Article World

How to Diffuse Cold Calling Pressure Points

Stop your expectations from sabotaging cold calls

Sales pressure is a mighty saboteur. And it comes in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. Beginning any conversation with the anticipation of a sale puts the whole conversation under pressure. This doesn’t normally create good outcomes. It usually triggers pressure, resistance, and tension.

People have received so many calls with such a strong focus on sales that they respond in a defensive manner to any sales calls at all. If you can release your expectations while making a cold call, you’ll diffuse the underlying tension that comes with sales pressure. And you’ll be surprised how often others will welcome talking with you.

Most of us truly believe that our product or service can help others, so we assume that anyone who fits the profile of a potential client should buy what we have to offer. Isn’t that one of the first things we learn in our sales training?

But this is a recipe for disaster when it comes to cold calling. When we make a call assuming someone will be interested, we’ve automatically moved into expectations. No matter how well camouflaged they are, sales expectations block the flow of natural conversation and put pressure on the other person.

So move away from making any assumptions when making cold calls. After all, how much sense is it to have assumptions about someone you’ve never spoken with? How much can you possibly know about their problems, issues, needs, budget, or other key information?

If you approach your calls from a place of genuine interest rather than expectations, you’ll diffuse any sense of sales pressure. The other individual will relax and the interaction will flow naturally.

However, if you’re already convinced in your own mind that they should be a fit, certain pressure has already started before the conversation has really even begun. The last thing you want is to introduce this into the conversation. So rather than moving into a sales presentation immediately, maintain the natural flow of interaction instead.

You can diffuse underlying sales pressure within any conversation by focusing first on whether you are a good fit. Invite the other person to focus on this with you. And determine together whether a good business relationship might genuinely be possible.

When our honest objective is not to make a sale but rather discover the truth of the situation, we have released expectations. The key is to offer options, so the person we’re talking with doesn’t feel pressure from us. This would only trigger the defensive reactions we’re trying to avoid.

Overcome the temptation to immediately discuss what you have to offer. Instead, help the other person overcome the fear of who you are and what is expected. Potential clients are much more likely to respond to you when they are not subjected to an immediate mini-presentation. This approach usually just creates suspicion and rejection.

So allow the conversation to have a natural sense of rhythm. Define mutual interest before launching into a description of your solution to a problem you probably know very little about at this point.

If you’re still caught up in the traditional mindset of making the sale, your voice and demeanor will be full of expectation. Although you may even be using the “asking questions strategy,” you are really thinking about moving the conversation into the sales process. Others will subtly (or overtly) react to this expectation with resistance.

It’s perfectly fine to describe your product or service. However, you must introduce this at an appropriate time.

So be relaxed and low-key. Otherwise you risk introducing sales pressure immediately.
Rather than a presentation, you might begin with the question, “Hi, maybe you can help me out a second?”

The person will almost always respond by saying “Sure. How can I help you?” You’ve now diffused any immediate sales pressure. You’re being genuine and not using the canned phrases that every other salesperson is using. You’ve gotten rid of the usual initial pressure and tension that comes along with sales expectations.

When your expectations are released, others won’t feel you’re trying to lead them down the path to a sale. They are usually willing to examine along with you whether a business relationship might be good.

So there you have it. Release your expectations to avoid conveying a sense of sales pressure. Potential clients become more interested and involved as a result, and also much more truthful about where they stand.

Adam Price is a Senior Coach, for Unlock The Cold Calling Game, making cold calling painless and simple. Learn the cold calling secrets even the sales gurus don’t know. To receive your 10 free audio mini-lessons visit: http://www.UnlockTheGame.com/PersonalGrowth

How to End the Cold Calling Game of Chasing a Sale

Our thoughts are always at the basis of our behaviors. If our thoughts are fixed on the goal of making a sale, then we’re not really being forthright. We’re not focused on the conversation or the truth of a situation. We’re chasing people — or at least chasing the sale.

Here are 5 important steps to help end the “chasing game” in our cold calling efforts.

1. Avoid reading from a script

Life is not a script, nor are normal conversations. When we read from a script, we’re not being natural. We’re playing a role. And that means we’re chasing a sale rather than enjoying an opportunity to meet someone new and find out if we can help them.

Allowing a conversation to naturally flow helps you enter into a dialogue based on trust, which lets your potential client’s real issues emerge.

Formal scripts, on the other hand, don’t give you the freedom to take conversations in the direction they may naturally want to go. And this feels stilted and awkward.

If you begin to view your cold calls as conversations or dialogues, you’ll find it easy to let go of the idea of scripts. And you’ll sense the shift of the energy in your conversation when the emphasis of the call is about the person you’re talking with and not about your making a sale.

So generate a spontaneous conversation, based on the problems you can help the other person solve. This will diffuse your feelings of being awkward and artificial, and allow you to enjoy the journey.

2. Address a Core Problem

People connect with you when they feel you understand their issues before you focus on yourself and your solutions. Come up with two or three specific problems that your product or service solves. And talk about it with the potential client first, before offering your sales pitch.

When you offer your presentation or solution without first involving the other person by talking about a core problem they might be having, you are focused on the sale rather than the conversation. And your whole energy tends to drive the interaction into a sales mode. Remember, whenever someone feels “chased,” they usually run.

So stop for a moment. Convey that you’re a problem solver. Invite a mutual exchange of information that explores whether there’s a possibility that the two of you might work together. Help them understand that your thoughts and goals are not focused on selling them anything at all.

Most people will welcome your interest in their problem as long as you’re not operating out of the hidden agenda of making a sale. So overcome the temptation to discuss what you have to offer and move into focusing on your caller’s world. Invite discussion, express interest, and stop chasing the sale.

3. Uncover the Truth of the Situation

Make your objective to uncover the truth of the potential client’s situation and to be okay with the outcome, whether it’s a yes or a no.

We can do this by checking in at various times in the conversation to make sure it makes sense to continue the dialogue. If we just move ahead without doing this, we’re in “chase mode.” And in this case, we may be chasing something very unrealistic for this particular potential client.

So we ask important questions such as, “Is this a top priority for you to solve right now?” We may find that the potential client is very interested in working with us, but the budget or staffing may simply be too thin at this time.

We stop at various checkpoints in our conversation to make sure we’re moving ahead together. If our thoughts are fixed only on our own goal of eventually securing the sale, we can miss very important signals that the other person may actually have no intention of following through.

4. Where do We Go From Here?

Here’s something very surprising. Allow the conversation to end without chasing other person into an sales appointment or commitment, and the other person will often be the one who initiates further contact.

So when you feel as if the conversation is coming to a natural conclusion, you can simply say, “Well, where do you think we should go from here?”

This question reassures potential clients that you’re not using the conversation to fulfill your own hidden agenda. It invites the other person to take charge of where things are going, and all you need do is follow along.

When you stop chasing the sale, you’ll be truly surprised at how often the sale gently awaits you within a friendly conversation focusing on the needs of others.

Adam Price is a Senior Coach, for Unlock The Cold Calling Game, making cold calling painless and simple. Learn the cold calling secrets even the sales gurus don’t know. To receive your 10 free audio mini-lessons visit: http://www.UnlockTheGame.com/PersonalGrowth

How to Build Great Relationships through Cold Calling!

Sometimes the finest solutions are the simplest. Focusing on relationships when making cold calls is one of them. It keeps us genuine, and eliminates our dread of making cold calls. We’re real people talking about real things. We’re interested in the conversation, and it shows.

Most of us dislike putting on our “salesperson persona” when we make cold calls. We think it’s needed, however, because we’ve been trained to make the sale. And yet we’re interacting with a live, breathing person without having any real connection to him or her. It often feels fake, and it often is.

This artificial role puts a great stress on us, and sabotages our cold calling conversations. When we aren’t genuine, it’s a red flag to the other person that we have a sales agenda. This puts nearly everyone “on guard.” They’ve never met us and are wary of possibly being manipulated.

Have you ever noticed that most cold calls break down the moment we try to “move” things along towards a sale? It’s as if we’re getting ready for battle, and the tension pushes us along.

But the person we’ve called doesn’t know us. The momentum we’re trying to impose puts him or her in a defensive position. They’re protecting themselves from a potential “intruder” who might have a self-serving agenda.

So how can we to shift into something more positive? We begin by focusing on the relationship rather than salesmanship. We call with the anticipation of meeting someone new, and looking forward to a pleasant conversation to find out whether we can be of service. This mindset is subtle but powerfully felt by the other person.

Building relationships humanize our cold calling conversations — and ourselves. We are less artificial. Cold calling conversations become more natural. And people tend to respond with more warmth and interest.

The point is not to use the “technique of building relationship” to improve sales. That’s having a hidden agenda rather than a relationship. Our goal is to see if we can provide something that will benefit the other person. If it doesn’t, then we prefer not to continue interrupting their day. That’s a real relationship, even if brief.

When we’re being real people treating others as real people, the difference is amazing. Both people are both more at ease. We anticipate talking with someone who may possibly have an interest in what we have to offer. And if they don’t, we’ve enjoyed our time with him or her.

When others feel this relaxed mindset from you, they are much more likely to welcome you into their day. But if you rigidly follow a script or launch into a mini-presentation, then your call is immediately pegged as something initiated primarily for your own gain. And that puts most people into resistance.

