The key to closing

I spent a good bit of the day planning a training session on closing tomorrow. I actually don't give too much thought to this subject. As a young sales person I was taught a lot of closing techniques. Clever ways to trick customers into buying. I came to see over the year that if the rep asks good questions, discovers the customer's needs and then makes a good case that his product can solve the customer's problems I find the sale just happens. The biggest problem reps have with closing is that they try to close too soon. That they try to close before they have identified a problem and offered a good solution. Reps should think about closing with every question they ask. In sales, as in life timing is everything.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Think Fast--You customers do!

In his book "Blink" author Malcolm Gladwell addresses the subject of "rapid cognition." Researchers have found that people tend to form opinions of others within 2 seconds. This means customers have made up their mind about you before you ever have a chance to speak a word. This is why, like a stage actor, you have to be hyper conscious of your "entrance." You should walk into a customers business like you are there for a reason. You should step confidently and smile. Hunched shoulders or a halting speech will leave the wrong impression. From the moment you get out of the car you are on stage! Doing this has the collateral benefit of increasing your confidence. There is evidence that if you fakes it until you make it, your positive body language will transform your outlook.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Quote of the week

"Who is wise? One who learns from all." The Talmud

During a conversation with my boss she said "I don't know anyone who enjoys their job more than you do." I couldn't argue with her. I love my job because it gives me the opportunity to continually meet new people and get to know them. Everyone I meet has something to teach me, I take lessons not only from what say but also from their actions and example. Working with the public offers a far better education than any university can provide.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

The 3 "V's"

Sales people are professional communicators. Everything we do and say delivers a message, positive or negative, to our customers and prospects. The "3 V's" are the primary components of communication with the people we meet. They are Visual--Verbal and Vocal.

Visual is how we look, how we dress, and how we move. Sales people should think about dressing professionally and how they move. Of particular importance is a good smile

Verbal is the words we use. Our words should be grammatically correct, we should avoid jargon and speak in the language of the customer's business.

Vocal is often overlooked by many communicators. How we say something is almost as important as how we say it. Listen to your customers and match their verbal rhythms. Vary your tone for variety and emphasis. Listen to professional speakers (actors, politicians etc.) to learn how they control their voice.

Since communication is central to a sales career, we should constantly be aware of how we deliver our messages and constantly look for ways to polish our skills

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Mutual Admiration Society

I have been working with one of our reps in her territory. We have done major presentations to several of her customers. We used research to educate them about the market and gave them some advice on their marketing and some creative ideas for their ads. We acted as true consultants and provided these customers with some useful information. These presentations not only ended in some nice sales but also changed the reps relationship with the customers. She told me that since our presentations these customers always welcome her when she visits them and they even return her phone calls promptly. These customers no longer saw her as an annoying sales rep but as a valuable resource for their business. To get respect you need to earn it.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim B

Your best resource

Regular readers know that i am constantly reading books on business and advertising. I also take training classes when ever I can. You may be surprised to learn that the best lessons I've learned don't come from these sources, they come from interacting with other people in the business world. I just spent two days meeting with the AFCP's Leadership Institute training team. We took time out for an informal round table about selling free paper advertising. I learned more in this hour than I could in a dozen books. Take the time to talk with your co-workers and other business people. open up about your problems and share your ideas. This sharing of ideas will benefit everyone involved. Often we are so busy that we don't take the time to have a good conversation, we rush here and rush there just exchanging a few quick, and meaningless, pleasantries. Taking the time to have substantive conversations with intelligent people is not a waste of your time. It is an invaluable educational tool

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Thanks

Jim Busch

Quote of the week

Monday is President's Day so here is a quote from Abraham Lincoln who, in my opinion, was not only our greatest president but perhaps the greatest man that America ever produced. He was a great leader but he was also a great human being. He had an intuitive understanding of human nature and this led to his success as a lawyer and a politician. Lincoln knew the secret to persuasion was understanding the issue at hand from the other person's viewpoint as well as your own.

