Shared Selling Resource: A New Sales Community for Women Sales Professionals -- Sales Shebang

The other day while doing a little networking on Facebook I re-connected with Author, Speaker and Sales Strategist, Jill Konrath.

So we exchanged an email and after I asked her about any new projects she was working on she shared a new community site she's started which is geared towards women in the sales profession and said if I knew anyone that it might interest to pass it along -- well... me never being one to shy away from the chance to share a worthwhile resource I had a look over the site and it didn't take long to figure out that I'd be sharing it with everyone here :-)

And before you think this is one of those you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours promotions... keep on reading...

This is actually something to consider that might lead into helping one master their sales career. That is, doing the unexpected -- or otherwise known as practicing little random acts of kindness. Allow me to explain. You see, when Jill told me about the site she had no idea that I'd be doing this post where I'm sharing the resource with everyone here at SalesTrainingAdvice.com -- she didn't even ask me to do it. Actually, she was just sharing it with me and I suspect at best figured I might tell a few folks here and there.

However, after I had a quick look at the site, and of course knowing the high caliber of sales training knowledge that Jill's known for I realized this was a resource that needed to be shared. So I naturally figured what better way to practice a little "random act of kindness" than to share her site here. The point I want to make is that similar opportunities crop up all the time in all of our lives. We need only act on them and in turn see where they lead.

One of the things that I'm big on in the speaking and training that I do on effective networking is the idea of looking for ways to create value in the eyes of the other person. One of the best ways I've found to do that is to look for -- and more importantly, act on the opportunities that appear where I can do something unexpected for others.

The key thing to remember is that you're doing things not because you expect anything in return directly however. Years ago I coined a quote that says, "Life's like a boom-a-rang. The more good you throw out, the more you receive in return" -- I believe that's as true now as it was when I first wrote it.

So without further ado, it's my pleasure to share with you... drum roll please...

Sales Shebang

By the way I've included some of the highlights (taken from the site) to shed a little more light on what you can expect when you visit.

Conferences
Sales Shebang conferences offer sellers an opportunity to expand their expertise, gain invaluable insights, grow their network, and be inspired by and connected to like-minded women.

Learning Events
To provide ongoing growth opportunities, Sales Shebang offers a variety of learning events such as teleclasses, webinars and workshops featuring top sales experts.

Online Community
Sales Shebang's online community enables members to get answers to their questions, network, explore strategic relationships, and communicate on a range of topics.

And so that us guys don't feel left out I noticed the following statement on the site as well...

* Men are welcome to be a part of the Sales Shebang conferences and community.

So now that you've got a sneak peak as to what you can expect, head on over to Sales Shebang -- oh, and one favor. Let Jill and the folks over there know that I turned you onto them -- I'd greatly appreciate it.

Yours in Successful Selling,
Josh Hinds :-)

Sales Skills: Three Skills to Improve Conversation By Brian Tracy

One key to becoming a great conversationalist is to pause before replying. A short pause, of three to five seconds, is a very classy thing to do in a conversation. When you pause, you accomplish three goals simultaneously.

The Benefits of Pausing...
First, you avoid running the risk of interrupting if the other person is just catching his or her breath before continuing.

Second, you show the other person that you are giving careful consideration to his or her words by not jumping in with your own comments at the earliest opportunity.

The third benefit of pausing is that you will actually hear the other person better. His or her words will soak into a deeper level of your mind and you will understand what he or she is saying with greater clarity. By pausing, you mark yourself as a brilliant conversationalist.

Ask Questions...
Another way to become a great conversationalist is to question for clarification. Never assume that you understand what the person is saying or trying to say. Instead, ask, "How do you mean, exactly?"

This is the most powerful question I've ever learned for controlling a conversation. It is almost impossible not to answer.

When you ask, "How do you mean?" the other person cannot stop himself or herself from answering more extensively. You can then follow up with other open-ended questions and keep the conversation rolling along.

