Posts Tagged small business
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
Accentz Jewelry Business Review
Posted by Lawrence Tam in Sales on September 11th, 2009
People seeking a gainful home-based job would have come across Accentz Jewelry. This line boasts of trendy designer jewelry that is rationally priced. With a wide array of models, this attractive series is definite to find a lot of takers.
What you need to know about Accentz Accentz is a jewelry line that makes elite jewelry such as necklaces, earrings, bracelets, pendants and rings. The business encourages customers to become reps and market their products.
How Accents distributorship works The company gives training to reps to market their products by calling contacts and informing them about the product, selling to friends and relatives and by hosting parties or getting prospective customers to host parties wherein the hostesses could avail of good offers on the products they wish to buy. You could also hold open houses or sell products at trade shows.
The Accentz Advantage You don’t have to buy or stock products in this company. For a small investment, you’ll be given an Accentz starter kit, training as well as other resources you’d need to market the product.Payment on sales is more than market rate and there’s fun and challenges involved to boost reps . Perks are offered for sales done by people recruited by you.
How feasible is this? Accentz trains reps and all kinds of resources to reps to help you speak to people; you get a lot of perquisites;you don’t have to wait for a commission check; commission is payable at the time of sale.. Though all these are attractive factors that may induce you to join the company as a rep, let me tell you; this is not enough! What business could you expect from friends and relatives?What happens once you exhaust your list of contacts?
You need a wider range of contacts and a high level of visibility to be approached by customers instead of having to go the other way round.. This could be achieved by adopting a technique that’s not taught in the training sessions offered by Accentz or for that matter, any other MLM company.. What is that technique?
Online Marketing Internet promotion is the latest selling knack that boosts your business an unbelievable level of visibility and gives you an opportunity to achieve a high level of growth in sales. You need to have a presence in networking sites such as facebook and twitter and employ techniques such as article marketing that would give you the space to propagate your trade and reach a wide span of audience.
Why don’t you try it out and see the effect it has on your Accentz Jewelry business?
Lawrence Tam helping network marketers on building their own businesses online. Get your free training at: Accentz Marketing Training
Postage Meters: Why it is vital to Use a Postage Machine
Posted by Jarred Thompson in Sales on August 26th, 2009
Postage machines and scales are perhaps the two most crucial parts of any small company mailing system. Both can come in a collection of models of varied sophistication. Let’s consider some attributes of each.
Your postage machine system handles to print postage amounts based on mail pieces according to the current rates and regulations of the US Postal Service. Since these rates are typically determined based on the weight of the item being shipped, it is necessary to have a postage scale to weigh packages and letters to figure the correct cost.
By utilizing a scale, you can dismiss the likelihood of extra and over payments that occur when you are supposed to affix additional stamps to send packages due to lack of “proper change” so to speak or when indecisive of cost. Studies have shown that savings to the average business can be up to 25 percent.
A number of digital scales have a straight connection to your postage meter, resulting in automatic recording of the postage due. This is advantageious when you often send mail of variety of weights and can also facilitate pricing for other carriers, like Federal Express and United Parcel Service.
Spring scales on the other hand do not offer all the features of digital scales. If however you have fairly low amount and mostly ship just letter and envelopes, spring scales offer an logical solution, sometimes costing as low as $35 as opposed to a digital scale which can run skyward to a few hundred dollars. Scales can also be leased and a small digital scale will run you about $7 each month.
When it comes to service and support for your postage meter system, the meter itself does not require a service contract because the manufacturer is the owner as you merely lease it, and they are responsible for repairs. Prior to leasing a meter, be sure you know how repairs will be handled, whether you must send it or will a repairman come to your business?
In days gone by, you had to carry your postage meter to the post office to add more postage to it. Now, the US Postal Service dictates that refills be completed over the phone. Modern machines have a simple phone jack that let you to download additional postage from your account with the post office, and some will even let you purchase refills online.
As you can see, your mailing system can be quite simple and economical, or very sophisticated and expensive. This can wind up with you spending anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars each year to automate your mailing needs. You can opt to go with a bare bones postage machine solution from as little as $15 a month and watch your cost escalate to one or two hundred dollars a month based on the sophistication of the add on features you elect to implement.
The Numerous Advantages Of Paying With Credit Cards And Cash
Posted by Amy D. Perry in Sales on August 11th, 2009
There are many ways a small business owner can make sure their company will flourish. Other than keeping the business running they have to take into consideration the customers who will be purchasing the items or services they are offering. More and more people are utilizing credit card services which means they are less likely to carry cash. As a business owner you must be ready to accommodate everyone no matter what their form of payment is. There are benefits to paying with cash and credit card. Each form has its own specific set of advantages.
The biggest advantage to using credit cards is being able to purchase products online. One simply cant use cash to buy merchandise online. Every website like eBay, Amazon, and Buy just to name a few will only accept credit cards as a form of payment. Anyone who owns a credit card will be able to purchase items online and enjoy the convenience of online shopping.
There is also a sense of security when purchasing an item with a credit card. If unfortunately a person has their wallet stolen they are able to cancel their credit card. They will also not be penalized for the money the thief spends, they will be reimbursed. It is highly unlikely that a person carrying around large amounts of cash will ever see that money again if he or she loses their wallet.
Another benefit from purchasing products with a credit card is the ability to pay off the money at a later date. For anyone in a tough situation this can be quite beneficial. It isn’t rare for a person to find themselves broke but in need of a certain item. It can be office or school supplies, groceries/food, or even a birthday gift. Anyone without any cash wont be able to purchase the item. But using a credit card a person is able to make the purchase and pay off the money at a later date.
One of the benefits from paying with cash is avoiding the headache of credit card bills. Most people have a hard time keeping up with all their monthly bills and payments. Adding another bill might be troublesome for these people.
Paying with cash ensures the individual has good credit. These individuals don’t have any credit card debt. Many Americans owe a lot of money to credit card companies and banks. More and more people find themselves in debt each year. Having bad credit will cause anyone trying to buy a house, a car, or take out a loan a lot of trouble.
People who pay with cash are more mindful of their expenses. These people are less likely to spend their money on frivolous items and services. These people are living well within their means and the savings will add up to big bucks.
There really is no reason why a small business shouldn’t accept credit cards. A business has to cater to their customers and clients and make sure they are ready to receive any form of payment the customer might supply them with. It is not uncommon for a person with a credit card to just walk out of a business because they don’t accept credit cards. You don’t want this happening on your watch.