Advertisement Ideas: Forget The Salesman Approach!!!
When discussing sales people I often hear they are pushy, full of themselves, and will say anything to make the sale. This perception has led to many people programming themselves to say I am not interested from the first interaction. Sales is an integral part of any business be it a sole proprietorship or a large corporation a brick and mortar business or a home based business and mastering sales is a key to success. I have found that over the years it is important to overcome the perception of being a salesman because of the misconceived notion that sales people are sleazy and out for themselves. The best way to avoid being perceived in a negative way is to forget the salesman approach and become more interested in the people you are interacting with.
The first thing you are instructed to do in sales is to make cold calls. I believe this is the wrong approach as you can see from the chart that most people are not receptive to cold calls. Cold calls can be a part of the process, however there is an art to the cold call. In my 20 plus years of experience in the for profit and non-profit sectors I have found that when cold calling it is best to simply do your research and find out who the decision maker is, this can be easily done by google searches or using sources like The Hoover’s Guide To American Businesses. Many times know who to ask for will get you past the gate-keeper. I also suggest you get the gate keepers name and make friends with him or her so next time you call they will put you through. After you get to the decision maker do not begin your pitch right away tell them that you chose to contact them as you are looking to assist businesses like theirs and would like to set up an appointment to show them what you are offering. The appointment can be done via phone or in person if they are local. The key is to begin a relationship as we all know people will do business with those they know, like, and trust. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: Forget The Salesman Approach!!!
When I think of the word network the movie scene where the radio host urges people to go their windows and yell out I am mad as hell and I am not going to take it anymore.
Is this how you feel when you attend networking events only to be bombarded by those looking to sell you something or enroll you in their program when the proper aspect of networking would be to share and lern about the other person. I did this today at The Cuccess Mix and Mingle. The word is spelled incorrectly on purpose as there are 3 cs needed to become a successful business person commitment, communication, and collaboration. As you build your network you will begin to see that being of service and value is a key component. Think about what can you do to enhance the lives of those you come in contact with at a networking function. Sometimes it may not be an official networking activity, however you will find yourself meeting people that you can be of assistance so always carry you contact info with you. If your calling card is the book you wrote carry it with you and give it out, if it is a cd you made hand that out, if it is business card hand that out. Remember when you are networking you want to be remembered so make sure you have something that makes you stand out. At many networking events I am asked to make announcements because of my great announcer voice, many times I will meet the organizer at the event and offer my services and many times the organizer didn’t even think about the importance of having a professional voice. This is one way I stand out. The key to creating a deep network is to stand out so people will know about you and feel as they know you, like you, and trust you.
As you network keep in mind that it is like teaching the world to sing as the more people you share with and find commonality the bigger your network will become and the more potential clients you will have. I often stress using a 3 foot rule, where if someone is within 3 feet of you, you talk to them as you never know how you can be of service and value to each other. Continue reading Advertisement Ideas: How Deep Is Your Network