Paraphrase the Speaker's Words...
The third way to become a great conversationalist is to paraphrase the speaker's words in your own words. After you've nodded and smiled, you can then say, "Let me see if I've got this right. What you're saying is . . ."

Demonstrate Attentiveness...
By paraphrasing the speaker's words, you demonstrate in no uncertain terms that you are genuinely paying attention and making every effort to understand his or her thoughts or feelings. And the wonderful thing is, when you practice effective listening, other people will begin to find you fascinating. They will want to be around you. They will feel relaxed and happy in your presence.

Listening Builds Trust...
The reason why listening is such a powerful tool in developing the art and skill of conversation is because listening builds trust. The more you listen to another person, the more he or she trusts you and believes in you.

Listening also builds self-esteem. When you listen attentively to another person, his or her self-esteem will naturally increase.

Listening Develops Discipline...
Finally, listening builds self-discipline in the listener. Because your mind can process words at 500-600 words per minute, and we can only talk at about 150 words per minute, it takes a real effort to keep your attention focused on another person's words.

If you do not practice self-discipline in conversation, your mind will wander in a hundred different directions. The more you work at paying close attention to what the other person is saying, the more self-disciplined you will become. In other words, by learning to listen well, you actually develop your own character and your own personality.

Action Exercises:

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, make a habit of pausing before replying in any conversation or discussion. You will be amazed at how powerful this technique really is.

Second, continually ask, "How do you mean?" in response to anything that is not perfectly clear. This gives you even more time to listen well.
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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.

*brought to you by SalesTrainingAdvice.com

Treat Referred Leads with Care By Tom Hopkins

I've seen salespeople develop the attitude that referrals are sure things. They visit with referred leads believing that it's a "done" transaction. This attitude is wrong... very wrong. It can lead you to take shortcuts when just the opposite is needed.

The referred lead deserves the same attention, the same level of professional service you gave to the client who gave you the lead.

Not doing so is not only unprofessional, but does a disservice to the original client. If you don't make a good impression, their name gets dragged into the muck with you and you'll never get another lead from them.

Always treat a referred lead as if it is solid gold... as if the person who gave you the referral was right there present in the room or on the line with you as you speak to their friend or associate.

Proper handling of a referred lead could easily double or triple the value of the original sale by the number of additional referrals you receive once they know how much you care and the level of service you provide.
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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
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The Friendship Factor - By Brian Tracy

The Communication Process ...
The ancient Greeks taught that all conversation involved three ingredients: Ethos, or the character of the speaker; Pathos, connecting with the emotions; and Logos.

The logos discussed by the Greeks refers to the factual content of a message, the words used. It refers to the argument that you present on behalf of your point of view. (However, we know that the facts themselves, although they are important, are not as powerful or as influential as the emotions are.)

The Selling Process ...
In selling, we know that there are three parts to the process. These are, first, establishing rapport with the prospective customer, second, identifying the problem or need that the prospective customer has and, third, presenting the solution. These are the ethos, the pathos and the logos of selling to someone.

Build Good Relationships ...
Your success in every area of life will be based largely on the quality and quantity of relationships that you can initiate and develop over time. In the world of business and sales today, relationships are everything. We often call this the "friendship factor."

We have discovered that a person will not do business with you until he or she is convinced that you are his or her friend and are acting in his or her best interest. In other words, you cannot influence someone unless he or she likes you in some way.

Of course, it's often possible for you to influence a person if he fears you, but that type of influence lasts only until the person can rearrange his situation and escape from the circumstances that enable you to have control over him.

How to Influence and Persuade Others ...
The way to influence people, then, is to earn their liking and respect, to appeal to the friendship factor. This requires spending time with him, caring for him and respecting him.

The more time that you are willing to spend with the person, the greater will be his tendency to trust you and to feel that you are acting in his best interest. The more obvious it is that you care about the person, about what he really needs, the more likely it is that he will be open to your influence.

