If you were selling a car, wouldn’t you wash it before you presented it to people? The same is true about houses; you need to make it appear as good as it can in order to get the best price for it. This will lead to a smoother sale, and more bankable outcomes. There are various other things to consider as well, such as; 1. Selecting a broker: Just because a person is a Flower Mound REALTOR®, like Jeff Brand & Associates, doesn’t mean they know all about Flower Mound. You should speak to a couple of different real estate firms, and ask some very proper questions before you sign up with one. Questions like how specifically they plan to sell your house. Just plant a sign in the front yard? Will they run a comparative analysis of what the neighborhood is going for? They should also be able to help you present your home, so it will look its best. Don’t take the first offer that comes along, and make sure their fees and commission structures are things that you agree with. 2. Decide what you want to invest in repairs? There are basically 2 kinds of houses on the market today. Move-in ready; and fixer-uppers. Unless you are marketing a fixer-upper, you need to make your house appear free of any repair work that will need to be address anytime within the first year. By talking about any big-ticket repairs, you could be able to find a common ground with the new buyer. 3. Remove anything installed, that you don’t want to leave. Fixtures such as a chandelier and appliances that will be moving with you, should either be taken out or have a note on them saying ‘does not convey-’to inform the buyer that these things will not be remaining with the house. It is far better to make that understood from the beginning, rather than allowing the buyers to imagine so up until the time of settlement. 4. STAGE you home. This is a term used to make a house more objective, so the buyers can visualize themselves in there, and not be put off by all of your own items. By getting rid of all your personal touches, you will make your home more attractive, to more buyers. 5. CLEAN! It is amazing how many people just ‘get ready’ before a buyer arrives to see their home. If you are going to contend in a real market, you must present your house from top to bottom. This also means getting rid of as much clutter as possible to make the house feel larger. Prospective buyers will also look in closets, so make sure you do this part right. If you follow your realtor’s suggestions, you will find yourself not only obtaining a contract, but having to choose between more than one.
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Good Luck!
If you knew a few sure fire ideas that have helped me,
you may unleash an avalanche of sales and make more money
at your website.
Below are the secrets to help you generate sales leads:
(1) Utilize holidays to increase your visitors or sales.
You could give away free electronic greeting cards,
hold discounts, send customers holiday cards, etc.
(2) Become well known by speaking or chatting at
seminars. The seminars could be held offline, in
a chat room, by telephone or via e-mail.
(3) Start a free ebook club on your web site. People
could sign up to receive a free ebook from you each
month. Just include your product ad in the ebooks.
(4) Give away your products or expertise to internet
business newbies. Just ask them in return to place
your link on their web site.
(5) Trigger your visitors to buy your products by using
colors. You should totally relax and think about which
colors would compel prospects to order.
(6) Let your past offline customers know about your
web site. When they visit and sign up to your e-zine
it will remind them to shop at your online store.
(7) Create a long term relationship with your entire
customer base. You can stay in touch with them
through an e-zine, with greeting cards, etc.
(8) Repeat the 3 most powerful or appealing benefits
throughout your ad copy. Repetition can brand your
product’s benefits quicker in your prospects mind.
(9) Give your new customers surprise free gifts. This
will increase their loyalty and give you more word of
mouth advertising.
(10) Make your long ad copy interesting enough so
people click through to the next web page. If it’s not,
they won’t take the time to click and read more.
May these secrets of generating sales leads help you
to make a lot of money.
Warmly,
I-key Benney, CEO
I-key, a Millionaire CEO from New York City is the creator of “Mscsrrr: Millionaire Secret Cash System”,(investing online) program, which has helped thousands of ordinary people from all over the world to attain financial security and shining success during the past 2 yrs.
Mscsrrr Millionaire Cash System helps you to generate $1,500+/Week for life, from home or office, part time or full time. No large investment or hassles. Win $1000-$2000 free “cash”.
I just had a phone conversation with a client who had a familiar story to tell. He had built his business on the model of an entrepreneurial sales force. Give them a territory, pay them straight commission, and tell them they are in business for themselves, free to develop the customers they chose with the products they wanted.
And for a couple decades it had worked well. The business grew and expanded. More entrepreneurial sales people were added, and the model was duplicated over and over again.
So far so good. But then the growth in sales began to slow down. Three flat or declining years in a row has caused this company president to question the status quo. Not only is business flat, but he’s unable to get his sales force to promote the lines that he wants to promote, he’s unable to get them to use some of the new technology that the company wants them to use, and he’s unable to get them to prospect for new customers. Now he’s faced with an experienced sales force, who for the most part, are unmanageable.
