The power of influence. Cialdini’s principles are more pertinent than ever before.
May 28, 2010
Having the best product or service, the newsiest, shiniest and most innovative business does not, unfortunately, always give us the edge when it comes to getting clients to take up our offer, comply with our requests and do business with us.
In any business situation, however, there are moments where the opportunity to move someone towards saying yes to your request are heightened.
Recognising these moments and the correct action to take at those moments is the science of persuasion and the understanding of what influences us and how we are influenced.
In 1995 (yep, that long ago) I read a book called Influence, by Dr Robert Cialdini. Since them I have reread and referenced it many times. And, today, when economic circumstances are such that there is some lack of confidence in what the future holds, when our customers could be frozen in inaction purely out of fear of an unpredictable economic climate, the lessons from Dr Cialdini’s book are more pertinent than ever before.
Robert Cialdini | Author, Influence
That’s why I am extremely excited that on 15 June Dr Cialdini is my guest on BOOKED for Lunch – our webinar series with the world’s best business book authors and thinkers.
I’m thrilled that Dr Cialdini is going to be able to share with you the practical and powerful opportunities that the six universal influence principles (which I’ve summarised below) present to you and your business.
They are truly gold! And, if implemented correctly, they are proven to move people closer to a Yes response to our proposals, our invitations, our businesses.
Robert Cialdini’s Six Principles of Influence
- Reciprocation – The obligation to give back what others give us
- Scarcity – The idea that something is rare or diminishing in its availability is more attractive
- Authority – the idea that we’re much more willing to follow the lead of someone that is a legitimately constituted authority
- Commitment – the idea that once we’ve taken a position on an issue we are more likely to say yes to a decision that is consistent with that commitment
- Liking – opal are much more willing to say yes to a request from someone they know and like
- Social Proof – we’re much more willing to say yes to a request when we have information when someone around us
On 15 June we’ll take a look at how to put these principles into practice.
Master, or even just better comprehend, these and I promise your effectiveness as a communicator and leader will be boosted. They’ve been hugely beneficial to me over the years in countless situations.
About Dr Cialdini
Dr. Robert Cialdini has spent his entire career researching the science of influence earning him an international reputation as an expert in the fields of persuasion, compliance, and negotiation.
His books, including Influence: Science & Practice, and Yes – 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive, are the results of years of study into the reasons why people comply with requests in business settings.
Dr. Cialdini is President of INFLUENCE AT WORK, an international consulting, strategic planning and training organisation based on the Six Principles of Influence.
Below is a video with Dr Cialdini.
BOOKED for Lunch – with Robert Cialdini
15 June 2010
12.00pm- 1.00pm AEST
Webinar – Presented by the Australian Businesswomen’s Network and GoToWebinar
Register today for BOOKED for Lunch
The Power of Segmentation – have you considered it lately?
May 14, 2010
By Cheryl Hayman, Hayman Strategy
I am often asked for some simple, basic rationale for using market segmentation. Why is it useful, what will I gain, what types of segmentation are there?
Market segmentation offers the following potential benefits to a business:
Better matching of customer needs:
Customer needs differ. Creating separate products for each segment makes sense
Enhanced profits for business:
Customers have different disposable incomes and vary in how sensitive they are to price. By segmenting markets, businesses can raise average prices and subsequently enhance profits
Better opportunities for growth:
Market segmentation can build sales. For example, customers can be encouraged to “trade-up” after being sold an introductory, lower-priced product
Retain more customers:
By marketing products that appeal to customers at different stages of their life (“life-cycle”), a business can retain customers who might otherwise switch to competing products and brands.
Target marketing communications:
Businesses need to deliver their marketing message to a relevant customer audience. By segmenting markets, the target customer can be reached more often and at lower cost
Gain share of the market segment:
Through careful segmentation and targeting, businesses can often achieve competitive production and marketing costs and become the preferred choice of customers and distributors
In most markets there is one dominant (mass) segment and several smaller (niche) segments…
For example, in the confectionery market, a dominant segment would be the plain chocolate bar. Over 90% of the sales in this segment are made by three dominant producers – Cadbury’s, Nestle and Mars. However, there are many small, specialist niche segments (e.g. luxury, organic or fair-trade chocolate).
Often for small business owners we are targeting the niche or smaller segments.