This is even more important in your personal relationships, with your family and friends. The more that people feel you care about them, the more open they will be to your influence.

Action Exercises:

First, slow down when you first meet a person in a business or sales situation. Take some time to build a relationship with him or her before you proceed to business matters.

Second, appeal to the friendship factor that underlies all good business and personal relationships. Ask questions about the person and his or her life and concerns. Listen attentively to the answers. Focus on the relationship first.
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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.

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Know What You Are Selling By Alvin Day

When you walk into your prospect’s office, begin a cold call campaign or otherwise approach a potential customer, are you always entirely sure of your objectives?

A glowing presentation that ends without a clear direction can almost never be effective. At the beginning of any sales presentation, it is necessary to ask yourself two questions that, at first glance, may seem to have obvious answers:

What are you selling?
What do you want?

Regardless of how many times I ask these questions of sales professionals, the large majority blunder in their answers. They have one objective in mind “to sell a product/service” whether it is a quick $15 decision or a multi-part $150,000 purchase. In order to make each contact you have with your prospects effective, you should be sure you know the objectives of each meeting, by the way, that will not always be to sell something.

Take the example of Kelly, a sales associate who believes that her latest job, selling a children’s product to stores, will lead her to the high commission payouts she has dreamed of for years. Kelly talks to all of her leads about the different options they have, but never seems to be able to make a sale. Her dialogue usually sounds like this…

“These products just leap off the shelves, see the bright colors, studies prove that kids love them and reach for them instinctively, oh and take a look at the kids safe information, parents go for that every time. You can get this at a steal right now; we have a special wholesale discount in place.”

What is Kelly actually selling here, a product that kids will love, a product that parents will love, or a product that is a low cost item to the retailer? And what does she want the prospect to do, buy her product, think about buying her product, or take a lesson in buyer’s psychology? I am not sure because she is not sure. Kelly has not thought more past her overall objective of selling something to make some money.

I recently attended a free seminar targeted towards success-seekers after which the speaker offered his company’s mentoring services. His objectives were clear from the start. He began by expressing the importance of mentoring and demonstrating how we employed the use of mentoring in other parts of our lives.

He went on to discuss ultra successful entrepreneurs and made links between their success and the mentors who they claimed helped them achieve it. Towards the end, he rounded off his presentation with an effective set of slides that showed well known celebrities who had all gone through his mentoring program, all of which had glowing reviews. It was only then that he mentioned his program, giving us the feeling that we could not leave the room without it.

His proposition was that the audience sign up for his mentoring services, his presentation showed why we needed those mentoring services. With great focus and clarity, this speaker ensured that his whole presentation supported his proposition. You can create sales presentations that are just as effective by answering the two questions mentioned earlier: What are you selling? What do you want?

Action step: before every sales situation, take a moment to write down your answers to these two questions.

Let’s look at Kelly’s dilemma again. What is she selling? While it may be true that both parents and kids love the product, Kelly should do some preliminary work before her meeting to find out what her prospects care about most. If the prospect has a large play area and encourages kids to spend a long time in the store, focus on how much kids tend to love the product. If the store is largely geared towards the parent shopping with a child, focus on that angle instead.

If Kelly asked herself what she wants to achieve from each conversation. She would be able to make her presentations even more effective. Understand that the answer to this question is not always to sell something. If she is on a cold call for example, she may just be looking for an appointment which would change her approach. For now, let’s say that she actually wants to make the sale; she needs to improve her script in order to heighten her chances, for example:

“I know that my competitors have introduced a new item but they also raised the price over everything else in that category. Here I have an item that has just as much appeal and can sell it to you for less. Take a few to display right now; you can have them on consignment”

You will be able to help your prospects to say “yes” to your proposition when you have approached them with a clear and focused proposal.
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Alvin Day is a Sales Training and Personal Empowerment coach who has helped many sales professionals reach and exceed their goals. You can learn more about Alvin Day’s "Ultimate Sales Manual of Persuasion, Influence & Rewards" at TheUltimateSalesManual.com.

