What if no one ever wrote a book on how to sell things? What if no one ever did a sales seminar or produced training videos or cassette tapes teaching people how to sell? What then? Would less items and services be sold? Yes, probably, we can deduce that if sales people never learned how to sell that in fact less things would be sold right, I mean that makes sense. Indeed, we can both agree that less items and services would be sold in the market place if salesmen and women were lousy at selling.

Well it makes sense then that we need sales training materials and we need the videos, tapes and books. Well what if no one ever sold those tapes to sales men because they never read the book on how to do it,

then even less would be sold. So it is very good that people are producing sales materials to help people sell. So next time you think about your business or your company you might wish to think about how valuable all this sales material is and you should considering its use so that your sales people can sell more and sell it correctly. By carefully reviewing the material and purchasing the best material to help your team succeed you will be helping your customers get what they want and informing them on why your products or services are superior. Please be thinking here, as the future of your company is at stake.

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

We all know that you can’t earn your commission until you make the sale. Furthermore, you can’t make the sale without the order, and you can’t write the order until you have a product presentation scheduled. Finally, you can’t have a presentation until you make the infamous CALL to schedule the appointment.

As you see, it all traces back to the initial phone call. In order to fulfill your WHY and achieve all of your ultimate outcomes in life, you must be UNSTOPPABLE ON THE PHONE! Right now you need to ask yourself a very important question…. “Am I the best I possibly could be on the phone?” Your answer will determine your results! On my training program, “Ten Secrets to the Ultimate Phone Call”, I speak about methods that you can implement to make you the best you can be. You must develop a friendship with your phone. I know it sounds crazy, but is true. When your phone becomes your best friend, you look forward to picking up the phone! Then, and only then, your future will change for the better.

One of the major keys is to practice your phone call script consistently in order to make it smooth to the point of your sounding like a Hollywood actor. Yes, I do mean you need to have a script and become fluent with this script. Many people say, “But I do not want to use a script because when

I read a script a potential client/customer says that they can tell I am reading.” Guess what…If this is the case, then you have not practiced enough!

The best way to explain the effectiveness of a perfect script is to think of your favorite actor/actress and all of their award-winning performances. These performances that you love are SCRIPTED! Re-read that and internalize what that means. The Award winners are all script performers. You must make the mental decision right now to become an Emmy Award winner at your script. I speak about this on my training program along with many other concepts/ideas for making calls, which could possibly explode your business.

In summary, you must completely look forward to picking up the phone and design your future through the results you experience by making the most effective phone call possible for your business – your future!

Find your WHY & FLY!

http://www.FindYourWhy.com

John Di Lemme, a Former Clinically Diagnosed Stutterer, now the World’s Leading Motivational Expert *shocks millions globally* by exposing the truth they’ve been searching for in order to achieve monumental life success through his Award Winning Live Seminars, Power-Packed Training Programs, Live Tele-Classes, Motivational Club and Weekly E-zine. Take action now and join tho.usands of others that have used John’s proven methods to live their life to the Maximum! Visit http://www.FindYourWhy.com and discover how you can finally create monumental success in your life today and achieve all your goals, dreams and desires.

In today’s highly competitive business environment it is critical to find ways to separate yourself from the other companies who sell the same – or similar – product and/or service. Here are several strategies that can help you accomplish this:

Help your clients achieve their goals. Virtually every business person has specific goals they are striving to achieve. These can include everything from increasing their market share and sales, to reducing operating expenses, to streamlining the business, to incorporating new business practices. Invest time learning the key objectives of each of your customers. Then determine how your products and services can help them achieve their targets. In some cases, you may not be able to help them but recommending someone who can assist them will be recognized and remembered. The more you can help them achieve their goals the more valued you will become.

Under-promise, over-deliver. As old as this expression is, it is still one of the best ways to stand out from the crowd. Far too many people make commitments to their customers and fail to follow through as promised. It’s easy to fall into this trap, particularly for service-oriented individuals. We have every intention of delivering on a promise but often, unexpected circumstances crop up that prevent of from doing so. While this is acceptable by most people – once in a while – frequent occurrences will drive your customers to your competition.

Be innovative. Most companies do business the same way until a crisis, emergency, or significant change in the marketplace forces them to adapt. The most successful organizations are creative and innovative. They constantly look for new ways to do business, gain more their market share, please their customers, and offer new products and services. The inherent challenge with this is that you will encounter resistance from many people both inside and outside of the company; I have experienced this first-hand in several companies I have worked for.

