Tags |
|
|
Links |
|
|
Hub You - Ten Ways to Make Prospects Like You Enough to Buy from You
Founded over 200 years ago, the United States of America is a country of diversity. And in the ensuing years, a belief system evolved in which individuals and their respective traditions were asked to assimilate into the existing culture. This “melting pot” approach presumed that the strengths of each contributor meld together made the country stronger.Now, with even greater diversity, does this approach acknowledge and, more importantly, work with the natural strengths of individuals? Possibly, a more innovative strategy needs to be considered which blends all the contributors together without losing their strengths resulting in a more dramatic and flavorful recipe.For a few moments, envision a tossed salad. The salad bowl is brimming with a variety of different greens including romaine, endive and spinach. Within this sea of greens, are mixed bright red tomatoes, thinly sliced orange carrots, strips of yellow peppers, bits of Swiss cheese and black or green olives. Even before the salad is covered with a favorite dressing, each individual ingredient in this bowl enhances the overall flavor of the dish.Using this analogy, think of individuals w
2. Remember the Platinum Rule. No, I’m n
You probably know by now that the more people who know about you and your coaching practice the greater chance you have of attracting clients. However, running a coaching practice from home can become an isolating experience with fewer chances for human interaction. You need to get out more ;-)You may have come to the point (begrudgingly or otherwise) that you need to do some networking to build your list of contacts and build business relationships. There are a wide range of options available if you want to network but I believe that few can compete with the professional networking groups run by BNI or BRE.These groups have been specifically set-up to exchange business referrals between members. Unlike the Chambers of Commerce or Business Link meetings, they have exclusive membership so normally you'll be the only coach in the group. They also meet up on a weekly basis (rather than monthly) so you have the ability to develop strong relationships with the other members of the group more rapidly.However, would BNI or BRE be right for you?Here are some questions to ask yourself: 1. Are you a morning person? - BNI and BR
The only possible exception occurs when buyers have no choice but to do business with a particular salesperson or a particular company. Perhaps the company manufacturers or sells a proprietary product or service. Perhaps the buyer’s preferred vendor is out of stock and the buyer has to go elsewhere to service his or her customer. There are probably several other reasons I could think of, but these are rare exceptions, not the rule.
As I said above, people by and large do business with people they like. I would even go so far as to say that people go out of their way NOT to do business with people that they DON’T like.
Some call this system the “good old boy” system and say that it’s not fair. I disagree. I believe that it is everyone’s right to do business with whomever they choose. If how much buyers like a particular salesperson is the criteria they choose -- well, it’s their money and they can spend it wherever and with whomever they wish.
As the salesperson, it’s your job to make prospects like you better than they like the salesperson they currently do business with. If prospects like your competitor better than they like you, whose fault is it? I believe it’s your fault! If 99.9% of buyers do business with people they like, then your skill level at getting your prospects to like you better than they like your competitor is certainly as important if not more important than all of the other skills a top producing salesperson must possess.
Techniques to Get Prospect to Like You
1. Put the prospect’s interests above your interests. Never be so desperate for an order that you will make a sale when it would be in the customer’s best interest to purchase another product from another salesperson. When a meeting planner calls me to discuss speaking at, say, the company’s managers conference, I always quiz the meeting planner to make sure that I am the best speaker for the job. If I’m not – if I know of a speaker that would provide more value than I can provide – I do my best to guide the meeting planner in the direction of the more appropriate speaker. When prospects see you putting their interests ahead of your own, you all of a sudden become better liked and better respected.
2. Remember the Platinum Rule. No, I’m no
While most corporations, big and small, profess to work in partnership with every element of their work force, they only pay it token regard.Yet working in partnership with all, helps all to realize their dreams, and when this happens an enormous amount of energy and intelligence is released. This, in turn, creates smoother, more productive processes and a spike in the bottom line.Working in most corporations is a place of power struggles, where the rules that define the organization are used as a club to keep people in line.Cooperation and engagement are usually relegated to lip service and the actual experience for all involved is coercion and resistance.The idea of visionary business, although elementary, is seldom practiced.Ironically, visionary business works, and it works very well. Examples of visionary businesses are easy to find simply by looking at the most successful. Where any business is successful, it is because of a high level of partnership existing within it. Similarly, in those businesses that struggle, it is due to many points of internal opposition and many lines of duress.An obvious aspect of a principle
As I said above, people by and large do business with people they like. I would even go so far as to say that people go out of their way NOT to do business with people that they DON’T like.
Some call this system the “good old boy” system and say that it’s not fair. I disagree. I believe that it is everyone’s right to do business with whomever they choose. If how much buyers like a particular salesperson is the criteria they choose -- well, it’s their money and they can spend it wherever and with whomever they wish.
As the salesperson, it’s your job to make prospects like you better than they like the salesperson they currently do business with. If prospects like your competitor better than they like you, whose fault is it? I believe it’s your fault! If 99.9% of buyers do business with people they like, then your skill level at getting your prospects to like you better than they like your competitor is certainly as important if not more important than all of the other skills a top producing salesperson must possess.
Techniques to Get Prospect to Like You
1. Put the prospect’s interests above your interests. Never be so desperate for an order that you will make a sale when it would be in the customer’s best interest to purchase another product from another salesperson. When a meeting planner calls me to discuss speaking at, say, the company’s managers conference, I always quiz the meeting planner to make sure that I am the best speaker for the job. If I’m not – if I know of a speaker that would provide more value than I can provide – I do my best to guide the meeting planner in the direction of the more appropriate speaker. When prospects see you putting their interests ahead of your own, you all of a sudden become better liked and better respected.
2. Remember the Platinum Rule. No, I’m n
Knowing when the chronological versus the functional resume format works best is crucial to creating a powerful resume. There are 3 main types of formats for resumes:Chronological, or more accurately, Reverse Chronological Functional A combination, or hybrid of the two Of course, there are many other variations of the 3 named above as well. You’re really free to use whichever resume format you prefer, but there are certain situations where one format works better than another in selling you and your abilities. Keep reading to learn more.The Chronological Resume FormatWhat it is. This type of resume format is the traditional, and still most common, format. It’s also the easiest to write. You organize it in reverse order by employer, with your most recent job listed first.When it works best. This kind of resume format highlights your career progression and growth. Employers like it because it’s usually easy to read and can be scanned quickly for your employment history. Here are the situations where it works best:When you’ve worked st
As the salesperson, it’s your job to make prospects like you better than they like the salesperson they currently do business with. If prospects like your competitor better than they like you, whose fault is it? I believe it’s your fault! If 99.9% of buyers do business with people they like, then your skill level at getting your prospects to like you better than they like your competitor is certainly as important if not more important than all of the other skills a top producing salesperson must possess.
Techniques to Get Prospect to Like You
1. Put the prospect’s interests above your interests. Never be so desperate for an order that you will make a sale when it would be in the customer’s best interest to purchase another product from another salesperson. When a meeting planner calls me to discuss speaking at, say, the company’s managers conference, I always quiz the meeting planner to make sure that I am the best speaker for the job. If I’m not – if I know of a speaker that would provide more value than I can provide – I do my best to guide the meeting planner in the direction of the more appropriate speaker. When prospects see you putting their interests ahead of your own, you all of a sudden become better liked and better respected.