The culprit? A sales model that was built on the concept of the entrepreneurial salesperson. There was a time when this model was effective, but in today’s competitive economy, there are serious difficulties with the entrepreneurial model.
This model works best when the market is growing. As long as there is more and more business out there to be had, the focus of most companies is to grab as much as they can, without caring a whole lot as to which customers and which products make up the business. Employing a group of entrepreneurial salespeople reduces the demands on sales management so that the company’s executives can focus on building the infrastructure necessary to keep up with the consistent growth.
As we all know, this was the case for most of the previous decade. By shifting the responsibility for sales management unto the salespeople, however, you give up much of your management influence. In effect, you cede management of the sales force to the salespeople. And they generally make decisions that are in their own self interest, not yours. The very concept of an entrepreneurial salesperson is that he/she will manage himself. By definition, you abdicate your managerial role and cede management to the salesperson.
Is it any wonder that you can’t direct the salesperson?
As long as business was consistently growing, this wasn’t an issue. But now it is a concern. Most distributors have experienced a reduction in sales volume over the last few years. Many have come to the conclusion that they have to initiate significant changes in their sales organizations if they are going to be profitable and growing.
Now, instead of just more business, progressive distributors want to expand the business in target accounts, emphasize key product lines, and acquire new accounts. In other words, they want to direct the sales force more precisely, to focus them on the behaviors that further the company’s strategic objectives.
At just the time that they want to more precisely focus the sales force, they are faced with a group of experienced salespeople who have become satisfied and content.
These sales people would rather not move out of their comfort zones of established customers and established products. They have no desire to do the hard work of prospecting for new accounts. And many are content with the diminished incomes of the past few years.
The culprit in this difficult situation is the entrepreneurial model. This is not to say that there are no entrepreneurial salespeople. Certainly a certain percentage of every large group of sales people will turn out to be highly motivated, constantly improving, driven to succeed and willing to accept your direction. From my experience, this is about one of 20 sales people. The chances of your entire group fitting this mold are slight. The issue is not the occasional exception to the rule; the issue is the model that no longer supports your strategic interests.
What to do?
The company president on the phone was looking for solutions. How could he change the established routines, attitudes and practices of his experienced sales force? How could he revive the slumbering entrepreneurial drive? How could he gain some degree of directability?
Unfortunately, the answers are larger and more challenging than that which could be discussed in a half hour phone call. Decades of a certain way of doing business have resulted in attitudes cast in granite. Half-way measures can’t be counted on to work.
The solution is going to require strenuous work.
Wipe the slate clean and start over. Begin with the definition of what you would like the salespeople to do. What do you really want your sales force to do? Noodle your ideas onto a blank sheet of paper, and review it for a couple of days. When you have a well-articulated full page of detail, you will have taken a major step forward.
Once you have a clear and specific idea of what you want them to do, then start dealing with implications of that. For example, does you compensation plan support the behavior you want? If not, then change that.
Does you training and development program equip the sales people with the skills that support your vision? If not, it’s time to revise that.
Does you infrastructure support your idea of what the sales people should be doing? In other words, does customer service, purchasing, delivery, operations, sales management, etc., all support the revised job description? If not, make some refinements.
Finally, do you have the kind of people who will whole-heartedly embrace your new vision? If not, then it’s time to begin the process of recruiting new sales people.
Each of these is difficult and challenging issues that speak to the heart of how you have your sales force structured. Designing and implementing these changes can take the better part of a year or two. Each of these initiatives will be met with resistance from some. It won’t be easy. Before you rush into the fray, however, make sure you count the cost. You may decide that you are not up for the task and that it is easier to continue to cede management to your sales people.
Should you decide to revise your sales force, you can anticipate arriving at a focused and directable sales force - an enormously powerful asset for any distributor.
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About The Author |
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A Highly Conscious Approach To Business Management.
For more on this topic please link to Innerwealth Web Site
For many years I have worked with people who are keen to work effectively as possible. The most successful people I have encountered in this time are moved by an expansive vision. They are fascinated by life and driven to experience it fully. They respond well to change although they do not necessarily like it. They think clearly when information is uncertain and structures of belief are impaired. They see connections between a fast moving world and their vision, and they have open and receptive state of mind that is not paralyzed by information they had not expected. They have mastered the art of working with people and are able to communicate honestly, pursue compelling vision and engage with integrity.
A powerful resistance always thrives during times of transition and it is pervasive today. Leaders are struggling to make decisions that are needed, organizations are not developing incisive transition strategies. Employee burnout and ineffectiveness are epidemic at a time when creativity, quality and service are vitally important. Over 50% of all absenteeism in Corporate USA is a result of mental health problems.
