As with most things in life, there are many ways to accomplish a single task. Wise business professionals are constantly on the lookout for better ways to make their points or present their products. In our book, Sell It Today, Sell It Now, Pat Leiby and I teach a proven-effective procedure for product presentations or demonstrations that is sure to work for you. It is a critical part of the Sell It Today system that can turn you into a one-time closing champion.

Our procedure begins with preparation. Thinking about the client you will present to next, break down your product demonstration into segments highlighting each individual feature of your product or service that you know will benefit this client.

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If you have access to a postal mailing list for potential clients, I suggest sending them a simple, one-page letter of introduction then following up with a phone call. [Even better, if you can network with someone else who already does business with the people you're trying to approach, get their permission to send the letter under their name.] If you have access to email lists, consider using those addresses in a similar manner.

The letter needs to be personalized with the recipient’s name. Don’t send letters with a salutation of ”Dear Friend” or “To Whom It May Concern”. Here’s a sample letter derived from my book, Sales Prospecting for Dummies. (more…)

Even if you’re brand new to selling, you will have likely hear this one from clients. Nearly all of them say it. Some may use differenet forms such as wanting to shop around or look for a better bargain but it means the same thing. It’s nothing more than a little sign of fear on the part of the buyer.

Their fear is twofold. One fear is that they’re making a bad decision. The other is that they will part with too much of their money for what they’re gaining in benefits. Either way, they’re telling you that they do want your product. Your job is to calm those emotional fears and help them to rationalize the decision. (more…)

Sales professionals handle challenges promptly. This includes returning calls as quickly as possible, researching the details of what caused the challenge and finding creative ideas for resolving them.

No one wants to face an angry client. Yet delaying a response to their challenge will only create more challenges down the road. Dont’ feel that you have to have a solution before you contact them.

Think about how you feel when you’re unhappy about something. Isn’t it better when someone just gets back to you quickly to either gather the details or just to listen to you vent? Once calmness and clarity reign, solutions can be sought and provided.

The better you are at resolving the inevitable challenges associated with being in sales, the more your business will grow–by referral. You can bet John and Sally will tell everyone they know about their challenge. Don’t you think it’s wise to give them a happy ending to the story (wth you being the hero)?

Even if you are unable to resolve their challenge fully or immediately, stay in touch with unhappy clients until they’re satisfied or ready to move forward–continuing to do business  with you.

Listen to more simple selling solutions in “How to Master the Art of Selling Anything.”

This information is copyrighted by Tom Hopkins International, Inc. for reprint permission, contact Judy Slack (judys@tomhopkins.com).

While the qualification process is critical in making an initial sale to clients, it’s not something you can do once and forget about it. In challenging times, you may need to continually re-qualify existing clients. When anything changes, think of them as if they’re new clients all over again. The key element is what they might want or need to change about their current situation. You can never assume you know whether or not they remain highly qualified candidates for your product or service.

Changes that are impacting just one of your clients could be making an impact on all of them. Fastco manufacturing might be a good client when they’re running three shifts each day. But with any change in their production, such as cutting out a shift, or running 24/5 instead of 24/7, their needs may change…and your services may need to change as well. Maybe they’re no longer an ideal candidate for product X that you offer. Getting in there and truly working to serve their needs might show that they’ve become a better candidate for product Y. If you had just let them ride along with product X, they may have been tempted away by a competitor who pointed out a different solution to their needs. (more…)

Relating a story of someone else who was in a similar situation as the future client is always effective because the client will identify with that person. Tell the future client about someone who procrastinated and wished he/she hadn’t or conversely, someone who didn’t procrastinate and received tremendous benefit from making an immediate buying decision.

Phraseology: “You know, about a month ago, I had a client facing a decision similar to the one you’re considering today. He went ahead with our comprehensive medical plan and had a need to use it just last week. The situation was unfortunate; however, his burden would have been doubled had he not gone ahead with the insurance.”

To increase your closing ratio, own Sales Closing for Dummies the most comprehensive compilation of Tom’s closing strategies.

This information is copyrighted by Tom Hopkins International, Inc. for reprint permission, contact Judy Slack (judys@tomhopkins.com).

During one of the most brutal battles of World War I, the fighting stopped for one particular evening. Christmas Eve. Men on both sides of the battle lines hunkered down in their cold fox holes for at least one night of peace.

Soon, a Christmas carol was heard floating on the cold air across the contested ground. The language was different, but everyone knew the tune and soon both sides were singing together. Before the evening was over several of the men emerged from their muddy trenches, met in “no man’s land,” and exchanged greetings and even humble Christmas gifts with their enemies.

If battle-hardened men who were in the midst of trying to conquer each other’s territory can find common ground in no man’s land, then certainly we salespeople can do the same thing on the showroom floor, at the executive desk, or the dining room table.

