Saturday, April 28, 2007

How to Instantly and Covertly Build Rapport

When we hear someone say, “He/she is an excellent communicator” we usually think of someone with succinct, clear, and powerful speaking skills. While these skills certainly do serve a vital role for the process of effective communication, we can quickly increase our communication and persuasion skills by learning how to consciously use communication tools that for the most part, are unconscious behaviors.

When meeting someone for the first time, long before we are close enough to shake hands, we have the opportunity to trigger something deep inside their mind; we can trigger the part of their brain that says, “I feel good about you!”

Scientists have long known about a powerful non-verbal expression that acts as an invitation for interaction, and subtlety but powerfully lets the other person know that you recognize them. The eyebrow flash is a behavior that is seen in every culture; whether it be tribesmen from the Amazon, or someone from one of the more sophisticated cultures on our planet, men, women and children can be observed quickly raising and lowering the eyebrows when recognizing someone they’re acquainted with.

A good way to bring this more fully into your conscious awareness is to simply watch other people, in a place they are likely to encounter someone they know and recognize. Realize that the people you are watching usually have no conscious awareness they are either “sending” or “receiving” the eyebrow flash, they are simply responding to this signal unconsciously.

Knowing that we automatically deliver the eyebrow flash when we see someone that we know, and desire to interact with, and, how powerfully this signal impacts those we deliver it to, we can choose to use it for a different, yet extremely useful purpose.

Let me suggest that you begin using the eyebrow flash with people you don’t yet know, but would like to. You’ll want to use it from a distance at least six feet, and as far away as someone can visually register the signal, like from across the room, or from the other end of an isle in a grocery store.

As you begin consciously using the eyebrow flash, you’ll be delighted to notice how open people become towards you. I often walk through the grocery store eyebrow flashing anyone who happens to make eye contact with me. The result is nothing short of amazing; people smile, and you can observe them physically relaxing their posture, often initiating a conversation with me.

The eyebrow flash is very fast, consisting of a rapid rise and fall of the eyebrows, followed by a smile.

A word of warning: The eyebrow flash is such a powerful unconscious signal, that unless you want to send a message of a potentially hostile interaction, you should always respond to the eyebrow flash initiated by others by gently acknowledging them too.
When we hear someone say, “He/she is an excellent communicator” we usually think of someone with succinct, clear, and powerful speaking skills. While these skills certainly do serve a vital role for the process of effective communication, we can quickly increase our communication and persuasion skills by learning how to consciously use communication tools that for the most part, are unconscious behaviors.

When meeting someone for the first time, long before we are close enough to shake hands, we have the opportunity to trigger something deep inside their mind; we can trigger the part of their brain that says, “I feel good about you!”

Scientists have long known about a powerful non-verbal expression that acts as an invitation for interaction, and subtlety but powerfully lets the other person know that you recognize them. The eyebrow flash is a behavior that is seen in every culture; whether it be tribesmen from the Amazon, or someone from one of the more sophisticated cultures on our planet, men, women and children can be observed quickly raising and lowering the eyebrows when recognizing someone they’re acquainted with.

A good way to bring this more fully into your conscious awareness is to simply watch other people, in a place they are likely to encounter someone they know and recognize. Realize that the people you are watching usually have no conscious awareness they are either “sending” or “receiving” the eyebrow flash, they are simply responding to this signal unconsciously.

Knowing that we automatically deliver the eyebrow flash when we see someone that we know, and desire to interact with, and, how powerfully this signal impacts those we deliver it to, we can choose to use it for a different, yet extremely useful purpose.

Let me suggest that you begin using the eyebrow flash with people you don’t yet know, but would like to. You’ll want to use it from a distance at least six feet, and as far away as someone can visually register the signal, like from across the room, or from the other end of an isle in a grocery store.

As you begin consciously using the eyebrow flash, you’ll be delighted to notice how open people become towards you. I often walk through the grocery store eyebrow flashing anyone who happens to make eye contact with me. The result is nothing short of amazing; people smile, and you can observe them physically relaxing their posture, often initiating a conversation with me.

The eyebrow flash is very fast, consisting of a rapid rise and fall of the eyebrows, followed by a smile.

A word of warning: The eyebrow flash is such a powerful unconscious signal, that unless you want to send a message of a potentially hostile interaction, you should always respond to the eyebrow flash initiated by others by gently acknowledging them too.

Global Warming's Gift to Sales Managers

You think you’ve covered every imaginable topic in your sales meetings.

You’ve praised, criticized and humored your troops, sometimes in the same run-on sentence.

You’ve heard a litany of excuses from underachievers and from the “undead,” the perennially under-quota zombies.

“It’s tough out there!” they lament.

“Yeah, you should try getting back into the field and you’ll see!”

“The competition is eating our lunch!”

“Our prices are too high!”

And then the ultimate challenge:

“This new product (or service) simply can’t be sold!”

“Our clients don’t need it. Why, it’s like selling ice to Eskimos!”

Wait a minute. You can handle that one.

It has taken millenia to come true, but suddenly the Eskimos will NEED ICE, you think, especially if global warming accelerates as scientists are predicting it will.

The polar ice caps are melting rapidly. Greenland’s vast ice sheets are slipping into the sea. Suddenly, the shipping fleets of maritime nations are putting in bids to sail through Arctic waters in summertime, because formerly frozen routes are thawing.

How long will it be before Eskimos are sipping tropical umbrella drinks and barbecuing in their boats?

Sales managers everywhere take note: Every weak excuse of your underperformers can be countered.

YOU CAN SELL ICE TO ESKIMOS!

Progress is being made in every area that we once thought was foreclosed to us and to our creativity and resourcefulness.

Ah, but what about selling “Coals to Newcastle?”

Don’t worry, that’s next. Given the developing world’s hunger for the dirtiest fuels imaginable, they’ll probably run out of their local stocks in the next few years and become a nice market for that commodity, as well.
You think you’ve covered every imaginable topic in your sales meetings.

