Jack D. Deal's Free and Inquiring Mind Applied; Change before you have to...831-457-8806

Sales quote of the day on prospects...

"Prospects are likely to say yes if: 1) they need what  you sell 2) you're prepared to sell it to them and 3) you have an attitude of positive expectancy." --Sue Hershkowitz-Coore

Sales quote of the day on value and creativity...

"If you're selling pigs or corn you've got a commodity.  Anything else can be differentiated with value and creativity."  --Jeffrey Gitomer

Sales Quote of the Day on Asking

The sale is yours for the asking; all you gotta do is ask for it in the right way. --Jeffrey Gitomer

Quote of the Day on the Profit Driven Answer....

If all you have is a product or service,  no one will meet with you.  If  you have a profit driven answer, everyone will meet with you.  --Jeffrey Gitomer

Sales Training

Sales Training

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Reply to: [email protected]
Date: 2008-05-08, 6:36AM PDT

Your closing ratio has been slipping steadily and you have almost forgotten what a closing ratio is. You know that some of your salespeople "wing it" and you are thinking about going to straight commission to get them to "follow orders." And somehow among all this turmoil you are suspecting that the very nature of sales is changing; no longer do customers fall for the same worn out hardball antics and preemptive closes. Have you checked your customer and prospect touchpoints lately? Is your sales process losing its effectiveness? What to do? Reply to this ad or call JD Deal Business Consulting at 831-457-8806.

• Location: Santa Cruz
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

Sales Presentation Training and Development

Sales Presentation Training and Development

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Reply to: serv-8970@craigslis
Date: 2008-05-07, 2:47PM PDT

How you present and merchandise your product or service has everything to do with the results you get. While it is still very much a matter of features and benefits, the real key is finding out what "lights up" your prospects and potential customers. Once you figure this out, you can develop your sales pitch to what your prospects want and need to hear. It then becomes your task to convince them you can best do the job. A good sales presentation gives you a selling edge. If your sales presentation is weak or tired, reply to this ad or call JD Deal Online Marketing at 831-457-8806 in Santa Cruz.

• Location: Santa Cruz
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: 672

How to Leverage Your 'Touch Points' When Building Web-Based Marketing Strategies

'Touch points' can be defined as those customer contacts that are critical to your sales process and sales cycle.   An easy way to determine these touch points is to map out, flow chart or whiteboard your sales process from first customer contact through completed sale to ongoing follow up.   

Some sales cycles can take many months and may involve many different types of touch points.   Each step in the process is required to advance to the next step and all steps point to the conclusion of a successful sale.   

These types of sales are known as "high consideration" sales because the customer or client requires time and consideration before purchasing.   And a number of different touch points. 

Other sales cycles are immediate, emotional or impulse buys and require only one touch point.   This type of sale would be a 'low consideration' sale. 

These purchases are often based on emotion and impulse and require little or no viewer analysis or information gathering.   Shoppers buy because they want to buy. 

Examples of high consideration sales would be kitchen remodels, purchasing a new car or putting in a permaculture landscape.   Examples of low consideration sales would be the purchase of books, clothes and food.      

The marketing strategies for high and low consideration sales are very different.   In a kitchen remodel the 'goal' or 'next step' might be to generate a phone call, email or an in store visit.   

The goal for a low consideration sale such as discount designer clothes would be to generate enough interest and appeal to induce an immediate sale.   Shoppers for low consideration items rarely come back for a second visit; there are just too many options for them to consider them all. 

In the high consideration sale it is the next step or next action that determines the web strategy.  In the kitchen remodel enough information may be presented to pique the viewer's interest and generate a phone inquiry or visit to a showroom.   The important point is the goal is simply to generate a phone call or in store visit, not to close the sale. 

All strategies have their plusses and minuses.   One of the negative sides of high consideration sales is that viewers are often researching information and are not in an immediate position to buy.   Determining which viewers are curious and which are serious should be a part of your sales and prospecting process.   

In many situations it might also be good strategy to figure out how to move or convert the curious into the serious.  It all comes to down to touch points and how they are leveraged.   