Niche marketing can be defined as:
Where a business targets a smaller segment of a larger market, where customers have specific needs and wants.
Targeting a product or service at a niche segment has several advantages for a business (particularly a small business):
- Less competition – the firm is a “big fish in a small pond”
- Clear focus – target particular customers (often easier to find and reach too)
- Builds up specialist skill and knowledge = market expertise
- Can often charge a higher price – customers are prepared to pay for expertise
- Profit margins often higher
- Customers tend to be more loyal
Consider the segment you are trying to engage or attract, is it small or mass? Have you defined the segment in the most effective and appropriate manner?
|
|
Cheryl Hayman - Hayman Strategy
|
| Phone: | 0408 200 545 or 02 9555 5776 |
| Website: | www.haymanstrategy.com |
| Email: | cheryl@haymanstrategy.com |
| Twitter: | www.twitter.com/cherylhayman |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/cheryl.hayman |
| LinkedIn: | See Cheryl’s Public Profile |
| Member Profile: | See Cheryl’s Member Profile |
Are you asking killer sales questions?
May 21, 2009
One of the greatest obstacles to sales is engaging your prospective buyer. For many years I was a reluctant sales person but quickly figured out: No sales. No business!
The words you use with a prospect make a big difference. So, what do you ask to clarify if your product and service is what your prospect wants?
Are you asking killer questions?
Ask killer sales questions that get results
In a recent Know-How Now! webinar, Australian Businesswomen’s Network Advisory Board Member Leanne Griffiths suggested these killer, open ended, questions. (Leanne describes the search to find what it is that is really important to your prospect that your product/service will help them have/achieve/experience as ‘Digging for Gold’.)
Killer questions begin with:
- What…
- How…
- Why…
- What exactly did you mean by…
Each of these (and you can probably think of more) opens up the conversation and allows you to learn more about the buyer.
Other examples (that are not questions) include:
- Tell me about…
- Explain to me…
- Give me an example of…
- I’d like to understand more about when you said… or…
I have tried these questions/statements and they have effectively provided me with a better understanding of the other person and a better relationship with them.
What’s important to me about a sales situation is ‘real’ conversations, openness and honesty and value in an exchange of time and energy, whether it results in a sale or not.
Try using one of these today and let me know what happens.
Sell me a new car: When (customer) service and sales should work together
March 5, 2009
Do your sales and service ‘departments’ work hand in hand? Whether you’re a one-person operation or a big team, do you use the opportunity to sell when the opportunity is there?
My partner and I are both BMW drivers… no reason – we just like them.
I had my ‘beemer’ in for a service yesterday. The great guys over at BMW Sydney were efficient, helpful and well trained in taking enquiries from busy execs dropping in their prized wheels.
They have a wonderful personalised service, a swish waiting area (where you sit surrounded by the latest models of BMW cars) and a great conscierge style interaction with clients.
As I left (with a spiffy new model on loan for the day) I wondered whether when I returned later that day they may tempt me to consider one of their new models.
My car is only 18 months old. So, I’m not really in the market for a new one.
But, my partner is… his car is now coming to the four-year mark and he wants and upgrade… but hasn’t made time to go look at what is available.
THE MISSED OPPORTUNITY:
If I’d come home with (at the very least) a flyer to say…
- The newest model of your car is just now in our showroom
- Can I arrange a time for you to test drive it?
- Here are some of the new feature and benefits
….
or even more forward
… We are offering existing customers this value-add/bonus/discount when you purchase by the end of March.
I can pretty much tell you I’d have acted in some way and moved closer to a purchase.
The discount/offer may not even have had to be much – maybe not even a dollar discount. Maybe they could partner with a top Sydney restaurant, or a spa… or offer some sort of deal with another organisation that also wants the BMW customer?
No…
I got great service (they even rewashed my car when I pointed out that it had been washed but left in rain and was looking much like when I dropped it off)…
but they didn’t try and sell me. At least not yet.
I wish they had.
I did get thinking where do we, in our organisation, miss opportunities like this one?
Business Spotlight: Shopping for women is now easy for men to do
December 12, 2008
The Australian Businesswomen’s Network interviewed Annette Lackovic of Presentsforher
Briefly tell us about your business and how you got started.