You’ve praised, criticized and humored your troops, sometimes in the same run-on sentence.

You’ve heard a litany of excuses from underachievers and from the “undead,” the perennially under-quota zombies.

“It’s tough out there!” they lament.

“Yeah, you should try getting back into the field and you’ll see!”

“The competition is eating our lunch!”

“Our prices are too high!”

And then the ultimate challenge:

“This new product (or service) simply can’t be sold!”

“Our clients don’t need it. Why, it’s like selling ice to Eskimos!”

Wait a minute. You can handle that one.

It has taken millenia to come true, but suddenly the Eskimos will NEED ICE, you think, especially if global warming accelerates as scientists are predicting it will.

The polar ice caps are melting rapidly. Greenland’s vast ice sheets are slipping into the sea. Suddenly, the shipping fleets of maritime nations are putting in bids to sail through Arctic waters in summertime, because formerly frozen routes are thawing.

How long will it be before Eskimos are sipping tropical umbrella drinks and barbecuing in their boats?

Sales managers everywhere take note: Every weak excuse of your underperformers can be countered.

YOU CAN SELL ICE TO ESKIMOS!

Progress is being made in every area that we once thought was foreclosed to us and to our creativity and resourcefulness.

Ah, but what about selling “Coals to Newcastle?”

Don’t worry, that’s next. Given the developing world’s hunger for the dirtiest fuels imaginable, they’ll probably run out of their local stocks in the next few years and become a nice market for that commodity, as well.

Stop Your Sales Professionals Selling!

That's right. Get them to stop selling from their own narrow and selfish perspective and concentrate instead on doing things that are in the best interests of their customers and clients.

It's a radical step. It requires a degree of boldness and it probably isn't for everyone. Only for those true professionals who've worked out that there is no future in the ‘traditional' approach to selling. Because in time, everything that can be commoditised will be. And commodities are best bought over the web. I've even bought executive coaching as a commodity on EBay!!

Traditional sales techniques actually encourage commoditization. The reason is simple. Most of us just hate being confronted by some pushy, oily, two-faced sales type whose only interest in us is measured by how much money he reckons he can extract from our wallets. Who turns up in some flashy car, pesters our staff and wastes our time. So we find an alternative that excludes the sales person. Isn't it sad that in a world where communication has never been easier and quicker, we manage to build truly beneficial working relationships with fewer and fewer customers and suppliers?

The responsibility for changing this sits with us sales professionals. And like all revolutions it starts when individuals dare to do things differently.

So here are some suggestions which may help our brave body of sales professionals as they step out into the unknown.

First, we aren't alone - lots of people already have their client's best interests at heart. All the really successful sales professionals I've had the privilege to work with for example. As do many, but by no means all, accountants, lawyers and other professionals. And some management consultants! Even a few IT sales people. You can also find them working in enlightened customer service departments.

Second, there's a set of skills you can work up. Actually it's a set of behaviours rather than skills. This does make it more difficult because you can't go on a training course to learn them. But it also means that there are as many routes to success as there are sales professionals. Each of us can eventually find our unique route based on who we are, on our values, background and enthusiasms.

Third, read, digest and learn. Watch others. Discuss and share experiences with others. Explore how you feel when you next have to deal with a typical sales person. And remember that feeling when you meet your next client. Is what you are about to do or say going to create the self-same feeling in her mind?

Then stop and do something different. Like asking her for her views about you, your product, service, firm, competitors, the market. And then really listen. Listen so hard that it hurts. Ask questions only to get more information. And accept everything she says with grace and humility.

Good luck. I'd love to hear how you get on. Us pioneers could do with the opportunity to share and offer support to each other.

Are you a sales professional? Do you want to reach the very highest standards of performance and capability? I do. I help sales professionals and their leaders reach for the top. And get there. I coach sales professionals to become trusted advisors to their clients.
That's right. Get them to stop selling from their own narrow and selfish perspective and concentrate instead on doing things that are in the best interests of their customers and clients.

It's a radical step. It requires a degree of boldness and it probably isn't for everyone. Only for those true professionals who've worked out that there is no future in the ‘traditional' approach to selling. Because in time, everything that can be commoditised will be. And commodities are best bought over the web. I've even bought executive coaching as a commodity on EBay!!

Traditional sales techniques actually encourage commoditization. The reason is simple. Most of us just hate being confronted by some pushy, oily, two-faced sales type whose only interest in us is measured by how much money he reckons he can extract from our wallets. Who turns up in some flashy car, pesters our staff and wastes our time. So we find an alternative that excludes the sales person. Isn't it sad that in a world where communication has never been easier and quicker, we manage to build truly beneficial working relationships with fewer and fewer customers and suppliers?

The responsibility for changing this sits with us sales professionals. And like all revolutions it starts when individuals dare to do things differently.

So here are some suggestions which may help our brave body of sales professionals as they step out into the unknown.

First, we aren't alone - lots of people already have their client's best interests at heart. All the really successful sales professionals I've had the privilege to work with for example. As do many, but by no means all, accountants, lawyers and other professionals. And some management consultants! Even a few IT sales people. You can also find them working in enlightened customer service departments.

Second, there's a set of skills you can work up. Actually it's a set of behaviours rather than skills. This does make it more difficult because you can't go on a training course to learn them. But it also means that there are as many routes to success as there are sales professionals. Each of us can eventually find our unique route based on who we are, on our values, background and enthusiasms.

Third, read, digest and learn. Watch others. Discuss and share experiences with others. Explore how you feel when you next have to deal with a typical sales person. And remember that feeling when you meet your next client. Is what you are about to do or say going to create the self-same feeling in her mind?

Then stop and do something different. Like asking her for her views about you, your product, service, firm, competitors, the market. And then really listen. Listen so hard that it hurts. Ask questions only to get more information. And accept everything she says with grace and humility.

