7 Ways To Boost Your Business, Simply By Asking - by Jack Canfield

The gift called asking has been around for a long, long time. In fact, one of life's fundamental truths states, ask and you shall receive. Kids are masters at using this gift but we adults seem to lose our ability to ask. We come up with all sorts of excuses and reasons to avoid any possibility of rejection. Yet the world responds to those who ask. If you are not moving closer to what you want in sales (or in life), you probably aren't doing enough asking.

Here are 7 asking strategies you should be implementing into your business to boost your bottom line: (and remember - all these strategies can be used in other areas of your life as well)

Asking Strategy #1 - Ask For Information ...
To win potential new clients, you first need to know what their current challenges are, what they want to accomplish and how they plan to do it. Only then can you proceed to demonstrate the advantages of your unique product or service. Ask questions starting with the words, who, why, what, where, when and how to obtain the information you need. Only when you truly understand and appreciate the needs of a prospect can you offer a solution.

Asking Strategy # 2 - Ask For Business ...
Here's an amazing statistic: After doing a complete presentation about the benefits of their product or service, more than 60 percent of the time salespeople never ask for the order! That's a bad habit, and one that could ultimately put you out of business.

Always ask a closing question to secure the business. Don't waffle, talk around it, or worse, wait for your prospect to ask you. You have read good suggestions for these questions, like "Would you like to give it a try?' The point is, just ask.

Asking Strategy #3 - Ask For Written Endorsements ...
Well-written, results-oriented testimonials from highly respected people are powerful for future sales. They solidify the quality of your work and leverage you as a person who has integrity, is trustworthy and who gets the job done on time.

Yet most people in sales don't do this. That gives you a great opportunity to jump ahead of your competition. All you need to do is ask. When is the best time? Right after you have provided excellent service, completed a major project under budget, gone the extra mile to help out, or any other time you've made your customer really happy.

Simply ask if your customer would be willing to give you a testimonial about the value of your product or service, plus any other helpful comments.

Asking Strategy #4 - Ask For Top-Quality Referrals ...
Just about everyone in business knows the importance of referrals. It's the easiest, least-expensive way of ensuring your growth and success in the marketplace. In our experience, however, only one out of ten companies has a system for gathering referrals.

Your core clients will gladly give you referrals because you treat them so well. So why not ask all of them for referrals? It's a habit that will dramatically increase your income. Like any other habit, the more you do it the easier it becomes.

Asking Strategy #5 - Ask For More Business ...
Salespeople lose thousands of dollars in sales every year because they have nothing more to offer after the initial sale. Look for other products or services you can provide your customers. Devise a system that tells you when your clients will require more of your products. The simplest way is to ask your customers when you should contact them to reorder. It's often easier to sell your existing clients more than to go looking for new ones.

Asking Strategy #6 - Ask To Renegotiate ...
Regular business activities include negotiation. Many salespeople get stuck because they lack skills in negotiation. It's another form of asking that can save a lot of time and money. All sorts of contracts can be renegotiated in your own personal life like changing your mortgage terms and rate. As long as you negotiate ethically and in the spirit of win-win, you can enjoy a lot of flexibility. Nothing is ever cast in stone.

Asking Strategy #7 - Ask For Feedback ...
This is an important component of asking that is often overlooked. How do you really know if your product or service is meeting the needs of your customer? Ask them, "How are we doing? What can we do to improve our service to you? Tell us what you like about our products and what you don't like. " Set up regular customer surveys that ask good questions and tough questions. It's a way to fine-tune your business.

HOW TO ASK:

Some people don't enjoy the fruits of asking because they don't ask effectively. If you use vague, unspecific language you will not be understood. Here are four ways to ensure that your asking gets results.

Ask Clearly ...
Be precise. Think clearly about your request. Take time to prepare. Use a notepad to pick words that have the greatest impact. Words are powerful, so choose them carefully.

Ask with Confidence ...
People who ask confidently get more than those who are hesitant and uncertain. When you've figured out what you want to ask for, do it with certainty, boldness and confidence. This does not mean being brash, arrogant or conceited.

Ask Consistently ...
Some people fold after making one timid request. They quit too soon. Keep asking until you find the answers. In sales there are usually four or five "no's" before you get a "yes. " Top producers understand this. When you find a way to ask that works, keep on asking it.

