Students Of Success

Dramatically Improve Trading Success. Learn how and when to
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* How and where to pick the best stocks

* Identifying great opportunities

* When to trade them

* Choosing the right time frame during market hours

* Pre market and After hours trading tactics

* Avoid certain stocks and never overtrade

* Learn the simple powerful factors that will let you profit
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details at ChatHotStocks.com.-

Success in online stock trading like with any other business in
life comes from being able to see the big picture and from
paying attention to the small details. Let’s say for example
that you are a business owner and you have a jewelry store on a
given street just like the guy in the other corner does, but
still the other guy is making 5 times more profits than you are
only because he’s doing something different. He knows something
that you still don’t and that’s what makes him more profitable.
The funny thing about this kind of situation is that you could
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The painful thing is that day trading can become a very
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Do you want to know why your prospects aren’t buying from you? There are three R’s or three things you need to understand if people walk out that door and don’t purchase from you. Most people are wearing a badge that says convince me, help me make a good decision. They need and want help. They want to be confident in making the right choice. That is what a great persuader does.

The first R is reason. You didn’t give them a reason to buy. Maybe you didn’t generate enough interest. Or there wasn’t a need, a want, or a desire from your prospect. Your prospect has their own reason to buy. And you see this with rookie salesmen. The rookie gives them a laundry list of reasons to buy the product. This sucks the energy out of your prospect, loses the emotion of the sale and usually uncovers one reason not to buy. You must always find the one or two main reasons why they want to buy.

This reminds me of a story of tapping into someone’s reason to buy. Airman Jones was assigned to the induction center, where he advised new recruits about their government benefits, especially their GI insurance. It wasn’t long before Captain Smith noticed that Airman Jones was having a staggeringly high success-rate, selling insurance to nearly 100% of the recruits he advised. Rather than asking him about this, the Captain stood at the back of the room and listened to Jones’ sales pitch. Jones explained the basics of GI Insurance to the new recruits, and then said, “If you are killed in a battle and have a GI Insurance, the government has to pay $200,000 to your beneficiaries. But, if you don’t have a GI insurance and get killed in the battle, the government only has to pay a maximum of $6000.” “Now,” he concluded, “which group do YOU think they are going to send into battle first?”

Reason

Interest

Need

Want

The second R is resources. Maybe they didn’t have the time for your product. Maybe they didn’t have the money; maybe they didn’t have the support. Support could be from a spouse, a peer group of friends that if they brought your product or service home that they would not support him. The last aspect under resources is ability. Maybe they can’t even use your product. If you’re trying to sell an annual ski pass to a rest home, they might not have the ability to use it.

Resources

Time

Money

Support

Ability

The third R is the rep. That’s you as a person. Did you not develop a trust? Did you not create rapport? Did you have the wrong type of style? Were they analytical, were they social? You could have used the wrong type of motivation. Or it could be what I call persuasion pitfall. Where you pushed a little to far or you said something where they felt like they were getting trapped into a corner. And this is the pitfall. And I know this has happened to you.

You go into a store and someone says the wrong thing or they push a little to far and it just doesn’t feel right and you leave and never go back to that store. And that’s what could be happening to you if you’re hitting the wrong buttons. So take a look at those three things, which are critical to understand why your prospects don’t buy.

Rep

Trust

Rapport

Style

Pitfall

Application Questions

What is the greatest reason people should buy your product/service?

When someone says your product is to expensive. What is your response?

When you have a conflicting style with a customer. What can you do?

Conclusion

Learning how to persuade and influence will make the difference between hoping for a better income and having a better income. It is the missing puzzle piece that will crack the code to dramatically increase your income, improve your relationships, and help you get what you want, when you want, and win friends for life. Ask yourself how much money and income you have lost because of your inability to persuade and influence. Think about it. Sure you’ve seen some success, but think of the times you couldn’t get it done. Has there ever been a time when you did not get your point across? Were you unable to convince someone to do something? Have you reached your full potential? Are you able to motivate yourself and others to achieve more and accomplish their goals? What about your relationships? Imagine being able to overcome objections before they happen, know what your prospect is thinking and feeling, feel more confident in your ability to persuade.

Go to http://www.prewealth.com/iq and take the free Persuasion IQ analysis to determine where you rank and what area of the sales cycle you need to improve in order to close every sale! Take your test now at http://www.prewealth.com/iq

Kurt Mortensen teaches over a hundred techniques to give you the ability to effectively work with every customer that walks in your door. Professional success, personal happiness, leadership potential, and income depend on the ability to persuade, influence, and motivate others. Kurt Mortensen’s trademark is Magnetic Persuasion; rather than convincing others, he teaches that you should attract them, just like a magnet attracts metal filings. He teaches that sales have changed and the consumer has become exponentially more skeptical and cynical within the last five years. Most persuaders are using only 2 or 3 persuasion techniques when there are actually 120 available! Learning how to persuade and influence will make the difference between hoping for a better income and having a better income.

Go to http://www.prewealth.com/iq and take the free Persuasion IQ analysis.

To be more effective at developing relationships, one should always take time to describe their best customer. This is the customer that gives you the biggest bang for your buck. This customer is the one that pays bills on time, uses you exclusively for all their business needs in your area of expertise. It is also a customer that you have an excellent working relationship. This customer knows they can rely on you for the services you specialize in and you will go out of your way to make sure that they are happy at all times. And if they are not happy, they know they can rely on you to solve the problem, fix it, and come to a win-win solution for them. This customer is the one that knows you are the best solution to their business pain.

