Show and Sell

A picture is worth a 1000 words is a well worn cliche'. Cliche's become cliche's because they make so much sense that they get repeated over and over. I was with a rep earlier this week servicing a customer's ad in a coupon product. The customer asked about doing free standing inserts. Without skipping a beat the rep reached into his portfolio and pulled out a price list and a sample insert. He quoted a price and handing the sample to the customer he said "the price I quoted is for one just like this." This really helped the customer know what he was getting. She looked at the nice glossy flyer, felt the paper and then said "OKAY." If the rep didn't have a sample at his fingertips he would have spent a long time describing it and the customer would have had, at best, a vague idea of what an insert looks like. Because he was prepared, he landed the sale. As soon as we got back to his car he opened the trunk and replaced the insert in his portfolio, ready to make the next sale. Like another cliche's says--"Luck is where preparation meets opportunity." He was ready when an opportunity popped up.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Weekly Quote

This week's bit of wisdom needs no explanation. It makes it's point simply and directly.



"There is a creed that every salesperson who suceeds lives up to. Its simple and brief--and it works.

Here it is:

Believe first in what you sell.

Believe your prospect will profit by it.

Believe in the firm in back of you."

George J. Barnes



If any of these three are missing it is time to change your attitude or change your job.



Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!



Thanks Jim Busch

Avoid the "A" word

At the beginning of a call I avoid using the "A" word--Advertising! Many business owners consider advertising to be an expense and many people pitch some very bad products as "advertising" Rather than ask for the person who is "handles your advertising," I prefer to ask for the person who "is responsible for getting the word out about your company" or "for telling your story to the public." These phrases have a better connotation and are customer focused.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Go to church

Our job is to help people connect. We connect businesses with potential customers. We can also connect churches with potential members. Some large churches are very aggressive in recruiting new people to join their congregations. Don't drive past these potential advertisers. Many of these organizations have a person who is in charge of evangelism and often have a budget allotted for this purpose. They often appreciate the call because our publications are a cost effective way to grow their church.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

The Value of Promptness

Today I was visiting a prospect with one of my company's young sales reps. The customer was considering a proposal for a large number of flyers to be distributed over a 60 day period. The prospect said that our primary competitor had offered him a price significantly lower than ours in order to keep the business. The customer also told her that he had decided to give us the business, He told my rep that though he was tempted by the lower price he put a higher value on service. He said that our rep returned his calls promptly even calling after 5. He said that he felt more confident that if any issues cropped up that our rep would take care of them. Her promptness in responding to the customer won her a large order and a new customer.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Its better to be dumb than a crooked

I made a call on an account to resolve a customer service issue for one of our inside sales people. The rep had failed to follow a procedure that lead to the customer's ad failing to appear in several editions of our publication. The customer was quite upset. After explaining the situation he calmed down considerably. The customer thought that the rep had intentionally deceived him, and was relieved to learn that it been a simple mistake. This is why it is always better to tell the truth when you make a mistake. Customers can forgive a mistake but a breach of trust is permanent. When dealing with a customer honesty is always the best policy. Lying to save face is a bad idea.

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch

Quote of the week

I love Harvey MacKay's books. Harvey is a great business man and a entertaining writer. He is a master of putting a powerful, actionable idea into just a few words. I often quote Harvey in my training classes. Here is an example of Harvey MacKay's wisdom:

"Most people avoid risks their whole life by assuming the other guy is going to say no"

Keep Smiling, Keep Selling!

Thanks Jim Busch