Showing posts with label sales. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sales. Show all posts
Friday, May 11, 2012
Sales Training Tip – How To Retain Top Sales People
There are four primary reasons a good sales person, who is producing at high-levels at a company, will choose to leave that company. Surprisingly, the top reasons are not about money.
Top Reasons a Good Sales Person Will Leave A Company
1. Lack of feeling that the company “cares” for them
2. Lack of personal or intangible satisfaction and reward
3. Lack of a defined or desirable career path and future
4. Lack of sufficient or desirable income
Let us look at each of these areas and see how to prevent the problem.
1 - Lack of feeling that the company “cares” for them
The number one reason a sales person will leave your company is that deep down, they feel as if you and the company do not really care about them. They feel as if the company just cares about making money and could care less for their health and welfare. How do you make them feel like you really care for them? Simple:
Really care for them!
As the sales manager, you should take the success of your sales people personally. Your sales team should know that you would face upper-management, the government, the competition or anyone else, to defend them and help them succeed. Your sales team should believe that you put their success above your own. And you should because when they succeed you succeed. You have to be the captain who goes into battle in front of the troops leading them. When your sales team knows that you will take a proverbial bullet for their sake, you will never have to worry about retaining good sales people. Again, the answer for making sales people believe that you care for them is to really do it.
2- Lack of personal or intangible satisfaction and reward – In this, I am referring to the things that make the sales person feel good about himself or herself and what they do. Most sales people or their management may not even realize this, but this is a critical area of needs fulfillment. Everybody has to “feel” good about themselves. The job has to give you some heightened level of self-esteem, especially in the business of sales.
Remember a sales person is already thought of in many circles as a charlatan or a con artist. There are many slang terms and pejorative labels that are often automatically attached to a sales person in the eyes of many consumers. Public trust becomes a big issue in the life of a professional sales person and with that public trust, comes personal trust.
A sales person must be made to “feel” as if they perform an honorable and trustworthy function in society. The problem is that when this atmosphere is not present for the sales person it does not materialize in a recognizable fashion. In other words, the sales person does not go up to the management team and say, “You know, I don’t feel important or like I am performing an honorable job function…”
No. In fact, the sales person will rarely understand exactly what is making him or her feel less than enthusiastic about the job. This problem will manifest itself in a number of symptoms that often seem unrelated:
a. A lack of enthusiasm
b. A erratic closing average
c. A feeling of being overworked
d. A feeling of repetitiveness
e. Erratic work ethic and increased time off
f. Forgetting the “basics” or taking “short-cuts”
g. An overall attitude of, “I just don’t care…”
These are some signs that this sales person does not “feel” important. Below are a few ways to help solve this problem:
 Have a clearly defined company and departmental mission statement and vision statement that include the wide reaching effect of the product or service. (Look for Ask-The-Expert article “How to keep motivated”)
 Continuously explain to the sales team the entire scope and importance of a sales person’s mission. For example, if you sell cars, a car sale does more than just satisfy the car buyer. A car sale helps the community, it helps the buyer’s family, it helps keep two dozen people employed at the dealership, it helps sell more petroleum, it helps the economy, and more. Find the long-range affect of your product or service and help the sales people understand their real importance.
 Supply personal gratification in private and recognition in public. You should have regular private conversations with your sales people, keeping in touch with their wishes and dreams and their problems. Learn how to “listen.” Seek out the sales person’s personal goals and objectives in private.
 Does she want to get married?
 Have a baby?
 Does he want to go back to collage one day?
 Does she want to get into management?
 Does he want a new car?
 Does her and his family want to move to a bigger home
 Etc.
Take a personal interest in the life of your sales people. They will tell you what is on their minds—listen.
Make complements and uplifting statements in public. Recognition for hard work and a job well done is critical to a sales person’s mental health.
 Ask the sales person to teach the newer sales people. This is a powerful management tool that solves many potential problems. When you have a seasoned sales person who is beginning to loose the enthusiasm for the sales process as things begin to become routine, have that sales person help you in teaching a sales training class or having newer sales people watch them. Promote the sales person as a “long-time expert,” to the newer sales people and charge the veteran sales person with helping to train the new recruits. Find a way to add bonus or override income for the sales person and this will help him or her begin to refocus.
3 - Lack of a defined or desirable career path and future – This is simple but often overlooked. Make sure you know exactly where your sales people want to go in their career and in life. Make sure that your company has incremental steps of promotion. Often a sales company will have two positions:
1. New Sales Person or rookie or probationary period
2. Sales Person
Some offer a few additional steps like
3. Sr. Sales Person
4. Manager
It is important that you have a number of “steps” that a sales person will have something to work for all the time. Also, make sure that your company’s goals match with the sales person’s. Often you will have sales people who view the company as a means to a NEW BEGINNING and not as a means to an end. This is fine, as long as you know what they want. For instance, you may have a sales person who’s goal is to earn enough money to start a bridal shop. Fine. But when you know this, you know how to help motivate this person.
4 - Lack of sufficient or desirable income – Your sales people should be the highest paid in your industry. How do you do this? You hold your sales team to the highest standards of excellence in the industry. You hold your sales team to the highest levels of accomplishment in and customer satisfaction the industry.
How can you do that? You hold your company to the highest level of product or service in the industry. So often a company will think that they can provide the best service yet pay their sales people the least. This does not and will not ever work. Many companies pay their people just barley enough to keep them from quitting. In return, most employees work barley enough to keep from being fired. No. Pay your people the most you can pay them and hold them to the highest standards.
When it comes to retaining good sales people the old adage is key: The more you help other people get what they want, the more you will get what you want.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Ebooks As Powerful Marketing Tools
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Ebooks are Promotional Powerhouses
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Ebooks are part of the new frontier of cyberspace.
They are an entirely new medium for sharing marketing
information, ideas, techniques, and expert knowledge.
Each day the number of people accessing the Internet
grows, causing the exposure of your ebook to increase
incrementally. It's obvious why electronic
self-publishing has become so popular so quickly.
The publishing industry, I hope, does not intend to
forever banish the printed word to the dustbin of
history. Books in print have their own special
qualities and merits, and the world would be
diminished by their disappearance.
Having said that, let's look at what makes ebooks so
important and so unique. Ebooks have certain abilities
and qualities that other mediums do not possess.
For example, ebooks are fairly easy to produce, and
their production cost is inexpensive. Just think about
it: you don't need a publisher, an agent, a printing
press, offset film, ink, paper, or even a distributor.
You just need a great concept, the ability to write it
or to hire a writer, and the right software.
Additionally, ebooks are easily and rapidly
distributed online. They are also easily updated; they
do not require a second print run. All you need is to
go into your original creation and modify the text or
graphics. Because of this flexibility, ebooks can
change and grow as fast as you can type.
Ebooks are also immediately obtainable. You don't have
to go to a bookstore or search through endless titles
at an online bookstore. All you have to do is download
it from a website, and presto! It's on your computer,
ready to be read.
Ebooks are interactive. This is one of the most unique
and specific qualities that ebooks offer. You can add
surveys that need to be filled out, order forms for
customers to purchase your products or goods, sound
and video that draw your reader into the virtual world
of your ebook, even direct links to relevant sites
that will expand your ebook outward. The potential is
virtually limitless.
Ebooks have a particular kind of permanence that other
mediums do not possess. Television shows and radio
shows air once, and then may rerun a few times. Ebooks
remain on your computer for as long as your choose,
and they can be read and reread whenever you choose
to. They can even be printed out and stored on the
shelves of your traditional home library.