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How Not To Handle a Cold Call By Kelley Robertson

Like most business people, I receive my fair share of cold calls. During a more recent call, the person calling said that she worked for one of North America's largest website developers. She then asked me two questions;

"Was I the person in charge of web design for my company?"
"Did I currently have a website?"

After I responded positively, she began blabbering on and it was evident that she was reading a script. Eventually, there came a point in time when she asked me if I was interested in learning more about their company. I agreed simply to see how she would handle this next phase of the conversation.

She then told me she was going to "conference in" a web technician so we could have a three-way conversation and that I would hear a few rings until he picked up. Thirty to forty seconds later the technician finally came on the line and he started the conversation by saying, "So, you're interested in our services" to which I replied, "I can't answer that yet. All I know is that you develop and host websites and help businesses drive traffic to their site. I already have a webmaster and a domain host so I don't know what you can do for me." There was a long pause before he said, "I'm sorry to have wasted your time." Click.

I don't consider myself an expert at cold calling but even I can spot the mistakes that were made during this call. I counted at least six mistakes; let's take a closer look at them.

Mistake #1. The person who called me did absolutely no preparation before she dialed my number. A quick Internet search would have shown her that I have a website up and running so it's unlikely that I'm looking for a designer or a domain host. Too many people who make cold calls do little or no research or preparation. However, the time invested up front can help you position your solution more effectively to your prospect.

Mistake #2. She spent too much time talking about her company when she should have been asking me questions to find out more about my business. To me, the obvious questions should have been;

"What I was doing to drive traffic to my site?"
"What results was I achieving?"
"How many visitors was I expecting to attract each month?" or "What results would I like to achieve?"

However, she did not ask any high-quality questions.

Instead, she made the common mistake of trying to pitch her company. The shotgun approach of discussing everything about your company with the hope of talking about one that appeals to your prospect is really a waste of your time and theirs. Plus, you cannot effectively position your goods or service without first knowing a thing or two about the company you are presenting to.

Mistake #3. Conferencing in the web technician. The person who makes the call should have sufficient knowledge and expertise to move the call forward. In this case, the initial caller did not have any information about the products or solutions and it was clear that her job was to simply make the connection. While this may seem like a great approach to the company making the calls, it leads to the next mistake.

Mistake #4. The delay in waiting for the web technician to connect into the call really irritated me and showed a complete lack of respect for the prospect. Had I been the average business person with work stacked up to my eyeballs, I would have disconnected the call. However, by this stage I was really curious to see what would happen next so I stayed on the line.

Mistake #5. No introduction. When the web technician came on the line, I had no idea who I was actually speaking to. He did state his name but he mentioned it so quickly that I did not hear it clearly. If you plan to use multiple people in a cold call, the person who makes initial contact should introduce additional parties who join the call.

Mistake #6. Lack of communication. Once the web technician was connected to the call, it appeared that the person who contacted me disconnected. She should have stayed on the line and summarized her understanding of our conversation-even though it was really a one-sided monologue. This approach would have brought the technician up to speed which would enable him to present an appropriate solution.

Cold calling is one of the most challenging ways to prospect for new business. And, if you don't do it correctly, it won't work at all. Avoid these mistakes and improve your results.

© 2007 Kelley Robertson, All rights reserved.
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Kelley Robertson is a professional speaker and trainer on sales, negotiating, customer service, and employee motivation. Receive a FREE copy of "100 Ways to Increase Your Sales" by subscribing to his free newsletter available at his website. Visit KelleyRobertson.com. He is also the author of "The Secrets of Power Selling" and "Stop, Ask & Listen-Proven Sales Techniques to Turn Browsers into Buyers." For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or Kelley@RobertsonTrainingGroup.com.