Bill Rice Internet Marketing > Social Selling

8 Tips to Motivate Yourself

February 2, 2011 By

Sales Focus and Motivation

Staying Motivated and Focused in Sales isn't Always Easy.

1. Get up and move around.

Though you may not conceive such a thing to work, changing your environment, even the slightest bit, can help you gather together your thoughts. This can mean walking around the room or even stepping outside for some fresh air; in the end it is up to you.

2. Offer incentives for each milestone

You cannot count on other people to lavish you with bonuses or other rewards, so this must be done with your own specific interests in mind. For example, tell yourself that a trip to a fancy restaurant is in the cards if you finish that business report. With this kind of encouragement, working through the day should be no problem.

3. Focus on the right things

If your focus of motivation is for achieving sales, you should look online to find just the right sales tips. When you exercise sales motivation research, sites such as justsell.com and eyesonsales.com should be kept in mind.

4. Prevent yourself from procrastinating wherever possible

When you put things aside for completion at the last minute, it will prove harder to motivate yourself. Instead, get them done as soon as possible. However, do not allow yourself to become overwhelmed; tackle each project one at a time.

5. Visual guidance

Write down what you hope to achieve, keeping the list within view. By putting your projects on paper, it will help you realize that everything is in motion. If desired, ask an outside party such as a coworker or family member to look at the list.

6. Keep in mind that there will be setbacks

For every push to complete a project there will be something that causes a delay. Perhaps you did not get a sufficient amount of sleep, or maybe you had a fight with somebody you care about. While it is fine to relapse a little bit with your goal, this should not become standard.

7. Think positively

Nary has a person achieved their wishes by thinking that they will never get what they want. If you want to get the sale, tell yourself that it is possible, even guaranteed.

8. Keep moving forward

Few things in life are required to be absolutely perfect; when you are going through the motions, finding it hard to achieve perfection, remember that progress is more important. This is not to say that you should do a poor job, but working so hard you trivialize your health does not benefit anyone.

Filed Under: Quick Sales Tips, Social Selling Tagged With: sales mindset, sales motivation, stay motivated

5 Value Objections and How to Overcome Them

January 29, 2011 By
Value Objections

How to Close the Deal Even with Value Objections

There are five basic objections that a lead can have. You come across these sales objections when you have not adequately conveyed the value of a product or service to the potential customer. Anybody who has worked in sales has encountered these objections, so when they happen you should not view them as a sign of failure. With a few sales tips, you can overcome these objections and continue forward to a sale.

1. They Don’t Need the Product

A lead might claim that they don’t need a product, either because they are not interested or because they already have a working relationship with somebody else. If this is the case, it is not too difficult to overcome this sales objection. The best way to respond to this is with an example. Tell them about a recent customer who had the same objection and discovered that they actually did enjoy the service. Give a concrete example, or at least an example that sounds concrete. The customer wants to hear the specific reasons why this person changed their mind. They don’t just want to hear that the customer thought they wouldn’t like it and decided later that they did. If you are selling a service to a business, this technique can be even more effective if the customer is a well known business that operates in the same market as the lead.

2. They are Too Busy

This is rarely a lie, but that doesn’t mean it can’t work to your advantage. All the customer is really saying is that they don’t want to talk to you right now because they want to get something done. This is the perfect opportunity for you to arrange a meeting in person. Ask them if a given date would work for them, and if not – then what would work for them?

3. They Would Like to Review the Information First

A customer will say this when they feel like they are being pressured into a decision. Help them feel at ease by telling them that you can go over all of the information with them, and that you are familiar with it so you can help clarify any questions that they have.

4. They Don’t Have Enough Money

That very well could be the truth. A sale doesn’t need to be made immediately. If the customer responds by saying that they don’t have enough money right now, tell them that there is certainly no rush, and that you just want to talk to them about how the product or service can help them once the money becomes available. If there is a financing plan, you may also want to bring this up later on in the sale.