2. Remember the Platinum Rule. No, I’m n
Having to wait up to 60 days for commercial customers to pay their invoices can be one of the biggest challenges that owners of small to mid size companies have to face. Waiting to get paid is not usually an issue for well-established companies that have a significant cash cushion in the bank. However, it can seriously affect smaller companies or companies that are going through a significant growth phase.Most owners react to this cash flow problem by going to the bank, hoping to obtain a loan or a line of credit. However, banks have strict lending guidelines and seldom lend money to businesses that cannot demonstrate three years of profitable operations and cannot provide audited financial statements. Furthermore, most bank financing products tend to have arbitrary limits, which are based on your existing financial capacity, rather than your projected growth.What growing businesses need is a form of financing that is tied to sales, allowing you to get more working capital, as your company grows. Furthermore, the solution should work for small and mid size businesses that may not have established credit histories, but that have great paying customers. Is
Techniques to Get Prospect to Like You
1. Put the prospect’s interests above your interests. Never be so desperate for an order that you will make a sale when it would be in the customer’s best interest to purchase another product from another salesperson. When a meeting planner calls me to discuss speaking at, say, the company’s managers conference, I always quiz the meeting planner to make sure that I am the best speaker for the job. If I’m not – if I know of a speaker that would provide more value than I can provide – I do my best to guide the meeting planner in the direction of the more appropriate speaker. When prospects see you putting their interests ahead of your own, you all of a sudden become better liked and better respected.
2. Remember the Platinum Rule. No, I’m n
The real question would be, how are they actually paid? But let’s start at the beginning. Assuming you are the archetype small, family-run business, that is the typical Yellow Page advertiser, you probably have a YP rep that sees you every year. Or perhaps you are a moderate spender that only warrants a telephone call instead. Either way, you will be contacted by the rep and should be aware of some basic truths. What qualifies me to give them to you, you may ask? Because I was a YP rep for 25 years, owned my own advertising agency prior to that and have a degree in marketing. So, with those credentials, let’s look at the rep. On every call they should be providing: A review of your current YP programAn overview of all the new products that are availableA recommendation for your next year’s programAn ad redesign or, if you have just a listing, a potential adStatistics, testimonials, and usage studies specific to your industryAnswers to any of your questionsContinuity: that is, the same rep contacts you every yearUnfortunately, the last statement isn’t always the case. Many YP publishers pref
2. Remember the Platinum Rule. No, I’m not confusing my precious metals. The Golden Rule says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The Platinum Rule© says, “Do unto others as THEY would have you do unto THEM.”
There’s a big difference between these two rules. One focuses on you and what you like, while the other focuses on your prospects and that THEY like. Another way of putting it might be to say:
“Treat your prospects like they like to be treated.”
“Talk to your prospects about the kinds of topics that they like to talk about.”
3. Dedicate time to researching your prospects.
Learn a lot about your prospects likes and dislikes, pet peeves, interests, hobbies, hot buttons, etc. The more you know about a person, the better position you’re in to apply the Platinum Rule, earn their respect and make them look forward to your visits.
A few years ago, my daughter was sales manager for Nextel in Charlotte. One day she called me from the Lowe’s Motor Speedway. “What are you doing at a race,” I asked her in amazement that she would be spending her Saturday at race track.
“As you know, dad, most of my customers here are home builders and every time we’re together, all they seem to talk about is NASCAR racing. If I’m going to have a chance of beating out my competitors in this market, I’m going to have to be able to participate in conversations that include NASCAR. That’s why I’m here.
Personally, I love Atlanta Braves baseball, but when I work in Philadelphia or New York, I don’t find a groundswell of interest in the Atlanta Braves. In fact, the baseball fans in the northeast seem to be pretty tired of the Braves winning the Eastern Division year after year. So when I am talking to prospects in those markets, it behooves me to learn a little bit about the Philadelphia Phillies, the New York Mets and Yankees.
4.
HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
<a href="http://www.iadvice.info/article/39949/iadvice-Ten-Ways-to-Make-Prospects-Like-You-Enough-to-Buy-from-You.html">Ten Ways to Make Prospects Like You Enough to Buy from You</a>
BB link (for phorums):
[url=http://www.iadvice.info/article/39949/iadvice-Ten-Ways-to-Make-Prospects-Like-You-Enough-to-Buy-from-You.html]Ten Ways to Make Prospects Like You Enough to Buy from You[/url]
Related Articles:
Delegate to Accelerate Success (How to Prepare Yourself and Others for Success)
The Fortune is in the Follow Up
Bookmark it:
|