What Is Successful Sales Leadership Really About?

Leadership has been defined as “the ability to inspire willing action”. Emphasis is placed on the willing. But to understand leadership, we need to delve a little deeper than that.
One thing which experience has proven over and over again down through the ages is that when any group of people are thrown together for any length of time or for any project, a leader will emerge from the group - one to whom they will listen and give their confidence and support.
Their position on the organisation chart or their title alone cannot make a person a genuine leader. They must have certain traits and skills, or they will surely fail. In business, it has been shown again and again that these skills can be learned and the traits can be developed in any individual who is willing to exert an effort based on strong desire and a true hunger for success.
Generally, a leader or teacher does not actually “develop” another person. They encourage and inspire that person to develop themselves from within. Thus, leadership is, in a large sense, self-initiated.
Once we understand and identify the methods and characteristics of admired leaders, we can take steps to develop these skills and traits ourselves. We can analyse ourselves -- honestly, ruthlessly, objectively – and identify which skills we need to acquire or improve (and those which we need to play down).
No One Is Perfect!
The perfect leader has yet to be born. We all have room for self-improvement. If we can agree upon what it takes to be a good leader - what are the traits of leadership, what are the skills - we will at least have made a good start. We should analyse every genuine leader we know and try to learn which qualities influenced us to consider them a good leader. We can probably agree upon at least five - you may have a leader in mind as we consider these.
Qualities of Sales Leadership:
Enthusiasm:
We will all agree that enthusiasm for what one is doing is one of the first traits. No man or woman can install much enthusiasm in anyone else for something about which they themselves are not enthusiastic. Genuine enthusiasm does not mean a glib, backslapping, plastic smile type attitude. More often, the genuine leader’s enthusiasm is likely to be of a more quiet nature - but it is there! It is shown by the manner in which they go about their work. Their manner of handling their job seems to say to everyone. “This is important! It must be done right. It must be fairly and squarely done! And -“You Can Do It!”
Unless a person feels right down in their bones that the work they are doing is worthwhile, they can never consistently (day in and day out) act as though they do. So, if they have any feelings or doubt about the importance of their work and cannot get enthusiastic about it, the trouble is in the person himself or herself. Whether they realise it or not, those around them sense their feelings, their attitude is showing!
Courage:
Leadership takes “guts”. The true leader has the ability to “take it” when the going gets rough. Often the leader has to “take it” for the whole organisation to keep its morale high. The leader has to face up to a new problem all the time. Indeed, many successful leaders invite difficulties just for the sheer joy of coping with them. The genuine leader approaches each day with a sort of “joy of battle”.
Courage in leadership sometimes takes unexpected forms; it may mean standing up to a principle. (Has anyone ever known a real leader who was a “yes person”?) It means having the character to stand up for what you believe in without comprising or cutting corners.
It may mean taking a bold approach to a new idea - sticking your neck out in support of something, which you think is worth trying. It means loyalty to your conviction.
Self Confidence:
An important requirement for the leader of today is self confidence. However, in making decisions about people, their motivations and the way they act or react, the leader can never feel completely sure they are right. The best they can do is to make a sort of “educated guess” based on the facts they can assemble and then depend upon their past experience and knowledge to interpret them.
However, a leader can be self-confident. A great help is to know and work within their personal assets and limitations. They know what they can personally do and what they are unable to do. They are willing to listen to other opinions, assess them and be big enough to adopt the meritorious ones even if they do not square with their original thinking. They can take small reverses in stride.
A self-confident leader is never satisfied with their present accomplishments, does not spend their time in useless longing for things they cannot have. Rather, they set about realising their immediate and realistic goals.
Integrity:
A leader keeps promises. They keep their promises to their associates as meticulously as those made to their superiors. They keep promises made to themselves, which are the hardest to keep and failure in this is the easiest to rationalise. They can keep all these promises because they never commit themselves rashly; but always within the limits of reality and their present capabilities in terms of personal ability. Part of this matter of integrity is certainly, unquestioned loyalty to their organisation - to its reputation as well as their own. Also they must have loyalty to their products and to their associates and loyalty to their industry. Loyalty to one’s associates is extremely important in any leader. They should never allow themselves or others in their group to ridicule, or down grade other leaders or people in the industry, as it is a sign of jealousy and this is one trait that cannot exist in a true leader. Part of this loyalty is a sense of stewardship - a feeling of responsibility for the welfare, progress and security of the industry as a whole, and that includes everybody who ethically runs a business, everyone in their organisation, their customers and their family.
Interest:
Even the Oxford Dictionary has difficulty in describing the meaning of the word “friendliness”. Of “friendliness” it says, “it signifies befitting or worthy of a friend”.
A leader has a genuine and sympathetic interest in and a respect for, people as individuals. A very high percentage of any leader’s day is spent working directly with individuals.
Be careful - do not go overboard. Here there could be a danger signal. Friendliness can, of course, be overdone. Although interested and sympathetic, the true leader stays firm - never getting so involved in the personal lives of people that he forgets the implications of their role as a leader. They never play favourites - and should never play one personality against another. They know where to draw the line.
Humour:
Whilst not advocating that the leader be the ‘life and soul of the party’, it is essential that they have a keen sense of humour. There will be times when an appropriate joke or light hearted remark, will do more to relax and motivate than all the arranging in the world.
These then are the six basic characteristics, which help a person to be a successful leader. Think of others. Upon reflection, you will probably agree that your ideas are closely allied to or even a part of the six detailed here. They are not by any means a guaranteed panacea that will assure success as a leader. Though all leaders possess them to a varying degree, all of us have known people who have had them all, but were still unsuccessful as leaders. Characteristics or traits by themselves do not make leaders, certain Core Skills are equally necessary.

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By Jonathan Farrington
Copyright © 2006 Jonathan Farrington. All rights reserved
Jonathan Farrington is the Managing Partner of The jfa Group To find out more about the author, read his latest articles or to subscribe to his newsletter for dedicated sales professionals, visit:http://www.jonathanfarrington.comYou can also now visit Jonathan's Blog at: http://www.thejfblogit.co.uk

Successful Sales Management - What Are The Core Competencies?