Finding that common ground is critical to building a level of trust that lowers sales resistance. During this early segment of the sales process, you should search for areas of interest you share with each new person you meet. The supply of topics is practically endless. For example, family, the weather, sports, hobbies, or current events are natural choices in consumer sales. If you’re in business-to-business sales, you can always ask those questions as well as questions about their company, products or industry. (more…)

When your potential clients say something just costs too much, it’s often just a stall. However, it’s a good sign because it means they’re feeling motivated to own your product or service. (They didn’t say, “it’s not right for us” or “we don’t want it.”) They now need your help to justify or rationalize going ahead.

Your first move is to use the Reduction to the Ridiculous close (in the June issue) to get them thinking about the smallest amount of money that’s holding them back. If the fact that the amount is kind of ridiculous doesn’t overcome their concern, your next step is to us the Oblique Comparison Close. It is simply a strategy where you compare that small daily or hourly amount to something they might consider doing or giving up that costs the same amount in order to gain the benefits of your product.

The phraseology might sound something like this, “John and Mary, you seem to really want this new living room suite. With the investment being only $2.25 per day more than you had originally hoped, what do you think you could do to come up with that extra amount? Think about how you spend your money on a daily basis. What might you be willing to give up in order to have these beautiful pieces in your living room?”

Chances are good that if you’re talking with a couple, one of them will pick on another’s bad coffee habit or waste of gasoline running oddball errands instead of grouping them together. Or, they may just decide to cut back on their consumption of soda or sweets. It doesn’t matter how they do it, what matters is that they are the ones talking themselves into owning the furniture at this point. Your work is done…all except the paperwork.

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This information is copyrighted by Tom Hopkins International, Inc. for reprint permission, contact Judy Slack (judys@tomhopkins.com).

One of the best things I can ever hear from my clients is, “You’re early!” It’s always said with pleasant surprise as if salespeople are notoriously late. Unfortunately, many are. All too many people have developed the “always running a few minutes late” habit. And it is a habit. Sad but true, that habit puts those folks out of the running with many potential clients.

Running late presents a very negative image. Unpredictable and unprepared are other ways potential clients will interpret your actions if you run late for meetings with them. Neither of those words are very comforting when you’re considering doing business with someone over a long period of time or if the purchase involves much of their security (spelled M.O.N.E.Y.).

Champion salespeople have figured out that there are more benefits to be had by arriving early. If you must wait in the lobby or a conference room because you’re early, observe the workings of the office…the interactions among the employees. Understanding their level of professionalism and comfort with each other will help you make your presentation just right for them.

Also, being early may afford you the opportunity to chat with the receptionist or another staff member and gain valuable insight into the decision-maker’s thought process about the decision to do business with you.

Early is good!

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This information is copyrighted by Tom Hopkins International, Inc. for reprint permission, contact Judy Slack (judys@tomhopkins.com).

I’m not trying to get you happily involved in a new supplement here. The vitamins I am referring to are for getting and keeping enthusiasm for your sales career rather than getting physically fit. Take a daily dose of these vitamins and you’ll start closing more sales:

Vitamin D – DISCIPLINE
Discipline is having the ability to do what you don’t want to do when the motivation to do it is gone. Discipline helps you to control your mind and protect your body from the daily pain of rejection a selling career can bring.

Discipline will help you make one more call after a rejection because your daily goal is to end on a positive note.

It will get you out of bed in the morning to face each new selling day with a positive outlook.

It will help you serve your clients better by returning calls and handling challenges as quickly and effectively as possible.

Think about how disciplined you are in your career. Be honest and note any flaws you have. Then discipline yourself to start working on improvements in those areas.

Vitamin E – ENTHUSIASM
People will make buying decisions based more on your enthusiasm for your product or service than on your product knowledge. Don’t believe it? Pay attention the next time you feel motivated to make a purchase. It’ll be fairly likely that the salesperson uses the product themselves or would if they could afford it. They are excited about its features and the benefits owners experience.

Vitamin B – BELIEVABILITY
This vitamin works in connection with Vitamin E above. If you don’t truly believe your product or service is exceptional and can relate the details of its benefits honestly, people will know. They’ll recognize insincerity in your voice, body language or even in your eyes…and they won’t buy.

Vitamin C – COMPREHENSION
Not only must you comprehend the value of your product or service, you must understand the emotional states of your potential clients.

If you are in retail, there’s bound to be a reason your customer is considering the purchase of that expensive pair of jeans, beautiful dress or finely tailored suit. You want to find out and build on those emotions until you have their credit card or check in your cash drawer.

In business sales, purchasing agents or committees want to make wise decisions because they then become the heroes for the company. There’s a certain emotional satisfaction and perhaps some recognition or reward in finding a good solution to a company challenge.

Vitamin A – APPLICATION
When you learn new strategies and techniques for selling, it’s essential that you apply them as soon as possible to a real-life selling situation in order to start benefiting from them. If you don’t, you’re old reflexes will quickly have you reverting back to your previous sales methods that just weren’t cutting it. Application is what helps you develop new habits and achieve new, higher levels of production.

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This information is copyrighted by Tom Hopkins International, Inc. for reprint permission, contact Judy Slack (judys@tomhopkins.com).