to brainstorm. New ideas are usually the difference between success and failure. You don’t want any profits, so don’t spend any time on your business.

There are so many people who are successful. Isn’t it disgusting? Who want to make so much money? However, we can use it to our benefit. Make sure you model the exact opposite of other successful business or people. What you can do in this case is notice some of the habits that have made them successful and do the exact opposite of what they do. You see, successful people are useful in some way.

It has been proven over and over again. There is no use denying it, hype words works brilliantly in converting sales. In advertisement, using emotional words such as love, security, relief, freedom, happy, satisfaction, fun, unbelievable, shocking, fantastic… etc. have the ability to make your customers act with their hearts rather then their mind. Unfortunately for you, the majority of people buy with their hearts rather than their mind and sales people play up to it. Well guess what you don’t have to put up with this. Why is that? It’s because you are not looking for sales.

Trust me, if you do everything I written, you have my guarantee that you won’t make any profits.

Good luck, because we all hate profits here!!

FACT: Lead Generation Solutions high on the wish-list of just about every business owner in australia.

But for most people, getting those targeted sales leads in the first place can be as easy as doing handstands on a tightrope.

What difference would it make if you knew a 'scientifically proven' ethical, affordable, 'results-focused' approach that consistently generates a steady flow of targeted, 'ready-to-buy' leads for your business whenever you felt like it?

Perhaps you have tried some of the following methods to get more leads for your business:

• Newspaper Advertising
• Yellow Pages Advertising
• Trade and Industry Magazines
• Cold Calling
• Direct Mail
• Leaflet Drops
• Door to Door Canvassing
• TV & Radio Advertising
• National Community Newspaper Advertising
• 1800 Message Advertising
• Press Releases
• Telemarketing
• Trade Shows
• Sponsorship
• Novelty Items
• Posters

Each of the above lead generation ideas has its place but they each have specific drawbacks. Several (like TV, Radio, Sponsorship and Yellow Pages Advertising) are particularly expensive. Others (like cold calling, press releases and leaflet drops) whilst easier on your bank account are both time consuming and way too 'hit and miss' in their approach.

Thankfully there is an affordable lead generation alternative that can work for just about any type of business...

A simple method that can consistently generate a constant and ongoing supply of hot, willing-to-buy, leads for your business virtually whenever YOU feel like it.

I am talking about using the Internet to reach your target market.

Wait! I can almost hear your mind saying "But we already have a website and it's about as useful as a screen door on a submarine..."

Can I make a suggestion?

Why not hire someone to create a simple 2 page website for your business lead generation needs.

The first page should be a simple Name-Squeeze page.

The idea is that you will use it to offer some interesting information relating to your products and services in return for the prospect joining your opt-in email newsletter.

This allows you to follow up on them without getting in trouble for spamming.

The second page should be enough information to:

• Make the prospect want to pick up the phone and call you
• Let them know you have received their information request and will be in touch with them
• Present your sales offer

Want to see this method in action?

Visit http://www.GetMoreSalesLeads.com

NOTE: You don’t need to have a 90 page website to generate leads.

Using a simple two page site coupled with Google Adwords or some other pay-per-click advertising technique you can start getting a constant supply of fresh sales leads today!

You might want to consider using video or audio on your NameSqueeze page as both have been proven to increase response rates.

Does even the thought of lead generation make you feel like banging your head against a wall?

Experts say generating a constant supply of new sales leads is one of the hardest and most frustrating tasks most business owners face.

Effective sales lead solutions are easy to find if you follow a few simple rules.

Follow them close enough and you'll enjoy a Ninja-like ability to sneak up on virtually any market and generate leads seemingly out of thin air. At least that is what your competitors will think.

Business owners use a variety of different methods to generate leads.

Some you may be aware of are:

* TV and Radio Ads
* Telemarketing
* Direct Mail
* Postcards
* Display & Classified Ads
* Fliers
* Billboard Ads
* Trade Shows
* Press Releases
* Yellow Pages Ads

Each of the above lead generation tactics have their place but there is a lead generation solution that, in my opinion, presents the average business owner with the opportunity of getting a steady flow of laser-targeted leads virtually whenever they feel like it.

Lead Generation Websites

Few people realize that a lead generation website can be as small as just one page.