Another wonderful quality is that ebooks have no
barriers in terms of publishing. You don't need to go
through the endless process of submitting your
manuscript over and over again, and then once you land
an agent, having the agent submit your manuscript over
and over again. Nor do you have to shell out thousands
of dollars for printing a self-published book. All
ebooks require is a writer and appropriate software.
Figure out your market, write your book, post it on
your website, and with the right business savvy, your
audience will come to you.
Finally, you have creative control over your ebook.
You don?t have to compromise with an editor or the
publishing trends of the time. You don't have to
haggle with a designer or wait for copyedited galleys
to arrive by snail mail. You are in complete control
of the design and the text.
How to Use ebooks for Marketing and Promotion
There are innumerable ways to use ebooks to promote
your business and drive quality traffic to your
website. Once posted on your site, you can turn them
into a daily course, which brings your customer back
to read the next chapter. You can use them as a free
gift for making a purchase or for filling out a
survey. Put your ebook on a disc, and you will have an
innovative brochure. Blow your competition away by
inserting the disc into your sales packages.
The most effective marketing products are those that
are unique. Copyright your ebook, and immediately, you
have a powerful tool that you, and you alone, can
offer to the public. People will have to visit your
site to acquire your ebook, which increases the flow
of quality traffic and the potential of sales and
affiliate contacts.
Make sure that you keep your ebook current. Update it
frequently as the market and trends change. Add new
advice and techniques to show your prospects how your
goods or services can enrich their lives. By
constantly keeping abreast of new trends and
techniques, you can continue to see profits from your
ebook for years after your original creation.
Another phenomenal advantage of ebooks is that you can
test their marketing potential without putting out
hardly any cash at all. You can even produce an ebook
one copy at a time, each time you receive an order,
eliminating the need for storage and inventory. By
this method, you can gauge the saleablity of your
ebook, and make adjustments as necessary until the
orders start pouring in. Ebooks allow you to learn
about your market and customer habits and motivation
over a period of time, without risking your precious
financial resources. They also provide you with an
invaluable way to gather marketing information, which
you can use in many different facets of your business.
Use your ebook to discover what the specific goals and
problems are in your specific industry. Then figure
out how to solve these problems, and publish an ebook
with this invaluable information. This will increase
the value of your business, upgrade your reputation,
and get you known as an expert in your field.
You can extend the value of single ebook by breaking
the book down into chapters for a serial course, into
special reports available on your website, or into
audio or visual tapes. Ebooks can be broken down into
several different promotional materials by excepting
some of the articles and using them to promote your
product. You can include a catalog in your ebook to
promote all the products or services you sell. You can
include a thank-you note for reading your book and an
invitation to download a trial version of your
product. Or you can include a form for your audience
to contact you for further information or with
questions, thereby building your business
relationships and your mailing list.
Using ebooks in this manner helps to cut the cost of
individually producing separate promotional materials.
You can use a single ebook to entice new prospects and
to sell new products to your current customers.
No other medium has this kind of flexibility and
ability for expansion. Think of your ebook like a
spider spinning a beautiful and intricate web. Now go
and create that web, and see how many customers and
prospects you can catch!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Building a Strong Business Relationship
When it comes to business and sales, building a strong relationship is critical. The stronger your relationship is with your customer, the more likely they will be to refer you business.
Every day, make an attempt to build on the relationships you have with your customer. Don’t just say hi as they walk in and goodbye as they leave.
The last thing you want to do is make your customer feel like a statistic.
Let them know that their business with you is appreciated. Talk to them, strike up a non-business conversation with them. It could involve just about anything, such as the weather, sports, a movie, pets, etc.
Non-business conversation puts your customer at ease and gets them talking. The more they talk to you, the more they will open up to you, opening the door for more sales opportunities.
Or, you can keep it simple. For starters, get to know you customers by name, than address them by name. Say things such as, “how’s it going today?” Or “how was your weekend?” Or “is there anything I can help you with today?” Make your presence known and felt.
Your customer wants to be appreciated, so take a few minutes of your time to show them that you care about them as a customer.
Another way to strengthen your relationship with your customer is to keep a Rolodex handy with a list of all of your customers birthday’s, anniversaries, and special events. Keep your eyes and ears open for when customers talk about up coming events in their lives. Such as children’s birthdays and graduations.
When the appropriate date approaches, send your customer a card, wether it is a holiday card, a birthday card, a graduation card, or a congratulatory card. Just send it.
Your customers will appreciate the fact that you remembered them on their special day. This will only strengthen the relationship you already have with them.
There are many reasons to build a strong relationship with your customer, but two of the reasons remain to be key.
One main reason is that customers value and appreciate good customer service. They want the piece of mind of knowing that if something ever happened with their product or service, that they would have you to turn to as their go to person.
This is extremely important because your customer will have this in mind when your competition moves in to take them away.
And believe me, your competition will try to take them away. As long as you provide excellent customer service, your customer will stick with you.
There is no substitute for excellent customer service.
Customer service is the most important thing to a customer, even more important than fees’.
The second reason building relationships are so important is because of the referral process.
A customer that is treated with respect and provided excellent customer service will most assuredly refer their family and friends to you. Why wouldn’t they?
Your most important asset is your customer, so build and strengthen the foundations you have with them. Buy building strong relationships, you will be building your sales. Good luck.
This article may be reproduced by anyone at any time, as long as the authors name and reference links are kept in tact and active.
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Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Crazy Like a Fox, Persuasive Like a Weasel
In earlier articles we wrote about the power of using hidden commands in normal conversation to increase sales, convince others to do omething or to accept your ideas. This is often done by separating out a simple command or suggestion by pausing, stating the command in a different tone of voice, then resuming normal conversation.
For example, when selling a car you might say, “This car gets 30 miles per gallon on the highway, which you’ll notice when you (pause) take it for a test drive. You’ll also notice that ….
Another way to insert a command into conversation is to use what are called Weasel Words. These phrases are based on the one of the techniques used by Milton Erickson, who was one of the foremost hypnotists of the last century. Erickson had a way of talking people into trance without giving any direct commands to close their eyes or relax. Instead he would just sort of talk around the idea of going into trance and people would naturally do it.
These Ericksonian Phrases are also known as Weasel Words because they allow you to weasel in a command without it being so direct or authoritarian. For example, you might say to someone, “Consider why you want to do this.”
With some people, giving a command can create a great deal of resistance. A percentage of them just do not like to take orders so they won’t respond to direct suggestion.
But what if your were to say, “I’m not entirely sure how well you can consider why you want to do this.” Here, you’re not trying to force them to consider why. You’re just asking them how well they might be able to consider why.
Now, in considering and interpreting that statement the mind has to actually consider why they want to do this, to some degree. When you use Weasel Words the listener does not have something to object to. In order to employ these phrases you first determine your outcome.
In a hypnosis setting, one outcome would be for the client to relax. You might say, “A friend once told me, you know, it’s entirely possible to just get relaxed.” You’re not telling the client to relax. You’re just repeating what a friend once said.
If you’re selling computers, you might say something like, “I wonder if now is the time that you might buy this computer. There are hundreds of Ericksonian Phrases that can be used for just about any outcome. Here are a few below. You can probably come up with your many of your own.
WEASEL WORDS
After you come to … After you’ve … As a whole new way of thinking opens up … All that really matters … All that’s really important … Allowing yourself to just naturally … And as that occurs, you really can’t help but notice … And I’d like to have you discover … And then, now you’ll discover … And you can be pleased …. And you can really use it … And you can wonder … And you will be surprised at … Give yourself the opportunity to see if … I wonder if you’ll be pleased to notice … I wonder if you’ll be reminded … I wonder if you’ll be surprised to discover that … In all probability … If you could … It is easy, isn’t it … Perhaps you wouldn’t mind noticing … So now’s the time …
For example, when selling a car you might say, “This car gets 30 miles per gallon on the highway, which you’ll notice when you (pause) take it for a test drive. You’ll also notice that ….
