The Selling Newsletter
The Selling Quote for the Month
“I eat three square meals a day. I can’t eat four.”
-L.L.Bean responding to a reporter when ask why he did not expand.
The conversation started when Bean first answered, “We are adding some new synthetic red suspenders to the catalog.”That wasn’t good enough for the reporter.The reporter replied, “I mean really expand. Get some investors to put in some capital and become the Sears of the outdoors and sporting goods business.”That’s when Bean replied with the above quote.
If the banking meltdown hasn’t gotten your attention, you’ve been asleep at the wheel.The sub prime mortgage lending mess contributed to a lot of the disaster that Wall Street got itself into.What’s that have to do with you in sales?I hope it gives you pause and a reason to look at your own attitudes to your selling. What was with those investment bankers who could knowingly sell bundled investment garbage?I seethe at the idea that sales professionals would push junk on their customers. After all, that’s how sales professionals got the stellar reputation of being the Rodney Dangerfield of the business world.When’s the last time you heard a kid wanting to grow up and become a used car salesman?There is some cause and effect in this world.Everyone has a choice to make in business. You can choose to sell ethically or not. Those investment bankers on Wall Street should have realized that they can’t eat four square meals a day so they didn’t go to such extremes to make the money to pay for the fourth meal.They were unethical and in hindsight despicable.What good will come of this disaster? Hopefully, more sales professionals will look at how they make money and do it ethically and honestly.
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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
Meeting Magician
I’ve never seen anything like it.I went to a meeting this week and I was spellbound.The woman who ran the meeting was truly a master.If you could channel this woman’s skill at running a meeting, you could ensure your business success, get what you want or maybe cure world hunger.Well, maybe not.Even so, what she did was incredible.I thought about what made this meeting such a success. Here’s what she did.
If you want to read more
I’m also writing a sales blog for Salesmecca.com.Here’s a recent post:
The Good Old Days of Selling
You may long for the good old days. I know that with the economic crisis, there are a lot of people who do.In selling, one of the aspects of the old days was a customer who lacked technology and couldn’t know as much about the seller’s products, competition and industry as the seller could. Those days are over.
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
Try Something New
You’ve beAre you happy with the sales results you’re getting? If not, it may be time for you to try something new.If you are running out of new ideas, here are a few to consider so that you can get better results.
1. Ask better questions.Do you wing it on sales calls?The time you prepare your questioning strategy is on your way down into your chair.Stop winging it when you meet with prospects and customers.Instead, before the sales call, prepare a few questions to ask. Start with a plan of the first question you will ask to start the sales call and a few questions that will get you the information that you need to sell.You can even remember to ask for clarification when you hear some “gray” words that are open to interpretation.Words like “quickly,” “fast,” “expensive,” or “cheap” will immediately trigger your response of “And what do you mean by “quickly” (or other gray word)?”
2.Become the second supplier.If a great prospect is satisfied with a present supplier, did you give up in the past?Instead, you can position yourself to be number two. You can explain to your prospect that it’s a good idea to have a back up plan and to be prepared for an emergency.(The current economy might reinforce that idea.) Your prospect can get ready by having a known quantity with whom to work. That would be you! You might have to qualify your products, test them or otherwise get approval so your customer can buy from you.Trying for a small piece of business and getting your foot in the door is better than selling nothing. Your product and sales performance just might earn you more business.At least it’s a start.
3. Use persuasion skills for good, not evil. In the past you may have forced a sale that wasn’t a good fit. Poor sales fits caused you too many problems. You probably found that you didn’t get the best references and you used a lot of time to manage the account.Instead, since you have identified which customers are the best fit for you and whom you do not want to do business with (You have, right?) you can be honest with yourself when you uncover a customer with a poor fit for your products or services.You can even tell your prospect why the fit isn’t a good one at this time and move on to find a better prospect.
4.Customize my proposals.Sure a cookie cutter proposal will be faster to prepare. A customized proposal is far more persuasive for getting you business.Promise yourself to avoid sending out generic proposals.How can you do that? I recently worked with a client and we identified the conditions that must be met before he sends out a proposal.What he will do is uncover, with an effective questioning strategy, the key issues that his prospect faces. Then in his proposal he can discuss how his solutions offer a better or more unique solution.Whenyou do this, you will show your prospect that you understand his business and concerns so that you demonstrate why you should be the selected supplier.If you do decide to send out a generic proposal, then be realistic about your chances of persuading your prospect and getting you business.
Hannah Arendt said, “Promises are the uniquely human way of ordering the future, making it predictable and reliable to the extent that this is humanly possible.”Promise yourself that you’ll try something new.I promise you that it’s the only way to get better results.
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Action Items
1.Determine what selling results are unsatisfactory. What specifically do you want to change?What will you do differently?
2. Talk with another trusted sales peer to get new ideas to apply to your work.
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Programs
When:September 26 – October 10
11.30 AM- 1:30 PM
Where: Small Business Development Center
4800 West Park Blvd.
Plano, TX
What: Master Selling SeriesFor more information: 972-985-3749 or
972-985-3758
When:October 24
11.30 AM- 1:30 PM
Where: Small Business Development Center
4800 West Park Blvd.
Plano, TX
What: Power Persuasion 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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