“Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.” - Mark Victor Hansen
The word “motivation” has different meanings for different...
The television commercials last year were fascinating. You may have seen them – for an all-in-one printer. This sounded like the greatest printer ever made. And the supplies for the printer were advertised as priced lower than any other printer ink. The ad said: “Say goodbye to overpriced ink for good.” I was doubtful but curious and interested. I wondered: Was this truthful advertising? It...
If you have ever heard “I didn’t know you sold that” from a customer, your company may be missing valuable marketing opportunities. Somebody else is getting sales you should get.
Are all of your customers buying all of the products they could be buying from your company? They may be limited in what they can purchase from you because they are not aware of the range of products and services you...
Wouldn’t it be nice if – when you place a cold call – the person answering said: “I am so glad you called. Your product is exactly what I need today.”
Unfortunately, that does not usually happen. If it has happened to you, consider yourself very lucky. What sales reps usually hear is: “We already have a vendor,” or “We have a supplier that we are very happy...
It may surprise you to learn that there is one specific word you can use on the telephone or in direct mail advertising that will cause people to want to buy from you. Robert Cialdini, Ph.D. in his book “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Collins Business Essentials),” talks about an experiment in human behavior with an unexpected result from using one specific word. I was reminded of this one word...
Are you a lucky person? Or are you someone to whom misfortune often happens? According to Professor Richard Wiseman in his book The Luck Factor: The Four Essential Principles, you can become luckier through changing your thoughts and behaviour.
Professor Wiseman conducted research with 400 volunteers from a wide range of backgrounds. He explored why some people seemed to lead charmed lives full of lucky breaks,...
The ITEX Show is the largest imaging industry trade show and is being held this year in Las Vegas. Whether you attend the ITEX Show or any other type of trade show, how can you get the best results?
I decided to ask three successful industry professionals for their trade show secrets, and got three totally different – very interesting – answers.
I also found very helpful tips online from Susan Ward....
It happens to the best of sales people, just the way it happened to Jennifer (not her real name.) She made the telephone call, scheduled the appointment and everything seemed to go well. She wrote a thank-you note after the first appointment and then made a follow-up telephone call to the client. The client wanted a demo. The demo was a success. The client asked for a proposal. Wow! Time to...
How would you like to receive the benefits of the most compelling sales advertisement on earth for absolutely nothing? What is it? It is a very effective marketing method seldom used by sales people. It is the method used by a man who is listed as the most successful salesperson in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records. His name is Joe Girard. Joe was a car salesperson who generated extraordinary...
You may not have been taken hostage by pirates on the high seas, but whether you know it or not you or your clients have been contacted by pirates – otherwise known as fraudulent telephone marketers and toner pirates – sales people attempting to sell vastly overpriced or counterfeit products.
They will use many different words and scripts to convince the listener that they are legitimate. Counterfeiting...
Cold-calling is probably the most dreaded activity in a sales person’s day. The reason? Nobody likes to be rejected. Fear of cold-calling has ended thousands of sales careers. How can you make cold calling easier and reduce the fear of rejection? There is something you can do that will warm up your cold call. It has worked for me time and time again.
The Numbers Count
It is true: the more...
Have you ever been in a situation where you are dealing with one buyer in an account and suddenly that company stops buying from you? You call but can’t get through to the purchaser and you end up leaving voice mail messages but you never get a return call. If that has happened to you, you are not alone.
News reports of mergers, acquisitions and bankruptcies are something we have become accustomed to. One...
What characteristics do most successful salespeople share?
Researchers for the Behavioral Sciences Research Press studied sales production for more than 25 years. Their work revealed that most successful salespeople share two characteristics. They are very simple.
(1.) They contact more prospective buyers than less successful salespeople do.
(2.) They ask for the order more often than less successful salespeople...
Did you ever finish a telephone conversation with a prospect and wish you had chosen your words more carefully? If your answer is yes, you are not alone.
Just as there are positive power words that get attention, there are negative words and phrases that can irritate prospects. Marketing research has found that consumers react favorably – and are more likely to buy from you when you use certain specific...
What is your first thought when you are asked “how are you today?” by a stranger – cold calling – who calls you at home or in your office? I don’t know about you, but my first thought is: This person is going to try and sell me something.
And I immediately begin to think of ways to end the conversation. I also feel the caller does not really care – and does not really want to know how...
The customer is always right? Maybe not. If you have ever had an annoying, troublesome, impossible-to-please customer, you are not alone.
Has This Happened to You?
It was not easy. You worked long and hard to win this large account. At first you were happy with your success. But it turned into a nightmare.
You delivered as promised. You delivered what they said they wanted. You provided top-quality...
After having lunch on Monday with my aunt Ginny in a local shopping mall, we walked to Dillard’s Department store because she wanted to buy a pair of Clark’s shoes. Ginny wears a size 7 wide, and it is not always easy to find shoes to fit.
We walked into the shoe department and after seeing what she liked, Ginny asked the clerk if she could try a pair in size seven wide.
The store employee went into the...
We’ve heard a lot lately about the problems associated with road rage and air rage. But according to a survey by Prudential, some of your customers may be suffering from “phone rage.” Results from this survey found that some phone systems annoy customers more than they help them.
If you are like most consumers, this is not a surprise to you.
If you are not sure how your company’s telephone system is...
“How can I sell my product if a prospect tells me that my price is too high?” This is what I hear at nearly every sales seminar.
Among the many reasons for a price objection there is another – unspoken – objection that may be difficult to handle, and it has little to do with price. The price objection is so easy for buyers to use that often, people use it just to end a conversation.
The...
The customer walked into Ken Adams’ store in Newburyport, Massachusetts and said she needed four typewriter ribbons – and needed them quickly. (Yes, some people still actually use typewriters :-)
Ken didn’t stock the ribbons but said he could order them. But because she needed them immediately, Ken suggested the customer try another store nearby. The customer thanked him and left.
Later that...
When someone registers for one of my online seminars, I send back a questionnaire to find out what his or her goals are. A few months ago a seminar participant sent back an email with this statement:
“I am interested to know what differentiates the ‘phony salesperson’ from the genuine salesperson trying to find you the best options for the best cost. I would like to be perceived by my clients as...
Voicemail, voicemail. Is everyone in the world using an automated answering system instead of personally answering the telephone when it rings? Sometimes it seems that way. It is actually somewhat of a shock when a real person answers a call!
Marketing and selling by phone can be the most successful and cost-effective way to connect with customers. But ending up in voice mail is one roadblock that can discourage...
ENX Magazine Monthly – publication dedicated to the copier, fax, printer, and supply industry.
ENX’s current circulation is over 40,000 within the United States. ENX provides business profiles, business and service management articles and technical tips.
ENX Magazine can be used to find wholesale equipment, parts, supplies, and services. Call for a FREE subscription: 1-800-850-4949 ...
Founded in 1926, the Business Technology Association serves office technology dealerships, resellers, manufacturers, distributors and service companies. Its core members — office technology dealerships — consult, sell and service hardware, software and supplies with the goal of helping businesses maximize their investment in devices and technology.
Through the association’s various educational...
It can be discouraging – making sales call after sales call and hearing sad stories about why people are not buying now.
The words layoffs and downsizing have become all-too-familiar words in our vocabulary.
If you sell luxury products, this may be an especially difficult time for you. But if you sell items that are necessities, there are ways to motivate consumers to want to listen to what you have to say about...
