Political Selling 101

Written by Dave Stein


Note: To seerepparttar charts in this article, view it on www.HowWinnersSell.com Most people who have been selling for even a short period of time understand that some level of corporate politics is present in every organization into which they sell. As sales professionals’ experience and political savvy increases, so does what they observe in their accounts. If you aren't aware of political activity in your accounts, it doesn't mean that it isn’t there. It just means you can't see it and certainly can't leverage it. If your competitor is politically savvy, you are at a distinct disadvantage. What is politics? According to Merriam-Webster one definition is, "competition between competing interest groups or individuals for power and leadership." Winners have developed a set of skills that enables them to consistently succeed because of, or in spite of, politics. They've learned to selectrepparttar 127197 right competing interest groups and then riderepparttar 127198 power and leadership wave to success by devising and executing political strategies for each key influencer and decision maker. Being adept politically will rarely lead to a win by itself. There are many other components to winning. But to not understand and take advantage ofrepparttar 127199 interpersonal forces within an account is to leave assets unleveraged. Here are some ofrepparttar 127200 key skills required to elevate yourself intorepparttar 127201 realm of political selling: Skill: A basic understanding of how corporate politics works. For our purposes, politics and influence are synonymous. People needrepparttar 127202 help of other people to achieve certain business goals (i.e. my department's project gets funded) as well as business-driven personal goals (i.e. if it is successful, I get a raise--I can afford that new house). Within a company, it works something like this: “If you report to me I can just tell you to do something and you will do it.” That's SAY-SO influence. You'll do it because I say so. But if you don't work for me--let's say you work in another department--it becomes more difficult. I then have to influence you to help me. I'll use POLITICAL influence. That requires a combination of skills and artistry and it takes time and strategy. Here is an example: Let's say that we both work forrepparttar 127203 same company, but for different departments. If I need your help for my department to achieve its quarterly objectives, I might look for ways in which I can help you achieve your objectives (ideally, business and personal objectives) and subtly advertise those to you as benefits of helping me. In that way we are aligned with a set of common interdependent purposes. Win-win. When you are selling into a company, you have absolutely no SAY-SO overrepparttar 127204 buyer. You can't tell anyone in your customer's company what to do. You can only influence them to give you information, insights, coaching and preference so that they influence others to look at you and your offering favorably. The best way to influence someone is to clearly communicate how and by how much you will contribute torepparttar 127205 advancement of their business and (business-related) personal goals. Inrepparttar 127206 diagram below, you'll see that when you can help a buyer or influencer meet their personal and business goals (Quadrant 1), you're much more likely to gain commitment from them in helping you win. In Quadrant 2, there is no personal win, so their commitment, although altruistic so far as a contribution to their company, will not be supported as strongly. Stay away from people in Quadrant 3. In those cases,repparttar 127207 person you are selling to is "in it for themselves," acting counter to what is inrepparttar 127208 best interests of their company. You runrepparttar 127209 risk of not only losingrepparttar 127210 deal, but being associated with "dirty politics," which could affect your personal and your company's reputation. Quadrant 4 reminds you that if you find you can't contribute torepparttar 127211 person achieving their business or personal goals, your likelihood of gaining their support is minimal. Don't turn these people into enemies, but focus your efforts on finding and selling to influencers inrepparttar 127212 first quadrant. Skill: The ability to see what's invisible As I suggested earlier, not everyone is skilled enough to observe sophisticated corporate politicians being influential. Savvy politicians do their thing privately. It's not unlikerepparttar 127213 backroom deals done by government politicians. How do you know that there is influence being wielded? First, assume it is. Then begin to look at results and work backward. We can extract a good example from everyday government politics: If there is "pork"--say $650.3 million in corporate tax benefits for igloo manufacturers in Alaska--embedded in a House of Representatives education bill, you can quickly figure out who lent a hand getting it through committee. Ask your contacts within your customer's company or government department about prior purchases, projects and initiatives. Find out who sponsored them, whose budgets paid for them, who wererepparttar 127214 ultimate decision makers and who benefited in some more personal ways. The names you come up with will likely be people of influence, either through their command of an organization, or through astute politicking. They arerepparttar 127215 ones for whose influence you will be positioning during your sales campaign. Skill: Connectingrepparttar 127216 dots You've done some discovery and have begun to make associations. When you asked about recent projects, several people referenced Carrie Miehome, who works inrepparttar 127217 IT organization. She deftly ledrepparttar 127218 steering committee withrepparttar 127219 CRM project last year. Funny thing though, that project was put ahead of others that already had funding. Why would that be, you might ask? Who benefits from a CRM implementation? The VP of Sales? The VP of Customer Service? Perhapsrepparttar 127220 CFO who wants more visibility intorepparttar 127221 revenue stream... It's perfectly reasonable to expect that she was influenced by a higher power. The challenge will be finding out whom, what was in it for them and what was in it for her if you are selling IT solutions to that company. Skill: Knowing how to map outrepparttar 127222 organization You'll need to start with an organization chart. If they won't give you one, you can build one by getting answers to pointed questions about reporting structure, by reading information onrepparttar 127223 web and, if your customer is a public company, from corporate SEC filings.