Another way to insert a command into conversation is to use what are called Weasel Words. These phrases are based on the one of the techniques used by Milton Erickson, who was one of the foremost hypnotists of the last century. Erickson had a way of talking people into trance without giving any direct commands to close their eyes or relax. Instead he would just sort of talk around the idea of going into trance and people would naturally do it.
These Ericksonian Phrases are also known as Weasel Words because they allow you to weasel in a command without it being so direct or authoritarian. For example, you might say to someone, “Consider why you want to do this.”
With some people, giving a command can create a great deal of resistance. A percentage of them just do not like to take orders so they won’t respond to direct suggestion.
But what if your were to say, “I’m not entirely sure how well you can consider why you want to do this.” Here, you’re not trying to force them to consider why. You’re just asking them how well they might be able to consider why.
Now, in considering and interpreting that statement the mind has to actually consider why they want to do this, to some degree. When you use Weasel Words the listener does not have something to object to. In order to employ these phrases you first determine your outcome.
In a hypnosis setting, one outcome would be for the client to relax. You might say, “A friend once told me, you know, it’s entirely possible to just get relaxed.” You’re not telling the client to relax. You’re just repeating what a friend once said.
If you’re selling computers, you might say something like, “I wonder if now is the time that you might buy this computer. There are hundreds of Ericksonian Phrases that can be used for just about any outcome. Here are a few below. You can probably come up with your many of your own.
WEASEL WORDS
After you come to … After you’ve … As a whole new way of thinking opens up … All that really matters … All that’s really important … Allowing yourself to just naturally … And as that occurs, you really can’t help but notice … And I’d like to have you discover … And then, now you’ll discover … And you can be pleased …. And you can really use it … And you can wonder … And you will be surprised at … Give yourself the opportunity to see if … I wonder if you’ll be pleased to notice … I wonder if you’ll be reminded … I wonder if you’ll be surprised to discover that … In all probability … If you could … It is easy, isn’t it … Perhaps you wouldn’t mind noticing … So now’s the time …
Friday, December 16, 2011
Cold Calling Has A Dark Side
Copyright 2006 Frank Rumbauskas
Have you ever wondered why sales managers are so insistent that you cold call?
Have you ever wondered why many companies will not even consider a marketing budget, and instead mandate cold calling, make it a job requirement, and tell you you’ll be fired if you don’t do it?
Doesn’t it seem a bit strange that you’d be paid so much in salary just to run around collecting fifty business cards a day, or making fifty telephone calls when your talents are so much better than that?
There is a reason for all this insanity. It’s the dark side of cold calling, and the real reasons why many companies still force salespeople to engage in this old, antiquated method of doing business.
First of all, cold calling doesn’t cost the company money. It costs you money. They get to avoid spending money on marketing, and instead they let you do the hard work of cold calling. This is in spite of the fact that cold calling has the lowest returns of any and all sales activities, and therefore leaves you with the lowest possible paycheck.
Second, cold calling doesn’t cost the company time. If they wanted to put together a marketing plan they’d either have to hire more employees to do it, take current employees away from other duties, or hire an outside firm to implement it. Instead, they tell you to do it. This saves manpower and eliminates the need to either hire new employees or hire an outside consultant. The end result is that is costs you time and forces you to waste your valuable time on the lowest-percentage sales activity instead of on something more productive.
The insanity of all this is that trying to save time and money by forcing you to cold call ends up costing the company huge amounts of time and money! It obviously isn’t profitable to have salespeople cold calling when it consistently has the lowest returns of all sales activities. However, they do it anyway, with the belief that it’s a smart way to cut corners. The fact of the matter is that having salespeople cold call is penny-wise and pound-foolish. It lets companies cut corners in the short term, but with very dire long-term consequences. Cold calling, when relied upon as the main source of new business, frequently leads to lost profits, downsizing and even bankruptcy.
Companies that are succeeding today don’t bother with cold calling. They implement a marketing plan that generates qualified leads, and they provide those leads to the salespeople, who simply go out and close them. This is the only sensible way to do business in the twenty-first century.
Have you ever wondered why sales managers are so insistent that you cold call?
Have you ever wondered why many companies will not even consider a marketing budget, and instead mandate cold calling, make it a job requirement, and tell you you’ll be fired if you don’t do it?
Doesn’t it seem a bit strange that you’d be paid so much in salary just to run around collecting fifty business cards a day, or making fifty telephone calls when your talents are so much better than that?
There is a reason for all this insanity. It’s the dark side of cold calling, and the real reasons why many companies still force salespeople to engage in this old, antiquated method of doing business.
First of all, cold calling doesn’t cost the company money. It costs you money. They get to avoid spending money on marketing, and instead they let you do the hard work of cold calling. This is in spite of the fact that cold calling has the lowest returns of any and all sales activities, and therefore leaves you with the lowest possible paycheck.
Second, cold calling doesn’t cost the company time. If they wanted to put together a marketing plan they’d either have to hire more employees to do it, take current employees away from other duties, or hire an outside firm to implement it. Instead, they tell you to do it. This saves manpower and eliminates the need to either hire new employees or hire an outside consultant. The end result is that is costs you time and forces you to waste your valuable time on the lowest-percentage sales activity instead of on something more productive.
The insanity of all this is that trying to save time and money by forcing you to cold call ends up costing the company huge amounts of time and money! It obviously isn’t profitable to have salespeople cold calling when it consistently has the lowest returns of all sales activities. However, they do it anyway, with the belief that it’s a smart way to cut corners. The fact of the matter is that having salespeople cold call is penny-wise and pound-foolish. It lets companies cut corners in the short term, but with very dire long-term consequences. Cold calling, when relied upon as the main source of new business, frequently leads to lost profits, downsizing and even bankruptcy.
Companies that are succeeding today don’t bother with cold calling. They implement a marketing plan that generates qualified leads, and they provide those leads to the salespeople, who simply go out and close them. This is the only sensible way to do business in the twenty-first century.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Best practices for eService
Preparation
On your WEB site, the internautes can ask assistance from an agent by clicking on the "chat" button, for instance. From that moment, the agent invites the client to a private demonstration by e-mailing or sending via Skype an invitation by a click or simply by showing an icon for a direct connection to a meeting room. Voice is broadcasted by telephone or even through Skype. As usual, the meeting room's customization with your logo and an adapted screen saver creates a friendly environment. When the agents are absent or outside the working hours, clients might consult, in broadcast, pre recorded assistance capsules. In fact, the list of available video clips might be displayed on the WEB page, in the main entrance to the meeting room.
Progress
When doing a private demonstration, Conferenceware's mainly used functionality is the screen sharing. It is used to make a software demonstration or sharing documents. Also, the presenter may send files and even a WEB page. If the need arises, another presenter, like a specialized technician, could join the WEBconference. Even more, a participant that may download on his/hers PC the Conferenceware trial software, could share his/hers own screen with an agent that could detect an error while manipulating it. At the end of a session, the client might be asked to share his/hers level of satisfaction by the means of a question addressed on that regard.
Follow up
The systematic recording of service WEBconferences and the possibility of editing its contents, with the objective of only saving the relevant segments, contributes to the constitution of an audio visual knowledge base. This is the first material of a training program in eLearning for your own agents along with a contextual help capsules library, on self-service. Thanks to the reports, the person responsible for the service might follow, daily, the client's level and mobilize his/hers team on a continuing improvement dynamics.
