How Daily Goal Setting Can Make You The Most Successful Person in Your Community.

Research has proven that people who have written down their goals clearly on a piece of paper have a 90% chance of completing those goals. People who haven't written down their goals have on the other hand only a 10% chance of completing their goals.
By writing down your goals once you have increased your chance of success by a factor of 9!
What do you think would happen if you wrote down those goals every single day?
The technique of the top 1%
This technique is used by some of the most successful people in the world.
Writing down your goals every day writes them into your mind, imprints them and puts you on the fast track to their success.
Knowing you goals, knowing where you are going and what you want to achieve makes a huge difference in your life. It gives you lots of motivation, it helps you focus all your efforts towards your goals and moves you towards your goals in a much faster pace.
The X steps of daily goal setting
You will get the greatest effect out of this exercise if you do it in the morning, the first thing you do as it sets the tone and focus for the whole day.
1. Get a pen and a paper
2. Write down your top 10 goals
Do not look at the day before. Right what is important to you now.
3. Write the goals in the Positive, Present Tense
Eg. as if you had already completed them.
4. Set a deadline for each goal
Parkinson's law states that every task will fill the time allotted to it so if you don't set a deadline it will take forever to complete the goals.
What difference does it make?
By starting your day by setting you 10 top goals you jump start your creativity and motivates you for the rest of the day. You program yourself to focus on your goals and to move towards them and their completion.
Conclusion
This technique that has helped countless before you can change your life in ways you cannot even imagine.
Try it out for 2 weeks and if you feel any differently and by the law of attraction you will start to pull new opportunities into your life.

If you liked this article and want to read more like it visit Lookingtobusiness.com the popular blog about Sales Technique, Motivation and Success. I recommend you start with these articles as they are the most popular ever published on the site.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daniel_M_Wood

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Power Questioning for Sales Professionals

Communication skills are the defining attribute of a top sales person. There are five parts to great communication skills. Listening, Questioning, Body Language, Speaking, and Interpreting. These are also components of Influencing Buyer Behavior which also happens to be a currently running public seminar where I will be speaking.
A friend owns an entertainment company, which specializes in corporate grand openings. She jokes that she is not the salesperson, and I have to agree. Because her business requires her to prospect new clients, she quite often asks for my help. The other day I was talking with her again about open-ended versus close-ended questions. She finally had an "Ah, ha!" experience with the difference between the two.
This difference between open and close ended questions may seem quite simple to many of you, but you may be surprised to find out how many in the sales profession still do not have a clear grasp of these basic questioning skills.
Open-Ended Questions
Open-ended questions often start with words such as:
what,
tell me about,
share with me,
and how.
Open-ended questions should bring about descriptive answers from your prospect not a 'yes/no' answer.
Close-Ended Questions
Yes or no answers, or short non-expressive answers are the result of a Close-ended question which customarily begin with:

is
are
can
may
do
will

entri yang nak sorok kat sini
Open-ended or Close-ended question are neither good nor bad; they each have their purpose.
Four Questioning Categories
For those of you who have attended my seminar, Nine Key Principles to Influencing Buyer Behavior - Unlock the More Powerful You, you have heard me break down Close and Open ended questions into four categories.
Open-Ended questions come in either Broad Scoped or Narrow Scoped and the Close-Ended category also offers two choices with first, Alternative Choice and second, Single Outcome.
Broad Scoped Open-Ended
Narrow Scoped Open-Ended
Alternative Choice Close-Ended
Single Outcome Close-Ended
Complete communication occurs when we use all four types of questions. For the purpose of this article, we will discuss open-ended questions which includes numbers one and two from the above list.
1. Broad Scoped Open-Ended (BSOE)
Broad Scoped Open-Ended are exactly what the name elicits, broad and open. Broad in the sense that they are not meant for finding specifics, and open in that they begin with an open-starter like, what, tell me about, and share with me.
BSOE Example:
Tell me about the products and services your organization sells?
What primary responsibilities do your marketing agents have?
Share with me the steps that are currently in place for order processing.
BSOE questions are usually non-intrusive and help you develop background information about your prospect; however, they have other uses. A BSOE question is great for seeing the futuristic views of your clients or prospects. For example:
How do you see this project moving from here?
What future goals do you have for your Human Resource team?
The basic principle to remember about developing BSOE questions is:
Open-End Starter + Need For Understanding + Who/What Is It Related = BSOE
Example:
Share with me + the steps that are currently in place + for order processing = BSOE
Remember, you are not asking for specifics at this point. You are attempting to create general dialogue with facts. Think about BSOE questions with relationship to a first date. Most people ask surface things like: Tell me about your family? How many brothers and sisters do you have? What kind of music do you like? It is a general overview of who somebody is and what he or she is all about.
In the next section, I'll discuss how to take the information you generate from these questions and masterfully create value for strategic selling situations.
2. Narrow Scoped Open-Ended (NSOE)
NSOE questions create meaningful specific answers. In other words, they are intended to delve deep into an idea. NSOE questions can be thought of as true probing questions.
Just like the BSOE, NSOE questions begin with:
What...
How...
Tell me about...
Share your ideas...
NSOE questions are best derived from the answers you receive from BSOE questions.
Let's take a look at an example of the play between BSOE and NSOE:
BSOE: What are you currently doing to provide cell phones for your sales employees?
Customer: Well, we don't have access for all of our staff.
NSOE: Tell me, what has kept you from implementing company wide?
Customer: The expense of the connections.
NSOE: Exactly how many do you have in place now?
Customer: About 75 percent currently have phones.
NSOE: How much are you spending per month for the connections?
Customer: Somewhere in the neighborhood of $2,000.
Notice in the above example how we started with a BSOE question related to internet connectivity, and then we dove head-first into more specific questions about this topic on a more in-depth level. The NSOE questions create specifics about a customer's situation and what if anything they are currently doing as a solution.
The basic principle to remember about NSOE questions and how develop them is:
Open End Starter + Meaningful Specific + What the Question is relating to = NSOE
How much + are you spending per month for your connections?
What should you take away from this section?
Spend the majority of your time asking NSOE questions. Keep your questions open-ended (not a question that gets a 'no/yes' answer) to give your customers more opportunity to talk. Remember, people like to talk about themselves and their situations. When attempting to fact-find, you must never limit yourself to a yes or no answer.
ROLE PLAY
I recommend you try these questions on a friend or an associate in the next sales meeting as a role play.
Ask a BSOE question like 'What is your favorite sport?' or 'How many children do you have?' Then ask as many direct questions about the BSOE answer as you can. You'll be amazed how much you can find out about someone when you focus on one idea. NSOE questions may include: What do you like most about the sport? or What are your children's' names. How long have you been playing...? or How many boys and girls? You will be pleasantly surprised how many questions you can develop off of a single idea.
When performing this role-play. Make sure to pay attention to the development of your questions. The tendency for many people is to close off their questions. Closing off a question means you are limiting a response to a yes/no or either/or scenario.
Next Sales Executive News article, titled "Power Questioning for Sales Professionals, part II," will teach you how to utilize close-end questions effectively.

Good Luck & Good Selling
Let’s Make A Difference! Dennis R. Kyle, CEO

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Power Questioning for Sales Professionals, part II

