Referrals: Relief from the Common Cold Call by Jim Rohrbach

One of the best ways top producers build their book of business is through referrals. Although referral business usually generates the best type of clients in terms of both quality and revenue, many people are not clear on how to effectively get in front of referral prospects. So here is a step-by-step guide to follow:

1. Set a Referral Goal. Like anything else in your career, you can set a goal for the number of referrals you want. A general rule of thumb is that 50% of satisfied clients you ask will give you at least one referral. So, if your goal is to get 10 referrals in a month, you need to ask 20 clients.

2. Start Asking! There are two main reasons why people don't ask for referrals: One reason would be that they are afraid of rejection. Hey, you already did the hard part — you got someone to agree to do business with you. (That's called a sale ...) If they are satisfied with your service, you've earned the right to ask for referrals. (If you feel unworthy of asking, either you don't believe in what you're doing or you lack self esteem.) More commonly, people don’t ask for referrals because they haven’t learned the right words to say! So here's a little script to follow. By all means adapt the words to your own style:

"The purpose of my call today is that, as I may or may not have explained to you previously, one of the ways I build my clientele is through referrals from good clients like yourself. My ideal prospect is someone, like you, who ___________________."

Simply fill in this blank with the characteristics that describe your ideal prospects: the type of business, size of business, number of employees, number of locations, and any other defining characteristics you look for.

For example, I ask my clients for names of high achievers in the financial services industry (financial planners, stockbrokers, insurance agents), small business owners and 100% commissioned sales professionals who would like to go to the "next level," invest in their own personal development and make (or desire to make) a six-figure income.

3. Dig a little deeper. If no one comes immediately to their mind, you can prompt them with some examples, beginning with asking for introductions to contacts in companies you are targeting. You can also ask for their counterparts in professional or civic organizations they might belong to, or even their neighbors, college alumni, golf buddies, etc., who move in these circles. If they still draw a blank, then just thank them and tell them to call you if they think of some names.

4. Enlist their help, if they’re willing. If they do give a name, ask, "What would be the best way to approach this person?" When they advise you, ask, "I don't suppose you could call them to let them know I'd be calling them?" Most people will readily agree to this! If so, I strongly encourage you to set a follow-up date by phone with the referrer.

5. Don’t forget to thank them! Once you get the "green light" to call, get in touch with this prospect to introduce yourself and set a time to meet. Immediately afterward, send a hand-written thank you note to the referrer, along with promise to keep him/her posted on your progress with the person referred — that's just common courtesy, and it will bode well for referrals in the future.
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Success Skills Coach Jim Rohrbach, "The Personal Fitness Trainer for Your Business," coaches business owners, entrepreneurs and sales professionals on growing their clientele. He has helped hundreds of individuals to achieve their goals since he developed his first coaching program in 1982. You can visit Jim on the web at www.SuccessSkills.com.

Sponsor message: Visit BusinessNetworkingAdvice.com for tips on building your business.

Could the Golden Rule be wrong? by Bill Irby

How would you feel if you found out that a fundamental truth that you've believed since you were a child wasn't exactly true?

What would think if you found out that the golden rule, or at least the way the rule was taught to you, is wrong?

We all know the golden rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Isn't that what we have been told all of our lives?

I would suggest that the happiest, most successful, most fulfilled people we know don't follow the golden rule as we've been taught it!

Do the happiest and most successful people you know share any common traits? You know the people I'm talking about. People with genuine success and true lifelong relationships. Do they share common traits? I bet they do, although probably not the traits you would expect.

What traits do they share?

1) They are very good listeners.

Successful people focus on you as you speak. They are truly interested in what you have to say. These successful people treat you in ways that make you feel comfortable and relaxed around them. They always try to understand how you process and absorb information. They give you information in ways that are helpful to you. These folks speak to you in ways that make you feel important and appreciated.

2) They ask you lots and lots of relevant questions!

Don't you hate people who are always telling and never asking? Very successful people ask you questions and they actually listen to your answer. They listen twice as much as they talk.

3) They take specific action based on what you have told them.

Very successful people prove they listen by treating you and your views with the respect you deserve. We all feel comfortable with people who understand our feelings and how we think. We all want others to know and understand what is important to us.

Here is my key rule when working with others:

Seek to understand before you seek to be understood. I discovered this truth when I was just beginning my career. I was talking to the owner of a small business about my product. I told him all of the benefits and features my product provided. At the end of my call, the business owner told me he really liked my presentation. He only had one question for me. This question really made me take a look at how I worked with my customers.