Here are 8 keys to building relationships in cold calling:

1. Focus on the other person’s needs rather than on securing a sale

2. Surrender to the outcome of your cold call so you can connect with your potential client at a human level

3. View the human connection as an exciting journey in which you encounter new and interesting people

4. Speak graciously and naturally as you would with any new acquaintance

5. Remember it’s about how you come across, not about how many people you call

6. Allow the conversation to evolve naturally

7. Invite both of you to decide together whether it’s worth your time to pursue the conversation further

8. Use phrases that are non-aggressive yet very effective

So try this. Practice shifting your mental focus from salesmanship into a place of relationship. You’ll find that your genuine enjoyment of the conversation rubs off on the other person. They’ll be less defensive and more likely to share with you truthfully.

One of the best ways to build relationship is by using phrases that carry the human element very well. Start out by asking, “Hi, could you help me out for a minute?” The most common response will be, “Sure. What do you need?”

Your next question might be to ask whether they are open to the idea of looking at different ways to, for example, reduce their expenses. Most of the time the reply will be something like, “Well, sure, what kinds of expenses are you talking about?”

Now you are able to open the conversation between the two of you and build an initial relationship. It’s easy and comfortable to continue from there.

When you do this, you’ll experience so much success and satisfaction that it will really change the way you do business. And it will bring sales success beyond your imagination.

Adam Price is a Senior Coach, for Unlock The Cold Calling Game, making cold calling painless and simple. Learn the cold calling secrets even the sales gurus don’t know. To receive your 10 free audio mini-lessons visit: http://www.UnlockTheGame.com/PersonalGrowth

How to Stop Cold Calls from Feeling Intrusive

Can’t you tell when somebody wants something from you? I certainly can. And it usually feels inconvenient and intrusive.

So you can understand, then, why potential clients will often run for cover when your cold call is only about “making the sale.”

Most people sense that cold calls are self-serving to the person calling. You can almost hear the unspoken thought, “You want something, right? Otherwise why would you be calling?” This triggers almost immediate resistance.

For cold calling to be done in a non-intrusive way, we must shift the perception away from “you want something,” into “you are being helpful.” When our cold calls do not feel intrusive, people naturally are more open to talking with us.

Shifting this perception in others is all about shifting a perspective within ourselves.

Focusing on being helpful takes us away from the traditional sales mindset. In the old mindset, we talk about ourselves and our product or service. In this new approach, we’re focusing on potential clients and what may be helpful to them.

To be perceived as helpful, we must actually be helpful. If we try to use “being seen as helpful” as just another sales technique, people will sense our hidden agenda and react with suspicion. Be sincere in your approach and desire to help the other person.

Here’s how to stop being intrusive and start being helpful:

1. Make It About Them, Not About You

We’ve all learned that when we begin a conversation with a potential client, we should talk about ourselves, our product, and our solution.

But this self-focus almost always feels intrusive to the other person and shuts down the possibility of a genuine conversation.

Instead, step directly into their world. Open the conversation with a question rather than a sales pitch. For example, “I’m just giving you a call to see if your company is grappling with unpaid invoices issues?”

Never let the person feel that your focused on your own needs, goals, or agenda. Communicate that we’re calling with 100 percent of your thoughts and energy focused on their needs.

2. Avoid the Artificial Salesperson Enthusiasm

People feel pushed along by artificial enthusiasm. This triggers rejection because it feels very intrusive to be pushed by someone they don’t know.

Artificial enthusiasm includes some expectation that our product or service is a great fit for them. Yet, we’ve never spoken with them before, much less had a full conversation with them. We can’t possibly know much about them or their needs.

And so to them, we are simply someone who wants to sell them something

It is better to modestly assume you know very little about them. Invite them to share with you some of their concerns and difficulties. And allow them to guide the conversation, even when it means getting “off track” a bit.

3. Focus on One Compelling Problem to Solve

Don’t go into a pitch the way you would if you were operating out of the traditional sales mindset. Make what you say about them, not about you. Try to keep in mind that who you are and what you have to offer are irrelevant at this moment.

The key is to identify a problem that you believe the other person might have. Depending on your business or industry, here are some examples of what you might say:

I’m just calling if you’d be open to looking at any possible hidden gaps in your business that might be causing sales losses?

I’m just calling to see if you’re grappling with problems of employee performance related to a lack of training support?

I’m just calling to see if you’re open to looking at whether any department in your company might be losing revenue due to vendor overcharges?

Address one specific, concrete problem that you know most businesses experience. Don’t make any mention of you or any solutions you have to offer. Remember, it’s always about them, not about you.

4. Consider “Where Should We Go From Here?”

Let’s say the initial call turns into a positive and friendly conversation. The other person feels you’re offering something valuable, and wants to know more. Both of you feel there may be a match.

Rather than focusing on making a sale at this point, you can simply say, “Well, where do you think we should go from here?”

This question reassures potential clients that you’re not using the conversation to fulfill your own hidden agenda.

Rather, your giving them space and time to come to their own conclusions. You’re helping them create their own path, and you will follow.

Adam Price is a Senior Coach, for Unlock The Cold Calling Game, making cold calling painless and simple. Learn the cold calling secrets even the sales gurus don’t know. To receive your 10 free audio mini-lessons visit: http://www.UnlockTheGame.com/PersonalGrowth

Five Reasons Why a Direct Sales Business May Be Perfect for You

A direct sales business is not the right choice for everyone. Some people simply do not have the necessary personality type to make their direct sales business a success. This five point list can help you to decide if a direct sales business is a good fit for you.

You’ll be your own boss. Haven’t you worked long enough for other people? Aren’t you ready to start doing something for yourself and begin your own business? After doing the necessary research in order to be prepared, including knowing what the startup costs will be, the level of competition from other company associates nearby and the compensation model offered by the company, then you will be prepared to begin.

Success produces more success. For instance, you might know someone who works with a direct sales business in a neighboring town and is doing very well for themselves. Their enthusiasm is infectious; she asks you to sign on with her company, but don’t decide just yet.

Before you sign anything or lay out any money, look more closely into how well she is really doing with this business and check out her upline - if they are successful and supportive and her downline is as well, then you might want to think about signing on.

Can you get behind the product? You find a product which you feel is ideal. It performs exactly as advertised and seems to be simply indispensable. You may have already spread the word about this product simply because you feel so strongly about it. If this is you, you have more than likely found the right direct sales business to become involved with.

You’re always a better salesperson for a product which you believe I and use yourself. This is the most important consideration in deciding which direct sales company to get started with - if you believe in the product you will be a very persuasive salesperson.

Are you passionate about the product or the lifestyle associated with it? If you can find a great product associated with your favorite activity; be it cooking, camping or scrapbooking - then you have found a great opportunity and will come across as someone who is sharing your passion rather than trying to simply make sales.

How flexible is your schedule? If you have children, are they of an age where they do not require constant supervision? If your schedule has some flexibility, direct sales may be a good option for you. You can set your own schedule and have a degree of control over the amount of your earnings as well. If you really want your direct sales business to grow, the only limits are your free time and the amount of work you’re willing to put into it.

Make sure to not rush into any direct sales business opportunity. Find a business which you can get behind all the way and you will likely have found a perfect match for you.

Robert Paul Williams is the Editor of Work At Home Business Website. Come Visit Often To Stay Informed of the Latest Intenet Based Home Business News, Success Tips & Strategies.

Repeat Business Equals A Residual Income Stream

Residual income comes from other people reacting to a single action by the business owner. What better way to secure residual income then through repeat business? At its very heart residual income and repeat business go hand in hand. The most successful who do it know this and that is why they are successful. All it takes is impressing someone once to earn their business and money again and again.

The large corporations know and believe in it. It is much easier to get repeat business than new. It is also easy to build upon repeat business and use it to create new opportunities for sales. Every business owner will say that repeat business is essential to thier success.

Repeat business is basically when a customer returns to buy again. They have already been there once, liked what they got and came back. Chances are they also told some friends or family about their experience, too. Referrals are a big business builder too. People are more likely to shop somewhere if they were referred by a trusted friend or family member than simply through a response to advertising. Repeat business is more than it seems. It shows the business owner they are doing something right and that they have great products. The business owner who gets a lot of repeat business is going to be successful because he is building up a customer base of loyal people who believe and trust in them. When customers become loyal they are usually customers for life.

If you have an online business you can take advantage of this opportunity by adding an e-mail capture field to your website. Through the use of an auto-responder you can set-up a series of messages, useful information, product reviews, or recommendations that your visitors would appreciate based on the theme of your website. Ask for your visitor’s e-mail address in return for this useful information and you can now continue to communicate with your visitors about products and services related to your market. This gives you the opportunity to turn your one time visitors into repeat customers and residual profits are soon to follow.

Repeat business is a residual income stream that is secure and guaranteed. There is no other thing in residual income business that means more. A business owner who is trying to discover the secret to success can stop when they discover the importance of repeat business. To capitalize on it an owner must understand how important it is. They have to treat these customers with the same loyal attitude they have. Many businesses have implemented customer cards that provide discounts and benefits to loyal customers. This is one example of a business capitalizing on repeat business. They are showing the customers they are appreciated and that they recognize their importance.