Ask Creatively ...
In this age of global competition, your asking may get lost in the crowd, unheard by the decision-makers you hope to reach. There is a way around this. If you want someone's attention, don't send an ordinary letter. Use your creativity to dream up a high-impact introduction.

Ask Sincerely ...
When you really need help, people will respond. Sincerity means dropping the image facade and showing a willingness to be vulnerable. Tell it the way it is, lumps and all. Don't worry if your presentation isn't perfect; ask from your heart. Keep it simple and people will open up to you.
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Jack Canfield, America's Success Coach, is the founder and co-creator of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your free success tips from Jack Canfield now at www.JackCanfield.com.

Dealing With Distractions By Kelley Robertson

In today’s business world it is not uncommon for many sales people to work from a home office. At first this may seem like a great opportunity, however, it does create some unique challenges. One of the biggest obstacles is the number of distractions that can take us away from our work and prevent us from achieving our objectives.

When you work from a home office it is easy to get distracted from work, especially if it is work that you do not particularly enjoy like prospecting or cold calling. Watering the plants, running errands or even doing laundry can be a welcome change from the daily drudgery of selling. And, if you have young children, the number of distractions increases dramatically.

I, too, work from a home office and have had to deal with this challenge. Here are a few ideas that can help manage these distractions and improve your productivity. - Create an office. When I first began working from home almost a decade ago, I used to work at my dining room table. Unfortunately, this put me in the middle of our household action. My wife would turn on the television and I would be instantly distracted from my work.

In other cases, she would talk to me or ask me a question simply because I was in the same room. As a result, it was often difficult to focus on my work. Now I have an office and do the majority of my work there. If you don’t have space to create an office, find somewhere in your house that has the least amount of traffic and opportunities for distractions.

- Set specific “business” hours. This is particularly important if you have young children. It can be very difficult for children to understand that they can’t disturb us while we’re working. If you have an office, close your door and place a do not disturb sign on it. This is particularly important if you are making client calls because it prevents family members from inadvertently barging in on you during a critical call.

- Use a “to do” list—everyday. Having a list of what you need to accomplish each day can help keep you focused; otherwise, it becomes too easy to do other things around the house. If you know that you need to accomplish a certain number of tasks by the end of the day, it can prevent you from getting distracted during the day.

One of the challenges with this is that household duties or running errands are more enjoyable compared to work we have to complete. However, I have frequently found that once I get involved in my task, the desire to do something else fades.

- Set deadlines for the projects you’re working on. Although I don’t have anyone holding me accountable to these deadlines, I find that this approach can help keep me on track. You can also share these deadlines with other people to help keep yourself focused especially if this type of accountability works for you.

- Give yourself permission to relax from time-to-time. It’s okay to allow yourself to get distracted once in a while. As long it’s not a regular occurrence, you don’t have to worry too much about it. However, if your relaxation time overtakes your work time, then you need to reconsider your priorities.

- Share your goals and objections with a group of advisors. This type of accountability works well for many people because they know they will have to report their progress on specific projects.

- Recognize that the results you achieve are a direct result of the effort you put into your work. When I first started my private practice, it was easy to put aside work and do chores or run errands. In my first year, I treated work like a part-time job, clocking an average of 20-25 hours per week.

When I evaluated my results at the end of the year I realized I couldn’t afford to maintain this mentality. So I started working more. And, I got better results. I eventually learned that the more effort I put into my work, the better results I achieved in terms of the revenue and income I generated. This made it easier to avoid the distractions and focus more on my work.

- Lastly, you can try an approach I learned from Brian Tracy many years. When you find yourself procrastinating on a particular task or project, repeat the following three words to yourself over and over. “Do it now.” This can be a great way to prevent yourself from getting distracted by other things you would prefer to do.

Distractions are sometimes positive. A break away from work can clear your mind, give you the opportunity to refresh yourself, and increase your energy level. However, it is important to remember that you have a responsibility to yourself and your business to limit these distractions.

© 2006 Kelley Robertson, All rights reserved.
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Kelley Robertson, President of the Robertson Training Group, works with businesses to help them increase their sales and motivate their employees and has helped thousands of sales professionals and business people improve their results. He is also the author of “Stop, Ask & Listen – Proven Sales Techniques To Turn Browsers Into Buyers.” Receive a FREE copy of “100 Ways to Increase Your Sales” by subscribing to his free sales and motivational newsletter available at KelleyRobertson.com. Contact him at 905-633-7750 or Kelley@RobertsonTrainingGroup.com.