On your WEB site, the internautes can ask assistance from an agent by clicking on the "chat" button, for instance. From that moment, the agent invites the client to a private demonstration by e-mailing or sending via Skype an invitation by a click or simply by showing an icon for a direct connection to a meeting room. Voice is broadcasted by telephone or even through Skype. As usual, the meeting room's customization with your logo and an adapted screen saver creates a friendly environment. When the agents are absent or outside the working hours, clients might consult, in broadcast, pre recorded assistance capsules. In fact, the list of available video clips might be displayed on the WEB page, in the main entrance to the meeting room.
Progress
When doing a private demonstration, Conferenceware's mainly used functionality is the screen sharing. It is used to make a software demonstration or sharing documents. Also, the presenter may send files and even a WEB page. If the need arises, another presenter, like a specialized technician, could join the WEBconference. Even more, a participant that may download on his/hers PC the Conferenceware trial software, could share his/hers own screen with an agent that could detect an error while manipulating it. At the end of a session, the client might be asked to share his/hers level of satisfaction by the means of a question addressed on that regard.
Follow up
The systematic recording of service WEBconferences and the possibility of editing its contents, with the objective of only saving the relevant segments, contributes to the constitution of an audio visual knowledge base. This is the first material of a training program in eLearning for your own agents along with a contextual help capsules library, on self-service. Thanks to the reports, the person responsible for the service might follow, daily, the client's level and mobilize his/hers team on a continuing improvement dynamics.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Best practices for eSales
Preparation
eSales profits from personalizing the viewer meaning the entrance or lobby of the meeting room with a PowerPoint conceptual model which illustrates the client’s activity sector. A large array is offered among the Resources under SERVICE. In fact, the same model could be use for the presentation to a prospect. Depending upon the number of participants, you could decide between a telephone conversation or an audioconference service. The invitation is transmitted by e-mail with integration with most CRM applications. In the case of coworkers, the invitation could be done via Skype, followed by an attendance indication.
Progress
Many Conferenceware functionnalities help to the success of eSale. First, a PowerPoint presentation and the screen sharing to hold a demonstration or display Word or Excel documents, for instance. Also, many presenters could intervene under the guidance of a conference master and each participant could be authorized to draw or write on a presentation. The presenter might transmit to the participants a screen saver with notes or any file or image, such as a proposal. Finally, the prospect’s opinion, but usually of his/hers circle of ‘influence’, could be requested through a mini questionnaire like one for the importance they give to your differentials in order to detect their buying criteria.
Follow up
Conferenceware provides a detailed report of the participants to a WEBconference and their answers to the different questions. In another matter, the integral recording of a WEBconference, voice and images, can be imported to your local disc and saved in the client’s file of your CRM software like an attached file to a contact. Replayed, it could be considered as a tool to review opportunities by a sales director or as a pedagogical material to train representatives, mainly to share better practices.
eSales profits from personalizing the viewer meaning the entrance or lobby of the meeting room with a PowerPoint conceptual model which illustrates the client’s activity sector. A large array is offered among the Resources under SERVICE. In fact, the same model could be use for the presentation to a prospect. Depending upon the number of participants, you could decide between a telephone conversation or an audioconference service. The invitation is transmitted by e-mail with integration with most CRM applications. In the case of coworkers, the invitation could be done via Skype, followed by an attendance indication.
Progress
Many Conferenceware functionnalities help to the success of eSale. First, a PowerPoint presentation and the screen sharing to hold a demonstration or display Word or Excel documents, for instance. Also, many presenters could intervene under the guidance of a conference master and each participant could be authorized to draw or write on a presentation. The presenter might transmit to the participants a screen saver with notes or any file or image, such as a proposal. Finally, the prospect’s opinion, but usually of his/hers circle of ‘influence’, could be requested through a mini questionnaire like one for the importance they give to your differentials in order to detect their buying criteria.
Follow up
Conferenceware provides a detailed report of the participants to a WEBconference and their answers to the different questions. In another matter, the integral recording of a WEBconference, voice and images, can be imported to your local disc and saved in the client’s file of your CRM software like an attached file to a contact. Replayed, it could be considered as a tool to review opportunities by a sales director or as a pedagogical material to train representatives, mainly to share better practices.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Best practices for eMeeting
Preparation
According to the number of participants, you will decide to broadcast the voice through a normal telephone call or through an audioconference. In this regard, we offer a free audioconference service in which the participants make a usual long distance call with access points in Europe and America as well as in a passage via Skype, with the necessary password to join in. The meeting’s WEB page is edited to display the order du jour. Other resources are offered, under SERVICE, specially to detect the opening of an invitation e-mail ensure the automatic resend to those whom have not confirmed their participation as well as to convert an Excel file into an interactive board.
Progress
Several Conferenceware functionnalities can be used to profit from the efficiency of an eMeeting. The same apply to the PowerPoint presentation and screen sharing in order to be able to display Word or Excel documents, for example. Also, several presenters may intervene under the guidance of a conference master or president of the assembly and each of the participants might be authorized to write on an interactive board or to make notes on a presentation. The presenter can transmit to the participants any screen saver or image or file, such as a report. While in meeting, a participant can virtual raise his/her hand to show the intention to share something publicly or communicate privately with the presenter, just like whispering. Finally, a question might be submitted to consideration by vote and the results may be displayed or not, as wished by the presenter.
Follow up
The meeting’s report indicates not only the participants but also the answers given to questions asked or votes taken. Moreover, by recording a meeting, in which voice and image are synchronized, the absentees could see it any time by getting the hyperlink and password required to replay it.
According to the number of participants, you will decide to broadcast the voice through a normal telephone call or through an audioconference. In this regard, we offer a free audioconference service in which the participants make a usual long distance call with access points in Europe and America as well as in a passage via Skype, with the necessary password to join in. The meeting’s WEB page is edited to display the order du jour. Other resources are offered, under SERVICE, specially to detect the opening of an invitation e-mail ensure the automatic resend to those whom have not confirmed their participation as well as to convert an Excel file into an interactive board.
Progress
Several Conferenceware functionnalities can be used to profit from the efficiency of an eMeeting. The same apply to the PowerPoint presentation and screen sharing in order to be able to display Word or Excel documents, for example. Also, several presenters may intervene under the guidance of a conference master or president of the assembly and each of the participants might be authorized to write on an interactive board or to make notes on a presentation. The presenter can transmit to the participants any screen saver or image or file, such as a report. While in meeting, a participant can virtual raise his/her hand to show the intention to share something publicly or communicate privately with the presenter, just like whispering. Finally, a question might be submitted to consideration by vote and the results may be displayed or not, as wished by the presenter.
Follow up
The meeting’s report indicates not only the participants but also the answers given to questions asked or votes taken. Moreover, by recording a meeting, in which voice and image are synchronized, the absentees could see it any time by getting the hyperlink and password required to replay it.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Best practices for eLearning
Preparation
The eLearning is held live or on-line in which what we would correctly call a virtual class or recorded, in self training. In the case of a virtual class, voice is broadcasted through an audioconference or via Skype and for a broadcast only, it would be done through WEBcast directly on the WEB. The WEB page of a training center could display a list of courses for the registered WEBconferences that in fact constitutes the resume of the programs for the customized training. In the chapter regarding the personalized coaching, the presence indicator with Skype allows to be informed of the accessibility of a colleague, to ask for the opinion and to ask, by clicking, to share with the person your screen, to consult over a document.