However, if you try to be innovative ONLY when it’s absolutely necessary, you will never get the head-start on your competition. Watch for trends in other industries as well as yours and think of how you can incorporate these into your business. Be a leader instead of a follower.

Surprise them. Look for ways to surprise your customers and do something completely unexpected for them. Make a charitable donation in their name. Invite them to a special event. Give them a bonus gift or service. Find out what networking events your clients might like to attend and send them a complimentary invitation. If they enjoy reading send

an occasional book in their area of interest. Gift certificates to a show or play may be appreciated by some of your customers.

Two words of caution: i) Be careful that your “surprise” is not misinterpreted as a bribe to do business with you. There cannot be any strings or hidden conditions attached to this offering. ii) Make sure your client is allowed to accept a gift. Some organizations have a strict “no gift” policy and you must respect it.

Keep in touch. Very few people keep in touch on a regular basis with their customers. Yet, this is the best way to keep your name in their mind. An effective strategy – without appearing like a pest – is to send them useful information on a regular basis. You can send a newspaper clipping or a magazine article. You can also send them helpful and practical tips to improve their business; this can be set up quite easily electronically.

Send cards on special occasions but instead of the standard Christmas cards send some on lesser promoted days such as St. Patrick’s Day and Halloween, etc. You can also send postcards from exotic locations – just be careful not to write a tacky message. This past winter I traveled to St. Maarten in the Caribbean and found a beautiful postcard of a beach along the Caribbean Ocean. I sent this card to about four dozen clients and prospects with the message, “When the winter starts getting you down, take a three minute vacation by picturing yourself on this beach.”

Have a VIP day. You can organize a golf tournament – assuming of course your customers play the game. If you’re a retailer, you can invite your best customer to an invitation-only special sale.

Every year, a friend of mine organizes an evening filled with networking opportunities, guest speakers, great food and beverages and invites his clients, prospects, and friends to attend. Another friend of mine takes several of his clients on excursions to a local winery. He ensures they get a tour, a private tasting of premium wines, and a five-star dinner.

© 2005 Kelley Robertson, All rights reserved

Kelley Robertson, President of the Robertson Training Group, works with businesses to help them increase their sales and motivate their employees. He is also the author of “Stop, Ask & Listen – Proven Sales Techniques to Turn Browsers into Buyers.” Receive a FREE copy of “100 Ways to Increase Your Sales” by subscribing to his free sales and motivational newsletter available at http://www.kelleyrobertson.com. Contact him at 905-633-7750 or Kelley@RobertsonTrainingGroup.com

If you are having difficulty knowing what to charge, then check out your competition and find out what they’re doing. Find out if they post prices or fees on their website or if they have “packages” or deals. Do they have payment options?While you are researching, keep in mind just because your competition is charging one way it is not necessarily how you should be charging.

One of my clients is a business and life coach. Most coaches charge for a set number of scheduled phone meetings, which seems to be a standard for “the coaching industry,” but that doesn’t mean it’s the best way.

I encourage my clients to charge fees that match who their clients are and what they are trying to accomplish. It’s very refreshing to do what works for you and not necessarily follow the “industry standard.” If you don’t feel comfortable with the way your industry charges, by all means change it. Just because the industry’s doing it doesn’t mean that it’s right. Another client of mine, Shelly, is a wedding planner. When we first began working together she had three “wedding packages” because that’s what “everyone else does.” She ran into problems with pricing because most of her potential clients didn’t fit into the standard package and therefore Shelly had a long list of “upgrades” and additional items. She also had to charge more for weddings above a certain number of guests and weddings with over a specific number of attendants in the wedding party.

Potential clients became fixated on

the package fees and felt ripped off when Shelly began adding additional charges all over the place. The packages were supposed to make things easier for Shelly’s, but they actually created more problems than they solved.

Shelly was so relieved when she realized she didn’t have to use the standard pricing packages most wedding planners used. She never felt good about them, but didn’t trust her own instincts on how to charge. We worked on making a pricing structure that wasn’t based on hours or packages but on the value to the client. She was able to quickly raise her fees and increase her client base simply based on her fee changes.

Are you charging your clients based on the value you are providing them or based on the “industry standard”? Is the industry standard an effective way to charge or is just what everyone else is doing?