Management, and particularly sales management, operates on and obtains its results from the staff that are managed. This clearly puts emphasis on the behavioural skills required to promote good human relations and helpful attitudes. These skills are developed mainly from:-
• An interest in individual needs and points of view
• Readiness to direct time and thought to analysing attitudes
• A sense of justice or fair dealing
• Respect for the personality of others
To enable the staff that are managed to develop their abilities profitably for themselves and their company, good human relations alone are not enough. The manager has to define tasks, set proper objectives, and maintain firm control. The basic skills required to do these things are:
• Analytical Ability:
Information coming to Sales Managers is of all kinds, from verifiable facts to rumour. It is important to be able to sort the wheat from the chaff, to see the relevance of items of information to one another, and to draw conclusions which seem to fit the facts. Again, when a problem arises it is necessary to analyse it to seek its causes (is it a symptom of something wrong elsewhere?) and establish it’s true importance.
• Judgement:
All their decisions express the judgement of the manager on a situation or a person. Having analysed the available information he must then judicially weigh the evidence in order to decide on the best course of action. Few decisions can be wholly right or wrong. Most involve a balance of advantages and disadvantages - “Trade Offs”.
• Communication:
What is clear to them must be made clear to other people also. They should ask themselves what every individual needs to know, and why, what reaction they expect from them, and how they will know whether it has occurred. Good communication is not only a matter of clear thinking and expression. Since it takes place between at least two people the communicator should be able to see their communication through the recipient’s eyes.
However, these characteristics must be underpinned by the core competencies:
The Attainment of Targets:
• Always attaining targets by the time deadlines• Knowing what to do and doing it, when performance deviates from plan
Ability to Get Things Done:
• A good “objective” setter, planner and above all controller • Always finishing what they start
Co-Operation:
• The ability to work with others in a friendly co-operative manner - inspiring others to co-operate
Initiative:
• Having both the desire and the ability to ornate and develop constructive ideas• A self-starter able to work with minimum brief
Dependability:
• Really dependable, thorough and accurate in everything they undertake
The Selection of People:
• Ability to meet manpower quotas and surround themselves with good people• Skilled at getting the facts and making good judgements
Delegation:
• Produce results through others, as opposed to trying to doing everything themselves i.e. delegate wisely
Planning and Organising:
• Have written down objectives and plan in detail how those objectives will be attained• Anticipate problems and plan how they will be overcome
Vision:
• Ability to look well ahead, be a good forecaster and consider the future, its opportunities and problems that will have to be overcome
Creativity:
• Able to generate ideas frequently and always be working out ways and means of ‘doing it better’?
‘Selling’ Company Policies:
• Absolutely loyal under all conditions and a ‘Company Man/Woman’• Always ‘sell’ rather than ‘tell’
Human Relations:
• Possess the desire to develop from a “Boss” to a Leader• Ensuring that people enjoy working for them and being a good team builder
Developing Subordinates:
• Always practicing what they preach• Using all opportunities to show their people the benefits to them of reading, analysing, practising and improving
Problem Solving:
• A positive thinker • Able to quickly pinpoint problems, come up with solutions and get the action going
Technical Knowledge:
• Have an exceptional understanding of their speciality area and continually striving to improve that knowledge and keep up-to-date• Management Knowledge:• Have a sound knowledge of modern management techniques applicable to their field and continually developing themselves in this area
Knowledge of Policies:
• Have a complete understanding of company policies and procedures
Common-Sense:
• Have a highly mature approach to most situations, have and exercise a great deal of commonsense
Enthusiasm:
• Possess a zest for the job and always seen to be enthusiastic • Smile easily and have a positive, eager and responsive attitude
Ability to Work Under Pressure:
• Be able to maintain enthusiasm and good attitudes when the going is tough
Summary:
A Sales Manager may or may not be an outstanding sales person. The important thing is that he or she should be a good manager. This is their individual and unique contribution to their company

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By Jonathan Farrington. All rights reserved
Jonathan Farrington is the Managing Partner of The jfa Group To find out more about the author, read his latest articles or to subscribe to his newsletter for dedicated sales professionals, visit:http://www.jonathanfarrington.comYou can also now visit Jonathan's Blog at: http://www.thejfblogit.co.uk

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

Why Sales And Marketing Recruiting Is Different

Our company specializes only in hiring sales and marketing people, from front line contributors, to mid-level and all the way up to the executive level. We hire sales representatives, account managers, national accounts executives, directors, and vice presidents of sales and marketing. Through that process, we’ve developed a tremendous amount of expertise in these two functional areas that most recruiters don’t have. In addition to that, our sales and marketing team expertise comes from accumulating over a hundred years in the trenches of sales and marketing, actually working for companies and building and leading many successful sales and marketing organizations. When we approach sales and marketing, we approach it with deep experience. This is what you should look for in a sales & marketing recruiting firm.
Most recruiters don’t have that kind of experience in this particular domain. In fact, a lot of executive recruiters or headhunters are generalists. They hire CFOs, CEOs, CTOs and CIOs and they may be very good at the executive level in performing those duties. But when it comes to hiring sales and marketing talent, there’s nothing like having a recruiting or executive search firm which is focused in sales and marketing. We believe that it offers a powerful advantage to companies that are trying to make sure that they make the absolutely right hires for their company. We hire sales and marketing talent on a national level for clients who seek us out, looking for that special headhunting or recruiting firm who only focuses on making critical sales and marketing hires. They seek us out because many of them have suffered the burden of having made mis-hires.
In our Recruiting Guide, we quote statistics showing that 53% of all sales hires are mis-hires. This number is so high because most people don’t have the skills or the experience to hire sales & marketing employees, and so they get “sold” through the interviewing process, as opposed to determining whether or not a candidate can and will sell for their company. In particular, executives with backgrounds in finance, operations, engineering, manufacturing, or other non-sales and marketing fields are easily duped by slick, well-dressed, smooth-talking sales and marketing folks. While many of those people are actually very capable, often times the smoothest and the slickest ones who are the best at selling themselves in the interview aren’t necessarily the best people to represent and sell for your company. This is why outsourcing your recruiting function to an experienced sales and marketing recruiting company can have huge value for your business.

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By Andrew Rowe
Cube Management helps companies accelerate their sales, by providing the Sales & Marketing talent they need to grow their business. Cube is a leading recruiting and consulting partner to mid-market and emerging growth companies in the technology, manufacturing, healthcare and business service sectors. We work across the spectrum of Sales, Marketing and Business Development, providing holistic solutions that drive revenue and profit success. Cube Management combines Strategy, Process and People, to produce great results. Download the Cube Management Recruiting Guide and the Cube Management Inside Sales Guide.

