The Selling Sherpa

Sales Tip of the Day: CONTROVERSY

Do you remember the infamous Iron Chef/McDonald’s “subliminal ad” controversy that raged briefly in 2008?

During an episode of the popular Food Network program, an image of the golden arches logo on a red background with their tagline appeared for 1/30th of a second in the middle of the segment.  A viewer posted the clip on YouTube, then the story was picked up by a local Chicago news program, and then was discussed on television and blogs worldwide.

Although they were a sponsor, McDonald’s denied using subliminal advertising techniques, and Food Network claimed it was merely a technical glitch.

Personally, I think it was a brilliant marketing move.  The media coverage of the story gave McDonald’s, Food Network, and Iron Chef millions of dollars worth of free advertising.

When it is done right, a little controversy can turn into a major publicity stunt.  As long as you don’t break the law or cross moral boundaries, you are only limited by your imagination.  

The more outrageous the stunt, the more attention you are likely to get.

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR  MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

Sales Tip of the Day: THE SEARCH IS OVER

My nearly 12-year-old dog has had a rough time this year with multiple health issues.

Lately, he has been stumbling a lot so I took him into a neurologist who gave him a thorough examination, suggested he probably has a ruptured disc, and recommended an MRI to determine the exact location and severity.

I asked how much and he shared their price, then let me know the 3 other locations in the state that could also perform the MRI and what each of them charged.  Two charge more, and the one that charges less is at least an hour’s drive away.

By knowing the other options in the marketplace, he was able to provide the information I needed to decide who to buy from.

This is the same technique I teach sales teams to use to help them deal with prospects who will be shopping around; and, let’s face it, who isn’t shopping these days?

What about you?   Do you know who your competition is, what they charge, and how well they perform?

If you can give them all of this information, the search is over and you will probably have a new customer.

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR  MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

Sales Tip of the Day: SLOW DOWN

Selling in a challenging economy requires a different mind-set in order to be successful.

Unfortunately, most salespeople are scrambling around more than ever.  They think that if they see twice as many people as they normally do, they increase their chances to make more sales.

But the truth is when you scramble in that manner, you actually spend less time preparing for each meeting, less time developing a relationship, and much less time to allow a feeling of trust to build between yourself and your prospects.

As strange as it sounds, you’ll do better if you slow down.  Spending more time with existing customers will go a long way towards making sure they don’t dessert you.  Chances are also good you may uncover additional client needs that you can serve, or get some great referrals from your loyal customers who appreciate the way you treat them.

So, while you may need to increase sales like never before, slow down and spend more time prospecting with the gold mine that is your existing customer base.

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR  MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP. 

Sales Tip of the Day: WHILE YOU SEE A CHANCE

A daily newspaper carried the story of a local company that has just purchased a pair of buildings to accommodate their anticipated growth in the next 10 years.

Instantly, I starting thinking about all the things that company will need to buy in the near future, including everything needed for building renovation, staffing, equipment, insurance, signage, stationary...the list goes on and on.

One news story about change presents selling opportunities for an amazing array of products and services, and you have nothing to lose by calling the people responsible, especially if they are not already your customer.

Pay attention to local media, industry news, and trends affecting the people or business that you can sell to and while you see a chance, take it.  Be bold.  Make the call.

They are definitely going to buy from someone.  

Shouldn’t it be you?

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR  MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

Sales Tip of the Day: SATURDAY NIGHT'S ALRIGHT

According to the latest information from Gallup, consumers spend more money on Saturdays than any other day.

Not only that, the data supports what you’ve believed all along: consumers are spending more on payday weeks than ever before, probably preferring to give their credit cards a rest.

Now the surprise may be that, on the average, men spend about $20 more than women on those days, with the highest spending levels coming from adults in the 30-49 age range.

Armed with this information, you can develop a promotion designed to attract this spending power, and target your marketing campaign to reach those most likely to spend with you.

Do this well, and you can reliably engineer significant increases in revenue every other week.

Remember that Saturday night’s alright (and the daytime is good too) for bringing in more cash-paying customers.

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR  MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

Sales Tip of the Day: TURN THE PAGE

In October, I asked Sales Tip subscribers to share their favorite book/blog on sales and/or professional development. 