Overlooking repeat business and its impact is a fatal mistake any business owner can make. Owners need it to have that residual income stream that will make them successful. Every major corporation makes a large percentage of their profits from repeat business, which just goes to show how important it is. If the big guys are using it and benefiting from it then it obviously is an important factor in business success.

3 Easy Steps To Make Money Online - Launch Your Very Own Money Making Website Today That’s 100% Ready To Take Orders And Pull In Massive Residual Profits For You Right Now…Guaranteed! Visit:

3 Easy Steps To Making Money Online

Home Based Affiliate Business Ideas and Opportunities

Outsourcing Hidden Gems Revealed!

For a layman (or an individual who understand the concept of outsourcing in a sea-level understanding), outsourcing is a complete waste of time and financial resources, which can end up with unwanted complications.

Why assign work to other individuals if you know what will be good for your business? Why delegate the work to outsourcing professionals abroad if you can do much better right at your own territory? You know what is best for your business, and you don’t need other individuals to deal with things that you can handle by yourself, or with the help of in-house personnel.

For a politician, outsourcing will just be a political subject that can be argued on debates within the walls of Congress and newspapers. The issue will serve as a fortified objections to take away jobs from your own countrymen, making your business unpatriotic.

Politicians sympathy with regards to the outsourcing issue may win him a few votes in the upcoming election, nothing more than that.

However, it is the businessman who will be using the outsourcing process; not the layman, and definitely, not the politician. Thus, outsourcing for businessman is a modern day boon. Many businessmen are aware that outsourcing provides them the freedom of dumping all of their non-core yet important aspects of their business and delegating the work to an individual or group of individuals who can give justice to the process. Thus, it will leave businessmen free from additional responsibilities and focus instead on the core of their business.

On the other hand, the outsourcing firm can also focus on the specific work delegated to them, thus a cost-efficient business operation. That is one of the primary advantages of outsourcing.

Another enticing advantage of outsourcing is being one of the cost-effective measures that you can take for your business. Businessmen are aware that information technology (IT) services and human resource in United States or in Europe are expensive, which can affect the way they hire additional manpower in case of business expansion. Outsourcing provides an option in getting highly-productive manpower in a cheaper rate.

For instance, offshore outsourcing (delegating the work to off-shore destinations such as India and Philippines) is popular to U.S.-based businesses because of the cheap working rate. An ordinary American who will earn an average of $300 to $500 per month is just a small sum, but for Indians and Filipinos, they would be quite happy with this salary range considering the currency conversion rate. Thus, this is a win - win solution for the company you are outsourcing to as well as for your business.

Another convincing advantage of outsourcing is saving substantial amount of money in terms of the development of some aspects of your business (such as IT development). Since outsourcing involves reduced expenditures on your part, you will be able to maximize the value of your money to have your IT services developed into the latest and most powerful modern information tool.

In addition, you will avoid recruiting new personnel who will handle the development as well as training them, thus reducing the recruitment and training cost for your business. The purchase of necessary technology will now be handled by the outsourcing company, thus saving money in the long run which you can use on other important business aspect.

There are other advantages of outsourcing, yet the aforementioned advantages are the most noted ones. Do not be misled by rumors and gossips about outsourcing. You are the business owners and you know what is good for your business.

The Internets fastest growing Web Directory
and Article Directory website.

The Power Of Corporate ID Branding

According to some marketing experts if Coca-cola would decide to liquidate its business, its brand alone would cost well over $26 billion. This is quite absurd assertion for ordinary people who are not adept with the intricacies and importance of establishing a powerful corporate ID branding, or more commonly known as corporate identity. Try asking how often you would hear yourself and other people ask for Coke instead of ordering for cola. Just imagine how many billions of people around the world who share the same such influential perception and association of the brand. This is undeniably a very valuable asset in the world of marketing and advertising - creating a highly and strong corporate ID branding.

Some would readily argue that Coke have been in the business for centuries and have already achieved the good reputation, certainly a force to reckon with in the soft drink industry. However, this is also achievable on small businesses. With the right positioning and branding, you can be able to develop a prominent corporate ID branding for you own market niche. This basically means that you will be able to increase brand recognition and demand for your products and services, permit you to increase your prices just a little, and ultimately improve the consumers value perception of your products and services.

This is why franchising is still a highly lucrative business in modern times, businessmen basically pay for the powerful corporate ID branding of a certain product, service or a business entity. Through franchising, they will not no longer start from scratch and undergo the nitty gritty ropes of introducing a new product in the market. Introducing and launching a new product in the market will require a lot of resources creating media hype to generate consumer interest. Marketing and advertising are very expensive nowadays, but many companies are all too willing to spend just to generate interest and recognition from consumers, which would ultimately lead to an increase in the catered market and product sales.

Unarguably, the corporate arena is a complex and dynamic world. There are always new opportunities and possibilities that await every businessman, along with a number of competitors who are ready to pounce of even the slightest sign of weakness on your part. Apart from the cutthroat competition, there is also the constant interaction between your company and the consumer market. Big companies who have gained much experience would claim that one of the key ingredients to success is to listen to the demands of the consumers. By developing keen sensitivity, you will know the preferences of your market niche, and would be in a better position to other the products that are specifically designed to cater their needs and wants. Therefore, it is highly important to properly manage and maintain a strong corporate ID branding no matter what industry you may be in to survive the all too fickle world of business.

For more articles and information or to view a selection of home business articles and information and business leadership articles and information visit Articles.net.au - Your source for free Articles, Information and Website Content.

Are Your Mortgage Prospects “Googling” You?

It’s time to “Google” yourself. Go to google.com right now and type in your name. Click “Enter” on your keyboard or “Google Search” on your screen. The result that is displayed is your online identity or profile.

If you don’t believe some of your mortgage prospects are checking you out using Google…think again! Thanks to Google, it’s become ridiculously easy for prospects and customers to find out more about you as a mortgage professional, just by typing your name into the Google search engine.

Here’s the thing…they’re looking for search results of you on the internet, to see what third party references will reveal about your mortgage business. Essentially, they are “checking you out.” They are looking to evaluate your “online identity or profile” which is a collection of all of the information about you on the Internet, and whether that information is mostly positive, or negative.

Here’s a quick review of what a prospect might find when they “Google” you, and what impact that information might have on their decision to do business with you.

1. Positive identity/profile. Your prospect finds numerous mentions of you online including the website you set up using your name.com as your mortgage site. They find articles you may have written about mortgage and credit issues. They may also find your name associated with the city they live in, local newspapers, as well as any professional associations you may be connected with.

Congratulations, your prospect found you. This goes a long way in establishing credibility and trust in their eyes. I’m sure they won’t hesitate contacting you and discussing their mortgage requirements with you.

2. Negative identity/profile. Your prospect found negative comments or testimonials about you from previous customers, or your name was found associated with a negative website or negative group or association.

This one is trouble…your prospect can form a pre-conceived opinion of you and may then pass you by and contact another mortgage professional.

3. Neutral identity/profile. Your prospect can’t find any information about you.

Neutral is not good…Despite your attempt to make your mortgage business look successful, your prospects may decide that since they couldn’t find any record of you…you are a very small cog in the big mortgage wheel…and may decide to go elsewhere. Warning…In the months and years ahead, your desire to remain anonymous on the internet will cost you and your mortgage business big bucks.

The chances are good you need to establish and/or improve your online identity/profile. The best way to do this is to focus your efforts and some time on actually building that positive online identity/profile. Here are a few ways to do that…

1. Reserve a domain name for your personal mortgage website and use your personal name. The search engines will find you in short order. When someone does Google your name, your website will come up first in the findings.

2. Write a few good mortgage and credit articles for homebuyers and homeowners and submit them to article directories, local newspapers, and community websites. Use a reference box at the end of your article which identifies both you and your mortgage website. Google will find your articles and they will eventually be listed when someone does Google your name.

3. Sponsor or help with a community event. Ask the organization you are supporting if they post information about the event online, including the names of the sponsors. A Google search that associates you with a major local charity would be viewed very positively by your mortgage prospects.

4. Start a “blog” (short for web logs). This one requires some research and a little learning curve on your part…that’s why we left it for last. However, once set-up, your investment of time each week is really minimal. Search engines like Google love blogs, readily index them, and then show the results, when someone Googles your name.

OK, there you have it. Remember, it will become increasingly important for you to manage and control your online identity/profile. By increasing the positive search results of your name online, you’ll give added confidence to your Google savvy prospects and customers and increase your mortgage business as a result. Your mortgage prospects and customers are definitely working smarter…so should you!

Tom Domin is the author of “101 Ways to Originate Mortgages” and publisher of “Tom’s Mortgage Tips” a twice monthly Mortgage Newsletter geared for Mortgage Professionals. Increase your pipeline and put your mortgage career on the fast track and sign-up for FREE at http://www.MortgageMarketingToolKit.com.

Overcoming Three Big Sales Myths

I love sales training. I also love listening to sales trainers speak. They radiate enthusiasm and motivation that ignites passion for excellence. The methods they teach are often of the highest quality, however, they are usually no longer in the business of sales. Their marketing methods tend to be old, and old marketing styles are as useful as an airplane with no wings.