Such a change will require the disposal of some long held beliefs. Beliefs that separate who we are at work from who we are at home. Beliefs that tend to uncertainty and stress rather than well-being and peace of mind. Solutions are needed that are not pressed from a foil strip or shaken from a bottle. We need solutions that resolve dichotomies at their very source. And this is what Innerwealth aims to achieve. In writing this article I have moved between my head and my heart. I have tried on the one hand to be logical and rational in presenting process for you to improve the quality of your home and work life but equally I have tried to speak from my heart. I guess if I truly achieved this I would be in silence, but I’m not. I truly think it is time for us all to put the heart and soul back into business and life.
Putting the Heart and soul back into Work and Life
Putting the heart and soul back into business is no distraction from the pursuit of wealth and success, in fact it’s synonymous with it. The primary difference is the opportunity to be more present, more fulfilled and more motivated by our inner resources, to live a more balanced life, to get more done in less time, to live longer and enjoy a richer more rewarding lifestyle. You simply cannot get this from a bottle.
It’s about success, management from the inside out, being healthy at 100 years of age and making a contribution to boot. Here’s the test. If you’re not more vital, more energized and more relaxed at the end of the day than you were at the start, then you’re burning out. That’s external management and an investment in personal management education will have an outstanding affect on your life. There is a more productive way of managing yourself and others.
You’ll live longer, save precious time and make more money. You’ll feel better inside and out. Clear head, better decisions, maintain your strength, flexibility and body tone with out leaving your chair.
You’ll live longer, save precious time and make more money. You’ll feel better inside and out.
It’s only natural.
Managing anything is a natural talent. It’s not conmplex but has been made so by a conflict between human and material values. The infrence has been that people need to be driven to work harder and that hard work produces best results. But, all psychology and spiritual teaching argues with this. It has been proven that an inspired, healthy and happy individual will produce double the result of a hard working unhappy, emotionally unstable individual. Our inner world truly is, the greatest driver for productivity and profit in the world. So why not harness it? Here’s how.
The Key ingredients of Management from the Inside Out
n Mind power - Stay balanced, make better decisions and reduce stress.
Mental Health - requires a stable, focused and peaceful mind. The key to this is perception, The way we thing is so crucial that it has been the focus of all the ancient spiritual arts, since the beginning of time. Balanced thoughts are the key because lopsided thoughts create lopsided perceptions, emotions. To the extreme, lopsided perceptions and extreme emotions are madness and insanity (psychopathic). To a lesser degree, they are depression, stress and confusion. Now after years of suffering the technologies have become available to instantly balance our mind. Yoga and most Eastern arts have taught these for centuries and are now clearly available in the West. Another, more recent revelation, is the Collapse Process, created by Dr John Demartini. It is a revolutionary process, taught in all Innerwealth Workshops that can center a person in seconds.
A centered, balanced mind burns less fuel. Makes better decisions, doesn’t react to people, focuses on the outcomes, is essential to longevity and health and builds success. Learn to center your mind and you will learn the single greatest key for inspired leadership. When the mind is centered so are you. When you are centered you make decisions with clarity and absolute certainty. When you are centered your decisions go one step further than emotional highs and lows, you are stable, wise and healthy.
Whatever process you elect to follow it must, by it’s very nature suffer resistance because it will conflict with your innate tendency, to defend identity and consequently to emotionalize every issue. (ego) Emotions (and illness) come from thoughts. The one true power every human being is blessed with in life, is the ability to change their mind, funny how it’s usually the last thing we try). Therefore personal balance is a very deep journey of the self. However, it is the core basis for. Leadership, Healing, Recovery and Inspiration, and therefore of great benefit to us all.
Making it personal
Every individual has innate desires, ambitions and dreams. We cannot survive without some degree of hope. When what you do and what you hope to achieve are disconnected, in any walk of life, desperation and sabotage begin. ( in other words, when you can’t link what you are doing to what you are wanting your sabotage what you are doing) The optimum performance of any individual is determined by how connected their inner desires and outer goals are. This linking results in Inner Motivation - or as we call it - Inspiration. Inspiration improves communication, certainty, motivates productivity and inspires creative and refreshed action. Consequently, the role of an inspired leader is to link the personal goals and motivations of individuals to those of the organization. When each of us has a dream that we would love to achieve, and we feel that by working together we will achieve both our own and others hopes, then this is where a true culture of humanity begins.