"When I am getting ready to reason with a man, I spend one third of my time thinking about myself and what I am going to say and two thirds about him and what he is going to say." Abraham Lincoln

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Jim Busch

The #1 cause of objections

I believe the leading cause of objections is bad timing on the part of the salesperson. When a sales person makes a recommendation before identifying the customer's problems and proving the value of his publication the customer is bound to object. They have no reason to buy because they don't see how buying an ad can benefit them. Closing becomes easy and objections rarely occur when the sales person asks good questions about the customers needs and then proposes a solution to the solve their problems. Making a recommendation before clearly identifying a customer's is setting yourself up for failure.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Be aware of the eyes of March

Caesar was warned to "Beware the ides of March." As sales people we should "Be aware of the eyes of March" March is national "Save your vision maonth." This is an opportunity to build theme pages for eye care professionals. This is a good time to call on ophthalmologists, optometrists, opticians and eyeglass/contact lenses dealers. This is a huge industry and very competitive. Particularly effective are advertorial pieces written by the professionals offering information on eye care. Don't forget to ask your clients about CO-OP from the manufacturers.

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Thanks

Jim Busch

E-mail Checklist

E-mail has become an essential tool for salespeople. Many customer's prefer to be contacted by e-mail. When sending an e-mail use this simple checklist to ensure your e-mails communicate the right message. Use the acronym S.E.N.D. This stands for"

• Simple--complex messages are hard to read and confusing
• Effective--is your key message clear and easy to understand
• Necessary--is this information the customer needs or wants to know
• Done--did you include all of the information the person receiving the e-mail will need to take action

Every word you speak or write to a customer helps shape their impression of you. Taking a few moments to review your e-mails and quickly doing the S.E.N.D. review will help brand you as a true professional and an effective communicator.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

The copysheet close

Here is a closing technique that I've used successful for many years. It is designed to help buyers to visualize their advertising. As I question customers about their business, I write the responses on my notepad. Instead of just making a list of their responses I place them in a rough sketch of an ad. I take a key point and use it as a headline. Minor points are listed in the body of "the ad" as bullet points. I add the customer's name and contact information and draw a border around it. I sometimes even add "art'" with a simple stick-figure sketch. I turn the pad around and after apologizing for my poor art skills, describe the ad to them. I suggest a size that would hold the information in my rough layout. If the customer balks at the price of the proposed ad, I ask them "That's fine, what's not important for your customers to know about your business?" They are often reluctant to delete anything and I often close an order using this technique.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling !

Thanks

Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

"Those who make excuses are seldom good at making anything else." Benjamin Franklin

Yesterday I was working with our newest sales rep. She told me that she was the only person in her department that hadn't made a sale in a particular special section. I reminded her that she had only been with us for less than 2 months. She immediately shot back "That's no excuse!" I am sure that this young woman is destined for success. She refused to make an excuse for her failure or to blame external factors. Taking full responsibility for their own actions is a hallmark of all successful people.When the blame lies outside ourselves we can do nothing but endure, when we accept blame, the solution for the problem also lies withing our hands. Accepting responsibility opens the door for sell improvement and growth. By the way, she sold an ad into the section by the end of the day.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks, Jim Busch

Elvis's lesson

Elvis impersonators usually mimic Elvis saying "Thank you...Thank you...thank you verrry much." During his career Elvis was always grateful to his fans and the people around him. You can not say "Thank you" enough. Of course you should always thank your customers but don't forget to thank the receptionist who helped you to contact the owner or your support staff that helped you get the ad in the paper. I spent most of today in the field helping a rep work his territory. This evening I received a very nice thank you e-mail from him. I spend 2 or 3 days in the field each week and seldom receive a thank you. I think nothing of this and don't really expect to be thanked for doing my job. Still this simple act had an impact on me and makes me look very favorably on this rep. Saying thank you is an extremely easy and quick thing to do, but one that sets you apart from the crowd.

