When people think about making a purchase, they aren’t likely to compare talking with you to going to the doctor, but you should make that comparison when preparing to talk with clients. People trust doctors. They usually accept the diagnosis and prescription for wellness with few questions asked. That’s because they recognize doctors as experts in their fields.

Your goal is to have your clients see you the same way. When they have an ache or pain related to your type of product, they should immediately think of calling you. That’s because they’ll be confident you have the right prescription for their ills. (more…)

Advantage #1 – Nearly everyone is a potential client. Unless you plan to specialize, such as working only with the affluent who have $10 million or more in net worth or some other niche, your pool of potential clients expands to nearly every adult on the planet. Think about it. Who doesn’t need knowledge and sound advice on keeping and growing their money? It doesn’t matter if their discretionary funds are only $50 or as much as $50,000 a month, everyone has a need for what you offer. Millions of people are seeking to earn, save, invest, and increase their fortunes. They need life insurance, debt consolidation services, long term care, annuities, 401K plans, full blown investment programs and other financial services. Most will have a continuing need for those services and so will their families as the children grow and are told “just call Bob/Sally. They’ve taken good care of us for a long time. They’ll treat you right.” Your legacy will grow with continual referrals from satisfied clients. (more…)

When it comes to building long-term relationships with clients, it’s very similar to building long-term friendships. In kindergarten, children are encouraged to make new friends by talking with others, inviting them to play, and being “nice” to them. They often hear these words: “To have a friend, you have to be a friend.”

In many business situations, clients often become more than clients. They become friends…not necessarily the kind you would invite to non-business gatherings, but people you truly care about and who care about you. (more…)

“I hate sales pitches!” You may have felt this way yourself or heard others say it. If it’s such a common response, what’s the best way to organize your marketing to attract new clients and customers?

While getting all aspects of your marketing right can be complicated, the simple truth is that you can attract many more clients and be far more successful by doing just one thing. (more…)

In the selling profession, closing is the winning score, the bottom line, the name of the game, the point of it all. If you can’t close, you’re like a football team that can’t sustain a drive long enough to score. It does you no good to play your whole game in your own territory and never get across the other team’s goal line.

Many salespeople are afraid to close. They’re afraid of asking for the order. They’re so fearful, you would think they were having to personally reach into someone’s pocket for their money. To have any kind of success in sales, you have to get over that fear because this is where the money is.      (more…)

If you do business with people from cultural groups different than your own, you would be wise to invest some time understanding their cultures as well as their needs in terms of your products and services. You may not necessarily be doing business with people in another country, but with those from other countries who have relocated near your place of business. If you want their business, you have to understand their needs on many levels.

Also, if you are building a web site for your business, you need to consider who the viewer might be and their cultural situations. Some words and phrases just don’t translate to have the same meaning that you may wish to impart, thus, confusing the visitor.  Or, worse, the translation may unintentionally be offensive when made. (more…)

Too many people, when faced with clients who range from dissatisfied to downright angry, choose the loser’s path by postponing handling the situation. Worse yet, they handle it inappropriately. Postponement doesn’t make the problem go away. It results in one of two things happening. Either the angry client decides the problem isn’t worth the aggravation and cools down. Or, the client gets so angry that the next time you hear from him or her is through some sort of official (and possibly legal) letter. Worse yet, you’ll see your company named on the local news channel in one of those consumer protection segments. (more…)

Any veteran in business can tell you a story about the one that got away. Veterans who are successful in business today learned valuable lessons from those situations and, hopefully, never repeated them. As challenging as the business of selling might be for some, losing sales is unbelievably easy. Learn from the mistakes of others so you won’t have many of the sad stories to tell.

Sales Killer #1 – Lack of professional appearance. If you want people to listen to you and heed your advice regarding your product or service, you have to come across both in appearance and demeanor as a professional expert. This means that you are appropriately groomed. You walk with confidence. People will buy from you based more on your conviction and enthusiasm for your product than they will your product knowledge. (more…)

The actual closing of the sale is by far the most important step in the selling process. I teach lots of techniques for prospecting, meeting people, qualifying, presenting, demonstrating, and overcoming objections, and they’re all important. But, unless you can close, you’re like a football team that can’t sustain a drive long enough to score. (more…)

Studies have proven that attitude is one of the traits that separate average sales people from their highly-successful colleagues. I have to believe that it’s true in life in general, not just sales. Think about the happiest, most successful people you know. How do you usually find them? Are they depressed, negative, or even apathetic? I doubt it. They’re probably upbeat, smiling, and positive about life. (more…)