Aligning your personal goals with those of the team and the organization creates self-motivation. Self-motivated people just can’t wait to jump out of bed and rush to work. The LCM process - is a system that can be implemented over time to manage and develop strong ties and commitment within a company or team.. Based on personal responsibility it develops an obvious and very personal motivation to work. People jump out of bed and just can’t wait to get to work in the morning.
Well-being
From perspiration to inspiration If you have less energy at the end of the day than at the start, experience worry and/or excessive thinking, or have uncertainty about what your future holds, it may be time to make some important changes to your way of life. Aligning the body and mind for perfect health is essential Using stretch routines, breathing practice, diet advice, good posture, relaxation techniques, exercise programs you will enjoy work more, and be more productive and healthier at the end of the day. Sugar is one of the main culprits for depleted health. It robs the body of nutrient and displaces blood sugar balances. But all stimulants, of any description can be thought of as sugar, no matter whether it’s a food, a sound, a thought or a picture.
Your body speaks. It’s doing everything it can to help you live your vision. It’s aches and pains are the symptoms of imbalance and a great signal for you to re evaluate your direction. Keep in mind that 90% of the fuel used in space flight is in correcting direction so getting a long way off the path can be expensive. The ancients have told us for centuries that the psyche and soma are one. Using that one simple piece of ancient knowledge enables you to revolutionize your health. You can know that your emotions of anger, aggression, suffering and sadness affect your health negatively. You can treat the cause as well as the effect. Managing your thoughts is a most essential ingredient in good health.
Attitude - Working from the Inside Out
Entrepreneurs and intrepreneurs listen to their inner voice. They practice daily routines that support their life. Drawing with requires courage, process and understanding. All are capable of it.. To go within requires discipline and practice. To go within requires discerning wisdom, the difference between fantasy and reality. Aim to an experience the wisdom of the inner voice and learn a process to go there any time.
Your attitude to life determines your health, vitality and success. An attitude of Gratitude is an inspired way of looking at life. Your personal potential is determined by the degree of gratitude you have. It creates a magnetic disposition, saves lives, cures disease and transforms relationships. Gratitude is the most powerful, focused mind state for both business and personal life that you can create. Whether it’s on the golf course, yoga class, with the kids or at work, gratitude is the most powerful inspired state.
Inspired individuals build inspired teams. Breaking down the barriers means finding a common language, cutting through the fog that creates uncertainty. You need to create daily space for this to happen. Through this process you will begin to understand yourself better and this automatically creates an amazing willingness to be flexible and adapt to change. You will remove the tensions and worries replace them with an overwhelming focus on future possibilities. It’s a new way of Management.
Embrace Change
We live in revolutionary times and our lives are being altered in ways we cannot predict. Every major institution is being transformed. Our most deeply held values are in dispute and the nature of personal relationships is changing drastically. Our capacity to feed and house ourselves, to live healthy and useful lives, to work productively with one another, and to pass on a decent world to our children is in doubt. so anyone who wants to generate meaningful responses to the events of the times must become a change agent.
The most successful change agents we have encountered are moved by an expansive vision. They are fascinated by life and driven to experience it fully. They respond well to change although they do not necessarily like it. They think clearly when information is uncertain and structures of belief are impaired. They see connections between a fast moving world and their organization and they have open and receptive state of mind that is not paralyzed by information they had not expected. They have mastered the art of working with people and are able to communicate honestly, pursue compelling vision and engage with integrity.
Continuous improvement is an essential ingredient for future success. We all need to become agents of change. Embracing change is continuous improvement. It’s a team sport. We’ll make it happen more easily. Of course change was once an annual event. Now it hourly. Flexibility is a key to success in any field. Learning to adapt to others and marketplaces is about playing to strength and not to victim.
The life force of organizational change is personal change. People who are changing in order to live productively in this new age can create extraordinary results.
The key element of this dynamic is a particular turn of mind. Harnessing the gifts of the human spirit through mind and body development opens the door to this transformation. More than amassed capital or technology or knowledge or connections it is a flexible and inventive approach to life that will determine who recognizes new resources and transforms them into useful goods, services and values.
We do not wake up in the morning and wants less of the good things in life. We all want to grow, spiritually, materially affectionately and domestically. There is a way to achieve this without hibernating to a mountain top for the next 30 years. There is a power in your heart and that power has been underestimated for many years. That power can build, create, design and succeed without burnout.
To connect to this resource we need tools to overcome the stresses that keep us in overload. The stresses that sabotage our wealth, health and relationships. In short we need to take the time to understand the human dynamic of emotions and self awareness from a whole new and totally valuable perspective. That perspective must be real. Real life spirituality that is not organized or dogma but a way to find and harness our true human potential.
