Raise Concern About Sales Competition, Not About Yourself
July 29, 2008
As you are reading this sales article, read very carefully. Because I wouldn’t want you to think of a pig right now. No, do not think of a fat, brown, smelly pig right this moment. What are you doing? Do you have a picture of a smelly, fat, brown pig in your head right now? I thought I just told you not to do that. What are you doing then?
The mind can only process positive statements directly. In order to process a negative statement, one must first create a positive representation of the negative statement in the mind. To *not* think of a pig, you first had to see a fat, brown, smelly pig. Only then could you attempt to tell yourself not to think about it. Gee, by now though you’ve already thought of the pig, so what good is it to tell you not to?
Transforming Your Sales Force by Creating Specific Expectations
June 1, 2008
I just finished a phone call with a potential client who had called to discuss a problem. His 18 person sales force was paid on straight commission. All had been with the company for 8 - 15 years and were earning healthy incomes. His problem was that he couldn’t get them to do what he wanted them to do. Here’s the example he shared.
He wanted the salespeople to call on new prospects to expand the company’s base. Instead of just seeing established customers, he asked them to call on prospects, and report back to him on the progress they were making.
There were almost no results. Instead he got comments like: “I’m not going to do this, I’m not a new salesperson.” Or, “That’s just more paperwork.” This list could go on and on. The salespeople resented being asked to do something they saw as outside of their responsibilities, and the manager was extremely frustrated.
This is a classic example of the chronic malady I call a lack of “directability.”
The problem is that management has not cleared up this murky difference of opinion.
The Sales Carpenter
April 2, 2008
I remember moving my family to Argentina as Vice President of Sales for Latin America. I was in charge of managing five regional offices, Argentina of course being one of them.
In the company’s ten year history of selling into Latin America it had never exceeded $14 million (M) in annual sales. The Argentina office itself had never produced more than $400 thousand (K) in sales. My task was to increase the sales locally in Argentina, but more importantly throughout Latin America.
I remember sitting in my office one day, looking out the window and wondering, "How the heck am I going to grow this business with problems in Mexico, Brazil, Puerto Rico and other hot spots? "How can I grow this business beyond $14M when no one in the past has been able to do so?" Forget the movie Sleepless in Seattle, I was "Sleepless in Argentina," trying to map out a strategy. How would I make "sales" happen?! "
A confession to you the reader: I was scared! Please don’t tell anyone!
4 Marketing Myths Threaten Your Sales
February 4, 2008
These 4 marketing myths can cause you to lose sales if you base your marketing decisions on them. But the related marketing tips I included with each myth will boost your sales if you act on them instead.
Myth 1: People Always Buy Where They Get the Cheapest Price
If this was true, only businesses that charge cheap prices would exist. Some people buy where they get the cheapest price. But most people are more interested in getting value for their money than in getting a bargain.
Tip: Look for some low-cost ways you can enhance the perceived value of your product or service. Then test raising your price. Don’t be surprised if both your sales and your profit margin go up.
Myth 2: v Offering Your Customers Many Options Will Boost Your Sales
Presenting your customers with options usually reduces your sales. Here’s why…
When confronted with several options, most customers have difficulty making a clear decision. They often react by procrastinating - and never making a decision. When this happens, you lose a sale you already had.
Tip: Try to limit your customer’s decision making to either “Yes. I’ll buy.” or “No. I won’t buy”. Don’t risk losing them by including “which one” decisions.
Increase Your Sales Accept Credit Cards, Part 2
December 7, 2007
In part two we will discuss overcoming objections, which credit cards to accept and using the check paying option.
If your business is home-based or has been in operation for less than two years, you’re likely to face objections from the bank.
If yours is a home-based or a brand-new company, be sure to meet with the banker to show your business plan, offer collateral and discuss your personal net worth. You are more likely to be able to overcome objections by being open and honest. Even if your bank turns you down, however, you still have options. First, you can always try other banks.
If you don’t have any luck getting a bank to back you on your own, consider going through an Independent Sales Organization (ISO). These are field representatives from out-of-town banks who, for commission, help businesses find banks willing to grant them merchant status. Ask your bank to recommend an ISO, or look in the Yellow Pages under credit cards. The ISO may be able to help you simply because it represents dozens of banks, each with their own specialties and criteria. The ISO representative can match your needs with the needs of the banks he or she represents, without requiring you to go through the application process with all of them.
Increase Your Sales - Accept Credit Cards
October 9, 2007
Many people today simply prefer the convenience of paying by credit card. If you want their business, you must be able to accept their credit-card payments.
In part one of this series we will discuss why you should accept credit cards, and the basics of getting merchant status. Part two will deal with objections you might get, which credit cards to accept, and the check paying option.
Obtaining merchant status, which allows you to accept credit-card payments, might seem like an unnecessary hassle, especially for those in business where the majority of their customers pay by cash or check. But by not accepting credit-card payments, you lose sales. This is especially true if yours is a mail order business, or consulting business. Just look at the majority of business today, all of them accept credit cards, and becoming more and more popular all the time are debit cards.
As many businesses have found, up to 70 percent of people never mail the check, so accepting credit cards is crucial. When the customer places an order, he’s excited and eager to buy. Faced with the prospect of sending a check, waiting for it to clear and then awaiting shipment, his interest is likely to wane. In the meantime, you lose sales.
Getting Off The Advertising And Sales Rollercoaster
August 11, 2007
Seeing the results of advertising your business can be like watching a roller coaster. The day you run your ad you see a flurry of activity; your ph0ne starts ringing, your web site traffic increases and/ or potential clients visit your store. Your hopes soar. sales go up. Two or three days pass and the response goes down. You look at the bill for the advertising and your jaw drops. Your hopes descend.
Nancy called me from Portland, Oregon with just this problem. Every time one of her ads appears in a local publication, customers start walking in the door of her home furnishing store. A few days later the number of prospects and sales goes down. Her advertising gets results, but the thousands of dollars she is paying each month is killing her profits. What can she do?
Whether you advertise your consulting business in The Harvard Business Review or your interior decorating service in the Penny Saver, your ad will cost significant dollars.
How can you make your advertising pay for itself?
How can you use advertising to create a STEADY stream of business?
Not Enough Fresh Sales Leads? Marketing is the New Sales
June 14, 2007
Your sales are down and leads are rare. The phone’s not ringing. Let’s blame marketing!
If you join this band wagon to rationalize your poor sales results, you need to step up and take responsibility for your own fate. It’s amazing how often sales teams play the victim here. They blame the marketing department, team or an individual, for their lack of sales.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m on your side. Often, in a typical, let’s say "traditional" organization, there is disconnection between marketing and the sales organization. There is a lack of communication, team work and common goals. Sad but true.
Often, the larger the company, the less marketing serves the individual sales professional. In corporations, it seems the norm for marketing is to concentrate on selling "the brand" and not products and services. Corporate marketing sells ‘the logo’ to trigger trust and positive emotions when people see it. Not all, but most, traditional marketing leans on advertising which fails to work directly for you in attracting new prospects and leads.
In small to medium-sized companies, there is usually a very small marketing team or a single very, over-worked marketeer. Worst, as a business owner or independent professional, you don’t have a budget and you do everything! Again, marketing is absent or not good enough to generate enough new opportunities.
