Sales Success Secrets

By Karen Susman

You're in sales whether you like it or not. You're selling a product, service, yourself, or an idea. Some days you want to sell a computer. Some days you want to sell going to that new Mexican/Indian/Grits-Sausage 'n' Gravy Fusion restaurant.

Here are a few tips that come straight from watching the real pros on infomercials and hucksters at a recent Home Show and Expo.

1. Go where the people are who will buy your product, service, or idea. Don't wait for them to come to you. Figure out where they will be and go there. My acquaintance, Jill, is attending a conference expressly to sell her ideas to the keynote speaker. She'd have a hard time getting in front of him any other way.
   
   
2. Build a crowd and keep them. Get excited about what you're selling. If you don't believe in your self, product, service, or idea why would anyone else? Your excitement will build a following and your supporters will attract additional supporters.
   
   
3. Repeat your message again and again and in as many different ways as possible.
   
   
4. Get your audience involved. Ask them questions. Ask for their opinions. Ask for their help. Ask them to help you demonstrate your product. After a sushi maker pitchman at the Home Show asked me to help him make rice laden, carrot/cucumber stuffed, seaweed wrapped sushi in order to demonstrate how easily his machine worked (Even Karen Susman can make sushi and if she can, you can.), how could I pass up his handy machine?
   
   
5. When your customer is ready to buy, add more benefits. This is the famous, "But, wait! There's more." maneuver.
   
   
6. After your customer is begging you to sell to him, offer to throw in one more benefit, widget, or service with just one proviso. The customer must promise to tell someone about what you're selling. The customer doesn't actually have to recite an oath. You might say, "I'll throw in a free hour of consultation if you'll promise to tell at least one person about my company. Will you do that?"
   
   
7. Congratulate your customer on making a purchase. Make your customer feel she has just been made a member of an elite society (your supporters). Create pride in ownership. People don't like to be sold, but they do like to own.
   

Adapt these concepts for whatever it is you're trying to sell. Let me know how you like that new Mexican/Indian/Grits-Sausage 'n'Gravy Fusion restaurant. Yum!

Karen Susman is a Speaker, Trainer, Coach, and Author of 102 Top Dog Networking Secrets. Karen works with organizations that want to maximize performance. Programs include Humour at Work; Balance In Life; Networking Skills; Presentation Skills; and Building Community Involvement. Order new guidebooks on humour, networking, time management, and community involvement by calling 1-888-678-8818 or e-mail Karen@KarenSusman.com.. www.KarenSusman.com.

Published in Networking Today, May, 2004

Software Tips & Tricks Print What YOU Want from the Internet

By Laura Noble

After finding a great article on the Web, often you'll want to print it...but as it prints, you realize it's 20 pages long and half those pages contain unwanted ads.

Solution: Before you print perform a Print Preview.

1. From the File menu of your browser (both Internet Explorer and Netscape) select Print Preview.
   
   
2. The preview box will open (see the sample below).
   
   
3. The Page indicator in the top toolbar displays the total number of pages. The single arrows, when clicked, will move pages up or down a page. The double-arrows will move to the first/last page.
   
   
4. The actual article section of the preview will also display the total number of pages (Page 1 of 2).
   
   
   

   

   
   
5. If it is not necessary to print all the pages, click the Print button and in the Print Range section fill in the Pages from boxes and print.
   
   
6. After successful printing, click the Close button in the Print Preview box.
   
   

   

   
   

Note: A selection can also be printed. Select a portion of the Web page and select File, Print. In the Print Range section of the box click the Selection option.

Need help finding what you need on the Internet? Check out the Internet Search Tips article.

Stay tuned to Networking Today in the coming months for more Software Tips & Tricks from Noble Software Solutions.

Laura Noble is the owner of Noble Software Solutions. Laura can be contacted at 519-680-2689 or by e-mail at lnoble@noblesoftwaresolutions.com. www.noblesoftwaresolutions.com

Published in Networking Today, May 2004.

A Value(able) Lesson

By Janet Christensen

Recently I attended a workshop that had come highly recommended to me by a colleague several months ago. Twice last year I had registered for this particular workshop and it had been canceled. When it was offered again, I figured third time lucky, and registered. The workshop fee was $79.00, reasonable, yet not cheap, and it took place in Toronto from 10am to 4pm on a Sunday. So, added to my costs were gas, parking, and travel time from London to Toronto and back –I left at 7:30 a.m. and got home at 6 p.m.