What was his question. 'What is this product going to do for me'? I realized that based on our conversation so far, I truthfully couldn't answer his question.

I hadn't even asked him enough about his business to understand how our product would benefit him specifically. I certainly didn't understand his emotional state or his problems.

That moment changed my view of the world. I knew from that moment forward I must first concentrate on understanding the needs and wants of my customer before I would be able to help him understand how my product would benefit him.

Since this time I have used an alternative version of the golden rule. This new 'golden rule' has lead me down the path of success and happiness.

My golden rule is 'do unto others as they would like done unto them'.
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Learn how extremely successful salespeople consistently win! Bill Irby has created the *ultimate* selling guide. "Discover The Secrets Of Extremely Successful Salespeople" Free Details => SecretsOfExceptionalSalespeople.com.

You'd Better Shop Around by Kim Jones

Good news! People know what you do. They know what you sell. They know how to use it. They know how much they are willing to pay. They know if they want to buy what you're selling. And they know whether they want to buy it from you. And all this before you've ever even had a chance to meet them.

As business owners we forget how educated and informed our customers are. Long before they walk through your door or pick up the phone to call you they probably have more information than you do on product specifications, price, and your competition.

Depending on your business they may also have reviewed the opinions of tens, if not hundreds, of users of your product or service.

I once worked for a company that had a typical corporate website. The website had an overview of our services, background on the company, some friendly looking photos, and other usual corporate website stuff.

However, when I went on sales calls I found that for many of my prospects checking out our website was just the first step. Ninety-percent also talked to their friends, went to blogs to see what others had to say about us, and "googled" us to see if we were real players in our industry.

Your customers are doing the same thing. Long before they walk through your door they have done their homework. Some may arrive looking like shoppers who pretend to know nothing and wait to see what you have to say. Or they may show up armed with web page printouts ready to drive their hardest bargain. Either way you need to be ready.

Have you "googled" yourself lately? How about your competition? Have you spent time actually buying something from yourself online? Is it easy or are orders disappearing into cyberspace? What about your customer service? Have you tried calling, or having a friend or relative call, into your company to see how courteously issues are being handled?

If you are in business and your goal is to maximize profits the only way to succeed is by focusing on, understanding and pleasing your customers. Daily. Sure there are lots of other things that need your time and attention but without satisfied customers all of those other responsibilities could become non-issues.

Without happy customers none of that other stuff matters. So, tomorrow, take 15 minutes and shop your store, shop a competitors store, call your toll-free line and spend some time in your customer's shoes. I guarantee you'll be glad you did.
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Kim Jones is a sales and marketing professional based in Jupiter, FL. Feel free to email Kim with any questions or comments.

Seven Lessons to Learn From Great Salespeople -- Kevin Eikenberry

Chances are this article’s title gives you a strong opinion about whether or not to continue reading...

You are either in sales and want to understand your work better and therefore very interested, or you are being kind and giving me until the end of this paragraph to convince you to continue, because you aren’t in sales, you don’t want to be in sales, and you don’t see a connection between your work and sales.

If you are in the second group, please give me just one more paragraph before you decide, ok?

If you think of the stereotypical high pressure used car salesperson when you think about sales, rest assured that isn’t what I’m referring to.

Think about this. Do you ever need to persuade others to see your position or take a particular action? Do you ever need people to follow your recommendations? Do you ever benefit in a tangible way when you are able to be more successful in persuading others? If your answer is yes to any of these questions (and I’m sure it is for everyone), then you are in sales – regardless of your job title or how you feel about “salespeople.”

So regardless of your experience in or feelings about sales, there are likely things you can learn from the best in the sales field – because we are all in sales.

The Model in your Mind...

With all due respect to the many truly outstanding used car salespeople, the “high-pressure, used-car-salesperson” stereotype is one held by many people.

And while we may have experience with this type of salesperson, most of us also have experience with someone who was extremely helpful. Someone who helped us select the best possible product or service for our situation and really cared about the results we would receive from the products we were buying. In other words, when we stop to think about it we all have some very positive experiences with salespeople.

It is those positive experiences that I want you to reflect on as you read the seven lessons below. Chances are some – or all – will be consistent with your experiences, and by reflecting on your experiences as you read you will make these lessons even more valuable for you.