5. A False Objection

It is not uncommon for a lead to be so reluctant to talk to you that they will make up an excuse not to talk to you. The true objection of any customer is one of the first four. Any other objection that a customer has is just a way of getting out of the conversation. Once you realize this, you can try to uncover the true objection. If you can’t do so after a few tries, however, it is best to just move on to somebody more interested.

Filed Under: Quick Sales Tips, Social Selling Tagged With: sales objections, value objections

5 Pricing Objections and How to Overcome Them

January 28, 2011 By
Sales Price Objections

Increase Sales by Knowing & Understanding Price Objections.

One of the most common types of sales objections you’ll encounter as a sales professional is a pricing objection. So if you’re in sales for the long haul, it’s essential that you hone your craft and master the price objection. Price objections come in many different forms and here we will discuss sales tips for overcoming five of the more common ones.

1. The value objection.

In cases like these, the prospect doesn’t understand or appreciate the value of the product or service you are offering them. This is usually due to a miscommunication of the benefits you are offering them. The best way to handle this objection is to review how your product or service will benefit them by saving them time and money. Illustrate specifically how they can expect to see a return on their investment.

2. The comparison price objection.

Prospects are keen to compare your offerings to the competition. However, make sure that they are comparing apples to apples. The key to overcoming this type of objection is to know your competition. Once you know your competition, you’ll be able to better illustrate the differences between your offerings and build further value in your solution.

3. The competition is offering a lower price.

Like the comparison price objection, you’ll need to know your competition to overcome this objection. Knowing your competition doesn’t just mean understanding their offerings, it also means keeping abreast of any developments that might affect your business. Once you know what they are offering your prospect, you’ll be better equipped to illustrate how your offerings are a better value.

4. The budget price objection.

Businesses have budgets and so decision makers have an idea of what they can spend in their respective departments. The quickest way to overcome objections like these is to know your prospects’ businesses. Once you understand when they make their purchasing decisions, you’ll be able to hone your sales strategy to fit their business and perhaps industry. Then you can also take that knowledge, to the next prospect.

5. The bargain based price objection.

Everyone wants to know that they are getting a good deal. For buyers, their jobs depend on it. The discount policy from company to company varies widely. However, whatever the policy is, make sure that this is the only objection to closing the deal before a discount is given. You’re cutting into your company profits and your own commission every time you discount.

Filed Under: Quick Sales Tips, Social Selling Tagged With: pricing objections, sales objections

Increase Customer Relations and Sales with Thank You Notes

January 27, 2011 By

Thank you notes can be a valuable tool to implement with the close or conclusion of a sale or other arrangement with a customer. They should also be used during pre-sales calls and visits. Essentially, you should send out a thank you note to any client or customer who takes the time to listen to your pitch or make a purchase. Sales thank you notes allow you to strengthen bonds with these individuals, as well as make it clear that you are serious about your business and commitment to each person that you encounter.

Another reason to make use of sales thank you notes is for the opportunity to communicate and perhaps even pitch that they provide! Cold calls and mailings are often not appreciated, but a courteous thank you note, on the other hand, always is. Word your pitch or product or service recommendation in your thank you note subtly, and your thank you note will still be well-received.

The funny thing about thank you notes for sales purposes is that they are not often suggested as a sales tip. Thank you notes can definitely do a lot for a business. The sending of a simple thank you note — which should cost you no more than one dollar, postage included — shows that you are focused on the customer, and not just on your bottom line.

There isn’t a lot of thank you notes research to refer to when exploring options, but any business who has sent out thank you notes to their clients can surely tell you that they play an important role in their company’s overall success. Since they’re relatively inexpensive and very easy to customize to reflect your company’s colors, logo and masthead, you’ll definitely want to keep a ready supply of them on hand.

Filed Under: Social Selling

Post Call Evaluation for Better Future Sales Performance

January 26, 2011 By
Post Call Evaulation Tips

Understanding Why Calls Worked and Why They Didn't is Key to Increasing Sales.

