Posts Tagged Selling
Simple Ways to Drive Sales
Posted by Brian Warren in Sales on October 10th, 2009
In order to make the selling process a success, the first step of sales lead generation, obtaining prospect information, must be carried out in the right manner. Sometimes, even after obtaining the sales lead information, convincing a sales prospect is a cumbersome process and, when the right technique is not followed, the whole effort becomes a waste.
There are three types of sales leads ” prospects who need the product and will purchase it immediately; prospects who will definitely buy later; prospects who are in-decisive. Each lead type needs to be handled in a unique way in order to convert them into customers.
Make sure the leads are always updated on all latest developments or advancements relating to existing products, new product lines, offers, discounts, sale days etc. And importantly, ensure this information is circulated through news letters, website blogs, trade shows or through emails.
Make sure your updated company information is always available with the sales lead. Also, if it is business concern ensure to maintain their updated company information in your database. This way, the selling team can reach out to the right decision making contact. Company information can also be obtained from online business directories, where information on email lists, mailing address, contact person etc., is available.
Offers are good way of starting the sales talk because customers are usually attracted to offers. Since the prospects need is evident by now, always project the product offer or discount information first. Remember to provide offers for group purchases, referrals or even for being a loyal customer till now.
While making the sales talk, be equipped with financing options, especially if it is for personal use. Because, most of the time, the price factor demotivates prospects from taking up the offer.
It is very important to follow up with the prospect in the lead generation process. It is also important to leave the contact number or address in case the prospects want to get back, if they change their mind. These above points can help the sales team to make the sales talk convincing and interesting; and eventually, aid in driving bottom line sales for the marketing organization.
Craigslist Makes it Big
Posted by Skip Butner in Sales on October 1st, 2009
Like any other successful company, Craigslist had its humble beginnings as a simple information sharing digital newsletter developed for professionals in San Francisco many years ago. After a while, its advertisement services expanded to other United States areas, with visitor web hits beckoning them to take a pat in the international web scene with a network of four hundred cities all over the world.
All that is takes is a valid email which must be verified first. This entitles one to access the site’s full services given that they read the standard posting rules. Security is not an issue since transactions are purely between the person who placed the ad and the person who responded unless a complaint is submitted.
What makes Craigslist a hit with every American is the ease of use when it comes to navigation as it does not use complicated details. Such is the simple but functional appearance of the site as developed by CEO Jim Buckmaster with the approval of its founder, Craig Newmark.
Revenues pour in from the fees for job and apartment listings which range from ten to seventy dollars. Rental ads also have a certain price and such profits are enough to run the twenty five Craigslist employees.
An ongoing matter that this company constantly addresses is the misuse of its services for theft or revenge. Many claim that it even has the power to rob journalism of its prowess and has since transformed the future of the information industry.
Keep in mind as any other business, this site is constantly on the move to eliminate many hoax advertisements posted by some users to lure innocent victims. Moreover, this ever expanding service of Craigslist somehow poses as a threat to local newspaper journalists who thrive in print media industry
Unworked Referrals are a Potential Bonus to Your Opposition
Posted by Peter Collins in Sales on September 14th, 2009
Over the years, many of the people I have trained were asked why they don’t ask for more referrals during a seminar, they will usually tell me that they feel they don’t do as well as they would like to with the referrals they get, so it’s not a priority to them. They’ll even go on to tell me that they appreciate that other salespeople do really well out of referrals, but they have not been able to even get results similar to them. It seems everyone else has got the message, but they have not. Referrals are only as hot as the client that gave them to you. As the client cools, so does your power of referrals.
It would be fair to say that perhaps the most underused, and also one of the most underrated selling tools is the referral. On the surface it may seem that there are two schools of thought about referrals. However, this far what happens in the real world.
The only way a referral stays HOT after the first week, is only when the salesperson has done such an extraordinary job, the referral stays alive in the mind of the referrer, and it’s the referrer that keeps the referral potential alive for an extended time beyond the 72 to 96 hours. And lets face it, that scenario is usually something that happens once in a month or less – even with the best of the sales superstars.
Just like every other spectrum of sales, some are able to understand the value of referrals and work them accordingly, while others tend to put little value on referrals and work them accordingly. In fact, it seems the better the salespersons ranking and income, the more avid a supported of this lead gathering process they become. And it’s a known fact that the best salespeople in any organization are the ones that sell more on fewer leads and are also generally the ones that have the highest conversion ratio.
Gulliver Giles, heads up the sales team for the Jay Abraham’s Asia Pacific office, says he can tell you first hand how quickly referrals can go cold. Most times, in his experience, they go cold faster than 72 hours, at times, even 48 hours can be too generous. In our conversation on the subject, Gulliver passionately stated, “It’s hard to think that a referral can become so hard to work just a few days after you receive it, but if you delay making contact the referred person forgets what the referrer told them, misunderstood it or tried to analyse things without having all the facts, and the contact is no longer a workable lead. I know I have to get to those referrals as a priority, even delaying contact with other urgent matters, if I’m to be successful.” Now that advice comes from a man that spends his day selling successful outcomes, then working hard on his clients to ensure their success as well. How do I know that. I’m one of his clients, and at every instance possible, Gulliver makes me feel special.
An alternative to the referral, is also what many refer to as the second best type of referral. It’s called a testimonial. This is a referral type that can stay warm for months, or at times, even years. A testimonial is simply a written alternative to a referral because the referrer has committed things in writing. The testimonial can have a similar effect to a verbally provided referral, because it no longer relies on the emotion of a “HOT” buyer to transfer the feeling but the emotion and expertise of the seller to TRANSFER THE FEELING. And an experienced salesperson will use the testimonial to it’s desired effect and help create a positive selling environment that will transfer into a sale.
