Creative Selling Can Be a Double-Edged Sword

Source: eGrabber Newsletters

With so much competition and too few prospects, both marketing and sales have to be creative to attract and sell to consumers. Surveys show that though creative marketing and sales approaches are successful at getting attention, they create higher expectations in the prospects they engage. The more creative you are, the higher the expectation. This continues even after they become your customers and they are prone to being easily disappointed. So, when you fail to live up to these expectations, you end up doing more damage than if you had simply not chosen to think out-of-the-box.

So before you start thinking of creative ways to engage your prospects, make sure you have the means to perform higher and better.

Train yourself to Get Better at Sales Writing

Source: eGrabber Newsletter

Getting prospects on the phone is becoming tougher and tougher these days. Many want you to send them an email or a proposal outlining the pros of your offering. With fewer sales opportunities available, and competition being fierce, your written sales communication might very well be the key to your success.

In addition to having a good understanding of your customer, you should be good at choosing the right combination of words to craft a winning sales email / letter. You can find several resources on the Internet that give you tips on how to draft a professional sales letter. One oft-repeated or key tip is to ensure every word that you write is absolutely significant in persuading the prospect to buy your product / service. Redundant or wasted words can mean wasted opportunities.

2 Tips for Effective Voice Mails

Source: eGrabber Newsletters

Only 1 in 14 prospects respond to sales voice mails. But, this does not undermine the value that voice mails add to the sales process. Though voice mails do not sell products, they play their part in gaining some mind-share with your prospective customers. The following are 2 keys to making your voice mails effective and getting prospects to respond back:

1. An engaging voice mail script: Develop a script that is clear, focused and brief. Your voice mail could mention a reference or a mutual contact and have one or two questions that will engage your prospect.

2. Follow-up with useful information: Keep track of all the voice mails you have left and what you've said. If the prospect does not return your calls, follow-up subsequent voice mails with offers that they might find useful - white papers, webinar invites, free resources, etc. You can request the prospect to call or email you back for more information on the offer.

Reach your Prospects in the Moment that Matters

Source: eGrabber Newsletters

Contacting prospects as quickly as possible is of paramount importance to any business. When you contact your prospect who is fresh from a visit to your website, the chances that she responds favorably are very high. Contact your prospect as soon as she submits an online inquiry.

Consider the following survey findings:
- The odds of contacting a lead drops 100X from 5 to 30 minutes
- The odds of qualifying a lead drops 21X from 5 to 30 minutes

The above findings suggest that you must do all that is possible to instantly reach prospects or respond to their inquiries. This is the moment that matters most for your business. In a time when businesses are competing fiercely for a few dollars and very few consumers who are willing to spend, this should be your number one priority.

Ref: Webinar: After the Click – What Now? by Christopher Jeffers, netFactor Corporation.

Back your Sales Efforts with Data

Source: eGrabber Newsletters

Prospects need to know the tangible business results they will get from using your product, for them to consider buying it. Be explicit in your statement about the significant difference your offering can make. Exact numbers or metrics are a must.

No Statistics? Does your marketing department not give you numbers? Or, is your offer such that it is difficult to measure its direct impact on results? Let this not stop you from getting those numbers you need to help you with your sales.

Leverage research that industry experts or publications conduct to get numbers. Ask your existing customers to give numbers on the success they are getting. These statistics are what you need to get your foot in the door of a whole bunch of new prospects.

4 Things you Need to Get Prospects to Buy from You

Source: eGrabber Newsletters

An ideal selling process involves providing the prospect with everything she needs to make an informed buying decision (on your product), rather than bugging her with repeated phone calls and emails to choose your product. Here are 4 things that you can provide the prospect to help her choose your product:

1. Free-trial or sample of the product. Today, a number of service providers have started providing free-trials.

2. Customer testimonials and case studies highlighting product features, ease of use, business value, customer support, and any other item that can serve as a selling point.

3. Product awards and mentions from independent or third party sources.

4. Competitive positioning.

Remember, your job should always be to provide the prospect with key pieces of information that will make her feel comfortable in deciding to buy. It will definitely lead your prospect on a logical path to choose your product.

Manage your Prospect's Choices during the Sale

Source: eGrabber Newsletters

Successful selling is always a combination of getting your prospect's attention and telling them the right things. Usually the outcome is decided in the first 30-60 seconds of your conversation where, the prospect chooses to say either "Tell me more" or "Don't bother." How can you influence the conversation to limit your prospect's choice to just “I am interested. Tell me more."?

