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

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

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

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks

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.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

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