You are the one to help them through troubled times and come out on the other end making them more profitable (and you at the same time). This relationship will develop with ease and not take long periods of time to gel. This customer is the one where you can focus your energies and be able to help them focus on their core competencies at all times. The customer that is best for you is also the customer that is best for another competitor. These customers must be nurtured and not left out to dry. It is important that you have a process in place that will allow you to make sure this customer is always happy.

For example, one day I came across a small HR company that specialized in sales personnel. The company was working with many types of clients but found that certain customers brought in more money than others. It was then that the company decided to profile their best customers. Using the profile, they spent more time concentrating their sales and marketing efforts on the potential customers that fit the profile. The result showed that for the same effort they were making more money and not wasting time on clients that did not pay off.

Now that you know who your best customer is, you should look more closely at defining how you express what you do best. Often called an elevator pitch, the words that you choose to describe your business, need to be very short and to the point. The pitch also needs to be positioned so that your identified best customer can easily understand what you do and how you can help them.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite, She decided to find the best ways to get people’s attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the “Networking Queen”.

Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in June 2005. For more information visit http://BlueprintBooks.com

Making a living in sales can be very rewarding, however, it can
also be tough at times. That is why it is very important to stay
on top of your game at all times.

Making a sale doesn’t happen by accident or by luck, the sale is
made because the person doing the selling has done a good job of
explaining and representing their products.

Here are a few activities that will help you and your co-workers
keep your sales skills sharp at all times.

Roll Playing

I know this sounds corny, but it really does work, and it puts
everyone in the office in a good mood, because of all the laughs
you will receive.

Make up a few fake, but realistic sales scenarios for you and a
fellow co-worker to act out. Take turns playing the customer and
the sales person. Repeat the scenario several times until you
become comfortable with it. If at all possible, find a third
person to observe and critique your mach sales sessions. If this
is not possible, than critique each other.

Current Events

During each of your sales presentations with a potential
customer, there should be some sort of small talk, or what you
would call a relax period, where you relax your customer by
discussing something other than your business and the product
you are about to sell.

The weather is the most obvious thing to talk about, but it is a
very boring subject and comes across fake, because everybody
brings up the weather when they don’t have anything else to talk
about.

Every day, in the morning, decide on a current event that you
will bring up when making small talk with your potential
customers; Such as a major news event or a major sporting event
that is happening.

This way you will be prepared and won’t run into any snags in
your conversation.

Shaking hands

Get into the habit of shaking hands. Every time you meet a
potential customer, shake their hand. Most of us are comfortable
with shaking hands, but for those of you who are not, here is a
tip to help you reach a comfort level.

Each day that you walk into your office, shake the hands of your
co-workers that are closest to you. Seriously, every morning, go
in, look them in the eye, greet them by name, and shake their
hand. They may look at you as though you are nuts at first, but
explain to them that it is simply an exercise. Trust me they
will get a kick out of it, and will respond with enthusiasm.

Remember, people don’t want to be treated as statistics, they
wanted to be treated as people, so treat them that way. Shake
their hand, look them in the eye, talk about things other than
business, and use their name as often as possible.

By keeping your sales skills sharp, you will ultimately be
keeping your sales up. Good luck!

A retail store is only as effective as the productivity of its employees. Your employees are critical to the operation of your store and by providing a work environment that is conducive to success, you will increase the level of productivity within your retail business. Not only will your employees be more satisfied while they work, but your customers will also form favorable impressions of your business from the employees they interact with while shopping. It is important that your employees create a favorable image that will encourage your customers to return.

There are three areas where you can affect your employees’ productivity.

1. Employees should be reliable and practice good time management skills. Time clocks will aid in tracking the time that your employees are working and will provide accurate records for your payroll. A wide selection of time clocks and time recording systems are available today and most provides accurate and indisputable time records that are key to preventing time theft. Both manual or electronic models or multi-function time clock/document stamp will help track and monitor employee work. In addition to time clocks, time clock accessories including time cards, time card racks and ink refill cartridges are crucial to making sure that your operations are running smoothly and without interuption. By having the right tools and processes to accurately measure workflow and time management, your retail business will be better suited to grow and expand with positive word of mouth advertising.

2. Responsible and trustworthy employees help to create a friendly environment throughout your store. Drug and alcohol use among employees leads to an increase in accidents, insurance costs, excessive tardiness and absenteeism. To assure that your employees are contributing to your business at their full potential consider the benefits of on-site testing kits. The use of on-site drug testing kits will aid you in hiring responsible employees and help to ensure that your employees will continue to keep your business environment safe and profitable. A variety of testing kits are available for any budget and any type of retail operation.

3. Employees who are comfortable in their working environment are likely to be more productive. Provide your employees with anti-fatigue floor mats at their workstations to relieve tired legs and feet. Anti-fatigue mats are especially important for employees who are on their feet in a stationary position all day, such as cashiers and checkout clerks. The matting provides a cushion on hard floor surfaces that reduces shock and pressure on feet and joints. Less stress to the feet and legs leaves workers less fatigued and more alert. Studies also show that changes in worker position will also aid in reducing fatigue among your employees. A wide variety of mat sizes and styles are available in today’s growing retail supplies market. Also, consider offering your employees the option to sit behind the counter swivel counter stools as this type of seating allows easy access to a variety of tasks within a retail environment.

Employees are the lifeblood to your retail operation. It is paramount to your success to supply them with a working environment that promotes productivity and energy. By monitoring your employees and providing them the tools to effectively do their jobs, you will reduce turnover and increase your store profits.