Power Questioning for Sales Professionals, part II

3. Alternative Choice Close-Ended Questions
Alternative Choice Close-Ended (ACCE)
ACCE questions limit your chance of receiving a 'No' response. The best times to use ACCE questions are, setting appointments, asking for an order, pin pointing needs, and clarifying understanding.
You can probably tell, by the name, these questions begin with what is called 'close-end starters'.
Close-end starting words:
Is
Are
Can
May
Could
Would
Should
Do
Does
Take the close-end starter and couple it with an either/or scenario, this creates the alternative choice. You are asking someone to pick between two choices.
Let's take a look at some sample uses of ACCE questions:
Would you prefer to have it delivered on Monday or Thursday?
Is saving time or saving money most important to you?
So, did you want this project rolling by September or did you need to wait until the new year?
Let me make sure I understand you correctly. Did you want the 5,000 btu or the 2,500 btu system?
Do you need a two or three bedroom apartment?
Remember in the world of psychology, giving people a choice between something and nothing will almost always result in a choice of nothing. So you must always give two choices. Be weary of offering too many choices, because you can cause confusion in the mind of the buyer. Usually two or three choices are significant. Anything more than three will be over doing it.
4. Single Outcome Close-Ended (SOCE)
Single Outcome Close-Ended (SOCE) questions are overused in the wrong place more often than any other question. Too many sales people start conversations out with SOCE questions. Just as the name states, the SOCE question creates only one possible outcome.
In training salespeople, I hear sales professionals often asking prospects, "Would you be interested in. . .?" I know what my answer would be -- A quick "No." Or how about the infamous "Did you get the brochure I sent?" with a quick "no" from the prospect, recovery is difficult.
As with all close-end questions, they begin with a close-end starter.
Example:
Is
Are
Can
May
Could
Would
Should
Do
Does
The benefit to using SOCE questions is they are directive. When you are looking for a yes or no response, you will get it. SOCE questions are best used after rapport is built with a client. And when you know confidently that a 'no' answer will not harm your opportunity. They should be used the same way a doctor would use them, to diagnose a problem.
Example SOCE questions:
Do you use 4-color print in your brochures?
Are there other divisions who help fulfill the orders?
Do you expect a market shift in the use of PDA's with your clients?
SOCE questions also have 'closing the sale' benefits. Trial closing is a process that helps a salesperson find out where a prospect is in the commitment to buy. The goal of the questions is to receive a 'Yes' commitment and move forward the sale.
The easiest way to formulate a trail close question is an 'If/Then' scenario. For example, "If we can do this for you, then you'll do this for us?"
Example Trial SOCE question:
If we can ship 15,000 tons of iron to you by Tuesday, November 12, then you'll put your order in with me today?
Sales Success
How well you question determines your success in sales. Remember to keep your questions open-end, so you give the power of talking to your client.
The time to use close-end questions is when rapport has been built and you are diagnosing a situation.
I recommend before every meeting and telephone call you set an agenda. Decide what information you need to receive from the person you are meeting. If you get lost for open-end questions, try starting a question with 'Tell me about...' and follow it up with any pertinent idea related to the call.

Good Luck & Good Selling
Let’s Make A Difference! Dennis R. Kyle, CEO

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Reading Body Language

Body language is a fascinating skill. People rarely recognize how much information they give off and how noticeable it is to the human eye. Even to the untrained human eye.
I can remember coming home from school as a child after having a tough day and seeing my mother. Instantly she would look at me, and ask, "What is a matter?" I know for a fact the majority of the time, I would answer, “Nothing.” However, her keen exploration would soon make me realize that I had a negative attitude.
In sales, it is vitally important to read body language. There are four major areas of body language you need to observe.
Eye Contact and Brow Movement
Facial Gestures
Torso and Arm Behavior
Leg Activity
Eye Contact and Brow Movement
Let’s look at Eye Contact and Brow Movement closely. No pun intended of course. While in a seminar a few weeks ago, a participant asked me a question. After I answered her, I asked the clarifying question, “Does that answer your question?” She answered me with a stuttering “Yes,” however; as she answered me her brows were scrunched together demonstrating negative energy. She also glanced away several times rapidly. By noticing her gestures it was obvious she did not understand me.
Let’s take a look at positive and negative indicators:
Positive Behaviors
Direct Eye Contact – Interested, likes you
Smiling Eyes – Is comfortable
Relaxed Brow – Sign of Relaxation
Negative Behaviors
Limited or No Eye Contact – Lying, uninterested, too confined, uncomfortable, distracted
Tension in Brow – Confusion, tension, fear
There may be several reasons why someone is unable to hold eye contact. Now, I’m not talking about staring at someone either. Notice when you are interested how much eye contact you give and why you look away. It can simply be that you are distracted, for example a bird flies by and catches your eye. When people are not able to tell you their honest feelings they most often cannot hold eye contact.
Another reason for loosing someone’s eye contact is when you step into someone’s personal space (and each of us have a different size boundary); their natural sign is to look away. Check it out for yourself. Test some people (make sure you know them fairly well, you don’t want to get bopped on the head for invading personal space): walk toward your friend and see how close you can get before their eyes dart away. Also note that the same person has different boundaries for different people, thus the tighter your friendship usually the closer you are able to get.
You have it in you to recognize these signs easily. Focus your attention and see what other indicators you can come up with this week. I would enjoy hearing your results.
Facial Gestures
Facial Gestures are the second part of body language to read. The most important part of facial gestures is the mouth. Upward turns in the corner of the mouth are most often positive signs and downward turns or flat lines in the mouth demonstrate negative behavior. Observe the person’s lips to see if they are pressed together or relaxed and comfortable. Do they show signs of happiness or signs of discontentment? A person’s cheeks and dimple structure are also important to watch.
The most important thing to understand about reading facial behavior is that we all have the ability. Most people however never pay close attention to human tendencies and activities. Success in sales requires you to observe human behavior.
Arm and Torso Movements
The third important factor in reading human body language is monitoring arm and torso movements. Simple rule to remember is: “Closed-off posture usually means close-minded attitude and open posture means exactly what the name eludes, open or willing attitude.” I know you are thinking, “Okay, Mr. Genius now that you have told me the obvious what does that mean?”
Closed-Off Posture
Shoulders hunched forward – lacking interest or feeling inferior
Rigid Body Posture – anxious, uptight
Crossed arms – can be just cold or protecting the body from your discussion
Tapping Fingers – agitated, anxious, bored
Fidgeting with hands or objects (i.e., pen) – bored or has something to say
When these signs appear, don’t take judgment on yourself or them it’s simply time to take a break and see what that person is thinking.
Open Posture
Leaning forward – interested
Fingers Interlocked placed behind the head leaving elbows open and armpits exposed – very open to ideas, comfortable
Mirroring you – likes you and wants to be friendly
Still – more interested in what you are saying than anything
Reading body language is nothing more than paying attention to actions we see everyday and usually don’t process.
Leg Activity
The fourth factor to observe is leg activity. Again this is another area, which is relatively easy to observe once you know what to monitor. Usually negative behavior is observed through fidgety leg movements and uneasiness. There is no direct correlation between crossed and uncrossed legs. However, if you notice a person has their legs crossed and one of them is bouncing on the other it probably is anxiety.
Leg activity needs to be observed simultaneously with arm position. If you notice a person is bouncing their legs and their arms are crossed over or their torso is slumped over, the buyer most likely is closed-off.
Being successful in sales does not require a rocket science degree, not that it’s bad of course if you have one. Your success depends upon how well you can modify your personal behavior to adapt to situations. And check in with the individual, STOP talking, and ask them what they think.
If you notice a person is closed-down, you need to focus on one thing. What do you need to do to increase the person’s comfort zone?
The easiest way to increase a person’s comfort when they are closed-off is to first utilize mirroring.
Mirroring is a technique by which you observe a person’s behavior and then in a subtle way act the same way they are acting. If their arms are crossed over you should sit back relax a little, and then begin to cross your arms.
A psychologist from California University performed a study on mirroring. Two different teachers taught the students a process. One used mirroring; the other did not. It was overwhelming that the teacher using mirroring techniques was believed to be much more successful, friendly, and appealing by the students.
So as you look to the future it is going to require that you practice, practice, practice observing people. Remember, reading body language needs to be done carefully. Unlike verbal communication, body language can be rather abstract. However, it will lend itself to be a very good benchmark to human behavior and attitude.
You already have the intuitive skills to learn the art of reading body language. Now you must become more conscious of the subtle signs your prospects and clients give off.
When you notice positive body language, keep on track and move in the direction of closure. If negative vibrations are being sent to you, step back and redefine your objective internally and externally.
One of the best tips I have for you to help create more positive energy is to continually reiterate ideas and validate understanding. Simply review what you have discussed with your prospect already and validate it by asking clarifying questions.
For instance:
Seller: Mrs. Jones we have discussed a variety things related to project implementation and pricing structures. We will initiate the project on Dec. 1 and it will run for 16 consecutive weeks concluding on March 31. There are 7 consultants scheduled to be on the project alternating with three people available full-time. The estimated investment is $98,235.00. Does this make sense to you?
Buyer: Yes it does!
(Observe body language. Don’t just assume because the person said “yes” it means ‘yes’. You have to watch their eye contact, facial gestures for positive signs, torso and arms to make sure they are open, and finally if they have any noticeable fidgety behaviors in their legs or feet. If you determine quickly this is a sincere yes, offer an opportunity for questions. If there is any doubt in your mind address it now before moving forward. Let’s take a look at both ideas.)
Noticeable Doubt:
Seller: Mrs. Jones I notice there may be a few things your not clear on, what issues do I need to explain further?
(Believe me in most cases when you observe body language and observe it with true compassion and desire to understand, your intuition won’t serve you wrong. The client or prospect will have some issues, and they will appreciate you recognizing them. Learning how to define issues early on in a relationship forges a happy road to success. Once the person starts to open up to you with concerns, resolve those concerns immediately.)
Buyer: Well there is a few things regarding…
Seller: (answer all questions and clear up doubt).
Decisive Yes or After You Cleared Up
Doubt:
Seller: Mrs. Jones, I’d like to open this discussion to any questions you may have regarding the finalization of this project.
(It is vitally important to pause when you open the floor to the individual. Any more words out of your mouth will taint the discussion. The power of your questions is not only in the proper delivery of the question, but how well can you shut-up after you ask it.)
Body Language For Salespeople
As a sales professional reading body language can give you the edge you need to close the sale. Utilize body language signals given by your prospects to ask better questions. The stronger you are a reading body language and questioning skills the more sales you will win.

Dennis R. Kyle is a professional speaker, business & sales consultant and CEO of Positive Results. Kyle is the author of the Mastering Sales Skills series and The Art of Reading Buyer Behavior. If you find this article useful, you will enjoy, appreciate and learn from Dennis Kyle’s audio and videotapes. Dennis Kyle is known as the b2b Sales Expert. He consults, writes for a variety of publications and speaks on reading personality, telephone skills, sales, sales management and motivation topics for companies and associations. This article is from his monthly e-newsletter titled “Sales Executive News” available at www.PositiveResults.com

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How to better manage yourself

You are responsible for everything that happens in your life. Learn to accept total responsibility for yourself. If you do not manage yourself, then you are letting others have control of your Iife. These tips will help "you" manage "you."
.Look at every new opportunity as an exciting and new-life experience.
.If you catch yourself worrying about an upcoming task, go ahead and do it now so it no longer is a distraction.
.Get into the habit of finishing what you start.
.Give up "waiting time" forever. Have something with you at all times to work on. For example: plan your day, work on a report, or read a page from your book.

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How Winners Close

How Winners Close
The New Economy is forcing us to change the way we sell. Buyers are much more savvy, tougher, willing to play you against your competition, and are reluctant to divulge information about how they are going about making a decision. A lot of what we used to do just doesn't work anymore.
What doesn't work anymore? Asking an executive what keeps them up at night. Selling what you have, not what they need. Not differentiating yourself and your offering based upon unique business value. Another thing that doesn't work is following the old "ABC of selling." Always Be Closing.
Executives don't like to be hard-closed. They can see it coming a mile away. And if your credo is "I close hard and I close often," with some executives your first close may be your last.
What are the best practices around closing? It's a bit more involved than that. Since closing is a critical component of every sales process, there are dependencies, milestones and conditions that must be met for the close to be effectively executed.
Trouble Closing?
I often consult with companies that believe their problem is that they are having trouble closing deals. After analyzing their situations, I often find that the problem really goes back to ineffective qualification or lack of process.
If an opportunity isn't effectively qualified, the sales rep will operate under the mistaken impression that the deal is theirs to win. Any number of things might be wrong: the competition is already in and has set the ground rules; there is not a sufficient fit against the prospect's requirements; the prospect has not budgeted enough money to fund the investment. Attempting to close under circumstances like those is worse than just a waste of time. It's an embarrassment to the sales profession and will ruin the reputation of the company that employs that salesperson. Even if the opportunity is qualified, if there is an absence of a logical selling process, where the close is disconnected from other critical components of the sale, the buyer will be caught off guard, become resentful, or perhaps even angry, and a sale will not be consummated.
Collaboration Required
Sure, the prospect will have had to agree on terms and conditions as well as pricing—things that some sales reps save until the end of the selling cycle to discuss. However, when you consider these additional areas of discussion between you and the prospect, you'll see how it all begins to fit together as logical steps in a collaborative process:
1. The prospect will have agreed with you that there was a business issue, pain, problem or challenge that wasn't being addressed. (Hopefully you were in the position to uncover this with the prospect before competition was introduced.) Example: The prospect says, "You're right. We do not have the appropriate level of internal expertise to comply with certain requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act."
2. The prospect will have agreed with you on the business results they expect to receive from an investment in a product or service such as yours. Example: You say, "Do you agree that once you have clear, concise, and compelling messages, and your salespeople have been trained on how to employ them, they will be better equipped to prospect more effectively?" And your prospect responds, "Yes, I can see that."
3. The prospect will have agreed with you on the timeframe in which they will make a decision based upon appropriate lead times for achieving the expected business results. Example: The prospect says, "We need to have this capability by August 15th, or our most important customer will transfer 50 percent of the business they do with us to another supplier." And you say, "We can do that."
4. The prospect must have agreed with you on the value that this new capability will provide them. Example: You say, "Can you see from my business assessment that you can expect somewhere between a 10 and 15 percent reduction in customer attrition, resulting in perhaps $3 million in additional revenues next year?" And the prospect says, "Yes."
5. The prospect must have acknowledged how the benefits will be delivered or realized, making a direct connection between your product and service and the highest-level business value they expect to receive. Example: The prospect says, "I understand that the installation of your RFID equipment and the implementation of the related software will take 3 months and at that point we will be fully compliant with Wal-Mart's requirements."
6. The prospect will have acknowledged that you, your company, and your solution provide unique and measurable value. Example: You say, "Do you agree that we are the only potential supplier whose balance sheet is strong enough for you to undertake the risk of this investment?" And the prospect says, "Yes, I understand that."
7. The prospect will have acknowledged that your proposal went into sufficient depth on all the items above and provided them with an ROI within their department, agency or corporate guidelines. Example: You say, "We've gone through each section of my proposal in considerable detail. Is there anything you feel is missing or not explained well enough?" They say, "You proposal is fine."
8. The prospect will have acknowledged that all of their questions and concerns have been addressed, potential risks mitigated, and that pricing and terms have been agreed upon.
Now you are ready to close. And, most importantly, your prospect is expecting it because, early on, you explained what to expect at each step. You integrated your selling process into their buying process, collaborated with them every step along the way, and will therefore gracefully be able to transform them from a prospect to a customer.

Sales Tactics to Beat Your Competition
This month I want to share a success from a friend and customer of mine. You'll find in this story two important sales tactics for beating your competition.
From Chris Chalmers of Quova Inc:
"We sell a commodity product (geographic data) that is available from a variety of competitors and public sources. Recently, we lost a major account to a competitor, and based on our long-standing relationship with them, they consented to debrief us on what went wrong. Obviously we had an account management issue, and there had been a service problem or two. But the clincher was our competitor was perceived as "more helpful" and "more expert" because they were offering all sorts of unsolicited suggestions about how to use the product.
"That was a real surprise - Shouldn't the customer already know what they were going to do with the product? Otherwise they wouldn't have bought it, right? How much advice can you give when your product is a simple commodity?
"So we tried our competitor's approach in our next sales cycle. When the customer was talking about their perceived needs and uses of the product, we used to sit mildly and take notes. This time, we launched into a barrage of questions about the intended use our product, interspersed with short stories about how other customers were using it.
"What about this application? Have you ever considered this alternative? Here's how someone else in your situation is using it.." and so on. Instead of going into detail about the functionality of our application, which was simple and undifferentiated, we went into detail about the usage of our product, which was highly differentiated.
"Much to my surprise, it worked! Now WE were perceived as 'experts' and 'adding value' to the product - even though it was still a commodity that our competitor was selling for a lower price. Our coach really wanted to do business with us, and we were able to defend a higher price point and get our deal closed."
Thanks for sharing your story with my readers and me Chris. You and your sales team were smart to adopt your competition's tactics to beat them at their own game. Sales Tactic - Asking questions

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"If we could do a better job than your current supplier, would you be open to considering what we have to offer?"

