The Selling Newsletter
The Selling Quote for the Month
“You can’t please all the people all the time.” Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln’s words are good to remember when you have an unhappy customer. There will always be some customers who will be impossible to please. So because of Honest Abe, is it acceptable to forget about the still unhappy customer? Can you be satisfied that you have done everything possible? Not in today’s world. Unhappy customers don’t just fade away. Many take to their computers and blog away. (Witness all the sites of company names with the suffix “sucks” before the .com.) The best plan to avoid the hassles these unhappy customers cause is to do everything you can do remedy the situation of an unhappy customer. Remember, feelings are facts to a customer. Llisten and make sure you demonstrate that you hear and acknowledge their discomfort. Then apologize. You’re not accepting blame. You’re saying you are sorry for their disspointment. If they leave angry, be prepared for what may turn in to a high tech war of words. With the world reading the complaints and maybe even adding to them, that’s a war you might not win.
I’m now a guest columnist for the Dallas, Austin and Houston Business Journals. 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
THE BLOG S AND OTHER COLUMNS
I’m now writing The Real Deal, a column on women in business for Allbusiness.com
What do you think? You can post your comments, too. I would love to hear from you.
I’m also writing for salesmecca.com
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
The Selling Ideas for this Month
Buy Now, Buy Later
What does furniture have to do with selling? Everything if you want to sell more. Sunnyland Furniture, the largest outdoor furniture store in the Southwest, is a company with a selling strategy that motivates customers to buy now. Their salespeople also make customers feel good about their buying decisions after the sale. If you’ve ever found your customers needing a push in the buying direction, here’s how you can motivate your customers to buy and then delight them after the sale.
Create the customer’s sense of urgency. Selling products and services is certainly easier when a compelling need for them exists. Not everyone is lucky enough to be selling those types of products. And even urgently needed products have a timing element. A customer with a problem needs a supplier right then. There’s no need to change suppliers when the problem is gone. Casual furniture is not a purchase you have to make unless you’re having a party or are doing some serious entertaining. So David Schweig, the President of Sunnyland Furniture, decided to give his customers a reason to need new furniture. The only reason why existing customers need new furniture is if they no longer have their old furniture. Getting rid of their old furniture could be a hassle for his customers. Schweig selected a few charities who wanted donations of furniture. He offered to pick up his prospects’ and customers’ furniture and donate it to the charity of their choice. Without their old casual furniture, they now needed to get new furniture. He created customers who wanted to buy now.
You may find yourself trying to sell when your customer’s need to buy is less urgent. Ask yourself, “What needs to happen so my prospects and customers could buy more of my products?” You will have the information you need to do more business when you get the answer. You might have to help your customers take several steps. It might even require some creative solutions to make each step happen.
Add on to your sale. Schweig finds that customers will buy more if they have the right incentive. At Sunnyland, customers receive a bonus of American Advantage miles with a $500 order. What Schweig has found is that sometimes customers are unaware of the promotion even though he advertises it. With this in mind, when a customer has a $300 order, salespeople make sure they inform the customers about the bonus program. Most customers will increase their order to the $500 minimum to receive the points. In your business, what incentives could you put in place to increase your orders?
Follow up. With sales that can reach thousands of dollars, Schweig wants to make sure his customers are as pleased with their purchase after they receive it as they are when they first decide to buy. First Schweig learns during the sales process why the customer needs the furniture. They could be having an upcoming party. He calls the customer after the party to ask about the success of the party. His customers are delighted with the unexpected attention after the sale.
As you’re selling to your customers, how aware are you of how your products and services will be used? After the sale, what reason could you have to show that you’ve listened and are following up? How could you reward your customers for buying from you? Your sales process isn’t over after your customer has made a purchase. It’s continuing. If you think it’s over you’re going to create a short-term customer. Having a reason to follow up with your customer will help create a much stronger customer relationship.
The process of selling is never really over when you consider the importance of long-term customer relationships. Just remember, to start the relationship customers may need a push. And they always need a thank you to continue.
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Action Items
1. What needs to happen for a customer to need or want your product or service? 2. 2. How do you follow up after the sale? Do you have a reason to follow up?
Upcoming Programs
When: June 18, June 25, July 2, July 9
Where: Brookhaven College
3939 Valley View Lane
Farmers Branch, TX
What: Communication for Leaders
For more information: 972-860-4574
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When: June 27
11.30 AM- 1:30 PM
Where: Small Business Development Center
4800 West Park Blvd.
Plano, TX
What: Leadership Success: Styles that Empower and Motivate
For more information: 972-985-3749 or
972-985-3758
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When: July 11
11.30 AM- 1:30 PM
Where: Small Business Development Center
4800 West Park Blvd.
Plano, TX
What: Serious Creativity: New Ideas for Business That Work
For more information: 972-985-3749 or
972-985-3758
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When: July 26
11.30 AM- 1:30 PM
Where: Small Business Development Center
4800 West Park Blvd.
Plano, TX
What: Power Persuasion: Unleash Your Hidden Influence Skills
For more information: 972-985-3749 or
972-985-3758
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When: August 7, 14, 21, 28
Where: Brookhaven College
3939 Valley View Lane
Farmers Branch, TX
What: Master Selling Series- Persuasion, Listening, Consultative Questioning, Strategy
For more information: 972-860-4574
Selling Tools
Selling Tips
Get more selling tips from Maura’s ebook: 97 Ways to Sell More Now E-Book
https://www.bestatselling.com/e-books.html
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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.
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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.
If you want to build customer relationships for long-term business, you can easily do it using Exacttarget (www.exacttarget.com) and their CANSPAM compliant broadcast services.
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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 (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.com
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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 2008 Maura Schreier-Fleming. All rights reserved
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