Good luck. I'd love to hear how you get on. Us pioneers could do with the opportunity to share and offer support to each other.

Are you a sales professional? Do you want to reach the very highest standards of performance and capability? I do. I help sales professionals and their leaders reach for the top. And get there. I coach sales professionals to become trusted advisors to their clients.

3 Ways of Pricing – Why Value Pricing is the Best

Where you sit in the distribution chain and how long that chain is often influences how your pricing strategy is set.

There are probably just three ways you can price:

1. Cost plus: this is where you decide how much profit you want to make from a given product and you apply the margin to the cost.

2. Competitive pricing: this is where you check out your competitors and price against them, or just below.

3. Value pricing: this is where you look at your total proposition and charge a fair price for the service you provide.

Of course, you will probably say that you use a combination of 1 and 2. You calculate your margin to arrive at a price, then you sanity-check it against the competition and tweak it as necessary.

If you use a combination of all three, you can stop reading now and go back to counting your money, which must be a full time job for you. For those of you still with me, here are the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Cost Plus:

If you just use this system you will be flying blind in the market. You may well be successful, or even very successful, but you will never know if you could have made more profit, or if you could have sold more product. On the plus side you will definitely make your budgeted gross margin on your sales. Whether you will make and net profit will depend on your total sales value and your overheads.

Competitive:

If you use this system you will certainly know a lot about your customers and competitors, that is, assuming that your market intelligence is accurate. You will of course be aware of what a full-time job it is just to keep up with constantly changing pricing in the market. Your competitors continually discover your pricing structure, match or better it and you are back to square one, re-pricing again.

The up side is that you will often be competitive and will probably make good sales numbers, what a pity that the monthly accounts don’t look so healthy and the gross margin is down again and you’ll have to look at cutting costs to keep in front.

Value Pricing:

This pricing system takes account of both competition and cost, then applies it your business proposition. It takes account of all the advantages your business has over the competition and charges a premium, however modest, for this. Because it is carefully applied, it is justifiable, more than that, it’s a sales proposition that can be marketed to your customers as an advantage to them. The downside to this is that it requires some careful planning and enough conviction to make it work; other than that, it’s all positive, more sales at higher margins.

How does it work?

For example, lets assume that you are a wholesaler and you sit between the manufacturer and the retailer. The retailer could buy directly from the manufacturer, so why wouldn’t he?

- Space restriction for minimum order value - Tight cash flow - Lack of category knowledge - Multiple suppliers needed to cover the category

A wholesaler can consolidate from different suppliers and supply little and often. To the retailer that means:

- Reduced inventory
- Improved cash flow
- Less administration (one account)
- Less sales people to see
- More time to spend with customers

Why wouldn’t he pay a premium for all that?

If you’re really good, you could provide category management for the customer, recommending which products to stock, how to display them and of course, how to price them! To do this properly, you have to be truly independent, know what you’re talking about and recommend what will sell, rather than what you make the most profit on.

The principles of value pricing can be applied to any business, but the key is to properly analyse your business and fully understand what your proposition really is. If you don’t have a clear proposition, it’s probably time you did!
Where you sit in the distribution chain and how long that chain is often influences how your pricing strategy is set.

There are probably just three ways you can price:

1. Cost plus: this is where you decide how much profit you want to make from a given product and you apply the margin to the cost.

2. Competitive pricing: this is where you check out your competitors and price against them, or just below.

3. Value pricing: this is where you look at your total proposition and charge a fair price for the service you provide.

Of course, you will probably say that you use a combination of 1 and 2. You calculate your margin to arrive at a price, then you sanity-check it against the competition and tweak it as necessary.

If you use a combination of all three, you can stop reading now and go back to counting your money, which must be a full time job for you. For those of you still with me, here are the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Cost Plus:

If you just use this system you will be flying blind in the market. You may well be successful, or even very successful, but you will never know if you could have made more profit, or if you could have sold more product. On the plus side you will definitely make your budgeted gross margin on your sales. Whether you will make and net profit will depend on your total sales value and your overheads.

Competitive:

If you use this system you will certainly know a lot about your customers and competitors, that is, assuming that your market intelligence is accurate. You will of course be aware of what a full-time job it is just to keep up with constantly changing pricing in the market. Your competitors continually discover your pricing structure, match or better it and you are back to square one, re-pricing again.

The up side is that you will often be competitive and will probably make good sales numbers, what a pity that the monthly accounts don’t look so healthy and the gross margin is down again and you’ll have to look at cutting costs to keep in front.

Value Pricing:

This pricing system takes account of both competition and cost, then applies it your business proposition. It takes account of all the advantages your business has over the competition and charges a premium, however modest, for this. Because it is carefully applied, it is justifiable, more than that, it’s a sales proposition that can be marketed to your customers as an advantage to them. The downside to this is that it requires some careful planning and enough conviction to make it work; other than that, it’s all positive, more sales at higher margins.

How does it work?

For example, lets assume that you are a wholesaler and you sit between the manufacturer and the retailer. The retailer could buy directly from the manufacturer, so why wouldn’t he?

- Space restriction for minimum order value - Tight cash flow - Lack of category knowledge - Multiple suppliers needed to cover the category

A wholesaler can consolidate from different suppliers and supply little and often. To the retailer that means:

- Reduced inventory
- Improved cash flow
- Less administration (one account)
- Less sales people to see
- More time to spend with customers

Why wouldn’t he pay a premium for all that?

If you’re really good, you could provide category management for the customer, recommending which products to stock, how to display them and of course, how to price them! To do this properly, you have to be truly independent, know what you’re talking about and recommend what will sell, rather than what you make the most profit on.

The principles of value pricing can be applied to any business, but the key is to properly analyse your business and fully understand what your proposition really is. If you don’t have a clear proposition, it’s probably time you did!

Small Businesses Need Sales Scripts, Too!

Scripting has been employed in selling for at least 80 years that I’m aware of, and perhaps a lot longer.

It is the use of patterned sales talks, predictable and reliable conversational strategies that are believed to garner consistently high sales, and to beat “winging-it,” using whatever pops into mind.

There is a basic misunderstanding about where scripts apply. Some believe they’re only useful in high-volume tele-selling and customer service applications.

But in reality, they are used by small businesses everyday, with mixed results.

Let me give you an example or two.

I bought some donuts the other day at an independent bakery. After I placed my order, the lady behind the counter asked, “Is that all?”

I didn’t like the tone of that question as it implied that I gave her a puny order, when in fact, my two donuts and one croissant, to me, were quite ample.

The next day, the same thing occurred, and on the following day, as well. Irritated, I simply stopped going there.

Obviously, but not necessarily consciously, her line is a script, and it isn’t a good one because it makes her seem ungrateful for my business, that I should be ordering more and I’m not living up to HER expectations.

Contrast this script with one that IS DELIBERATELY USED in big city delicatessens, to great advantage.

It’s the same, basic situation. You order a few chocolate chip Danishes, and the counter-person asks, “And what else?”

That little gem of an up-selling question never grows old and it perennially gets people to gladly part with more dough (or is that get more dough?) on the spot. Additionally, after we say, “Uh, yes I’ll have two of those cheese Danishes,” guess what?

The counter-person can repeat the same question: “And what else?”

Sooner or later, enough will be enough and we’ll reply, “That’s it,” but we part company with no hard feelings.

These examples show that there is room for sales scripting in even the smallest of enterprises.

The key is to do it deliberately and to test and refine lines that really work without needlessly irritating customers.
Scripting has been employed in selling for at least 80 years that I’m aware of, and perhaps a lot longer.

It is the use of patterned sales talks, predictable and reliable conversational strategies that are believed to garner consistently high sales, and to beat “winging-it,” using whatever pops into mind.

There is a basic misunderstanding about where scripts apply. Some believe they’re only useful in high-volume tele-selling and customer service applications.

But in reality, they are used by small businesses everyday, with mixed results.

Let me give you an example or two.

I bought some donuts the other day at an independent bakery. After I placed my order, the lady behind the counter asked, “Is that all?”

I didn’t like the tone of that question as it implied that I gave her a puny order, when in fact, my two donuts and one croissant, to me, were quite ample.

The next day, the same thing occurred, and on the following day, as well. Irritated, I simply stopped going there.

Obviously, but not necessarily consciously, her line is a script, and it isn’t a good one because it makes her seem ungrateful for my business, that I should be ordering more and I’m not living up to HER expectations.

Contrast this script with one that IS DELIBERATELY USED in big city delicatessens, to great advantage.

It’s the same, basic situation. You order a few chocolate chip Danishes, and the counter-person asks, “And what else?”

That little gem of an up-selling question never grows old and it perennially gets people to gladly part with more dough (or is that get more dough?) on the spot. Additionally, after we say, “Uh, yes I’ll have two of those cheese Danishes,” guess what?

The counter-person can repeat the same question: “And what else?”

Sooner or later, enough will be enough and we’ll reply, “That’s it,” but we part company with no hard feelings.

These examples show that there is room for sales scripting in even the smallest of enterprises.

The key is to do it deliberately and to test and refine lines that really work without needlessly irritating customers.

Monday, April 23, 2007

7 Quick, Cheap and Easy Steps To More Clients

Often, all you need to attract a few new clients is the opportunity to speak to a group of qualified prospects at a seminar. Here are seven quick, cheap and easy steps:

STEP #1: Create a seminar on the problem you can solve for clients. For example: How to love the body you are in. How to be organise and stay organised. How to reduce the pain and expense of divorce. How to find the love of your life in no time. How to make more money doing what you love. Choose a subject that will appeal to the new clients you want to attract.

STEP #2: Get a flier prepared to promote the seminar. On the flier, display the title, explain the various points or problems you will discuss, add your photo and include your biography. Include a space for the time, date and place of your program.

STEP #3: Get a co-sponsor for your seminar. If your seminar is business oriented, you might ask the local chamber of commerce to co-sponsor it. Or a local network group. If it is consumer oriented, ask a local newspaper or TV station to co-sponsor it. All way choose a co-sponsor based on the size of the audience they reach, how many of your ideal clients are in that audience, and how willing they are to promote your seminar to their audience, membership or mailing list. (This can save you a tremendous amount of money in promotion costs, including printing and postage.)

STEP #4: Promote your seminar to your co-sponsors audience. Provide them with a flier about your program. Given them the whole information about your seminar makes things easy. If you rely on them to create the flier, it will probably contain nothing more than the title, time, date and place. But if you provide it, you can go into great detail about the information you will present and the problems you can help prospects solve. The more you explain about your programs content, the more prospects you can expect to attend.

STEP #5: Promote your seminar with newspaper publicity. Contact your local daily newspaper or business paper (depending on the nature of your seminar). Announce that you are presenting a seminar. Discuss the problem your seminar will address and emphasize how many people in your area are affected by this problem. You can even ask the editor to interview you for an article to help alert the community to this problem and your upcoming seminar. You are in a stronger position when you approach the editor in writing with a letter discussing your seminar and what you will present. Give the editor at least six weeks advance notice of your program.

As an alternative -- if you can not get advance promotion from a particular media outlet -- invite the editor to send a reporter to your seminar who can write an article about it for the newspaper. I have seen editors put articles about my clients seminars on the newspapers front page. This article would not help seminar attendance because it would not appear until after your seminar. Still, it makes a powerful reprint and may bring you new clients.

STEP #6: Promote your seminar with direct mail to your past clients, current clients, prospects and referral sources. I have used this method successfully. Many people on your mailing list may want to learn about your subject. Also, they may have friends and colleagues they can invite to attend with them.

STEP #7: Present your seminar, addressing the subjects you outlined on your seminar flier. Discuss clients you have helped in the past so prospects see you have experience in these matters. Share actual case histories of what happens when prospects make good decisions, and what happens when they make bad decisions. Then offer something your prospects will find attractive, such as a free office consultation, free telephone consultation, free report, a free manuscript, audio, e-zine or whatever you wish.

In all likelihood, if you reach qualified prospects, you will get new clients as a result of this educational seminar.
Often, all you need to attract a few new clients is the opportunity to speak to a group of qualified prospects at a seminar. Here are seven quick, cheap and easy steps:

STEP #1: Create a seminar on the problem you can solve for clients. For example: How to love the body you are in. How to be organise and stay organised. How to reduce the pain and expense of divorce. How to find the love of your life in no time. How to make more money doing what you love. Choose a subject that will appeal to the new clients you want to attract.

STEP #2: Get a flier prepared to promote the seminar. On the flier, display the title, explain the various points or problems you will discuss, add your photo and include your biography. Include a space for the time, date and place of your program.

STEP #3: Get a co-sponsor for your seminar. If your seminar is business oriented, you might ask the local chamber of commerce to co-sponsor it. Or a local network group. If it is consumer oriented, ask a local newspaper or TV station to co-sponsor it. All way choose a co-sponsor based on the size of the audience they reach, how many of your ideal clients are in that audience, and how willing they are to promote your seminar to their audience, membership or mailing list. (This can save you a tremendous amount of money in promotion costs, including printing and postage.)

STEP #4: Promote your seminar to your co-sponsors audience. Provide them with a flier about your program. Given them the whole information about your seminar makes things easy. If you rely on them to create the flier, it will probably contain nothing more than the title, time, date and place. But if you provide it, you can go into great detail about the information you will present and the problems you can help prospects solve. The more you explain about your programs content, the more prospects you can expect to attend.

STEP #5: Promote your seminar with newspaper publicity. Contact your local daily newspaper or business paper (depending on the nature of your seminar). Announce that you are presenting a seminar. Discuss the problem your seminar will address and emphasize how many people in your area are affected by this problem. You can even ask the editor to interview you for an article to help alert the community to this problem and your upcoming seminar. You are in a stronger position when you approach the editor in writing with a letter discussing your seminar and what you will present. Give the editor at least six weeks advance notice of your program.

As an alternative -- if you can not get advance promotion from a particular media outlet -- invite the editor to send a reporter to your seminar who can write an article about it for the newspaper. I have seen editors put articles about my clients seminars on the newspapers front page. This article would not help seminar attendance because it would not appear until after your seminar. Still, it makes a powerful reprint and may bring you new clients.

STEP #6: Promote your seminar with direct mail to your past clients, current clients, prospects and referral sources. I have used this method successfully. Many people on your mailing list may want to learn about your subject. Also, they may have friends and colleagues they can invite to attend with them.

STEP #7: Present your seminar, addressing the subjects you outlined on your seminar flier. Discuss clients you have helped in the past so prospects see you have experience in these matters. Share actual case histories of what happens when prospects make good decisions, and what happens when they make bad decisions. Then offer something your prospects will find attractive, such as a free office consultation, free telephone consultation, free report, a free manuscript, audio, e-zine or whatever you wish.

In all likelihood, if you reach qualified prospects, you will get new clients as a result of this educational seminar.

Discover 6 Keys to Successful Prospecting Calls

Are you planning properly before making your prospecting calls?

Imagine you make an announcement to a friend you're going to take a vacation in a couple of weeks. Your friend gets excited and asks, "when are you planning on leaving?" Your reply, "I don't know". She asks, "where are you going"? Again you reply, "I don't know". Now I know you would never decide to go on vacation without first making a plan.

However, that's the way many salespeople begin to make prospecting calls. With no clear plan of what they are doing. I've found there are six key ingredients which must be carefully prepared for your prospecting calls to be successful. By the time you finish reading this article you will have an understanding of what they are.

Target Your Market

You must first begin by determining who's your target market. Many salespeople try to be every thing to all people instead of targeting a particular market. Every product or service is desirable to a definable group of people. One way to determine the characteristics of that group would be to look back at the people who have already purchased from you or your company.

By looking at past and current clients you can determine the characteristics they have in common. Then you can develop a clear picture of your ideal prospect and you won't waste time on people who won't have an interest in buying.

Know Your Objective

The second key to making prospecting calls is to know your objective when making the calls. Do you want permission to drop off literature, make an appointment to talk about the benefits or maybe send them a sample.

Understanding the objective of the call will help you to stay focused. Another way to stay focused is to...

Have a Memorized Script

Many salespeople wing-it when they make prospecting calls. This practice can lead to lost time and a whole lot of unnecessary rejection. Having a well designed script will help you to focus on your objective and keep you on track. Your script should be well thought out, written and memorized so it seems very conversational.

You should keep the script in front of you when prospecting on the phone so you can refer to it when needed.

Smile

Whether your making calls on the phone or in person, it's important to smile. People would much rather deal with a friendly smiling face than someone who looks like they just sucked on a lemon. Even over the phone people can tell if your smiling or not by listening to your voice.

Be Prepared for Rejection

Fear of rejection holds many salespeople back from performing the activities that will rocket them to sales success. Most salespeople take the prospects rejection too personally. If you analyze the reason for a prospect not wanting what you're selling you'll find it's clearly they have no need.

That should not be considered rejection by any salesperson. Take it for what it is, and move on to the next call.

Have Fun

Finally, have fun while your selling. No one wants to work at something they don't enjoy. It makes it difficult to get out of bed in the morning if your not enthusiastic about what your doing. So make it fun. You can have fun and close sales at the same time.

By taking the time to plan your prospecting calls in advance, you'll save time, make more appointments and close more sales.
Are you planning properly before making your prospecting calls?

Imagine you make an announcement to a friend you're going to take a vacation in a couple of weeks. Your friend gets excited and asks, "when are you planning on leaving?" Your reply, "I don't know". She asks, "where are you going"? Again you reply, "I don't know". Now I know you would never decide to go on vacation without first making a plan.