The Seven Lessons...

Listen more talk less. How can a salesperson know what you need unless they listen? If they don’t listen they are making assumptions as to your needs, wants and desires. The same is true for us. We will get much further much faster when trying to persuade or influence others when we talk less and listen more.

Ask more and better questions. One of the ways to talk less is by asking more questions. Great salespeople are masters at asking questions. They collect and use questions intelligently to learn more about our needs. They use questions to understand us better and to strengthen their relationship with us. Questions are one of our greatest learning tools and one of the best ways to further relationships. Whatever your work, being more skilled at asking questions will make you more successful.

Focus on the longer-term, big picture. The best salespeople aren’t trying to sell one car today. They are trying to sell you your next 5 (or 10) cars. They know Rome wasn’t built in a day and that they won’t reach their goals – or best serve you – by pressuring you to buy now. So it is for you in your interactions. When we think about the longer term we will make better decisions and behave more appropriately.

Build relationships. Business success is about relationships, and great salespeople know that. One of the fastest ways to become more successful is by building more and stronger relationships. One of the fastest ways to lose your job is by neglecting relationships. Take it from the best salespeople – business is based on relationships.

Follow-up and follow through. One of the ways to build relationships is to follow-up and follow through. Ever had a service provider call you and check on your satisfaction? How did you feel about that provider and his/her organization after that? How do you feel about people who send you handwritten thank you notes? How do feel when people go above and beyond to stay in touch with you and make sure you are satisfied? You feel good about them and their services, right? Apply those approaches to your work. Send a note. Remember a birthday. Mention the article you read that they would be interested in. Do what you said you were going to do. Follow-up and follow through.

Lose the techniques – focus on the other person. There are many helpful techniques that we can learn from training, from watching others and reading. We look for a magical formula or approach. While it is important to learn the techniques, they will only help us if we integrate them into who we are and what we stand for. For example, there is a difference between practicing active listening techniques and actively listening.

When the focus is on the result, we relax and use the techniques in support of the end goal. Great salespeople learn the skills, but focus on their Customer. In an almost paradoxical way, by focusing on the Customer (remember your colleagues and your boss are your Customers too) and being sincere and genuine, you will gain the advantage of the techniques you were trying to use to begin with.

Help them buy. People don’t want to be sold, but they do want to buy. Just like a master salesperson, help people be persuaded to your position. Help them see the value. Help them own the decision. Help them remove the roadblocks – real or perceived.

Some Final Thoughts...

There are likely many areas of your life where you can apply the lessons above. Consider your work, but also your role as a neighbor, in a community group and as a parent as places where you can benefit from these lessons.

Copyright © 2006 - All Rights Reserved
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Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. To receive your free special report on Unleashing Your Potential click here or call us at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.

Sponsor message: Learn How To Sell In Today's Tough Markets.

The Sharp Angle Close By Tom Hopkins

The Sharp Angle Close is used when you hear a challenge from a potential client. It's almost as if they throw down the gauntlet to see if you really can deliver. In fact, it is often used in reference to delivery dates.

Here's how it goes:

Client: “If we go with your product, we'd have to take delivery by May 3. Can you handle that?”

Sales Champion: “If I could guarantee delivery by May 3, are you prepared to approve the paperwork today?”

All you're doing is using the porcupine technique of answering a question with a question. When they reply to your Sharp Angle Close with a positive response, they will own your product or service.

If they reply with a negative response, you know they're either not serious or there's another concern. Find out just what that concern is by asking them to elaborate — why wouldn't they own your product if you can meet his or her delivery needs?
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Tom Hopkins International
7531 E. 2nd St., Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Tel: (480) 949-0786 or 800/528-0446 Fax: (480) 949-1590
TomHopkins.com - Visit our website for a great "Tip of the Day"

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The Difference Between Sales and Marketing by Jim Stovall

Sales and marketing are two terms that are often heard together and even used interchangeably. They are both vital to success but are two extremely different, sometimes opposite, concepts. The terms import and export are also used together but, as you know, they are quite opposite when you consider any transaction.

Sales, for the sake of this discussion, is the process of contacting potential buyers to present your products or services. Marketing, on the other hand, is the process of creating an environment where potential consumers call you about your product or service. While the desired result may be the same, the process and skill set required are totally different.