Take a good look at the way you set your fees and handle client charges. Is it right for you?

Kirstin Carey is the author of “Starving Artist No More: Hearty Business Strategies for Creative Folks.” Kirstin knows how much most creative people hate sales, contracts, and discussing money and she consults creative people on the business side of creativity so they make more money, get better clients, and still love what they do. She put together a resource full of proven strategies and insider secrets guaranteed to help creative types get the business help they need so they don’t have to starve anymore! Go to http://www.MyCreativeBiz.com

There’s always one very nice person in my seminars who shares his favorite opening line in telephone calls: “Do you have a minute?” or its cringing cousin, “Have I called at a bad time?”

I have to restrain myself from bellowing, “Never, ever ask that question, again!!!”

Why am I so adamant?

It’s a loser’s line, designed to avoid rejection. It puts trying to sound gentle ahead of the true goal: to make a sale or an appointment, now.

Let’s examine the dynamics of this limp overture. In context, it is usually uttered this way:

“Hello, I’m Gary Goodman with Customersatisfaction.com. Do you have a minute?”

What kind of reply can I expect to get?

“Sure, I have a minute. In fact, I have all day, because I have nothing better to do than to talk to an insecure bozo like you!”

This line is a showstopper. If the listener says yes, he’s going to kick himself for green-lighting what could turn out to be a talk-a-thon.

If he gives you a qualified yes, “Well, I guess so, but just a minute,” then you’re racing against the clock, to catch his interest. Why put yourself at such a disadvantage?

In seminars, I offer this example. If I walk up to 100 strangers and ask, “Would you like a twenty-dollar bill?” I’ll bet at least half will reflexively say no. That’s human nature. Given a chance to resist something new, most

people will find resisting, well, irresistible.

What’s the alternative?

Simply leave this line out, or if you must get a signal that it’s okay to continue, ask the person, “How are you?”

Better yet, after announcing your name, the name of your company, use a credibility statement. It says, here’s what we do, our claim to fame, why I’ve earned the right to talk with you, today.

That should make the person want to listen, while signaling that there’s even more valuable information to come as the conversation progresses.

I know, a lot of attention has been paid lately to so-called permission marketing, opt-in lists, and other devices that supposedly help us to sell only to the already qualified and interested.

Let me tell you that “permission selling” is a contradiction in terms. Selling is always an interruption. The best we can hope to do is to make it a successful one.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service. A frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide, Gary’s programs are offered by UCLA Extension and by numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. Gary is headquartered in Glendale, California. He can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.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.

The Problem

In my refrigerator there is a wheel control that is used to change itstemperature. It is jammed to position 3 by use of a lolly stick. Why? Becausejust about every fourth or fifth time I put something in there (especially whenit is nearly full) the wheel is disturbed and the temperature setting ischanged.

I cannot for the life of me work out how this design flaw was passed in thefirst place. Surely, this problem came to light when the prototype was beingtested?

Another problem I have is with my car. The light in the dash that indicatesthe full beam is on is obscured by the steering wheel. No matter what position Ichange the steering wheel to, it still manages to obscure this important light.I am about average height but have to constantly crane over the steering wheelin order to find out if I am blinding other drivers. Once again, how did thispass the design test?

These are only two example – but we all know that there are many more.

Designers do not have an easy task. Depending on what they are asked todesign, they are required to match artistic license and flair withfunctionality. They are faced with many obstacles along the way. Here are someof them:

1. The Client

When a new design brief comes along, the designer is usually handicapped rightfrom the start. Whoever the client is, whether its the designer’s own boss or anexternal client, they will have pre-conceived ideas that the designer isexpected to accommodate. Straight away the designer needs to know how to playthe politics involved in getting out an original, workable piece whilst pleasingthe “wouldn’t it be great if” crew. A confident designer with a proventrack record can afford to demand some space from the client, or at least theopportunity to make some mistakes. A less confident designer may turn into nomore than a draughtsman, slavishly turning the client’s amateurish instructionsinto the dog’s dinner it will inevitably become.