However, that's the way many salespeople begin to make prospecting calls. With no clear plan of what they are doing. I've found there are six key ingredients which must be carefully prepared for your prospecting calls to be successful. By the time you finish reading this article you will have an understanding of what they are.

Target Your Market

You must first begin by determining who's your target market. Many salespeople try to be every thing to all people instead of targeting a particular market. Every product or service is desirable to a definable group of people. One way to determine the characteristics of that group would be to look back at the people who have already purchased from you or your company.

By looking at past and current clients you can determine the characteristics they have in common. Then you can develop a clear picture of your ideal prospect and you won't waste time on people who won't have an interest in buying.

Know Your Objective

The second key to making prospecting calls is to know your objective when making the calls. Do you want permission to drop off literature, make an appointment to talk about the benefits or maybe send them a sample.

Understanding the objective of the call will help you to stay focused. Another way to stay focused is to...

Have a Memorized Script

Many salespeople wing-it when they make prospecting calls. This practice can lead to lost time and a whole lot of unnecessary rejection. Having a well designed script will help you to focus on your objective and keep you on track. Your script should be well thought out, written and memorized so it seems very conversational.

You should keep the script in front of you when prospecting on the phone so you can refer to it when needed.

Smile

Whether your making calls on the phone or in person, it's important to smile. People would much rather deal with a friendly smiling face than someone who looks like they just sucked on a lemon. Even over the phone people can tell if your smiling or not by listening to your voice.

Be Prepared for Rejection

Fear of rejection holds many salespeople back from performing the activities that will rocket them to sales success. Most salespeople take the prospects rejection too personally. If you analyze the reason for a prospect not wanting what you're selling you'll find it's clearly they have no need.

That should not be considered rejection by any salesperson. Take it for what it is, and move on to the next call.

Have Fun

Finally, have fun while your selling. No one wants to work at something they don't enjoy. It makes it difficult to get out of bed in the morning if your not enthusiastic about what your doing. So make it fun. You can have fun and close sales at the same time.

By taking the time to plan your prospecting calls in advance, you'll save time, make more appointments and close more sales.

High Probability Sales Training and Fifty Additional Sales Training Articles

As business owners we know that sales are the key to our continued success. Of course the type of business and industry we're in has a lot to do with what we call sales. For retailers the potential buyers are in the store, so selling may simply mean closing or does it?

In other industries the sales person must sort out the potential buyers from the universe of suspects around them. Then, once they've been qualified the selling process can begin. The price points of your products and whether they are essentials or luxuries also matters when considering the sales and sales training process.

It was for that reason we located fifty articles for you.

In my opinion the primary reasons to invest in sales training are to make your sales force more effective - what is sold stays sold and increase customer satisfaction - satisfied customers refer their friends, with the results of greater profitability for your customer, your sales person, and your company.

Many organizations investing in training are not getting the expected ROI. Why is that? Is it because the vendors chosen are using out of date techniques, or the people you hired and are trying to get trained are losers or maybe (heaven forbid) your products are not competitive in the marketplace.

Before you indulge in the blame game I'd like to recommend High Probability selling. The book, the seminar, and the in house training are worth your time investigating.

Naturally companies that specialize in sales training are listed in the Yellow Pages of your telephone book. When you contact them and you should - have one of their reps come by. Let's see how good their sales people are. Presumably they will be using their own sales process when they come to sell you.

Many in managers and business owners are of the opinion and I agree; that good sales training starts and stops with the fundamentals. The clever bells and whistles favored by those who practice 1950's style manipulative selling practices, not only preach what no longer works - but is guaranteed to provide disillusionment to your 21st Century sales person.

The two main reasons I hear for not providing more sales training are that it costs money and takes time. If managers spent as much time, energy, and money developing sales training programs as they do dealing with under performing sales people...

The potential for high earnings combined with the opportunity for personal growth and sales training are yours when you provide sales training for your people. The benefits are very substantial to everyone.

High Probability prospecting teaches how selling over the telephone can increase your business. The unique sales strategies to propel your business growth. Sales is the backbone of your business - without it, your bottom line would suffer. Hiring and educating the right sales people is key to your business' success. If you want to create a business breakthrough, then this is the book High Probability Selling is for you.

Sales is what drives your business and makes the difference between growing or dying in today's competitive marketplace.

The articles we've collected for you, the insights and contacts to their authors and the High Probability Selling seminars will provide excellent jumping place for you.

Remember, a properly organized training program almost always insures the company's top position in the marketplace.
As business owners we know that sales are the key to our continued success. Of course the type of business and industry we're in has a lot to do with what we call sales. For retailers the potential buyers are in the store, so selling may simply mean closing or does it?

In other industries the sales person must sort out the potential buyers from the universe of suspects around them. Then, once they've been qualified the selling process can begin. The price points of your products and whether they are essentials or luxuries also matters when considering the sales and sales training process.

It was for that reason we located fifty articles for you.

In my opinion the primary reasons to invest in sales training are to make your sales force more effective - what is sold stays sold and increase customer satisfaction - satisfied customers refer their friends, with the results of greater profitability for your customer, your sales person, and your company.

Many organizations investing in training are not getting the expected ROI. Why is that? Is it because the vendors chosen are using out of date techniques, or the people you hired and are trying to get trained are losers or maybe (heaven forbid) your products are not competitive in the marketplace.

Before you indulge in the blame game I'd like to recommend High Probability selling. The book, the seminar, and the in house training are worth your time investigating.

Naturally companies that specialize in sales training are listed in the Yellow Pages of your telephone book. When you contact them and you should - have one of their reps come by. Let's see how good their sales people are. Presumably they will be using their own sales process when they come to sell you.

Many in managers and business owners are of the opinion and I agree; that good sales training starts and stops with the fundamentals. The clever bells and whistles favored by those who practice 1950's style manipulative selling practices, not only preach what no longer works - but is guaranteed to provide disillusionment to your 21st Century sales person.