Clearly the biggest problem with low consideration sales is they are everywhere.   That is why it is so important to make the best case for low consideration products and services and hold nothing back because once the shopper or viewer leaves your site they most likely will not return.   Many low consideration sales have only one chance to 'close the deal.' 

Incentives can also be used to help motivate viewers to take immediate action.   In high consideration sales, it may be a white paper, promotional article or informational article that is of great interest to the viewer; this can be especially effective if your information can be directly tied in with a major benefit of doing business with your company.   

The curious eventually convert to the serious when they feel they have enough information to proceed with their purchase.   And do business with you when they feel comfortable and confident in your product or service.

For low consideration sales, the incentives need to be immediate and of value to the viewer.   These incentives could be an additional discount or free gift with each purchase.   

As with any marketing strategy the end result must be continually in focus.   Each step in the sales process should have its own strategy so the sales process moves along.   By carefully matching your web content to your sales touch points you can improve your bottom line sales results.

Non-Dairy Creamer: Modern Angst Miracle Product

Non-dairy creamer has to rank as one of the marketing coups of all time.  From a marketing standpoint the non-dairy creamer makes great sense.  From the consumers it is a big joke.

The premise is many fat folks like to put cream in their coffee or tea.  Why we put cream in our coffee is a question that puzzles the coffee purists...suffice it to say many have allergies or have problems with high fat dairy products.   So the ever astute marketers saw a market and went for it. 

Think of these dynamics: I can't use cream because I'm allergic to dairy products or weigh 400 pounds.  So I take a small container of non-dairy cream and open it.   I could even buy a half gallon milk carton size -- so  even the cartons are the same.   But the similarities end there...

Non-dairy creamer does not taste or smell like cream but why not put it on anyway...chemicals and all.   Why?  Because some marketer says it looks like cream when I stir it into my coffee!   I have faked myself out!   And my auto-suggestion allows me to know it's not cream but I'm happy anyway!

And non-dairy creamer has progressed to the point where it ihas its own line of products.   Many people now, who do not have health concerns, buy non-dairy creamer for their coffee.   Many now think it tastes more like cream than cream does...

So the next time you have coffee visualize yourself pouring non-dairy creamer chemicals into your cup.   The marketers are certainly planning it that way...

Jack D.  Deal

Sales: An Evolutionary Process

Jack  D. Deal

In business, not much happens until a transaction is agreed upon. The strategy of how these transactions occur is called marketing. The techniques and procedures are called sales. Without sales, there is no business. The successful business is always looking at ways to improve sales. Successful businesses become students of the sales process. That is important because the very way transactions occur is changing.

The nature of the sales process is changing. In the "commoditized" age, we focus on price and differentiation. Unless you are a monopoly, some combination of price and benefits are the driving factors in the sales process today. But just below the surface, we begin to see the real effects of this rapid change. Some of these are:

Smart customers are getting smarter all the time. Smart customers are value conscious when spending their money. This increased awareness and knowledge has changed the fundamentals of selling.

Relationships have become a key in selling. Value-hungry consumers know they will have a higher potential return on their investment if they can establish a good rapport with the vendor or seller. It is not only "How can I get more out of the company," but also "What solutions can you bring me today and in the future?"

Repeated contacts are needed to establish this relationship. Trust does not come quickly. The contacts should be part of an overall plan.

Fragmentation in the marketplace is continuing as the competition gets smarter too. Competitors are constantly looking for the competitive edge that will get them to their goals. Niche markets can provide high profit margins.

Price has become a primary concern -- usually falling in the top priorities. Customers want to get to price early and sales professionals want to get to price last.

Profitability is the name of the game. If you work on commission and you give your commission away in the negotiation process, what have you gained? It either generates profit or brings other benefits. If it does neither, then it hurts the business.

Sales potential is shifting from the immediate sale to a series of ongoing long-term sales. Although initial profits may be lower, the longer-term approach allows for increased profitability by stabilizing sales and allowing for lower cost of sales.