Progress
The array of Conferenceware functionalities can contribute to help the training and sharing. The PowerPoint presentation and the screen sharing to make a demonstration or display Word or Excel documents are the privileged tools. Several presenters may interact while on a training, like a pedagogue accompanied by a contents specialist, no matter where they might be. The presenter might transmit to the participants an image or a file, such as a reference document finally, to make it more dynamic, the presenter may propose a quiz that the participants answer and to which he/she could display the results.
Follow up
As a follow-up for a WEBconference course, the participants might be subjected to an exhaustive exam. To do so, we offer a poll service in order to easily configure a multiple choice questionnaire to evaluate the knowledge acquired. The display report allows, in itself, the supervision of the completion of the self training program for each employee. In fact, the recording of the courses, actually meaning their edition to eliminate the superfluous segments, allows the conservation and the timely broadcasting.
The eLearning is held live or on-line in which what we would correctly call a virtual class or recorded, in self training. In the case of a virtual class, voice is broadcasted through an audioconference or via Skype and for a broadcast only, it would be done through WEBcast directly on the WEB. The WEB page of a training center could display a list of courses for the registered WEBconferences that in fact constitutes the resume of the programs for the customized training. In the chapter regarding the personalized coaching, the presence indicator with Skype allows to be informed of the accessibility of a colleague, to ask for the opinion and to ask, by clicking, to share with the person your screen, to consult over a document.
Progress
The array of Conferenceware functionalities can contribute to help the training and sharing. The PowerPoint presentation and the screen sharing to make a demonstration or display Word or Excel documents are the privileged tools. Several presenters may interact while on a training, like a pedagogue accompanied by a contents specialist, no matter where they might be. The presenter might transmit to the participants an image or a file, such as a reference document finally, to make it more dynamic, the presenter may propose a quiz that the participants answer and to which he/she could display the results.
Follow up
As a follow-up for a WEBconference course, the participants might be subjected to an exhaustive exam. To do so, we offer a poll service in order to easily configure a multiple choice questionnaire to evaluate the knowledge acquired. The display report allows, in itself, the supervision of the completion of the self training program for each employee. In fact, the recording of the courses, actually meaning their edition to eliminate the superfluous segments, allows the conservation and the timely broadcasting.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Best practices for eCRM
Preparation
Make the difference between the development of current clientele and market prospecting. In the first case, contacts are identified and are established in the client’s account. Therefore, is convenient to organize a presentation since Conferenceware automatically generates the information required for an invitation, the description, schedule and the mode for voice broadcasting within the format of a new message. From there, you just have to select the persons you want to invite among your contacts. Consequently, a copy of the invitation is saved in each of your contact’s file, in your CRM software. In the case of prospecting by WEBinar, the list of registered persons is imported in CSV format in order to automatically build contact information in your CRM software.
Progress
The objective of commercial presentations is usually to get information regarding the prospect’s business problematic and to identify the persons with power among the organization that have the weight to make the buying decision making. Is through the interactive questionnaire that is possible to evaluate the preoccupations in terms of problems along with the buying criteria of each of the persons influencing the process. While meeting with them, you are able to identify each person’s role within the acquisition, user, evaluator, and their level of knowledge, beginner or expert as well as their attitude: ally, neutral or hostile. In the case of acquired clients, the interactive questionnaire is precious to evaluate their loyalty particularly their disposition to make referrals.
Follow up
The report of a reunion indicates not only the participants but also the answers they have provided to the questions submitted: problems, retained buying criteria, loyalty index. From there, you should be able to prepare a differential proposal, showing by the grade of pertinence, your understanding of the client’s needs. Moreover, by recording a meeting, in which voice and image are synchronized, it can be replayed to check the fine tuning and be kept in the file as an attachment to opportunity.
Make the difference between the development of current clientele and market prospecting. In the first case, contacts are identified and are established in the client’s account. Therefore, is convenient to organize a presentation since Conferenceware automatically generates the information required for an invitation, the description, schedule and the mode for voice broadcasting within the format of a new message. From there, you just have to select the persons you want to invite among your contacts. Consequently, a copy of the invitation is saved in each of your contact’s file, in your CRM software. In the case of prospecting by WEBinar, the list of registered persons is imported in CSV format in order to automatically build contact information in your CRM software.
Progress
The objective of commercial presentations is usually to get information regarding the prospect’s business problematic and to identify the persons with power among the organization that have the weight to make the buying decision making. Is through the interactive questionnaire that is possible to evaluate the preoccupations in terms of problems along with the buying criteria of each of the persons influencing the process. While meeting with them, you are able to identify each person’s role within the acquisition, user, evaluator, and their level of knowledge, beginner or expert as well as their attitude: ally, neutral or hostile. In the case of acquired clients, the interactive questionnaire is precious to evaluate their loyalty particularly their disposition to make referrals.
Follow up
The report of a reunion indicates not only the participants but also the answers they have provided to the questions submitted: problems, retained buying criteria, loyalty index. From there, you should be able to prepare a differential proposal, showing by the grade of pertinence, your understanding of the client’s needs. Moreover, by recording a meeting, in which voice and image are synchronized, it can be replayed to check the fine tuning and be kept in the file as an attachment to opportunity.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Are You Going To Win? Constantly Qualify Your Opportunities
Constant qualification is the process of continuously evaluating all of your opportunities to check that you still want to and should be bidding. It is possible to get caught up in an opportunity that you are unlikely to win and that diverts valuable resources and time from other more suitable opportunities.
First off, you need to understand the importance of having a formal bid/no bid process. This is to help you understand when and why you should bid, and to make sure you avoid projects that you have a low probability of winning. Sometimes a decision is made early to bid but is that still the right decision as you learn more about the opportunity?
As you get greater understanding of the specification you may realise that it isn’t as suitable for you as you first imagined; circumstances change – an existing client may need a project extending and you haven’t got the required resources; or you find out that the client hasn’t got the budget that you thought they had. Although you’ve invested time in the opportunity that doesn’t mean it’s too late to get out.
With any opportunity, one thing you need to do is keep finding out more about it. Ask questions and learn about the clients true needs. This is done because you want to offer the client the best solution possible, but you are also finding out whether you can deliver that solution.
At regular points during the opportunity take a look back at your original decision to bid. Is it still the right decision now that you have more information available?
You should plan and use structured methodologies for qualification throughout the bidding process. This is to help you make objective decisions and to justify the time and resources spent pursuing the opportunity.
The Learn to Write Proposals (www.learntowriteproposals.co.uk) Prospect Qualification Tool gives you a methodology for making the first bid/no bid decision as well as being able to quantify the win probability as you progress through the bidding process.
This constant qualification also allows you to see where you need to strengthen your bid. You may want to continue with the opportunity but realise that you need to take action to strengthen a particular area of your bid. Constant qualification and evaluation allows you to keep your bid focused and moving in the right direction – towards the solution that the client needs.
Qualification and preparation are the least liked processes of contracting by the majority of people involved. However, it’s an accepted fact of life. No matter your personal feelings, you should lean from what you do and make any attempts necessary to better yourself.
Overall, the goal is constantly qualify to evaluate your win chances. Qualifying for those contracts give you a greater understanding of what your business needs to succeed. No other way can more effectively pinpoint the areas where you need to improve.
First off, you need to understand the importance of having a formal bid/no bid process. This is to help you understand when and why you should bid, and to make sure you avoid projects that you have a low probability of winning. Sometimes a decision is made early to bid but is that still the right decision as you learn more about the opportunity?
