See Monkey Do

Got your attention didn’t I? There is a “nasty” little sales habit that separates “wanna be” amateurs from professionals. And I mean NASTY … it is a moldy green, time-consuming, energy-wasting, confidence-zapping habit. Want to know what it is?

Most sales people CHASE their customers.

They also don’t make much money.

However, professional and savvy sales people DON’T EVER CHASE THE WRONG CUSTOMERS.

I just heard your stomach drop. You may be thinking…”YIKES! I think I may be a CHASER!”

If for any reason one of the following phrases has slipped out of your mouth - you need some serious Diva Sales Therapy!

- I want everyone.

- Anyone who has money is my customer.

- I can help everyone.

- I am not picky - we need the money!

Here’s some news out of left field for you….YOU CAN”T BE EVERYTHING TO EVERYONE.

If you think like that - you are on a slippery slope to losing a lot of money.

In selling (which in my Diva world is all about RELATIONSHIPS) you focus on ATTRACTING customers vs CHASING them around the block! (I don’t know about you - but the last time I chased something it ran like heck away from me!)

There are literally tons of methods for ATTRACTING customers. But before you can jump into those strategies you have to KNOW WHO YOUR CUSTOMER IS.

Better yet - who do you WANT as a customer?

Here are a few Diva Fun-work questions for you to get started (sounds better than homework doesn’t it?):

1. How does your product/service help customers?

2. What makes you different?

3. Why would a customer choose your product/service?

4. In the past year - which customers delivered the highest ROI (return on investment)?

Remember - the first step in becoming a professional business person is understanding how you create solid and valuable customer relationships. If you don’t know who your customer is you are on a ship that is sinking fast.

So make this year one of strategy vs winging it! If you currently are CHASING customers and handing out business cards like a poker dealer gone mad on caffeine - then you need to STOP and re-evaluate right now.

Remember - “nasty” little habits don’t get you anywhere (ever been obsessed with a broken and ragged fingernail?) but GOOD HABITS will get you into the Diva Good Books - as well as your customer!

Copyright© 2006

Kim Duke, The Sales Diva, provides savvy, sassy sales training for women small biz owners and entrepreneurs. Kim works with clients internationally, showing them The Sales Diva secrets to success! Sign up for her saucy and smart FREE e-zine and receive her FREE Bonus Report “The 5 Biggest Sales Mistakes Women Make” at http://www.salesdivas.com

Want to increase your sales BEFORE you launch your product or service? The following are some of the most effective ways to do just that:

1. Use Social Proof
What is “social proof”? Simply put, we are all conditioned to watch what others are doing and follow along (think teenagers). Using social proof in your marketing helps you to influence your customers to purchase your products/services, get new prospects to sign-up for your list, and get people talking about you and your offering - and that’s just the start.

So, how do you use this psychological trigger in your marketing?
One way is to use results-based testimonials. Ask your current customers or clients to give you results-based testimonials. They literally say, “I used this product and these are the results I got.” Having celebrities give these to you is great, but make sure you have testimonials from REAL people. Those are the ones that are really going to cement the idea in your potential buyer’s mind that they can do it, too.

2. Answer your prospects #1 objection
To take “social proof” to a deeper lever, anyone who is buying anything almost always has this #1 objection: “Sure, you can do it, but can I do it?”

In addition to using yourself as an example (if appropriate) as evidence that what you are offering does what you say it will, it’s also important to make sure you get “social proof” from people in your client/customer’s peer group. Then your potential buyer sees people like themself and understands that “Hey, it worked for them, it can work for me, too.”

3. Use a time limit
Creating a sense of urgency around your product or service will make it that much more enticing to potential buyers. For example, Jeff Walker just released his “Product Launch Formula” and has promised to sell it for $997 for one week only. After that he will raise his price. He doesn’t even have to tell us by how much. Just knowing that you have one week to buy at a lower price creates that sense of urgency.