Sales Advice - How to Sell Your Services Better

Rich at Business Opportunities weblog has an interesting article entitled, 'How to Sell Your Services Better'.

He shares some interesting ideas for getting around the fact that services in and of themselves are intangible -- that is they can't always be touched or seen -- and as a result often demonstrated easily. Yet as he points out -- that's exactly what a person must do in order to make it easier for their prospects to make the buying decision.

I've included a few of the ideas shared in the article -- along with some thoughts of my own.

1. Turn your service into a product.
By utilizing this method, create tip sheets, templates, worksheets and supporting educational pieces that share your expertise.

My Thoughts: Good ideas, think whitepapers, ebooks, or even printed booklets (nothing fancy -- even the kind with the spiral binder could work well).

3. Combine your services and create a new offering. Start by listening to what your customers are asking for and paying closer attention to their buying patterns.

My thoughts: Listening 101 here -- but isn't it amazing how many of us prefer to hear what we most want to hear... as opposed to listening to what our customers are telling us? And being open to new opportunities that would otherwise open themselves up for us.

note: you can read the full article on 'How to Sell Your Services Better' here if you'd like.

--To your selling success, Josh Hinds

The Invitational Close By Brian Tracy

The Invitational Close is simple, low-key, classy and powerful. You use it at the end of a sales conversation to conclude the transaction. It is preceded by a Trial Close such as: "Mr. Prospect, do you have any questions or concerns that I haven't covered up to now?" Or, "Mr. Prospect, does this make sense to you, so far?"

Probe for Lingering Objections...
You ask these questions to be doubly sure that the prospect has no final objections lurking in the back of his mind that would block the closing of the sales process. You then invite the customer to make a buying decision by saying, "If you like what I've shown you, why don't you give it a try?"

Invite the Customer to Buy...
Inviting the customer to buy is very powerful. This is a gentle way of nudging the customer into taking action. "Why don't you give it a try?" If you are selling services, you can ask, "Why don't you give us a try?" If you want to be more bold and direct, you can simply ask, "Why don't you take it?"

Change Your Wording...
One of my seminar graduates doubled his sales by changing his words in the endgame of selling. After his sales presentation he would ask the prospect if he had any additional questions or concerns. If the prospect said "no," he would then ask, "Well, if you like it, why don't you take it?"

He was amazed to find that many prospects could not think of a good reason not to go ahead with his offering immediately. Both his closing ratio and his income soared.

Action Exercises: Here is something you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

The next time you complete your sales presentation, simply issue an invitation to the customer to make a decision. “Why don’t you give it a try?”

You may be surprised at your success.
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Brian Tracy is one of the world's leading authorities on personal and business success. His fast-moving talks and seminars are loaded with powerful, proven ideas and strategies that you can apply immediately to get better results in every area. Visit the Brian Tracy web site.

Customer Service Secrets to Consider from Home Depot

Customer service -- particularly good customer service is a skill that anyone with the desire to become a stand out sales professional would do well to study. The folks at Brainbasedbusiness.com have an interesting article called, 10 Customer Service Secrets from Home Depot that has some good ideas to consider.

Here are couple of points that stood out in my mind, as well as a few comments of my own.

1. Wait until a shopper indicates a desire for your help … then jump at that chance.

my thoughts: Perhaps in this case, I might greet the person with a smile and mention that if there's anything I could help them with I'd be happy to do so. Allowing them the opportunity to say no thanks, but at the same time letting them know I've acknowledged them and am willing to help if they need me.

2. Put down what you’re doing for a store ... to do what you can for any customer….

my thoughts: Such a simple idea, one has to wonder why this isn't the norm in all stores :-)

3. Ask good questions …. Show you are interested more in what shoppers are looking for … than in what you think you can sell them….

my thoughts: Solid advice. Through asking questions you might actually find that you can offer a better solution than the one the customer initially thought they were looking for. This positions you as an expert -- someone they will look to the next time they have a need for what you might offer.

Once again, there are other ideas shared in the article I mentioned. You can read it in it's entirety here.