Hypnosis has been a taboo word for far too long. And many people see it in a mystical light. Yet what they do not realize is that hypnosis is a naturally occurring state experienced by everyone every single day. And it is only in recent times, that business professionals have discovered the power of hypnosis and boosted their sales and their businesses.

So what specifically is hypnotic selling? It is a process to trance your prospect with the product or service you offer as the solution to their need or want. If you are wondering if this is manipulation, it is not. To successfully become a hypnotic salesperson, it is imperative to have the customer’s interest at heart. Your focus should congruently be on servicing the customer rather than just closing the deal.

KNOW YOUR PROSPECT

Hypnotic selling works because it helps you listen and pay attention to the prospect in an entirely new way. You begin listening to not only their word choice, but also the type of language they use. The reason for success with this type of sales approach is because it was modeled after successful salespeople. It is exactly what top performers are already doing. So this takes the guesswork out of it and gives you specific tools and strategies to integrate into your own selling style.

YOUR PROSPECT’S LANGUAGE

Let’s take a closer look at the three possible types of language a prospect might use. Even though I’ll explain them as individual types, it is important to note that we incorporate all three styles, just at different times. When you reflect back the client’s language, you create immediate rapport. Also, learning a prospect’s individual style gives you keen insight into their model of the world, which then allows you to tailor your presentation.

“The Visual Prospect”

When you hear words like “see, appears, looks,” or phrases like “picture this, looks clear, bright future,” these are all visual words. This means we are accessing images in our minds to make sense of the words. These images may be still or in a movie-like sequence. They might be bright or dim, clear or fuzzy, in color or black and white. This kind of prospect will probably will move and speak quite rapidly.

“The Auditory Prospect”

There may be times when hear words like “listen, sounds, clicks,” or phrases like “sound okay, listen to this, rings a bell,” these are all auditory words. Here we are accessing sounds to make meaning of the words we hear. These sounds may be loud or quiet, clear or muffled, high or low pitched, pleasant or unpleasant in tonality. This prospect will speak more melodically.

“The Kinesthetic Prospect”

Sometimes you may hear words like “feel, grasp, grip, hold,” or phrases like “take hold of, heavy feeling, or gut response,” these are all kinesthetic or feeling words. This means we are accessing our feelings to make sense of the words. These feelings may be heavy or light, cool or warm, pressured or tingling, moving or still. This kind of prospect will speak and move quite slowly as he or she feels each word.

TEN TIPS ON EFFECTIVE HYPNOTIC SELLING

Executives and sales professionals alike always ask me what is the fastest way I can learn these skills aside from attending one of your Hypnotic Sales Trainings. And my reply is always the same; there is no substitute for training and getting the experience under your belt. However if there were ten tips that I would want to impart to you at a training or otherwise, it would be the following:

1. Find your own charismatic persuasion state. Before you ever approach a prospect make sure you are in an optimal state of mind. A quick mental exercise you can do is think of times when you were humorous, highly influential, enthusiastic, and confident, along with times when you were communicating effectively and absolutely certain about yourself. Step into a combination of these states before you take one step towards your prospect.

2. Step into their trance. When you go into a company you are stepping into their world, and their world has its own pace and its own rules. So make sure you meet them where they are. If it is a high energy place, increase your own energy level. If it is slow and laid back, slow down with them. This will allow you to step into the rhythm of their environment.

3. Establish Rapport. Once you meet your prospect, get rapport with them. Match and mirror their movements. Sit like they sit. Speak only as fast they speak. Surprisingly, people like themselves. And more importantly people like to see themselves in others. And by matching and mirroring, you are unconsciously saying to them, “I am as you are.” However, be subtle with this process. Underplay it and they won’t even notice it. Avoid matching or mirroring anything that is idiosyncratic to them such as a limp or a twitch. That kind of overt behavior might break rapport.

4. Bring them into your trance. When you feel you have established a fair amount of rapport, then it is time to bring them into your world. Get them to focus in on you, so they are no longer distracted by their surroundings. In the old days of hypnosis, a hypnotist would have you look at spiraling wheel. Hypnotic sales professionals create the same kind of trance like state with their presentations.

5. Get them into a good state. As their attention fixates upon you, they might still be in the state of mind of their last activity. If it was a pleasant, that’s fine, if not, then make sure you get them into a good state of mind (good mood). People make decisions inside of mental states. It is important to get your prospect into a great state of mind so when they decide to go with your product or service; they will always associate good feelings to that decision. This is the first rule to eliminate buyer’s remorse.

6. Find their emotional triggers. People buy with their emotions and justify and rationalize with logic. So it is imperative to discover their emotional reasons for buying. Is it to move away from the pain of not having your product or service (perceived benefit) or pleasure of having it? Or perhaps a little bit of both. Once triggers or hot buttons are discovered, hypnotic sales professionals utilize them to persuade the prospect to buying their product or service.

7. Become a storyteller. We all love stories. Through stories you can convince someone of anything because it is always done in a covert manner. Tell them stories of previous customers and how happy they were for using you or your service or product. Don’t say it like a testimonial; instead share it with them like a drama. Watch some TV; drama sells! Hypnotic sales professionals are master storytellers.

8. Be the first to bring up objections. When a prospect brings up a concern, it is called an objection. If you bring up the objection, then you can frame its positive attributes and make your product or service more compelling. Hypnotic sales professionals are quite familiar with the common objections associated with their industry, product, or service, and they prepare themselves ahead of time to inoculate their prospect from these objections.