Presents For Her is an online gift shop that targets males who are looking to buy gifts for females. Annette’s background in the study of human behavior and the psychology of female behavior has helped her educate buyers to the level at which the shopping experience becomes easy.
What have been your major achievements?
Being Australia’s largest online gift shop for women’s gifts, with a choice of over 2200 gifts. We offer 396 physical gifts and over 1900 gifts are for an experience. For example you can go hot air ballooning or a buy a day spa voucher and much more.
What have been your major challenges?
Human behavioural studies show that most men find shopping an inconvenience and they like to make their shopping trip as quick and painless as possible. They like to go in, get what they need and then leave. However, when it comes to purchasing for the opposite sex, most men struggle with ideas and find gift shopping extremely challenging. Our major challenge has been converting enquiries to sales. Converting online enquiries to sales is challenging, because we have no way of communicating with the customer, unless they select the online help feature which directs the call to us.
Who has been your greatest inspiration?
My husband, Petar Lackovic has been my inspirational mentor; without him the idea would never have come up. He definitely has no clue when it comes to shopping for his mum and sisters-in-law. Also John Grey and Allen Pease who added to my education, Chris Howard for his personal development educational courses, Anthony Robbins and Brian Tracey for their contributions in the field of personal development.
How do you stand out from your competitors?
• Most website businesses do not create interpersonal relationships. If communication is required it is produced through a generic and direct email service. We have a phone contact as well.
• Everything comes gift wrapped for free! Even if a female is buying herself a nice piece of lingerie or perfume,
it still comes gift wrapped as we want everyone to feel spoilt and have the feeling of luxury.
• Our prices are 10% to 70% cheaper then retail.
How do you get clients ‘through your door’? Do you have a sales team, use telemarketers, or advertise?
Being an online business you have no foot traffic, so it’s all about driving people to our website. The most cost-effective way to do that is advertising on the Internet, as the consumer is already online.
In your Industry and in your opinion what has been the most successful ‘sales’ thing you have done to date and why do you think it has been so successful?
Our direct ecommerce newsletters are the most powerful and successful tool as they have the highest sales conversion rate based on a ratio of contact:sale.
This is because:
1. Most of the customers on our mailing list are already highly qualified consumers – they have signed up to be a member, have previously purchased from our website or they were referred by a trusted friend or partner.
2. The newsletters always have a strong ’call to action’ campaign, which creates urgency. They also show the huge savings on promotional items advertised.
3. Many consumers regularly need to buy gifts; especially in peak seasons like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and then there are family members’ and friends’ birthdays as well. So it makes it super simple in these peak times as the consumer doesn’t have to fight for car parks in busy shopping centres and wait in check-out queues.
4. The newsletter targets the customer whilst they are already online and takes them immediately to our online shop.
What are the dos and don’ts in your mind when it comes to selling your product and service?
DO treat every customer as if they are your first and only customer.
DO build rapport with the customer by asking for and sharing information.
DO telephone customers instead of emailing – people build relationships better than an email.
DO create names for everything e.g. packages, clothing, services, etc. It is easier for customers to remember and it creates more of an emotional attachment to the item.
DO implement a follow-up call to ensure customer’s satisfaction after purchase. It helps build trust and creates relationship with the brand. It also puts a voice to the website, as people and services build relationships, not the website.
DO everything in your power to keep a customer happy and always show sincerity in your apology even if you are not to blame. e.g. the courier company delivers an order late. This is out of your control, but the customer pays the consequences. So help them make it easier the next time and ensure they will come back by giving them some type of discount card or gift voucher for their next purchase.
DON’T ever say to a customer: “I can’t”, “We don’t”, “I won’t” or “unfortunately”. A customer only cares what you can do not what you can’t do. Negative words are like fuel for fire when spoken to a customer.
DON’T over-promise and under-deliver. Customers always remember the last experience and impression. Always make the last impression a great one!
DON’T assume your customer’s budget. Continually show and add products when you get an agreement that they like them. Those who judge a book by its cover will miss out on some of the best stories.
If you could do anything (regardless of budget and resource) to maximise your sales what would you do and how would you go about doing it?
The best way to target a customer in advertising is to get as many senses involved as possible (sight, taste, hearing, smell, touch) and to increase the frequency of this.