Be Interested, Not InterestingBy Ron S. La VinePresident of Intellworks, Inc.
.I had an interesting conversation on the phone during class the other day. This took place over the course of 20 minutes or so with the class listening in on the conversation. Here are some of the details I can recall.I called on a prospect that was entrenched with another supplier. After asking and receiving his permission to speak we covered all the reasons why he liked his current supplier. At this point my goal was to pinpoint what was of importance or value to him. I asked if he was aware of the current recall of a certain part of equipment his supplier recalled. My intention was not to attack the supplier rather instead to be sure he was aware of a potential problem. He said he was aware and that the supplier had done a good job of handling the situation.Rather than attacking that supplier (never down talk the competition), I chose another tact. I asked "If we could do a better job than your current supplier, would you be open to considering what we have to offer?" His initial response was no.So again I asked more questions about how was currently doing business and kept coming back to the same question above in different forms."What would we need to do to have you consider us as an additional supplier?" The answer was still no I'm not interested."What is it that you look for in a supplier and if we could provide all those requirements would you be open to evaluating our products?" Again he responded with he was happy with his current supplier.I asked if he had heard or had any experience with our company and he replied he had a bad experience with another competitor and therefore was leery of considering replacement or adjunct suppliers. We agreed that his experience sounded unpleasant and I reminded him that we were not that supplier.He mentioned that one of his executives had an experience with us where he had to take his equipment in to be repaired, which was time consuming. I explained we now offered on-site service that would eliminate that problem.I kept the focus of the conversation on him and what was of value to him and why. I used good old-fashioned curiosity rather than giving up.After letting him go on about his current supplier for a bit, I asked, "What would we need to do to do business with you?" This question did the trick. He detailed all the specs of the type of equipment he was currently using and said our product would have to meet all the specs plus have a better price.I started asking about the current amounts of equipment he had in use and how often he was buying new equipment and in what quantities. This gave me theidea of the profitability to our company over the long run if we could get our foot in the door.So I followed with "What specs would our equipment need to have for you to test or evaluate it?" He rattled off a dozen different things including specific amounts of memory, input-output speed and the ability to connect with his current storage system. Once the specs started pouring out I knew I had gained the opportunity I was looking for which was for him to be open to considering another or additional supplier.So I took that information and asked my next question. "So what you are saying that if we had a piece of equipment that would meet or exceed those specs you would consider looking at it?" He came back with there would need to be no shipping charges. I said we would pick up the shipping charges.He came back with he would need time to conduct the evaluation. I asked how much time. He said at least 30 days. I asked if 60 days would be enough time and he said plenty.I summarized the conversation and the specs that were required in the equipment that he was going to receive and then set up a Sales M.A.P. (mutually agreed upon process) where we would configure the equipment and deliver it to him. I asked for his email so I could forward some detailed product specifications to him and said I would follow up with a phone call to be sure he received the email and to set up a time to drop off the equipment.Learning to reframe situations in terms of what is important or of value to the other person combined with "If we could help you do it better, faster or less expensively" seems to make it harder for a person to say "no". Add this with being interested in what the other person is saying instead of trying to interesting by telling why you think your products are better and you have a winning combination.

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Answer Based Questioning

Answer Based QuestioningBy Ron S. La VinePresident of Intellworks, Inc.
Have you ever begun to think to yourself while you are on the phone speaking with a prospect, “What am I going to say next?”Try this approach. Base your next question upon their answer. First, listening to what someone is saying (especially a prospect) is the polite thing to do. Secondly, this strategy will enable you to keep your mind focused upon what the other person is saying rather than trying to think ahead as to what you are going to say next.The idea is to have a conversation like you would when you are speaking with a friend. In fact, friendship and rapport are what you are trying to achieve.Example:Prospect: “We love our database management system.”Sales Rep: “What do you like about it?” (Said with genuine interest)Prospect: “It has quick access time to our data.”Sales Rep: “I’d like to see if I can help you. How does the access time to your data compare to the accuracy of the data being requested and received?”In the example, “We love our database management system” provides the basis for the next question “What do you like about it?” “It has quick access time to our data” provides the basis for the next question “How does the access time to your data compare to the accuracy of the data being requested and received?”Have you ever given a friend advice on a specific product or service that they plan to buy? What happened? Did you try to force your friend to buy it? Probably not. Why?People do not want to be forced into what to buy and spewing forth a bunch of features hoping something you say will stick is not selling. In other words, people do not like to be sold they like to buy. Our job is to listen and find out what people want and value so we can help them buy the way they want to buy.I will never forget an experience in class once when I was trying to coach someone who would not read my notes or listen to the prospect. The person on the other end said, “This how we buy. You send me three packets of information and I will meet with my two managers to determine when and if we should meet.What did the rep proceed to do? “Why don’t I drop by and deliver it to you personally?” This rep was determined to get what he wanted which was a face-to-face appointment. Mr. Prospect replied, “Maybe you didn’t hear me. Send over three packages of information for review first and then we can set up a meeting.”Again, the rep repeated, “I’ll be in the area on Monday, why don’t I drop by and give you the packets?” By this time, you can picture the steam coming out of theprospect’s ears over the phone. He said, “Either you send me the three packages of information for my managers and I to review or we don’t do business”.At this point, it began to sink in. This is how Mr. Prospect buys. After we hung up, I asked him why you kept asking to stop by. His response was I wanted to meet him and hand the information to him personally. Apparently, he was not listening to what was being said. Instead, he was concentrating on his agenda, which was to get an appointment at any cost. Well it may have cost him the sale.Do you remember when you had a great buying experience? I will bet you dollars to donuts that you raved about it to your friends. You probably talked about what you really enjoyed most when using that product or service or what you liked about the person who helped you buy it and then recommend your friends go see this person when they needed the products she offered.Think for a moment or two on how you go about buying things. How do you want people to treat you? What qualities do you like in a salesperson and which qualities aggravate you?What is the experience you think of, when you enjoyed buying a specific product or service? Remember that people do not like to be sold, they like to buy. Again, our job is to listen and find out what people want and value so we can help them buy the way they want to buy which may not necessarily be the way we want to sell. A great salesperson’s job is to deliver great sales experiences by asking questions, listening and creating a two-way conversation, not a one-way monologue.

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15 Steps to Cold Calling Success

15 Steps to Cold Calling SuccessBy Ron S. La VinePresident of Intellworks, Inc.
In my opinion, the secret to making good cold calls is to ASK PERMISSION TO SPEAK. So many telemarketers call us at work or at home and launch into their spiel without thinking we might be in the middle of something important.Here's a message for telemarketers. Your prospects are not listening! If your call is taking them away from something they're involved in, whether it's important or not, they will not give you their attention, even if they stay on the line. Worst case scenario, they'll silently fume at the interruption and lack of courtesy.
Asking permission to speak engages your prospects. They're required to respond. If they give permission, then they've opted in. The result is an attentive and much more receptive listener.When you're telemarketing, ask if the respondent is busy. If so, offer to call back another time and then make a phone appointment. Explain you would prefer to call them back when it is convenient for them to talk.Be prepared to quickly give the purpose of your call. Let's say you want two questions answered so you can better understand how your prospects do business. For example:Here's an example of something you may say… "The reason I am calling is two fold. One is to find out who is responsible for acquiring ABC products or services. Secondly, to find out if we can be of service to you."One of the most basic tenets of the powerful sales system I designed is revealed in my upcoming book "The Secrets to Cold Calling Success" is to ask permission to speak right up front. Don't be afraid you will lose the opportunity.Plenty of people will speak with you if you are polite and ask permission to speak first and then explain who you are, who you represent and that the purpose of your call is to get answers to the two questions above. Notice that you are NOT selling. You are simply seeking information to UNDERSTAND how a prospect's company does business and to see if you can help them conduct their business more effectively. There is no need to speak with people who do not want to speak to you. Why?There are hundreds and hundreds of leads to call. Find the ones who will give you permission to speak. And if you catch your prospect at a bad time and he agrees to reschedule the call, you then have permission to call back at a mutually convenient time. You've just warmed up your cold call!
Here are a couple of examples of openers that I use:"Hi my name is [insert your first and last name] and I'm calling on behalf of [insert your company name]. " "Do you have a minute to speak with me?" Alternatively, "Am I catching you at a good time?" The answer will immediately let you know if you can proceed or not. If she says yes, prepare to give the reasons for your call. If she says no, then make a phone appointment to speak at a more convenient time.Typically, before agreeing to a phone appointment, your prospect will ask why you're calling. The person being called is trying to determine "What's In It For Me?" also known as WHIIFM. Before setting an appointment, most people need to determine whether it is a good use of their time to speak with you. And that's fair!People who call others unexpectedly are often perceived as an interruption. It is important to remember that if someone is busy and you try to speak with him or her, they will not listen to what you have to say. You will be heard as "just another annoying telemarketer or telesalesperson."In contrast, if you ask permission to speak, you will gain a much better result, since you are showing respect for the time and circumstances of the person you are calling. This is especially important if you are calling upon a high level executive.Keep in mind, high level executives are people. There is nothing to fear when speaking with them. The truth is you will find many high level executives will speak with you for at least a minute to find out the reason for your call. By asking permission to speak before relaying the reason of your call, you will find more people are receptive to what you have to say.Prepare in advance to succinctly relay the purpose of your call. Do not deviate from your calling objective which is to locate 'WHO" is responsible for acquiring your products and services and secondly, to find out how you can be of service to the prospect's company.Prepare to ask these questions many times and you will find out all the different sources of information from various people throughout a prospect's company. This is known as being Polite, Yet Respectfully Persistent (PYRP). To employ PYRP, plan to call in multiple directions (top, bottom, side, and angle) into a prospect's company. Ask for different departments, business units or locations.Ask each person the same questions (WHO is responsible? and How can I be of service?). If they do not know the answer ask, "What do you do?" or what are you responsible for? Childlike curiosity goes a long way over the phone, however you need to get in the habit of asking questions and waiting for answers.Certain people, when time permits, like to speak about themselves and their jobs. In fact, their job is to educate you about their company. The first and most logical place you can call is the purchasing department. Why? People who work in purchasing must buy products and services to justify their jobs.Other excellent departments to call include sales, marketing, investor relations and the computer room (if you are offering hardware or software).These are 15 steps to cold calling success.