A good lead capture page offers something of value such as an informative report in return for someone giving you their name and email address and in some cases, their physical address and telephone number.

This page can also include a simple form that gathers information that the business seeking the leads wants to know.

Use a professional autoresponder service such as Aweber.com to immediately send your prospects a bit more information relating to the products and services being offered as well as the download url of your report and remember to always include a few simple words of thanks.

You can see an example of such a page here: http://www.GetMoreSalesLeads.com

Nine Things That Encourage People to Respond to Your Lead Generation Page

* 1. The Headline. Experts tell us that a staggering 80% of people don't get past your headline. It is well worth the effort to take the time to learn the basics of copywriting.

* 2. Graphics (Or a Lack of them!) You should always split-test the use of graphics on your lead generation name capture page. Some products and services really benefit from the use of graphics (before and after pics for instance) whilst others may find graphics distract people's attention from the goal of the page - getting people to respond and fill in your lead generation form. NOTE: Beware of using humor in lead generation. Something that you might find hilarious might leave another person cold or worse even offend them.

* 3. Colors. Believe it or not colors can have a dramatic effect on your response rates. Never ever use a black background. Think in terms of Google and Yahoo (Clean white backgrounds) and rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, just copy their lead.

* 4. Fonts. It constantly amazes me how so many websites use fonts so small that even if you wanted to respond - you would need bionic eyesight to do so. Use fonts such as Ariel, Verdana or Times New Roman.

* 5. Audio. Adding a simple streaming audio message can dramatically boost your opt-in response rates.

* 6. Video. Video can make all the difference in the world. You can see an example at http://ReprintRightsOffer.com

* 7. Testimonials. People love to see 'social proof' that what you say about your products and services is true. NOTE: There is an adage in marketing that says: Facts TELL But Testimonials SELL. Use this to your advantage.

* 8. The Offer. Your prospects will basically be thinking 'What is in this for me?' make sure you give them a valid reason to want to give you their details.

* 9. Reassurance. Always tell people that their contact details will never, under any circumstances, be rented, traded, shared or sold and let them know they can unsubscribe whenever they want to.

If you try these things and use the right keywords to get traffic to your website and in your pay-per-click ads, you will find that a simple direct response website can be a powerful solution to your lead generation needs.

There are three vital factors that will determine the way your approach lead generation. There is one VITAL word that can spell the difference between success and failure.

First, lets have no doubts on this one thing:

Your business needs a fresh supply of new, targeted, sales leads like a fish needs water.

Without water the fish will die.

Without a constant supply of sales leads so will your business. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Lead generation is not an optional extra on the business buggy. Without it you will go broke.

Three Sobering Truths About Lead Generation

1. MONEY is required

2. TIME is needed

3. ENERGY will be spent

Anytime you are short of one of the above you need to increase the other two.

- - A lack of money requires more time and energy
- - A lack of energy requires more money and time
- - A lack of time requires more money and energy

FACT: Many small business owners find themselves in the terrible trap of needing sales leads to make money but not having the money to get the leads.

They get stuck like a mouse on a wheel, going round and round but never getting anywhere.

The ULTIMATE Lead Generation Solution: Leverage Everything!

Leverage can dramatically increase the effectiveness of your money, time and energy.

Try This For 30 Days:

For the next month try looking at everything you are doing in relation to your business in terms of money, time and energy.

Ask yourself: "What can I do to leverage this situation?"

Make a list of all the things that you can outsource and start hiring other people to do anything that saves you time and energy.

Note: You can use websites like RentACoder.com and Elance.com to outsource dozens of tasks that take up your money, time and energy.

It sounds silly but if you do, you will find that your business will start making more money which in turn means you will be in the powerful position of using LESS money, time and energy working IN your business and be able to start spending more effective money, quality time and focused energy working ON it.

When you do that, you will begin to see lead generating solutions that most likely have been staring you in the face all along - you have just been too busy to notice them.

Increase sales is the mantra from Fortune 100 companies to the smallest of the small businesses. The U.S. economy is growing with the Dow over 12,000 point and everyone is looking for more business results. So what is keeping you from achieving more business success? Even though we know that there is no magic pill to increase sales, there may be one secret or key that may help you to achieve more in 2007.