Organization provides a structure so return is maximized. The problem is usually one of balance. Regimented organizations are usually less productive in the newer business environment. Organizationally diffused businesses often waste resources.

Customer focus is shifting from a competitive advantage to a necessary ticket to play the game.

Adaptability and responsiveness are key skills for tomorrow's salesperson. The nature of the market shows no mercy. The wisdom of developing one's individual strategy to be adaptable and responsive will provide a key competitive advantage.

Enthusiasm must be generated by the customer. Good employees prefer to work in a business with enthusiastic customers.

It has become clear that the sales process of tomorrow will require more and deeper skills than are required today. Gone is the door-to-door peddler. Now the sales process must require greater coordination to best maximize value delivered to the customer. The individual salesperson must possess an array of tools and skills and know how to use them wisely. For those salespeople that can bring those kinds of skills to the marketplace the rewards are well worth the trip. They may prove to be the highest compensated employees in the business.

Jack D. Deal

Customer and Client Rapport

In the ‘good old days’ contracts were not the norm. A handshake sealed a deal and one’s word was one’s reputation. Times have changed. Now many businesses have contracts, lawyers and a more complex method of doing business. But even though the symbolism of a handshake may have lost its significance the elements of trust, integrity and a relationship have not.

Like any relationship, good customer rapport requires ‘care and feeding’. Customers make or break a business and establishing a good rapport has been shown to be the most effective way to retain customers. As a bonus, numerous studies have shown that satisfied customers tell others who in turn become new customers. The word-of-mouth strategy for new customers has been also shown to be the most cost-effective method for obtaining new business.

When I do ‘intelligence work’ or spying on a competitor I pay a great deal of attention to how the competitor deals with customers. Often customer relationships can expose a competitive weakness that is far greater than weaknesses in pricing, location or marketing. And we have all seen instances where the customer keeps coming back because of the relationship even though the competition may have a superior product or service. Why? Because the customer feels more comfortable and assured! This is not rocket science! Of course there does come a point where perceived value affects the decision but a solid relationship can certainly make switching loyalties much more difficult. If you are trying to take away market share from a business that has strong customer-based relationships you will see just how difficult that can be!

The key is to make the customer relationship foremost in the business’ culture. Businesses become successful when relationships take precedence over sales. Businesses become successful when they place a higher priority on the customer then they do on cash flow, operations or internal problems. When employees take the time and effort to nurture a relationship they are building a valuable company asset – arguably the most valuable company asset. The formula is completed when the company does what they do very well.

Customers need to feel the rapport is sincere – we all have built in ‘phoniness’ detectors. Simply giving lip service and a forced smile are not enough. Customers want to be heard, they want their needs addressed and they want value. Being heard, having needs addressed and receiving value are perceptual – perceived by the customer. Right, wrong or otherwise the customer’s perception determines the sale.

The most obvious business connection is through ‘front-line’ employees. If the employees do not care then why should the customer? It is management’s responsibility to instill in employees the concept that the customer is top priority. This means that not only is the phone answered by the third ring but is also answered pleasantly and appropriately! How many businesses do we see that cannot even do this simple task? A rude, indifferent employee sends the message that the company is rude and indifferent.

However, customer service and relationships cannot be forced upon employees. Employees must understand and feel motivated to develop customer rapport. Management sets the agenda and is ultimately responsible for the results. The easiest way for management to set the agenda is to set the example. Answering the phone, dealing with an irate customer, explaining patiently to a customer that does not understand – these are things that managers can do. Show your people how to do it and they will understand the importance! Oddly enough, when the focus goes away from internal problems to the customer, many internal problems also get resolved!

Regular meetings can emphasize the importance of the customer relationship by bringing up specific examples of customer focus. Hiring the right people is critical when filling direct customer contact positions. Some applicants are too self-centered to ever be effective at establishing customer relationships. Training, both formal and informal, can also help. ‘Hands-on’ management is especially effective as it can keep the focus on the customer.

There is no magic formula to establishing good customer rapport and it is very hard work! But if your company depends on repeat business you should focus on customer relationships before your competitors do!

When this secret gets out to your competitors it may be too late.