The key is to tell your prospect 'why' what you are offering is important for her business and/or her career. Before doing this, make sure your offer delivers a value that resonates with your prospect. Describe to her the short and long-term business consequences of going for or against your offer. Keep one compelling reason for the end, in case you feel the conversation slipping away from you.

You may not be successful all the time, but it will definitely help you improve at delivering persuasive sales pitches.

Train yourself to Get Better at Sales Writing

Source: eGrabber Newsletters

Getting prospects on the phone is becoming tougher and tougher these days. Many want you to send them an email or a proposal outlining the pros of your offering. With fewer sales opportunities available, and competition being fierce, your written sales communication might very well be the key to your success.

In addition to having a good understanding of your customer, you should be good at choosing the right combination of words to craft a winning sales email / letter. You can find several resources on the Internet that give you tips on how to draft a professional sales letter. One oft-repeated or key tip is to ensure every word that you write is absolutely significant in persuading the prospect to buy your product / service. Redundant or wasted words can mean wasted opportunities.

Use Creative Re-packaging to Attract Customers in a Recession

Source: eGrabber Newsletters

Simply providing quality products and services at a reasonable price is not enough to draw customers during a recession. Slashing prices will affect your margins, especially when sales volume is low, and is not a financially sound strategy. By keeping the price constant, how do you then grab a customer's attention?

Re-package your product or service to create a distinctive offering; one that is enticing in its appeal and value. Though customers are looking at cutting costs, they will still be open to deals that offer real value for their dollar. A number of restaurants and diners have employed this strategy to great effect during this recession. They have been creating special combo offers and throwing a little more in the basket for the same price. Is this something you can adapt for your business?

Creative re-packaging always has the added advantage of letting you stay on top of your clients' minds.

2 Proven Tips to Overcome Buyer Resistance

Source: eGrabber newsletters

Use Reciprocity: Give your prospects something that is useful, then they will feel an obligation to give back. Ask questions that will educate you about your prospects and their needs. One question could be “What is the biggest challenge in your business that you are currently facing”? The objective is not necessarily to fix the problem, but to provide them support. Refer them to an article or a white paper that can help them in their area of challenge.

Understand Motive: Behavioral studies show that half of all buyer resistance is phony. Hence, the first step in dealing with any buyer resistance is to clarify the 'what' and the 'why' behind the resistance. What is she really looking for? Is she comparing apples-to-apples? Is her focus short-term? Understanding these can help you to be better prepared to deal with the buyer, negotiate a higher margin and sell more profitably.

These two tips can help you bring down your prospects' resistance and make it easy for you to negotiate or build relationships.

Handle "Not Right Now" Objections in Sales

Source: eGrabber Newsletters

One popular objection that sales people hear more often these days is "I would love to buy the product, but not right now." This could mean that your product is not a priority, or the prospect does not have the budget now or it could be as simple as 'I do not want your product'. Spend some time to understand what your prospect's priorities/ pressing problems are and try to link your solution to addressing those problems.

At times your product may not direct relate to your prospect's current concerns, but you might have to think creatively about what you can do to link them. Often repackaging and repositioning your offering is all that will be needed to make a sale.

4 Tips for Effective Online Sales Presentations

Source: eGrabber Newsletters

Here are 4 tips to help you deliver effective online presentations:

1. Short is powerful: What is the single most important reason your product sells? Simply focus on that alone in your presentation.

2. Make it Interactive: Instead of taking questions at the end of the presentation, encourage your audience to field questions as needed.

3. Add Engagers: Exciting customer stories not only entertain but also captivate your audience, allowing them to easily visualize. Add a bit of drama to make it more effective. Integrate audio or video into the presentation to make it more engaging.

4. Deliver what is promised: Though everybody knows this, it is often forgotten or ignored. If your presentation is about how your service can help the prospect's business increase revenue, then every bit of your presentation should, directly or indirectly, show how it will be done.

Lead Sales Discussions with Prospects

Source: eGrabber newsletters

One of the keys to become a successful seller is being able to lead a business-focused sales discussion. This creates a favorable impression in the minds of your prospects. Right questions at the right time enable you to lead the sales discussions.

Plan your questions ahead of time. Many sales people tend to make the mistake of assuming that they will be able to frame questions based on their conversation with prospects. But, you will not be able to both listen and figure out what to ask at the same time. So, in order to increase the effectiveness of your conversation, it’s essential to write down at least 5 key questions prior to every meeting. What you need to focus on in your questions will depend on where your prospects are in their decision cycle.

