A Moment of Silence- The Cautious Pause

If you were to Google that phrase right now you would likely find several periodical articles about it. It is the term used for the conscious effort people are taking to think before making an impulse purchase. This has presented a fairly large barrier for sales people… especially those of us who sell products that some people may categorize as “unnecessary” or “luxuries.”

Given the right attitude and appropriate use of sales techniques it is still possible for a sales person to flourish, even in this economy. It has actually been proven that certain “luxuries” become even more popular in a downtrodden economy and people are willing to spend a few of their hard earned dollars for a “pick-me-up” for themselves. Keep the following two things in mind to keep your business growing (even when everything else may not be).

Choose your attitude!!

If you have worked in corporate America at ALL within the past decade you have probably seen the video regarding the crazy fish market in Seattle (and if you haven’t you should find it and read about it). In it they talk about how you can make a conscious decision every day to be positive and upbeat. You will be amazed at how it affects you and the people around you (including your prospects). Each day is FULL of choices: You get stuck behind a bus on the way to work, you spill your coffee, you wake up. Its easy to be negative, but believe me, negativity will crush your bottom line and send your sales numbers reeling. Make the decision to be a positive, relaxed and open minded salesperson and your prospects will be open to your business.

Overcoming the Cautious Pause

We’ve all seen it on television and in movies. Men and women dressed in suits walking into board rooms to pitch their ideas to old guys in black suits. The ubiquitous “Sales Presentation.” Believe it or not, every time you set foot in someone’s home to do a Demo/Party/Session you are doing almost the exact same thing (minus the old guys in black suits). In this image, inevitably the poor Salesperson starts stuttering when they hear an objection to their products. Objections are the hardest part of Sales. And the hardest objection to deal with is the silent objection, or The Cautious Pause. This is the customers’ urge to suppress their impulse to buy.

Looking at your party like a Sales presentation lets you build the responses to this type of objection before the prospect even thinks of them. You know your products, and you have likely heard some objections (if you haven’t, please let me know how much it costs to sign up to sell your product). Overcoming the Cautious Pause starts with your attitude. In order to sell your product you must believe 100% in the value of your product. If you are unsure in any way, your customer will sense it and not purchase from you. If you can show your customer “what’s in it for them” and really believe you are helping them, their impulse will win, and you will overcome their hesitation to buy.

Stay Savvy,
Stephen

Selling is Serving... Customer Care Numero Dos: Building Relationships

Greetings,

Kim T. Gordon of Entrepreneur.com recently blogged about how 2009 is the year of One-to-One Marketting. She believes that building relationships is the strongest way to build our books of business. I cannot agree more.

Our prospects are likely in a financial crunch (Isn't everyone really?) and will really be looking to make every purchase count. They want to buy from people/companies that they trust. Compound this with our natural habit of buying from people we feel a connection with and you can really start to see where I am going.

This isn't all to say that you should act as though every customer you have is your best friend. As long as there are sincere feelings of gratitude for your customer (and there should be... they are providing you an income) you can use some smoke and mirrors to make you look even nicer than you already are. Some of these options are:

• Write them letters. You will be amazed at the responses you will get from a personal message written in letter form. This is a great way to reconnect with old clients/downlines who may have drifted away for one reason or another. As a time saver, you can save a draft of your letter in your word processing program and fill in the personal information of the reciever as well as a personal message.
• Send them Greeting Cards. Greeting cards are a simple and effective way to express an emotion like gratitude, congratulations, or encouragement. Birthday and Anniversary cards are also a great way to elbow your way to the forefront. This option used to be cost prohibitive, but It really isn't anymore. Take a look at my website and you'll see a very inexpensive Greeting Card option. (Yes... it's a shameless plug... but seriously... go look at it)
• Talk to people. This may sound obvious... but how many times have you gone to a party/demo and has the sales person just stand there with a stack of order forms and a calculator at the end? (I've seen a ton...) Get out there and mingle. Ask people what they thought about the products. What was their favorite? What would they like to see more of? These kinds of things can help you work with them come order time, but can also help you improve on your sales presentation for future parties/demos.

The time to start building relationships is now so get on out there and make some friends! (They'll buy from you!)

Stay Savvy,

Stephen

Selling is Serving... Customer Care Numero Uno: The Telephone

We all know that our customers are the most important part of our business. This is the first in a series of posts about caring for our customer. We want to provide our customer with the best service possible. A large part of how we service customers in small businesses and in direct sales businesses is over the telephone. Therefore, it is important to know how to maximize your telephone presence.

Unlike yesterday, I’m willing to put money down that just about everyone reading this has at least a land line OR a cell phone (if not both). If you don’t…get off the computer, and go get one… right now…and then come back.