I would run campaigns that coincide with three types of media:
• TV to stimulate the two senses, hearing and sight, and can help create feelings of excitement and emotion. I would be targeting highly qualified viewers. 70% of Presents for Her’s customers are men (as found through our customer surveys), so a strong focus would be on sports shows, news programs and peak time shows.
• Radio to stimulate only the sense of hearing, but we could sponsor a competition for a week, to increase the feeling of excitement.
• Billboards to attract the many people driving on motorways and listen to the radio while negotiating peak hour traffic. Billboards can be used to add visual appeal to the messages that potential customers/clients have already heard on the radio. This also means that customers can see the branding which helps to increase memory recall.
Each form of media above will have a ‘call to action’ to create urgency and insist on immediate purchase. This will, in turn, increase sales and the client database for future direct marketing purposes.
Where would you like to see your business in five years from now?
• Australia’s most popular gift shop for women
• Man’s new best friend
• 11 stores in major shopping destinations, mall and shopping centres
• $3.3Million profit per state/per annum
What are your Top Five Strategies for Success?
1. I have a Success Journal
• I write down at least one thing I did that day that gets me closer to my goals.
• I write down three things I enjoyed about the day and three things I’m looking forward to tomorrow.
• Finally I write all my goals, that way I keep them clear in my head, so I stay focused and it’s the last thing I think about before I go to sleep.
2. Keep developing your education within your product/industry.
3. Keep growing your personal/spiritual development, as this helps you to remain positive.
4. Have empathy when relating or communicating with your customers. I have used this skill in so many conversations in the past between staff and customers that could have turned ugly if I didn’t.
5. Never settle for mediocre and I always believe you can do better, which will continually make you strive for more.
In her role as an international speaker and consultant, Annette assists SME owners to develop their businesses and increase their income potential through advanced communication skills. Primarily, her repertoire includes: teaching people advanced selling techniques, negotiation skills, five star customer service skills and tailoring sales systems for companies around Australia and New Zealand.
Website: www.presentsforher.com.au
Phone: 1300 887 523
Email: annette@presentsforher.com.au
Sales Strategies: 7 Rules for Writing Headlines that Sell
December 11, 2008
By Dominique Antarakis, The Copy Collective
Here are 7 rules for creating headlines that sell – or that can at least buy you time so your customer reads your offer.
Rule No. 1: Don’t try to be too clever
Too often the temptation with a headline is to go for clever. You know, some catchy phrase or play on words that may get someone’s attention, yet leave them none the wiser as to what it is you’re selling; and more importantly, what’s in it for them. Remember, you’re competing with millions of other messages bombarding people each day, so use plain English, tell your readers what the benefits are, and don’t try to make them guess what it is you’re selling.
Rule No. 2: Make the offer relevant
Whether you’re trying to make sales on or off-line, when you consider that 90% of readers won’t make it past the headline, the words you choose as an opener are really make or break. This means they need to strike a chord with the reader and be relevant. That’s why stating a benefit to the customer – ‘Cure tinea in just 10 days – guaranteed!’ may seem a little obvious, but if you’ve got tinea, and you’re looking for a miracle cure, you’re probably going to keep reading.
Rule No 3: Start spreading the news
Including news in your headline is an attention-grabber. It may not be a completely new product or service; it may just be an improvement or change for the better. But again, keep it relevant to the reader – think benefits, not features.
Rule No 4: Make it as long as it needs to be
While some studies have shown that longer headlines,10 words or more, work better than short; those same studies have been contradicted by other studies showing that shorter headlines are best. My advice? Use the number of words you need to get the message across, bearing in mind the relevance rule.
Rule No 5: Be crystal clear about what it is you’re selling
This really relates back to Rule No. 1 – don’t try to be too clever. Unless your brand is well known and your logo can do the work for you, try to mention the name of the product, type of service or your company name in the headline. Then people will know what you’re selling, and can decide instantly whether they’re in the market for it.
Rule No 6: Use specific details – make it ‘sticky’
People remember details better than nebulous claims – ‘Cure tinea in 10 days’ is easier to grasp in an instant than a statement like ‘Cures tinea fast’. After all, how fast is fast?