Why Write a Sales Letter for Each Product?

Written by Judy Cullins


Why Write a Sales Letter for Each Product? Judy Cullins c. 2003 All Rights Reserved.

Authors/publishers are great at getting their books written. Entrepreneurs know their products. But afterrepparttar initial one-year honeymoon, sales slow down. To counter this make sure your ebook, product, or service you offer will keep on selling fromrepparttar 127196 first day,repparttar 127197 first year, even for life. Write a short sales letter for each product or ebook.

Whether you have a Web site or not, you can write a first class, must-buy-now sales letter. Write one for each teleclass, eBook, product, or service. I even write one for my bookcoaching services.

If you are like me and have a Web site, it is content driven. Why? Because that's why people come to any site--to get free information. You must also give them a reason to buy. Most home pages say too much aboutrepparttar 127198 author orrepparttar 127199 book instead of intriguing their potential buyers with a benefit- driven headline, which in turns leads them torepparttar 127200 benefits of their books--the sales letter.

My first Web site had many fine books and kits in personal growth and book writing and marketing. Sales never went over $200 a month. To correct that, I created a new site and paid special attention to its sales language (without hype) for each teleclass, eBook, and book coaching opportunities to suit each income and need. Sales were $75repparttar 127201 first month, and in four months they reached $2265. The next year they went around $3000 a month.

What Every Sales Letter Needs to Pull Orders and Profits

You can write each sales letter in less than four hoursrepparttar 127202 first time. As you practice, you can write them in two hours.

1. Startrepparttar 127203 Letter with a Benefit-Driven Headline.

Include these headlines throughout your sales letter. "Want a quick and easy way to quadruple your Online Income in Four Months?

If you answered, "yes" to yourself,repparttar 127204 headline succeeds, because you will keep reading. If you said "No, I don't believe this, " but I'm curious where this is going,"repparttar 127205 headline still succeeds. You win when your headline seduces your potential customer to read on in your sales letter to discover your product[']s benefits and features, some fine testimonials, and finally to click "buy now" which takes them torepparttar 127206 order page.

2. Listrepparttar 127207 Top Five Benefits of your Product or Service in bullet form.

To define your top benefits start with a list of problems your client or customer wants solutions for. Each specific problem you answer can be labeled a benefit. If you are not rock sure of who your audience is, your sales copy dribbles away and doesn't meet its target. Keep redefining your audience and know as much about them as you can.

Remember that one benefit isrepparttar 127208 top undeniable benefit—usually more money easier, more clients faster, more profits from Web sales, better relationships, and health.

If you have more than five benefits collected in a list, sprinklerepparttar 127209 rest throughout your copy. How will your book make someone's life easier, richer in time or money, help their personal growth, provide additional income, entertain them? How will your product or service make them a better business person, more attractive, feel better, avoid catastrophe, sickness, or surgery?

3. Address your Potential Buyer's Resistances.

Remember to tell a background story of where they are NOW so they will emotionally connect with your solutions (the product or service). Let's say they want to write an eBook or print book to make themselvesrepparttar 127210 "expert," make life-long passive income, or share their unique message.

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