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Basic Investment Principals

Basic Investment Principals
The first and most of important of all basic investment principles is to start investing now.
One of the biggest mistakes people make is to keep putting of making investments, and every day they wait is a day their money could have been earning them more money.
Another basic investment principle that cannot be stressed enough is to make a financial plan.
For a beginning investor, this doesn’t have to be an elaborate financial plan, but one that clearly outlines what your financial goals are for the future.
You can’t achieve anything without a plan, whether it’s building a house or creating wealth you can depend on.
The next major basic investment principle is to organize your personal finances. This means you need to make a budget. Why? The only way most people have of both knowing where their money is going and how much money they have for investing is to make a budget. A budget shows what is essential and what isn’t. When you know where your spending leaks are, you can stop them and turn that money into investment capital that will put your money to work for you.
Now you want to make an investment. It’s always a good idea to invest for the long term. Get rich quick investments carry a great deal of risk and just aren’t practical for the average investor. Making good, solid investments is a basic investment principle that has stood the test of time for millions of people, and it will work for you.
Finally, the key basic investment principle once you’re ready to actually choose your investments is to make sure they’re diverse. This means you should spread your money out among several different types of investments rather than putting all your money into one investment. This helps minimize your investment risks because if one investment doesn’t do well, another will. So keep this basic investment principle top-of-mind when you are ready to actually make your investments.
http://www.wealth--creation.com/basic-investment-principals.htm

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Investing For Wealth - Creating Lasting Wealth For Your Futue

Investing For Wealth
Creating Lasting Wealth For Your Future
When it comes to creating lasting wealth through investing most people miss the boat simply because they put off doing the essentials to get started.
They procrastinate, usually because they think that learning how to invest really isn’t possible for them or because they’re intimidated by the investment world.To become a successful investor, it is imperative to start with a can-do attitude. If you believe you can, you will put the effort and time into your investing that will ensure that you actually do become successful.
Creating wealth doesn’t happen by magic—it happens by setting wealth creation goals and sticking with them.
After you’ve made the decision to actively pursue creating lasting wealth for your future, you need to stop any spending leaks you have in your budget and start using that money for investments.
You may choose to invest in the stock market, or you may decide that property investing is the way for you. Which ever method you choose the most important thing is that the time to start is right now, not next week or next year or after that next thing. The time is now if you truly wish to create lasting wealth for the future through investing.This takes discipline. Wealthy investors know this. They know they will have to be dedicated, disciplined and even thrifty at times in order to be wealthy in the future. And they are willing to make some sacrifices in instant gratification so that they can build their wealth for the future.You will also need to acquire knowledge of the financial world and the various types of investments that are out there. To create lasting wealth for the future, you want to invest your money in investment tools that will successfully create wealth for the future.
Good solid investments that you stick with for the long term are your best bet for creating lasting wealth. Find out which type of investments fit with your overall goals to create lasting wealth for the future and start investing as soon as possible. The future is closer than you think.
Source: http://www.wealth--creation.com/

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Summary

The very first rule about selling anything is you have to believe in what you are selling. Next thing you need to do is your research. Do your "homework".Find out as much as you can about the product and the sort of people you will be selling the product to. Being able to communicate on all levels is the key.... learn how to translate anything complicated into more simple terms.. You will need also to research all of your competition. The successful salesperson handles these situations the same as he would if he were asking a girl for a date, or even applying for a new job. Learning your product, making a clear presentation to qualified prospects, and closing more sales will take a lot less time once you know your own capabilities and failings, and understand and care about the prospects you are calling upon. Getting up out of bed in the morning; doing what has to be done in order to sell more units of your product; keeping records, updating your materials; planning the direction of further sales efforts; and all the while increasing your own knowledge - all this very definitely requires a great deal of personal motivation, discipline, and energy. But then the rewards can be beyond your wildest dreams, for make no mistake about it, the selling profession is the highest paid occupation in the world!Selling is challenging. It demands the utmost of your creativity and innovative thinking. The more success you want, and the more dedicated you are to achieving your goals, the more you'll sell. Getting up out of bed in the morning; doing what has to be done in order to sell more units of your product; keeping records, updating your materials; planning the direction of further sales efforts; and all the while increasing your own knowledge - all this very definitely requires a great deal of personal motivation, discipline, and energy. But then the rewards can be beyond your wildest dreams, for make no mistake about it, the selling profession is the highest paid occupation in the world!Selling is challenging. It demands the utmost of your creativity and innovative thinking. The more success you want, and the more dedicated you are to achieving your goals, the more you'll sell.

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Tele Sales – Core Communication Skills – Tips for Success - Chapter 2