2. The Critics

Most designs are a compromise between aesthetics and functionality.Constructive criticism is possible when dealing with functional aspects. Aestheticsare a different matter: beauty is in the eye of the beholder. A designer canhave the wind taken out of their sails at an early stage if someone says theythink their design is not pleasing to the eye (or just plain ugly!). Let’s justacknowledge the skill required to be a product designer. The rocket designer hasit easy: 100% functionality required. The artist also has it easy with 100% aesthetics.Our product designer has to have a foot in both worlds – and perhaps his fingersin his ears!

3. Production

Yes, but how will it work in production? Good question. Most products aredesigned to be re-produced in mass production. All designers will have this inmind from the start. There is no point in designing the perfect product thatcosts zillions to produce. The problem is that the production manager will soenjoy pointing this out at every opportunity – great design – impossible tomake. A good retort of course, is to state the reverse which is equallytrue: there is no point in designing the perfect production-friendly product ifthe end users don’t like it: great production product – impossible to use.

4. Time

I have a sneaky feeling that this is the most common problem of all. Mostsituations require deadlines. Well the average client is hardly likely to say:”I want this product at some time in the future – whenever you can getaround to it”. Most new product launches are project-managed, with thedesigner always – I mean ALWAYS – allocated insufficient time. As time is alinear phenomenon, the corners that tend to be cut fall in the latter stages.This rather obvious statement is made in order explain why prototype testing andcustomer satisfaction measurements tend to be squeezed the most. Several weeksor months may have originally been put aside for these vital aspects when inreality two or three afternoons of prototype testing are all that separate aworking model from the finished product.

5. Events

While you are designing your new product, the world around you is changing.Customers’ purchasing habits are changing. The factories that might make yourproducts are being upgraded. New legislation is being planned. New materials arenow available. And, of course, competitors are bringing out new products anddoing a great job in moving your goalposts. If only the world could stop whileyou perfect your design…

The Solution

The product design function comes in all shapes and sizes. Small companiesmay employ just one part time designer who often will be the business owner. Ipersonally think that the make up of the design function is the most vital part.Large companies may have an in-house design team – that is fine.

The rest shouldalso consider having a design team rather than leaving it up to one person, evenif outside resource is brought in to bolster the function for the lifetime of aspecific project. It is common for companies, large and small, to pull inoutside resource from a design agency – sometimes they will be given the fullbrief. If resources are scarce and only one designer can be afforded, I wouldrather have two part-time designers (perhaps seconded from other duties for partof the week) then one full-time. The reason for this is the need to be twothings at once:?focussed on tunnel vision creativity and focussed onoutside pressures and influences.

The ideal ingredients of the design team are the following:

- Outer function

- Moderating function

- Inner function

Ideally the designers will all be qualified professionals. As well as havingtheir own fields of design expertise that they will bring to the team, they willalso fall into one of the above three camps. The outer function will deal withexternal pressures: they will be more experienced and will be given the task ofdealing with demands made by the client or the boss. They will fight forresources, including precious time for the team. They will defend the teamsdecisions. They will also keep a watching brief on changes in materials, trends,legislation and competitor activity. They will work closely with the productionteam. They will act as a filter, feeding back to the design team onlyinformation and requirements that are needed. Let’s say the client insists on aparticular design feature and the external function see merits in this, or -let’s get real – are told to include the feature or else. This can then becommunicated back to the team as a bona fide decision that must be adhered to.Other tittle-tattle can be discarded.

The inner function will need to consist of free-thinkers who are given timeand space to produce innovative ideas. They need to possess innovative thoughtprocesses and an open mind. They will be protected from outside interference asmuch as possible. Their ideas will be taken up by the moderator function whichwill feed back to them, moderating their expectations in line with outsiderealities whilst giving them encouragement.

The moderating function will work with the inner function, turning theirideas into workable solutions. They will also do the same with the informationand decisions that come in from the outer function. The moderating function willnot necessarily have the free-thinking attributes of the inner function, butwill not be bogged down in having to deal with the external contacts. They willbe the end-designers. They will turn the ideas fed from both the inner functionand moderate these with the demands from the outer function and come up with thedesign.

The whole team will need to feedback on the aesthetic elements, as the widestpossible poll of these aspects would be required.

This is not design by committee. This is a team of people who must be joinedto each other at the hip. They will be expected to argue their corner but willalso compliment each other, giving way to each other’s strengths and be preparedto give in when the time comes. The team will become one entity and not a groupof individuals – not a committee.