9. Show them alternate futures. Use your stories to paint them a picture of what it would be like to not have your product or service. This goes back to discovering their emotional triggers. If they are moving away from the pain of not having your product or service, then really be descriptive with this possible future. If they prefer to move towards the pleasure of having your product or service; then paint them a picture of how great it will be when they are using your product or service. This is the second rule to eliminate buyer’s remorse.

10. Thank them and reinforce their decision. Always make sure you thank them because without them you would not be there. Customers are the lifeline to any successful business. Plant a seed for their next purchase and while they are still in that great mood, suggest they share their experience with their associates and friends. This is a hypnotic way to ask for a referral. Two things will happen as a result of their sharing of their experience. First, it will reinforce their good decision about using your product or service. Second, they will automatically enter into this great mood every time they talk about you, your product, or your service. And when their friends or associates inquire about the great mood, you will get free publicity. This is the third rule to eliminate buyer’s remorse.

WHERE DO YOU BEGIN?

One begins to master hypnotic selling by starting with the first tip and really getting that down well. The process to master hypnotic selling is the same way you would eat a watermelon; one bite at a time. The key here is to integrate it into your own style, not to become a robot. Add your own flair once you have mastered each skill set.

After you practice each tip, you will notice an apparent increase in your sales, improved relationships with old and new customers, and more referrals. Now as you are starting to understand the secrets of top performers using hypnotic selling, consider what it would be worth to you. Calculate the value of the life of a customer. Aren’t these skills worth your investigation?

If you aren’t sure if I used hypnotic selling techniques throughout this article you may want to read it again!

As the director of the CORE Changes Institute, Oz Merchant, trains and coaches individuals for personal and professional excellence utilizing cutting-edge transformation technologies such as NLP, Hypnosis, TFT, and EFT to name a few. Get access to the Success Skills E-Letter and remember to get your free copy of his latest e-book “11 Simple Lessons to Manifest Your Destiny,” at http://www.CoreChanges.com

I was in the depths of a major depression. As a third year salesperson with a good company, I was doing well, and was on my way to becoming the top salesperson in the nation for that company. But business had slowed down a little, and I didn’t have my usual number of proposals out for consideration. So, I wasn’t as busy as usual. As my activity slowed, I began to worry. My doubts increased to the point where I had thought myself into a real depression, stuck on the question of “What’s the use of trying?” The more negative my thoughts became, the less energy I had. My lack of energy led to fewer and fewer sales calls, which of course, led to less activity. And that led to more depressing thoughts. I was caught in a powerful downward spiral.

It was then that I caught a glimpse of what a professional sales manager is like.

Ned was my boss — a sales manager of the highest caliber. He could see the symptoms of my sour state spilling over into everything I was doing. So Ned intervened. He arranged to have lunch with me, and listened patiently as I rambled on and on about my problems, my doubts, and my lack of activity. Finally, after I had dumped all my depression and negative thoughts on him, he looked me straight in the eye and said, with all the authority and resolve of someone who is absolutely sure of what they are saying, “Kahle, that’s enough.”

I was stunned. I was expecting empathy, an understanding shoulder to cry on. Instead, I got a simple, straightforward mandate. Ned knew me well enough to cut through all the fluff and come right to the heart of the matter. He said, “That’s enough. That’s enough feeling sorry for yourself. That’s enough thinking all these negative thoughts. That’s enough sitting back and not working as hard as you’re used to. Stop it. You’re better than all this. Stop it right now, today, and get your ….. back to work.”

He saw my situation clearly. And he provided me the direction I needed. That conversation turned me around. I left my depression and negativity at that lunch table, and started back into my job with a renewed sense of the possible. A year later I was the number one salesperson in the nation for that company.

What made the difference in my performance was the skillful intervention of an astute and professional sales manager. He made the difference in my job performance, and that made a difference in my standing with that company. And that made a difference in my career. And that lead me to my current practice. It’s entirely possible that I would not be doing what I do now, speaking and consulting with sales forces around the world, if it weren’t for his timely intervention.

All of us have become what we are, at least in part, due to the impact other people have had on us. A professional sales manager is gifted with a rare and precious opportunity — the opportunity to play a pivotal role in the lives of his/her charges. I so value the role that Ned played in my career, that the last paragraph on the “Acknowledgment” page of my first book reads, “Finally, I must make special, post-humus acknowledgement of the contribution made by Ned Shaheen, the best manager I ever worked for. It was Ned who, years ago, urged me to ‘write the book…’”

So what does this have to do with being a “Professional Sales Manager?” During my 30 + years of sales experience and 16 years of experience as a sales consultant and sales trainer, I’ve encountered many sales managers. Some of have been good, many mediocre. But Ned was the best sales manager I ever met. He serves as a model for me. We can learn a number of lessons from him.

First, Ned knew the difference between the job of a salesperson and that of a sales manager. He had been a great salesperson — like many sales managers around the world — and had been promoted to sales manager. Yet he knew the jobs of sales manager and salesperson are completely different. A salesperson is responsible for building accounts and making sales. A sales manager, while ultimately responsible for the same results, understands that his/her job is to achieve those means through other people. A sales manager builds people, who in turn build the business. Salespeople focus on selling; sales managers focus on building salespeople.

As a sales person, I could comfortably take Ned into any account, secure in the knowledge that he wouldn’t try to take over the presentation or usurp my relationship with the customer. I knew Ned was more concerned with me than he was about any one sale.

Ned knew that a salesperson was essentially a loaner, an individual who did most of his/her most important work by themselves, while a sales manager was a coach, whose only success derived from the success of his team. A sales manager’s best work is always done, not with the customers, but with the people he/she supervises.