I am committed to life-long learning and I enjoy expanding my knowledge and horizons. I carefully choose the workshops and courses that I take. This one seemed like at great fit for my business because it was about speaking professionally. Since it had come with a strong recommendation, I attended with the expectation of a full day of learning and information.

The presenter was a professional speaker, who has spoken internationally for many years, and whose credentials and introduction reinforced that we could expect great content and inspiring delivery. At the end of the day, I left feeling disappointed and that my time and money had not been well spent. There were a few good points made, and a lot of nice personal stories and anecdotes, however, not a lot of substance. The speaker was from the U.S. and was not prepared with information about some Canadian issues, or with relevant Canadian content. The workbook (workshop materials were an additional $10.00) looks good and I know it will be of value to me. I concluded that my time and money would have been better spent if I could have bought the workbook and spent my time reading that, which would have taken about two hours maximum.

Since my expertise and business is as a speaker, facilitator, and coach I view these events both as a participant and as a fellow professional. From both perspectives I expect a certain level of professionalism in the presentation and content. I have attended and benefited from many seminars and workshops where my expectations have been more than just met, and I have received excellent value for my time and money. As a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers, I experience top quality presentations at our meetings and our membership is encouraged and supported in continually improving our professionalism and expertise as speakers.

It is often said that if you leave a seminar, workshop, or speech with just one good idea, it is worth it. On my two hour drive home, I was thinking about this. Is it really about hearing one good idea, or is it about perceived value? I had invested money and time to attend this event. In the end, whether or not I came away with one good idea was not important to me. What was important was whether or not I felt that I had received value for my time and money. I was more irritated by not getting value for my time than about the cost of the day. I can make more money; I cannot recoup my time spent.

I asked myself “what is my lesson from this experience?” That became obvious to me very quickly. When people invest their time and money to hear me speak, facilitate a workshop, or be coached they deserve to receive great value for their investment. This was not a new concept to me. The great value from my day did not come from hearing any one money-making idea that was presented; it came from having this concept reinforced by being on the receiving end. It was a warning not to become complacent. This goes to the core of how I conduct myself, my business, and the reputation that I earn. I want to be known for the excellent value that my clients receive for doing business with me. Focus on this, and success will follow.

No matter what business you are in, whether you are an owner or an employee, if you want long term success and a great reputation, it comes down to this – know what your customer wants and expects and deliver value. Under promise and over deliver and you will never go wrong.

Janet Christensen’s passion is to empower people to live their full potential. Through her company, Unlimiting Potential, she provides personal coaching, experiential workshops, inspirational speaking, and is a Reiki practitioner. To contact Janet, phone: (519) 434-5397 fax: (519) 434-8344 or email info@janetchristensen.com www.janetchristensen.com Published in Networking Today, May 2004.

5 Ways to Be Verbally Graceful Under Fire

By Barbara Pachter

If you’ve ever had your work questioned, or attacked, you know it’s a terrible feeling. No one wants to hear statements like “Creating that brochure seemed like a waste of time,” “How come you spent so much money on…?” or “If you had your act together, you wouldn’t have….”

And you, like many people, may have retorted with an insulting comeback, stormed out of the office, cried (or at least wanted to!), or been struck mute.

The worst part about being questioned or attacked is that it usually catches us by surprise, and that throws us off balance. The important thing is not to react in a way we will later regret. Though it may feel good to say, “Well, what do you know, you idiot?” it’s not going to build your credibility or accomplish anything.

But it is important to act. You don’t want to be thinking, “I should have said….” When you’re prepared, it’s easier to retain your composure and not get defensive. Build your credibility and other people’s confidence in you by using the following five guidelines for what to say when the going gets tough at work:

1. AGREE WITH THE COMMENT. A good defense is the best offense. You can agree with what the person said but add information that turns the comment around, such as, “You’re right. We did spend a lot of money because it’s important to get this information out to our customers.”
   
   
2. ASK FOR CLARIFICATION. Ask questions or make comments to get more information: “Why are you saying that?” “Help me to understand what you mean by….” “Tell me more about your concern.” “Are you saying it was…?” Probing makes you less likely to appear wounded by the attack, and it also buys you some time to calm down and collect your thoughts.
   