That doesn’t mean the airplane wouldn’t work if it had wings. We can give wings to old methods by integrating new twists and spins on classic marketing. Successful businesses, however, learn to recognize several common myths that some sales training continues to teach.

Some sales training teaches that you just have to “get more people in front of your offer” or “make twice as many calls and you’ll double the results” or even “just pump up the numbers.”

All of these sayings are catch-phrases for “work harder”, and nobody likes to do that. These three phrases are circulated everywhere and it really makes me sad to see so many people working so hard and then even harder but still getting weak results. This is how people burn out and give up on sales and marketing.

There is a better way. Instead of increasing the number of people who see your offer, how about pre-qualifying the people who see your offer? I choose only to work with highly-qualified prospects. Time is too valuable to spend with somebody who has little or no interest in your widget or service. Make people qualify themselves to be worthy of your attention.

You need to become an expert, and ultimately a mentor. If you aren’t able to bring real value and additional benefits to your prospects honestly, then you may be better off running a casino where people expect to be cheated. To be successful in sales, you are the most important asset. You need to become the gold mine of benefits to your prospects so they will buy more often and at higher prices.

Prospects aren’t going to give you a big wad of cash for a little list of benefits. Price needs to be just and fair, but your prospect needs to understand the full benefits before price is even mentioned. You should compare your benefits to others who charge more for less. At that point your prospect cannot complain about price because your offer is clearly superior to the competition and they will not only buy from you but refer their associates who also want that same stack of benefits.

Sales and marketing is simply a battle of perceptions in the mind of your prospects. Become the best in your field, and the best prospects will come to you without your cold calls, direct mail, newspaper ads, or pay-per-click ads. They will seek you out, and all you have to do is be available and be honest. Your karma will shoot through the roof (on the positive side) and you will have everything you wanted because you helped others get what they wanted.

Tyler Ellison teaches how to make money online marketing legally using automated systems and guerilla techniques to promote businesses.

The Internet and Your Mortgage Business

The numbers are absolutely staggering. Every single day millions of pages are added to the internet and new users are hopping online for the first time in unthinkable numbers. We’re still along way from living in a world where everyone and every location is “wired,” but the net’s growth is nothing short of incredible.

So, what does that have to do with your mortgage business? Everything! That rapid growth of the internet is a boon for those of you who want to do business online. For years, you’ve heard that the future of business is online and you are now seeing that prediction coming true. Online Mortgage Businesses can be uniquely positioned to reach a constantly growing pool of potential customers efficiently and with laser-targeted precision. That should be exciting for you.

If you don’t think being online is important to your mortgage business, consider this fact; between 75% and 85% of all of the folks you talk to about a mortgage have already spent time on the internet researching mortgage rates, mortgage programs, mortgage terminology, credit, and other home finance tips. Not that this makes them a mortgage expert…far from it. We know that mortgages can be a difficult subject.

But, the point to remember is that there are very few “newbies” or “novices” to the internet today. Your customers, prospects, and contacts are more informed and more knowledgeable than ever before. They pay their bills on the internet, shop on the internet, do research on the internet, visit forums and blogs on the internet, and visit auction sites on the internet, just to name a few.

Many of these folks are “wired” and receive immediate news, email, stock notices, and a host of other services and information via their cell phones, and other mobile devices.

Just so you know, there is a flipside to this internet growth. As the number of internet users increases, so does the number of people vying for their mortgage business. In other words, you already have a lot of competition, and you’re going to have even more.

That makes it important for you to do a couple of things. First, you need to stay on your toes in terms of uncovering and then communicating with your mortgage prospects, customers, and customers. Those who can find and effectively reach this growing pool will reap the benefits.Your very own website is an integral part of that process.

Second, you need to make sure your message and your offerings stand out from the rest of the competition. The days of just “tossing up” a page on the internet and automatically getting results are gone. Today, you need to be smart and work smart. You need to effectively brand and distinguish yourself from all of the other mortgage competition with quality, style, and intelligence. Your website must reflect this concept and provide the timely and necessary information to help those that use it.

As Mortgage Professionals, the growth of the internet and its services provides those who are willing to work hard and smart with a tremendous once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As the numbers continue to grow astronomically, the chances for healthy opportunities in the mortgage business also increase.

Remember that people want good, solid, honest information that helps them make a wise mortgage decision. And because we have entered a world of instant information and instant gratification, these people want that information quickly and efficiently. It’s your job to provide it.

Tom Domin is the author of “101 Ways to Originate Mortgages” and publisher of “Tom’s Mortgage Tips” a twice monthly Mortgage Newsletter geared for Mortgage Professionals. Increase your pipeline and put your mortgage career on the fast track and sign-up for FREE at http://www.MortgageMarketingToolKit.com.

5 Highly Effective Ways To Use Your Mortgage Business Card…Part II

Your business card should be an important part of your mortgage marketing program.

Here are some great business card tips that will help you in your mortgage business:

1. Set a goal indicating the number of business cards you want to hand out each day.

If you’re a newbie (new person) in the mortgage business with a limited budget…or if you’re an experienced originator experiencing a period of very few referrals…this tip is for you. Even the best of us get back in the trenches to generate business.

Now here’s the deal: You pick the number and set your daily goal. The only thing I suggest is that you pick a good number…it can be three, five, seven, ten, etc.

You’ll have to meet your goal every day. Now, I don’t expect you to work on Sunday and…you can also take off Saturday…but only if you’ve reached your goal the previous five days in a row.

So…if you picked five as your daily goal and you reached your goal each day…you now have twenty five cards out there working for you. Do this for a month or two or three and all of a sudden you have three hundred cards out there working for you.

Are you going to get some business as a result…of course you are. It’s a numbers game…the more people you talk to…the greater your chance of success.

When I first started in this business, this is how I did it. I picked ten as my number and at the start of my day I set aside ten business cards. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t go home until I had handed out every one of those cards.

I did that for over six weeks straight and even worked in a couple of Saturdays. No matter what I had going that day, I made sure that I hit my goal. I have to tell you…it works. In six short weeks I had distributed over 330 cards. It wasn’t long before I had some calls coming in from these contacts and eventually loans in my pipeline.

2. Print your own cards. Even if your company supplies business cards, find a way to print a few cards.

Most employers don’t object to this. Plus, this gives you the opportunity to create an identity with your card as well as produce cards with multiple backs.

Why multiple backs you may be asking? For different sales messages of course! For example…If you spend a fair amount of time calling on Realtors, then the back of your card should relay a message geared specifically towards Realtors.

Over the years I’ve seen cards with various back designs including the following:

1. A mini-certificate good for $250 which can be applied towards closing costs.

2. A list of documents needed to begin the application process.

3. An Amortization Schedule.

4. A list of loan programs available to borrowers.

5. A special loan program like the low start rate program.

6. A statement like “I save commissions!” or “Last year we saved $146,000 in commissions.” This is obviously geared for Realtors.

7. “We offer easy Builder approval!”

8. The possibilities are absolutely endless…think about your market…and you’ll find a message.

Ok, here’s my last point on the subject of Business Cards:

3. We touched on it above…use your business card to create an identity for yourself. Printing your own card helps to do this. Personally, I don’t like the picture idea at all…I’ll leave that idea for the Realtors.

Instead, create a consumer-friendly phrase to separate yourself from other loan officers. Many loan officers use “Loan Officer for life” theme. Think original, such as; “Moving? Take me with you to finance your next home.” Spend some time on this and pick a good brand for yourself.

Tom Domin is the author of “101 Ways to Originate Mortgages” and publisher of “Tom’s Mortgage Tips” a twice monthly Mortgage Newsletter geared for Mortgage Professionals. Increase your pipeline and put your mortgage career on the fast track and sign-up for FREE at http://www.MortgageMarketingToolKit.com.

Proper Understanding Of Selling Skills!

Selling is one of the essential skills that I need to learn if I want to achieve financial freedom. This is what I have realized from reading the Rich Dad’s series by Robert Kiyosaki. Selling skills allow me to sell my ideas to other people and persuade them to invest or become my business partners or become my mentors. In this way, I will be able to accelerate my path to financial success.

Since selling is an important skill to acquire, thus I decided to enroll in a few selling courses and seminars. And I have learned quite a few things about selling.

Firstly, I need to change my perception regarding rejection. It is normal to encounter rejections in selling. When a prospect rejects me, he is rejecting the product or service that I am representing. The rejection is not about rejecting me. There is always a hidden reason behind the rejection of the product of service. I should take this opportunity to find out the actual reason and see if I work around the issue.

For example, I am trying to sell someone the idea to start an online education business. He rejects the idea. After more probing and conversation, I understand that the reason he rejects the idea is because he is not familiar with Internet at all. Thus, he feels that he is unable to do the business. Well, if I can offer him some kind of training, then it will help him to overcome this issue. If he feels that it is possible, then he will join me as my business partner.

However, sometimes there is nothing much I can do about the issue at the moment. If that is the case, I should note down the issue and respect his decision. I should go back and see if I can come out with a solution for the issue in case I encounter the same rejection reason again.