How many times in our search to improve our businesses, do we seek solutions from the outside and fail to look within ourselves? Have you considered assessing your own tenacity and looking within the word tenacity? Did you see the word ten – 10 - within tenacity?

Tenacity has many definitions, but I like the simple ones such as Chuck Norris who states tenacity is the ability "to stick to it when things get tough. " So, how many times will you stick to it? Are you discouraged after a couple of times and give up? If you had a minimum benchmark before stopping and this thresh hold would keep you going forward, would those difficult times be less challenging?

From our childhood experiences, we are told to "Count to 10" before allowing our temper to guide our behaviors or taking other types of action before we think. This paradigm is a great way to reinforce our own tenacity as we overcome those obstacles that are keeping us from securing personal success to business success.

To increase sales begins by finding prospects. Thousands of voice mails are left every day and not returned. Do you give up after a couple of tries when your calls are not returned? How much would your sales increase if you made a decision to call this person at least 10 times before you even called her or him the first time? Would your phone voice be consistently positive?

Another way to find prospects is by speaking at local meetings such as civic organizations, associations or chambers of commerce. If you made a conscious decision to give at least 10 speeches every 3 months, how would that affect the results from your marketing plan?

Referrals are one of the best ways to increase sales. If you would contact 10 current or past clients and then contact 10 centers of influence and asked each for at least 2 referrals, how would that affect your business success?

Just imagine all of the results if you consistently applied the Tenacity Power of 10 to all of your business activities?

* How much more would your business grow if you made 10 more calls each days?
* How many more clients would you have if you meet with 10 more prospects each week?
* How much more marketing results would you receive if you mailed 10 more introductory letters each month?

The Tenacity Power of 10 automatically creates a self-fulfilling prophecy by strengthening your own personal resolve because now you are in control of your own destiny. Years ago, Henry Ford penned these words: "Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right."

Business success or personal success is a matter of choice. Being tenacious is also a matter of choice. You can choose to be tenacious towards success or to be tenacious towards failure. For me, there is only one choice and failure is not an option.

Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S. is a business coach and executive coach with offices in Indianapolis and near Chicago. She writes, speaks and coaches people in businesses to quickly double or triple results through the creation of an executable strategic plan along with the necessary leadership skills "to pull it off."

One quick question,if you could secure one new client or breakthrough that one roadbloack holding you back from success, what would that mean to you? Then, take a risk and give me, Leanne, a call at 219.759.5601 to experience incredible results.

Communication for business development purposes is a very specialized area. When I was a bank consultant establishing private banks around the nation, one of the first things I did after signing a contract with a bank was to sit down and review all of the written communications pieces sent to clients, prospects, and to strangers.

The purpose of a business development letter is to create prospects. The purpose of a sales letter is to sell your company and its products to prospects. Most marketers confuse the two. They are two separate letters. Marketers think a business development letter sells products. It does not... at least, the effective ones do not. Instead, business development letters sell credibility and reputation. Business development letters make people want to hear about your products (sales are then achieved via sales letters).

Most bank marketers I worked with did not understand that simple fact. I have come to realize that most marketers do not understand the purpose of sales versus business development letters. Even the most sophisticated bank marketers in New York, San Francisco, Dallas and Chicago did not understand. They thought business development and sales letters to be the same thing. They are not.

The first and most basic rule of business development communication is this: The recipient of a letter is not a prospect to whom something can be sold. He or she is a stranger. To become a prospect, a response to a business development effort -- letter or sales call -- must be received. If you are mass marketing, you can make sales to strangers rather than prospects (developed via business development calls and/or correspondence)... but it is a very expensive effort.

The second rule is that business development letters talk about the recipient and that person’s needs. You establish your credibility and get a positive reaction from them by proving you know about their needs.

A sales letter talks about your company and your products and how they fill client needs. Sales letters are sent to prospects, not strangers. The biggest mistake marketers make is to try and turn business development letters into sales letters.

The best private banks in the country specialize by client occupation. Physicians, accountants, lawyers, corporate executives, small business owners, entrepreneurs were all targeted for business development. We narrowed our definition of segments served. We had one private banker who served the needs of surgeons only. Another served non-surgeons. The same was true of CPAs and lawyers… small, independent firms were handled by one banker.