Increase Sales with Letters from the Heart

In additional to a monthly mailer, you should think about a quarterly mailing that is more personal in nature. Let your customers know what is going on in your life. It is like sending a personal letter to each of them. Olympia Funding is very successful in using this technique; they call this "Letters from the Heart". CEO Bill Hogarty encourages customer contact and he is insistent on customer service. It has been said that without the service, the contact is useless and without the contact, there is no one to service. These letters usually tell a story from a book, a famous quote, or some other familiar item with a personal twist on its interpretation. You will find that you will get responses to these letters almost immediately. Do not send them unless you absolutely stand behind what you are saying. Hollow letters are soon discovered.
If you have a database of customers, all you will need to do is generate the labels to place on the postcards you are sending. The postcards should be printed ahead of time then sent close to quarter end. You may want to skip your monthly newsletter this month but it is not necessary. Your customers may be looking forward to the news and they will also get a bonus with the letter from the heart. If Olympia Funding can be very successful with this approach, there is not reason why you cannot be as well.
Provide yourself with as many vehicles for contact as you can but make sure you do not overdo it. Make sure what you are saying is true and that you will stand behind the words. The result is a customer list that will keep on growing.

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By Bette Daoust, Ph.D.
Bette Daoust, Ph.D. is a speaker, author (over 170 books, articles, and publications), and consultant. She has provided marketing, sales, business development and training expertise for companies such as Peet's Coffee & Tea, Varian Medical Systems, Accenture, Avaya, Cisco Systems to name a few. Dr. Daoust has also done extensive work with small businesses in developing their marketing, training, and operational plans. You may contact Dr. Daoust at http://BizMechanix.com. You may also view her latest publications at http://BlueprintBooks.com Dr. Daoust also writes for the National Networker http://theNationalNetworker.com

Sales Cycles - How Long Is Yours?

Sales cycles vary but it is important that you understand how much revenue your average small-business client is going to generate during a 12-month period. You need to know how long it takes to earn revenue from the point your prospect enters the sales cycle.
Your sales cycle starts when you receive the initial lead and doesn't end until the point where that person writes their first deposit check and signs their first contract with you. The sales cycle encompasses all the time and energy you put into changing the relationship from a lead to a paying customer.
When you first start your business it will be your responsibility to estimate the total sales cycle time. You want to know how long it's going to take to go though the sales cycle with an average lead. Each section of the sales cycle involves time. Things to consider include:
How long are you typically in a qualification stage?

How long does it take you set the appointment?

How long does it take you to do some pre sales-call research to understand what you're up against before you walk in the door?

How long does it take you to do the sales call?

How many weeks are you on the sales call in the deep analysis and proposal?

How long is your follow-up cycle?
You should also consider what kind of funds are going to be required for each stage of the sales cycle and what activities you will need to do in order to convert leads into paying clients.
The Bottom Line on the Sales Cycle
Knowing the average time of your sales cycle is a large part of the business planning process. You won't know exact numbers but you need to estimate the total time involved. Think about how long you're going to be at different stages of the sales cycle. Knowing how much time each stage of sales cycle is going to take will help you figure out how long it's going to take to start generating revenue and producing a positive cash flow.

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

Your Clients Experience Life Events, Will They Call You?

It's July - half way through. Your having a great year. You've written 30 new lives, some of which were multi-million dollar policies. You've added 10 new investment clients, and now you are managing about $22 million. Your income is projected to be up 20% over last year. Congratulations! But guess what? One of your clients acquired 4 years ago just had a baby, and you did nothing. In fact, you haven't spoken to the couple in over two years. Fortunately, they were approached by another professional and asked if they wanted to review their overall plan. They do. It was determined that they have not heard from you, and they see no harm in letting another professional handle their financial affairs. They increased their life insurance coverage, added a new policy and started a 529 College Savings Plan, all with the other guy. Where were you?
This may be a shock, but it is happening to you and you don't know it. You have failed to invest back into your business by setting up a client contact or management system. You are not recognizing birthdays, anniversaries and other important dates because you think it is not important. You did not even take the time to send a simple annual review form, reminding clients to call you when life events occur. You have focused your efforts on bringing in new assets and winning new clients, yet you have neglected the clients from the past. But it's not too late. You can start now, but you must do it right. Get a database or contact management system. Pay a college student, part-timer 0r your teenager to input the data. Make sure you acknowledge important events like birthday's and anniversaries. Also plug in some important things like hobbies, charities, favorite sport or team, children's names or any other tidbit that will help you connect through certain interests. Prompt clients to send you an e-mail or call you when things happen by sending out a review form. Mail client letters, send emails, newsletters and set up your website. Make sure they don't forget who you are and how you can help them. The list goes on, but just get it done.
Clients experience many types of life events that deserve recognition, praise and sympathy. As a financial service professional, it is important to stay in touch with and understand your clients. It's called empathy, and it is sales skill mastered by only a few. Businesses around the world are beginning to train their sales forces on empathy. You don;t want to get left behind. A great professional uses special times in people's lives to get in front of them and help them make sound financial decisions. It is a very rewarding job, but one must keep in touch. For examples of life events, as well as a comprehensive list of data you should collect from clients, visit my website at www.salesjive.com and log in to the Private Lessons area.
Once you realize how much business you may be leaving on the table, you'll figure out that keeping that business is as simple as staying in touch.
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By Jay Stubbs

Jay Stubbs is an experienced Financial Services Sales Director and Qualifying Member of the Milion Dollar Round Table.
Jay offers FREE Consulting and Speaking for Financial Service Professionals
For more information, sales ideas, advice and free consumer articles, visit Jay's website.
http://www.salesjive.com

