|
Favorits •
Web Domain Directory •
ODP •
Annuaire FR •
Directorio ES •
Directory EN •
Diretório PT •
IT Katalog •
Czech Katalog •
Polski Katalog •
Maps •
Satellite Photos •
View Card
|
||
|
|
Sales |
|
|
| ||
 |
YOUR Future Profits -- Protect Source With CARE
At 21 years, just out of Business College, I went into the mail-order business. Spent 4-1/2 years in this venture and learned many valuable lessons about building customer relationships. #1 is TRUST. Folks like to buy from someone who is dependable and responsible.... with integrity.... one who "walks" their "talk". You'll like our company name - Donna's House of Lustre -"Lustre" is about bright and shiny stuff. We sold silverware, dinnerware and related products. Some products were even imported for us. A great first business experience that has served me well. Here's my point. We'd send out 50,000 direct mail pieces (cold list) offering a great product and price. 2% response was good. 1,000 sales. 49,000 mailed pieces wasted. 98% waste UNTIL the prospect became a customer AFTER knowing that we over-delivered on our promises. Next, we would send the 1,000 BUYERS a special offer and get a 10 to 20% return with orders. Why? Their first experience with us was good. Value was received and confidence built in the relationship. The longer we were in business the more valuable each customer was to us as a friend, profits too. Your best investment with your customer is to "exceed their expectation". Nothing less will satisfy and keep the pipelines filled with new orders. Today, we look for the salesperson to go beyond prior performance, to do more, and more again. Point is - profits are greatest in repeat business because you eliminate the waste. Many firms lose money on the first sale and make it up in future business AFTER passing the initial test of integrity and good business ethics. VALUE - UP SELLING Several opportunities come to mind. Did you offer the "Cadillac" STS or the "low-end" vanilla version in your promotion piece? Can you offer the customer a bonus opportunity to add new features? Better controls? Higher volume? Easier to read directions? Discounts on a second item? Buy two get one free? Not "bait" and "switch" which is BAD customer service. You should always have in stock the exact item you have featured in your advertising. It is grossly unfair to invite a potential buyer into your store and then be out of stock EXCEPT for a higher priced model. All of us appreciate knowing that a "better" model is available. It is quite possible that we would prefer the "best" rather than "no" features. Give your customer the option and he or she will be the decision-maker. Show the benefits of owning each one. Everyone wants to save TIME. Get the job done faster. More features should mean more benefits. Remember, we all want to know WIIFM (what's In It For Me!) Maybe a price concession is currently available. Always remember the old saying, "nothing ventured, nothing gained". You have to inquire to find the buyers "hot" button. Your job is to meet the needs of the customer. BACK-end SELLING In our mail-order days we called it "back-end" selling because it was the sales items that caught a "ride" with the outgoing products. Tag along, hitch a ride for FREE. No cost for advertising pieces except printing. No postage or mailing expense. At the time, we sold an 8 place setting of stainless silverware (fork, knife and spoon) to the housewife. A super buy! Our "back-end" items were iced teaspoons, gravy ladle, butter knife, serving spoons, grill sets, dishes and all the rest. Hundreds of our customers purchased everything we offered. It was a good feeling to know we were exceeding their very best expectations. Some bought for other members in their family and recommended us to their friends. Our kind of customer! Our goal is to exceed your expectations in everything that we do. Any articles that you receive or products that are offered or purchased from us MUST be the highest quality and never fall short of the best. Risk reversal is the key to success. Your customer should not have to take any kind of personal risk when doing business with you or your company. If your product fails to live up to expectation or to meet a need then a refund is in order. Action Tip: Greatest profit potential is in future sales AFTER the first. Integrity and trust are KEY to growing your business on or off the Internet. Mail-order sales and Internet sales have much in common. Risk reversal for the customer makes buying our products an easy decision. 100% unconditional guarantee of satisfaction is an Internet imperative. Don Monteith spent 32 years in the Staffing Business. His firm placed thousands of job candidates in their Dream Job. Today, he shares his expertise. Learn more by visiting his website at: http://www.HowToGetYourDreamJob.com
MORE RESOURCES: |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