Those employed by larger firms were handled by another private banker. Each group’s problems are different. Our message to them was designed to deal with their needs, not our products. Thus, the more specialized we could be, the more specific we could get about their needs. That means we could more effectively sell people on becoming clients.

A lot of marketers write business development letters from the perspective of high quality service clients can expect from their company. Big shock... people, especially affluent people, expect quality service. It is not a sales or business development point. And, it is very easy for a competitor to write a letter that makes yours look pretty bad by referring to client needs (which hints at expertise... for which people are willing to pay). If you write a business development letter that speaks in general about your high quality of service and I write a business development letter that accurately points out some of the problems you deal with in your every day business life, which do you think has the best chance of getting read? Such are the advantages of market segmentation.

Viewing market segmentation, business development and sales as three distinctly different parts of a process is as effective for companies selling office furniture or computer equipment as it is for private banks. Know your market segments. Find out what motivates them. With most successful business people, “time is money” is almost always a motivator because most successful people are very busy.

It is an art to write an effective business development letter. It is difficult to explain the business advantages you have to offer while talking about the letter’s recipient… someone you’ve never met. The temptation is to talk about you and your products -- a guaranteed way to get the letter thrown away. Talk about them and what they need and your letter gets read.

Business development letters need to drip with credibility. For example, you do not on the one hand say “Your time is money,” and on the other hand say, “…and I’d like to stop by your office during business hours to waste some of your time.” Instead, you tell a time is money person you will be glad to meet them early in the morning, before the business day starts.

Back in the 1980s, one of the major New York banks -- one whose name you would easily recognize -- did a huge advertising campaign for private banking. The lead line was, “Now that you’ve made it, maybe you’re ready for (Bank Name) private banking.”

What better way to say, “We, the big, important bank think little old you may be important enough to bank with us.” Not exactly a theme designed to stroke the ego of the customer (and successful people have strong egos). I’m sure it made the bank feel important.

The final rule of a good business development letter: Be sure it strokes the recipient’s ego, not your own. How can you do that? Count the number of times “you” rather than “I” is the subject of all sentences. The ratio should be 60-40 or 70-30 -- in favor of the recipient.

Where do we go to find the “four cornerstones” of sales success? I believe the Bible has all the answers we need because selling is a battle for the hearts and minds of individuals, and the Bible is full of models for winning battles. For example, conventional wisdom believes that “selling is about telling,” but I believe the sale is made based on what the customer has to say, not on what the sales rep has to say. Therefore, it’s important to develop the skill set of asking strategic, purposeful questions. You can learn from Pharaoh (the world’s system), or you can learn from Moses, who outmaneuvered Pharaoh and his army without drawing a sword by simply listening to and obeying God.

Upon arriving at the border of the Promised Land, Moses sent out a reconnaissance team to spy out the land. He knew Israel would be met with resistance and risk, but if they were successful, there would be reward. Resistance, risk, and reward sounds a lot like business. So what are the seven questions Moses asked and how do they help us succeed in the marketplace? The Moses Questioning Strategy is an important skill set we’ll address in the next issue, but first you must be convinced of the importance of a good questioning strategy.

Did you know sales reps asking five or more questions in a selling situation close 72 percent more business than sales reps asking only two questions? That’s because selling is less about telling and more about listening. It’s a process of discovery you walk through with someone to help him arrive at the outcome that’s in his best interest. In the process, the seller discovers the needs of the buyer while simultaneously helping the buyer clarify and crystallize his or her own understanding of those same needs. Only then can the seller truly help the buyer. Here are seven reasons to ask questions before planning your presentation.

Seven Reasons to Question

1. Questions develop rapport. People generally feel more comfortable when they’re talking. Asking questions gives them that opportunity. Rapport-building questions focus more on their interests than their specific business needs.

2. Questions build trust. Asking questions before presenting solutions demonstrates your interest in finding out what they want or need. When customers feel you are looking out for their best interests, they are more likely to trust you. Trust-building questions are more focused on their needs relative to your product or service.