Over the years, many of the people I have trained were asked why they don’t ask for more referrals during a seminar, they will usually tell me that they feel they don’t do as well as they would like to with the referrals they get, so it’s not a priority to them. They’ll even go on to tell me that they appreciate that other salespeople do really well out of referrals, but they have not been able to even get results similar to them. It seems everyone else has got the message, but they have not. Referrals are only as hot as the client that gave them to you. As the client cools, so does your power of referrals.
An alternative to the referral, is also what many refer to as the second best type of referral. It’s called a testimonial. This is a referral type that can stay warm for months, or at times, even years. A testimonial is simply a written alternative to a referral because the referrer has committed things in writing. The testimonial can have a similar effect to a verbally provided referral, because it no longer relies on the emotion of a “HOT” buyer to transfer the feeling but the emotion and expertise of the seller to TRANSFER THE FEELING. And an experienced salesperson will use the testimonial to it’s desired effect and help create a positive selling environment that will transfer into a sale.
Copyright Profit Maker (Aust) Pty Limited and Peter Collins, 2009, Sydney, Australia
Far too many sellers either don’t work referrals or worse still allow them to go cold through ignoranceReferrals have a limited life span
Successfully Resolve Customer Service Problems to Retain Customer Loyalty
It seems that as our technology improves, the business/customer relationship is declining. With online technical and sales support, the personal side of customer relations is not as prevalent. There is no longer any loyalty to a business and its products and services. This trend can cause a significant decrease in sales. One way to counteract this trend is to resolve customer service problems successfully and efficiently in order to retain customer loyalty.
The following list outlines simple but effective methods of successfully resolving customer service problems:
Create a Customer Complaint Department: The best way to deal with customer complaints effectively and efficiently is to have experts who are able to manage irate customers with their problems
Be Polite and Courteous: If a customer walks into a business or calls, it is important that the customer service representative takes the time to show that they care and are willing to listen and help. Empathize with the customer’s problem. An angry customer will calm down if they feel they are valued and respected. Be positive.
Record the Problem: Writing the complaint down and the actions that will be taken helps avoid any misunderstandings. It also shows the customer that the matter is important to the business.
Provide Solutions or Methods of Resolving the Problem: Don’t list business policies and practices. This will only infuriate the customer. Work with the customer to come up with a solution that will satisfy the customer. If possible, don’t pass the problem off to another representative or transfer the call to someone else. If you do, make sure the new representative has all of the pertinent information so the customer does not have to repeat himself.
Empathize, Don’t Apologize: A direct apology will assign blame to the company. It is better to empathize using such phrases as: ‘I am sorry you have had such a difficult time with our product.’ It will show that you care about the customer’s situation. Try to understand the customer’s feelings and point of view. Understanding will go a long way in satisfying the customer.
Keep Your Promises: Make sure that you don’t make promises that you can’t keep. It will reflect badly on the company and make you look incompetent. The customer will also appreciate reliable service.
Produce Positive Results: Always follow through with your plan to resolve the problem. Bad or poor quality service will cause you to lose customers. The key to maintaining customers is to always follow through with your promise.
Offer loyalty Incentives: If the problem cannot be adequately resolved, offer a customer an incentive so they will continue being a loyal customer. This can include giving them a replacement product or service along with a gift or discount on their next purchase. Everyone loves free things. It will make the customer feel appreciated.
Think of customer complaints as lessons for improving customer care. The solution to great customer service is being able to identify the type of customer you are dealing with. To reap the rewards of customer loyalty, the customer needs to be put first when there is a problem. Showing the customer you care and are willing to resolve the problem efficiently and effectively will go a long way in retaining customer loyalty. Customer loyalty cannot be established immediately, but the investment is well worth it. A happy and satisfied customer is essential to achieving a successful and long term business.
Ensuring Customer Loyalty By Giving a Positive Customer Experience
Having a successful business is something that many people aspire to have in their lives, but as we know, this can be something that can be quite difficult. There are many factors that comprise an outstanding business, which is initially formed by the drive and the effort that is put into said business. After this, there is also the question of how the customers are treated. For any business to thrive, you are going to obviously need the clientele or the business will go under.
Making It Count
In dealing with customer relations, if you want any kind of return business, you’re going to have to make sure that you build report with every customer that comes in. By treating them in a manner as if they are of value, not just a way for you to make money, this heightens the chances of having them come back. Everyone wants to be treated respectfully, especially when it comes in concerns of their money. If you treat as customer as you would your family, you will find out that they will feel comfortable coming back.
Providing a positive customer experience, there is the chance where money is something that isn’t as important as the lasting impression that you have left on them. By going that extra mile and answering every question that they have plainly, without any deceiving words, great customer report is being constructed.
Trust
Trust is something that is big where there is monetary system involved. People are instinctually very protective of the things that they own, including money. If the customer cannot trust the business with providing solutions that are effective, they will simply take their business elsewhere. This is essentially the paramount issue of building customer loyalty, other than providing a positive environment in which to do business.
The products distributed need to be reliable, and if there is any information that the customer may not be aware of, they should be made aware. The point here is to build a lasting impression, and demonstrate to them that they are more important than their money. People do not like to be treated like they are nothing but what’s in their wallets, and it’s a shame that there are many companies that have lost sight of that simple truth.
Ensuring customer loyalty is vital for any successful business, because without it, the business is doomed for failure. By utilizing some of the basics of respect and by treating people the way that you’d want to be treated, you will find that this is something that will make your business soar to heights that you’d never imagine. For the upstart business, this is something that should come rather instinctually, as you’re just happy to have any customers at all. Where it becomes difficult is when the business happens to come across a certain amount of success, and they lose sight of how they got to where they are. In a sense, these businesses become jaded. To provide a positive customer experience, just remember the golden rule.