Friday, July 29, 2011

Weekly Quote

"You are today where your thoughts ave brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you." James Allen

This quote is taken from the inspirational, motivational classic "As a man thinketh." In spite of the archaic language in the title and the fact that this book is more than a century old (It has never been out of print) it offers a lot to us living in the second decade of the 21st century. Scientists and psychologists studying human behavior and brain physiology have found that Allen's philosophies are supported by their research. We should get in the habit of listening to what we say and thinking about what we are thinking. This is known as "meta-cognition". This practice is important because it is so easy to slip into negative thought patterns that can cripple your efforts. We can not control what goes on in the outside world but we can control what goes on inside our heads.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

What type of sales person are you?

Of all the trainings I've taken in my long sales career, one stands out above all the others. During my tenure at the Yellow Pages I participated in a seminar on applying Myers-Briggs personality typing to sales. Myers-Briggs was developed many years ago to help match service men to the military specialties that best suited their personalities. It breaks down people into 4 basic types. Few of us are purely one type or another and we are usually an amalgam of one or two of these classifications. Myers-Briggs is a powerful tool to use in building relationships with your prospects quickly. There are a number of good books on this subject (Type Talk at Work is a good choice) and some sales training companies offers courses on this. I have used this system for well over 25 years and it is one of the reasons for my success as a sales person. Customer typing is well worth the effort to learn. While this blog is not a good way to teach personality typing I will review the basic types in my next few posts.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Friday, July 22, 2011

Weekly Quote

As a lover of quotations I am always on the look out for old books of quotes. I picked up a little book called "All of are looking for success" for 50 cents and found this quote:

The most honest self-made man was the one we heard say "I got to the top the hard way--fighting my own laziness and ignorance every step of the way."--James Thom

This quote really made me think. There is a temptation to think of highly successful people as different from the rest of us, as almost super human. The truth is that achievers are just like us and that they face the same temptations that vex everyone else.. They differ from us in the discipline to overcome them and push on.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Current Events Question

A good sales person always keeps their "ear close to the ground" and stays up to date on what's going on in their territory. If a new business is opening up or a new highway is going to be built they know about it. They also stay current on the national business and economic news. They know how to use this information to engage customers and get them thinking. Often prospects won't advertise simply because of a natural resistance to change. Talking about change reminds them that they can not stand still while the world around them moves on. I like to talk about the pertinent "news" item and then ask "How do you think this will effect your business?" You can also say "What changes will this force you to make?" or "How do you plan to take advantage of this?" These questions get the customer thinking about the future and creates an opening for you to propose a new program.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Friday, July 15, 2011

Weekly Quote

"Seek first to understand, then to be understood." Stephen Covey

Stephen Covey's "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" may be the book that has had the single biggest impact on how I live my life. The quote above is habit number 5 and an important lesson for sales people in particular. In observing calls I see far too many reps who jump into their "pitch" without even a basic understanding of the prospects business or their personality. This almost always ends in failure. Reps who start by asking questions and talking to the customer about their situation have a much higher rate of success. By seeking to understand others first, we can get our point across in terms they can clearly understand when it is our turn to speak. This understanding makes it possible for us to propose solutions to real problems rather than "pitching" answers to the problems we imagine they may have.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim B

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Picking the competions pockets

These days, advertising budgets are tighter than ever. Sometimes it is impossible to get a customer to invest one cent more into marketing their business. If they are advertising with a competitor, all may not be lost. Look at their current program and think about ways to cut back the advertiser's program without making a major impact on their representation. Think about going to a smaller ad or cutting out editions in secondary areas. Another possibility is using a reverse to get attention without using color. You may even want to design and spec an ad for the competitor's product. The money they save can be reinvested with you. This is a much easier approach to take rather than trying to get them to drop the competitor and move 100% of their budget to you. Prospects are reluctant to do this because of the natural fear of loss. The plan above allows them to "have their cake and eat it too." You can open the call with something like "Mr./Ms. Customer, if you give me a few minutes of your time I can show you a way to expand your reach without increasing your advertising budget by one red cent."

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Holding their attention with your body language

Many reps tell me that they have trouble holding the attention of their prospects and customers. Observing them in the field I can see why. Many reps lean on the customer's counter or slouch back and give their presentation. To hold people's attention it is important to use good assertive body language. Stand up straight, use your hand gestures to support what you are saying and make eye contact. Taking a more relaxed posture tells the customer that what you have to say is of no importance. When presenting you need to use every fiber of your being to engage the customer and hold their attention.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Monday, July 11, 2011

Selling gets easier after they say no!

No sanes sales person (and there are actually a few of them around) likes to hear a customer say "NO!" No good sales person ever accepts "NO" as a final answer. believe it or not, sometimes a call gets easier when you've been rejected. The trick is to acknowledge the rejection and accept it at face value. Saying something like "Thank you for letting me know how you feel about this without wasting my time." Once you've accepted their "NO" the pressure is off. You have defused the situation and you can ask a few questions about their business. This conversation may lead to a sale. When a customer says "NO," they expect an argument. If you surprise them by taking what they say at face value you can continue, if you contest the rejection, you will only harden their position. Remember they say "No" because they don't see the value in what you are offering. By keeping the discussion alive, you have a chance to educate them.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Friday, July 8, 2011

Weekly Quote

"I make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes." Sara Teasdale

The words from American poet Sara Teasdale carry great meaning for me. I try to keep them in mind as I travel through my life. It is very easy to be so consumed by the things that we've lost that we lose sight of the opportunities which lie before us. It is a fact of life that we will lose sales and we will lose customers, but if we remain open we will find new customers to replace them. No one's life is perfect. The thing that separates the winners from the losers is their reaction to life's setbacks.

Have a great weekend.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

What's behind that objection?

Someone once asked me "How do you know when a prospect is lying?" The answer "Their lips move!" While this might not be completely accurate, customers seldom give you the real reason they won't buy an ad. They may say they don't need it or that they don't have the money but this may not be what they're really thinking. In my experience Here are the questions customer ask themselves when they hesitate to buy something from you:


  • What's in it for me? Where's the value?

  • Why should I buy from this guy? Is he/she here to help me or just to sell me something?

  • What's the big difference? What do they offer that I'm not getting from what I do now?

  • How will spending this extra money help me?

Answer these unspoken questions and you are sure to get the sale.


Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!


Thanks


Jim Busch


Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Back to School opportunities

Now that the 4th of July is past, can the back to school season be far behind. Obviously this is an opportunity for retailers who sell kid's shoes, clothes, school supplies etc. but don't limit your thinking there. The ringing of the 1st school bell in the fall marks a change in the seasons and in many peoples lives. This is a good time to promote ways for parents to use the time while the kids are in school. You can run ads for gyms, classes, craft stores etc. Home centers can promote supplies for the D-I-Y projects Mom and Dad have been putting off. Anything that involves a transition in consumer's lives makes them receptive to new products and services. Think creative and share ideas with your clients to take advantage of this change in their customer's lives.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch

Friday, July 1, 2011

Weekly Quote

Here is a quote appropriate to the holiday:

"Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom."
Albert Einstein

Have a great Independence Day.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

Jim Busch