3. Questions demonstrate that you care. When someone discloses a need or a problem to you, asking him how that problem impacts him is a good way to demonstrate that you care. You probably know the answer, but give the prospect the opportunity to vent her feelings. It demonstrates a caring attitude and strengthens your bond with that person.

4. Questions reveal need. God asked Adam, “Where are you?” which quickly prompted Adam to reveal need: “I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10). Adam, however, only revealed what was obvious, his outer need for clothing or covering.

5. Questions develop need. God pressed Adam, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” Adam revealed deeper need when he said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” Adam’s answer now reveals his inner treasonous condition. In a single response, he leveled blame on God and on Eve. It was not just about having no clothes to wear; Adam’s need went much deeper to his sinful soul. When someone reveals a superficial need and you suspect a greater need, ask need-development questions to bring that need out in the open.

6. Questions reveal heart. God turns his focus on Eve and asks, “What is this you have done?” Please note that God knew the answer to all His questions, but asked them anyway. You should know the answer to most questions you ask, but ask them anyway to give the other person the opportunity to clarify the problem. Eve reveals her own heart by blaming the serpent instead of acknowledging any wrongdoing. It’s hard to fix a problem that isn’t out in the open yet.

7. Questions reveal motivation. When God had no respect for Cain’s offering, He asked Cain, “Why are you angry? . . . If you do well, will you not be accepted?” (Genesis 4:7). Cain’s motivation was at issue here as he offered what was convenient and at hand—produce. At best it was a faithless offering given out of duty instead of heartfelt worship. Abel offered the best, the firstborn of his flock, in faith, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous (Hebrews 11:4). Motivation questions usually begin with “Why?”

Asking the Best Questions

Having established the importance of asking questions, we now turn our attention to what makes a question a good question. Using the acronym SALT will help you remember four important components of good questions.

Simple. Good questions are clear, concise, and easy to understand. After the resurrection, Jesus was walking along the shore, saw the disciples fishing, and asked them, “Have you any food?” (John 21:5). In other words, have you caught anything yet? It was a simple question that went straight to the bottom line: “Is what you’re doing working?” Jesus asked a question to which He already knew the answer, but the answer gave Him the opportunity to reveal His solution: “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find.” When they saw the great number of fish caught in the net, they knew it was the Lord. Simple questions are bottom-line oriented and reveal need.

Aimed. Good questions have purpose. Jesus asked Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me [perfectly] more than these [other disciples do]?” (John 21:15). Just a few days earlier, after claiming that he loved Jesus more than the others, Peter three times denied even knowing Christ. Jesus had purpose in His question and Peter admitted that he didn’t have a perfect love for Christ when he answered, “Yes Lord; You know that I [imperfectly] love You.” Jesus said, “Feed My lambs.” Peter knew where the question was aimed and quickly admitted his love for Jesus was imperfect at best and in no way superior to the others. When a prospect feels the point or aim of your question, it implies you know the answer and the customer is more likely to be forthright with you.

Leading. Good questions give the prospect the sense that all of your questions are leading to a grand point. They make him feel like you’re taking him by the hand and leading him down a path you’ve been down before. Jesus asked Peter a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me [with a perfect love]?” Peter undoubtedly knew that Jesus was going somewhere with this question. In sales, leading questions are a series of questions working together to uncover need, reveal motivation, or expose the heart of the issue at hand. Jesus was leading Peter to acknowledge the limitations of his love, while giving him opportunity to look Him in the eye and expose the true state of his heart for the Lord.

Timely. Good questions meet the prospect where she’s at in her present situation with words she can relate and respond to. Jesus asked Peter a third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Jesus met Peter where he was by asking if his love was the phileo or brotherly kind of love. Later in his life, as he grew in his walk with the Lord, Peter would use the word agape, or perfect kind of love, in his writings. Once the need is on the table and the heart is open, meet your prospect where she is and bring her along incrementally to the desired destination.

Selling is less about telling and more about listening. You will be better prepared for listening now that you know the importance of a good questioning strategy and the four components of good questions.

I have been very fortunate in my travels as a national sales educator to have some pretty brilliant students who achieve millions of dollars per year in high end sales results. One of the most common themes that run through these special over achievers is their immunity to the word "NO."

When I ask them if there is one thing responsible for the success they have, they have all told me that it was their determination, skill and comfort level to keep asking for the sale way past the first time they hear the word no.