Ultimately, a sales manager is measured by the results achieved by his people. Sales, gross profits, market share, key product selling, — all these typical measurements of sales performance are also one of the rulers by which a sales manager is measured.

So, an excellent sales manager, like a great soccer coach, is ultimately measured by his numbers. It doesn’t matter how empathetic he is, nor how his players respect or like him, if year after year he produces a losing team. So it is with a sales manager. Ultimately, an excellent sales manager produces excellent numbers for his company.

In the five years that I worked for Ned, my own territory grew by $1 million a year, and the branch for which he was responsible grew from about $6 million to about $30 million.

Ned was excellent at one of the key competencies of the professional sales manager — he had an eye for talent. He knew how to hire good people. After all, he hired me! Over the years, I watched him take his time, allowing a sales territory to go vacant for months, if necessary, while he waited for the right person to bubble up through his pipeline. Only one of his hires didn’t work out — which gave him an incredible winning percentage.

A professional sales manager understands the importance of making the right hire, is always recruiting in order to keep the pipeline of prospective salespeople full, and spares no expense to make sure the person he hires meets all the necessary criteria. When I was hired, I went through four interviews, and a full 10-hour day of tests with an industrial psychologist.

With all the time he took to make sure he was hiring the right person, Ned confided in me one day that, “It is more important to fire well then it is to hire well.” He went on to explain that hiring sales people is an extremely difficult task, and that even the best sales managers fail at it frequently. Therefore, it was important to recognize your mistake quickly, and act decisively to fix it.

A professional sales manager, then, understands that when it is clear that a salesperson is not right for the job, he acts quickly, kindly, and decisively to terminate the individual, allowing both the individual and the company an opportunity to find a better match. Acting quickly to terminate a salesperson who isn’t working out is both good business as well as good ethics. To allow a mediocre situation to fester to the detriment of the company, the salesperson, and the customers is to persist in a dishonesty.

Understanding that he works only through his sales people, and that he has the opportunity to make a great impact on his people, a professional sales manager makes it his business to know his people. Ned spent days with me in the field, talking not only about business, but also working at understanding the person I was as well. He’d arrange to meet me for breakfast or lunch regularly, even if he weren’t spending the day with me. He wanted to get to know my wife as well, and paid close attention to her opinions. Several times over the five years we went to dinner as a foursome.

I could never stop in the office without being expected to sit in his office and talk about things. And, of course, there was the annual pig roast at his house, where all his salespeople and their families were invited to spend a fun day while the pig roasted over the spit. I was always a person to Ned, never just a “salesperson.”

Because he took the time to get to know me, he was equipped with the knowledge of exactly how to best manage me. And he always saw the potential in me, and was ready to correct me when necessary. In the first year of my employment, I was earning the reputation among the inside customer support and purchasing people of being difficult and demanding. I was a hot-shot superstar who didn’t take their feelings into consideration, and came into the office and dumped work on them. Ned let me know that my ways needed to change. At first, I didn’t pay much attention. My numbers were too good for anybody to be concerned. So Ned let me know a second time that I was going to have to change. The situation was so acute, that the operations manager was lobbying to get me fired! Guided by his firm hand, I swallowed my pride, adopted a more humble attitude, and bought all the customer service reps a six pack of premium beer as a gift. My stock inside the company spring up dramatically, my ways corrected, and my future assured.

A professional sales manager guides and corrects his charges in order to help them achieve their potential.

Ned never stopped learning. He would often tell me about seminars he’d attended, books he’d read, or ideas he’d picked up by talking with other people. He knew that he never “knew it all.” So it is with every professional sales manager. A real professional never stops learning. He understands that the world is changing rapidly, continually demanding new skills, new ideas, and new competencies from him. At the same time, his salespeople and their customers are changing also. So, he understands that he has a challenge to continuously grow and improve, to learn more and become btter at his job. Sales management isn’t just a job, it’s a challenge of a lifetime of improvement.

One more observation. Understanding that a professional sales manager is only successful when his charges are successful, an excellent sales manager supports, encourages and gives his sales people the credit.

It was the fourth year of my tenure, and Ned was lobbying for me to be awarded the “Salesperson of the year” award. It was given not only for sales performance, but for more subjective things - supporting the company’s objectives and ethics, getting along with other people in the company, etc. The award was a great honor, and extremely difficult to win. Each sales manager nominated their favorite salesperson, and lobbied for one of their charges with the company’s executives, who made the final choice.

The annual awards banquet was held at an exclusive country club, where the men wore tuxedos and the women formal evening gowns. When dinner was done, the speeches were finished and the lesser awards announced, it came time for the big one, the one I wanted.

The climate was tense and expectant. The entire room silent as the time approached for the announcement. Then, as the company president announced my name, it was Ned who thrust his fist in the air and shouted “YES!”

The photograph that hangs on my bedroom wall shows me shaking hands with the president and accepting the award. Look carefully and you’ll see Ned standing proudly in the background.

There is a song that I find particularly moving. Perhaps you know the words made popular by Bette Midler. It goes like this,
“It must have been lonely there in my shadow…
Without the sun upon your face
I was the one with all the glory
You were the one with all the strength.

I can fly higher than an eagle
Because you are the wind beneath my wings.”
Want to excel as a sales manger? Want to be a true professional? Look at your job as a unique opportunity to impact others, to select, correct, support and encourage your salespeople, to achieve your company’s objectives by become a positive force in their lives. It’s not a job, it’s a mission. Be the wind beneath their wings.

And perhaps, one day, fifteen years from now, someone will write about you.