A record number of responses led to over 100 titles being suggested and, at last, I can share the results with you.

Arranged in order of popularity, the Top 3 Professional Sales Library books are:

#1 - Sales Bible: The Ultimate Sales Resource by Jeffrey Gitomer
The Sales Bible offers the proven methods and techniques that lead to bigger sales and more loyal customers. Full of practical, hands-on information, it offers everything salespeople need to know to improve their results immediately.

#2 - The Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness by Jeffrey Gitomer
The Little Red Book of Selling is short, sweet, and to the point. It's packed with answers that people are searching for in order to help them make sales for the moment -- and for the rest of their lives.

#3 - How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
For more than sixty years the rock-solid, time-tested advice in this book has carried thousands of now famous people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives.

Jeffrey Gitomer is far and away the most popular author among respondents, with The Sales Bible, Customer Satisfaction is Worthless/Customer Loyalty is Priceless, Little Red Book of Selling, Little Red Book of Sales Answers, and Little Black Book of Connections all being nominated for inclusion in the Top 3 list.

If you haven’t already started assembling your own Professional Sales Library, perhaps you should pick these three up and start turning the pages.

To everyone who selected The Selling Sherpa/YOU ROCK!™ as a worthy resource, I appreciate the vote of confidence.  Coming in 4th behind Gitomer and Carnegie is pretty cool.

[Want the entire list?  Send an email with “2009 LIBRARY” in the subject line and I’ll share it with you.]

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR  MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

Sales Tip of the Day: YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES

Have you ever taken over someone else’s client list?

Maybe you just started at a company that had an opening on the sales team, or perhaps you inherited a list from someone who was promoted or left the region.

Whatever the situation, you may feel a little uncertain about approaching customers who’ve gotten used to working with someone else.

Just make sure you are thoroughly prepared before you meet them for the first time.

Research the history of the account, the background of the decision-maker(s), and as much information about the market and competition as you can.

The goal is NOT to show off how much you know; it IS to be be as familiar as possible with the details so you can competently answer any questions, offer relevant information, and let the customer see that you got what it takes to serve their needs.

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR  MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP. 

Sales Tip of the Day: THE LOCOMOTION

On this day in 1988, The Locomotion became the first single to reach the Top 5 in the US in three different releases.

Back in 1962, it hit #1 for Little Eva, then it hit #1 again in 1974 for Grand Funk Railroad, and made it to #3 for Kylie Minogue in 1988.

Have you seen the famous pumpkin-carving kits with the small tools featuring plastic handles that are orange?  What about the newer watermelon-carving kits with the same tools except for the green color?

What do either of these have to do with selling?  Plenty!

The concept is called “repackaging” and it could be a goldmine for you.

By tailoring the song to current trends in music, or the kit to different purposes, it became possible to sell to people who had never heard or seen the originals.  And, in some cases, people who loved the originals bought the repackaged versions, as well.

How can you repackage what you sell to reach an entirely new audience?

What would your sales look like if you suddenly had a new market to sell to?

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR  MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

Sales Tip of the Day: KISS HIM GOODBYE

 

Once in awhile, we all end up dealing with a customer situation that is difficult.  But there are customers who seem to be difficult no matter what.

Whenever you find yourself spending a lot of time with one problematic customer, it might be time to assess whether or not that customer is really worth all the extra effort.

The time you burn trying to make them happy might be better spent on customers that are a better fit and not as high maintenance.

If you find yourself baby-sitting a problem customer too often, kiss him goodbye and move on to more profitable (or at least less difficult) prospects.

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR  MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

Sales Tip of the Day: SOME THING ARE BETTER LEFT UNSAID

How often do you make a call to a prospect or customer, get their voicemail, and leave some basic info and then ask the person to call you back?

You shouldn’t do it at all!

I don’t mean you shouldn’t leave a voicemail.  I am saying you shouldn’t have to say, “call me back.”

If you called your client with information or assistance they have asked for, or to follow up on a previous promise, they already know they need to call you back.

So the next time you leave a voicemail, just tell them who you are, the best number to reach you, and the reason you called.

If they are interested, they will call you back.  If not, they won’t, and no amount of pleading will change that.

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR  MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.