The truth is that many you are only one more question or sentence away from turning a no into a yes. If you can only develop the guts and willpower to hang in there and respond after you hear that ugly word, you would then have success. You will be amazed at your success if you are determined to think of a response and use it during critical situations. Here are some tips for what you should do when you hear the word no.

First, when you hear the word NO you should think... They didn't really mean that, they only said it because they aren't thinking. That's right. Many times a customer does not have a real reason to even say the word no. They just say it as a knee jerk, subconscious reaction to whatever you offer. Kind of like when a clerk in a department store asks you, "May I help you?" Most of us always respond, "No just looking" whether we want help or not. We just react without even thinking. Your customer many times is doing the same thing with you.

Secondly you should correctly assume that the buyer is trying to negotiate with you. After all, they did call you for your help and to get the problem fixed or replaced. You should think, "That's an interesting first negotiating position." The first no you hear, is only the customer testing you, to see if you have the passion and expertise to hang in there until you get a yes. The rule being that the person with the most passion and enthusiasm will get the sale. How do you show this passion? You show it by not quitting. That's right, the top sales people have at least 6 responses to a no and will not leave because they truly believe they are the best. To them, it doesn't make sense to leave until you get the work.

Here are some skills and techniques to work on when you are faced with a no from your buyer:

First, agree with their point of view for now. The path to persuasion is not a confrontational one. You cannot persuade anyone if you immediately show you have a contrary position to theirs. They will just dig in deeper if you start with a disagreement. Go with the flow, not against it. First agree that their point is valid and that you can understand their position. This creates obligation with the buyer as you have given in at this point. You are giving the buyer a level of comfort. We all know that when we give somebody something they are obligated to return the favor. For instance, if they say your price is high you might return with something like, "I understand, it IS a substantial investment.

Secondly, get permission to ask them a question. This is the set up for your handling of the objection and the eventual persuasion that is about to take place. After getting permission to ask them a question, think of the most powerful question you can that will change the outcome.

Here is how the whole sequence would sound after a buyer tells you your price is higher than the competition. "I understand it IS a substantial investment. Hey, can I ask you something? When was the last time that you bought something where the least expensive thing was the best quality? How about when you bought a car, was it the cheapest? Your last vacation? How about when you took your wife out for dinner on her birthday, was it the least expensive? Why not?

Another technique is to use the exact reason they are saying no as the reason they SHOULD be saying yes. For example: You're moving? Great, that's exactly why you should get this done now. My greatest fear is that the person who buys the home will have a home inspector look at this and then he and his attorney will ask for a concession on the price of the home after you have already made a deal. Do you really want to hold up the closing of the house when the buyer throws this repair at you?

Remember to be prepared to ask for the sale 6 different ways with 6 different responses. Be determined like the top professionals in your industry are to hang in there and get the job. Don't be afraid of coming off too pushy. If your buyer says that you are pushing too hard, just ask your client this. "Would you rather buy this from someone like me who has a passion to do this job for you like me? Or would you rather buy from somebody who doesn't even care enough to keep asking for your business?

Ultimately the person with the most passion wins.

There are seminars, workshops, sales training books as well as other medium to learn about sales. Marketing and sales training books, the Internet and employers are constantly presenting and using sales strategies to further increase profits.

One of the key ways to a great sales career is credibility. How credible are you? If you have a character defect and your integrity is deficient you will miss a lot of sales. You need to be honest and straight with your clients else will lose them. Credibility is crucial.

Another key factor which you may have seen in sales training books or workshops is having the right mental attitude. You have to believe that you can make more sales. Of note, is that studies have been done that shows that optimistic salespeople are in general more successful than pessimistic people. Positive thinking combined with training and direction will produce results.

You also need to learn and use professional techniques to excel at selling. If you can find yourself a mentor, that would be an added bonus. In selling all your encounters are not gong to be positive. Understanding human nature and using good old fashioned commonsense is vital. Learning the psychology of selling and how people react in situations is also recommended. This will enable you to react to your prospects more appropriately and get more sales.