Tele Sales – Core Communication Skills – Tips for Success - Chapter 2
The 2nd Chapter in Tele Sales - Tips for Success – concentrates on the core communication skills you need to develop and continually practice. Demonstrating these skills will provide a solid foundation on which to further develop Telephone sales success.These tips apply to both inbound and outbound Tele Sales:
1. PLAN WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO SAYThe greatest myth in selling is that salespeople must have the gift of the gab. But ask yourself the following: Do you recognise glib, slick fast talking sales people? Do you trust them? Do you buy from them? I suspect your answers are: 1.Yes 2. No and 3. No. Additionally there is nothing worse than someone who appears to be reading from a script and cannot divert from a rigid process to respond to the customer’s comments, questions and requests.Accepting that you cannot fully plan or predict what a customer will say or how they will respond to what you say, you can however be tactical in your approach.Develop a plan and a structure of what you need to say to your customers. This can be in the form of bullet points and when dealing with customer enquiries. Tick these points off as you communicate them – you can then see what points you have made. You can also use the tick list to help to not forget important features and assist you to summarise what you’ve said at the close of a call. Pause before responding immediately to a question or customer comment, think what it is you want to say. Most customers will recognise and respond positively to a considered response more than waffling directionless sentences that when listening to the content of what has been said, actually say little at all!
2. BE CONCISE & CLEAR If you have a plan and a general structure of what you need to communicate, deliver this information concisely and clearly. Provide bite size chunks of information that are easy for the customer to listen to and understand.Develop a range of ‘roll off the tongue’ phrases and sentences you can deliver in a natural and friendly manner. You don’t have to sound like you’re a rehearsed public broadcaster. ButBe careful not to sound too well rehearsed!
3. SOUND LIKE YOU ARE CONFIDENT & MEAN WHAT YOU SAYLess than 50% of the words we say and how we say them has a significant impact when communicating face to face. Therefore, when communicating over the telephone we are an immediate disadvantage and we have to ensure we compensate by the loss of the signs we give and get through our non-verbal communication.Be aware of your energy levels. The pace, volume, tone and pitch of your voice when communicating will impact on the impression the customer will have of you.A classic trap for Tele Sales professionals when confronted with a question or comment from a customer, to which they are not sure how to respond, is for the volume of their voice to drop when delivering their response. This can give a non-verbal signal that suggests the person speaking is lacking in confidence in what they are saying. The old saying is that – “It’s not what you say – it’s how you say it!”
4. PERSONALISE THE CALL – USE THEIR NAMEUse the person’s name when you talk to them – not just at the beginning and end of a call – but throughout. If you don’t have their name, give yours and ask for theirs.Knowing and using someone’s name is one way to personalise your call in a way that it makes the individual you are talking to believe that you are talking to them and that the call is not just one of a high volume of calls you are making today. The quicker you can develop an effective rapport with someone the better chance you have of engaging in a meaningful conversation. This will enable you to ask probing questions that will provide you with specific information that you will be able to link features of your products and services to identify individual customer benefits.
5. ACTIVELY LISTENConcentrate on listening. Try to keep focussed on what the customer is saying to identify their needs. Don’t get distracted by things that are happening around you and thinking of what you are going to say next. Take notes when listening. Try to avoid asking customers to repeat things they have already told you (if you have to ask for information they’ve already provided, again, acknowledge the customer has already told you and/or ask them to clarify once more the information they have given you).
6. ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT IS SAID TO YOUAcknowledging what is being said to you requires you to actively listen.As a development exercise - Practice listening – ask a colleague to tell you something about what they have done recently - Identify what you have heard and repeat back with as much detail as possible. Get them to feedback to you what you have heard correctly and the key points of what they were saying to you.Acknowledge verbally that you are listening to a customer – use phrases like – “OK”, “Good”, “I see”, “Thank You”, etc. This provides the customer with confidence you are interested and concentrating on what they are sayingAsk for clarification or ask checking questions to ensure you have effectively understood what they are saying – i.e. “This happened when?” “What time was that?” “When did you discover the fault?” “So if we can provide you with ‘x’ and ‘y’, you would be interested in this product/service?” etc.Again this provides the customer with confidence that you are taking responsibility to ensure their needs are met.
7. GIVE THE CUSTOMER SPACE When listening to telephone communication, it often occurs that both people will at some point be speaking at the same time. When this occurs it is virtually impossible for any accurate listening to take place! Don’t talk over customers (unless in extreme cases where they won’t stop talking and you feel it is appropriate to progress the conversation by interrupting them) Continue to verbally acknowledge them until they pause and then progress with your response.
8. GIVE YOURSELF SPACE & RESPONDThe first two tips in this chapter are to ‘plan what you are going to say’ and ‘be concise and clear’So don’t jump in too quickly and respond without considering what you are going to say. To give yourself space to consider your response, use verbal acknowledgements and give a verbal commentary to the customer to provide yourself with space to plan your response to their comments and/or questions.i.e. Verbal Acknowledgements could be – paraphrasing what they have just said “So what your saying is ……”, “Let me see what I can do for you”, i.e. Verbal commentary – explain to the customer what you need to do or are going to do so you can answer their questions/queries, respond to their comments – examples may sound like this “Before I can answer that ……” “So I can resolve this matter I need to …..” “Let me see what stock we have available before we …..” etc. 9. CONTROL THE CALLWe’ll cover the skills and tricks of the trade to control a conversation in more detail in a future chapter in this series, but key to any success in Tele Sales is being able to assertively take control of the call.Asking questions is a very useful way to control the flow of any conversation. Obviously you have to avoid sounding like you are interrogating a customer.Use questions to identify the information you required to build your sales pitch.Use open questions to encourage the customer to give you more detailed information – What, When, How, Why, Who, etc.Closed questions to provide clarification of information – Do you? Did you? Can you? Is that correct? Etc.
10. SUMMARISE & CLOSE THE CALL Always close a call by summarising either the content of the call or confirming the actions and/or purchase agreed.Don’t forget to thank the customer for their time, purchase, interest, etc.If no action or sale achieved try to confirm an agreed reason for a future call!

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Tele Sales – Tips for Success –

Tele Sales – Tips for Success – Chapter 1This article presents the first in a series of reviews that examine the basics for success in Tele Sales. For people new to Tele Sales it provides a guide to good practice and for the more experienced Tele Sales professionals it can be used to review and refresh your current approach.
POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE To succeed in any form of Sales and Marketing profession, you need to manage your mind set and apply yourself with a positive attitude. Whilst we may all have days we would rather forget or even not bother getting out of bed for, we still have a professional obligation to present an enthusiastic and cheerful face to our customers. Maintain a conscious awareness of the positive aspects and importance of your role. The importance of Tele Sales is the vital part it plays in the company’s success through the generation of income and wealth. Remember that one definition of selling is ‘transferring enthusiasm’ for a product and service, or both. There is only one thing that is arguably as contagious as ‘enthusiasm’ and that is the lack of it!The dynamics of telephone communication naturally dilute and diffuse the usual impact of non-verbal communication signals, when communicating face to face. The way we say something is significantly more important over the phone and you have to work harder to ensure you transmit the energy required to give the impression you are enthused by what you are saying. The oldest tip in any text book is to smile when you talk; it makes you sound happy if not at least content. If you’ve never done this, try it, it works! With respect to what you say, you must also be ready to ‘own’ the call you are handling, take responsibility for complaints and issues that arise from your dealings with the customer. Be prepared to follow up matters until they are resolved and don’t pass the buck. Additionally, where the autonomy of your role allows, work hard to exceed the customer’s expectations with the level of service you provide. In simple terms, be willing and self-motivated to do more than they expect, keep promises and keep them informed.
PERSONAL DRIVETo regularly focus your mindset, identify ways in which you can remind and motivate yourself to apply the positive attitude to carry out your role in a consistent professional and enthusiastic manner. Ideas to do this include – selecting and displaying visual images on your workstation that you feel will elicit positive feelings about your job or why you are doing your job, write a checklist of positive facts or factors as to why you do your job, surround yourself with things that make you feel good.Set yourself goals, targets for your personal achievement. Not just company targets, but personal targets like the number of calls you will take or make, number of appointments or sales you are to achieve in the day and/or week. Compete with your colleagues. Reward yourself for the achievements you make. Remember to have a positive expectation. Get the help of your colleagues to motivate and pick you up if you feel your attitude or motivation slipping. Collective support is often a crucial factor in developing and maintaining sales success. If the day or week starts well, don’t rest on your laurels and reduce or limit your expectations and aims for the remainder of the day/week. If your day or week does not start so well - keep your mindset positive that success will happen shortly.Develop and maintain confidence in the products and services you are promoting and selling. Ensure you are up to date with the unique selling points. Be a positive ambassador to what and who you represent. You have to believe in what you are selling or at worst you must be very convincing in acting and communicating that you represent a positive belief in what you sell. If you can look in the mirror and say to yourself that you would buy the type of product and services you offer and purchase at the price your company charges, because you believe them to be the best and offer the greatest value for money; then you ‘believe’.Remember the need to continually motivate yourself is crucial when working in the sales and marketing arena, because in sales, you are defined by what you achieve today and not what you know or achieve. Therefore the priority is always your next result and achievements.

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Ted Tate presents "Five selling mistakes your sales people can't afford"

Ted Tate presents "Five selling mistakes yoursalespeople can't afford!"
In my many years of training, I've noticed certain selling mistakes committed repeatedly, by both veteran salespeople as well as new hires. Here's five of the biggest.
1. Unprepared. How many salespeople have a written outline of what they expect to achieve on a sales call? Many simply walk in a prospect's office, and ask, "What is it you need today?" If the prospect knew the answer he or she would get the yellow pages out and buy some! Spend time on understanding the real needs and wants of prospects before sales calls. If that means doing some research at the library or on the internet then consider that time spent as an investment in your success.
2. No formal sales presentationNever assume people understand what you sell so you need not bother to explain it. Some salespeople forget that many prospects only have a surface understanding of what they sell, yet may be embarrassed to let the salesperson know. A good sales presentation simply covers the bases and guarantees prospects know all the benefits and how they help the prospects.
Presentations can be dynamite selling tools if they address issues near and dear to the prospect. Of course if the salespeople know little or nothing about a prospects needs then they can't give a dynamite presentation, can they?
A good sales presentation is not "canned" or "memorized" so the salesperson sounds like a parrot. It is however an explanation of what you sell, presented in an orderly fashion, in plain talk, so prospects can easily not only understand what you sell but also why they should buy.
3. Reading too many "Relationship Selling" books.I'm for building positive relationships with customers, however, people don't become lifelong pals after one or two sales calls. Pushing the issue too quickly to "buddy up" may cause some people to back off instead.
Another difficulty is when salespeople spend too much time with non-selling conversation about personal matters, sports, family, the list is endless. Always remember your customers are in the middle of doing a job that feeds their family and are expected to produce results, taking too much time with small talk or hanging out at a customers business breeds resentment. Be respectful of other people's time.
Good business relationships develop slowly based upon mutual respect. Keep initial sales calls cordial but professional. Being attentive to customer's needs so they see you as a dependable problem solver is one of the best ways to develop a long term business relationship.
4. Not listeningSome salespeople simply talk too much! When you are talking you are not listening, not learning about your prospects wants and needs. A good salesperson should talk no more that 30% of the time, the prospect 70%. The more they speak, the more information you gain about how to best serve them. Salespeople also must understand the art of asking open ended questions to keep the information flowing.
5. Not taking care of established customers.Some salespeople enjoy the chase of obtaining new accounts so much they tend to ignore their established business. One of the most powerful marketing tools today is good customer service. Never allow customers to be treated as poor relatives looking for a handout. They are your most valuable asset.
Remember, your best customers are your competitor's best prospects! Good luck and good selling!