One of the sales person’s first tasks in any communication is to demonstrate a need for the product or service to be offered. The person selling insurance, in this instance, would contact you, informing you of the risk and peril you are in if you do not have insurance. While this is honorable, valid, and sometimes effective, it can be much more desirable when the perspective customer, through marketing efforts, becomes aware of the need for insurance and initiates the communication.

Sales and marketing create two totally different dynamics emotionally in the mind of the potential customer. Consider the difference of two phone conversations.

1. You are sitting at home relaxing after a hard day’s work, preparing to enjoy a family dinner, when the phone rings. It is a fast-talking, high-pressure sales person calling you about a vacation opportunity of a lifetime. Your immediate reaction is total resistance and a desire to get off the phone as quickly as possible.

2. You are relaxing around the dinner table with the family after a hard day’s work. The topic of a summer vacation comes up and various family members begin excitedly discussing their ideas for a trip. Then someone remembers an advertisement, flyer, magazine article, etc., and you pick up the phone and call a resort to get information and make a reservation.

In both cases, you are on the phone with a representative of a vacation company; however, the dynamic is totally different because one is an imposition and the other is fulfilling a need or desire you have identified yourself. This need or desire may have been created by an effective marketing campaign, but in any event, it has short circuited the sales process.

Sales and marketing are both effective tools in much the same way that a hammer and a screw driver are both useful but hardly interchangeable.

As you go through your day today, look at your efforts in sales and marketing. Determine to understand the differences and do both well.

Today’s the day!
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Jim Stovall is the president of Narrative Television Network, as well as a published author of many books including The Ultimate Gift. He is also a columnist and motivational speaker. He may be reached at 5840 South Memorial Drive, Suite 312, Tulsa, OK 74145-9082, or by e-mail at JimStovall@aol.com. Visit www.JimStovall.com

Turning Little Dollars into Big Dollars -- Tom Hopkins

A challenge I've always had in training people is convincing them that no matter what their product or service is, if they follow the techniques of a Champion, they can earn a large income.

We have a tendency to believe that the salespeople who earn large incomes probably sell million-dollar products. That's simply not true in all cases.

Do you know what the truth is? Regardless of the investment for your product or service, you can earn a large income by serving the needs of the right number of people.

Some sales professionals will choose to market a particular product or service just because they think it will give them the best opportunity to make the income they desire. That's the wrong way to choose what you market. You must sell a product that you truly believe in. Whether it's worth $3.00 or $300,000 isn't the issue.

The key to true success with your products is to understand the potential volume of sales that can be made. One of the biggest mistakes salespeople make is to market their product to someone and stop there. They don't open their minds to generating more sales from each client.

Here are three steps to turning little dollars into big dollars:

1. Multiplying.

Almost everyone who owns your product will want more of it. Whether they get it from you or not will depend on how well you serve them once they become clients. For example, do you know how many automobiles the average family in America owns? 2 1/2.

So, why do so many automobile salespeople only work on selling them one car? They don't think to ask about the spouse, mother-in-law or teenager in the household who might also have a need. Always remember, if they invest in one of your products, there's a good chance they'll take more.

2. Add-on.

Adding on to a sale involves helping the client see the value of options. If you're selling computers, these would include the peripherals such as printers, scanners, removeable drives, wireless keyboard, etc. If you sell insurance, go for the initial sale of life or auto, but then help the client review their overall needs and show them the benefits of having it all with one company. If you sell furntire, never let a client purchase a single item. Always engage them in conversation about the decorating accessories or other components of a set of furniture. Invest a few moments right now in listing some of your most satisfied clients. What do you have to offer that you haven't discussed with them? You might be surprised to learn that they have needs you hadn't thought of, but can serve.

Sometimes the answer to adding on to existing sales involves coming up with volume discounts, reminder services for re-ordering, training sessions that bring out their needs, a portable version of your product or an extended warranty. Even fast food restaurants train their teams to ask if you "want fries with that."

3. Sell them in bundles.

If the main office invests in a new copier, might not the satellite offices need to upgrade their equipment as well? Suggest a multiple purchase and offer a discount.

The point is to never settle for moving a single product from your hands to theirs. Always be ready to suggest other options but only do it after you're confident that you've closed the initial sale.
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Tom Hopkins International
7531 E. 2nd St., Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Tel: (480) 949-0786 or 800/528-0446 Fax: (480) 949-1590
TomHopkins.com - Visit our website for a great "Tip of the Day"

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Six Powerful Prospecting Tips -- John Boe

Selling is a contact sport and prospecting for new business is the name of the game! You'll never meet a salesperson that failed because they had too many prospects to talk to. For the majority of salespeople, finding new customers is without a doubt the most difficult and stressful aspect of the profession.