The way a person sounds and behaves on the telephone can have a HUGE impact on your customer’s buying decision. Who is going to purchase a product or schedule a party from someone who sounds dull and unexciting? If I were to hear depressed sounding person on the phone asking me to schedule a party, I would automatically assume that the party would be boring, and certainly would not book one.

Each call is like a first impression; even if it’s your mother on the phone. (If you want an example… think of the last time someone asked if you were tired when you picked up the point. Get the hint?)

Here are some quick tips on how to liven up your phone manner (and your sales figures):

• It is going to sound cheesy. And I’m sure you’ve heard it before. But it works…so listen up. When you are on the phone make sure you are actually smiling. This will make you sound more cheerful, alert and attentive. Go ahead and try it at random some day and you will see a difference.
• Consistency is your friend. Make sure you answer the phone the same way every time. People buy when they feel comfortable, and if they hear the same thing when they call you, you will establish reliability and credibility.
• Avoid annoying catch phrases, slang, and an overly casual tone
• Mind your manners. Please and Thank You are just as important on the phone as they are in person. Also, avoid putting your customer on hold for excessively long amounts of time without asking for permission. (Try sitting in perfect silence for 1 minute…feels like forever, doesn’t it? Imagine a 5 minute hold). Don’t eat or drink while on the phone. It’s annoying. SERIOUSLY.
• Make sure you schedule time every day to do your phone work. If you don’t have this in your schedule you won’t do it. Phone calls can be uncomfortable, but they are a key to success in your business, so don’t avoid them. Practice makes perfect.. so you will get more comfortable.
• Thank your customer for their time at the end of each phone call…and make sure you’ve answered all of their needs. End each call on a positive note, and you’ll find your business will soar.
  

Stay tuned for numero dos where we will talk about ways to build relationships with our customers.

Stay Savvy,

Stephen

Get Your Business In Their Face(book)!

It's not just for your kids anymore....really. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and other networking sites are becoming some of the hottest business tools out there. Just listen to the morning radio and TV shows. They can't go 10 minutes without mentioning one of these sites. It's the new way to stay connected...and it's the new way to network. Who needs boring old Toastmaster meetings? Who has the time to go to meetings and gatherings anymore. I certainly don't. But, I do have 10 minutes to log on to my PC to check up on things. I'll bet you do too.

So...if you don't have an account... go get one. Log on now. Try finding people you know. I guarantee you'll be surprised by how many friends, neighbors and coworkers already have an account. If you search for people you know each day, and add them to your contacts you'll have hundreds of friends in no time flat! These friends can become clients who are constantly informed about your business.

Best of all: Many of these sites are 100% free to use for this purpose. Where else would you be able to send news about your business to hundreds of people multiple times every day for free? (I'll give you a hint "Nowheresville")


Some tips for Facebook (which can apply to other sites as well) are:

• Don't look at the term "Friend" in that mushy sort of way. These are networking contacts and leads. Sure some of them will be friends, but don't avoid friending someone because they aren't "enough" of a friend.
• Update your status frequently. Facebook allows you to tell people what you are doing. (EG. "Stephen is writing an article for his blog.") Update this frequently... and try to mention your business when possible. All of your friends will see it, and it will keep it in their minds.
• Make sure to mention your company under employment, and if you have a sales website make sure it is listed under your websites in your profile.

Keep watching for more tips and tricks to use these sites to your advantage. But this advice won't help, unless you get an account and get your business in their faces right NOW!

Stay Savvy,

Stephen

Introduction to NetWORKing

Greetings and Salutations,

My name is Stephen and I love what I do. I am a coach and mentor to multiple Direct Sales representatives in the Greater Hartford area. Currently, there are approximately 15 million Direct Sales People in the US working for themselves. Their goal is to be their own boss and to have a balanced and successful business and home life. My goal is to work with these representatives to help them take their businesses from good to great!

I’ve been living and working with Direct Salespeople for 20 years. I’ve seen people succeed, I’ve seen people fail and I’ve seen EVERYTHING in between. Recently, my wife quit her full-time job to be a stay at home mom and joined a national direct sales organization. My mother is a District Director for an international direct sales company. Many other friends are also making the leap to entrepreneurship. I started helping them launch their careers on the internet and realized that this was something I was really good at.

At first I was reluctant to take some of my coaching to the web, because there really is no single quick fix or easy answer that I can give to everyone. Some people are tech savvy, but lack the real networking skills to make it happen. Others are really good at building relationships, but just lack the computer know-how to get out of their own way. Whichever category you fall in; I’ll write the articles for you.

You may be asking yourself why you should listen to me…well, you don’t have to…but if you want a successful business and want to use all the tools available to you, this blog is a great resource.

I will be posting informative and relevant articles regularly. I plan to post testimonials and tips and tricks that can help you do your business better. So please visit frequently.

Stay Savvy,

Stephen