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You are here: Home / Newsletters / The Selling Newsletter July 2013

The Selling Newsletter July 2013

July 1, 2013 By maurasf

The Selling Newsletter for Sales Professionals

July 2013

SALES QUOTE

“The tongue can paint what the eye can’t see.”
–-Chinese proverb

For Salespeople…

How many memorable introductions have you heard? If none come to mind it’s because so often the introductions that people make are so forgettable. I recently heard a saleserperson introduce herself as “I work for SpeedPro. We’re the Nordstrums of printing.” That’s a metaphor. By using a powerful metaphor about her business she clearly communicated her company’s quality and customer service focus. If you see their high resolution images you’ll understand that they are the Nordstroms of printing. How do you introduce yourself so that you’re memorable? Metaphors are powerful tools to communicate that more salespeople should use. You want to be memorable, don’t you? .

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THE BLOG S AND OTHER COLUMNS

I’m now writing The Real Deal, a column on women in business for Allbusiness.com Hope you’ll read more ideas so you can achieve your success in business.

You can get RSS feed for the blog.

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THE SELLING IDEAS FOR THE MONTH TO SELL MORE NOW

Let Apple Help You Sell

Talk about success. Did you know that Apple retail stores sell annually an amazing $4,406/square foot? Compare that number to Tiffany & Co., the most successful large jewelry retailer, who has annual sales of $3,070 per square foot. Those Apple salespeople can really sell. Here’s what you can learn from their retail sales process to boost your sales.

Attention to detail In an Apple store, there is consideration for every store detail down to the preloaded photos and music on demo devices. Now that’s attention to detail. How about your selling? What details need your attention before you sell?.

It is still surprising to me that when I work with sales professionals to improve their sales results that they approach their selling so randomly. Average salespeople have poor attention to detail. Their preparation for a sales meeting starts as they walk in the customer’s office. Great salespeople pay attention to details.

First, they look at their customers and prioritize them. They schedule sales calls based on who has earned their time. Each sales call ends with summarizing next steps. Subsequent sales calls begin with a planned sales call objective. Great salespeople take notes during each sales call and can retrieve the notes and review them before their next sales call. Does this sound like too much detail for you? If you want to sell more, it’s what you need.

Sales expectations. Apple expects sales performance without sales quotas. Sound strange? It’s not. They expect sales performance because they treat customers the way great salespeople do. They solve problems. Apple sales associates are taught not to sell, but to help customers solve problems. One manual says, “Your job is to understand all of your customers’ needs-some of which they many not even realize they have.”

If you are trying to sell without understanding at least three key issues that your customer faces, you are not selling. Selling is helping a customer make a great buying decision. Solving their problems with your products sounds like a great buying decision to me. That can only start with asking strategic questions and guiding your customer to understand why he should buy. That’s great selling.

Sales performance expectations . While there are no quotas, Apple expects employees to sell service packages with devices. Those who don’t sell enough are retrained or moved to another position. Look at your own sales performance. If you aren’t successful, what is your manager doing to help you get the training so you can be successful?.

I’ve seen too many companies with the attitude towards salespeople that they either sink or swim. That’s not fair. You would not expect someone on a factory assembly line to figure out how to assemble parts. Why would you expect salespeople to figure out how to sell without guidance? Apple is right to provide the training and guidance. They’re also right to suggest that some people aren’t right for sales..

There are lots of customers who love Apple products because Apple creates a compelling retail experience. Look at your own sales process. Is your customersÕ buying experience as compelling as Apple’s? Maybe itÕs time to use some of Apple’s low tech solutions to increase your sales.

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ACTION ITEMS

1. Do you know your customer retention rate? How many customers do you lose each year?
2. Do you know who your most profitable customers are? What’s your strategy for making more of your customers more profitable?

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DID YOU KNOW?

Here’s a tip this week for your sales success.
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Programs
You can check for current programs.
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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 : 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.

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*What was your last “mistake?” Did you make it before? There’s nothing wrong with making mistakes in sales provided you are making different mistakes. (You are learning from them!)

About the principal

Would you take auto mechanics classes when you buy a car? Maura did because she wanted to be able to work on her car. She takes that same approach to selling. She can show you how to get below the surface of selling to learn why and how different strategies work. She will show you which skills to implement that will shorten your sales cycle and increase your sales. She was Mobil Oil's first female Lubrication Engineer in the United States and one of Chevron's top 5 salespeople in the country. She knows what works for sales.

"I would recommend your work to other sales organizations who want to get better results from improved selling strategies."
Jamey Rootes
President
Houston Texans

Sales Expert at Allbusiness.com

Selling is the easiest job in the world. Just ask anyone who is not in sales. Read Maura’s ideas on “more brain…less mouth” selling to make your selling easier and more successful.

Maura’s Allbusiness blog posts

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