   
3. ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT YOU HAVE HEARD. First acknowledge what was said: “I understand your frustration,” or “I hear what you’re saying.” Then use the word and, not but, to provide clarifying information, because using but negates what comes before it. A defusing statement such as “There may be some truth to that, and we are looking at the numbers,” or “That’s interesting, and you may not realize that we’ve been looking at those numbers,” can also let the person know that you have heard him or her.
   
   
4. RESPECTFULLY DISAGREE. Be polite but firm. You can say, “I disagree, and here’s why…”
   
   
5. POSTPONE THE DISCUSSION. Sometimes it’s best to talk to the person privately. Say something like, “You obviously have strong feelings. Let’s get together after the meeting so we can discuss this issue in more depth.”
   

Barbara Pachter is the author of “The Power of Positive Confrontation” ($13.95 paperback, Marlowe & Co.) and “When The Little Things Count...And They Always Count,” ($12.95 paperback, Marlowe & Co.). She is co-author of several books including the “Prentice Hall Complete Business Etiquette Handbook.” She is a speaker, trainer and coach specializing in business communications, business etiquette, and assertiveness issues. Her client list features major corporations and organizations worldwide, including NASA, Pfizer Inc., DaimlerChrysler, Ernst & Young, and the University of Michigan. For a review copy of “When the Little Things Count” or “The Power of Positive Confrontation,” contact Blanca Olivery: 646-375-2571, or blanca@avalonpub.com. Published in Networking Today, May 2004.

3 Steps to Immediately Increase Sales

By Leif Smith

Want to increase sales within your company? It’s not as hard to do as some might have you believe. Though we as a nation are in the midst of an economic downturn these past two years, your company does not have to be. What follows are three simple steps to increase sales, no matter the economic conditions.

1. Simplify your advertising
   
   Consumers today are inundated daily with advertising campaigns and solicitations. Frankly, most of these advertising campaigns are not worth the money spent on them. Why? Because they continue to use the same methods as their competitors (direct-mail, billboards, Internet advertising, television advertising, and radio advertising) and in the same manner. What has resulted is a society immune to “pitches,” “angles,” and “tricks” that get them to become consumers of your products. Some tips to simplifying your advertising:
   
   
   • Avoid clichés. Most are overused anyway.
   • Be better, not best. Most products are pitched as “the best” of their kind. Consumers don’t always need the best, however. They just need products that are better than most.
   • Less is more. Don’t allow your message to become lost in the tidal wave of stimuli thrown at consumers. Shorter, succinct messages work well.
     
     
2. Target the few
   
   Once you have begun to simplify your advertising, focus your message on those few people who begin trends rather than follow them. Perhaps you have friends like this: they revel in finding new products to love. They enjoy having the “newest” product, the “coolest” ideas, the “different” gadgets. These types of consumers become walking billboards and should be the focus of your advertising. They actually do most of the advertising work for you.
   
   Some tips:
   
   
   • Know what makes your product better. Make it the theme of your advertising message.
   • Know what makes your product different. Emphasize this.
   • Worry less about those who are apathetic toward your products. Worry more about those that are extremely enthusiastic. Cater to them.
     
     
3. Build the relationship rather than the sale
   
   Becoming a better salesperson is easy: improve your relationship skills. Most consumers are looking for peace of mind rather than products anyway. Seek to first build trust and understanding in your relationships with consumers. There are over a dozen hair salons within five miles of my house, yet I always drive twenty minutes longer to get my hair cut each month. Why? Because I enjoy my relationship with the individuals that cut my hair at this particular shop. We talk, we laugh. I enjoy the experience. Thus, I return, even though it is over ten miles from my house, and somewhat inconvenient. I don’t pay for the haircut as much as I do the relationship. I’m a loyal consumer.
   
   Some tips:
   
   
   • Focus on producing value more than selling products. Make quality products, hire quality people.
   • Learn about your customers at every opportunity.
   • Talk price last, not first. If price is the determining factor for buying your product, you’ve lost control of the sales’ conversation. Focus instead on the consumers’ needs and wants, then seek to meet them.
     

Leif Smith, Psy.D., President of Personal Best Consulting, LLC, has worked with athletes and coaches from The University of Iowa, The Ohio State University, and the College of Wooster. He specializes in improving performance and production, and has also worked with corporations such as America Online. Subscribe to the free monthly email newsletter, "Personal Bests: Techniques for Living an Extraordinary Life" when visiting his Web site at www.personalbestconsulting.com.

Published in Networking Today, May 2004.