Auto Insurance Leads Cost Too Much

If you are an insurance broker or insurance agent you know full well that generating sales leads is the toughest part of your job. You cannot live without them because it is what drives your business. It would be great if clients called you for an auto insurance quote but it just doesn’t work that way unless you have an advertising budget for things such as yellow page ads.
If you're like a lot of insurance brokers you buy internet auto insurance leads from online sources such as Insurance Finder or iLeads. This is quite a good system and a lot of insurance agents close a lot of sales via car insurance leads purchased from websites such as these. What normally happens with these internet leads is that the internet lead company draws on consumers that are searching for auto insurance quotes. They land on the website and fill out a form with the details of the type of insurance quote they are looking for. This is followed by the auto insurance sales lead website repackaging and reselling these leads to an insurance broker (sometimes the same lead is sold to multiple brokers). The broker then buys the lead, gives the client a quote and hopes to close the sale.
Not only are there websites that sell auto insurance leads but there are also those that sell all types of insurance lead including, home insurance leads, commercial insurance leads, liability insurance leads, life insurance leads, corporate group benefits leads, travel insurance leads, and disability insurance leads.
If you purchase insurance leads from websites that sell them, know that you are paying too much. Most lead generation websites draw visitors to their site buy paying for internet ads like Google Adwords. This is a system where these websites place ads in the sponsored area of search engines and pay every time someone clicks on the ad, usually between five cents and one dollar per click. The user then completes a form with his information and that information is then repackaged and resold to insurance agents like yourself, usually for between $5 and $100 per lead.
So, do you see how internet auto insurance leads cost too much? If you purchase leads you are paying a middle man, in this case the lead generation website, to gather information for you. You should know that you don’t need to pay a middle man to do this for you. All you need to do is set up your own website and buy these inexpensive "pay per click" ads. And, these days you can set up a professional looking website for under $100 and anybody can join the Google Adwords program to generate sales leads for themselves, including you!

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By Tino Buntic
Visit Tino Buntic's website http://www.trade-pals.com to receive free B2B and B2C sales leads without cold calling. TradePals provides free sales leads to insurance brokers, as well as other business professionals and entrepreneurs in major cities across The U.S. and Canada including Phoenix, Sacramento, Atlanta, Boston, Portland, Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton, New York, Chicago, San Antoni, Tampa, New Orleans, Denver, Winnipeg, Albany, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Buffalo, Memphis, Charlotte, and Baltimore. Create a free professional profile and post it in the TradePals business directory today.

Sales Management and Managing Sales

For those engaged in sales management and trying to control a group of self-starter type sales people you can just imagine how hard it is. In all the commotion, chaos and controversy they have to manage in shear terror of handling all that is coming at them.
Indeed sales management is not for everyone and managing sales is certainly not as easy as it looks, nor is it suppose to be really. Managing on-going sales efforts for a fast moving company, which is fully engaged takes a lot of savvy, strategic planning and a love of the never ending fast-paced game.
It is not for the weak and you certainly do not want to put anyone in that position in your company who is of low self-esteem or without a strong sense of personal character. Quite frankly a team of sales people would eat them for lunch and spit out the bones and they would be running your sales department and eventually be serving their own self-interests rather than the forward progression and profitability of the company.
The go between we call sales management and manages sales is a special type of person and they are an instrumental part of any company. Sales Management folks who manage sales for your company must be of the highest integrity and must work for the company, the sales people and the sale. Consider all this in 2006.

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By Lance Winslow
"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Question Selling

The more you engage someone's five senses, involve them mentally and physically, and create the right atmosphere for persuasion, the more effective and persuasive you'll be. Listening can be a very passive act; you can listen to an entire speech and not feel or do a thing. As a persuader, you need to help your audience be one step closer to taking action. As a Master Persuader, your goal is to decrease the distance someone has to go to reach your objective.
The more involved they become, the less psychological distance between the start and the finish. The desired outcome becomes more and more realistic instead of just an idea you are proposing. If you put on your shoes to go to the store, you are more likely to continue in that direction. If you sit down and turn on the TV, your goal of going to the store is more unlikely to be reached.
There are many ways to use involvement. We are going to focus on using the art of questioning
Of all the tools in your persuasion toolbox, questioning is probably the one most often used by Master Persuaders. Questions gain immediate involvement. Questions are used in the persuasion process to create mental involvement, to guide the conversation, to set the pace of conversation, to clarify statements and objections, to determine beliefs, attitudes, and values, to force you to slow down, to find out what your prospect needs, and to show your sincerity. Questioning is a very diverse and useful tool.
Much like movement, questions elicit an automatic response from our brains. We are taught to answer a question when it is posed to us. We automatically think of a response when asked a question. Even if we don't verbalize the answer, we think about it in our head. Most people want to be cooperative. We don't want to be considered rude because we don't answer the questions. In this way, a question stimulates our thinking response. Let's look a little bit at how to form good questions. First, design your questions ahead of time.
Neil Rackham and John Carlisle observed hundreds of negotiators in action in an attempt to discover what it takes to be a top negotiator. Their key finding was that skilled negotiators ask more than twice as many questions as average negotiators.
The structure of your questions dictates how your listener will answer them. When asked to estimate a person's height, people will answer differently depending on whether the question asked is "How tall is he?" versus "How short is he?" In one study, when asking how tall versus how short a basketball player was, researchers received dramatically different results. The "how tall" question received the guess of 79 inches whereas the "how short" question received the guess of 69 inches. Words have a definite effect on how people respond. "How fast was the car going?" suggests a high speed, but "At what speed was the car traveling?" suggests a moderate speed. "How far was the intersection?" suggests the intersection was far away.
Application
The best questions draw a person into a conversation and out of being unreceptive. So, it is to your advantage to direct questions at your prospects that will reel them in:
What do you think about…?Have you ever thought about…?How do you feel about...?When did you start…?Where did you find…?
Construct 3 questions that will get your prospect to open up
If you are probing for lots of information, it is best to keep your questions unstructured. The more unstructured the question, the more information you are likely to get. In a conversation in which you are asking many unstructured questions, the other person is likely to be doing most of the talking. Along this vein, it is a good idea to ask open-ended questions. It is too easy to respond to a question that can be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." For example, instead of saying, "Do you wish you had decided differently?" ask, "How did you feel after you made that decision?" Then the person's answer can be used as a device to lead into your more detailed questions--"Why did you make that decision?" or "What do you wish you could change about your decision?"-- without your seeming intrusive.
A good rule of thumb is to start with the easiest questions first. You want to draw your audience into the conversation and help them feel relaxed and comfortable. People are encouraged by answers they know are right. Begin the conversation by starting with a general topic instead of a specific subject. You need to get the wheels in your listeners’ minds rolling before you ask them to answer the more specific questions.
How can you stop telling about your product/service and sell with questions?
What open ending questions do you need to add to your persuasive presentation?
What is the best question you can ask to see if your prospect/customers understands your offering?
One facet of questioning is the use of leading questions. Leading questions are questions that give a semi-interpretation to your audience. The best trial lawyers are experts at using leading questions to cross-examine and influence witnesses. Elizabeth Loftus researched how leading questions influenced eyewitness testimonies. In one project, her subjects watched a one-minute multiple-car accident. One group was asked, "About how fast were the cars going when they smashed into each other?" The second group was asked, "How fast were the cars going when they hit?" The third group was asked, "How fast were they going when they contacted?" The first group estimated that the cars were going about 40.8 miles an hour, the second group estimated 34 miles an hour, and the third group estimated 31.8 miles an hour. The same question led to three different answers just by using alternative phrasing.
Leading questions not only alter the way we interpret facts, but they also influence what we remember. In another study conducted by Loftus, study subjects who were asked, "Did you see the broken headlight?" were two or three times more likely to answer yes than subjects who were asked, "Did you see a broken headlight?"
Learning how to persuade and influence will make the difference between hoping for a better income and having a better income. Beware of the common mistakes presenters and persuaders commit that cause them to lose the deal. Get your free report 10 Mistakes That Continue Costing You Thousands and explode your income today.
Conclusion
Persuasion is the missing puzzle piece that will crack the code to dramatically increase your income, improve your relationships, and help you get what you want, when you want, and win friends for life. Ask yourself how much money and income you have lost because of your inability to persuade and influence. Think about it. Sure you’ve seen some success, but think of the times you couldn’t get it done. Has there ever been a time when you did not get your point across? Were you unable to convince someone to do something? Have you reached your full potential? Are you able to motivate yourself and others to achieve more and accomplish their goals? What about your relationships? Imagine being able to overcome objections before they happen, know what your prospect is thinking and feeling, feel more confident in your ability to persuade.
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!
Kurt Mortensen teaches over a hundred techniques to give you the ability to effectively work with every customer that walks in your door. Professional success, personal happiness, leadership potential, and income depend on the ability to persuade, influence, and motivate others. Learning how to persuade and influence will make the difference between hoping for a better income and having a better income.