About Dave Kahle, The Growth Coach®:
Dave Kahle is a consultant and trainer who helps his clients increase their sales and improve their sales productivity. He speaks from real world experience, having been the number one salesperson in the country for two companies in two distinct industries. Dave has trained thousands of salespeople to be more successful in the Information Age economy. He’s the author of over 500 articles, a monthly ezine, and four books. His latest is 10 Secrets of Time Management for Salespeople. He has a gift for creating powerful training events that get audiences thinking differently about sales.

His “Thinking About Sales” Ezine features content-filled motivating articles, practical tips for immediate improvements, useful resources and helpful tips to help increase sales. Join for NOTHING on-line at http://www.davekahle.com/mailinglist.htm

You can reach Dave at:
The DaCo Corporation
3736 West River Drive
Comstock Park, MI 49321
Phone: 800-331-1287 / 616-451-9377
Fax: 616-451-9412
info@davekahle.com
http://www.davekahle.com

Remember the sandwich with the image of the Virgin Mary on it that sold on ebay for thousands of dollars? That’s a perfect example that “no horse is too dead to beat!” Many probably wondered what did this person do to sell something of, apparently, no value whatsoever.

Three important factors, in fact, very important factors were into play here.

1- The Confidence Factor.
Ebay is a well-known, reputable and extremely popular shopping hub and it has the people’s confidence. When you inspire confidence to your customers, your customers will buy from you with closed eyes and when the confidence level is high, the adrenaline level is also high.

2- The Psychological Factor.
When the adrenaline level is high, people feel motivated to do things and sometimes people do things that seems strange to others, but in reality a specific item may have real meaning to the buyer for many different reasons only the buyer knows. Maybe it felt good to purchase something unique. Maybe the person wanted to feel “in control” by owning something everybody talks about. Henceforth, by buying this “thing”, the person feels in control.

3- The Real Value Factor.
On the other hand, maybe the product or item is a problem solving instrument or perhaps a marketing tool! Or, maybe the buyer is a religious fanatic; therefore, the item is of real value to the buyer.

For these and many other reasons any horse is worth persistence, persistence and more persistence and no giving up. This horse was not delivered unto this world in defeat. It has the spirit of a Lion and it will not walk, talk, or sleep with the sheep, and it will always take another beating, and another and yet another until they see its real value!

The prizes of life are indeed at the end of each journey not at the beginning.

–Gary Zalben– Transcendental Selling and How to Sell a Dead Horse-Copyright, Library of Congress. All Rights Reserved. For more information about Gary and this article please go to: http://howtoselladeadhorse.com. You can reprint or use this article provided you keep all content intact.

Your website exists either to sell products or generate leads that can be later converted into paying customers. In the former case, unless you sell inexpensive commoditized widgets, it takes several interactions with a prospective customer before you can close the sale. Therefore, a top priority of almost every online business is to gather, organize, and convert website leads to sales.

1. Gather leads

Most of website visitors who are interested in your products or services aren’t ready to buy just yet, but they sure have some questions and would like additional information (if it’s not too hard to obtain). Don’t make them search for it — put your contact information right in front of them. Every page of your website must have call for action and contact options that are impossible to miss. Some examples include:

- Ask a question via email
- Call your sales phone number
- Request an instant call-back
- Sign up for special offers
- Contact for a price quote
- Download product brochure
- Submit an inquiry form
- Chat live with a sales representative
- Subscribe for a newsletter

When gathering leads, stick to the KISS principle. Don’t ask for more information than absolutely necessary. For example, if you only need to know your potential customer’s state of residence, don’t ask for a full mailing address. If you do all your sales via email, don’t require a phone number, or at least make it optional.

Be sure to provide a clear, concise statement about how the information you collect will be used. Assure your prospects that their contact data will not be shared with other parties and they can stop receiving communications from you at any time.

2. Organize leads and prospects

Leads are useless unless they are properly organized. First, you must establish the systems and processes for recording all pertinent information for leads collected via different channels, such as website, incoming phone calls, trade shows and so on. Aside from the contact information, each prospective customer record should date and source, products and services of interest, subscription and contact preferences, and any other relevant data.

Your lead management system must also be able to record the history of all communications with a lead, such as incoming and outgoing emails, phone calls, voice mails, faxes, and items sent via postal mail. Each lead must be assigned to a sales representative, and categorized by the level of interest, size of opportunity, and sales pipeline status (more on that later). Sales reps should also be able to enter internal notes and comments about the prospect, and set reminders for the future follow ups.

Last, but not least, your lead system must be centralized. Every person involved in a sales process should have the ability to instantly access and update the information, without the need to upload, download, and synchronize the data. This is especially critical if members of your team are geographically dispersed or telecommuting.

3. Convert leads to prospects to customers

This is where the rubber hits the road. There is a number of distinct steps in any sales process. Below is a typical example of a sales process. You can easily adopt its stages and definitions to your situation:

Lead - a contact that has expressed an interest in your product or fits the target profile of a potential customer.

Prospect - a lead that continues to express interest in your product or service after a two-way information exchange.

Qualified prospect - a prospect that has participated in a discussion with a sales representative and confirmed their need.

Confirmed prospect - a qualified prospect who has the info they need to make a decision and budget to go with it.

Committed prospect - a qualified prospect who has reviewed your price quote or proposal and has indicated that she is ready to move forward with you – but haven’t yet.

Customer - ka-ching!

You can use your sales pipeline status report to not only organize and monitor the effectiveness of your overall sales process and individual sales representatives, but to forecast sales as well. To estimate the dollar value of your entire prospect base, multiple the average probability of closing the sale at every stage of the pipeline by the number of prospects currently assigned to that stage.