I can only imagine that there were some on the design team of my refrigeratorand car who were aware of the design faults I have highlighted. I am sure thatif their design teams had been structured the way I have suggested above Iwouldn’t have a lolly stick in my temperature control and would not have to bein fear of causing a pile up on the motorway.

Insectocutor is a good case study where product design has moved over theyears from purely functional to a balance between function and aesthetics. Theirfly killer machines have traditionally been built for food factories andout-of-sight kitchens. In the last few years they have recognised that there isan increasing trend to have fly killers in front-of-house areas such as retailshop floors and open kitchens. They have also seen an increase in the use of flykillers in domestic homes. As such, the Discreet Series and Select Series havebeen developed. These are kind to the eye whilst still doing an excellent job ofdealing with flying insects. Their most powerful machine is a marriage of bothaesthetics and functionality. The IND61 can kill flying insects within a 500 sqmetre area and looks majestic as it guards us from up on high. Insectocutor havethe perfect design team – where do you think I got my ideas from!

Please have a look at the Insectocutor flykillers at the Arkay Hygiene web site. Here is the mighty IND61Electric Fly Killer machine.

Salesmanship is the force that moves business. Without it all business would be at a stand-still. Just being able to sell does not complete the definition of salesmanship. A fraudulent person may be able to sell you a piece of swamp land, but because they were able to sell the worthless piece of property to you, does that say they demonstrated salesmanship?

The answer, of course, is no. The central fact of salesmanship is rending a service to your customer. It has to do with convincing others to buy your goods as a benefit to them at a fair price. And they must be satisfied with their purchase.

When looking for people to sell your goods, you will no doubt run into several different types of prospects, and it will be your job to take them successfully through the selling process until you close the deal. Each step must be carried out in succession. If a step is skipped, or taken out of the natural order in which the human mind works, it could result in you loosing the sale, or in this case, a potential salesman. So you see the importance of every salesperson learning these fundamental steps.

This article is to help you identify your prospects and how to teach them the principles of selling, so they will go out and successfully make sales for you and themselves.

No person is born a salesman. It is true; some of us may be born with certain talents that would be beneficial in the area of sales. And there have been some pretty good salesmen who have had no formal training. But everyone would do even better, if they learn what entails the selling process.

What are the principles of the selling process? Here it is in a nutshell. It’s all about the psychology of the human mind. The selling process concerns carrying the prospect successfully from one mental state to the next, resulting in the sale.

Teach your prospects how to pique their customer’s curiosity for the proposition. Create interest. Convince the customer that the claims that have been made concerning the proposition are true. Instill in the customer the desire to own what they are selling. And finally, teach your sales people how to get their customers to make a decision to buy and to take action.

The salesman should keep the first selling talk short, forceful and to the point. And they need to create and keep interest active in the mind of their customer. They should bring energy and life into their sales talk. No one wants to listen to a boring sales presentation.

Knowing why the customer will buy is very important. You find this out by getting into the mind of the prospect. Seeing things from their point of view. The customer wants to know if you can render them a real service. They may not be interested in your name, or the name of your company at first. The main thing they want to know is how what you are selling will benefit them. The trained salesman will show the customer they wish to render a real service.

Make sure your sales people know your goods. If they are blind-sided by a question concerning your goods that they cannot answer, the salesperson will have little, or no chance of getting their prospect to trust what they are saying is true.

Different Types of Prospects:

The curious person is going to want to know

what qualifications are needed. They’re going to ask questions. Asking questions is the best way to learn anything. His or her need to know more is the first sign that their interest is sincere. This type of person is open to the possibilities of instruction. And they already understand there is a right and wrong way to sell. Let them know that they need sales training and among other things, they will have to learn about the principles of the selling process. And this sales training will qualify them to be a success in any type of business situation.

The next person may be very enthusiastic from the get go. And may ask the question, “How long will it take for me to get started?” Now you’ve already moved this person through all the stages. You have closed the deal. But wait, a person of this nature still must be taught the principles of selling. A trained person makes the fewest mistakes. And will be the most successful. At this point you don’t want to dampen their enthusiasm, so teach them the principles of the selling process so they can get started selling for you.

The fearful person may say, “I’m afraid of selling. I don’t think I’m cut out to be a salesman.” You should empathize with this person. Let them know they are not alone. Others have expressed the same fears only to go on and become some of the best salesmen. Just as in every other profession, there are things in the field of sales that need to be learned. And once your prospect gets some sales training they may feel different about their sales abilities.