As you get greater understanding of the specification you may realise that it isn’t as suitable for you as you first imagined; circumstances change – an existing client may need a project extending and you haven’t got the required resources; or you find out that the client hasn’t got the budget that you thought they had. Although you’ve invested time in the opportunity that doesn’t mean it’s too late to get out.
With any opportunity, one thing you need to do is keep finding out more about it. Ask questions and learn about the clients true needs. This is done because you want to offer the client the best solution possible, but you are also finding out whether you can deliver that solution.
At regular points during the opportunity take a look back at your original decision to bid. Is it still the right decision now that you have more information available?
You should plan and use structured methodologies for qualification throughout the bidding process. This is to help you make objective decisions and to justify the time and resources spent pursuing the opportunity.
The Learn to Write Proposals (www.learntowriteproposals.co.uk) Prospect Qualification Tool gives you a methodology for making the first bid/no bid decision as well as being able to quantify the win probability as you progress through the bidding process.
This constant qualification also allows you to see where you need to strengthen your bid. You may want to continue with the opportunity but realise that you need to take action to strengthen a particular area of your bid. Constant qualification and evaluation allows you to keep your bid focused and moving in the right direction – towards the solution that the client needs.
Qualification and preparation are the least liked processes of contracting by the majority of people involved. However, it’s an accepted fact of life. No matter your personal feelings, you should lean from what you do and make any attempts necessary to better yourself.
Overall, the goal is constantly qualify to evaluate your win chances. Qualifying for those contracts give you a greater understanding of what your business needs to succeed. No other way can more effectively pinpoint the areas where you need to improve.
Monday, July 19, 2010
A Simple Strategy to Increase Profits
In today’s competitive business environment it is essential to find ways to reduce costs and increase revenues while keeping productivity and quality high. One of the best ways to achieve this is through hiring and retention of outstanding employees.
Far too often hiring managers rush through the hiring process due to being reactive rather than proactive when filling positions. With some preplanning in the hiring process and implementation of sound strategies once people join your organization, you will lower the cost of doing business by considerable amounts.
As you prepare to hire consider the following:
• What type of person are you looking for?
• What are the values that drive your company?
• How difficult is the job you are filling?
• Do you have anyone internally who can do the job?
• How long will it take to find the right person for the position?
• What are you willing to negotiate with the potential candidate?
In looking for potential candidates you may want to try more than the traditional employee search. Tap into your network of professional connections. Some of your best candidates may be working for your competitors. Be careful about hiring someone just because they are a friend or family member. Not that friends and family members don’t make good employees - often they can be fantastic. And yet, if you are hiring them only because they are a friend or family member, you are setting yourself up for some big problems. With the wrong choice morale with other employees can go down. With the right choice it is just as likely to go up.
Think through the compensation package. Are the wages fair for the job, industry and market? Make sure your benefit package is competitive for your industry. Find out what other companies are offering as far as compensation and consider matching or beating their offerings.
There are occasions when someone may take a position without thinking through income, benefits or fit. Once they have gotten settled in and are feeling comfortable with the position and the company, they may realize the compensation and the job is not all it could be. That can cause some discontent on their part. To avoid this, do your homework.
Another key to keeping good employees is to make sure they are treated with respect, dignity and appreciation. This may seem like common sense and yet, it often doesn’t happen. I consult with various types of organizations employee retention and how to gain more commitment from the staff. I often will meet individually, in private, with a cross section of the staff. I spend at least an hour with each employee in a confidential meeting to find out their view of the company. Inevitably, the areas that are most lacking for the employee to be fully satisfied are communication and appreciation.
Once the area of discontent has been identified I design programs for the company in which to address the problems. What is amazing is the problem is often on the way to being solved by virtue of the fact the organization has brought me in. A common comment is, “Finally, someone is listening to me.”
Often, a company’s problems can be lessened with some good coaching and training of management. It is amazing how many managers and supervisors were put into their position without any training in interpersonal skills, management and supervisory skills, and how to communicate effectively. Nine times out of ten the people who need the most training are the ones who think they need it the least. And, they are often the biggest obstacle to the success of a company.
In order to stay competitive on all fronts you must keep your entire team on the leading edge. By doing so you will be in business for years to come with a happy, dedicated and productive team. And that will equal profits.
Far too often hiring managers rush through the hiring process due to being reactive rather than proactive when filling positions. With some preplanning in the hiring process and implementation of sound strategies once people join your organization, you will lower the cost of doing business by considerable amounts.
As you prepare to hire consider the following:
• What type of person are you looking for?
• What are the values that drive your company?
• How difficult is the job you are filling?
• Do you have anyone internally who can do the job?
• How long will it take to find the right person for the position?
• What are you willing to negotiate with the potential candidate?
In looking for potential candidates you may want to try more than the traditional employee search. Tap into your network of professional connections. Some of your best candidates may be working for your competitors. Be careful about hiring someone just because they are a friend or family member. Not that friends and family members don’t make good employees - often they can be fantastic. And yet, if you are hiring them only because they are a friend or family member, you are setting yourself up for some big problems. With the wrong choice morale with other employees can go down. With the right choice it is just as likely to go up.
Think through the compensation package. Are the wages fair for the job, industry and market? Make sure your benefit package is competitive for your industry. Find out what other companies are offering as far as compensation and consider matching or beating their offerings.
There are occasions when someone may take a position without thinking through income, benefits or fit. Once they have gotten settled in and are feeling comfortable with the position and the company, they may realize the compensation and the job is not all it could be. That can cause some discontent on their part. To avoid this, do your homework.
Another key to keeping good employees is to make sure they are treated with respect, dignity and appreciation. This may seem like common sense and yet, it often doesn’t happen. I consult with various types of organizations employee retention and how to gain more commitment from the staff. I often will meet individually, in private, with a cross section of the staff. I spend at least an hour with each employee in a confidential meeting to find out their view of the company. Inevitably, the areas that are most lacking for the employee to be fully satisfied are communication and appreciation.
Once the area of discontent has been identified I design programs for the company in which to address the problems. What is amazing is the problem is often on the way to being solved by virtue of the fact the organization has brought me in. A common comment is, “Finally, someone is listening to me.”
Often, a company’s problems can be lessened with some good coaching and training of management. It is amazing how many managers and supervisors were put into their position without any training in interpersonal skills, management and supervisory skills, and how to communicate effectively. Nine times out of ten the people who need the most training are the ones who think they need it the least. And, they are often the biggest obstacle to the success of a company.
In order to stay competitive on all fronts you must keep your entire team on the leading edge. By doing so you will be in business for years to come with a happy, dedicated and productive team. And that will equal profits.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
A Simple Sales Strategy: Define What Selling Is!
How do you define selling? A lot of people think of selling as persuading/convincing people to buy things they may or may not want or need. To some, selling is all about closing a deal. Thinking of selling like this is not very empowering to you. Frankly, if you have this perspective on selling, it's no wonder if you hate it. I would too!
So what perspective can you take about selling that will make it enjoyable, exciting and something you look forward to? Sounds like a bit of a tall order doesn't it? Read on.
Hopefully by now, you have made the list of all the problems that you can solve for your target market. You're going to be surprised how long that list grows over time. So really, if you look at your list and you think about it, you are a master problem solver. What you're really doing is helping people. Correct?
So try on this perspective about what selling is: Selling is helping people. Selling is serving. Selling is a process of identifying and solving people's problems.
See, feel and know that selling is serving. This will cause a big shift for you. With this perspective, you will really become passionate about wanting to help people. Find this passion and let it shine through.
It is your purpose, your moral obligation, to have as many sales conversations with people as you can so you can help as many people as possible. If you're not having these types of sales conversations, you are holding back the gift you have to offer the world. You owe it to people to be there for them with your expertise and wisdom.