Establishing and managing your lead conversion process is all but impossible without proper customer relationship management (CRM) tools. You will need a system that captures lead information from your website and other channels, and integrates it with email, contact manager, calendar, and sales force automation software.

The companies that have established the systems and processes for converting leads to sales are already reaping the rewards.

Relenta is a web-based CRM, email marketing, contact manager, calendar, and sales force automation software for small business.

Close more Sales – Make more Profits By Frank Furness

Closing sales is always easier if your preparation is done well
upfront. The more you know about your client and the more you
anticipate objections and cover them during the interview, the
easier the close will be. In many cases, if the sales person
conducts the sale properly, the prospect will close the deal
himself, and this should be the aim for the sales person – it
implies that the salesperson has done everything correctly
during the process. It’s only if the full sales process has not
been followed that the salesperson would need to overcome a
number of objections and know how to close. Research shows that
top salespeople know when and how to close, this should be your
aim. Remember the old Golden Rule, after asking a closing
question, just ‘shut up’. He who speaks signs….. Here are a
number a closes and scripts, learn and use them well. The
Assumed Close – This is the close you would use most of the
time. If you have followed the complete sales process, just
assume that the person wants to buy and assume the close and
start completing the order forms. It would go something like:
“Are you happy that we’ve covered everything and would you like
to go ahead?”, or simply “Would you like to go ahead or “Shall
we complete the paperwork?” The Alternative Choice Close: for
example – This is where you would give them two alternatives;
whichever they choose to answer will indicate that they are
ready to buy. Examples are “Would you like to have it delivered
next Tuesday or next Friday?”, or “Would you like to pay by cash
or cheque” or “We can deliver the car with leather or cloth
upholstery - which one would you prefer?” The Balance Sheet
Close – This is used with analytical clients like accountants,
engineers and computer consultants who think very logically. You
would say to them “Many of my clients in similar positions to
yourself are very successful because of their ability to make
logical decisions. (this is their kind of language). They
normally weigh up the pro’s and con’s and make a decision based
on which outweighs the other. Let’s draw up a balance sheet (you
do this on a sheet of Paper) and on the left hand side list all
the pro’s or reasons for going ahead with the purchase and on
the right hand side all the reasons for not going ahead with the
purchase. Whichever side has more reasons would be the correct
decision to make. Let’s list all of the pro’s on the left hand
side (and here you must list at least ten reasons why they
should buy your product), and all the cons on the right hand
side” (this you let them fill in). Normally they don’t come up
with more than three reasons, and amongst those is the hidden
objection. The hidden objection would include reasons like
‘We’ve already spent or annual budget’ or ‘I’m not actually the
final decision maker’ or ‘It’s a little too expensive’. Once you
find the hidden objection, you can address it and move forward.
The Similar Situation Close – Here you would relate a situation
similar to your prospective client and let them realise that
they could have similar consequences. It would sound something
like this ‘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.’ The Cost of Delay Close – This is a close where you
highlight the additional costs that the client could occur if
they delayed the purchase. Examples are “As you know, houses in
the area have increased in value by 30% in the last year, the
longer you wait to purchase, the more it will cost you” or
“Interest rates are increasing by 1% next month and this could
add a lot to the loan in the long term. Let’s get the paperwork
completed today and have the rate fixed at the lower amount”.
The Secondary Question Close – This is where you ask a minor
question that would have them commit to closing the purchase. If
you were selling life insurance it would be “Who would you like
to nominate as the beneficiary”. If you were selling appliances
it would be “Would you like to take the extended warranty?” If
they commit to the minor close, assume that they are in
agreement and complete the paperwork. The Pen Close: “Do you
want to use your pen or mine?” (while producing the contract and
pen) The Decision Maker Close: An example would be “I know most
men wouldn’t be able to buy something of this value without
consulting their wives - do you need to get your wife’s
permission on this?..” or “Most business people in your position
need to refer this kind of decision to their boss or a
committee, do you need to refer it?” If their answer is ‘no’,
you know that they are the decision maker and can close the
sale. If their answer is ‘yes’, you would need to repitch the
complete process to the decision maker. I would suggest that you
use this close early in the sale to determine who the decision
maker is, or you could waste a lot of time speaking to someone
who is not a ‘qualified prospect’. The High Costs Close – With
this close you need to make decision makers aware that by
settling for the cheapest price, they could lose on quality or
service. An example would be “That you can find this product for
less elsewhere may well be true, and in today’s economy, we all
want the most for our money. A truth that I have learned over
the years is that the cheapest price is not always what we
really want. Most people look for three things in making an
investment: one, the finest quality; two, the best service, and
three, the lowest charges. I have never found a company that can
offer all three - the finest quality and the best service at the
lowest price. I’m curious. For your long-term happiness, which
of the three are you willing to give up? Quality, service or low
price?” The Emotional Close – With this close you let them feel
the emotions or consequences of not going ahead with the
purchase. An example would be “Over five years it might seem a
lot of money, but we find that most responsible people decide
they simply have no choice but to go for it when it’s less than
a pound a day to protect your…/safeguard your…./improve
your… (whatever).” The Puppy Dog Close – Let someone have a
puppy for a week and then ask for it back and you will receive a
lot of resistance: It has become part of their life. The same
applies to business, leave a sample product with a client for a
week and let them get used to it, “Let me leave it with you and
you see how you get on with it…” If they see the benefit they
will purchase it. I see a lot of this on the internet where
companies offer free software on a 30 day trail, after 30 days
you are so dependant on the software that you purchase. The
Great Leader Close – You would use this close is someone is
really reluctant to make a decision. Simply replace ‘Winston
Churchill’ with a great leader from your country (Benjamin
Franklin, Nelson Mandela). An example would be: “I recently
heard about something that Winston Churchill, one of the
greatest minds of our time, said. Here are his words:
“Indecision has cost the British, British business, and the
British government billions of pounds. Far more than a wrong
decision would have cost. ”What we’re talking about now is a
decision, isn’t it? What will happen if you say yes and what
will happen if you say no? If you say no, nothing will happen,
and things will be the same tomorrow as they are today. If you
say yes, …..”(you will have financial freedom/you will have a
hassle free holiday…) The ‘I want to think about it’ close –
This is most probably the most common objection you will come up
with. Once again you need to find the ‘hidden objection’. An
example would be: “That’s fine. Obviously, you wouldn’t take
your time thinking about this unless you were seriously
interested. So, may I assume you will give it very careful
consideration? Just to clarify my thinking, what part of this
opportunity is it that you want to think over? Is it the quality
of the service I’ll render? Is it something I’ve forgotten to
cover? Is it the return on your investment? Is it any of the
financial aspects? Seriously, please level with me……. (Wait for
the hidden objection) The Financial Freedom Close - You’ll have
financial freedom for the rest of your life, you’ll have the
satisfaction of ……….(watching your son walk across the stage on
graduation day, and you’ll be…………(a part of a Blue Chip company
offering unlimited career opportunities.)……..(driving your new
car for three years with free roadside assistance anywhere in
Europe) The Bad Experience Close – This you would use when the
client is a little wary because of a prior bad experience.
“First of all, even though it wasn’t my company, I apologise for
times other companies have sold you products and then let you
down with the follow-up and service. Let me assure you, we will
always be available to you and will contact you on a scheduled
basis to make sure of your satisfaction. In fact, that’s one of
the reasons I chose to work for XYZ. We are always here for our
customers. Your ongoing business is important to us, and I won’t
do anything to jeopardise the relationship we’re establishing
here today.” The ‘Too Busy’ Close. “Jack, I can see that you are
very busy today, and I believe that you have a strong desire to
make the right decision regarding the investment and the
benefits to you. To allow you the opportunity to consider the
benefits we have to offer without interruption, how about
letting me take you for a light lunch where we can cover the
details uninterrupted.” You can then: •Reschedule for a better
time •Recommend lunch for the next day •Suggest moving to a
conference room or a coffee shop The Collecting Information
Close – This is a close that should be used early in the
interview. It gives you permission to collect information that
will help you to come up with the correct solution and close the
sale. “Mike, I want to do the best I can for you today. So,
would you be offended if, while we chat I make a few notes. That
way there is no chance that I will forget anything that could
save you time or money.” The Understanding Concerns Close –
“Please help me to understand your concerns? Would you mind
elaborating on your feelings of uncertainty for me? The Big Ego
Close: “We generally find that only the people who appreciate
and are prepared to pay for the best quality go for this
service/car/product – How do you feel about it?…” The
Testimonial/Reference Close – Always carry a folder with letters
from happy clients that give glowing references. Show this to
the client saying “Mary, take a look at what some of our
satisfied customers have to say about us. Please feel free to
even give them a call and ask them about or quality and
service.” The Last Chance Close: (You’ve tried everything, but
just can’t close. Pack your case and prepare to leave. When you
get to the door, stop and ask) “Just one last thing - would you
tell me where I went wrong - you see I just know this is right
for you, and I feel almost guilty that I’ve not sold it to you
properly, as if I’ve let you down…..” “What could I have done
to convince you that this is the right product for you?” The
Benefits Close: “I can see I’ve not explained this properly -
can we take a moment to go through all the benefits and see
which one is stopping us from proceeding?” (At which you list
all the benefits - the positives, and run through each one to
confirm it’s not that one which is causing the problem, crossing
a line through each as you go. When you cross the last one out,
you claim that there really seems to be no reason for not going
ahead…) The Pro’s and Con’s Close: “I can appreciate this is a
tough decision - what normally works is to write down a list of
all the pro’s and con’s - two separate columns - and then we can
both see clearly if overall it’s the right thing to do…” The
Begging Close – If all else fails, beg. What do you have to lose
at this stage apart from you pride…..