Still another person may feel they need no instruction at all because they’re a natural born salesman. They can out talk anybody. They feel very self-sufficient. They may feel what they don’t know they can learn by doing, and in fact, this is true to a certain extent, but a salesman is not born, they are made. And as in any field, the trained person has a better chance of acquiring success.

Being able to talk a good game is not the same thing as being a trained salesman. So this person needs to be made aware that instruction is still needed. The danger of this type of person is they may go out and make the biggest mistakes. It is best to use techniques that have been analyzed and tested. Trial and error is not the way to go into salesmanship. This type person would fare much better by learning the principles of selling first.

The salesman who knows what he or she is talking about has coupled natural abilities with learned instruction. They will be the most successful sales people. The trained salesman makes the fewest mistakes. This means that time, money and energy are not wasted by going off half-cocked and loosing the sale.

Copyright © 2005 Gloria Whitehorn-All rights reserved

About the Author:

Gloria is an article writer, business owner, author of two books, salesperson and seasoned mail order pro. Visit her site for information on a great part-time, full-time-anytime business. She knows what she’s talking about.

http://www.dovemang.com

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How do you feel about selling? Ouch!! Do you want to stop reading now?

Many of you reading this will probably admit (if only to yourself) that you do not enjoy it. You probably wonder why you have to do it – it’s not what you trained for or why you started out on your career. This article may not achieve a 180° shift in your thinking and a radical change in your behaviour; it will show you how a few simple shifts in your own mindset can empower you to be more successful in generating business. As you become more successful, you will be more confident and find yourself doing even more.

Why is it so many people in many countries have a problem with the whole idea of “selling” or being thought of as a salesperson? After all, without revenue coming through your business, how will you survive? How do you generate that revenue – and grow it? Just sitting back and hoping to do it from a historical customer base, word of mouth or a few adverts is not exactly putting you in control!!

Professional services have to face up to this challenge if they are to continue to survive, let alone grow. As the successful ones (in financial and growth terms at least) continue to attract new clients and grow, those who are just operating passively or reactively are at risk.

Let us start by considering why you feel less than enthusiastic about selling. In my country, the UK, our media certainly do not help. It seems that whenever we see anything in the media it is about less than scrupulous tactics from sales people, conning or fleecing their vulnerable customers. This is totally unfair. If this was the way the majority of organisations worked none would make any sales – and where would we be? The stereotype does not cover the many sellers who help people identify specific issues and show them a solution to these which will enhance their businesses or their lives.

How many of you feel that selling is about pushing someone to do something they do not want to? Hardly surprising you do not want to be seen as doing this! If you imagine a diagram of a series of concentric circles, it can help you to understand what is happening now – and what you can do to shift your mindset. From the inside, imagine the circles being labelled as:

• Identity
• Beliefs and Values
• Capabilities
• Behaviours
• Environment

If you had some sales training and acquired new skills (capabilities), you could apply these with different behaviours. However, if you still have a “non-sales” attitude and do not see your role as being involved with selling (identity) you will struggle to apply them. Taking a few minutes to reflect on what your “inner voice” says to you about selling. How many messages are limiting or negative? “I can’t……”, “People will think….”? Also, what are your personal values? What are the things which are important to you? Is there anything to do with selling which conflicts with these?

If you want to become more positive, and effective, about selling you will have more success if you make changes nearer to the core. They will ripple out and affect the outer circles much more easily than starting the change on the outer levels. To do this, involves shifting your mindset.

Why should you do this? You may want to think about what you can achieve personally or for your organisation if you become more successful as a business generator. What difference might it make if this happens? Alternatively, what might be the risk if you do not shift and become more proactive as a business generator? No organisations can stand still in their markets these days.

What do you think the words “to sell” mean? A dictionary definition will tell you that it is: “to exchange goods or services for money or kind; to convince of value.” Concentrate on the latter part of this – what does that mean to you? I wonder what “value” is

for you when choosing a new car, or a holiday, or an evening out? Would it be the same for your friends? In this lies one of the aspects of professional selling which can give you both fun and satisfaction – finding out an individual’s idea of value in the context. When you have done this you can apply the principles of “salesmanship”, which part of the dictionary definition says is: “persuading purchasers to buy.” Nothing here about pushing or forcing people into decisions! Can you think of any occasions when you have felt you were sold something? How did you feel about it after the event? (If you cannot, what do you think you would feel?) On the other hand, have you had a time when you think you decided to buy something? How did you feel after this? Can you notice any difference?