P.S. Don't forget to thank your boss every now and then, sales managers don't hear this often from those above or below their level.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Never ask for an appointment

Words are a sales person's tools. We should be very precise in their use. Asking for an appoinment sets the wrong tone. It is far better to ask for a meeting. An appointment is what your make with the dentist. You sit there and allow yourself to be acted upon. A meeting is an event where a group of people discuss an issue, make decisions and solve problems. Setting a meeting puts you on a better footing with the prospect. This may seem like I'm splitting hairs but success in sales is the product of paying attention to the details. If we work on improving every little detail in our presentations our success is assured.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

A customer's two favorite subjects

The hardest thing I do is to stand by and watch a rep screw up on a call. This is sometimes necessary, I need to see how their behave normally so I know how to help them. Today I was cold calling with a rep who did a good job opening a conversation with prospects. Unfortunately he was unable to keep them engaged and moving on to a sales presentation. I was able to observe him and how the customer reacted to what he was saying. He held the customer's attention as long as he was talking about their business and their customers but as soon as he starting talking about himself he lost them. When I am talking to a customer I like to picture an imaginary spotlight shining on us. When we are discussing the customer and his business, it is shining on him, when we are talking about me or my business, it is shining on me. Experience has taught me that I am much more likely to make a sale when I keep the "spotlight" on the customer. This is how we learn about the customer's needs and problem. I only talk about my products when describing how they relate to the customer's needs. Never forget, the customer is the star of the show, they deserve to be in the spotlight, I am happy to be the producer (of revenue!)

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Set behavorial goals for yourself

Luck always plays a part in our sales success. Sometimes customers will cooperate with us and sometimes they don't. As sales people there are always things that lie outside of our control. This is why we must control the things that do lie within our power. One of the best ways to do this is to step behavioral goals for ourselves. We can not say for certain "I will sell $10,000 per week." because this requires the cooperation of our customers. We can say "I will make 15 calls per day"--this is totally within our control. We can decide to refuse to accept the 1st or 2nd "NO" from a customer. The curious thing is that when we take charge of the things within our circle of control that circle expands. Setting rules for ourselves forces us to do the things which will make us successful. If we concentrate on our own behavior, the world will be much more responsive to us.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

"Ask yourself 'What is the truth of this situation' Get to the heart of the matter; see the reality."
Spencer Johnson (from Peaks and Valleys)

It is amazing how easy we can delude ourselves. Delusion is like morphine, it can mask the pain of a bad situation but does nothing to effect a cure. We need to face up to the reality of our situation to change it. If we say "I'm doing everything I can to meet my quota" when we are only making a few calls per day or we are not planning our presentations, we are deluding ourselves. Only by saying "To be honest, I can work harder and smarter" can we change the situation. Improvement in any aspect of life, begins with an accurate assessment of the current situation.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Why we do what we do

In the last several days, I've heard some amazing success stories. The owner of an Italian grocery store told her rep that the ad she has been running for the last few weeks has brought in over 100 new customers. This increase has taken her year old business into the black. A dentist who has been running an aggressive program featuring full color full page ads for the last year doubled his patient base in 2010 over his 2009 count. He launched the program because he needed enough business to bring his son into the practice. Our advertising allowed him to realize this goal. He now hopes to keep growing to bring a son, currently in dental school, into the practice in a few years.

Henry Ford once said that "a business that makes nothing but money isn't much of a business." Of course our primary goal for doing what we do is to make money but we accomplish much more than earning a paycheck. We help our customers to be successful and to achieve their goals. My rep made a nice buck helping the dentist mentioned above, but the dentist made a lot more money and he was able to realize a lifelong dream of building a practice that he could leave to his sons as his legacy. I for one get a great feeling from helping good people achieve their life's goals. Keep this in mind when everyone is saying "NO" and you're wondering why you ever got into advertising.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Work while you wait

Waiting is a part of sales. We try to manage our time effectively but sometimes we have to wait for customers who are late for a meeting or who are busy with a customer. Since some waiting is unavoidable the best strategy is to use this time effectively. We all have many small paperwork tasks that need to be done. Updating calendars, completing orders etc. can be done while sitting in a waiting room. The key is to keep the necessary materials with you at all times. This is also a good time to catch up on business reading. I always keep a few articles from sales and business magazines or printouts from the web in my jacket pocket. I seldom have time to keep up in my reading at the office,but I can use waiting time to keep myself up to date. Doing this also has a good impression on your clients. They like to work with reps who value their time as they know these reps will also value the time of their customers.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch