Selling Techniques For New IT Consultants

Selling techniques are as varied as the people who practice them. There are, however, some proven selling techniques for IT Consultants just starting out. Here is a list:
Personal visit. This selling technique is going to get you the best results: Highest touch, most personal contact, most effective.
Personal phone call. When you use this selling technique you are still providing high touch and so it is quite effective. The trick to getting the most mileage out of your phone call is to send a follow-up note immediately after. This part of phone contact is often ignored and will set you apart from your competition.
Send a note or letter. This is not as personal or high touch but it is a popular selling technique nonetheless. Things you can do to improve the effectiveness of this selling technique are to send a handwritten note and customize the message to make it more personal.
Send an email. This is a low touch and minimally personal selling technique but many people feel comfortable with this type of communication. Make sure you spell check your message carefully and send only one email at a time. This selling technique will fall flat if the "To:" line is full of 100+ names.
Set Yourself a Quota. This selling technique provides discipline. Most new business owners will avoid personal selling if allowed. Make a commitment to contact at least 2 new people on your contact list per day until the list is exhausted. Then get networking and add more people to your contact list.
Ask for referrals only. When you are contacting people don't go for the sale. One of the smartest selling techniques is to ask for referrals rather than sales. There is no pressure when you ask for a referral and this gives you an opportunity to follow up by sending some stickers or business cards for the person to hand out.
Bottom Line on Selling Techniques
Selling techniques may not come naturally to you. This is not an excuse to forgo trying them. The selling techniques that are most effective are the ones that are high touch and highly personal. The message you send out is that each person is important. Try to use as many highly personal selling techniques as possible. Barring that, make the selling techniques you are using as personal as you can.

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By Joshua Feinberg
Copyright MMI-MMVII, Small Biz Tech Talk. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
Joshua Feinberg helps computer consultant business owners get steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too. Sign-up now for Joshua's free audio training program that shows you how to use field-tested, proven Small Biz Tech Talk tools.

Sales Calls - Not Just For Selling!

Sales calls can be exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. As a new computer business owner it is easy to get caught up in the sales aspect of the sales call. What you need to remember is that during the sales call you are also gathering important information.
Before you go on the sales call you should have gathered a bunch of information about the business itself. Information to gather before the sales call includes things like the number of computer users, number of computer systems, software applications, type of operating system, and the type of computer problems they are having. The answers to these types of questions are key for you to know when you walk in the door for the sales call.
When you are on the sales call there are some tips you should follow to get the most out of your time:
Listen more than you talk - remember, the sales call should be about them, not you. It’s their chance to talk, it's their chance to vent; the more they talk the more likely it is that they will reveal the key piece of information you need to close the sale.
Take detailed notes - don't rely on your memory. You are not a hard drive and you are not a recorder. When you're on the sales call don't be afraid to have a pad out and take detailed notes.
Analyze them to determine if you want them as a client - not all sales calls lead to business and there is some business you don't want. Unrealistic expectations, nasty personalities, and no clue what they want are three huge issues to watch out for on sales calls.
Determine their urgency - use the sales call to find out how long the problem has been going on, what effect it has had on their business, what their points of pain are, and what their single biggest problem is right now.
Last, but not least, find out who supports their system currently - this is a very, very important question to have answered on a sales call. Who supported their system in the past and the type of support they received will help you determine whether they will be a good client for you.
Bottom Line on Sales Calls
Sales calls are not just about selling. You need to silently gather information about the client during the sales call and decide whether or not this is a business you want to add to your client list. Use your sales call time wisely and bring on only the best clients that will endure for the long term.

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By Joshua Feinberg
Copyright MMI-MMVII, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
Joshua Feinberg has helped thousands of computer consultants around the World get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too get more steady, high-paying clients. Sign-up now for Joshua's free Computer Consultants Secrets audio training.

Stirring an Audience

Are we rational human beings?

Do we follow all forms of logic?

Do we only act if it feels right?

Do we even want the facts all the time?

Have you ever tried to persuade an emotional person with logic?

We generally think we make decisions based on facts, but truly this is not the case. It has been found that when people agree with a particular message, they tend to perceive it as being more logical or rational. On the other hand, when people disagree with the message, they perceive it as an emotional plea.1 The truth is that that our decision-making process relies on a mixture between emotion and its partner, logic. However, we cannot rely entirely on emotion until our logical side has been engaged.
In one study, twenty-one students prepared speeches that were written from either a logical or an emotional standpoint. The speeches were presented, filmed, and then evaluated by other college students. Interestingly, there was no real consistency in the findings except that speeches bearing a message that the evaluator agreed with were rated as more rational (even if they were intended to be emotional), while those the evaluator did not agree with were considered to be more emotional (even though some of those were intended to be logical). It seemed that whether a speech was considered logical or emotional depended on the listener. Researchers also concluded that, as a general rule, people seem unable to consistently distinguish between logical and emotional appeals.
The logical side of an argument appeals to our reason. Reasoning is the process of drawing a conclusion based on evidence. For an argument to be legitimate, it has to be true and valid, and logical reasoning must be used to back it up. Many persuaders and marketers use faulty forms of logic, leaving gaping holes that require the audience to make assumptions and fill in the blanks. These are called logical fallacies. A fallacy is, very generally, an error in reasoning. It differs from a factual error, which is simply being wrong about the facts. In other words, a fallacy is an "argument" in which the premises don't completely support the conclusion. In the next section, some of the most common logical fallacies are outlined.
Kurt Mortensen’s trademark is Magnetic Persuasion; rather than convincing others, he teaches that you should attract them, just like a magnet attracts metal filings. He teaches that sales have changed and the consumer has become exponentially more skeptical and cynical within the last five years. Most persuaders are using only 2 or 3 persuasion techniques when there are actually 120 available! His message and program has helped thousands and will help you achieve unprecedented success in both your business and personal life.
If you are ready to claim your success and learn what only the ultra-prosperous know, begin by going to http://www.PreWealth.com and getting my free report "10 Mistakes That Continue Costing You Thousands." After reading my free report, go to http://www.PreWealth.com/IQ and take the free Persuasion IQ analysis to determine where you rank and what area of the sales cycle you need to improve in order to close every sale!

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By Kurt Mortensen

If Your Sales Strategy Is Not Clear Sales Will Suffer

Ask any of your sales managers to define sales strategy and you might get a myriad of responses. Some right, some wrong and many just vague. Ask them to define operational effectiveness and you will tend to get more accurate answers depending on the level of the manager.
Strategy is the what – direction of the organization. Organizational effectiveness is the how – how you are getting there. The problem is that if your strategy is unclear, vague or downright wrong it doesn’t matter in the long term how effective you are as an organization – sooner or later you will fail due to any number of outside forces:
- competition

- the economy

- technology

- consumer changes in attitudes

- the global market place

- an aging population
Think of it as a matrix; Draw a four quadrant box. Along the top put Strategy down the left side put operational effectiveness. Therefore;
The lower left hand box is low operational effectiveness and a vague or no strategy.The upper left hand box is high operational effectiveness but poor or no strategy.The lower right hand box is low operational effectiveness but clear and focused strategy.The upper right hand box is clear and focused strategy and operational effectiveness.
We could go on for pages discussing the various consequences and outcomes depending on which your organization is function in. Let’s instead summarize a critical factor in this illustration, which is not the quadrant you are currently in but the direction you are moving. In other words if you are in the lower right (your strategy is clear but you lack operational effectiveness) but because of your clear strategy you are becoming better at your operational effectiveness, overall, you are moving in the right direction. However if you are in the upper left hand quadrant (high operational effectiveness but unclear or changing strategy) and because of your lack of clear direction you are becoming less operationally effective you are moving in the wrong direction.
Granted, no organization will ever stay in the same quadrant indefinitely. There are just too many forces at work here such as changes in management, emerging competitors, a fluxing economy and the rapid pace of change in the are of technology.
It is possible however to stay healthy in both areas and the key is to let your operational effectiveness be driven by your strategy. Herein lies the problem in many organizations today. Management tends to focus more on their operational effectiveness than developing and maintaining a clear, focused and communicated strategy and direction. Sure, many organizations have monthly or yearly strategic planning meetings. I have facilitated dozens during the past few years. And the biggest challenge at these meetings is to keep the focus on developing a strategy (The What) and not get bogged down in lengthy operational effectiveness (The How) discussions that are doomed to fail without a clear and integrated strategy.

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By Tim Connor
Tim Connor, CSP is an internationally renowned sales, relationship, management and leadership speaker, trainer and best selling author. Since 1981 he has given over 3500 presentations in 21 countries on a variety of sales, management and relationship topics. He is the best selling author of over 60 books including; Soft Sell, That’s Life, Peace Of Mind and The Male Gift Giving Survival Guide. He can be reached at tim@timconnor.com, 704-895-1230 or visit his website at http://www.timconnor.com

Why Prospects Challenge Price

Prospects/customers want several things from their suppliers. Fair price, quality products and services, and timely service (not in order of their preference). Surveys of consumers say that most consumers want: timely and responsive service first, quality products and services second, and low price third. For over thirty years, I have surveyed my sales audiences and asked them what they think is most important to consumers, and the results have been consistent: low price first, quality and service last. We seem to have a difference in perception here!
There are three elements that must be understood by salespeople if they are going to effectively deal with the price issue. First there is price. That is what people pay for what they buy. Second is cost. That is what they pay for what they buy, over time. And then there is perceived value. That is what they want for the money they pay.
Most consumers tell salespeople that what they want is low price - when what they really want is low cost. Now I know that many of you will take issue with this statement, but I only ask that you consider for a moment what you as a consumer want. Do you want the cheapest, or that which solves your problem or answers your need or desire? Most prospects or customers want their problems solved. They know that you get what you pay for, and that the distaste of poor quality lasts far longer than the sweetness of low price.
People object to price when they feel that what you are asking them to pay is higher than their perceived value. Most poor salespeople, when they get price resistance, lower the price. Most of the time, it is not a price or cost issue, but one of too low perceived value. How do you raise perceived value? Find out what is preventing your prospect or customer from getting a good night’s sleep, and show them how your product or service will satisfy this need/want, or, even better, exceed their expectations for value. I guarantee you, price will be secondary. Not cost, but price.
The real sales pros focus on value - what the product or service does for the customer - and not price. They understand that price is an issue, but not the most important one. Price will always seem high when perceived value is low. The way to change the relationship between price and value in the other person’s mind is to raise value. Lowering price only makes them question your original price, as well as the lower price, with suspicion.
It should therefore be obvious that you never want to introduce price too soon in the sales process - until you have had the opportunity to build value in the prospect’s mind. If you have a price-only buyer (they are out there), you must decide if that business is worth it to you in the long run. I can only tell you from experience, the prospects who made a big deal out of price and expected all kinds of price adjustments ultimately required a lot of other concessions as well. Use their attitude about price and cost as a barometer to the overall quality of the relationship in general.

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By Tim Connor
Tim Connor, CSP is an internationally renowned sales, relationship, management and leadership speaker, trainer and best selling author. Since 1981 he has given over 3500 presentations in 21 countries on a variety of sales, management and relationship topics. He is the best selling author of over 60 books including; He can be reached at tim@timconnor.com, 704-895-1230 or visit his website at http://www.timconnor.com