Reframe the idea of selling in your own mind to:

• find out what your prospect would think is value (or what their needs and wants are)
• show how you can satisfy these
• when they believe you can, they will want to buy!

It is not about selling – you are a provider of value! To achieve this you just have to talk to people, ask them to explain what they want and need – and listen. Check back to make sure you understand – and then let them know how you can supply that service or solution. It is not some black art! Yes, you can go and learn one of a number of structured sales approaches. . These days, more and more organisations, not just professional services, are taking a “consultative selling” approach which can be a softer style – though still allows you to ask for commitment. However, that will not work unless you change some of those items in the inner circles in the diagram

You can achieve your mind shift with a few simple steps, whether because you want to be more successful or to avoid problems from not getting more sales.

1. Look inside yourself and ask what is stopping you. If you think what you are providing is worthwhile and of value to your clients or customers, why not give more people to chance to use it? You are not being a seller – you are helping them to buy!
2. Pay attention to what you are saying to yourself! Beware the “can’ts”, “shouldn’ts” etc and start saying “I can…”, “I will….”, “It’s OK to….”, “Im able to….”, “I’m good at…..”.
3. Start with the easy wins – look for opportunities to get more business from existing clients by getting them to consider other services or products that they do not currently buy from you.
4. Enjoy helping clients and customers resolve their problems or improve their business through what you can offer them!

As you shift those inner circle aspects of your sense of identity, move your focus on to positive values and empowering beliefs, your attitude will change. Allow it to start thinking about being a business grower, generator, discoverer or nurturer if it seems better than selling! Once your attitude is positive you will find that you can use the appropriate skills and behaviours – generating more business and feeling good about it! If you want to develop your skills, you may feel more comfortable looking at what is involved in “relationship selling” or “consultative selling”, which will fit with your (new) values and beliefs. You do not have to be a social outcast to be a business getter or a seller. It is something to be proud of when done in the right way as all parties benefit.

Graham Yemm has over 20 experience as a consultant. He runs a UK based consultancy, Solutions 4 Training Ltd and works both in the UK and internationally with organisations in a variety of industry sectors. He works with organisations and individuals to help them with setting sales strategies, developing their sales processes and training them with the relevant sales skills. He can be contacted at Solutions 4 Training or +44 1483 480656

Does your Web site talk about your company? Yes, I know, it’s your company Web site! But the last thing it should talk about is your company.

Yes, I’m sure you’re all cool, interesting people, with fantastic skills, but trust me, that’s not what you need to lead with on your Web site – or mailing or brochure.

*The bigger the corporate, the less likely they’re even going to blink an eyelid*

There’s a lot of truth in the picture of corporate person under siege. I probably don’t have to tell you how difficult it is to get through to people in companies any more. But they’re not just hiding behind voice and e-mail because they can. They’re often just too busy to respond.

So the same applies to your mailshot or brochure, or when they visit your Web site. They don’t have time to wade through reams of material that doesn’t tell them how you can *ease their pain*. How you can solve their problem – or the one their boss has placed in their hands.

*Tell your readers something they need to hear*

Telling people ‘we’re the leading Megacorp Platinum Reseller in the South West’, doesn’t cut the mustard. Hit your prospects

with what they need to know right away. What problem can you solve? How quickly? And – *if* it’s relevant – how your product or service does it.

I was taught to think of most prospects as being like car buyers. They want the glamour and good feelings, but aren’t interested in the gudgeon pins!

So you should be clear in your own mind how much you have to say to move the sale along. Later on, if they’re really interested, they’ll want to know about your company. So put corporate information near to last.

Your prospects will read about you and your company when the time is right.

Hijacked some time in the 80s by a Paris-based advertising agency, David Rosam cut his teeth on writing for IBM’s EMEA division. Since then, he has written copy for small and medium enterprises through to global brands such as Microsoft, Oracle and Hewlett Packard.

David’s direct mail experience rolled itself on to the Web a decade ago, and now he writes online copy, Search Engine Optimized copy, direct mail, brochures and newsletters as well as consulting to a number of individuals and companies.

He also publishes Technology Marketing Tips – see http://itcopy.com/tmt.html