4. Use a limited quantity
If you are selling a physical product and you are only having 100 produced, then use that information to create the same sense of urgency you would with a time limit. Use a countdown on your website to further create the feeling that if your potential buyers don’t buy now, they may miss out.

5. Use a time or quantity limit on bonuses
Additionally, you could offer bonuses for a certain length of time (first week only) or for a certain number of products sold. For example, the first 30 buyers would get an additional special report (valued at $XX).

The last three strategies also help your buyers feel like they are part of your “club” when they join by purchasing your product or service.

Obviously, you can use these tactics unscrupulously, and I’m sure you’ve seen it or experienced it yourself. But if you want your business to truly be successful, in all the ways that are important and meaningful to you, then you must only use these strategies with integrity and honesty.

If you really are only going to print 100 copies of a physical product, then only print 100 copies. That doesn’t mean that you can’t do another print run. It just means that you tell your market that you’re only going to print 100 now, and if you do decide to do another run, then they will have to wait another two or three weeks before they can get their copy.

If you really are going to raise your price after a certain date, or after a certain number of items are sold, then you must follow through. You can give your current base a chance to buy at the “original” price before you raise it, but you still must raise your price if you say you will.

Your integrity using these strategies will create more sales for you than ever before. But use them to manipulate your prospects and it will come back to haunt you…guaranteed.

Copyright 2005 Alicia Forest

Alicia M Forest, MBA, Multiple Streams Queen & Coach, & Founder of http://www.ClientAbundance.com , teaches coaches, consultants, online entrepreneurs and solo professionals to attract more clients, create profit-making products and services, make more sales, and ultimately live the life they desire and deserve.
For FREE tips on how to create abundance in your business, visit http://www.ClientAbundance.com

Why should you describe your business to others in 5 to 10 seconds?

How long do you think you have to get anyone’s attention? 5 minutes? 2 minutes? 30 seconds? It is actually 10 seconds. I know it does not seem like a long period of time but you will be amazed what you can say in 10 seconds. It is enough time to put your foot in your mouth and then try to get it out again, and it is also enough to tell someone your expertise and have them smiling and wanting to converse about it. Of course, I would suggest that you try and put together the pitch so that you can converse about it.

First of all, you need to gain the interest of the prospect you are talking with, and then you also want them to be your next client and buy from you. Is it that difficult to put forward your best foot and get them interested? Of course not! Start by simplifying your message, write down your core competencies, then describe it to the customer. Keep the customer in mind. Ask yourself, why would they want to buy from you? Then tell them why! Put on your customers shoes and see what is in it for them.

This can all be accomplished in just a few seconds - they may even have time to respond to you. Just make sure that you know what you are talking about. There is nothing worse than putting you foot forward and tripping over your tongue. We will deal with how to practice in a later section of the book. Now just follow the simple rules:

Define your core competency.
Describe that competency in layman’s terms.
Put it in writing and see how long it takes to say.

Have you ever watched another person practice their pitch? Not likely! Most people do not practice, they prefer to wing it and see what happens. If you take the time to memorize the pitch and make it a part of you and what you do, you will likely win more customers. You need to pull out that mirror and get the camera rolling to see what you look like and how you can make improvements. In this next section, we will give you some ideas on how to practice your pitch.

Creating Your Pitch

Why would a customer want to buy from you?
______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

What is my core competency?
______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

List the benefits of buying from you (do not list the features but state what you or your product can do for them).
______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

My Pitch
______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

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

Are you a cigar lover or have you decided to try smoking a cigar? Certainly, a cigar is the status symbol for some as a wonderful pleasure that showcases their wealth and class. Coming in different shapes from a medium body or a smooth and creamy medium bodied taste, they come in different varieties and taste to cater the taste of different people who love the pleasure of cigar. For a beginner, who is just trying out a cigar for fun, the selection of a right cigar would be a difficult task. Here are some of the tips, which can help you to pick a right cigar:

Firstly, try to know the health risks caused by cigar smoking as cigars smoking can be bad for you. Usually, they have nicotine that can harm our body greatly as we get addictive to it. There are also some serious consequences of cigar smoking. Cancer can be a great risk caused by cigar smoking. In fact, the National Institutes of Health has said in its report that “people smoking as few as one to two cigars per day have much higher risk of oral, lung, and esophageal cancer, and cancer of the larynx, as compared to non-smokers.” Above all, cigar smoke is much heavier and smellier than cigarette smoke, which some find offensive.