7 Ways to Stop Selling & Start Building Relationships Sometimes we can all use a friendly reminder to keep us from backsliding into old ways of thinking about selling that lead us down the wrong path with potential clients.I was inspired to write this article after a few coaching sessions with a client named Michael, who sells a technology solution. The "Write" Way to More Sales The sales letter you can't put down?the advertising copy that makes you want the product?the resume that prompts you to call the job candidate this second?all these are examples of exceptional business writing. While you certainly know good writing when you see it, can you write with the same pizzazz the professionals use to hold your attention for pages on end?In today's selling arena, writing skills have taken a backseat to other seemingly more important professional development activities. How to Lose the Sale Quickly & Easily Here are five sure-fire ways to guarantee you will not get the sale;Focus on yourself. I recall meeting several salespeople from a variety of vendors regarding an initiative I was working on for a client. What Do Mobile Auto Detailers Clean When it Rains? A mobile auto detailer and their profits are tied to the weather perhaps more than any other business. There are ways to make money even on a rainy day if you are smart. 60 Ways to Increase Your Mail Order Catalog Sales This article is meant to inform. Please don't construe this as legal advice. Improve Your Sales Closing Ratio Occasionally EGOPOWER readers send me questions or topic suggestions that I feel would be of interest to you. In this issue I give some tips to improve your sales closing ratio in response to a question Rob Smith wrote me from the UK: "I sell IT equipment to schools in the UK over the phone. Dont Let Rattlesnakes Scare You Recently I was out trail running along the South Fork of the Yuba River. The Yuba River is in a beautiful canyon running east-west through the middle of Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. Ten FAST Ways to Sell Your Products Always give a reason for the sale for credibility. 1. Prepare to Sell! Sales is a critical part of any business, including non-profits. Sales is not complicated or difficult, but requires preparation, consistent action and a plan. Persuading Learners to Buy: 7 Groups There are seven major reasons why adults continue their pursuit to learn. Each of the reasons play into the way you want to present your sales information. Recommending Products Vs. Selling Them Some of the best sales people I have ever met, were able to meet all of their sales goals without ever selling a thing. They simply recommended their products to their customers. Selling: an art of a skill? Selling is as much an art as it is a skill. The basics of the selling process can be learned by anyone, but the practice of selling is something that the super star sales people have brought to an art level. Are You REALLY Listening? Being a good listener requires more than just keeping quiet while the other person is talking. Do you hear everything that is being said? Do you understand it completely?Here are some tips on how to become a more effective listener:FOCUS in on the basic message. Sales Copy Tips Writing good sales copy is not an art, it is a science. There is no reason to get creative here. Doomed Before You Dial? Several weeks ago, I conducted a "Mastering the Cold Call" seminar for the Printing Industries of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. At the end of the seminar, a participant came up to me and said, "Thank you! I learned so much! I learned 'Don't Take No for an Answer. The Struggle to Decide: The Paths Customers Take to Solve Problems Usually my essays discuss the issues that the 'sales' method initiates, methods such as over-long buying cycles, product and brand differentiation problems, price competition, and objections. This article focuses on the buyer: what, precisely, is the real problem they face; and how you lose differentiation/competitive edge/time through your faulty assumption that a sale can be achieved through a clear-cut equation:problem + appropriate product + professional sales effort = sale. Great Telephone Skills Having good telephone skills is crucial as the call may be the catalyst for a prospective sale or provide vital counseling for a member of public. However, since both parties may not see each other face-to-face, a telephone conversation may not lead to favourable results; on the flip side, it may lead to unintended misunderstanding. Six Steps to Creating Online Presentations for Telephone Selling How much extra money could you make by closing just one or two additional sales a day? You can double, or even triple, the effectiveness of your telephone selling by showing prospects why they should buy from you, instead of just telling them.Clients and prospects are visually oriented. The Benefits of Buying Used Store Fixtures The difference between antique or vintage store fixtures and used store fixtures is simple: antique fixtures have a classic look and style. In many cases they are brand new but manufactured in a style of the past such as deco or minimalist. Do Your Words Betray You? What do the words that you use say about you? What is your basic message? Do your words support that basic message? As a business owner, entrepreneur or sales professional, part of your message must be of confidence and authority. You always want your prospect or your customer to see you as an expert in your field, as someone who is credible and someone who is knowledgeable.
|