Secondly, I need to learn how to overcome objections. Before I have attended any sale courses, I used to just give in to objections. After attending sale courses, I realize that I need to prepare a list of potential objections and the respective strategies to overcome the objections. And I should constantly maintain this list of objections. If I find a new objection, I will add them into my list and then come out with a few strategies to overcome the objection.

For example, if I try to make an appointment with a prospect, he may object because he is busy. Immediately, I will counter offer him by suggesting to him the idea that it will only take 10 minutes of his time. He may change his mind as a result.

Thirdly, I need to believe that it is possible for me to sell. I am shocked when I get to know about the statistics on selling. Basically, an average person should be able to get 1 customer by making 20 cold calls. This statistics varies from person to person. Some people may be able to get 1 customer out of 10 cold calls. Certain people may be able to get 1 customer out if 30 cold calls. In other words, as long as I approach enough people, I will definitely able to get a customer.

Next, I need to understand selling skills can be learned. If I look around, I can find all sorts of sales people. Some of them cannot speak very well and yet they manage to sell! That really enlightens me that selling skills can be learned.

Also, I can improve my selling skills through a few areas. The first area is technical knowledge of the products or services that I am representing. If I know my products or services well, I will be able to handle questions regarding the products or services better. The second area that I can focus on is the presentation skills. If I am able to present the information to my prospect in an easy to understand format, then it will be easier for me to sell the product or service to him. The next area that I can look at is practicing in the real situations. By practicing in real situations, I will be able to gain experience by learning from my mistakes as highlighted by the Rich Dad’s series by Robert Kiyosaki.

Then, I need to understand that selling is not all about selling the products and services. It is about giving assurance to the prospect that I can provide professional service. People buy from me because they have confidence in me.

For example, there are a lot of salespeople selling insurance. Why should someone buy insurance from me and not from others? This is because they believe that I can provide better service to them.

Lastly, there are different styles of selling. I need not become a salesperson that does hard selling. All I need to do is to study the different styles of selling and adopt a mixed style that suits my personality. A successful sale person is always himself. Thus, I need not become a fake to sell.

* DISCLAIMER *
The author, publisher and distributors particularly disclaim any liability, loss, or risk taken by individuals who directly or indirectly act on the information contained herein. All readers must accept full responsibility for their use of this material.

Max Ng helps people who desire success to learn from his mistakes and realizations by sharing his personal struggle for success at http://www.richdadsecrets4me.com. He is the author of “Your Greatest Gift! Why Waste It?” at http://www.yourgreatestgift.com

14 Ways To Skyrocket Your Profits

You can quickly increase your work at home profits if you apply a few simple tricks. Below are fourteen ways to skyrocket your profits.

1. No one is using just one technique to make money anymore. Not even celebrities, they sing, act and do promos this same strategy should be applied to your website. Create multiple streams of income with your web site. You could sell your own products, join affiliate programs, and sell advertising space. There are various ways to do this, get creative .

2. Dont get greedy. Sell a few products on your web site instead of selling a large amount of products. Having too many choices can overwhelm your visitors which will prevent them from buying.

3. Who doesnt love freebies? Include content and free stuff on your web site that promote the products you’re selling. If they don’t read your ads, they may read your offerings.

4. Adopt a viral marketing strategy. You can do this by publishing a free ebook and giving it away for free from your web site or in your e-zine. This will increase your traffic, sales and e-zine subscribers.

5. Have your Opt in form on various locations on your website. Some places may compel a sign up for different people. The bigger your list the greater your target market will be.

6. Never under estimate the power of praise. Give your visitors compliments in your ad copy. This can earn their trust and put them in a good mood, in return they will be easier to sell too.

7. Sell your backend products to your customers right after they order. Take them to a “Thank You” web page that includes other products you offer.

8. Sell short reports on precise topics.

9. Offer your customers a full refund when they refer 4 friends. You get three sales for the price of one.

10. Provide a “Contact Page” on your web site. Give your visitors as many options to contact you as possible. Provide an e-mail address, business address, and phone number (preferably toll free). This will add credibility to your business.

11. Remind your visitors that you’re human, not just a web site. You could publish information on your family, post pictures, as well as a profile.

12. Use a P.S. at the end of your ad copy. This is where you either want to repeat a strong benefit or use a strong close like a free bonus. You can even go as far as using a P.P.S.

13. Create new products or services only if there is a strong need for them. You will not have anyone to sell them to if you do not have a market.

14. Use any dead real-estate to advertise- that is if your website has a space that is blank or is just sitting there, use it to promote a product. For instance, the confirmation page that your subscribers receive after they sign up is great place to put an advertisement.

Working from home can be a great way to generate profits. Apply a few of these techniques today and watch your online earnings soar.

Jeff Casmer is an internet marketing consultant with career sales over $25,000,000. His “Top Ranked” Work at Home Directory gives you all the information you need to start and prosper with your own Internet Home Based Business.

How To Sell More To Your Customers (Would You Like Fries With That?)

Adding upsells to our order form. That’s right, regardless of all the different traffic techniques in the world, even with proven sales copy and conversion methods in place, even with years of studying and applying various direct and indirect marketing approaches, the one thing I have found that brings in the most money to our company is the ability to upsell each individual customer on an additional item they did NOT intend to originally purchase.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the term “upsell,” let me use an example from one of the world’s most famous companies to illustrate this point:

When people walk into the fast-food giant, McDonalds, to order a simple hamburger or a Vanilla shake, without fail they are presented with the phrase that has helped this company dominate the fast-food market:

“Would you like fries with that?” Other fast food outlets will ask you, “Would you like a drink or an apple pie with your meal?” This is another very effective example of an upsell.

These fast food giants sell millions of dollars worth of extra food and drinks worldwide every year because they know how to effectively use an upsell. So now you may be saying that that is all well and good for McDonalds, but I am in a totally different business. I don’t sell fast-food.

Upsell for internet marketing success

Upselling your customers is simply providing the next logical solution to your customer’s next logical need. It’s your job to always create that next logical need and continually sell and sell. There’s always one more thing to sell.

One of the major mistakes I find in dealing with small businesses is that they believe once their business has provided their product to the customer, that’s the end of the process. There’s nothing that could be further from the truth.

Every sale needs another sale because every need that’s satisfied will create still another need sometime in the future. The conclusion you should draw is that you need to create the upsell and continue creating upsells as a neverending logical step in the launching of an effective marketing mission.

You might say, I don’t have any product or service to sell as an upsell. My answer to that is, develop one.

Even if you don’t produce the product or service, someone else does and that someone else gladly will pay you to allow them to have access to your client base so they can upsell your customers. There’s always something else to sell them.

The practical implications to upselling will most likely result in forming joint venture relationships. Businesses today operate differently than before.

Another good example can be seen in mail-order flowers. On the average, there’s actually 6-10 days from the cutting of a flower before a customer receives it and puts it in a vase in his/her home, whether as a gift or simply to brighten up the home. The lag time is caused by the traditional distribution system of wholesalers, distributors, and retailers. A real entrepreneur, who worked literally for years on an idea for flower delivery in up to 9 days, created a direct from the grower to the customer via Federal Express. Today, that generates $10,000,000 in sales. What was the entrepreneur’s product? It was an idea worth $10,000,000.

That business is merely a series of relationships between a catalogue company, Federal Express, and several independent flower growers throughout the United Slates. It’s a business of joint ventures. Even though this guy didn’t actually have the product or service, he created one.

This leads us to finding Your Business Within Your Business. A real powerful concept is to challenge yourself, your clients, vendors, and employees to constantly search for new businesses within your business.

There are an unlimited number of offshoot businesses you can create. You can have an offshoot of consulting to those people you sell to. You could then communicate and market and also do seminars and workshops.

For car dealers, they can provide extended warranties and insurance to new car owners. For a contractor, whether it’s heating and cooling, pools, pest control, or whatever, they can also provide annual service contracts.

An example would also be a pool contractor, who for instance, might use upselling through the offering of an annual service contract to clean and service a pool four times a year. This can dramatically improve his bottom line. In fact, this can actually double the value of your customers by an added income of 40% when they sign an annual contract.

Let’s say the service call for a pest control or pool service call is $100 and there are 100 customers per year. There’s a gross of $10,000, which is $100 per customer. The upsell strategy is an annual contract where you’re going to visit four times a year. The cost for each visit to the customer is $100, so the total cost at this point is $400 (before giving a discount.)

If they buy today, you give them a discount of $150, so $250 is the cost to the customer. If you close just 40% of these people, your new revenue is $10,000. 40% of 100 is 40 people times $250 which is the cost of the annual contract.

So, the new value of these 100 customers is $20,000, $10,000 for the service call ($100 x 100 customers) and another $10,000 for the 40 people who paid $250 for the annual contract. The value per customer is now $200. You made $20,000. You still have the same 100 customers. They’re now worth $200. That’s double the value.

What service can you upsell to your clients? Virtually every business can add a newsletter or an extra month of a diet plan for half the original price. Maybe a consulting service could be provided. The possibilities are endless. Let your creative mind work for your business instead of limiting it to just one product or service.

Don Resh is CEO of WebForce, Inc. A more detailed bio is available at:

WebForceSolutions
BizBuildSoftware
TurboMaxSoftware

Knowledge Is Wealth- Selling Information Nets Big Money

The following article presents the very latest information on information products. If you have a particular interest in information products, then this informative article is required reading.