Personality Styles and Closing The manner in which a sale is
concluded depends on the style of the decision-maker - watch out
for the signs: Drivers (decision makers/task focused people) are
likely to decide very quickly and may be a little irritated if
you leave matters hanging after they’ve indicated they’re happy;
Analyticals (accountants, engineers) will want every detail
covered and may need time to think, so don’t push them, but do
stay in touch and make sure they have all the information they
need. They will buy when they are ready, you can’t rush the
close; Amiables may actually say yes before they’re ready
because they want to please you, in which case you need to
ensure that everything is suitably covered so nothing can
rebound later: Expressives – make sure they understand all the
details and always follow up and put all of the details in
writing. Biggest Closing Mistakes •Not asking for the business
•Talking too much •Not in the mood to sell •Lack of enthusiasm
•Rushing the close •Selling logic rather than emotion •Too many
distractions •Loss of control ©Frank Furness 2004 ABOUT THE
AUTHOR Frank Furness is author of the ‘Finding New Business and
Clients’ and many other products that can increase your business
on CD, DVD and Video NOTE: You’re welcome to “reprint” this
article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered
(including the “about the author” info at the end), and you send
a copy of your reprint to frank@frankfurness.com Take a look at
other articles, free software and eBooks at
http://www.frankfurness.com/