The Selling Newsletter
The Selling Quote for the Month
SALES QUOTE
“Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in beer.”
Dave Barry
Who knew Dave Barry had an insight for sales? Was the beer the give-a-way? Maybe it’s the holiday season and more alcohol comes to mind. What he reminds me of with his quote is how some perceptions are wrong and need to be addressed. Pushiness in sales is seen as a bad thing. Yet, there are times when pushiness is a good thing. Do you have customers who you know are a good fit for your products or services? Some of them find it difficult to make up their minds and decide. A push from you in the form of assurance and encouragement may be just what your customer needs to decide. If you shied away from being assertive, a good sale might get away. So the next time you think pushiness is bad, just remember, even chemicals are part of the holiday season and good cheer. Happy Holidays and Cheers! :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
THE BLOG S AND OTHER COLUMNS
I’m now writing The Real Deal, a column on women in business for Allbusiness.com
Live Your Dreams at Work
Remember when you were a kid taking a road trip vacation with your family? ‘Daddy, are we there yet?’ was said by more kids than probably anything else other than ‘I need to go to the bathroom.’ Now, fast forward to your life now. You might not have taken any road trips recently. Neither have I, but it got me thinking. You and I are on a different kind of journey with our careers. Are you there yet?
If you want to read more
I’m also writing a sales blog for Salesmecca.com. Here’s a recent post:
Here’s Something to Celebrate
As your year winds down, whether you sold as much as you planned or missed the mark, year end gives you time to reflect on what you’ve done. You may think there’s nothing to celebrate if you missed the mark. You’re wrong. There is.
If you want to read more.
Leave your comments and I would love to respond to you.
I’m now a guest columnist for the Dallas Business Journal. My column is called “Customer Connections.” I’ll be answering readers’ questions about selling. Do you have any selling questions? Send them to info@bestatselling.com
What’s sales tip has helped you be even more successful in sales?
Send your helpful tip to tip@bestatselling.com
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The Selling Ideas for this Month
Think About It
Have you ever asked people not in sales what they think salespeople do? You might have heard that salespeople talk a lot. That’s not all they do. They think a lot as well. At this time of year, here’s what you can be thinking about to improve your selling next year.
What have you learned? At year end it’s easy to examine your sales numbers and congratulate yourself on your success. Before you start celebrating, now is the time to review what was less successful for you and make plans to change how you sell next year. As you look back at your work this year, you’ve probably debriefed your sales calls to examine what worked and what didn’t. Focus on what didn’t work. I’ve realized that there is one question that I need to ask more often when working with prospects. It’s “How are you going to decide who you work with?”
I’ve found that when I don’t know the answer to this question, I’m often not talking to everyone involved in the decision to buy. Sometimes my prospects don’t know how they’re going to decide, either. As a result they tend to focus more on price instead of valuing the services that I offer. Without the answer, my proposals are less customized and are less successful.
With more thinking I’ve found that I want to modify my sales process to present my value earlier. I’ve found that by not talking about the results I’ve produced with clients that the issue of price arises more frequently than I want it to. I’ve also found that the only response that works when price comes up is to be prepared with more examples of value. As a result, I’ve gone back to clients and asked them to quantify what my work has done for them. Now I’ll be ready next year with more quantified results to share with prospects. That will help avoid sticker shock next year. Just be sure that when you sell value that it’s a good solution for your customers. I’ve seen too many salespeople try to sell Cadillacs when the customer really wanted—and needed—only a Chevrolet.
Who is on your team? Was this year a roller coaster of ups and downs? For most salespeople every year is. When the exhilaration of selling changes to the agony of defeat, who do you turn to? If you realize that you are running this marathon alone, it’s time to find some good company. Salespeople need a strong support network. These are the people who give you confidence so you can go on after a stinging defeat. These same people are the ones with whom you can discuss new sales strategies and why old ones didn’t work. You know next year will be a new ride of ups and downs. When your support network is strong, you’ll be able to continue the ride. As you consider friends, family, past and present managers and even customers to be part of your support network, make sure you schedule the time to maintain contact with them. It takes time to build relationships. When you need the help, it will be too late to start.
What keeps you selling? While others can help you when things are going poorly, your job is to work on keeping your spirits up. Your attitude is one of your most important selling tools. It needs a steady diet of joy and happiness. Sales, more than most professions, presents many opportunities for defeat. An important requirement in sales is to manage your attitude. What keeps your spirits up? Are you taking time to do the things that relax and recharge you? I take one day off each weekend and don’t open my computer. That’s my way of renewing my spirit.
Salespeople do more than talk. The good ones take time to think so they improve their sales skills next year. There’s just one more thing you can think about this year. It’s how you’re going to celebrate the end of another selling year.
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Action Items
1. Schedule time on your calendar to review your past year in sales. What worked? What could be improved?
2. Next year, where can you use more help to simplify your sales process?
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Programs
When: January 23, January 30, February 6, February 13
11.30 AM- 1:30 PM
Where: Small Business Development Center
4800 West Park Blvd.
Plano, TX
What: Master Selling Series For more information: 972-985-3749 or
972-985-3758
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Here are some selling tools to help you sell more now. Click on the photo to find out more!
Sales Quotes: A book that has quick ideas for you to be more successful in sales. Real-World Selling: A book with selling skills and strategies that work in the real world of sales. Secrets of Persuasion: Audio CD for the clues to use to speed-read people and close more business.
Need an Article for Your Newsletter?
Articles from this newsletter may be used in your free publications or posted on your web when given the following credit:
Written by Maura Schreier-Fleming, Best@Selling (https://www.bestatselling.com/). Maura Works with business and sales professionals who want to sell more and be more productive at work. She is the author of Real-World Selling for Out-of-this-World Results.
For free articles, selling ideas and morale boosters
visit https://www.BestatSelling.commore »
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About Maura Schreier-Fleming
Invite Maura to speak at your next conference or sales meeting! Contact: info@bestatselling.com
Maura Schreier-Fleming works with business and sales professionals to make it easier to sell more and be more productive at work. Her Best@Selling clients want to create long-term client relationships. They include Fujitsu, Fannie Mae and Dr Pepper/7UP. She has an M.S. in Textile Engineering from Georgia Tech and was Mobil Oil’s first female lubrication engineer in the U.S. With over 20 years of sales experience, she teaches the art and science of selling with a unique hands-on perspective and a great deal of real-life insight. She is the author of Real-World Selling for Out-of-this-World Results (a book filled with ideas to make selling easier and more productive. Her business column ‘Selling Strategies’ appears in the Insurance Record magazine and her column ‘Street Talk’ appears in Jobbers World. You can contact her for seminars at company or trade association meetings at 972 380 0200 or info@BestatSelling.com
Privacy: At Best@Selling we take privacy issues very seriously. Your information remains with us and will never be sold, shared, or distributed in any manner, for any reason.
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Contact Information
1. Our Web site: www.BestatSelling.com
2. E-mail: info@bestatselling.com
3. Call: In Dallas 972 380 0200
4. Write us:
6757 Arapaho Rd., Suite 711-183
Dallas, TX 75248
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(c) Copyright 2007 Maura Schreier-Fleming. All rights reserved
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