Selling products or services isn’t the only way to make money online. What you know can earn you a nice income. People are always looking for information to help with a problem, to educate them, or to entertain them. There is big money in information products on the Internet. The potential for huge profits are great because you have low startup costs and no inventory.

The most common information product is an eBook. An eBook is simply information in an electronic rather than paper format. Other information products include:

Streaming video viewed on a web page
Audio files on tape or CD
Pod casts
Access to web pages where info is stored
Printed books, CDs, DVDs sent to buyers.

Computer + Topic = Information Product

Big money in information products happens because the process is very easy to create. Choose an interesting topic, put fingers to keyboard and in a little while you’ve created an info product. If the topic is really hot, you may start earning income hours later. Internet technology provides 24/7 sales and delivery of product. Automate your site so you can sell the product, process the payment, deliver the item via email, and follow up with the buyer later to check on customer satisfaction (and sell more stuff!).

What makes a good information product?

Practically any subject can net big money in information products. How to start a business, self-improvement techniques, career advice - if you can think of a topic, there are probably people willing to buy the information product you put together.

The best time to learn about information products is before you’re in the thick of things. Wise readers will keep reading to earn some valuable information products experience while it’s still free.

Use your interests and expertise for subject ideas. Search online forums to locate people who might be interested in your information product. Offer to send them a free copy of your info product. This will spark sales and lead to referrals for you.

No writing experience needed.

You don’t have to be Pulitzer Prize material to create information products. There are millions of works in the public domain that you can republish and sell. These include non written items such as art, photos, old films, and historical speeches. You can even hook up with a talented writer to help you create an information product and pay him a flat fee or percentage of the profits.

You could make a video of yourself or another person demonstrating a skill (cooking, crafts). Budding musicians can record their songs and sell them as an mp3 download. There’s even a guy who records himself reading nursery rhymes and sells the CD to parents with small children.

Product Promotion

A lot of fledgling book authors and musicians sell their books and CDs from the back of their car trunk. For online information products, your web site is your car trunk. Create a site specifically for selling your information products. Participate in affiliate programs to increase site traffic and sales for your items.

Those who only know one or two facts about information products can be confused by misleading information. The best way to help those who are misled is to gently correct them with the truths you’re learning here.Selling Information Nets Big Money.Selling Information Nets Big Money.

Gaetane has thoroughly researched the Internet to locate the best High Income Business Opportunities that will enable you to start making money from your own home.
http://4instant-online-business.com

How To Improve Your Sale Conversions

The following article covers a topic that has recently moved to center stage,at least it seems that way. If you’ve been thinking you need to know more about it, here’s your opportunity.

One effective way to increase conversion rates on sales pages is to scan your signature, save it as a .jpeg or .gif; and then use it to “sign” your sales page. If you do not have a scanner, you can also purchase a natural handwriting program, such as vletter, to do this task for you. Simply seeing a real signature will make visitors more likely to buy.

Always follow up with your customers. If you do not collect customer email addresses and names and contact them on a semi regular basis, you simply will not make as many sales as you potentially could. This is because making a sale generally requires more than one contact with the product. It requires rigorous pre-sales.

Consider testing various different email subject lines to constantly improve your sent-to-opened version rate. This is critically important if you own a list. You will have to determine what does and doesn’t work in terms of subject lines, so you can be sure that you get a good portion to read your email when you send out a product offer.

One way in which you can increase conversion rates on your sales page is to change your headline font to red. This will create a sense of urgency. While it may increase your chances of losing customers, it will also increase your chances of inducing customers into making a decision by creating a sense of tension.

Truthfully, the only difference between you and sale conversion experts is time. If you’ll invest a little more time in reading, you’ll be that much nearer to expert status when it comes to sale conversion.

If you don’t feel that you have the talent to create copy for a sales page that will convert visitors well, then don’t write the actual sales page yourself. Instead, outsource that job to someone else. If you don’t have $1,500 to spend, you can always contact someone over Guru, Elance, or Rentacoder who is a good writer and then refer that person to other good sales pages to use as models.

There are several important parts of increasing sales conversion rates for sales pages. Some of these parts include improving sales copy, adding psychological triggers, adding multiple calls to action, and improving the appearance of the actual sales page. If all of these factors are tuned correctly, your sales page should convert well.

Consider using low pressure sales tactics to increase your sales page conversion rate. In many niches, including self help niches, low pressure sales works far better than the normal Internet marketing routine, which can often turn off prospects. Instead, use blue fonts, realistic claims and avoid hype altogether.

Give away free reports that act as a natural upsell. These reports should go to great lengths describing the details of a powerful plan to do something. At the end of the report, you should then work your way to upselling the reader by providing a link to a product that makes the process easier. This will pre-sell your customers, increasing your conversion rate.

When word gets around about your command of sale conversion facts, others who need to know about sale conversion will start to actively seek you out.

Gaetane has thoroughly researched the Internet to locate the best High Income Business Opportunities that will enable you to start making money from your own home.
http://4instant-online-business.com

Prospecting Beyond The Cold Call

Few of us enjoy it, some of us hate it, and others look at it as a necessary evil. The cold call has become a staple of today’s salesperson, however the unique part is that many organizations don’t look beyond this approach to find creative ways to prospect without the cold call. Your goal is to convince the prospect that your product/service deserves to be discussed, only AFTER you’ve discovered their needs. So, what are some ways that you can generate business outside of utilizing a cold call.

1. Become active in your chamber of commerce-committees and sponsorships are a GREAT opportunity for you to meet others who may have an interest in your product or service, or who may know of others who have an interest. Remember, people buy from people they know and trust!

2. Join LinkedIn. This is an online networking resource that is free of charge. The resource allows you to connect with others by sending an introduction through your contacts. Once you are linked you are able to see the people they are linked to and request an introduction based on your networking needs.

3. Offer to give a guest talk regarding a subject matter you are knowledgeable on to a local Chamber, Kiwanis, or networking group. The more people understand what you do, the more likely they will think of you when a need comes up.

4. When someone provides you with an introduction, always be sure to thank them and let them know how the referral progresses. That way they will also keep you in the forefront of their mind.

5. Find other organizations that can help your business and network with them. The best way to do this is to find companies that talk to the same audience that you do. If you typically sell to the Marketing Director, find other companies that are looking for the same person. Often once you’ve built a rapport with this person, you will be able to introduce yourself to their contacts.

6. Do a cross promotion with a similar business that does not compete. Find a way to work together via a joint seminar or event and promote it together. Another way is after getting an organization’s endorsement, to write a letter and ask an organization to send it out to their top 100 clients, do the same for them.

These are just a few ideas of how sales can be generated on a daily basis without having to utilize the “dreaded cold call.” So, the next time you think about having to make 100 cold calls, set time aside in your schedule to do focused activities on a daily basis and when you do have to sit down to call hopefully the majority of the calls will already be warm, if you are doing your job right!

Tim Hagen, President of Sales Progress LLC, builds programs to help organizations increase sales. He has 21 years experience, and has helped both small and large size organizations increase their bottom line. He can be reached at http://www.SalesProgress.com or 262-240-1077.

Upselling & Cross Selling the Key Impacting the Bottom Line

Many people assume that customer service professionals have little involvement in the sales process besides dealing with service issues, however their role is very instrumental. The reason they can frequently more easily increase sales is that they aren’t viewed as sales staff. A customer’s “guard is down” when speaking with a customer service rep because they aren’t expecting to be sold, merely provide them with information. So, what are a couple methods that can be used to encourage staff to do upselling/cross selling on an everyday basis?

First, an important part is to remove the thought pattern that reps are selling. Most often, customer service reps want no part in the sales process, if they did they would be sales people. Try to get reps to think of the process as just offering additional services, not selling otherwise they are going to resist the process. A simple but creative way to get around this is to have an information gathering contest. Tell them that whoever is able to find out the most information through the use of questioning about their clients will win. This will get them into the mindset of thinking of the sales process as information gathering instead of selling.

Second, a great suggestion is when they are looking up information for a client, they can mention, “while we are waiting for my pc to come up, what are you currently using for your (product) needs?” Or, they could even make a suggestion such as “I notice that you mentioned an interest in purchasing a new vehicle and you do have your mortgage with us, what are your plans to finance that purchase?” Then, go ahead and suggest some of the different options that your organization offers should there be an interest.

Third, upselling and cross selling strengthens the relationships that you have with customers. When a customer support representative offers a suggestion or an ancillary service that could benefit the customer, the customer feels that someone is looking out for their best interests. Thus, creating a better relationship and future sales for the company down the road. It is a win-win for both parties.

Finally, ensure that reps are asking good questions when they are talking with customers and prospective customers. Open ended questions that begin with “what” and “how” will enable them to have more success in adding additional products and services to the sale. The more they are exposed to the process, the more comfortable they will become. Never, ever discount the value of a good customer service rep, their position can be critical to the success of the organization.

Tim Hagen, President of Sales Progress LLC, builds programs to help organizations increase sales. He has 21 years of experience helping both small and large size organizations increase their bottom line. He can be reached at http://www.SalesProgress.com or 262-240-1077.