Leverage 'Reciprocity' to Increase Sales in this Recession

Source: eGrabber Newsletters

'Reciprocity' means to give and take mutually. When you give your prospects something, they feel an obligation to give back.

Ask questions that will educate you about your prospects and their needs. One question could be “What is the biggest challenge that you are currently facing in your business”? The objective is not necessarily to fix the problem, but to provide them support. Refer them to an article or white paper that can assist them in their area of challenge. Look for opportunities to provide information that is helpful to your prospects.

You’ll find that reciprocity brings down your prospects' resistance and often makes it easy for you to negotiate, build relationships or ask for referrals.

Expand the Decision Making Circle for Faster Conversions

Source: eGrabber Newsletter

The current economic situation has forced a change in decision making scenarios across almost all organizations. Gone are the days when a single person could make a buying decision. Today, with the stakes so high, companies have resorted to consensus-based buying. You need to get OKs from multiple stakeholders to close a deal. This means you have to change the way you sell.

Train yourself to get better at selling to multiple stakeholders. Save time by involving others in their company right from the start of the selling process. Depending on what you sell and who is interested in it, you might suggest meetings with your prospect’s boss, coworkers (peers), financial executives, technology evaluators, etc.

Expand the Decision Making Circle for Faster Conversions

Source: eGrabber Newsletters

The current economic situation has forced a change in decision making scenarios across almost all organizations. Gone are the days when a single person could make a buying decision. Today, with the stakes so high, companies have resorted to consensus-based buying. You need to get OKs from multiple stakeholders to close a deal. This means you have to change the way you sell.

Train yourself to get better at selling to multiple stakeholders. Save time by involving others in their company right from the start of the selling process. Depending on what you sell and who is interested in it, you might suggest meetings with your prospect’s boss, coworkers (peers), financial executives, technology evaluators, etc.

2 Proven Ways to Increase your Sales Credibility

Source: eGrabber Newsletters

Any business prospect or decision maker would want to work with smart sales persons who have a good understanding of their business. In the current business climate, they would not want to waste time with those who are otherwise.

Here are 2 ways to get them to rapidly make positive judgments about you as well as your company’s credibility in the marketplace.
- Show them that you thoroughly researched their company: When prospects know that you’ve invested time in understanding their business prior to the meeting, your credibility immediately rises. Make sure to highlight any piece of information that you found relevant.
- Mention how you solved similar business problems: The more your experience with comparable companies, the better it is for your credibility. State in specific terms, the business objectives you helped your other clients achieve.

By establishing your credibility at the start, you can easily advance through the sales cycle.

Use a Value Proposition that Sells Best in Recessionary Times

Source: eGrabber Newsletters

Recession or not, a compelling value proposition will definitely help you sell better. So, how do you build a value proposition for the recession?

Remember, prospects today are more open to hearing from you, if you can show how they can increase revenue rather than cost-cutting advantages. If the value you provide increases their sales, in addition to slashing costs, then you have a winner on your hands.

Ask yourself: How can I provide my customers and prospects with more sales in a shorter time-period? Can I help their business fight through this recession and survive? Can my products / services help them get more customers; if yes, am I focusing on those aspects?

Answer each of the above questions by way of product features and capabilities. You can then craft your sales pitch based on this value proposition.

Develop an Entrepreneurial Mindset to Sell Better

Source: eGrabber Newsletters

The ability to take risks, recognize opportunities quickly and adapt to changing business environments are some of the qualities that distinguish successful entrepreneurs from others. Developing an entrepreneurial mindset will also allow sales people to find new ways to make sales happen.

Among the most critical and consistent characteristics of successful entrepreneurs is the passion for what they do, the ability to confront and overcome obstacles, collaborate with others for success and constantly listen to what the market is saying. Being able to imbibe such qualities, most importantly having a passion for what you sell, can help you become a better sales person.

Be Aggressive to Thrive in a Downturn

Source: eGrabber Newsletters

Sales people who are aggressive during a recession not only survive, but create opportunities for themselves and their company to attract new customers. As with advertising, companies that have taken an aggressive approach to sales and sales promotions have seen significantly higher sales growth than those that maintained a moderate approach during recession.

The key then is to develop an aggressive sales approach. More than strategy this depends almost entirely on the sales people concerned. Since the natural tendency for most of us is to go downstream, a commitment to success and fierce competitiveness are prerequisites to be an aggressive sales person. Allow yourself to face challenges, get out of your sales comfort zone, avoid negative thoughts and focus solely on getting sales; no matter what the circumstances are.