If you are networking in order to generate leads, referrals and sales, you need start by making sure you are in the right place. If you do all the right things in the wrong place, you will leave without the results you are looking for. There are so many different places to network it is difficult to know where to start. Which events are worth your time? Which ones are most likely to result in business?
Say Goodbye to 11th Hour Sales Negotiations
How many times have you thought you were about to close a big sale only to find that the customer had many questions and objections at the last minute? Author Jeff Thull explains how to ensure that those 11th hour surprises become a thing of the past….
One of the enduring myths of negotiation is that the final stage of the salethe "close"involves a back and forth struggle with the customer. But in reality, negotiation at its best consists of open, honest communication based on mutual respect and trust. It begins with the very first conversation and continues throughout the relationship. We refer to this as the "diagnostic process." When you use this process there is no need for high-pressure, last minute bargaining. Few, if any, objections arise just before the deal becomes final and there is no need for "arm-wrestling" in the eleventh hour.
Autoresponder Software And MLM Business Leads
You can use an email autoresponder for sending out your latest newsletter, sales offer, or business promotion to your list of mlm/business leads, signups, members, and customers. You can also use it to send an email to your list of website, business, network, group, or program members.
The kind of autoresponder that you need relates to how many emails you want to send out at one time, and how many you can send out in one day, week, or month. If you use an autoresponder that is installed on your website, that limit is set by your web host and that might be less than what you want to send out.
Basics of a Sales Letter!
The main reason why 95% of online businesses fail is because of poor sales letter. Write your sales letter with an Individual in mind; think as if you are writing personally to them. People love to read good stories, tell them stories that illustrate a point you are trying to make.
1. Heading.
Write attention grabbing & powerful heading. Remember you have 15 seconds or less to capture your visitor's attention before they click away. Offer the best benefits or the biggest promise to your visitors. Increase there curiosity by showing them self-serving benefits. Your heading should immediately create a desire in the reader to want to know more.
2. Testimonials
Networking in All the Right Places
Are you networking in all the wrong places? How many hours do you spend preparing for, driving to, and sitting through networking meetings that feel like a waste of time? If your feeling is “There is no one there I want to meet,” or “These never result in business,” then it is time to rethink your networking strategy. Yes, you need a networking strategy.
Product Releases - Are They Always Necessary?
Let’s talk about product releases. Say you took a picture of a vintage automobile that was being displayed at a ‘cruise in’ with many other cars. Today, the photograph is being considered for purchase by an art gallery. Do you need the owner of that car to sign a release, in order for you to be able to use the photo? Also, the gallery, in turn, will have the photo for sale. Since this vehicle is not being used for endorsement of a product, how liable are you?”
This is a good example of a decor/calendar photo. Marketing decor/calendar photography is quite a different area than marketing editorial photography. As a reminder, PhotoSource International focuses on how-to marketing information for editorial photography. In my books, I make a strong recommendation: that photographers who are interested in capturing meaningful photos and seeing them published often, would do well to stay away from decor (wall art/calendar art) photography.
And The Group Has To Reach Out
In an article entitled Beating the Empty Chair Syndrome, I talked about individual membership responsibility. Now, I will advance ideas of how an organization can be accountable for the way in which they support each member’s successful membership.
10 Rules for Associations (or Groups) to Connect With Members
1. Above all, have a process to welcome visitors or guests to meetings and events. Make them feel like they’ve done you a huge favor by attending. (They have!)
2. Give membership information to guests, but just don’t hand them a packet and expect them to read it. Set aside time and assign a person to go through the material. That person can also encourage the guest to apply.
Create Referral Systems That Really Work
I think it’s the dream of every professional to have their business grow by referral only. Imagine not having to cold call or advertise! What a way to grow a business.
Can it really be accomplished? Yes it can. In fact, I know a handful of professionals that not only grow their business by referrals, but have SO many potential clients, they need to turn some away!
So the question is: If it really DOES work, why haven’t most of us created a business which is filled by referrals? The answer lies in understanding several important issues. Generally, people don’t know how to properly ask for referrals and don’t put in enough effort to create a steady stream of them.
How $208 Can Cost You $250,000!
Here’s a true customer dis-service story that happened to me a number of years ago and highlights the value of making sure each of your employees know how to take care of customers. The airline’s name has been changed to Bungle Airline to protect the not so innocent.
The day after the big earthquake here in Seattle about 5 years ago, I had a trip planned with another person to the east coast. It was an important trip that I didn’t want to cancel so I looked on the web and found that due to damage at the airport, my flight had been canceled.
Mind-reading - For Salespeople
Would you find it easier to get a sale if you could read your customer’s mind?
Assuming you said yes, here’s how to do it. Ask the right questions and listen carefully to the answers, your customer will tell you everything you want to know. Easy, eh?
Well it sounds easy, but it takes self-discipline to do it right. Let’s start with the questions to ask.
The first type is what are known as ‘open’ questions, meaning that they usually produce informative answers of some length - as opposed to ‘closed’ questions which do the opposite.
Some examples; ‘What are the reasons that you are thinking of upgrading your computer?’ ‘What problems did you have with the old one?’ ‘What tasks do you use your computer for?’
Sales Gems - Ask For The Sale At Least Once Before You Leave!
You may have heard the expression that teachers learn by teaching.
Through research, course planning, content delivery, discussion and feedback, teachers grow and stay fresh.
The same applies to sales and customer satisfaction consultants, making the field especially attractive to me over the years. I study the current practices of my clients, and in many cases, they’re quite good and I pick-up on new concepts and techniques that work, and haven’t yet been disseminated broadly.
One of my clients is the head of his own office automation company, specializing in selling Sharp and Toshiba systems. One day, I was watching him train a new batch of salespeople, and he cast a number of gems their way, one of which I’ll share with you.
Are You A Poor Salesperson? Change Into A Big Earner With 2 Simple Ideas
Some salespeople seem to have a special magic, they are always bringing in new, big deals.
But if you have not been one of them so far, instead of feeling jealous and inadequate, let me show you how you can make as much money as them or more.
Here’s the principle – sales is a numbers game, so more attempts produces more sales.
Let’s assume that a really good salesperson closes 2 deals out of 5 presentations and that you feel that you are struggling, closing only half of that. Logically, to get more orders all you have to do is present more often. And that becomes possible if you are more effective at gaining appointments and seeing prospects.
How To Get Your Prospects To Sell Themselves
As network marketers we all know that the ideal way to have a constant flow of prospects is to attract them to us instead of chasing them down. People hate to be sold but they love to buy. What if there was a way to have your prospects sell themselves? In fact there is a way. The secret is :
Don’t Market Products or Opportunities. Market Information.
For those who don’t know, this method is called educational marketing. You see, implementing this method will increase results by 100% - 1000% for someone like me that was at one point caught up in “harassment” marketing techniques. To attract people to you, you have to position yourself as a leader and in order to do that you must show that you know what you are doing.