Time Management 101 for Managers

Recently, driving down the expressway I peered to my left to see a woman who in the middle of traffic was putting her lipstick on as if there just wasn’t those last couple of minutes before walking out the door to do this. I thought to myself, “how often do you feel this way at work-that there just aren’t enough hours in the day?” Time, and the lack of it from a management perspective is an ongoing struggle for many managers. Not only are are they managing staff to ensure their work is done, but they also have their own work that needs to be attended to. “How can it be done in the standard workday?” There are some simple, yet productive ways that we can better manage our time and achieve true success in accomplishing our daily objectives.

First, set aside dedicated,uninterrupted time. If you know that your staff starts at 8 am, be there at 7 am to allow yourself time with no interruptions where you can get to things that need your attention without being bothered. Off peak periods are the best time to do this.

Second, have your voicemail reflect your schedule changes. A good method to deal with this is to have your voicemail indicate that you won’t be available until “x” time and have your receptionist hold your calls as well. This will allow you to give full attention to the task at hand.

Third, ensure that your staff are notified of your availability or lack of during that time. It is also critical that they are aware of who should be contacted at that time for matters that come up that may require a manager’s attention. Many times this task can be fulfilled by a senior rep or handled once you are available. By letting staff know in advance they will have an opportunity to get any questions/concerns answered prior to that time.

Fourth, have a dedicated time set objectives for what you would like to accomplish during that time and stick to it. Often people will find other things that derail them from completing the task they originally set out to do. If you have a monthly report due but there are 5-6 other task that could use your attention, then you need to prioritize what is the most important and in what order you are going to address the items that need your attention.

Finally, time management does not have to be difficult but it does require practice. By carefully monitoring your time so that you are making productive use of it and setting aside uninterrupted time to work on your individual tasks you will find it easier to get to more things done. That short amount of time can provide amazing benefits for both yourself and your team!

Tim Hagen, President of Sales Progress LLC, builds programs to help organizations increase sales. He has been doing this for 21 years and has helped both small and large size organizations increase their bottom line. He can be reached at http://www.SalesProgress.com or 262-240-1077.

When And How To Sell Your Home Business

Do you have a successful home business that you are growing out of experience and knowledge wise?

Does this make you feel that it is time to move onto a new venture in life? If this is your situation then you may want to look into selling your home business. When you started this business it was probably the furthest thing from your mind. Or perhaps it was what you planned to do.

Maybe you have found something else you would like to move on to. It is now too much for you to keep running your old business and start or take over a new one. You also need lots more extra cash for your new venture.

So now you find yourself in the position of wanting to sell your home business because you need the extra cash and time. Even though this sounds like an easy task, there are a lot of details that you will have to consider. You have put a lot of time and effort into making your home business a successful one. Now you want to make sure that you get a fair price for it, right?

The primary objective that you need to accomplish when selling your home business is to come up with a fair price for it that you are willing to take and a reasonable buyer will be willing to pay. Setting a realistic price early on will allow you to negotiate more easily down the line.

Be ready to show your potential buyers all your assets, liabilities and cash flow. These will be your convincing reasons for an interested buyer to buy.

All figures must be absolutely honest. Never fudge on your figures. Nothing will chase away an interested buyer faster than this. Count on them checking everything closely. If they see you are well prepared their interest will rise real fast.

If you skip the above step you may end up losing out on money that is yours when you make the sale to a sincere prospect. Setting a fair price to sell your home business for is not the easiest thing to do. It is going to take some real brain sweat to get the best price.

You need to take your current income into consideration. That is, what you are currently earning each month on average. Also as well, how much growth potential there is. Use your experience to date to arrive at these figures. This will result in a true story to tell your prospects. It will consist of your prospects and products and experiences of marketing your business.

Some accountants will tell you that you should sell your home business for your monthly income times twelve. This may make sense in some situations but not all as you may be selling yourself short if you do figure this way.

You need to be sure that you are compensated for the money that you would make down the line as well. Per above you will have a number and word story to validate your projected income for your business.

After you carefully determine how much money you want to sell your home business for, your next step is to go buyer shopping. This can often be the most difficult task. You can place ads both in business publications and online, even on eBay , in order to get the word out.

If you receive no offers on your own, there are always business brokers that can help you out with the sales task. Their job is to bring buyers and sellers together. This will likely be your best option if you do not want to do a lot of the work on your own or you are having no success in selling your business.

Finding an online broker that can help you sell your home business can be done by searching online. Just go to Google and enter keywords, on line business brokers.

Placing small ads in business publications is also a successful way to find your business seller to help you. In no time you will have plenty of brokers to choose from.

If you are at the point where you want to sell your home business you are lucky. The truth is you made your luck by many hours of work behind the desk and computer. Few people make it this far.

In order to get a fair price for your home business, make sure that you ask what you want and stick to your guns. Be ready to explain why and you will soon sell and conclude your transaction.

James M. Lowe writes original articles about home business opportunities.

Overcoming Voicemail ….The Salesperson’s Enemy

You’ve all been in the position where you’ve left multiple voicemails only to have them not be returned. Frequently the prospect can begin to hear the frustration in your voice as they hit the delete bottom. Voicemail does not have to be the salesperson’s enemy, rather if used effectively it can assist in the sales process. So, just “how do we overcome it?”

The first cardinal rule of voicemail is if they don’t return your call, you MUST use a different approach. Be creative but do not continue to leave the same voicemail time and again because I guarantee it won’t be returned. You will also be viewed as an annoyance.

Once you’ve decided to leave a voicemail , do not leave your name and number because they simply are not going to call you back. Leave a very brief message that suggests your relationship and indicate that you will call again at a specific time. In a nutshell, give a 30 second commercial including your relationship and indicate a time you are going to call back. Be very specific about the time.

Next, more than likely your contact is not going to be there when you make your second call so you are probably going to have to leave another message. Indicate that you are making the call as promised and that you understand how busy they are & go ahead and suggest another time that you will call back. This time you will indicate that if the time doesn’t work, their secretary (by name) if you know it, should give you a call to schedule a better time. Leave a number for her to reach you at or mention that you will call at the suggested time.

By leaving this message, you are demonstrating that you follow through on things, that you are connected to the referral source and that you are courteous and considerate. You will know his secretary’s name because of the relationship building that you’ve done with the switchboard operator. You have also indicated to him that you respect his position because you mentioned that you understand how busy he is.

Another technique that can be very valuable in getting past voicemail is to establish a relationship with the receptionist or the operator. Typically, they have little human interaction on the phone-often they will welcome a personal conversation. An approach that can be used with a person in this position might be, “I know that you are busy with incoming calls, so feel free to put me on hold if necessary. Please tell me who might be in charge of buying cleaning supplies for your organization?” This person knows better than anyone who is handling what tasks, because it is their job.

In addition, when working with the operator if you really want a “no fail” approach, ask the operator “Who the person (your contact) reports to?” If you’d like to increase your odds of a returned call, ask for their boss first. They will probably refer you back, however now you can indicated that the boss suggested that you give a call. This creates a much stronger position for you and you are more likely to get attention. This approach is called the “Top Down Approach” and is frequently used.
Be sure to ask the following questions:
a)How do you say their name? Mispronouncing someone’s name on a first call, can really ruin rapport.
b)What is his assistant’s name? People like to hear their own name and it will help make things sound as if you are acquainted.
c)Does she typically come in early or late? This information will help you to know when you won’t have to deal with the assistant/secretary but can talk with your contact directly.
d)What’s usually the best time to call? This information will help get you through and will give you a time when you can talk with a person versus their voicemail.

In conclusion, these are just a few techniques that are valuable when leaving a voicemail that you would like to establish a relationship with. Be creative and think outside the box when leaving voicemail, people will naturally listen to something that is different. If you sound like everyone else on their voicemail they are less likely to respond. By using voicemail effectively, your prospecting and sales activity is bound to increase.

Tim Hagen, President of Sales Progress LLC, build programs to help organizations increase sales. He has been doing this for 21 years and has helped both small and large size organizations increase their bottom line. He can be reached at http://www.SalesProgress.com or 262-240-1077.

Dealing with the RIGHT Decision Maker

If you look at your forecasting for the rest of the year and wonder how many of the deals you’re working on have closed, don’t think you are alone. As frustrating as it may be, a large percentage of your current prospects will more than likely not turn into a sale by the end of the year. However, we continue to call on and try to sell to those who we know we are not going to be able to close.

If you are interested in getting some of your deals moving, to get them through the sales process or to end the relationship, follow the steps below.

There are several type of individuals that we deal with in any selling situation. They are the following:

The Approver: This is the person that most of us wish we could start with, but we cannot always get access to them. They typically are at the top of the company and they have full decision making authority. They can accept or reject what you are proposing without anyone else’s approval.

The Decision Maker: This person is usually one step below the Approver. This individual may hold titles such as CFO, CTO, CIO, COO etc. They will give you the false impression that they can buy, when in reality, they cannot say “no”. The Decision Maker will not resist the approver. When all is said and done, the Decision Maker have to say “yes”. So, if you don’t win the business, someone else is going to!

The Influencer: There are several influencers in the buying decision. Their job is to give guidance and suggestions to the decision maker by providing them with feedback and evaluation results. Individuals in this area typically have impressive titles, however their advice can be taken or ignored; keep this in mind when planning your sales approach.