Consinuous change is about adaptation. Living and working in tune with natures law. It’s about working with the natural laws rather than against them. Discovering that which is already yours and revealing it in productive ways that build and develop a world in which valuing the human spirit becomes a way of life. It is a way to do live in tune, to move beyond competition as the key determinant of the outcome of your life.
A Powerful Purpose
A purpose or personal vision is more than words, it is a message from the heart of leadership. Developing clarity of vision is by far the pinnacle of success in any endeavor. Whether it’s a sports team, a business or a family group vision is the glue that binds individuals to a common inspiring cause. We recommend the first step is for individuals to know their own mind, their unique vision, dreams and inspirations. We’ve worked with children from the age of 10 who have created a purpose statement that brings tears to parent’s eyes. And we’ve worked with people 70 years and older whose life has taken a new turn of health by regaining a sense of purpose.
The size of your vision determines the size of your life. Its clarity determines your destiny. Take the time to step back from the day-to-day duties to develop a global vision. Write it, affirm it and be inspired by it. Putting your heart and soul into something you love is unstoppable.
Vision is a powerful goal and an essential motivator. Inspiration is when the inner voice speaks louder than the outer voices. Life purpose is beyond them both. Life purpose is a commitment to excellence and a commitment to a purpose greater than the self. Instead of the fluctuations of transient goals and visions, life purpose creates a transportable theme for a life. Life purpose breaks dependency and provides the true freedom that every individual aspires to.
Become an Evolutionary
Money is just one of your many forms of reward. You need to become an evolutionary, by living from within, breaking the mould, following your passion and listening to your heart. It’s no easy road. It requires a clarity of vision, an ability to inspire others, it requires a depth of certainty beyond willpower, but most of all it requires a powerful, heart driven dream.
Innerwealth, arose from my own journey. A journey of searching for a way to live in the world, with its stress and strain, to achieve my financial and personal objectives, yet, maintain that deep love of life that I cherish so deeply.
I wanted to open to life fully, yet, something in the world of the “new age sciences” was unsatisfying. It forced me to dig deeper than I had expected. None of the fluff or the fundamentalist doctrines of idealism. I chose to be real and I need real answers. I want the freedom to be free sprit in this world yet honor a power greater than myself/ I am passionate about bringing heart and soul into business and life, and I do it through these programs.
I offer real, natural concepts to live by. I want to help you, to inspire you, and help you to help those you live and work with to achieve their best. I choose to honor diversity and I achieve this by turning to the natural laws as a guide.
Nature was there before us, she’ll be there after us. She’s a refection of creation and she’s not subject to coercive interpretation of factions and myth. She doesn’t deal in myth but offers simple honesty as a way to navigate our path to the future. She’s old, and wise. She’s young and fresh. And as a model for life mastery she offers a grander power than we can hope to comprehend. Life is not the art of war, it’s the honoring of natural principles. Each and every one of us is capable of living with Inspiration - an independent, successful and inspired individual who is living to their fullest potential.
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE
Draw no sharp distinction
Between their work and their play,
Their labor and their leisure,
Their mind and their body
Their education and their recreation.
They hardly know which is which.
They simple pursue their vision
Of excellence
Through whatever
They are doing and leaves
Others to determine
Whether they are working or playing.
To themselves, it always seems to be
That they are doing both.
Management from Within
Brings more heart and soul-into home and work place
Adds greater spirit to life
Provides distinct leadership advantages
Links head and heart together, bringing mind and heart into a joint venture
Provides true love which powers up your whole system
Eliminates feelings of blame and victimization which disempower
Provides continuity between intuition and intelligence
Provides the most powerful means for shifting states of consciousness
Increases the quality of life
Builds confidence and magnetism
Allows deeper levels of love
Provides greater health
Provides new creative insights and perspectives
Allows greater intuition and inspiration
Neutralizes blocked emotions
Dissolves protective shells around your heart
Improves cardiovascular function
Provides greater energy and vitality
Acts as your battery booster
Clarifies mental distractions
Improves immune system functions
Encourages within true and balanced caring
Changes self-defeating behaviors into ones building greater self-worth
Revitalizes bored or burned-out relationships
Transforms worry, anxiety and guilt into healthy productive actions
Heightens moral courage
Increases mental effectiveness
Rebalances emotional imbalances
Harmonizes energies
Transforms energy draining judgments
Clarifies confusions
Enhances interpersonal communications
Awakens inner motivation
Improves financial security and self-worth
Inspires to have greater overall appreciation for life
About The Author
Change Agent, Business Consultant, Author, and Futurist, Christopher Walker is a visionary individual and one of the world’s leading facilitators of Personal and organizational change. He is considered a leader in the field of human potential, inspiration and leadership. Christopher’s amazing programs unravel the mysteries of human behavior, personal growth and professional development, lead to progressive change and a richer more inspired life.