Do you have an imagination? Of course you do; use it to your advantage. If you have questions that will let your prospects see the benefits of your products or services in his /her mind you can paint a picture. This picture will cause the prospect to say yes. Always paint a good profitable picture and you will see good results. Use word pictured to sell .You can find these words in many sales training books or even using the Internet.

Finally, really listen to what your prospects has to say. This will help you to determine exactly what it is they want and the true cause of them saying no. In so dong you can help prospects to buy and even sell themselves. Find out the problems that your prospects want to solve using relevant questions and then provide the products, goods or services that will solve their problems.

If you are a sales professional or aspiring to be one, I believe using these techniques will definitely help you to become an excellent sales person.

If you deliver the right products to the right people you are certain to make sales.

I want to talk to you about one of the most important things you can do to increase your sales results. And that is to find the right customer to sell to. Many people doubt the validity of getting referrals as an actual mix of their marketing. By accident, many people get referred by customers that love them.

So let's face it, referrals start by doing great service that people notice. In my thinking, if you can make something happen on accident, then you can make it happen on purpose.

As usual, the reason something doesn't work is usually screwed up in the beginning not at the point the problem is apparent. Let me go over the most effective way to get referrals. The key to getting a hot referral is to let the customer know you need their help. We all want to help someone. Think about it, if your landscaper told you he needed help getting more business, wouldn't you tell everyone you knew?

This is the key principle: YOU NEED THEIR HELP. Let's go over a common moment of truth scenario where someone asks you, "How's business?"

AT ONE OF THE MOMENTS OF TRUTH... "How's business been over at (YOUR COMPANY)?"

WHAT YOU NORMALLY SAY: "We are swamped. It's so busy I had to put in 12 hours overtime."

WHAT YOU SHOULD SAY IF YOU NEED HELP: "Well, it's funny you should mention that. We were all just talking back at the shop about one our greatest challenges being finding and keeping great customers like you Fred. Hey Fred maybe you could help me. You're a smart guy Fred. If you were me, what would you do to find great customers like yourself to work for?"

THEM: "Well I'll bet my cousin Ernie could use your help."

YOU: (Here's a big question) "Really? How do you think he could benefit from our services?"

THEM: "Well, He told me that he was shopping for a new heating system last week."

The key thing is that you need to find out WHY the person referring you thinks that you would be a fit. If you go in KNOWING why they might benefit, then it is really a hot referral. If not, then it becomes very difficult to probe for reasons why they might benefit.

When you DO probe, send out a reverse question and do not DIRECTLY ask for the business on cold or semi-warm calling leads. Here's how that would sound...

"Hey Ernie, this is Joe over at Custom Comfort. I'm a good friend of Fred Johnson. Well, Fred was telling me that you might need our assistance with either doing maintenance or fixing a problem with your heating or air but I thought he was probably just exaggerating. You don't want to get any maintenance on your HVAC system done do you?"

OR

"Ernie if I had to guess, I would say you're heating and cooling system works just perfect correct?"

OR

"Ernie, Fred tells me that your home is absolutely dust free and that allergies are NOT a problem for you is he correct?"

Always frame you question with a negative outcome to reverse the selling process. Remember in our system you are NEVER selling anything. The customer must sell you. Ask a question with an answer that is opposite of what you want to hear and you will have either an agreement on something (Which keeps you on the phone a bit longer) or a disagreement such as this... "No, I have a huge problem with dust. My daughter has severe allergies!"

YOU: "What would you like me to do then?"

THEM: "Get over here and solve this problem."

The referral IQ test is simple. When someone asks you how's business?" How do you position yourself and what do you say? Do you ask for help? Or do you brag about how great you are supposedly doing? No one wants to help somebody who is already doing just fine. But if someone is struggling we can't wait to help. Tell your customer that you need their help today. You might just get what you ask for.

Would you like to learn the secrets of the most influential, powerful people of all time? Attract more sales and negotiate more win/win outcomes? Become a masterful communicator and a magnet for endless referrals?

Despite what most books and seminars teach, successful selling is not a set of strategies, techniques or tactics to get the prospect to buy. Rather it is a state of mind – yours and your customer’s – and set of behaviors that creates compelling win/win outcomes for everyone.

