The Selling Newsletter
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The Selling Quote for the Month
“Cows don’t give milk. You have to take it from them.”
-Dairy Farmers
These cold mornings are getting your attention if you’re a dairy farmer. Salespeople should pay attention to what dairy farmers are saying. If you think a customer is going to ask you to sell to him, you are sadly mistaken. You have to ask questions that guide your customers to act. You have to help them see that there is a need. You have to help them understand that the need is important. You have to help them understand that you are the best vendor to work with to solve their issue and buy something. Effective questions do all that. If you’re starting the sales call by talking about price, you don’t have an effective questioning strategy. Figure out the needs your products address. Ask about those needs. Develop the consequences when your customers think about doing nothing about their problem. If you need help developing your questioning strategy, email me. Remember, cows don’t give milk. Customers don’t ask you to sell to them either.
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The Selling Ideas for this Month
What Can You Do This Year To Sell More?
Last year is over. You may be thinking thank goodness. An economy heading south and customers cutting back were only some of the ways your business was affected. Certainly these events were beyond your control. As the New Year begins you are probably thinking about what you can do to sell more this year.
Get rid of stuff. I’ve started my next book called The Organized Salesperson. The key to being organized is not getting more bins to throw your junk into. It’s having less junk to throw into bins. Just as things take up space, wasted effort takes up time. What are the things you did last year that wasted your time, caused you grief or simply you don’t want to do this year? Commit to not doing those things by doing something else that’s productive. For example, instead of saying, “I will not keep my office a mess” change that to a positive statement. Say, “I will put back every file I use immediately after I use it.” You will be more likely to follow up and do something when it’s stated positively.
Try something new. If you never exercise, this year go for a walk. If you always eat Italian food, this year try Thai. If you love watching football, try watching a tennis match. Doing the same things year after year produces the same, limiting experiences. Try adding some new experiences you can talk about with others, including your customers. I had a customer who always looked forward to our lunch conversations because they were always different than the ones of other salespeople. My experiences were different and I had something of interest to share.
Respond differently. Selling is like riding the emotional roller coaster of the business world. Each week the roller coaster is different because you work with so many varying internal and external customers. Try predicting the moods you’re going to encounter on any given day! It would probably be easier to predict global warming. Yet your job demands that you deal with disappointment, anger, joy and confusion. Sometimes your customers feel this way and sometimes you do. This year, why not think about how you can choose to respond to business events that disappoint you?
Instead of a business setback causing prolonged disappointment, why not prepare a strategy that allows you to face the challenge head on? When my business was postponed or cancelled from company mergers, I was more resolute to begin prospecting more diligently. I’m more honest with myself about who is truly a prospect. They must have an immediate need and a budget. I no longer allow hope to be part of the criteria that I include in a prospect’s assessment.
Who can you share your thoughts with? Talking with other salespeople you respect can also be a source of new ideas. Find out how they respond to the stresses of selling. There may be solutions you can implement. You know selling will present challenges. You can be prepared and respond differently this year.
You may think you want to be the same person you were last year, especially if it was a successful year. Think how you would feel getting the same birthday gift year after year. Your customers would feel the same way about you. Being different and better is a gift that most customers would want.
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Action Items
1. What will you choose not to do in the next week?
2. Who can support you when you need help with selling?
3. Clean out your files if you haven’t done it last year.
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What: Master Selling Series
When: February 12, 19, 26 and March 5 2010
11.30 AM- 1:30 PM
Where: Small Business Development Center
4800 West Park Blvd.
Plano, TX
For more information: 972-985-3749 or 972-985-3758
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When: April 15, 2010 9-12noon
Where: Great Plains Technology Center, Lawton, OK.
What: Selling When You’re NOT In Sales
More information at 580-250-5551 or 580-250-5556.
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Follow Me on Twitter
My id is BestatSelling You can follow BestatSelling on Twitter.
See you there!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Here are some selling tools to help you sell more now. Click on the photo to find out more! Monday Morning Sales Tips:Do you need ideas for sales meeting? Are you looking for weekly motivation to sell more? 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.
