Successful Selling

June 9, 2009

  • How To Sell More In Any Economy

    One of the biggest challenges we entrepreneurs face today is keeping sales coming in. With the current economic situation, it becomes more and more crucial that we each use all of the tools we have to sell more. No matter what your business, you are first a marketer, and second, a salesperson.

    This is uncomfortable for many of us in professional services, as we just want to do our "art" and leave the marketing and sales to someone else.

January 30, 2009

  • Sell Without Selling: Lessons from The Jungle

    Terri Levine is releasing her new book, "Sell Without Selling: Lessons from the Jungle for Sales Success" today, and she is offering more than $2200 worth of bonuses for anyone who purchases the book between now and February 13, 2009. I consider Terri one of my first mentors, and this book has a special place in my experience, because I worked with Terri to develop the sales coaching program on which this book is based.

    You can receive the more than $2200 of bonuses just by purchasing your copy today. http://www.terrilevine.com/sell_without_selling.htm

February 19, 2008

  • Don't be like the teleclass guy

    So I joined a group for a teleclass today, as an attendee. I logged on a few minutes early and found a small group on the line already. What was interesting about this group is that there were maybe 5 or 6 people already on the line, and yet only one person was talking. Every exchange ended with this man jumping in and turning the conversation back to himself. "This is what I have been doing and this is what I'm going to do, and blah…blah…blah.."

October 5, 2007

  • What Does Your Communication Say About You?

    So following up to my most recent post, I've been deeply immersed in finding and interviewing a new member for my team. I've interviewed local assistants and virtual assistants. It's funny- now that I've decided to work with someone, I really, really, really want to find him or her. I'm leaning towards working with at least a couple different people, as it's been tough to find all the skills I want in just one person. That's what happens, I guess, when you have multiple different needs and want to hire out for as many as possible- all at the same time. :)

    Anyway, as my AQ (assistant quest) continues, I wanted to share a few observations and insights from my experiences over the past week or so. First: just because someone says they have "exceptional communication skills" doesn't mean they really do. I had placed inquiries with a few people who emailed or called me back, and sounded really irritated to be bothered.

January 11, 2006

December 6, 2005

  • A confused mind always says no.

    This is relevant to sales because if you give a potential customer too many choices, he or she will almost always say no. I see this often in private service practices (such as coaching) where coaches have the right idea in terms of offering options- but they go way overboard in sheer number of options.

October 20, 2005

  • Shorten Your Sales Process.

    To be most successful, your business requires a defined marketing plan (that you actually implement) and your business requires a sales process, by which you identify interested potential clients, follow up with them, and, eventually, convert them to paying clients.

    There have been volumes and volumes written about the sales process- how to close the sale, how many times to follow up, and how to reactivate previous clients.

    What may not be as often written about is the concept of shortening your sales process. This means, essentially, that you move someone from possible client to paying client

May 12, 2005

  • Ask for referrals.

    Referrals from current or former clients are one of the best ways to grow your business. In fact, businesses built on referrals often grow more quickly and more lucratively than those that aren't. A simple technique to ask for referrals?

February 28, 2005

  • Benefits, benefits, benefits!

    Whenever you speak to an interested potential customer, the dialogue that you need to have is always focused on benefits: the benefits the customer will receive by doing business with you.

February 2, 2005

January 28, 2005

  • Look at what works.

    If you want to become better at selling, observation is a fantastic technique for learning what works and what doesn't. Observe not just yourself, but, also, begin to notice good sales experiences all around you.

January 12, 2005

  • Tell your customers what they can expect.

    Ok- pet peeve confession time: I hate when you fill out a form to request more information and you 1) don't get a confirmation that your information was received and/or 2) don't hear back with the information you requested.

November 30, 2004

  • Bad Selling

    Everybody I've ever worked with can relate at least one horrendous sales experience- you know, the one where you felt unheard, badgered, maybe even harassed? The one where you felt like you were being pushed to make a decision and, in reflex, you decided not to buy? If you are finding it difficult to sell to your customers, you might want to check your sales style

November 11, 2004

  • Passionately Sold

    To start the shift out of your fear of selling (or, more positively- a shift into becoming a more confident salesperson for your business), allow yourself to be passionately sold on what you offer.

November 10, 2004

  • Fear of Selling Part I

    If you've committed to running a business, you also need to commit to the marketing and selling of the goods and services of that business. Unfortunately, many professionals and solo entrepreneurs find it difficult to sell- especially when the "product" is them!