Rule No 7: Test different headlines to see what
works best
Getting someone to open an unsolicited email these days is tough. But the great thing is, by utilising this strategy you can test which headlines or subject lines work best. Remember though, the idea is not to trick the customer into opening the email and you must comply with the Australian Spam Act 2003. You want to give them an offer that is relevant, sticky, shows them a benefit, and is credible. Having your product or company name in the subject line also gives them the heads-up on who is contacting them. Do a bit of research though, into tactics on getting past spam-filters. Certain words like ‘free’ or ‘win’ tend to get flagged and sent straight to the junk mail folder.
Rule No 8: Actually, there is no Rule No. 8
I’m just checking to see if you were paying attention. If you’ve made it this far, chances are it’s because this information is relevant to you. Think back to the headline for this article: 7 Rules for Writing Headlines that Sell. Granted it’s not a particularly sexy or clever headline, but if you stopped to read the article, it’s likely that you needed this information. It was relevant to you – you need to sell. It was obviously about writing headlines – very specific. And it told you what you were going to get – 7 Rules, which gave you some idea how long the article might take to read. For ‘1001 tips on writing headlines’ you know you’re going to need to make a cup of tea and put your feet up!
Dominique is a journalist and copywriter who works with business, agency and charity clients to help them communicate who they are and what they do with clarity, energy and passion.
The Copy Collective taps into the strengths of its members: copywriters, editors and proofreaders who can write articles, craft press releases, develop content for your website, tailor words for an online ad campaign, put together an annual report or write a compelling telemarketing script that will help you make sales and more. We’d love to help you choose the right words to market your business more effectively.
Company: The Copy Collective
Website: www.thecopycollective.com
Email: info@thecopycollective.com
Sales Strategies: Stop serving and start selling
December 10, 2008
By David Penglase – salescoachcentral.com
For the past two decades many SMEs have been advised to adopt a ‘client-service’ model to build their business. On the surface, this sounds reasonable, but in reality, it might be sending those same SMEs broke.
Today, probably more than ever, every business owner, as well as their sales and service staff, are faced with the ‘sameness syndrome’ which is created by increased competition.
In other words, regardless of what is being sold to your clients, chances are that they could probably get the same product or service somewhere else, for the same price and quality. When customers have choice, but can’t see or experience any real point of difference that is of value to them, they will more often than not, simply be making their buying decision based on price.
So how do Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Compete?
Unfortunately, because of the misplaced ‘client-service’ focus, many sales and service staff take the fastest route to differentiation by playing the discounting game, which simply creates a commodity market that is on a slide to lower and lower profit margins. Some businesses even intentionally promote the game with advertising slogans along the lines of “our prices aren’t the real price… everything is negotiable”!
If you’re competing in the kind of industry where the big players are cutting the price and margin from beneath you, then it’s time to stop serving and start selling. Profitable sales are possible for SMEs when the sales and service staff are confident and feel comfortable providing advice and make informed recommendations; as opposed to merely serving by asking ‘May I help you?’ or discounting when the client asks ‘Can you do this at a cheaper price?
So how do SME owners and managers keep their sales staff skilled and motivated to sell and not just serve?
Sales and service skills for most businesses come down to the need to find clients, win clients, keep clients and solve problems creatively. While sales training might well be part of the answer, it’s rarely the only component of the answer, and the investment required for current world class sales training and coaching may be out of reach for some SMEs.
Your 6-step Sales Process
One of the often neglected, and yet main skills development areas for sales and service personnel is that selling is a process.
Following are six core steps that will help SMEs develop and implement an effective sales process, along with some ‘quick tips’ that will benefit every sales and service consultant.
1. Build rapport – this is a combination of attitude and skill; and the quick tips are to demonstrate a genuine willingness to help and understand each clients individual circumstances
2. Ask questions – often the poorest skill demonstrated by sales and service personnel. It requires a combination of information-based and value-discovery questions that have the capacity to engage and motivate the client
3. Show value – rather than just going through the product or service features and benefits, skilled sales and service people discuss and demonstrate their product or service’s direct value-matches with each individual client’s specific situation.
4. Identify obstacles or objections – by asking clients for their feedback on each value-match, clients are less likely to raise obstacles or objections because the discussion is based on factors that are important to the client.
5. Confirm the sale – instead of 101 ways to ‘close a sale’ there are really only two ways:
• Ask for a buying decision, or
• Make a confident and genuine recommendation about what the customer needs to do to experience the value they seek.