The two main reasons I hear for not providing more sales training are that it costs money and takes time. If managers spent as much time, energy, and money developing sales training programs as they do dealing with under performing sales people...

The potential for high earnings combined with the opportunity for personal growth and sales training are yours when you provide sales training for your people. The benefits are very substantial to everyone.

High Probability prospecting teaches how selling over the telephone can increase your business. The unique sales strategies to propel your business growth. Sales is the backbone of your business - without it, your bottom line would suffer. Hiring and educating the right sales people is key to your business' success. If you want to create a business breakthrough, then this is the book High Probability Selling is for you.

Sales is what drives your business and makes the difference between growing or dying in today's competitive marketplace.

The articles we've collected for you, the insights and contacts to their authors and the High Probability Selling seminars will provide excellent jumping place for you.

Remember, a properly organized training program almost always insures the company's top position in the marketplace.

Sell Anyone Anything

I had been called into another company to help a rising star from becoming a falling one. His presentation skills were holding him back.

When I called his manager for feedback, she offered these observations:

"He so self conscious when he's up there. He fidgets and is at a loss with what to do with his hands. He is reading from the slides, and when he's not, his talk is filled with 'umms and ahhhs.' I am a nervous wreck by the time he sits down...."

My rising star had adapted a performance orientation to presenting. He was hiding his true self behind the material and speaking to the room, not to individuals in the room. I had to help him see public speaking was not about performing but expressing authentic self.

Who we are speaks much louder than what we have to say, for what really sells people on anything is the authenticity of the presenter. Audiences are attracted to authenticity. The more comfortable we are, the more compelling we become.

"Leaders can no longer simply stand in front of a room and tell people what to do," writes Lee Glickstein in his book, Be Heard Now! Tap Into Your Inner Speaker and Communicate with Ease. "To make an impact, we need to forge a strong heartfelt relationship with people. That means we have to be authentic and human with them. We have to let them in, so that they will let our message in."
Self discovery and acceptance are crucial for powerful presenters. By consciously presenting, we can learn a lot about Self.

We are taught at a very young age that it is not okay to be who we are. We were either punished or made to feel embarrassed for being ourselves so we stopped trusting ourselves to speak and act in acceptable ways.

Psychologists say a family dynamic occurs whenever two people come together. These dynamics also haunt us when we speak.

As the youngest of three boys (there is a 12-year age difference between me and my next brother), I was constantly being teased. I began to edit myself, speaking and acting in ways I believed would garner my family's approval. I adopted a persona I called my "heroic image," and it had little to do with who I am.

When I spoke publicly, it was my heroic image speaking. I felt protected. My image became my mask and my words, my shield. My natural voice caused me such shame that I switched it to a rich baritone. Little did I know, audiences sensed my inauthenticity and discounted much of what I said.

As I became more comfortable with myself in my late 30s, I began to crave more connection. I wanted to be seen and heard for who I really am. When I spoke publicly, I slowly stopped performing and began to share more and more of myself.

Sometimes the best technique is no technique. "We can't try to be real," writes Glickstein. "We can just relax and let ourselves be whoever we are."
It takes a lot of practice to be real in public. Now with practice, I can have a conversation with twenty or more people. I focus one hundred percent on each person, even if I don't connect with all of the people in the room.

Instead of focusing on information, I focus on communication, because most audiences don't care what we know until they know we care.

When I focus on communication and not the information, I am more relaxed and fluid. I go where my audiences need to go and not necessarily where I had planned.

Public speaking and presenting can be a wonderful pathway to self-knowledge and acceptance. By sharing who we are, we become the powerful presenters we were born to be.
I had been called into another company to help a rising star from becoming a falling one. His presentation skills were holding him back.

When I called his manager for feedback, she offered these observations:

"He so self conscious when he's up there. He fidgets and is at a loss with what to do with his hands. He is reading from the slides, and when he's not, his talk is filled with 'umms and ahhhs.' I am a nervous wreck by the time he sits down...."

My rising star had adapted a performance orientation to presenting. He was hiding his true self behind the material and speaking to the room, not to individuals in the room. I had to help him see public speaking was not about performing but expressing authentic self.

Who we are speaks much louder than what we have to say, for what really sells people on anything is the authenticity of the presenter. Audiences are attracted to authenticity. The more comfortable we are, the more compelling we become.

"Leaders can no longer simply stand in front of a room and tell people what to do," writes Lee Glickstein in his book, Be Heard Now! Tap Into Your Inner Speaker and Communicate with Ease. "To make an impact, we need to forge a strong heartfelt relationship with people. That means we have to be authentic and human with them. We have to let them in, so that they will let our message in."
Self discovery and acceptance are crucial for powerful presenters. By consciously presenting, we can learn a lot about Self.

We are taught at a very young age that it is not okay to be who we are. We were either punished or made to feel embarrassed for being ourselves so we stopped trusting ourselves to speak and act in acceptable ways.

Psychologists say a family dynamic occurs whenever two people come together. These dynamics also haunt us when we speak.

As the youngest of three boys (there is a 12-year age difference between me and my next brother), I was constantly being teased. I began to edit myself, speaking and acting in ways I believed would garner my family's approval. I adopted a persona I called my "heroic image," and it had little to do with who I am.

When I spoke publicly, it was my heroic image speaking. I felt protected. My image became my mask and my words, my shield. My natural voice caused me such shame that I switched it to a rich baritone. Little did I know, audiences sensed my inauthenticity and discounted much of what I said.

As I became more comfortable with myself in my late 30s, I began to crave more connection. I wanted to be seen and heard for who I really am. When I spoke publicly, I slowly stopped performing and began to share more and more of myself.

