Posts from — December 2007

Friends of mine recently had a new addition to their family which they are very excited about. She is a cross between a golden retriever and a poodle and it is exactly what they were hoping for.

As we spoke I could sense the excitement of being proud parents one more time after having two legged and four legged “kids” for many years. Jim commented how training methods have changed so much over the years.

He is taking his counsel from the breeder and a book entitled Dog Training for Dummies. Gone are the rolled up newspapers to spank the dog and other punishment techniques, everything today focuses on positive motivation.  Read more...

Your handshake says a lot about you. It can convey confidence, warmth, and honesty, or it can signal weakness, uncertainty, and disinterest.

Either way, it sends a subtle yet powerful message about who you are, that is not lost on prospective buyers.

Use these pointers to make sure your handshake sends the right signals, and creates a good impression with prospects and customers.

• Avoid the power grip. A handshake should be firm, but not overly forceful. Beware of the unconscious tendency to pull the other person toward you as you shake. This can be interpreted as aggressive, and the prospect’s resistance to you will go up a notch or two.  Read more...

Everybody likes to buy, because buying is fun. If you don’t believe this, try to find a parking space at a shopping mall, or a seat at an auction, this weekend.

However, while buying is fun and exciting, nobody likes to be sold. The truth is: the best salespeople don’t “sell” their customers; they help them buy.

• Get emotional. When presenting your product or service, do not attempt to appeal strictly to the buyer’s rational mind with a list of perfectly logical reasons to buy. Instead, fire their imaginations, and appeal to their emotions. Stress the benefits and rewards of owning your product or using your services.  Read more...

Whoever coined the phrase, “It’s a jungle out there!” must have been a sales rep. Why? Because some days you’ll encounter more difficult customers than there are animals in the jungle.

When hacking your way through the dense underbrush to get to the sale, the trick is to stay cool, calm and in control.

See if you recognize here some of the creatures you must deal with from time to time. Then follow my simple instructions for a successful sales safari.  Read more...

Are you working hard, but not getting the results you want? If you’re a professional salesperson and you’re not selling, it could be because:

• You are boring. Do customers cut you off in mid-sentence, or jump in when you pause for breath? Chances are, you’re boring them. Paint a vivid picture and put them in it; use an example or interesting case history to illustrate your point. Whip out some visuals to show them how much they will save.  Read more...

There it sits on your desk — the telephone. You hold ambivalent feelings about using this device. On the one hand, you hear high-income professionals testify that they “dialed for dollars” — almost fanatically — on their way to the top. On your more successful days, you agree with them.

Yet at other times, when you struggle with gatekeepers, voice mail connections instead of live respondents, unreturned calls, refusals, and occasional rudeness, you decide, “I can spend my time doing something else that’s more likely to generate business.”  Read more...

What is your natural reaction to rejection? Think of children, for many the answer is automatically negative, sulking, screaming, and crying. As adults, we temper ourselves enough to stop this kind of outward reaction but in many cases our inner reaction is not always much better.

Think back to your last particularly disappointing rejection to a sales presentation. Though you probably shook your prospect’s hand and paved the field for possible future opportunities, did any whining, complaining or even screaming go on inside your head? Most of us would answer yes.  Read more...

At a party I was talking to a woman who asked five questions in a row. I began answering the first one, and could very well have said, “I believe you look and smell like a sweathog,” because she didn’t listen to the first, or any of my answers, since she replied, “Interesting,” and then began talking about herself. I watched and listened as she did that with several other people she met.

Sure, we all know we should ask questions. But the effort is wasted if they’re not asked in the right way, or if you don’t listen to the answers.  Read more...

If you don’t have a destination, how can you develop a map to get there? This may sound like a question for a driver, but it is also a question for sales people.

The other day I was working out in the gym when a guy asked me to spot him on the bench press. For those of you not familiar with the term “spot,” it means to watch and assist the lifter if they need help.  Read more...

The art of good conversation centers very much on your ability to ask questions and to listen attentively to the answers.

You can lace the conversation with your insights, ideas, and opinions, but you perfect the art and skill of conversation by perfecting the art and skill of asking good, well-worded questions that direct the conversation and give other people an opportunity to express themselves.

Ask Open-Ended Questions …
Ask open-ended questions that cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” Open-ended questions encourage the speaker to expand on his thoughts and comments. And one question will lead to another. You can ask open-ended questions almost endlessly, drawing out of the other person everything that he or she has to say on a particular subject.  Read more...