Here are six, practical tips to help you become more effective at generating new business and following up with prospects.

1. Prospecting for new business is similar to working out. You know it's good for you and it will produce positive results if you do it routinely. Professional salespeople prospect daily. It's important to block off specific time on your calendar for prospecting activities such as phone calling and emailing.

Treat your prospecting time with the same respect as you would any other important appointment, otherwise, there is a tendency that it will slip through the cracks. This is not the time to check your emails, play solitaire on the computer, make a personal phone call or chat with your associates.

Stay focused and take your prospecting seriously. Set the tone by closing your office door and have your incoming calls held unless it is a call from a client or a prospect.

2. Be prepared, get organized and take good notes. It's critical to have a computerized contact system to record remarks and suspense future contacts or appointments.

3. Use a script - don't shoot from the hip.There's only one thing worse than listening to a salesperson read a script over the phone and that is to listen to a salesperson without a script. Obviously, it's important to not only have a script but to practice it until it sounds smooth and natural. Set aside time to role-play with an associate over the phone. By taking turns presenting and critiquing you'll gain confidence, polish your script and be more effective. When prospecting, avoid the temptation to sell over the phone. Your objective is to gather information and make the appointment.

4. Strike while the iron is hot! When working with a new prospect, it's important to make contact quickly. Prospects are perishable. No matter how interested a prospect may appear, don't wait for them to call you. You are only one of many competing interests for your prospect's time and money.

5. Keep the high ground and avoid the temptation to badmouth your competition. While it is fair to make head-to-head comparisons, you should avoid personal attacks. Attacking your competition makes you look unprofessional and petty. Emphasize the benefits of your product or service by guiding your prospect through a comparison of quality and price. Play to your strengths and not the weakness of your competition. Let your prospect draw his or her own conclusions from your comparison.

6. Rejection is a natural aspect of the sales process so don't take it personally. Learn from rejection, use it as a feedback mechanism and look for ways to improve your presentation. Salespeople who take rejection personally lack perseverance and seldom make the sale. Sales is a numbers game pure and simple. As a professional baseball player, if you can average four hits out of ten times at bat you are heading for the Hall of Fame. Research indicates that in sales you can expect your prospect to say NO five times before he or she buys. With this in mind, realize that with every sales rejection you receive, you are one step closer to making the sale!

Prospecting for new business should be viewed more as a mindset rather than merely as an activity. It's something you need to be constantly aware of because you never know where your next prospect will be coming from. It really doesn't matter how competent you are or how well you know your product line, if you don't have a qualified prospect in front of you, you don't have a sale.
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John Boe presents a variety of sales training and motivational programs for meetings and conventions. John brings over twenty years of experience as an award-winning sales trainer to the platform. To have John speak at your next event, visit www.JohnBoe.com or call 877 725-3750. He has a free Newsletter available on his website.

Working for free By Kim Jones

Recently I sat down with a prospect whose sales had been below goal by almost 70% for several months. I asked her to share her typical day with me. She said, "Kim, I get to my office by 8:00AM. I make calls to prospects and follow-up on leads. In the afternoons I spend most of my time pulling together information for prospects on the financial markets, retirement products and stocks they've asked about."

I asked her to tell me more about the research she was doing. "For example, I met a man who was very interested in an international stock. None of the other brokers he spoke to would help him get any information on the company. I researched the company for him and I even got my company's international trading desk involved." When I asked her how many shares he bought she replied that after she sent him the information she never heard back from him. So, what went wrong?

Unfortunately, this new sales person is engaging in what I like to call "free consulting". It happens when we are so excited about a possible sale that we spend hours putting together a fabulous proposal or PowerPoint presentation for a prospect. We set up a follow-up appointment, make our big presentation and then…nothing. Our "prospect" takes all of our hard work and disappears into thin air. Our phone calls and e-mails go unanswered for weeks.

How can you stop this "free consulting"? By making sure the prospect has some skin in the game. Get them to commit to a clear next step. Ask the prospect, "When I come back with my proposal, and assuming you like it, what happens then?" Will they sign on the dotted line immediately or are there other steps involved in closing the deal. Don't do a bit of homework until they have committed to you about what will happen next. If they are not willing to commit to a clear next step be prepared to walk away because they probably aren't serious about buying from you.

This frees you up to go out and find more qualified prospects and prevents you from wasting time doing a lot of useless proposals and presentations. Happy selling.
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With over 15 years of corporate sales and marketing experience, Kim Jones has been training sales and non-sales professionals on ways to "Stop Selling & Make More Money". She can be reached at kim@burg.com or 1-800-939-1393 ext 703.

Who says image is everything? By Kim Jones

Ansel Adams is quoted as saying "There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept."

Adams was most likely speaking about photographic images not marketing strategies. Yet many companies today are wasting precious marketing dollars building sharp images of fuzzy business concepts.

Your singular, most critical marketing objective should always be to create more sales. Many small companies make the mistake of spending their limited marketing budgets on image building. Creating a unique and meaningful image in the customers' mind is key but it should not be the primary goal.

Building a strong image is a very important marketing component and you should work at it aggressively. However, businesses that haven’t made the connection between creating images and selling products often don't do a good job at either of them.

Many times in our quest to build our image we get caught up in using beautiful pictures of smiling families, fancy houses and swaying palms. These images are intended to invoke a "feel" for our business. However, these images are often so generic and overused they tend to be fuzzy, boring or irrelevant in the minds of your customers.

For example, many realtors use photos in their advertisements. If you look closely though you realize that these stock photos, with the snow-capped mountain peaks in the background, certainly weren't taken here in South Florida. This always leads me to think that if the realtor who put together the ad couldn't be bothered to find a photo that depicts the local real estate market, where else are they willing to cut corners? This is a minor point, but are your potential customers thinking the same thing? You bet.

Getting people to know you, through image building, as different, better and special is only the tee up. You still have to swing the club and drive the ball by convincing consumers that not only is your product different, better and special but that it is something that they want to buy. And then you have to get them to actually go out and buy it. Consumption is what counts.

In the old days people believed that if you grabbed peoples hearts, their wallets would follow. No more, people now need reasons to buy and even more importantly they need reasons to buy from you. Keep working on your image, but remember, the only reason for marketing is to sell more stuff.
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With over 15 years of corporate sales and marketing experience, Kim Jones has been training sales and non-sales professionals on ways to "Stop Selling & Make More Money". She can be reached at kim@burg.com or 800-939-1939 ext 703.

Savvy Selling By Kim Jones

Give them something to talk about.

Clients are always asking me to help them with their branding. They want to know how they can "build their brand', "create a unique brand identity" and "develop a killer brand". I like to push back and ask them to define "brand". If I ask 20 people that question I will get 20 unique answers.

According to Sergio Zyman, former head of marketing for The Coca-Cola Company, "…the whole reason to create a brand is to get consumers to identify a number of desirable qualities and traits with your specific product."

For example, if you were a pushcart vendor selling fruits and vegetables, you could take your pushcart out and go to a different corner every morning and start hawking your wares to a new audience every day. This would expose you to a lot more people than if you stood at the corner of Pine Street and Bell Avenue everyday. You would soon realize, however, that this was a pretty inefficient way to operate, because every day you would have to attract the attention of people who had never seen you before and convince them to try your fruits and vegetables. You wouldn't have built up any loyalty or residual goodwill. Every day you would be entering a new market. Rather than growing your business incrementally, by selling more to established customers, you would be growing it horizontally. And your costs to operate in this manner would be very high.

Why is this important? Because it is much more efficient to spend your limited marketing dollars reminding people why they like your stuff and giving them more reasons to buy than it is to go out every day and try to convince new customers to try your goods or services. If you want people to buy your product everyday, you have to market everyday and if you want them to buy more you have to give them more reasons to buy. With limited marketing dollars it is much more efficient to build stronger relationships with customers than it is to continually spend on the search for new customers.

Those customers that know you and love you will tell their friends about you and they will become your most effective marketing tool. So, as you consider your "brand" consider the message that you want your most loyal customers to tell their friends. Why is your product different, better or more special than your competitors? If you can't answer that question neither can your best customers. And your best marketing dollars are spent giving them something to talk about.
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With over 15 years of corporate sales and marketing experience, Kim Jones has been training sales and non-sales professionals on ways to "Stop Selling & Make More Money". She can be reached at kim@burg.com or 800-939-1939 ext 703.