Secondly, after convincing yourself from health point of view, choose the correct type of cigar. It simply means which one you would prefer a man-made cigars and machine made cigars. Normally, hand made are superior to machine made as they are prepared from leaves picked, sorted and bundled by an individual cigar maker. While, a machine made cigar carry smaller pieces of tobacco leaves, called short filler that draws and burns inferiorly than a hand made cigar. So, its up to you, which one would you prefer.

A good cigar is also measured on its length and ring gauge. Normally, the length of cigars ranges from 4 inches to 8 inches, while the most common cigar length being 5 to 6 inches then comes the diameter of the cigar, which is calculated in 64th of an inch. 52 is the largest diameter in the ring; therefore it would be 52/64ths of an inch in diameter. Generally the larger the ring gauge the fuller flavored the cigar will be.

The color of the cigar is also important while picking a good cigar. Referred as claro and oscuro, cigars differ in their taste and quality. Generally, Claro is the light brown cigar and oscuro is almost black. The darker the cigar the more full bodied and sweeter it will be. The darker cigar is considered a mature than a light brown cigar. A lighter colored cigar will be lighter in flavor. But, for a beginning cigar smoker, a smaller and milder gauge cigar is recommended mostly after that they can move up to a bigger size.

For more information on cheap cigars online visit http://www.selective-cigars.com

Sales are produced by people. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling lemonade to tourists or airplanes to governments. Even on the Internet, every sale is the result of a live person or group of people deciding to buy from you. Unfortunately, many decide NOT to buy from you.

Would you like to increase the number of sales you get? It’s easier than you think. There are only 4 reasons why people decide not to buy from you. Once you understand the psychology behind each of them you can implement proven strategies to neutralize their impact and get a higher percentage of sales.

REASON #1: NO NEED

People in our modern society rarely buy something because they need it. They buy something because they want it. When prospective customers say, “I don’t need your product” they really mean, “I don’t want it”. How can you avoid losing these sales? Target your marketing. Promote your business only among people likely to have a strong desire for the benefits provided by your product or service.

EXAMPLE: A network marketer will lose money by advertising a business opportunity in the local newspaper. Most readers aren’t interested in a business opportunity. Instead, she can generate a lot of business by advertising in trade magazines, newsletters or ezines read by opportunity seekers.

REASON #2: NO MONEY

Consumers and businesses rarely avoid buying something because they don’t have (or can’t get) the money needed to make the purchase. They avoid buying what you offer because they place a higher priority on spending money for something else.

You can get these sales by making YOUR product or service their priority. What is the most pressing problem you can solve for prospects in your targeted market? Dramatize how they’ll feel when your product or service eliminates that problem. Make it so important they’ll move your offer to the top of their priority list.

TIP: You can demonstrate a low cost for your product or service by breaking down the price to its lowest time increment. For example, “Enjoy all of this for less than 90 cents a day” (for something priced at $325 a year).

REASON #3: NO HURRY

Many people tend to procrastinate after they decide to buy something. As time passes some will forget why your product or service is so important. They’ll be distracted by other priorities and forget all about you. You’ll lose the business.

You can avoid losing sales because of “no hurry” by rewarding customers for taking immediate action and penalizing those who don’t. For example, offer a special discount price or a special bonus for ordering before a deadline.