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By Kurt Mortensen

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!

Use Contrast To Maximize The Size Of Each Sale

We are affected when we are introduced to two vastly different alternatives in succession. We know that contrasting two alternatives can distort or amplify our perceptions of things. Generally, if the second item is quite different from the first, we will tend to see them even more differently than they actually are. As a Master Persuader, you can use this contrast to steer your audience toward the object of your persuasion.
The use of contrast is based on our perception of items or events that happen one right after the other. If you've had a rotten day because you found out you're losing your job and you come home to a new scratch on your car, you will have a vastly different reaction than if you were having a great day because you're getting a promotion and then came home to the scratch on your car. It's the same scratch, but there are very different perceptions and reactions to it, depending on your personal circumstances.
This is all about human perception. The human mind has to find a benchmark of comparison to make judgments, especially when we are talking about unfamiliar situations. People need to make comparisons with their past experience and knowledge. By presenting your prospects with contrast, you are creating those comparisons for them. The mind can't process everything at once and so it develops shortcuts to help make decisions. Instead of making a completely internal judgment, we look for boundaries, patterns, and polar opposites. We want to know the difference between our options, so we naturally contrast the two items. We mentally place things in our mind from best to worst, first to last, or highest to lowest. Do you want your prospects to compare your product or service to a second-hand used car or to a Rolls Royce? You get to decide where you want them to start their benchmark.
Have you ever taken your car to your mechanic and he tells you that you might need new brakes, a new transmission, a new fan belt, and that the timing sounds off? You go away thinking, "Oh man, I'm sunk. I might as well just buy a new car." Then when you come back, he tells you, "You just need new brakes." You feel as free as a lark, only having to pay $300 for what could have been a $3,000 repair job. Imagine if he had told you he thought he could fix it for $50 and the bill ended up being $500. That is the Law of Contrast in action.
Sweetening the Pot" is a technique often used by salespeople to make the deal seem "sweeter" than it really is, that is, making the prospect believe they are getting an exceptionally good deal. What can you add on as an incentive? What can you give as a bonus? What do you have that will add value to your product or service? It could be an added feature, a larger discount, free delivery, gift-wrapping, batteries, an extended warranty, or free consulting. Whatever it is, use it to create and contrast a higher value.
Think about the last infomercial you saw on late-night TV. You watch the salespeople display and demonstrate the product and you start to get interested. You begin to think about how this product will really make your life easier. They have not told you the price, but when they finally do, it is much higher than you thought. You were hoping to spend around $99, but the announcer said it was $499. Your heart drops but you keep watching because you are really getting into this product and how it will change your life forever.
Oh, now wait a minute--they are giving a special deal today. There is a temporary price reduction. This is your lucky day! Now they are offering it for $297! It's a good deal, but still a little expensive. Wait, they are adding three additional items to the package, an added value of $350. You can hardly believe it--you'll get over $800 worth of products for only $297. You are really interested now and you're just about ready to buy, when wait--it gets even better! If you order now, you can even make three easy payments of $99 for the next three months. You can't believe your luck so you order right away.
You were thinking of spending only about $99 and you ended up spending triple that amount--$297 to be exact. Why? Because of the Law of Contrast, you were going to get over $800 worth of product and the deal kept getting better. This law is critical for you to understand when showing others the value of your product. No one buys unless they feel like they are getting value for their money.
When you "sweeten the pot," you add bonus items to make the deal more and more valuable. We can all learn from the example of a high school bake sale: When the cashier told one group of customers they could purchase one cupcake and two cookies for a total cost of 75 cents, 40 percent of customers bought. The cashier then told another group of customers that they could purchase one cupcake for 75 cents. However, a few seconds later she added that because of a special they had going for that night, two more cookies would be thrown in as a bonus. By the end of the night, 70 percent of the customers purchased cupcakes and cookies when the "three for the price of one" technique was used, even though it was really the exact same deal.2 It's all in the presentation--you've got to "sweeten the pot"!
When using the Law of Contrast, keep in mind the powerful differences between positive and negative information. Psychologists have asserted for years that people automatically and subconsciously have extremely high expectations for the good over the bad. Because of this consistent tendency, negative information, when it comes, always seems to be given considerable weight because it is such a jarring contrast to what was expected. For example, have you ever had a salesperson get you all excited about some incredible product you were about to purchase? You're totally thrilled with all the things this product is going to do for you, and then BAM! The salesperson hits you with the ghastly price. Suddenly the hefty price tag, just one negative detail, outweighs the product's twenty terrific features. Negative information has taken precedence over all the positive information. In fact, now it's consuming your thoughts. You drive home able only to think about how the precious item is going to cost you an arm and a leg.
Time can erode your ability to use the Law of Contrast. The key to this law is that the two contrasting items must be presented one right after the other. This has an effect on group meetings and decision making: If in a meeting you put forth your great idea right after another great idea, it won't have the impact it would have had if it had followed someone else's poor idea. Likewise, if we are talking to a beautiful woman or man at a party and we are then joined by an unattractive woman or man, the beautiful person will seem even more beautiful, and the less attractive person will seem even less attractive.
Try this experiment: Fill three buckets with water, one with hot water, another with cold water, and the third with tepid water. Simultaneously soak one foot in the hot bucket and the other one in the cold bucket for thirty seconds. Now place both feet in the tepid bucket and you will be shocked with the results. The water in the third bucket is considered warm, but to the hot foot it feels cold and to the cold foot it feels warm. It is the same water but two completely different reactions. This is the Law of Contrast. Any product or service can be contrasted to appear very different from what it actually is.
Learning how to persuade and influence will make the difference between hoping for a better income and having a better income. Beware of the common mistakes presenters and persuaders commit that cause them to lose the deal. Get your free report 10 Mistakes That Continue Costing You Thousands and explode your income today.
Application Questions How can you add value to your product/service using the law of contrast?
What is the perception of your product/service. Is a Hyundai or a Rolls Royce?
What can you do to double the perceived value of your product/service?
Conclusion
Persuasion is the missing puzzle piece that will crack the code to dramatically increase your income, improve your relationships, and help you get what you want, when you want, and win friends for life. Ask yourself how much money and income you have lost because of your inability to persuade and influence. Think about it. Sure you’ve seen some success, but think of the times you couldn’t get it done. Has there ever been a time when you did not get your point across? Were you unable to convince someone to do something? Have you reached your full potential? Are you able to motivate yourself and others to achieve more and accomplish their goals? What about your relationships? Imagine being able to overcome objections before they happen, know what your prospect is thinking and feeling, feel more confident in your ability to persuade.
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!
Kurt Mortensen teaches over a hundred techniques to give you the ability to effectively work with every customer that walks in your door. Professional success, personal happiness, leadership potential, and income depend on the ability to persuade, influence, and motivate others. Learning how to persuade and influence will make the difference between hoping for a better income and having a better income.

