Most of my staff members have been with me for over 25 years. Working with our content day in and day out, they know it very well. When they go about their daily lives, they really notice the nuances of selling in their own personal purchasing situations. Some have recounted stories of salespeople who have literally cringed when they learn who my people work for. The salespeople will say things like: “Well, you already know what I’m going to do and say, don’t you?” (At least they use the tie-downs!) Or, “Are you grading me on my sales skills?” If you know any of my staff members, you’ll know they would be like me in these situations and just have fun with it. When their “sales experience” stories are related back to me, we often discuss how our training could help improve the sales process. In some situations, it might be awkward to make suggestions because the people they’re working with don’t seem to know they’re in sales.

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In sales, we meet a lot of people. And one of the most important things to every person we meet is their name. So, it’s critical that we get those name right…and that we remember them.

I’ll never forget one incident that embarrassed me so much that I immediately sought a way to change how I remember names. I had met a very nice couple and spent quite a bit of time over one weekend showing them homes. On Sunday afternoon, we found the home that met all their needs and they wanted to make an offer. As I filled out the legal documents, I said to the husband, “Shall I put your name down as Bob or Robert?” He said, “Tom, I think Jim makes a lot of sense.” (more…)

Your primary goal when working with a new potential client is to get them to like you, trust you and want to listen to you. That’s the absolute most basic foundation of all of my training. The reason you take the actions and use the words I teach is that they’ve all been designed and proven to make you likeable, demonstrate trustworthiness, and say something worth listening to.

This is one of the most miniscule strategies I teach, yet it can make or break your career. Don’t dismiss this or take this information lightly because it’s one of the first things people see in an intial contact and it sets the stage for how the rest of your contact goes. (more…)

What are you going to do today to build your network marketing business? If you have a list of activities to complete that work for the good of your business, wonderful! If you do not, it may time to take a look at your goals for your business and your motivation to succeed in it.

If you were truly inspired enough about your product and the opportunity to build your own business when you joined your company, you should be excited to get up every morning and talk with everyone you meet about it. The time you spend actually presenting either your products or the opportunity to others is what your day should be based on. However, there will be days when you do not have anyone new to talk with. When that happens, you still need to be productive.

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When it comes to getting involved in network marketing, most people experience a certain degree of fear. That’s perfectly normal. While the prospect of having your own business is exciting, if it’s your first time considering such an ‘independent’ venture, many pitfalls also come to mind. Stop right now and turn those negative fears into positive actions. Let’s focus instead on the skills you need to succeed.

The skills you need most are “people” skills. This includes an understanding of some very basic principles involving how and where to meet new people, making good first impressions, getting to know them and building the relationship.

How and Where to Meet New People

We all meet new people all the time through our jobs, while traveling, at social events, and so on. Yet, when we think about ‘having’ to meet new people to build a business, many panic at what to do. That’s because meeting new people (more…)

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…)

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).

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.

LEARN MORE>>

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

In sales, “getting new business” is also called “prospecting.” Unfortunately, using that term tends to turn off average salespeople who are afraid of doing it. If you know how to prospect properly, you’ll never fear doing it.

The best place to start prospecting is with people who have already paid money for products and services similar to yours. If you’re selling exercise equipment, begin with people who jog, belong to health clubs, or join local sports teams. Why? Because you will know they’re already health conscious. The convenience of being able to exercise at home may be just what they’re looking for. (more…)

The average business loses 15% of their clients on an annual basis. It’s safe to assume that some clients move away or sadly, pass away. If you sell to businesses, some of them may close. But, many simply stop coming. That’s because you haven’t established relationships with those clients. The clients feel no loyalty…no obligation to return.

With the cost of gaining new business five times that of keeping current clients, it’s wise to do all you can to keep those people coming back for more.

Even if your product has a long life span and people shouldn’t need to replace it for a long time, you still want to work on keeping those clients loyal to you. The reason: They’ll tell their friends, relatives and even strangers about what a great experience they had with you. They’ll be your biggest fans and provide free advertising for you with their testimonials and referrals. (more…)