Cwalker@innerwealth.com
PEOPLE DO BUSINESS WITH PEOPLE THEY KNOW, LIKE, & TRUST. PERIOD!
See for yourself.
Let me start by asking you this. Have ever taken your business from one company and given it to another (which sells the same product or service) because you just didn’t like the person you were dealing with. Have you ever said, “I don’t know what it was about him or her, but I just didn’t like them.” Or, “I just don’t trust him or her.” Or, better yet, “I don’t even know them.”
If you’ve ever said these phrases, as I suspect we all have, then you know E-X-A-C-T-LY how important it is to YOU, to do business with someone you know, like and trust!!
In the beginning of any of my businesses, I knew people would do business with me if they only knew me. I also knew that once they got to know me, eventually they would like me, and more importantly trust me. Then I would be able to conduct business with them for years to come.
The same will be true for you.
Think about it for a second. The instant someone starts to trust you, you sense it, don’t you? After that trust is established, moving forward becomes easier doesn’t it? It can be with a friend, a loved one or in business. And it’s peculiar because you can’t really pinpoint it; you just know it’s been verified.
Stop for a minute and think of one person you trust completely. Can you explain why you trust him or her? It’s hard to put into words isn’t it? I know it is for me.
There is nothing more powerful than trust. Nothing.
On the other hand, we’ve all decided not to buy from a
Salesperson because something just didn’t feel right. Maybe we suspected they weren’t telling us the truth, or the salesperson was side stepping our questions.
When we sense deception or distrust, a very powerful alert mechanism is somehow automatically triggered in our innermost being. We don’t think about it, it instinctively happens. It’s built into us. It’s as automatic as gravity. And, if we fail to yield to this built in INSTANT-WARNING-DANGER-ALERT REACTION, we will remain unsettled and uncomfortable regarding our decision.
Do you know WHY you businesses repeatedly advertise and market to people? Because they’re attempting to establish trust and likeability, by continually placing their products/services in front of prospects.
That’s why repetition, repetition, repetition is so vital in marketing and advertising to people who have no idea who you are.
However, that style of relentless marketing and advertising is not necessary, but is considered obnoxious, to people that already trust you. Plus it’s a lot less expensive!
It doesn’t matter how many books you’ve read on selling, marketing, advertising, or prospecting, the most important reason people BUY is they liked, and or trusted the individual or company that was selling.
So, to make your prospecting easier (note I didn’t say easy), wouldn’t it make sense for you to contact people that you have already established trust with? You know who they are, and I promise you they’ll be more open to your new venture than a complete stranger would be.
You’ll find your sales presentations, quotes, bids, estimates, and prospecting, easier if you will seek out those who already know, like and trust you.
At the core of all transactions you’ll find this truth to be the foundation.
Scott Rauber
Author, Speaker - How To Find Prospects Using Little or NO Money.
http://www.getmorebiznow.com
727-733-8387
Do you like hearing a good story?
I’ll bet you do, and I’ll bet the farm that your customers like hearing
a good story too. In this short article, I am going to convince you that
if you want to sell your products or services, you’ll want to sell your story
first.
The women of Gold Ribbon Gourmet have been loyal clients of mine for years. I grew up with them and played soccer with their brothers ever since high school. They approached me a few years ago with the idea of forming a business that would sell high-end baked goods. They make some of the best pastries around, I know, I’ve probably eaten too many of them.
But no one cares that they have some of the best pastries around. Yep,
I know it’s shocking, but stay with me with here - no one cares, and no one would beleive it if Gold Ribbon Gourmet told them.
There are hundreds if not thousands of other options a sweet-toothed aficionado
can satisfy their cravings. Doughnuts, cakes, pies, and chocolate covered cherries
- the list is endless. There are just too many options for customers to
choose from, and all of their competitors claim, “We’re the best“,
“We’re the fastest“, or “We’re the tastiest“. The picture I’ve
painted here looks bleak, but it’s not. In fact the women of Gold Ribbon Gourmet
have a golden opportunity.
The women of Gold Ribbon Gourmet have a secret weapon. They’ve got a story, and a damn good one.
Now I’ve told you that these women make some of the best tasting pastries around, did that do anything for you? Did that stir anything inside of you to want to try some of their high-end baked goods? Nope. At this point, is there anything memorable about Gold Ribbon Gourmet? Again, another “nope”.
Now let me tell you the real story of Gold Ribbon Gourmet.