______________________________________

By Kurt Mortensen

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!

Cross Selling

When I was sixteen and still at school, I worked in a department store on a Saturday. Cross selling was made easy for me then. For a while I worked in the menswear department. Someone came in to buy a shirt, and because all the related goods were displayed next to each other it was straightforward to ask whether the customer wanted a pair of cuff-links or a new tie to go with the shirt. If they bought a tie, the next cross sale was to suggest they also buy a spot-cleaner for the tie. A friend of mine worked Saturdays in a DIY store. Similar rules applied. Someone bought a tin of paint, and the cross sale opportunities were perhaps a paint brush; a brush cleaner; or even one of those implements to help keep lines straight. The basic rule to cross-selling then were - if you have a number of products to sell, group them together so that the customer doesn’t have too much of an effort in seeing the relationship between your products. That’s not to say that it will happen. Often the customer needs to be told about the relationship and have the idea planted verbally that they could buy more than what they originally came in for.
40 years later and the same rules apply. Trading on the Web has even made it possible to display not only your own diverse product range on the same page, but also relationships and partnerships with other companies. Yet research shows that simply because goods are displayed together does not hugely increase buyer behaviour.
Cross-selling from the sixties has evolved into CRM (customer relationship management) in the 21st Century. The theory is that the more products organisations sell to customer; the lower is the probability that the customer will buy elsewhere, and the more profitable that customer relationship will be.
CRM systems make it easy for the salesperson to identify additional sales opportunities. The first product a customer buys adds to the customer database of knowledge the company has about the buying habits and profile of the customer. If it’s a really sophisticated CRM system it will flag up to the salesperson cross-selling opportunities, and in some cases even provide the salesperson with the words to say.
Yet once again, research shows that even giving salespeople the words to say has increased cross-selling by only a very small percentage. Why?
Simple – selling is still very much a human face to face activity, and as such buyers are motivated by emotional feelings as much as by logic. The logical relationship between products and services can be totally overridden by the feeling that you are being sold to or that the salesperson is being less then honest in his or her desire to sell you something you didn’t appear to want at the outset.
Retailing should be relatively easy. Your goods are on display. The customer buys something and the relationship between the other products on display is understandable to you both. Therefore a confident suggestion about the relationship often works.
• If your business is more complicated, or your goods are not in the customer’s face (you might not have retail premises) then you need two things:
A story which includes your full range and explains how they are related, and/or Customer databases which highlights the relationship – but which should still rely on the story in point 1.
• If you have a database be careful about telling the customer how much you know about them. Imagine you buy your cigars at the same tobacconist every week to be told – ‘I see that you’ve bought our product seven times this year, and yet my database reveals that you don’t smoke’.
No matter what you know about the customer it’s still better to have them tell you verbally in answer to a question. All of us like talking about ourselves, no matter how much the other person already knows about us.
It is clear that in a competitive marketplace it will be the people who can sell more to each customer and effectively stop the customer buying from the competition who will survive. The future appears to be that in marketplace where the rules of specialism seem no longer to apply that your specialism could become a competitor’s cross-sell. So we either form commercial relationships with other supplies, or we run the risk of them supplying our specialism.
I was in a German coffee-shop in the UK the other day that also sold clothes and kitchen accessories. I haven’t worked out the relationship or indeed the story – but people were buying. Cross-selling has moved into a new arena!
Frank provides individuals and organizations with consultancy in the fields of selling; organisational change management, performance improvement, developing managers as sales coaches, and teaching charismatic leadership behaviours and presentation skills to senior and executive managers. In addition he is recognised as a leading authority on sales and sales management development using the Coaching Sales Champions programmes he has developed over a period of twenty years as the vehicle for individual and organisational improvement. He strongly believes that whether we work in the public or private sector; whether our organisation is commercial or non-commercial; that we are all in sales. His favourite quote, which has become his maxim is from Robert Louis Stevenson – ‘Everything in live is selling’.