Part of increasing sales performance is ensuring that calls are being made properly. The post call evaluation is a method that is used in order to ensure that the calls are going the way that they should be. This is an integral part of the process. Here are some sales tips that you can use in order to improve sales performance by properly utilizing post call evaluations.

Keeping Dibs with Evaluations

Obviously, the information that you gather should be put to proper use. By evaluating which calls were successful and which were not, it is possible to determine the behaviors and strategies that separate a successful sale to a lost one. Once this is determined, it  makes it possible to evaluate a call and determine how it could be done better. This way, you can give advice to a salesman on how to improve their performance.

Call evaluation does not need to be high tech. This can help in some cases, but some sales performance evaluation and call monitoring is better than none. A simple spreadsheet is all you need in order to take note of things that are missing from a call.

Remember that call evaluation should not be designed to catch sales staff doing something wrong. The process should be dynamic, and include feedback. It should be just as beneficial for the sales staff as for the customers. The process should include feedback from the staff, and they should play a genuine part in the decision making process.

Experienced Evaluators are Vital

It is worth the effort to make sure that the call evaluation is being performed by somebody who is highly skilled. There is a difference between somebody who can tell exactly what a caller needs to change in order to improve sales, and somebody who mindlessly checks a list of requirements. It might be a good idea to hire somebody who is extremely good at sales to be in charge of the monitoring process.

In order to measure the effectiveness of the sales techniques you are using, it is important to compare the effectiveness with your competitors. If you only gauge success internally, you will get a distorted picture of how successful given techniques really are.

When a call goes extraordinarily well, it should be saved. This can be used as a training tool. Nothing gets across what a good call sounds like as much as hearing one take place. This is the only way to truly understand how the process works.

Filed Under: Sales Management, Social Selling Tagged With: post call evaluations, sales call management, sales performance evaluations

10 Opening Lines to Make Your Next Networking Event Profitable

January 25, 2011 By
Networking Tips Opening Lines

Opening Lines to Help You Approach Others at Networking Events

Going to a major networking event is not entirely the same thing as walking into a single’s bar and trying to hook up with somebody, but the similarities are there. Walking up to a complete stranger and trying to start a conversation with them is awkward if nothing else. Even so, networking is a crucial part of getting a business off the ground. You need to know how to approach people and communicate with them in a way that feels natural. If you can’t, the only thing on their mind will be how they can get you to walk away from them without seeming too rude about it. Here are some sales tips that you can take advantage of. These opening lines will make it simpler to approach people during a networking event. The specific phrases are not as important as the ideas behind them, so remember this.

Talk About Fun

When you meet somebody who you think will be able to help you, the last thing that you want to talk about is business. This might seem awkward at a business networking event, but it is the truth. It is much more important to get them talking about things that they enjoy doing. When they do this, they start to feel a little bit of the positive feelings that come with actually doing the things that they enjoy, and they enjoy speaking with you. Here are some examples:

  1. What do you do for fun?
  2. What are your hobbies?
  3. What do you do to relax?
  4. What do you do other than work?

It’s About Them

When you got to a networking event, it is not about trying to find something for yourself, it is about trying to help other people. Keep this in mind when you approach anybody that you think you could develop a working relationship with. They want to know what you can do for them, and if you start off right out the bat trying to determine what services you could provide for them, they will be pleased.

5. What can I do to help you?
6. How do you think my skills could assist you?
7. What type of projects are you thinking about?

Set a “Date”

This is less of an opening line than a crucial part of the conversation. At a networking event, the last thing that you want to do is try to have a long conversation with somebody during the event. There are tons of other people trying to bring the conversation to a close so that they can start their own conversations. You should view the networking event as a place to get in touch with people and set “dates” to talk with them again in the future.

8. I’d like to meet again for some advice.
9. We should talk again later so I can get some feedback.
10. I’d like to hear more of what you have to say.

Filed Under: Conference, Social Selling Tagged With: network conferences, network events, networking, opening lines
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