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Close That Sale. Close The Deal.

26 Sure-Fire Secrets For Getting Them to Buy You First, Then Your Product or Service
Persuade, Negotiate and Close That Deal: Tips to Use In Face to Face or Telephone
Quit being so modest, so polite or timid. "Business is War." Simply ask the customer for the sale. This is called the "Close."
Agreement Tip #1 - Telephone Appointments Gambit
Just need ten minutes of your time. I would like to tell you on the phone, but there is something I have to show you. Get the appointment.

Agreement Tip #2 - The Denial
Wait to ask for the sale until the end of presentation. "I am not going to try to sell you anything now."

Agreement Tip #3 - The Demonstration
Qualify in opening statement. "Are you in a position to make a decision today?"

Agreement Tip #4 - Punch Their Hot Button
Eighty percent of buying decisions rests on 20 percent of the product's features. Find out this hot button and punch it often.

Agreement Tip #5 - How Am I Doing?
"What do you think of this so far? Am I answering all your questions about this little beauty? No. Fine? I have some more features and benefits to show you."

Agreement Tip #6 - You're Going to Love This
Enthusiasm and excitement and the power of suggestion are contagious. So talk to the prospect as if he/she has bought product.

Agreement Tip #7 - Yes, Yes, YES!!
Get them in an agreeable mood. Ask them a series of questions to which the only answer can be yes. "Yes, yes, yes, yes," them into buying. The Encyclopedia Britannica sales pitch has 47 Yes Questions in it.

Agreement Tip #8 - The Invitation
Why not give it a try - why not take it? Would you like us to start on this right away? Why not take it with you? Or, we can deliver it.

Agreement Tip #9 - Price Is Not Important
Never open with price. Price should never come up until the end of the sales pitch. "Is price your only concern?"

Agreement Tip #10 - Just Suppose
"Just suppose that price were not an obstacle."

Agreement Tip #11 - Sudden Death
Give him or her a pen, and the order blank, then shut up.

Agreement Tip #12 - Such a Deal!
Close on the objection: "I can't afford it." Well, this is such a deal, I'll prove that it is worth the price. Then you can afford.

Agreement Tip # 13 - Instant Reverse
Prospect: "I can't afford it." You: "That is exactly why you should take it. Prospect: "I have never heard of you." You: "That is exactly why I am calling."

Agreement Tip #14 - Change Places
There is a key benefit and/or key obstacle that is holding them back. Change places with prospect. How far apart are we right now?

Agreement Tip #15 - Put it on Your Brooks Brothers Charge?
Presume they are going to say yes. "Do you want us to start service on the 15th or 16th? Or, "Will that be cash or charge? Or, "Put this on your Brooks Brothers charge?" Make it easy for customer to buy from you.

Agreement Tip #16 - Buyer's Choice
"Would you like the red or the blue?"

Agreement Tip #17 - You Can't Have It
"We only have one left." Or, "We are short on that particular item. Let me see if we have any left." Or, "You can't have it. There was only one left and it has been sold." Then you just happen to find one left that you overlooked.

Agreement Tip #18 - The Puppy Dog
Give the customer a sample of the product or service."Take the puppy dog home with you and bring it back later, no obligation."

Agreement Tip #19 - The Ben Franklin
On a piece of paper, write two columns in which you list the pros and cons of the product and the purchase. Fill out the pros column and the prospect fills out the con column. Fill out the pros first. When the prospect sees all the pros in writing, he/she will sign.

Agreement Tip #20 - The Summation
Summarize for the prospect all features and benefits of the product or service. Repeat any affirmative remarks prospect has made.

Agreement Tip #21 - The Order Sheet
Get out the order sheet when the prospect seems ready. If they give you the exact spelling of their last name, you have them.

Agreement Tip #22 - Feelings
"Why do you feel that way?" Then sit back and listen. The customer will give you every bit of information you need to sell him/her. SUCCESSFUL Professional sales people are master listeners.

Agreement Tip #23 - The Columbo
Go to the door knob and stop, but turn around with one last question. Just like Columbo on TV.

Agreement Tip #24 - Referral Close
Never leave any prospect without the names of at least three referrals. You get prospects from prospects. Experienced sales professionals tell us that 90 percent of business comes from referrals.

Agreement Tip #25 - Please Help Me Be Better
The "I've Failed You"
When you have an impossible prospect, throw yourself on their mercy and ask them to help you improve your sales technique so you won't be so worthless next time.

Agreement Tip #26 - The Shotgun
When convincing this bum is hopeless, not a chance in the world that you will sell this prospect, throw everything you have at him. Practice every sales pitch you can think of on this turkey. You have nothing to lose. So refine your technique.

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Improving Personal Selling Abilities.

Most people are always striving to better themselves. For proof, check the sales figures on the number of self-improvement books sold each year. This is not a pitch for you to jump in and start selling these kinds of books, but it is an indication of people's awareness that in order to better themselves, they have to continue improving their personal selling abilities.
To excel in any selling situation, you must have confidence, and confidence comes, first and foremost, from knowledge. You have to know and understand yourself and your goals. You have to recognize and accept your weaknesses as well as your special talents. This requires a kind of personal honesty that not everyone is capable of exercising.
In addition to knowing yourself, you must continue learning about people. Just as with yourself, you must be caring, forgiving and laudatory with others. In any sales effort, you must accept other people as they are, not as you would like for them to be. One of the most common faults of sales people is impatience when the prospective customer is slow to understand or make a decision. The successful salesperson handles these situations the same as he would if he were asking a girl for a date, or even applying for a new job.
Learning your product, making a clear presentation to qualified prospects, and closing more sales will take a lot less time once you know your own capabilities and failings, and understand and care about the prospects you are calling upon.
Our society is predicated upon selling, and all of us are selling something all the time. We move up or stand still in direct relation to our sales efforts. Everyone is included, whether we're attempting to be a friend to a co-worker, a neighbor, or selling multi-million dollar real estate projects. Accepting these facts will enable you to understand that there is no such thing as a born salesman. Indeed, in selling, we all begin at the same starting line, and we all have the same finish line as the goal - a successful sale.
Most assuredly, anyone can sell anything to anybody. As a qualification to this statement, let us say that some things are easier to sell than others, and some people work harder at selling than others. But regardless of what you're selling, or even how you're attempting to sell it, the odds are in your favor. If you make your presentation to enough people, you'll find a buyer. The problem with most people seems to be in making contact - getting their sales presentation seen by, read by, or heard by enough people. But this really shouldn't be a problem, as we'll explain later. There is a problem of impatience, but this too can be harnessed to work in the salesperson's favor.
We have established that we're all salespeople in one way or another. So whether we're attempting to move up from forklift driver to warehouse manager, waitress to hostess, salesman to sales manager or from mail order dealer to president of the largest sales organization in the world, it's vitally important that we continue learning.
Getting up out of bed in the morning; doing what has to be done in order to sell more units of your product; keeping records, updating your materials; planning the direction of further sales efforts; and all the while increasing your own knowledge - all this very definitely requires a great deal of personal motivation, discipline, and energy. But then the rewards can be beyond your wildest dreams, for make no mistake about it, the selling profession is the highest paid occupation in the world!
Selling is challenging. It demands the utmost of your creativity and innovative thinking. The more success you want, and the more dedicated you are to achieving your goals, the more you'll sell. Hundreds of people the world over become millionaires each month through selling. Many of them were flat broke and unable to find a "regular" job when they began their selling careers. Yet they've done it, and you can do it too!
Remember, it's the surest way to all the wealth you could ever want. You get paid according to your own efforts, skill, and knowledge of people. If you're ready to become rich, then think seriously about selling a product or service (preferably something exclusively yours) - something that you "pull out of your brain;" something that you write, manufacture or produce for the benefit of other people. But failing this, the want ads are full of opportunities for ambitious sales people. You can start there, study, learn from experience, and watch for the chance that will allow you to move ahead by leaps and bounds.
Here are some guidelines that will definitely improve your gross sales, and quite naturally, your gross income. I like to call them the Strategic Salesmanship Commandments. Look them over; give some thought to each of them; and adapt those that you can to your own selling efforts.
1. If the product you're selling is something your prospect can hold in his hands, get it into his hands as quickly as possible. In other words, get the prospect "into the act." Let him feel it, weigh it, admire it.
2. Don't stand or sit alongside your prospect. Instead, face him while you're pointing out the important advantages of your product. This will enable you to watch his facial expressions and determine whether and when you should go for the close. In handling sales literature, hold it by the top of the page, at the proper angle, so that your prospect can read it as you're highlighting the important points. Regarding your sales literature, don't release your hold on it, because you want to control the specific parts you want the prospect to read. In other words, you want the prospect to read or see only the parts of the sales material you're telling him about at a given time.
3. With prospects who won't talk with you: When you can get no feedback to your sales presentation, you must dramatize your presentation to get him involved. Stop and ask questions such as, "Now, don't you agree that this product can help you or would be of benefit to you?" After you've asked a question such as this, stop talking and wait for the prospect to answer. It's a proven fact that following such a question, the one who talks first will lose, so don't say anything until after the prospect has given you some kind of answer. Wait him out!
4. Prospects who are themselves sales people, and prospects who imagine they know a lot about selling sometimes present difficult selling obstacles, especially for the novice. But believe me, these prospects can be the easiest of all to sell. Simply give your sales presentation, and instead of trying for a close, toss out a challenge such as, "I don't know, Mr. Prospect - after watching your reactions to what I've been showing and telling you about my product, I'm very doubtful as to how this product can truthfully be of benefit to you." Then wait a few seconds, just looking at him and waiting for him to say something. Then, start packing up your sales materials as if you are about to leave. In almost every instance, your "tough nut" will quickly ask you, Why? These people are generally so filled with their own importance, that they just have to prove you wrong. When they start on this tangent, they will sell themselves. The more skeptical you are relative to their ability to make your product work to their benefit, the more they'll demand that you sell it to them. If you find that this prospect will not rise to your challenge, then go ahead with the packing of your sales materials and leave quickly. Some people are so convinced of their own importance that it is a poor use of your valuable time to attempt to convince them.
5. Remember that in selling, time is money! Therefore, you must allocate only so much time to each prospect. The prospect who asks you to call back next week, or wants to ramble on about similar products, prices or previous experiences, is costing you money. Learn to quickly get your prospect interested in, and wanting your product, and then systematically present your sales pitch through to the close, when he signs on the dotted line, and reaches for his checkbook.
6. After the introductory call on your prospect, you should be selling products and collecting money. Any call backs should be only for reorders, or to sell him related products from your line. In other words, you can waste an introductory call on a prospect to qualify him, but you're going to be wasting money if you continue calling on him to sell him the first unit of your product. When faced with a reply such as, "Your product looks pretty good, but I'll have to give it some thought," you should quickly jump in and ask him what it is that he doesn't understand, or what specifically about your product does he feel he needs to give more thought. Let him explain, and that's when you go back into your sales presentation and make everything crystal clear for him. If he still balks, then you can either tell him that you think he's procrastinating, or that overall, you don't think the product will really benefit him, or it's purchase be to his advantage. You must spend as much time as possible calling on new prospects. Therefore, your first call should be a selling call with follow-up calls by mail or telephone (once every month or so in person) to sign him for reorders and other items from your product line.