The Recommender: These individuals are usually the general staff of the organization, and at some points they are asked to look at the feedback the influencers are passing up the chain of command. Sometimes they are on a committee or a team that will evaluate your suggestions or proposal for moving things forward.

Finally, take a look at your sales forecast. Go ahead and write down a 1 for Approver, 2 for Decision Maker, 3 for Influencer, and 4 for Recommender for every prospect that you are currently working with. Now, follow the suggestions:
1)Add up the total number of 3’s and 4’s and write that number down.
2)Add up the 2’s and put that number down. (decision makers)
3)Add up the 1’s and put that number down. (approvers)

I would be willing to guess that the majority of the people you are dealing with are I’s and R’s (3, 4). If you would like to close more deals and move forward on prospects that may never buy, you need to do something very simple. You need to go one step beyond where you are right now. By dealing with the appropriate decision maker, you will be able to quickly determine whether your product/service is something that they are going to move forward with. By doing this you will also be able to determine, which prospects are worth spending your time on and which prospects you should let go.

Tim Hagen, President of Sales Progress LLC, builds programs to help organizations increase sales. He has been doing this for 21 years and has helped both small and large size organizations increase their bottom line. He can be reached at http://www.SalesProgress.com or 262-240-1077.

How to Make an Unsuccessful Sale a Good Learning Experience

Everyone has experienced the sales blues, when everything seems perfect and you are confident the sale is going to close until you hear the words, “sorry, we’re going ahead with someone else.” It is important that we take the emotion out of the sales loss and learn something for it, in order to learn from our mistakes and create more successful closes in the future. Always remember that you cannot always control what happened to close the lost sale, but you can chose your response. The success of your sales future is made by these choices, it is important that you make the right ones.

When you’ve lost a sale, it is good to go through the following steps:

1)Be a hero-try with lots of digging to save the sale, if possible until you’ve determined that the deal is dead. Amazingly, studies indicate that 75% of deals lost can be resurrected if the salesperson will continue to be upbeat and persistant.

2)Find out why. This information is essential because it can help you get better and make the loss give you a return on investment for your future deals.

Be direct with the customer and ask: “What could I have done differently to earn your business? You won’t hurt my feelings, it’ll help me to continue to improve.” Then do something with the response you receive.

3)Continue to stay in touch with the contact. Frequently, the customer/prospect will rethink their decision to go to another provider right after their purchase. Keep your name in front of them and in your mailing list. It pays to check back and see how they are being treated by the new organization, you never know when they may need to make a change.

4)Sincerely thank them for their time by sending a card. Guaranteed this will differentiate you from 99% of all salespeople out there.

If the current provider has not done this, it puts you and your organization at a much higher level in the event they should decide to make a change.

5)Ask for referrals. Don’t hesitate to ask for a referral, just because they didn’t buy from you doesn’t mean they aren’t aware of others who could benefit from your services/products. In addition, you also keep the lines of communication open with the customer you lost the sale with.

6)Move on to the next opportunity. View it as a learning opportunity and don’t take it personally. Know the law of numbers and the sale lost just puts you closer to your next sale.

Finally, keep in mind that you have no choice about what happens to you but by choosing the best response you will enable yourself to experience success in future deals.

Tim Hagen, President of Sales Progress LLC, builds programs to help organizations increase sales. He has been doing this for 21 years and has helped both small and large size organizations increase their bottom line. He can be reached at http://www.SalesProgress.com or 262-240-1077.

The Value of Staying in Touch

All too many of us have dealt with an organization that we were interested in buying a product or service from, only to find out that there was simply little or no follow through after a proposal was generated. You may be asking yourself, “Why?” This is such a simple thing, however few salespeople actually do it.

Unfortunately for customers, few salespeople realize that the time spent showing a genuine interest in the client’s needs and concerns only makes your product/service offering stronger. It always amazes me when I am looking to make a purchase yet only one out of ten organizations never even send a thank you for taking the time to look at their product/service. “How does that make you feel you will be treated as a client? Not very good.” “So, what are some easy ways to keep in touch with people?”

First, thank them-it’s just that simple. When you set up a meeting, send a card to thank them for talking with you and confirming your appointment time. This sends the message that you are organized and that you appreciate their commitment to talking with you. After you meet with them, send a card thanking them for their time and letting them know a timeframe for when you will be back in touch. By doing this you are setting yourself apart from your competition, because I guarantee, more than likely they are not doing this.

Secondly, create a project plan of the implementation of your product/service. This will help your customer understand the level of service and communication they can expect from you throughout your relationship. Before implementing the plan, ask for the client’s feedback and interpretation of the plan; this will ensure that you both understand the commitment and communication both parties can expect. The key is to ensure that you are always providing value outside of their original purchase with you.

Third, after you’ve sold your product/service-follow up. By not following up, you are allowing them to easily choose another provider. Show good customer service and interest in their likes/dislikes, additional needs etc. Keep in mind when your organization has new products and services that may complement their purchase the call becomes much easier if you’ve kept in touch. In addition, by keeping in touch you will continue to build rapport and they will look at you as a resource for their organizational needs without giving it a second thought.

Third, satisfied customers are a wonderful referral source. Don’t be afraid to ask for referrals when you call to discuss how service has been, introduce a new product etc. If they are happy and satisfied with the service you are providing they will be more than willing to refer others to you. Referrals can be a very valuable piece of growing your business every single day; the more individuals that are advocating for you, the stronger your sales will become.

Finally, ask lots of questions it will keep the lines of communication open and show clients that you care. Once you’ve won business find out why and what your competition may have offered that you don’t. Use this information strategically to help improve your product/service and improve your customer service with existing clients.

Keeping in touch can be as simple as providing an update of new product/service offerings and sending a card to thank them for their continued business, however by not performing these tasks you open yourself up even more to the competition. If you are not consistently in front of clients with good communication and customer service, more than likely someone else is. “Can you afford to lose them? Probably not.”

Tim Hagen, President of Sales Progress LLC, builds programs to help organizations increase sales. He has been consulting for 21 years and has helped both small and large size organizations increase their bottom line. He can be reached at http://www.SalesProgress.com or 262-240-1077.

High Probability Sales Training and Fifty Additional Sales Training Articles

As business owners we know that sales are the key to our continued success. Of course the type of business and industry we’re in has a lot to do with what we call sales. For retailers the potential buyers are in the store, so selling may simply mean closing or does it?

In other industries the sales person must sort out the potential buyers from the universe of suspects around them. Then, once they’ve been qualified the selling process can begin. The price points of your products and whether they are essentials or luxuries also matters when considering the sales and sales training process.

It was for that reason we located fifty articles for you.

In my opinion the primary reasons to invest in sales training are to make your sales force more effective - what is sold stays sold and increase customer satisfaction - satisfied customers refer their friends, with the results of greater profitability for your customer, your sales person, and your company.

Many organizations investing in training are not getting the expected ROI. Why is that? Is it because the vendors chosen are using out of date techniques, or the people you hired and are trying to get trained are losers or maybe (heaven forbid) your products are not competitive in the marketplace.

Before you indulge in the blame game I’d like to recommend High Probability selling. The book, the seminar, and the in house training are worth your time investigating.

Naturally companies that specialize in sales training are listed in the Yellow Pages of your telephone book. When you contact them and you should - have one of their reps come by. Let’s see how good their sales people are. Presumably they will be using their own sales process when they come to sell you.

Many in managers and business owners are of the opinion and I agree; that good sales training starts and stops with the fundamentals. The clever bells and whistles favored by those who practice 1950’s style manipulative selling practices, not only preach what no longer works - but is guaranteed to provide disillusionment to your 21st Century sales person.

The two main reasons I hear for not providing more sales training are that it costs money and takes time. If managers spent as much time, energy, and money developing sales training programs as they do dealing with under performing sales people…

The potential for high earnings combined with the opportunity for personal growth and sales training are yours when you provide sales training for your people. The benefits are very substantial to everyone.

High Probability prospecting teaches how selling over the telephone can increase your business. The unique sales strategies to propel your business growth. Sales is the backbone of your business - without it, your bottom line would suffer. Hiring and educating the right sales people is key to your business’ success. If you want to create a business breakthrough, then this is the book High Probability Selling is for you.

Sales is what drives your business and makes the difference between growing or dying in today’s competitive marketplace.

The articles we’ve collected for you, the insights and contacts to their authors and the High Probability Selling seminars will provide excellent jumping place for you.

Remember, a properly organized training program almost always insures the company’s top position in the marketplace.

Wayne Messick’s web site www.iBizResources.com offers over fifty sales training articles as well as free chapters of High Probability Selling

Discover 6 Keys to Successful Prospecting Calls

Are you planning properly before making your prospecting calls?

Imagine you make an announcement to a friend you’re going to take a vacation in a couple of weeks. Your friend gets excited and asks, “when are you planning on leaving?” Your reply, “I don’t know”. She asks, “where are you going”? Again you reply, “I don’t know”. Now I know you would never decide to go on vacation without first making a plan.

However, that’s the way many salespeople begin to make prospecting calls. With no clear plan of what they are doing. I’ve found there ar