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Articles on Sales Matters:

The Fastest Route To Sales

Transforming a cold prospect into a hot one who’s ready to buy can take considerable time, effort and marketing dollars. So why wait? To increase sales now, choose marketing tactics that will reach your hottest prospects and successfully convert them into customers or clients.

Tactics that reach hot prospects are vitally important to every effective marketing program because they balance out the longer-term efforts required to move cold and warm prospects through the sales cycle.

Who are these hot prospects? They’re people actively looking for what you market. They're pre-qualified, because they've gone through much of the preliminary decision-making process and know what they want--or at least have a general idea of what they're shopping for.

Here are four fast ways to reach hot prospects:

1. Online Search Engines
Where will your hottest prospects turn when they've made the decision to buy the type of product or service you offer? Close to 90 percent of shoppers now research their purchases online before buying in brick-and-mortar stores, according to a recent survey by Bigresearch. So even if you predominantly sell offline, a visible presence on search engines is an absolute must. To get noticed, it's important to turn up as close to the top of search results as possible--preferably on page one--since the majority of search users click on a link within the first results’ page.

For most small businesses, a local paid search campaign is the answer. A paid search campaign using local search terms can help you reach prospects in your area and put you near the top of search results--and it’s more affordable than bidding on keywords for national campaigns. Optimizing your website will also help you turn up higher in search results, but unlike paid search, there are no guarantees.

2. Print and Online Directories
For many entrepreneurs, ads in the local Yellow Pages command a significant portion of their marketing budgets. But as the popularity of online directories grows, it's possible to reduce your phone-directory expenses and reach more of your hottest prospects by moving some dollars out of print and into the same directories online. How you split your online and offline dollars should depend on the age of your prospects. A recent study by the Kelsey Group revealed a divide between younger and older consumers: Teens and younger adults prefer to search online, while the majority of respondents over 45 favor print Yellow Pages.

If you’re a B2B marketer, you can also rely on a range of other online and offline directories to reach your hottest prospects. Depending on what you market, your prospects may turn first to the ads and listings in anything from traditional industrial directories to creative sourcebooks.

3. Newspapers, Magazines and Specialized Media
Print media are highly successful “search corridor” tools. General media, such as major metropolitan daily newspapers, are split into sections to draw readers looking for a particular type of content. Search corridors--places people look when they've made the decision to buy something--will vary from day to day and section to section. And newspaper readers use and rely on these search corridors for information on sales, products and services.

Magazines are also terrific search corridor tools, with content tailored to fit every type of advertiser and shopper. Highly specialized publications, such as those that feature real estate or automotive listings, are 100 percent search corridor media, while more general publications often offer special shopper sections, generally in the back pages, where you can place smaller ads to reach well-qualified prospects.

4. Personal and Public Endorsements
Hot prospects will often seek out expert opinions. Of course, there are all kinds of experts, ranging from columnists and reviewers to bloggers or the neighbor next door. And whether you garner endorsements or referrals, they’re often the shortest route to sales, thanks to the credibility they carry.

To win B2B referrals, make a list of your best referral prospects--happy customers, respected business associates and well-connected friends--and contact them by phone to set up meetings. Be sure to add these referral sources to your prospect database and make contact on a regular basis. And supply them with tools and materials--from business cards and brochures to sales tools--that they can use to promote you. To get consumers talking to their friends and families about your product or service, you can build buzz quickly and cost-effectively by using your own website to create a strong community and facilitating interaction with a message board or blog of your own.

If product reviews and endorsements are your goal, identify all the websites, print media and broadcast sources your best prospects look to for guidance, and target them with an ongoing media-relations campaign. Send press releases, press kits and product samples, when appropriate, and always follow up by phone or e-mail for coverage that will stimulate sales.

Kim Gordon
16 May 2006

Kim T. Gordon is the "Marketing" coach at Entrepreneur.com and a multifaceted marketing expert, speaker, author and media spokesperson. Over the past 26 years, she's helped millions of small-business owners increase their success through her company, National Marketing Federation Inc. Her latest book, Maximum Marketing, Minimum Dollars, is now available.

In Direct Sales - How To Motivate Your Team?

It is a well-known fact that managers who focus on the number of shows being held by their team have higher monthly sales. By learning early in the month how many shows are already on the books, you will discover how you can support your team members to achieve more success.

For example, a team with lots of shows scheduled will need guidance on hostess coaching and reducing postponements. On the other hand, a team with fewer shows may need a short-term booking challenge or ideas on how to schedule shows.

Here are just a few ideas for coaching your team:

1. Be informed. Prior to the first of the month, ask each team member to share how many shows they have booked. Give lots of appreciation and praise and offer guidance on how to book additional shows.

2. Offer a booking challenge. Challenge each Consultant to ask for a booking from five people every day for one week and watch her schedule fill. Because this challenge depends on the "honor system" keep your reward small but give it with lots of praise.

3. Reward results. Offer a "Consistency Award" to anyone on your team who holds one show a week for two consecutive months. These are potential stars.