6. Stay in touch – this is not always easy, but what happens after the sale often builds more rapport with customers. A simple phone call, thank you card, or enquiry email just to check that the customer is happy with their purchase will suffice.
Successful selling for SMEs starts with an attitude of confidence in the sales and service provider. When you sell a product or service, create value for each and every client and just as importantly, ensure that each and every client will feel comfortable and confident that they are making a wise buying decision.
Since 1994, David and his wife Liz have built one of Australia’s leading sales coaching and training consultancies working with top tier organisations across a wide range of industries. In 2007 David realised that many small and medium size businesses missed out on top class sales coaching and training because they often couldn’t afford it and he set himself a challenge to provide small and medium size business salespeople with access to world class sales coaching and resources for less than $1 a day.
The result is the recently launched SalesCoachCentral.com, which is a next generation web based sales coaching resource centre providing unlimited 24/7 access for members to a vast array of resources from an ever growing panel of experts in the areas of sales, communication and personal growth to help sales managers and sales people build their skills and confidence to increase new, repeat and referral sales.
Further information and sales coaching from David Penglase can be found at www.SalesCoachCentral.com
Sales Strategies: Where are you going wrong with cold-calling?
December 9, 2008
by Natalie Poole, National Sales Academy
Business Owner: “Hello, I’m calling from Natalie’s web design… I was just wondering, do you have a website?”
Potential Customer: “Yes, do you want the web address?”
Business Owner: “Um…no, thank you. Bye!”
The above cold calling experience was shared by a friend of mine lately between giggles, grimaces, and a few words which I won’t share here now. I’m sure you identify with Marie’s* feelings as she ended that call, and you can understand why it took her a week to get back the courage to pick up the phone again. To be honest, I’m not sure I would have been as gutsy when I first started cold calling!
We know Marie was attempting to determine whether the person and business qualified for her web design service. However, like most of us, when faced with the prospect of ‘cold calling’, her own fears and the many poor examples she receives daily (who would have thought printer toner is such a lucrative industry!) replayed in her mind. With no set structure this usually friendly, confident and by all accounts extremely competent woman clammed up. What is it with the term ‘cold calling’ that just turns us…well… cold?
I would love to at least highlight two of the most common misconceptions I come across daily. Firstly…
You do not need to be or pretend to be the sterotypical sales person… you don’t need the ‘gift of the gab’, be able to ‘sell ice to the Eskimos’ or be a ‘top closer’ to be successful at cold calls. But you do need to be giving. Give people a reason to speak with you, give them something to remember, give them some of your personality and ‘sparkly bits’.
Neither do you need to be in telesales…. You don’t need to have a script for every conceivable scenario, own a well thumbed copy of ‘101 top tips for getting past gatekeepers’ or have a skin reinforced with steel. But you do need to understand that the telephone is the face of your business. In today’s world, with mobiles, blackberries and teleconferences, owners must rely on the telephone to be successful in their business.
Have some clear USPs (unique selling propositions) and use them to confidently articulate the benefits and feelings your product or service delivers. Set out four or five structured questions to help determine whether the person on the phone qualifies to be your customer. (For example; would it help for you to know if they are currently using a competitor’s product? If they are familiar with your business? Whether they currently have a need or desire for what you offer?)
Make your customer feel GREAT!!
G- Give them your name and business, and then ask for theirs. This softens the question and it becomes a reflex for the customer to answer (try it today!). It also helps develop conversation. “Hello my name is Natalie from the National Sales Academy, and you are…?”
R- Rapport. This is crucial. Always establish rapport FIRST. It’s true that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Focus on making a friend first and an appointment or new client second. My whole perception of ‘cold calling’ changed when I followed this strategy…and so did the results I was getting!
To help fast-track the rapport building process, it helps to match the caller’s communication style; are they direct, influencing, steady, or concise? Do they utilise a lot of inflection in their speech or do they tend toward the monotone? Do they speak fast or slowly? People like people similar to themselves. Think about your favourite clients to deal with, or the people you are drawn to at networking events – you will find more often than not you will have at least a few similar traits.
E- Empathy. Put yourself in their shoes. Where does the benefit lie for your audience to listen to you? How could you benefit their business? Why would they be interested in your product or service? Do you really understand them? Where are they coming from? It is a great activity to sit and think about this for a few minutes before the call.
A- Ask open-ended questions and LISTEN to their answers. Be genuinely interested in THEM and take notes. If you are seeking specific information, ask specific questions.
T- Tell them a bit about yourself. Keep it concise. If you don’t have one already, create a ‘five-second commercial’ that covers who you are, what you do (USPs are fantastic here!), and the benefits and feelings your customers can expect. Be memorable and give your potential customer and new friend a reason to come and meet with you!
Natalie Poole is the Senior Success Guru at the National Sales Academy. The National Sales Academy is Australia’s first and only sales and communication training academy. It’s tried and tested techniques and methodologies are cutting edge and delivered by world class international presenters in a format that is easy to understand and implement for ANYONE! They offer tailored programs to sales professionals, sales managers, managers, business owners and personal trainers. Contact us for more information or to book in for a COMPLIMENTARY Sales Success Planning session (valued at $290.00) for ABN Members.
Website: www.nationalsalesacademy.com.au
Phone: 02 9955 1500
Email: natalie.p@nationalsalesacademy.com.au
Sales Strategies – How to Increase Your Sales
December 8, 2008
By Leanne Griffths
Whenever I talk to people and tell them what I do (sales is my “thing”) they inevitably ask me “how do I increase my sales?” My response is simple “Employ a sales person!”
It’s not always the best or cheapest thing to do and can require some planning and thought. After all, you are adding a resource and overheads to your business. Then questions seem to grow: Where do I put them? What do I need this person to do, or achieve? How much more business can I handle? (In both revenue and quantity depending on the business you are in). What type of person am I looking for? Where can I find them? How much do I pay them?
STOP!
Let’s start back at the beginning. The question is, “How can I increase my sales?” The answer is that it depends on what you want to achieve and how you can do that while expending the least amount of time/money and energy. So think about your business now. What are your business goals (with regard to sales) for the next 12 months?
Ways to achieve this increase:
• Marketing or advertising; think website, online marketing, print media, radio, flyer drops, word of mouth referral system (for example, member-get-member programs), targeted promotions and special rates for your demographics.
• Sales; cold calling (either do this yourself or outsource the function), scheduling face to face meetings with clients, phone discussions, directing sales to your website (if your sales are transactional-based), presentations and holding information sessions for groups of potential clients.
• PR or publicity. You can do this yourself or outsource and use radio, print media, articles and interviews that are topical, interesting for the general public and relate to your product and/or service.
So, if any or all of the functions listed above fulfill your needs and increases your sales, if you can undertake them yourself (or outsource them) and if you are happy with the results, then your mission will be accomplished!
If not, it might be time for you to consider employing a full-time or part-time sales/marketing person to fulfill the above functions and allow you to focus ‘on’ your business, rather than working ‘in’ it. You can set key performance indicators (KPIs) for your new employee based on what you want them to achieve (including offsetting the cost of their salary), by incorporating this into the return on investment. While KPIs can be expressed in terms of quantity (number) or revenue ($),you should ALWAYS set targets that are Quantifiable, Achievable, Attainable and Sustainable to work successfully.
How do you find a good sales person?
Word of mouth! Ask around, you’d be surprised how many people know just the right person you’re looking for – and they come recommended, which is a bonus! You can advertise in industry specific publications/associations or utilise the services of recruitment agencies. One thing I would recommend is that since he or she is going to be the ‘face’ of your company and/or or in the ‘front line’ of your business, choose wisely and don’t skimp on the salary/commissions of an exceptional candidate. Simply increase the required revenue in their KPIs to reflect their higher salary.
Be aware of your Profit Margin
One last thing…..base your sales/marketing person’s KPIs both on achieving an increase in revenue AND profit….you don’t want to end up with doubling your revenue but only a small increase in actual profit! What is more important at the end of the day?
Leanne Griffiths was National Corporate Sales Manager for Virgin Blue Airlines and has worked in the travel industry for the past 8 years, 5 of those with Qantas Airlines in senior commercial roles. Experienced and qualified in HR, Training and People Management Leanne is an inspirational leader who has a good balance between commercial reality and compassion.
Leanne is currently the Marketing Manager of Griffin Theatre Company. Leanne is also on the advisory board for Australian Businesswomen’s Network and heads up the Communications Committee which coordinates this newsletter.
For more information:
Email: lgr47@bigond.com