If you look to find Gold Ribbon Gourmet’s factory you won’t find it. What you
will find are Maria, Joanna, Georgia and Eleni, three Greek sisters and their
Mother who want to share their passion for making authentic, handmade
Greek baked desserts with you.
Maria, Joanna, Georgia and Eleni make all of the desserts by hand, in a traditional Greek home and kitchen. Just like those kitchens you remember, the ones give anything to get near enough to smell the aromas.
From the honey dripping baklava to the irresistible kourambiedes, everything is bursting with the smells and tastes that you can only get from years of experience and passion for baking. And you won’t find these tastes anywhere else, Gold Ribbon Gourmet desserts are all created from secret family recipes from old world Greece that have been passed down from Mother to Daughter for generations.
When you want to have more than just another dessert, I invite you to come and experience authentic Greek desserts made from the finest hand selected ingredients and time-honored family recipes. You can smell and taste the pride, tradition and care in every bite.
Sounds awfully tempting, doesn’t it?
Do you notice the powerful difference between the two marketing approaches?
Wouldn’t you like to tell your friends that you just bought handmade, authentic Greek baklava that was made from a treasured family recipe that’s been passed down for generations?
If your marketing message is, “We’re the best“, “We’re the fastest“,
or “We have the best customer service“, you’ve got to change your marketing
focus. No one really cares and furthermore, no one will believe you. This
approach to marketing doesn’t work anymore because there are too many options
for your customer and all of your competitors are saying the same thing.
I encourage you to break free of this pattern and tell your story. Tell a story
to customers about your passion and what makes you unique. Think about it for
a second, why is Godiva chocolate cost so much more than Hershey’s if they taste
about the same? It’s the story that Godiva tells you that pulls you into buying.
When you buy Godiva chocolate, that’s something special - that’s the story they
are telling you. Are you catching on?
What’s your story?
Whether or not you know it, you have a good story too. If you’re like the women
of Gold Ribbon Gourmet, you just need someone to help them identify it and help
them share it with the world. Give me a call at 480.391.0704 or email
me at comments@candographics.com and I’ll be glad to talk with you free of charge
about your story and how you can leverage it to separate from your competition
and make a lasting impression in your customer’s hearts.
Oh, and a special thank you to Maria, Joanna, Georgia and Eleni of Gold Ribbon Gourmet. If you’ve always wanted to try authentic Greek baklava and other delicious desserts, visit them at www.goldribbongourmet.com, and tell them “they story” sent you!
About Jeremy:
I help small businesses build more confidence and credibility into their business brand. Through marketing and design initiatives, I help you feel better about your company. Making you feel good about your business gives you more confidence and less anxiety when you are networking, promoting or selling your business.
If you have are a business owner who isn’t comfortable or confident in your business image, or you’re just not as proud of your business as you’d like to be. Call me today at 480.391.0704 or email me at comments@candographics.com, I’d love to send you a free insider’s bulletin and talk with you about your specific situation.
You’ll also want sign up for the “Can-Do Confidence Builder” at http://www.candographics.com. Emailed weekly, the Confidence Builder provides you with essential marketing and design insights that help you get the most out of your investment and help you to stay one step ahead of the competition.
Learn more about me and how you can gain a competitive advantage with a better brand by visiting http://www.candographics.com.
For many years as a sales manager, I would only hire the stereotypical sales representative. You know the typeon a human relations continuum or scale of zero to ten, with the ten representing a candidate who is totally gregarious and outgoing and the zero, someone who is introverted with few people skills, I’d always recruit the ten. As an advisor to businesses and professional service firms on how to build an effective sales team, I would also council my clients to hire “tens.” Big mistake!
Pareto’s principle (the 80/20 Rule) is vividly illustrated in most industries by the fact that 80 percent of the sales are closed by only 20 percent of the sales professionals. After 24 years of working with literally thousands of sales representatives and service industry professionals as an advisor, trainer and coach, I have learned an important truth–that the ten personality is rarely found in the ranks of the top 20 percent of the sales professionals who produce 80 percent of the sales. For this reason alone, I now hire candidates that fall about a six on the personality continuum and I council my clients to do the same.
Why hire a six? Because the six personality makes up the vast majority of today’s top sales producers. And they are successful at selling, simply because they have a six personality. They are a bit reserved and a lot less outgoing than the ten, but they still have the people skills to communicate well. They do less talking than a ten and they listen better, giving them a decided edge in communicating effectively. Although six personalities have less charisma than a ten, they have a much greater ability to deal with the details of the selling process. This helps them to consistently find new prospects and to organize their day to get more done than an eight ro ten personality. Their ability to produce leads, the effective use of time and their systematic approach to presentations, gives the six personality a selling edge. Most sales professionals with a ten personallity absolutly loath prospecting, paperwork and organizing themselves, so they simply rely on their personality and charm to achieve their sales objectives.