4. Get the bigger picture! Record your team's shows on one big show calendar! This helps you project group sales and provide support to help ensure their success.

5. Know your team show average. Helping your team members increase their show average is just as important as helping them book more shows. Since hostess coaching has the greatest impact on sales, ask Consultants to complete a Hostess Coaching Checklist for every show.

6. Emphasize sponsoring. Take advantage of the fabulous recruiting opportunities at shows by challenging your team to discuss the opportunity during their presentation and then offer it to every guest while writing up their order. Make sponsoring a natural part of your team's shows and you will soon see results!

7. Lead by example. This is perhaps the most important tip we can offer because your team will follow your lead when it comes to holding shows and sponsoring. Be sure you are setting a good example by consistently holding shows of your own!

Jane Deuber
30 May 2007

Jane Deuber is a Co-Founder of http://www.DSWA.org (the only association dedicated to the needs of the independent party plan and network marketing professionals). Discover what makes the DSWA so unique. Listen to three motivating and informative free teleseminars by visiting http://www.mydswa.org/tele_class.asp

To Close Or Not To Close

Are you choking when it comes time to close the sale? Here are some approaches that will make it easier.

Shakespeare might have put it this way:

To close or not to close, that is the question! Whether 'tis nobler to suffer possible rejection Or to invite the prospect to take action...

Independent Professionals have suffered the angst of closing ten thousand times more than Hamlet has recited his famous soliloquy on stage.

Two reasons:
1) Fear of rejection
and
2) Not knowing exactly what to say when closing.
The good news is that, if you understand number two, number one lessens considerably. In this article I'm going to share several closes for various selling situations.

First, imagine that you've had a good sales interview with the prospect. You've listened to their situation, know where they want to go, and you feel confident that your service is a good fit for them. You've explained how your service works, and now it's time to pop the question. But first...

What not to do:
I had a client who did the following every time: "OK, that's how my services work. Why don't you think about it and get back to me and let me know what you'd like to do."

No, no, a thousand times no!!

They'll think about it alright. They'll think themselves out of it. And when you get back to them, they'll tell you to call in three weeks or three months.

You need to ask. But you don't need to blurt out: "Well, would you like to work with me?" No, you can be more subtle than that and still close the sale comfortably. Here are a few ways to do that:

Assumptive Close
This is where it looks quite certain the prospect wants to move forward. So just assume they are ready and close like this:

"That's how our services work and I'm confident we can help you achieve the objectives you've outlined. Why don't we look at a time we can get started?"

Most often, they'll open their calendar and look for a time. If they have questions, they'll let you know: "Before we schedule something I have a few more questions."

Once you answer the questions satisfactorily, go back to the assumptive close. "So why don't we schedule a starting date and I'll send you some preparation materials before our first meeting."

Budget Close
You've discussed everything but price. You have a fixed price for your service or have figured out your price beforehand. This is one of my favorite closes - especially if I'm selling by phone.

"OK, that gives you an overview of what coaching would consist of and the results you can expect. The fee is $1500 per month. Does that work for your budget right now?"

If it doesn't work for their budget, they'll let you know and you can work with that. It's not unusual that people will say, "Well, no, but I need to do this anyway."

The Proposal Close
Use this when you cannot get the final agreement until you have submitted a proposal with a price. However, you must have conceptually agreed on everything else - problems, needs, objectives, value and your approach.

"We'll that sums it up. Your objectives are XYZ and we can definitely help you achieve them. I know I need to give you a final price, which I'll send in a proposal. If that's acceptable to you, I can start the project in about two weeks. Will that work for your schedule?"

If they say "Yes, looks good, I hope we can work together," then you simply need to deliver a proposal with an acceptable price tag. If they have other issues, they will bring them up: "Can you tell me a little more abut how ABC will work?"

Trial Close
This is not a final close, but a test to see if you are on track in the sales process.

Prospect: "Does the training come with any follow up?"

You: "We can certainly do that if you want to measure before and after performance. Is that important to you?"

If they say "Yes," your trial close has confirmed what they want and what they are likely to buy. A trial close is often used to follow up the answer to a question. Use trial closes throughout the sales interview. Here's another:
Prospect: "I'm not sure our people will be willing to do that."

You: "Many people are concerned about that, but we structure things so that we get very high participation. If we can do that, it will really improve results, won't it?"

The answer might go something like, "Well, if you can do that, it would definitely make a difference." You are building agreement and buy-in with every trial close.

You don't need a lot of closes. Once you've settled on a couple that work for you, continue to use them, with minor adjustments, at the end of every sales interview. Soon you'll be confident that you can close in a natural, confident way every time. I promise your sales will go up!

Robert Middleton
05 June 2007

Robert Middleton, the owner of Action Plan Marketing, has been helping Independent Professionals be better marketers since 1984. On his web site ActionPlan.com, you can find valuable resources, products and programs for attracting more clients. Get a free copy of his Marketing Plan Sart-Up Kit.