Jumpstart Your Business

I’ve arrived at the conclusion that I always want to tip better if my wait person smiles and makes me feel comfortable. So I’ve stolen a little from a Nat King Cole classic and written a song for all wait staff:

Smile though your feet are aching
Smile though your back is breaking
Although a tear may be ever so near
That’s the time you must keep on trying
Smile, what’s the use of crying?
You’ll get your tips in a higher pile
If you just smile

Today, most customers search the web, read blogs, forums & group discussions, ask questions in their social networks, join on-line communities, and, in the end, know very well what they want, where to buy, and most important how much to pay. The bigger the purchase, the more completely the customer educates him/herself. So, like that bad penny that keeps turning up, the objection about PRICE will keep coming your way. This difficult objection, one that is not easy to handle without some thought, comes flying out of nowhere (it seems) and you have to respond. Griff has some ideas on handling the price objection.

Have a clear message

Make it easy for your clients to understand what you are selling and why it benefits them. Sooner or later they’ll figure it out so help them get there fast. This way, if there is no benefit to them, they’ll be on their merry way to something else and will not hold a grudge against you for wasting their time.

When you hear the objections: “We don’t have a need” or “We don’t have the budget” – what do you do?

Here are some tips.

Selling is about understanding and fulfilling your customers needs. Closing the sale is important but unless you solve the customer’s problem and show him/her that your product/service gives value, you won’t get the deal. In this economic downturn, this becomes even more important so you need to understand your customer’s needs and objectives by asking relevant questions and listening to the answers.

A repeat customer can be your most valuable asset in a small business. You have the opportunity to create a repeat customer from every new customer. You can reach your sales numbers by getting your customers to spend more on other items you offer. Here are 5 things to keep in mind to get repeat customers.

Never listen to your customer. Just tell him/her what you’re going to tell him/her. Tell it to him/her. Then shut up and watch him/her squirm.

Don’t try to figure out what makes him/her think. Who cares. Just get the money.

Always cover every feature of your product and the associated benefits. He/she has to understand all the things they’re getting for the price.

If he/she doesn’t say anything you’re home free. They are just getting ready to sign the order.

Sales Quota in $ or units sold
# of returns or chargebacks
# of units booked
# of units shipped
# of units for which $ is collected
# of sales people making quota
# of customer complaints

And more….
It all depends on your comapny and the products or services you sell.

Some products just go out of style. Sometimes technological advances, new governmental regulations, or health related discoveries can cause products to become unpopular . You should look very carefully at unloading products like these. Forget keeping certain items to please a good customer unless the customer is willing to pay you for the losses you’re incurring.

In response to my post A Different Look At Selling, Alan Zell sent me an article of his from which I excerpted the following gem:

Sales people spend someone else’s time, space, effort, and/or money and how well they do this determines their relationship with that person – the customer. They are in business to ensure that the customers’ time, effort, and/or money is spent as efficiently and effectively as possible. Thus, selling is a partnership. If customers believe their partners are misspending their time, space, effort or money, they soon break off the partnership.

The seller should not consider him/herself as representing his/her firm, but rather as the customer’s liaison to the firm . . . the job therefore is to represent the customer by finding which of the firm’s services or products will fill the customer’s needs. It means that the first obligation of any business is to put the most proficient person or people in front of customers. To do less is being penny wise and pound foolish.

Salespeople should be taught several basic questions to ask of themselves:

• Who has a need for what I am selling?
• Does it help solve customers’ problem(s)?
• How will it help them be better?
• Am I the right person and am I using the right method(s) to make my presentations?
• Does my offering solve my/our problems rather than the customer™s problem(s)?
• By solving my customers™ problem(s) will I be solving mine or will solving my problem(s) also solve my customers™?It can be summed up in a formula for successful selling:.c y C a / cya = ?

  This is a division problem with a solution = C ¦ Customer

  In words it says if you always cover your customer™__s then for sure you always cover your __s

If you are interested in the entire article please send us an email at ynot@ychange.com

First level selling, or getting the customer to buy your product, used to be the process of showing the customer the features and benefits of your product or service and then asking the customer to buy. There were many techniques developed to handle the customer’s objections and the process was termed closing the sale and it typically left the customer feeling used, bruised and abused.

Second level selling, or getting the customer to buy your solution to his/her problem, which we currently practice is a process where we focus on the customer’s need/pain and show how our product or service would satisfy the need or alleviate the pain. This is more to the benefit of the customer but still does not solve the one very troubling problem that always remains for the customer – how to prove to him/herself or to others that the investment that was just made was a worthwhile one.

This brings us to third level selling, or teaching the customer how to sell. A colleague of mine Alan Zell, defines selling as a four step process: that involves Buying, Marketing, Presenting and Selling. In order to get the customer to buy we actually need to show the customer how to sell him/herself or others that the investment that was just made during the buying process was a sound one.