For the most part, people prefer to do business with people they like and trust. That’s why personal relationships are far more effective when it comes to getting people to say yes than the mastering of any sales technique. Let me give you an example: Eighty to ninety percent of the people who go into the business of selling insurance leave the field within a year. Now let’s take a look at a typical beginning insurance salesperson: Jill, a college graduate who has just completed an insurance company’s three-week training program at corporate headquarters. During this training program, Jill is thoroughly coached on the latest selling techniques.
Welcome the Complaining Customer
Nobody likes to deal with an unhappy, disgruntled, complaining customer. However, statistics suggest that when a customer complains, we ought to be happy about it!
Capitalizing On Your Moments of Truth
A territory sales rep for Upjohn communicated with her actions when she was denied the opportunity to communicate with words. She was making a joint sales call with her boss, the district manager. The doctor they were calling on worked at a medical clinic that was located on the twelfth floor of a high-rise office building in downtown Los Angeles. It’s important to remember here that most doctors don’t like to meet with pharmaceutical sales reps. The reason is there are lots of them, they are young and aggressive, they think they know everything so they insult the doctor’s intelligence and often promise things on which they don’t follow through.
Look Up to Those Beneath You
Living by comparison is fatal vision, for always there will be those who appear better off and worse off than ourselves at any given moment in time. In truth, there is no such distinction as superior and subordinate. We all have unique talents that will blossom and flourish when nurtured.
Customers Prefer Special Treatment Over Low Price
The department store chain, Nordstrom, is a master at giving its customers special treatment. I live in Phoenix, Arizona, where until recently, there had been no Nordstrom. The closest stores were located in San Diego, some 300 miles away or one hour by air. So how did Nordstrom get people from Phoenix to shop at one of their stores in San Diego in big numbers? The answer is they spoiled the people who did and they spread the word.
Using Multilingual Websites
An English-language site is fine for attracting Web visitors from English-speaking countries (only 5.6% of the world’s population), or from the sporadic English-speakers in the other countries. But the need for a second (and third) language on your site comes when it becomes obvious that you are missing out on sales to another country.
Make Sure You Target the Right People
In any kind of sales or marketing campaign, you want to make sure you target the right people. The problem, however, is that who the right people are not always obvious. For example, I was consulting with a company that of my clients had education centers all over North America in which they taught various types of technical courses to high school graduates.
Zig Ziglar On Ambition
It is my conviction that ambition, fueled by compassion, wisdom, and integrity, is a powerful force for good. It will turn the wheels of industry and open the door of opportunity for you and countless thousands of other people.
Listening + Patience = Success
Many people think that the name of the game in selling is to create satisfied customers. The problem with customers who are merely satisfied, is they are likely to switch to a competitor if they think they can get a better deal. If you expect to achieve big time success in selling your goal should be to create loyal customers. As the late quality guru, W. Edwards Demming put it, “A loyal customer is excited about doing business with you, is willing to wait in line, and gladly pays premium prices. Furthermore, a loyal customer requires no advertising, doesn’t need to be sold over and over and continually brags about the merits of doing business with to other potential customers.”
Using a USP to Quickly Connect With Prospects
The acronym USP (Unique Selling Proposition) was created by Rosser Reeves, marketing expert in the 1960’s. Over time, his concept has been used by others, called different names by different individuals and pretty much has taken on a life of its own.