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By Frank Salisbury
Frank was a founding member of the Sales Qualification Board (UK), and the Financial Services Lead Bodies Group (UK) – both organisations set up in the nineties to determine and publish standards for salespeople and sales managers in the UK

When Important Sales Intentions Go Bad

Your prospect attends an important trade show and returns to a busy life. Inside their bag of goodies are all the trinkets and collected purchase information. After distributing the trinkets to family members, the information joins the busy desk pile. As life takes hold of time and priorities the information bag sinks colder and deeper into the desk. Does this sound familiar?
The Ugly Factors of Missed Opportunities

If you are in sales, there are some ugly statistics that should alarm you. Research indicates that 90% of trade show attendee’s use exhibitions as their top resource for purchase information. After attending an exhibition or trade show prospects are ripe for follow up. Unfortunately, only about 80% of the companies will follow up on these prospects. If no follow up takes place, the opportunities grow colder each day. Research also indicates that almost 50% of these prospects could be closed on just one call. Plus almost 60% of these prospects will make a purchase within 12 months.
Cleaning Day Wipes Out Opportunities

If a business or salesperson doesn’t have a sales follow-up plan on exhibition opportunities, the expensive business opportunities will be lost to someone else. The prospects pile of information will someday reach a point where it is shoved into a trash bin because the information is too stale. This is a terrible waste of time and effort for everyone.
Top Sales Priorities

The top priority of a salesperson returning from a trade show should be responding to prospects. The simple action of a sales call and letter makes a huge difference. If the prospect says no, don’t leave it at that because the prospect will probably make a decision in the next twelve months. Establish and execute a follow up plan to stay in touch and you will reap the benefits.

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By Steve Martinez
Steve Martinez implements sales management strategies with a focus on automating sales for printing organizations. Selling Magic teaches businesses how to automate and customize ACT or Outlook with the best practices of sales management while integrating email marketing and technology for greater profits. http://www.sellingmagic.com

The Highest Form of Persuasion Revealed

Influence is a key element in mastering the techniques of Magnetic Persuasion. Influence is the highest form of persuasion. With influence, people are spurred on to action because of your character, not your maneuvers. Persuasion is what you do or say, but influence is who you are.
How does one gain this type of influence? How do you gain a strong enough influence over people that they will act simply because an idea came from you? How about having a strong enough influence over people that they are still compelled to move forward even when you’re not around?
Presence is the ability to empower and influence others into believing in you, trusting in you, and jumping on the bandwagon. You give them the energy they need to bring to pass the results you want. You help them see themselves in the future carrying out your vision. They become excited and energized by your passion and enthusiasm. They are magnetized and motivated by your charisma. They are lifted and inspired by your optimism and expectations. In essence, you’re a source of empowerment, encouragement, inspiration, and permanency to them.
For some, charisma is a mysterious attribute. It’s challenging to describe someone who exudes charisma because there’s really no way to quantify the effect this kind of person seems to have on others. It seems that you either have charisma or you don’t. Charisma is not leadership, assertiveness, or enthusiasm and it’s not exactly personality either. It’s its own unique characteristic. Charisma empowers others to like you, even if they don’t know much about you and even when there hasn’t been enough time to develop trust in you. If you have charisma, not only do people want to be around you, but, whether they realize it or not, they also want to be influenced by you. Charisma gives you power, allegiance, and devotion with your audience, without leaving them feeling powerless and it creates instant support. So, are you born with charisma or is it learned? The answer to both questions is yes! Some attributes are inherent; others can be acquired.
The word “charisma” comes from the Greek goddess Charis. Charis’ character was one of total beauty and charity. Today, the word has to do with an individual’s magnetism, intensity, vivaciousness, and so on. Gerry Spence’s said it best: Charisma is energy from the heart zone. If the speaker has no feeling, there is nothing to transfer. Charisma occurs when the speaker’s feelings are transferred in the purest form to another. Charisma is not a diluted feeling. It is not disguised. It is a raw feeling. Charisma is the passing of our pure energy, our pure passion to the other.
People who are charismatic often hold us in awe. Their energy prods us, motivates us, and inspires us. They fulfill our need to have heroes. We feel better for having met them, seen them, listened to them, and interacted with them. Why and how do they have this effect on us?
So, how would one go about developing charisma? Here are eight ways:
1. Develop self-confidence in yourself and your message. Don’t appear nervous or out of balance. Be confident that you possess self-worth and know your message.
2. Have a lighter side. Find your sense of humor and happiness. Have fun and don’t take life too seriously. Learn to laugh at yourself.
3. Have great presence and energy. Project a presence of the Five C’s of Trust: character, competence, confidence, credibility, and congruence.
4. Have a definite opinion about your subject. Be knowledgeable and make sure that knowledge is based on a solid foundation. Develop a sense of the audience’s emotion and conviction for your subject.
5. Look good. Make sure your clothing, hair, shoes, and jewelry match your message’s tone. Dress the part.
6. Be able to inspire and uplift. Be sensitive to people and their needs. Develop rapport with your audience. Connect with them and become a great listener.
7. Be organized and easy to follow. Make your points connected and your structure clear.
8. Be dramatic, unique, and enticing. Be interesting to be around. Make sure the things you talk about are exciting. Tell spellbinding stories.
Conclusion
Learning how to persuade and influence will make the difference between hoping for a better income and having a better income. It is the missing puzzle piece that will crack the code to dramatically increase your income, improve your relationships, and help you get what you want, when you want, and win friends for life. Ask yourself how much money and income you have lost because of your inability to persuade and influence. Think about it. Sure you’ve seen some success, but think of the times you couldn’t get it done. Has there ever been a time when you did not get your point across? Were you unable to convince someone to do something? Have you reached your full potential? Are you able to motivate yourself and others to achieve more and accomplish their goals? What about your relationships? Imagine being able to overcome objections before they happen, know what your prospect is thinking and feeling, feel more confident in your ability to persuade.

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By Kurt Mortensen
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! Take your test now at http://www.prewealth.com/iq
Kurt Mortensen teaches over a hundred techniques to give you the ability to effectively work with every customer that walks in your door. Professional success, personal happiness, leadership potential, and income depend on the ability to persuade, influence, and motivate others. 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! Learning how to persuade and influence will make the difference between hoping for a better income and having a better income. Go to http://www.prewealth.com/iq and take the free Persuasion IQ analysis.