Next time you're talking to a potential client, think about how you can help them, how you can serve them. Forget about trying to sell them something. If what you have to offer does solve their problems, and you facilitate the conversation using the strategies we are covering, people will sell themselves and will subsequently buy from you.
If you have a perspective on selling which is one of service and helping people, how do you think the people you're talking to will feel? Think about this: people hate to be sold. The minute they feel they're being sold, they often want to get away - fast. Don't you? On the other hand, if they feel you are sincerely trying to help them solve their problems, they will relax and open up to you.
If you have a perspective on selling which is one of service and helping people, how do you think you will feel? Does energized, excited, relaxed, and natural come to mind?
This perspective is simple but powerful and very attract-tive to clients.
(c) 2005, Tessa Stowe, Sales Conversation. You are welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end) and all links are made live.
So what perspective can you take about selling that will make it enjoyable, exciting and something you look forward to? Sounds like a bit of a tall order doesn't it? Read on.
Hopefully by now, you have made the list of all the problems that you can solve for your target market. You're going to be surprised how long that list grows over time. So really, if you look at your list and you think about it, you are a master problem solver. What you're really doing is helping people. Correct?
So try on this perspective about what selling is: Selling is helping people. Selling is serving. Selling is a process of identifying and solving people's problems.
See, feel and know that selling is serving. This will cause a big shift for you. With this perspective, you will really become passionate about wanting to help people. Find this passion and let it shine through.
It is your purpose, your moral obligation, to have as many sales conversations with people as you can so you can help as many people as possible. If you're not having these types of sales conversations, you are holding back the gift you have to offer the world. You owe it to people to be there for them with your expertise and wisdom.
Next time you're talking to a potential client, think about how you can help them, how you can serve them. Forget about trying to sell them something. If what you have to offer does solve their problems, and you facilitate the conversation using the strategies we are covering, people will sell themselves and will subsequently buy from you.
If you have a perspective on selling which is one of service and helping people, how do you think the people you're talking to will feel? Think about this: people hate to be sold. The minute they feel they're being sold, they often want to get away - fast. Don't you? On the other hand, if they feel you are sincerely trying to help them solve their problems, they will relax and open up to you.
If you have a perspective on selling which is one of service and helping people, how do you think you will feel? Does energized, excited, relaxed, and natural come to mind?
This perspective is simple but powerful and very attract-tive to clients.
(c) 2005, Tessa Stowe, Sales Conversation. You are welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end) and all links are made live.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
A Simple 8 Step Formula For Testing Your Headlines
I am going to let you in on a secret? The successful entrepreneurs are not successful because they know things that you don’t know. They are successful because they TEST every advertising campaign they embark on first before they start spending "big" money on effective forms of newsletter and ezine ads.
Ezine Ads
Placing ezine ads is one of the most effective form of advertising on the Internet today purely because you can advertise/market exactly to your target groups.
But if you don't know which of your headlines, your benefits and your offers are the ones that will make you money, you will probably not even be able to get the money back that you have to spend on your ezine ads.
8 Easy Steps To More Effective Headlines
To be capable of determining the most effective adverts, you need a system. I will show you one system how it can be easily done. Of course, there are literally thousands of different systems that could do the task as well. But if you want to analysis without spending too much money, then my way of testing will be an invaluable help for you.
The structure Consists Of 8 Easy Steps :
1.) Write down the benefits of your product and contemplate the advantages for your target group, not yourself. A bit of brainstorming is required here to see which ones immediately come to mind.
2.) Turn them into a set of 10 different headlines. If you sell an e-book about Dog Training and one of your ebooks benefits is that even first time dog owners can understand how to do it, then tell them about it in the headline
e.g. :
"A Step-By-Step Guide Teaches You Everything You Need To Know About Training Your Dog - If You Can Read, You Can Implement A Quick and Easy Dog Training Routine ! "
3.) Write 2-3 different versions of your ad copy. Focus on one or two other essential benefits. Get the reader curious and excited about your offer. Your aim is to make the prospect click on your link !
4.) Create a few different tracking links (that lead to your sales letter) for each ezine you want to submit your ad to. You must be able to decide exactly which ads and more importantly headlines are successful, and where the responses are coming from or you will be shooting in the dark.
You can use these 2 free services for this : http://www.hyperlinktracker.com/ and http://www.linkcounter.com/ they are both outstanding free services.
5.) Use one and the same headline for all your free ezine ad sub- missions and send out your free ezine ads to at least 10 ezines.
There are plenty of free well established ezines which give you free subscriber ads if you join their mailing list. You need publications with at least 1000 subscribers for a decent test of your ad.
6.) Look for the ezines with the most number of clicks. Only choose the most successful ezines. Now send 10 different headlines to be published in the next issue and one and the same ad copy to these ezines.
7.) By now, you should be familiar with which headlines work and you can change over to paid forms of ezine advertising in the knowledge that the ad you use with give it your best shot. Order Top Sponsor Ads and Solos in ezines with high circulation 10000 + subscribers.
If you get an acceptable amount of clicks but little sales, try changing your copy in the body of the ad and maybe your price as well. Is it too cheap or too expensive. Selling cheap don’t work.
You can find out if you :
8.) TEST, TEST and, you guessed it : TEST...!
Ezine Ads
Placing ezine ads is one of the most effective form of advertising on the Internet today purely because you can advertise/market exactly to your target groups.
But if you don't know which of your headlines, your benefits and your offers are the ones that will make you money, you will probably not even be able to get the money back that you have to spend on your ezine ads.
8 Easy Steps To More Effective Headlines
To be capable of determining the most effective adverts, you need a system. I will show you one system how it can be easily done. Of course, there are literally thousands of different systems that could do the task as well. But if you want to analysis without spending too much money, then my way of testing will be an invaluable help for you.
The structure Consists Of 8 Easy Steps :
1.) Write down the benefits of your product and contemplate the advantages for your target group, not yourself. A bit of brainstorming is required here to see which ones immediately come to mind.
2.) Turn them into a set of 10 different headlines. If you sell an e-book about Dog Training and one of your ebooks benefits is that even first time dog owners can understand how to do it, then tell them about it in the headline
e.g. :
"A Step-By-Step Guide Teaches You Everything You Need To Know About Training Your Dog - If You Can Read, You Can Implement A Quick and Easy Dog Training Routine ! "
3.) Write 2-3 different versions of your ad copy. Focus on one or two other essential benefits. Get the reader curious and excited about your offer. Your aim is to make the prospect click on your link !
4.) Create a few different tracking links (that lead to your sales letter) for each ezine you want to submit your ad to. You must be able to decide exactly which ads and more importantly headlines are successful, and where the responses are coming from or you will be shooting in the dark.
You can use these 2 free services for this : http://www.hyperlinktracker.com/ and http://www.linkcounter.com/ they are both outstanding free services.
5.) Use one and the same headline for all your free ezine ad sub- missions and send out your free ezine ads to at least 10 ezines.
There are plenty of free well established ezines which give you free subscriber ads if you join their mailing list. You need publications with at least 1000 subscribers for a decent test of your ad.
6.) Look for the ezines with the most number of clicks. Only choose the most successful ezines. Now send 10 different headlines to be published in the next issue and one and the same ad copy to these ezines.
7.) By now, you should be familiar with which headlines work and you can change over to paid forms of ezine advertising in the knowledge that the ad you use with give it your best shot. Order Top Sponsor Ads and Solos in ezines with high circulation 10000 + subscribers.
