February 23, 2006
Pre-presentations for Solution-based Selling
When selling solutions it is necessary to be clear on what is needed and this may require an initial interview with the client before attempting a full-blown presentation and sales quote. Arriving for a sales presentation can be quite frustrating if you do not have the proper information to address whatever needs your client might have.
Josh Gordon, president of Gordon Communication Strategies, suggests in an article at SellingPower.com that a salesperson offer to do an initial presentation to gather information for analysis before giving your sales presentation.
Gordon, author of Presentations That Change Minds: Strategies to Persuade, Convince and Get Results, says in the article, "By starting with an initial presentation, you can see how your audience reacts, gather information about what they like and don’t like, and adjust the solution from there, so that you can be confident your final presentation is a winner."
read story from Selling Power .
Spotlight on Presentations
Sales presentations are an important part of the sales process that can always use some polishing. Communication and sales experts often have certain rules of thumb to adhere to for effective presenting such as; keep it simple, stay away from industry jargon that the audience may not understand; be enthusiastic; and outline what you need to say but don’t necessarily use a script.
Some opinions vary, but you have to pick and choose what suits you best for your personality.
Communications skills training company Communispond Regional VP Carol Burke shares with readers at SalesVantage.com her ideas of how to effectively communicate with your sales clients.
Burke has some great tips on how to avoid nervousness, prepare your presentation, and how to handle the Q & A sessions that follow.
read story from Sales Vantage .
February 21, 2006
Filling Up Your Prospect Funnel
Selling more requires more customers to sell to and there are ways to increase your pool of prospects, according to Marvin Himel, president of the sales training company Tiger Systems.
Himel shares his advice with readers at DailyIndia.com on the how to attract new customers, beginning with a sales letter and phone call follow-up.
"Strategically written letters paired with phone calls are effective tools to set up a face-to-face appointment with a prospect," Himel says.
Networking, mining the base and cold calling are the additional ways, Himel says, that will best fill up your prospect funnel and offers tips on how to accomplish these tasks.
"Because fifty percent of being a great salesperson is successful prospecting, you must always be on the lookout for potential prospects," Himel says. “Remember ... everywhere you go, and every person you meet, is a potential source for a lead!"
read story from Daily India .
February 20, 2006
Get to Know Your Buyer
Value propositions, no matter how valuable you make them, or price dropping do not always appeal to your customer; sometimes it's the fact that you have the wrong customer. Try to recognize this as quickly as possible to cut your losses short. Your first cue that you are selling to the "wrong" customer might be when they begin questioning the price right away.
Colleen Stanley, president of SalesLeadership Inc., shares with readers at Denver Bizwomen.com why selling on price alone presents a problem and how to avoid it.
Stanley discusses the two types of buyers you sell to, the transactional buyer and the value buyer, and how to sell to each of them starting with the initial phone call to set up the meeting.
read story from the Denver Business Journal .
Secret to Networking
Building sales relationships can come easily to anyone if you do it the right way. First and foremost, remember that people like to talk about themselves. So begin by asking questions about them.
Business and Marketing Consultant, Karen S. Hoffman, who says she is an IDEA Coach suggests to readers at St. Louis Dispatch that networking works when you keep in mind that it is about an exchange of ideas and a common goal is found.
" ... by asking questions, and getting to know them, by the time someone asked me what I did, I could explain what I did in terms of their business or things we had discussed," she says in her blog post.
read story from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch .
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
People respect people who respect themselves, and you need your customers to respect you if you want them to buy from you. Not only do you need to respect yourself and show it, you need to respect your profession -- the oldest profession in the world -- sales.
Michelle Nichols, sales speaker and trainer shares with readers at BusinessWeek Online some eye-opening advice about selling and the respect factor. Nichols reminds salespeople that life is about selling.
To gain respect, Nichols says, a salesperson needs to see him or herself as an intermediary or a partner, not as an adversary, and offer knowledgeable advice that can help them grow their business.
read story from Business Week .
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AppExchange Goes Live
Salesforce.com, which says its customers and partners were not put off by the recent network outage, went live Tuesday with AppExchange, an eBay-type site for business applications.
read story from developer pipeline .
Problems at Salesforce.com
On Dec. 20, Salesforce.com suffered a nearly 5 hour outage -- topping a list of issues facing the CRM, or customer relationship management, software firm.
read story from e-week news .
Salesman Calls Customer'Scumbag'
A two-minute voice message left by a salesman for a window and siding company offers sales people a perfect example of how to fail in selling.
read story from wis10 news .
Big Texas Closer
The biggest mortgage sales person in Texas, who does business in a not-so-big town, says niche programs have played a lead role in her success.
Phebe Ellis of PrimeWest Mortgage Corp. was recently named the Top Producer of the Texas Mortgage Bankers Association for her volume of $27.9 million in the first three quarters of the year.
TMBA honored the PrimeWest senior vice president at the 55th Annual Educational Seminar and Marketplace it recently held in Dallas. Ellis closed about $2 million and $5 million more than the second and third top-producing individuals, respectively.
Ellis attributed her success to "working for a great company and having an excellent team": the processor, closers and underwriters who help her on a daily basis.Additionally, the award, "displayed proudly, ... has definitely helped" at the office and with referrals, she indicated.
read full story at MortgageDaily.com
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