Affiliate Marketing

If you have even a passing interest in the topic of Affiliate, then you should take a look at the following information. This enlightening article presents some of the latest news on the subject of Affiliate.
Affiliate Marketing: Why is it One of the Most Cost-Effective Ways to Advertise your Business
When you think about Affiliate, what do you think of first? Which aspects of Affiliate are important, which are essential, and which ones can you take or leave? You be the judge.
Ever heard of affiliate programs? These are forms of Internet advertising that rewards the affiliates for driving traffic to the advertiser or for other transactions. The advertiser pays the affiliate to place a link on their website, and the affiliate sends traffic to the advertiser in return. Simply put, it's about paying commissions to people who help you make sales. It's that easy. NOT.
Affiliate marketing has its ups and downs. It could be draining if you are not armed with updated information and the technical how-tos. But this article's sole objective is to reach out to you and not to badmouth affiliate marketing.
Here are the following reasons on why web marketers go gaga over affiliate marketing as a form of Internet advertisement.
1. Low cost
Many are scared to go on a home based business because of the capital required. In affiliate marketing, you don't have to spend much to start raking in moolah.
2. Inventories not included
Product management fuss could be very stressing. An inventory is not asked to be maintained. The merchant does the maintenance required.
It's really a good idea to probe a little deeper into the subject of Affiliate. What you learn may give you the confidence you need to venture into new areas.
3. Unlimited income through leverage
See how much you can learn about Affiliate when you take a little time to read a well-researched article? Don't miss out on the rest of this great information.
When you have a paid job, your monthly income mainly relies on whether you go to work or not. With affiliate marketing, your affiliates could all just lead traffic to your site without having to lift a finger after providing them your ad copy and links. Though not every web marketer earns limitless, it still is a fact that all the necessary matters for the advertiser or Internet marketer are all there to be successful.
4. Go worldwide
With affiliate marketing, you are dealing with a global market place. All you have to do is choose a niche product and prepare all the necessary tools for your affiliates to lead traffic from just about anywhere to your website.
5. Low risk
The very main reason for Internet marketer's enthusiasm with affiliate marketing is its having a low risk factor. Especially for those with low budget set aside for advertising, affiliate marketing is just the way to do it.
6. No closing time
With affiliate marketing, your business works every single second of the day while targeting a worldwide market! What could be better than that?
But all of these will be put to waste if you don't have the right niche product and all the other important tools to make it big in affiliate marketing, i.e., well-SEO-ed website. So better work on this first before ever considering those benefits.
Brought to you by: Internet Income Resources http://www.incomeintheusa.info/cms/index.php
The day will come when you can use something you read about here to have a beneficial impact. Then you'll be glad you took the time to learn more about Affiliate.

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by: Arthur Caby

I have been marketing on the internet for over 5 years with most of that time involved with Affiliate Marketing. Http://www.incomeintheusa.info/cms/

What To Do When Nothing’s New: Five Strategies for Success

Look at that throng of people crowding the trade show floor. People come from all over the country to walk these aisles, eager eyes flitting from booth to booth, scanning the exhibits for…what, exactly?
Research shows that the vast majority – 76% -- come to trade shows to discover what’s new and exciting. Maybe it’s a new product, or an innovative bit of technology, or a snazzy new application, or even an entire company that they were never aware of before. In an ideal world, every company would be constantly innovating, creating cutting edge products at phenomenal savings guaranteed to meet the customer’s needs.
But as you and I know, business doesn’t work that way. There are years when companies struggle to survive. Other years, it takes every ounce of effort just to maintain market position. And still other times, things might be fine, but the newest innovation is six, twelve, even eighteen months on the horizon.
Is it even worth exhibiting during these times? Do the results of participating in a trade show while your company’s in a lull phase justify the costs?
Absolutely! In fact, it is precisely at these times when not participating could hurt your bottom line. Businesses rise and fall based on the strength of personal relationships. There is no better place to form new relationships and maintain and reinforce existing relationships than at a trade show.
To do this, you need to create a positive impression with your exhibit. Demonstrate something new and exciting. Give the people what they want. How can you do that, you ask, when you don’t have any new and exciting products?
Here are five focus strategies the pros use when they’re in a similar situation:
1. Focus on Features: Purveyors of high-tech or complicated products often don’t realize how little consumers know about the items they purchase. For example, take the average word processing program. It has countless features – yet how many does the everyday user know about, much less use? Realize that your buyers may not even know what they don’t know. Here’s an opportunity to offer seminars, tutorials, or other interactive options centered on the more obscure features. This way, you’re demonstrating that you value your customers and want them to make the most of your products/services. You could win their loyalty for life.
2. Focus on the Future: If the next big innovation is in sight, but you’re not ready to spill the beans just yet, you’ve got an ideal opportunity to create a buzz. Some of the most effective excitement generating campaigns say little, if anything, about the new product, yet still create an impression that something noteworthy is about to happen. Signage, graphics, and literature all declaring “It’s Coming!” let the public know that you’re excited about the new product – and that they should be too.
3. Focus on Finesse: Is there a way to make your product new and improved? You’ll sometimes see this technique that I’ve called the Proctor & Gamble strategy. Every so often, you’ll see a new and improved version of a product introduced – laundry soap, shampoo, deodorant, and so on – yet you’d have to be a chemical engineer to notice any discernable difference between the old product and the new one. Still, consumers flock to the new, even if it’s only slightly different than the product they were previously satisfied with. If you can’t change your product, what about the packaging? Glidden changed their paint can while still keeping their actual product, the paint, the same as it ever was, and saw sales rise as a result.
4. Focus on People: Great products wouldn’t exist without great people. Consider putting a human face on your operation by centering your latest exhibit around the people who make, test, or use your product. Post Cereal, Reynold’s Wrap, and NAPA auto parts have all used this strategy successfully during periods when their product line was fairly static – and then carried the idea forward, altering it as needed to introduce new products!
5. Focus on Service: Many times, we’re asking buyers to make a huge investment to buy our products. If something goes wrong, the buyer worries that they will be left holding the bag on a very expensive mistake. Reassure consumers that they’ll never be alone if there is a problem. By promoting service plans, support networks, and other types of assistance, you’re demonstrating that you’ll be there for your customer – through thick or thin!

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Written by Susan A. Friedmann, CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, author: “Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies,” working with companies to improve their meeting and event success through coaching, consulting and tradeshow training. For a free copy of “10 Common Mistakes Exhibitors Make”, e-mail: article4@thetradeshowcoach.com; website: http://www.tradeshow-training.com.