This special state of mind – that few books or seminars address -- requires you to know how to:

• Change your state (and therefore your results) in any selling situation … with volition;
• Get “inside” your prospect’s head and gain instant credibility, rapport and trust;
• Communicate directly to your prospect’s deepest, most significant desires;
• Ask the right questions that will uncover what prospects REALLY value and want.

Regardless of title or job, every person is in the business of selling, whether it be products, services, projects, ideas or negotiations. These same top 7 principles apply for achieving your Magnetic Edge and becoming an irresistible sales communicator with integrity, influence and power.

ACHIEVING “INNER” SALES EXCELLENCE

1. The Power of Emotional State Mastery

The biggest difference between a marginal vs. top achiever is their state of mind. Marginal performers let outside circumstances dictate their state; top performers know how to take charge of their emotional state … with volition. State mastery is critical in sales, leadership, customer service and every other aspect of business.

• What drives your state (and therefore your results) right now -- you or the world around you?

• What state are you conveying to your prospects now – fear, insecurity, aggression? Or confidence, enthusiasm, service-oriented?

• How do you need to change your physiology and/or thinking to adopt a high performance state?

2. The Power of Personal Congruence & Integrity

Personal congruence is not a technique; rather the place “from which you come.” It’s that place where you have such deep rapport with yourself, that what you say comes powerfully from within and attracts others, even before a word is spoken. True authentic power comes from personal congruency. It’s magnetic and you know when you are with someone who comes from that place.

• What incongruent “parts” of yourself get in your way of owning your true personal power?

• What are you saying or doing in marketing activities that is out of integrity with yourself and the values that are important to you?

3. The Power of Competence

Signing up a client or customer is not the end of the selling process, rather the beginning. Truly serving clients requires that we “deliver the goods” and create real value. The more competence you have, the more value you can deliver.

• In what ways can you increase your competence to deliver more value to your clients or customers?

• What hidden skills, capabilities or core competencies can you capitalize on for additional value and revenues?

ACHIEVING “OUTER” SALES EXCELLENCE

4. The Power of Instant Rapport & Trust

In NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming), there is a saying, “Anything is possible in the presence of rapport; nothing is possible without it.” Rapport is not about getting people to like you. Rather it is the ability to “step inside their shoes” and see the world through their eyes. When you see the world through your prospect’s eyes, you build trust. Then, and only then, will a prospect buy from you.

• If you were to “see the word through your prospect’s eyes,” how would you interact with them differently?

• Do you know what it will take for your prospects and clients to trust you?

• How do you know when you trust someone to buy from them? How can you use that information to build trust with your prospect?

5. The Power of Values & Motivation Criteria

People buy emotionally, not logically. The secret is knowing how to uncover a prospect’s deepest desires, buying motivations and emotional criteria, and using that information to best serve them.

• Do you know how to consistently uncover your prospect’s deepest buying motivations?

• What is it costing you in lost sales not to?

• How might your product or services help them realize their deepest desires, overcome their greatest fears or fix their greatest pain?

6. The Power of Imagination & Story-Telling

Magnetic marketing is about leading the prospect’s imagination to a place where they are inspired to use your services. Anita Roddick, CEO, The Body Shop, has grown her company to a multi-billion dollar level, as she puts it, “not by marketing, but by telling stories.” Bill Caskey -- CEO, Caskey Achievement Strategies – suggests reducing your stories, examples and value to pictures. To do so, sinks your value in at the deepest levels of your prospect's mind. Use the power of pictures and story-telling to help your prospect imagine how their lives or businesses will be different from your products or services.

• To what extent are you using the power of imagination to inspire your prospects to use your services?

• What stories about your company or product/services can you tell that will ignite sales?

• What pictures, graphs or other visuals powerfully convey your value?

7. The Power of Synergistic Communications & Creating Win-Win Outcomes

Synergistic communications takes the sales process beyond building relationships to building partnerships. The goal is to create a “we” space -- where differences are valued and used as stepping stones to create true win-win outcomes.

• How can embracing the differences between you and your prospect win more clients and sales?

• What new ways must you communicate with prospects to shift from getting the sale to building partnership and win/win outcomes?

You don’t need another closing technique. What you need are the right tools, mindset and principles to develop the magnetic edge … to explode sales, win negotiations and create impact with persuasion, influence and power.