You have to hire smart to develop a sales team that are all “top producers.” You don’t have to live with an 80/20 rule sales team, if you truly understand the personality of the sales or service industry professionals who make up the 20 percent and then only hire candidates that fall into this demographic. However, there’s one problem with this suggestion. You rarely can find a candidate that is in the top 20 percent, who is actively looking for new employment. And, a company or firm would be crazy to let their top producers leave them. Most employers usually do everything in their power to retain their best performers. Your only recourse then is to hire someone from the 80 percent grouping with potential to be a top producer. And how to do this must be the topic for another article
Best wishes for continued sales success.
To Obtain a discount on 101 SALES MYTHS manual click on:
http://www.TheSellingEdge.com/myths1.htm
VIRDEN THORNTON is the founder and President of The $elling Edge®, Inc. a firm specializing in sales, customer relations, and management training and development. Clients have included Sears Optical, Eastman Kodak, IBM, Deloitte & Touché, Bank One, Jefferson Pilot, and Wal-Mart to name a few. Virden is the author of Prospecting: The Key To Sales Success and the best selling Building & Closing the Sale, Fifty-Minute series books and Close That Sale, a video/audio tape series published by Crisp Publications, Inc. Menlo Park, California. He has also authored a Self-Directed Learning series of sales, coaching & team development, telemarketing, and personal productivity training guides.
Virden teaches for the Center For Professional Development, Texas Tech University at Lubbock, Texas and in the School Of Entrepreneurship, J. Willard And Alice S. Marriott School Of Management at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. You can contact Virden at: Virden@TheSellingEdge.com.
Copyright 2006 Joel Sussman
Sales scripts are a double edged sword. On one hand, they can help you present your selling points and sales rebuttals in an organized, strategic way. Used incorrectly, however, they can undermine your sales effectiveness and actually cause you to lose sales. Here’s a caveat worth considering: Although sales scripts may contain tried and proven tactics for converting sales prospects into customers, a surefire way to drive a wedge between you and your prospective clients is to sound like you’re reading a script or regurgitating memorized lines. Bridging the gap between salesperson and sales prospect often requires a conversational, informal delivery that won’t come across if you’re reciting a script.
All the World’s a Stage
One thing we often forget about in the world of business and in the business of life is to ‘lighten up’! Being too intensely serious and rigid can not only impair your ‘likeability factor’, but it can also cancel out a lot of the enjoyment you might derive from your business or career. Developing the ability to inject your presentations with a dose of personality, humor, and spontaneity can help you avoid sounding rehearsed and pushy. A certain amount of experimentation may be necessary to find out what works best for you, but that’s all part of the process.
Getting on the Same Wavelength
Flexibility is vitally important in developing rapport with a prospect and winning their confidence. If you’re adhering to a rigid script, then you’re not being responsive to their needs, concerns, and questions. Granted, listening and being empathetic is more of a challenge for some people than others, but if your success hinges on the ability to persuade and influence (and whose doesn’t?), then it’s a skill well worth cultivating. Very often the most fascinating, likeable, and persuasive people are the ones who have perfected the art of active listening.
Focus on Bullet Points
Rather than memorizing a sales script word for word, consider writing up an outline or a set of bullet points that you can impress on your mind. You may need to review the original sales script, every couple weeks, to make sure you’re ad-libbing effectively and accurately; but don’t lose sight of the way you’re communicating nonverbally, because that’s what your sales prospects are paying the most attention to.
It’s How You Say It
A lot of sales and marketing people tend to talk too fast, either because they’re so excited about what they’re selling or they’ve had one cup of coffee too many. Some may feel the need to talk fast if they have a lot of information to impart in a short period of time. Every situation is different, but in most cases, talking fast is major tactical error. First of all, it may make it difficult for your prospects to absorb the information you’re giving them (and if they’re confused, they’re not going to commit); and secondly… well, you know what they say about ‘fast talking salesmen’. One way to get a reality check, once or twice a year, is to videotape and critique mock sales presentations involving you a few of your associates. Getting their feedback and seeing yourself as others see you can be an effective way to iron out some of the wrinkles that may be thwarting your sales performance and limiting your income.
Joel Sussman, a business writer, Internet marketer, and newsletter publisher, has created an online small business resource called “Marketing Survival Kit”. Get ideas, templates, and proven techniques for increasing your sales at www.marketingsurvivalkit.com