If you get an acceptable amount of clicks but little sales, try changing your copy in the body of the ad and maybe your price as well. Is it too cheap or too expensive. Selling cheap don’t work.
You can find out if you :
8.) TEST, TEST and, you guessed it : TEST...!
You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter on your web site as long as the byline is included and the article is included in it's entirety. I also ask that you activate any html links found in the article and in the byline. Please send a courtesy link or email where you publish to: support@lucygreen.com
Edward Green is the owner and operator of a successful online business. Ed has over 15 years in corporate business operations which include guerrilla marketing skills, customer service and Professional networking capabilities. http://www.lucygreen.com
Friday, June 18, 2010
Evaluating Your Customer
It is one thing to make a sales presentation, but it is another thing to make a sales presentation without first evaluating your customer. For all you know, you could be selling your customer something that they already have, or something they don’t want, don’t need, or can’t afford.
This is why it is so very important to take your customer in, sit them down, make them feel comfortable, and get to know them and what their needs are. Once you have done this, you can then sell them a product based on what their needs are and not what you think they are.
On a personal note . . .
I learned the importance of evaluating your customer the hard way. A few years ago, I was a branch manager working in a bank branch. One particular customer of the bank approached me in my office about opening a savings account for her daughter.
Once I explained to her the process of opening a savings account, I proceeded to tell her all about a current promotion we were having on our home equity loans. She sat there and listened very politely and patiently as I very proudly went down the list of all the benefits, features, and tax breaks that come with a home equity loan.
Once I had finished my rehearsed presentation, she said to me;
That all sounds very nice, and it is something that I will consider in the near to distant future. She than went on to tell me that she and her husband rented the house they lived in.
So there you have it, I tried to sell a home equity loan to someone without a house.
Needless to say, my face turned a deeper shade of scarlet, and I felt like an idiot.
But hey, I learned from my mistake. Had I asked some simple probing questions before I went straight for the sale, I would have saved myself a lot of embarrassment.
You will be amazed at what you can find out from people just by asking them a few simple questions about themselves. Remember, people love to talk about themselves. Their jobs, their pets, their kids, just about everything.
I once had a friend who owned a shoe store, and his inventory was made up mostly of sneakers. One day a man walked into his store to buy a pair of sneakers. As my friend assisted him with his decision, he struck up a friendly conversation with him. As it turned out, this customer ran a basketball camp during the summer and he loved to talk about it. A few minutes into the conversation, my friend and his customer had come to an agreement. All of the boys and girls that attended the customers basketball camp would receive a 10% discount on their sneakers if they purchased them at my friend’s store.
So, as you can see, my friend increased his sales that summer simply by striking up a conversation with his random customer and asking a few questions.
Imagine going to your doctors office with an ailment and having him prescribe you a medication without asking what your symptoms were. Would you take the medication?
The same principal applies.
It really isn’t rocket science, it’s just friendly conversation, get to know your customer and watch one sale turn into many.
Why service only one of your customers needs when you can service them all.
This is why it is so very important to take your customer in, sit them down, make them feel comfortable, and get to know them and what their needs are. Once you have done this, you can then sell them a product based on what their needs are and not what you think they are.
On a personal note . . .
I learned the importance of evaluating your customer the hard way. A few years ago, I was a branch manager working in a bank branch. One particular customer of the bank approached me in my office about opening a savings account for her daughter.
Once I explained to her the process of opening a savings account, I proceeded to tell her all about a current promotion we were having on our home equity loans. She sat there and listened very politely and patiently as I very proudly went down the list of all the benefits, features, and tax breaks that come with a home equity loan.
Once I had finished my rehearsed presentation, she said to me;
That all sounds very nice, and it is something that I will consider in the near to distant future. She than went on to tell me that she and her husband rented the house they lived in.
So there you have it, I tried to sell a home equity loan to someone without a house.
Needless to say, my face turned a deeper shade of scarlet, and I felt like an idiot.
But hey, I learned from my mistake. Had I asked some simple probing questions before I went straight for the sale, I would have saved myself a lot of embarrassment.
You will be amazed at what you can find out from people just by asking them a few simple questions about themselves. Remember, people love to talk about themselves. Their jobs, their pets, their kids, just about everything.
I once had a friend who owned a shoe store, and his inventory was made up mostly of sneakers. One day a man walked into his store to buy a pair of sneakers. As my friend assisted him with his decision, he struck up a friendly conversation with him. As it turned out, this customer ran a basketball camp during the summer and he loved to talk about it. A few minutes into the conversation, my friend and his customer had come to an agreement. All of the boys and girls that attended the customers basketball camp would receive a 10% discount on their sneakers if they purchased them at my friend’s store.
So, as you can see, my friend increased his sales that summer simply by striking up a conversation with his random customer and asking a few questions.
Imagine going to your doctors office with an ailment and having him prescribe you a medication without asking what your symptoms were. Would you take the medication?
The same principal applies.
It really isn’t rocket science, it’s just friendly conversation, get to know your customer and watch one sale turn into many.
Why service only one of your customers needs when you can service them all.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
10 Sizzling Offers That Sell Like Crazy!
One of the best way to increase your sales is to offer your potential customers a special offer. It could be
trial offers, discounts, purchase awards, etc. Below are ten sizzling offers you could use to sell your
products like crazy.
1. You could offer your potential customers a free sample of your product. If the sample proves what
you claim, there is a high chance they will buy it.
2. You could give your potential customers a free trial of your product or service. Tell them you won't
bill them for 30 days.
3. You could offer your potential customers a rebate after they buy your product or service. They will feel
they are getting a good deal.
4. You could offer your potential customers a monthly payment plan. Tell them they can pay for your product
or service with three easy monthly payments.
5. You could reward your potential customers if they buy a specific number of products. Tell them if they
buy 3 or more products, they will get one free.
6. You could reward your potential customers if they spend over a specific dollar amount. Tell them if they
spend over $100, they get a 10% discount.
7. You could hold a holiday sale for your potential customers. Tell them everything on your web site is
discounted up to 50% on Thanksgiving Day.
8. You could hold a buy one get one free sale for your potential customers. Tell them if they buy one product,
they get another product for free at the same value.
9. You could hold a special $1 sale for your potential customers. They'll come to your web site to buy your
product for only a dollar, but may buy other products.
10. You could offer your potential customers a bonus coupon when they buy one of your products. It could
be a coupon for another product you sell.
trial offers, discounts, purchase awards, etc. Below are ten sizzling offers you could use to sell your
products like crazy.
1. You could offer your potential customers a free sample of your product. If the sample proves what
you claim, there is a high chance they will buy it.
2. You could give your potential customers a free trial of your product or service. Tell them you won't
bill them for 30 days.
3. You could offer your potential customers a rebate after they buy your product or service. They will feel
they are getting a good deal.
4. You could offer your potential customers a monthly payment plan. Tell them they can pay for your product
or service with three easy monthly payments.
5. You could reward your potential customers if they buy a specific number of products. Tell them if they
buy 3 or more products, they will get one free.
6. You could reward your potential customers if they spend over a specific dollar amount. Tell them if they
spend over $100, they get a 10% discount.
7. You could hold a holiday sale for your potential customers. Tell them everything on your web site is
discounted up to 50% on Thanksgiving Day.
8. You could hold a buy one get one free sale for your potential customers. Tell them if they buy one product,
they get another product for free at the same value.
9. You could hold a special $1 sale for your potential customers. They'll come to your web site to buy your
product for only a dollar, but may buy other products.
10. You could offer your potential customers a bonus coupon when they buy one of your products. It could
be a coupon for another product you sell.
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