Sales secrets you can useWritten by Roy Bartell
Sales secrets you can useYou don’t have to be a salesperson to use techniques of persuasion that work. After all, most of us have to present ideas to committees or Boards of Directors, lobby for a promotion, or even talk someone into trying a new restaurant. Selling is a science, and you can benefit from its proven methods. You may even be selling without realizing it. Here are some tips to help you deliver perfect presentation. Know who you are selling to. If you’re doing a presentation before a Board of Directors, research how it has reacted to past proposals. Spend some time collecting details that address any issues that could be raised. What are Board’s values and attitudes? Do Directors behave consistently, such as always choosing least expensive option? Do your homework then develop a set of objectives and strategies. Tailor your behavior. If people you are presenting to relate best to verbal information, don’t come in armed with piles of graphs and other information. If you’re speaking to people you don’t know much about, watch their reactions. If they sit up straighter when you start citing statistics, modify your presentation to be less emotional and forthright. Listen. Most people think “selling” is same as “talking”. But most effective salespeople know that listening is most important part of their job. Pay attention to what your audience says and questions they ask. If particular words or phrases keep coming up, use variations of them when you respond.
| | Offers that Turn Lookers into BuyersWritten by Marcia Yudkin
Offers that Turn Lookers into BuyersIf you're getting only a sluggish response for a product or service that people genuinely need, wake buyers up by spicing up your offer. I've seen losing propositions become winners with these kinds of changes, which in most cases cost you nothing: 1. Guarantees. With a strong, simple guarantee, you can overcome doubts of people who have not done business with you before, and calm down worriers who don't act when they can think of too many "what ifs." The guarantee does not have to promise a refund. Someone hiring an exterminator service wants those darned critters out, not their money back. "We guarantee you'll be pest-free for a year, or we'll come back and spray again for no extra charge" is thing to promise them. Direct-mail professionals tell us that a one-year guarantee sells better, with fewer refund requests, than a thirty-day guarantee, and a lifetime guarantee does even better. 2. Package deals. If you sell office supplies, you might think that folks going back to school know how to select what they need. Perhaps, but why not make things easy for them -- and more profitable for you -- by shrink-wrapping three spiral notebooks, two packets of pens, a pocket calendar and several semi-necessary items together in a Back to School packet? This often persuades people to spend more than they would on separate items. The same principle applies to services, where you can mobilize people who shy away from hourly fees with fixed- price bundles: only $350 for a will and a consultation on estate planning. A name makes your bundle more appealing: $150 for "Get Organized Special."
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