Review your sales presentation, your sales materials, and your prospecting efforts. Make sure you have a "door-opener" that arouses interest and "forces" a purchase the first time around. This can be a $2 interest stimulator so that you can show him your full line, or a special marked-down price on an item that everybody wants; but the important thing is to get the prospect on your "buying customer" list, and then follow up via mail or telephone with related, but more profitable products you have to offer.

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PLAIN AND SIMPLE SELLING TIPS

The very first rule about selling anything is you have to believe in what you are selling.
How many sales people do you meet and you know straight away that they don't believe in what they are selling because you can feel it when people are lying to you.
I have quite often got that feeling from used car sales people because they often know they are selling you something that you will be having trouble with later. Most of the time people sell cars because they are having trouble with them or they think they will start to have trouble with them soon.
People will know when you are genuine and will be able to feel your enthusiasm for the product.
Personally I would never ever sell something that I did not believe in.So you are going to sell a product that you believe in.
Next thing you need to do is your research. Do your "homework".
Find out as much as you can about the product and the sort of people you will be selling the product to.
If you are selling to a select clientel then you will need to understand them and be able to talk to them in their "language" using their terminology.
If you are going to be selling to a wide range of people then you will have to become adept in being able to pick people and then speak to them in their language. Being able to communicate on all levels is the key....
When you communicate to a person at their level they feel comfortable with you and will relaxe and lower their resistance to sales people.
If you talk to a person and use a lot of technical terms that are over their heads they will think you are trying to make them feel stupid and will resist what you are saying and think that you are lying to them.
Therefore its important to keep things simple...learn how to translate anything complicated into more simple terms..if the situation lends itself you can have paper and pen and you can draw things and write things down to explain it to people using visuals will help someone understand something a bit more complicated.
Research doesn't stop with just your product. You will need also to research all of your competition. You will have to understand them and their product so you can compare your product to theirs and explain to a person why they should buy your product instead of the competitors.
If it was a retail situation, I would personally be a shopper in the other stores and find out what their key selling points are and come up with counter selling points.

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Italy Champions World Cup 2006

Pirlo scored and wiltord in, metarazzi scored but tarzeguet missed, de rossi & Abidal both scored , del piero scored & sagnol shown buffon the wrong way.... grosso proved that I was wrong by giving italy the 4th world cup. Good to them. This match trully tribute to buffon, gattuso & pirlo...bring italy from zero to hero...with the hope there is no serie-A well-known match fixing are involved. Perhaps..it's been 12 years again for Italy to claim the trophy once more...we will see them again in 2018.

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This is great.....Zidane sent out, Italy France are tied to one goal each....and we have 8 minutes more to go. Zidane should score with his head when he had a clear header against buffon but he choose to head metarassi's chest to earn his marching order to end his world cup carear. Henry been replaced earlier. Game tied & penalty shootout to decide. While typing this...both team decide the shoot out taker. I pick France for Italy have a bad record on shoot out history..only buffon seems so solid. Lets see if my guess is correct......france will win.

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FEAR

To use fear as the friend it is, we must retrain and reprogram ourselves...We must persistently and convincingly tell ourselves that the fear is here--with its gift of energy and heightened awareness--so we can do our best and learn the most in the new situation.
Peter McWilliams, Life 101

Fear is a question: What are you afraid of, and why? Just as the seed of health is in illness, because illness contains information, your fears are a treasure house of self-knowledge if you explore them.
Marilyn Ferguson

A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.
Sir Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626)

Be alert to give service. What counts a great deal in life is what we do for others. ~ Anonymous

I've come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that's as unique as a fingerprint - and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.
Oprah Winfrey (1954 - ), O Magazine, September 2002

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Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life.
Dr. David M. Burns

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“A tulip doesn’t strive to impress anyone. It doesn’t struggle to be different than a rose. It doesn’t have to. It is different. And there’s room in the garden for every flower. You didn’t have to struggle to make your face different than anyone else’s on earth. It just is. You are unique because you were created that way. Look at little children in kindergarten. They’re all different without trying to be. As long as they’re unselfconsciously being themselves, they can’t help but shine. It’s only later, when children are taught to compete, to strive to be better than others, that their natural light becomes distorted.”
~ Marianne Williamson

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“It's the little things you do that can make a big difference. What are you attempting to accomplish? What little thing can you do today that will make you more effective? You are probably only one step away from greatness.”
~ Bob Proctor

“...Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
~ Frank Herbert

“3rd Agreement: Don’t Make AssumptionsFind the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.”
~ Don Miguel Ruiz

“A bit of advice given to a young Native American at the time of his initiation: "As you go the way of life, you will see a great chasm. Jump. It’s not as wide as you think."”
~ Joseph Campbell

“A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner.”
~ Unknown

“Are you paralyzed with fear? That's a good sign. Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember one rule of thumb: The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.”
~ Steven Pressfield

“Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out.”
~ James Bryant Conant

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Anak Kunci Kejayaan diri dan kehidupan bermula dengan wujudnya tujuan hidup @ matlamat. Hanya dgn mempunyai matlamat yg specifik dan realistik, barulah dpt memotivasi dan mendorong seseorang merasai akan pentingnya mencapai matlamat - Maznah Hamid.

“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

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