REASON #4: NO TRUST

Most people fear losing something they have more than they desire gaining something they want. This fear causes many people to avoid buying something they really want. They’re reluctant to buy because they might not get what they expect from your product or service and they’ll lose their money. You have to remove this perceived risk to avoid losing business because of “no trust”. Here are 3 way I’ve found effective for any business…

1. Eliminate the risk with an unconditional money back guarantee.

2. Provide reassurance with testimonials from satisfied customers.

3. Increase your credibility by allowing customers to communicate directly with you. For example, give them your direct phone number. You’ll only get calls from serious prospects who want the reassurance of dealing with a real person.

There are only 4 reasons why people decide not to buy from you. You can increase your sales and profits by understanding the thinking behind each reason and implementing proven strategies to neutralize their impact.

Student Loans: Delinquent student loans can be one of the biggest credit nightmares you’ll ever encounter. Dramatic increases in the cost of higher education coupled with federal loan guarantees that make it easy for students to borrow large amounts of money they may never be able to pay back meant that many adults today are struggling to make student loan payments for decadesif not longer.

Because of massive defaults on student loans in the 1980s, Congress cracked down. Student loans now are very difficult (if not impossible) to discharge in bankruptcy. There is no statute of limitations for collecting student loan debts, so they can haunt you all the way into retirement. Collection costs may be as high as 45 percentcausing an already burdensome loan to become even more expensive.

If you are having trouble paying back your student loans, you may have several options for dealing with them, none of which (except cancellation) are ideal because they just put off the inevitable. In a crisis situation, however, they are better than falling behind and having your loan placed in collections.

Deferment: Federal student loans may be deferred if you are having financial difficulties. If your loan is deferred, you will not be required to make any payments during the deferment period, and no interest will accrue during the deferment period.

A Christmas Caroling Party is a great way to spread the spirit of Christmas. It’s sure to brighten the neighborhood and the hearts of all involved. Read on for a delicious drink recipe, great for serving at your party, followed by Christmas party ideas.

Ingredients:

• 1 gallon apple cider
• 2 bartlett pears, cut into wedges
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 1 bottle pinot noir
• 2 red delicious apples, cut into wedges
• 1 tsp ground ginger

Preparation:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large pot on the stove. Heat on medium-high until boiling.
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered
3. Remove cinnamon sticks with a slotted spoon.
4. Keep pot over a low flame so that guests can serve themselves.

TIPS

• Set the mood for the party with invitations. Make the invitations festive by printing them on music scrolls and delivering the rolled up scrolls with a beautiful red ribbon.
• Purchase santa hats, reindeer antler or some other costume item that everyone can wear to indicate that you’re a group of carolers.
• Ask your guests to gather at your home about an hour before you plan on caroling - 6 or 7pm. Be sure to stop caroling at about 9pm.
• Only visit the homes of people you know.
• Distribute lyric books among your guests so that everyone can sing along with confidence.
• Ask your guests to dress comfortably for caroling outside. Encourage festive attire in Christmas colors such as red and green.
• Safety first. Be sure children are looked after. Have flashlights on hand.
• Bring along hand instruments such as tambourines or sleigh bells to enhance your songs.

Do you allow fear, anxiety and worry to dominant your thinking? Do you find yourself frequently questioning your decision to become a salesperson? Having self doubt or a lack of commitment is emotionally draining and erodes your effectiveness. A truly committed person does not have the luxury nor the time for the self-indulgence of negative thinking. No great achievement has ever been accomplished without a plan and a commitment to see it through. There is magic in commitment!

In battle, the ancient Greeks developed a well-deserved reputation for bravery and determination. They were successful because they were well trained, well lead and most of all, well motivated. The Greek commanders were master motivators and knew how to instill commitment and prepare their soldiers for victory. For you see, once they landed on enemy shores, the Greek generals would give the order to “burn the boats.” Imagine the psychological impact on the soldiers as they watched their boats being set to the torch. Once their boats were burned, they realized that the only way they were going home was by conquering their enemy - there was no turning back.

There is a great deal of power and wisdom in what the ancient Greeks understood. In your sales career you are not asked to commit to battle, but make no mistake, commitment is required. Your battles are not fought on enemy shores but within the confines of your own mind. There is a need to commit to self and to career. Until you have made the decision to be fully committed, there is hesitancy and the opportunity to draw back. The moment one defiantly commits oneself, magical things happen. The true underlying motivation for all success is a deep and unwavering commitment to the task at hand. If you are being pushed around mentally by thoughts of fear, anxiety and worry, it’s time to “burn your boat” and become fully committed to your sales career.

How to Turn Your Site Into a Conversion Ratio Rocket!

They are baffled day after day. Who? Businessmen and Entrepreneurs alike, who are now turning to the web in record numbers looking for new ways to reach their target markets. The problem they are running into is as old as the web itself.

How do you sell on the Web?

This is the question that is asked by both new and experienced marketers. From MLM to affiliate marketing to small business, we all come up against this seemingly impermeable wall at some point in our marketing careers. Until we answer this question success is out of our reach.

So where do we go from here? The answer is really not an answer, but more of an equation that equals success. The problem most marketers have selling on the web is that they do not fully understand the equation and so can never reach the answer.

The Equation.

Selling on the web is as simple as leading your prospective customer through the following process.

Capture Attention + Gain Trust + Recommend + Sell = SUCCESS!

Your customer needs to be brought through the process in that order. Many Marketers are trying to sell before they recommend and even before they have There prospects trust! This is a sure way to make ZERO sales. The success of this formula lies in human psychology.

The Psychology of Selling.

Before you can sell anyone else you must look into yourself and understand how you are sold. The “Art of Selling” can be described as such:

The act of connecting people with the products or services they want and need.

That’s it! And so we see that we are not actually “selling” per say, but instead we are trying to FIND and TARGET the people who are in need of your business! This is a very important distinction. If you don’t believe me try to sell a toupee to someone with a full head of hair. See what I’m saying? It’s much easier to target people who are in need of your service, than to sell to those who don’t.

Capture Attention.

We capture the attention with a headline. The headline of this article is “The Art of Selling on The Web.” Do you think you would have bothered reading it if it was titled “The History of The Rocking Chair”? Most people wouldn’t, unless you have a specific interest in rocking chairs.

Gain Trust.

After we capture the attention of our prospects and draw them to our site, we need to gain there trust. If they are immediately accosted by a sales pitch they are likely to click away. This is why we first gain there trust by offering them subject related content. Find as much information on your sites given subject and offer something of value to your reader. A view point, articles, resources, anything that will benefit your customer. It doesn’t have to be unique as long as it fills the immediate need of your customer by supplying them with the information relevant to there interest.

Recommend.

Placing links on your page is one way to get some buys, but not as effective as a personal recommendation from you. Remember, your reader now trusts you to some degree since you didn’t sell to them immediately, but instead gave them something of value, i.e. the content of your site. Not only does this create trust in your reader, it also makes you out to be an expert in the field! And so your recommendation carries that much more weight, and is not viewed as a sales tactic. This is why this equation works so well!

Sell.

The last thing you need to do is send you reader to the page with your product. This page should carry your product and the list of amazing benefits that are in store for your customer. Your Ad Copy has to “sing” to your prospect in “soothing tones”, letting them know that everything will be ok once they buy this “answer to all your prayers” product or service. Build a picture in their mind of exactly how they will benefit from your product or service and offer as much proof as possible. Testimonials are the most powerful form of proof.

SUCCESSS!

Now sit back and watch your conversion rates SKY ROCKET! This is a surefire way to bring your customer from prospect to buyer in no time flat.

Keep Striving, Michael Bosse http://www.sitesell.com/helpmy.html

—————————————————————– ——- This Article is Based Off The Strategies & Tactics Outlined In Dr. Ken Evoy’s Bestselling E-Book “Make Your Site Sell! 2002″ Heralded as “The Undisputed Authority on Selling on The Web” This Book Is The Real Deal! Read More About it At: http://myss.sitesell.com/helpmy.html —————————————————————– ——-