The Blogs and Other Columns I’m now writing The Real Deal, a column on women’s successin business for Allbusiness.com where you can read:
This is a recent column:
You Go Girl!
On your mark. Get set. Go! The new year has begun. As you reengage with work, are you hitting the ground running? I hope that you’re well rested and ready to go. If not, take a few minutes to catch your breath and start thinking about what you can accomplish this year.
I’m also a Sales Coach for Allbusiness.com where you can read a recent column:
Are You Going To Have Your Best Year Yet?
Are you refreshed from the year end’s festivities? Did you get a chance to catch your breath? I certainly hope so. Last year is over. Now it’s time to start working on some new sales goals this year. Have you set your goals yet? If you haven’t, why not set some goals that really propel you to succeed?
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
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About Maura Schreier-Fleming
Maura Schreier-Fleming works with business and sales professionals to sell more and get better results at work. She speaks at international conferences on sales and business. Her Best@Selling clients create long-term client relationships and sell more. Clients include Fujitsu, UPS, Administaff and Dr Pepper/7UP. 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) and Monday Morning Sales Tips. Her business column ‘Selling Strategies’ appears in the Insurance Record magazine. She is a guest columnist for the Dallas, Austin and Houston Business Journals. She has an M.S. in Textile Engineering from Georgia Tech and was Mobil Oil’s first female lubrication engineer in the U.S. You can contact her for seminars at company or trade association meetings at 972 380 0200 or info@BestatSelling.com
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Get more selling tips from Maura’s ebook:
97 Ways to Sell More Now E-Book
https://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=19023096&msgid=
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http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestatselling.com%2Fe-
books.html%2520>
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Looking for new strategies to improve your persuasion skills?
This easy to apply Audio CD will give you many new ideas to
easily improve your persuasion skills so you can sell more and
close business faster.
https://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=19023096&msgid=
355565&act=2WU6&c=260909&destination=http%3A%2
F%2Fwww.bestatselling.com%2F>
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I’m always looking for success stories and other tips from
sales professionals. Please feel free to email me at
info@bestatselling.com with ideas that have worked for you.
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Here are some selling tools to help you sell more now.
Click on the photo to find out more! Monday Morning Sales Tips:Do you need ideas for
sales meeting? Are you looking for weekly motivation to sell more? 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.
Hire Maura to speak at your next conference or sales meeting! Contact: info@bestatselling.com
You can contact her for seminars at company or trade association meetings at 972 380 0200 or info@BestatSelling.com :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Are You a Sales Star? Or Do You Know One?
Do you want to be recognized for your success in Sales? AllBusiness and Top Sales Experts want to honor the top-performing salespeople who deliver results in today’s competitive market. You can help make that happen.
We need your nomination. A panel of top sales coaches and experts will select one salesperson each month from among the nominees. I’m one of the judges.)
Monthly winners will:
– Be recognized by their peers for their outstanding contributions
– Be profiled in a feature article for AllBusiness and its sister site, Hoover’s
– Receive free twelve month VIP membership at Top Sales Experts
– Receive a signed copy of a panelist’s book
– Be offered the opportunity to receive a free sales profile (Value $195)
One annual winner will receive a package of sales training and coaching programs (Value $3000), life VIP membership in Top Sales Experts, a selection of signed books from the panel, plus of course the AllBusiness Sales Star trophy.
Top salespeople inspire those around them and help drive company success.
Take this opportunity to recognize them for their leadership and contributions to the selling profession. Nominate a true sales star!
Every nominee will receive a FREE six month VIP Membership over at Top Sales Experts
PS: There is no deadline for entries each month; all nominations received are carried forward.
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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 and Monday Morning Sales Tips.
For free articles, selling ideas and morale boosters visit 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. Web site: https://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=19023096&msgid=
355565&act=2WU6&c=260909&destination=http%3A%2F%2
Fwww.bestatselling.com>
2. E-mail: info@bestatselling.com
3. Call: In Dallas 972 380 0200
4. Mail:
PO Bob 795633 Dallas, TX 75379-5633
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(c) Copyright 2010
Maura Schreier-Fleming. All rights reserved