Sometimes the best technique is no technique. "We can't try to be real," writes Glickstein. "We can just relax and let ourselves be whoever we are."
It takes a lot of practice to be real in public. Now with practice, I can have a conversation with twenty or more people. I focus one hundred percent on each person, even if I don't connect with all of the people in the room.

Instead of focusing on information, I focus on communication, because most audiences don't care what we know until they know we care.

When I focus on communication and not the information, I am more relaxed and fluid. I go where my audiences need to go and not necessarily where I had planned.

Public speaking and presenting can be a wonderful pathway to self-knowledge and acceptance. By sharing who we are, we become the powerful presenters we were born to be.

How to Embrace and Thrive in Today's Buyer's Market

As fun as the last few years were to be in a piping hot real estate market, it's now time to accept and embrace the new reality: the buyer's market.
You have two options:
1. You can moan and groan.
2. You can thrive.

Those who wish to moan and groan, well, you may want to go find another article to read.
Now, for those who want to thrive, first you must know a little about buyers.

NAR has found some rather revealing habits of homebuyers:
- 77% of homebuyers used an agent to buy their home.
- Buyers searched for a median of two weeks on their own before contacting a real estate professional.
- Over three quarters of homebuyers used only one agent in their home search.
- Buyers ranked reputation as the most important factor when choosing a real estate professional to assist with a home purchase.

The first rule in marketing is to know who you are targeting. So keep learning who buyers are and what their modus operandi is. After that, the best way to thrive in a buyer's market is this: Know your scripts.
A question I hear a lot as a real estate consultant and coach is: How do I get a buyer off the fence?
The answer? Know your scripts and use them to understand buyer motivation - buyers will jump off the fence like it was on fire.

Do a quick audit of your scripts by asking:
1. Do your scripts go deep? By that I mean, do they uncover the buyer's true motivation. Because once you know the motivation, you can focus in on what really sells.
Ask lots of open-ended questions and then - by all means - be quiet. Listen! Find out why they're looking in a certain area? Is it schools? Is it a job transfer? Is it retirement? Learn why they want a basement or a view or a deck. Go three, four or five questions deep.
Start with the top three items a buyer wants and as you find homes that fit those criteria, go back and learn more buyer wants and continue to trim the list to about 10 homes.
Then spring this on them: "Remember those top three items you wanted in a home? Well, here we have 10 homes that have those three items plus all the other things you want in a new home."
You've given them more than they wanted - you've over-delivered - never a bad thing!
2. Do your scripts reflect your knowledge of the current market? Understanding the nuances of the real estate market is precisely what buyers expect from an agent - especially in a buyer's market.
Yes, you want to know about the interest rates and the number of homes on the market, but you also want to be able to match your services with those current market conditions. Make sure you're sharing your track record and experience. When you do, your credibility skyrockets.
Know how to take advantage of what is going on in your market, to make the most of rising interest rates and of larger inventories of homes.
3. Do your scripts create a sense of urgency? Use the fact that rising interest rates can do that just that - rise and rise quickly. And yes, there are plenty of homes on the market. But don't think there are plenty of buyers who know that and the balance can shift quickly - buyers can start snapping up those good properties at any time.

And remember the old adage about the power of suggestion. Make sure you give buyers suggestions. "Here's what I recommend we do..." kind of verbiage will often get the buyer moving toward action.
There you have it - time spent honing your scripts will pay major dividends.
As fun as the last few years were to be in a piping hot real estate market, it's now time to accept and embrace the new reality: the buyer's market.
You have two options:
1. You can moan and groan.
2. You can thrive.

Those who wish to moan and groan, well, you may want to go find another article to read.
Now, for those who want to thrive, first you must know a little about buyers.

NAR has found some rather revealing habits of homebuyers:
- 77% of homebuyers used an agent to buy their home.
- Buyers searched for a median of two weeks on their own before contacting a real estate professional.
- Over three quarters of homebuyers used only one agent in their home search.
- Buyers ranked reputation as the most important factor when choosing a real estate professional to assist with a home purchase.

The first rule in marketing is to know who you are targeting. So keep learning who buyers are and what their modus operandi is. After that, the best way to thrive in a buyer's market is this: Know your scripts.
A question I hear a lot as a real estate consultant and coach is: How do I get a buyer off the fence?
The answer? Know your scripts and use them to understand buyer motivation - buyers will jump off the fence like it was on fire.

Do a quick audit of your scripts by asking:
1. Do your scripts go deep? By that I mean, do they uncover the buyer's true motivation. Because once you know the motivation, you can focus in on what really sells.
Ask lots of open-ended questions and then - by all means - be quiet. Listen! Find out why they're looking in a certain area? Is it schools? Is it a job transfer? Is it retirement? Learn why they want a basement or a view or a deck. Go three, four or five questions deep.
Start with the top three items a buyer wants and as you find homes that fit those criteria, go back and learn more buyer wants and continue to trim the list to about 10 homes.
Then spring this on them: "Remember those top three items you wanted in a home? Well, here we have 10 homes that have those three items plus all the other things you want in a new home."
You've given them more than they wanted - you've over-delivered - never a bad thing!
2. Do your scripts reflect your knowledge of the current market? Understanding the nuances of the real estate market is precisely what buyers expect from an agent - especially in a buyer's market.
Yes, you want to know about the interest rates and the number of homes on the market, but you also want to be able to match your services with those current market conditions. Make sure you're sharing your track record and experience. When you do, your credibility skyrockets.
Know how to take advantage of what is going on in your market, to make the most of rising interest rates and of larger inventories of homes.
3. Do your scripts create a sense of urgency? Use the fact that rising interest rates can do that just that - rise and rise quickly. And yes, there are plenty of homes on the market. But don't think there are plenty of buyers who know that and the balance can shift quickly - buyers can start snapping up those good properties at any time.

And remember the old adage about the power of suggestion. Make sure you give buyers suggestions. "Here's what I recommend we do..." kind of verbiage will often get the buyer moving toward action.
There you have it - time spent honing your scripts will pay major dividends.