Stop Being so Polite

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brian-wangenheim-5Qhrd6hsZdc-unsplashDon’t make the same mistake I made when I started my first sales job cold calling years ago … with no training.

I mistakenly thought strangers would be happy to hear from me because … why not?  After all, they could buy top quality office products from my company and I was politely phoning to let them know how they could get these necessary products.

The Wrong Way to Begin a Cold Call

Me:  After introducing myself – “How are you today?”

What was the reaction from the listener?

  • 90 percent of the time the listener either immediately hung up, or
  • Transferred me to another extension without saying a word, or
  • Used words I won’t repeat here..
    :-(
    Later I learned that when a stranger calls and immediately asks “how are you today,” most folks KNOW that caller is going to try and sell something. I also learned that there are more effective ways to begin a cold call with someone who does not know you..
    –
    The First Question Matters – and Here’s Why
    -
    Thanks for reading – here’s wishing you a healthy and fun day!
    Ann
    PS – the next one-to-one e-Course begins Wednesday. You can see a description of how the course works on this page.
    -
    Questions about the course?  email me: annbarr@annbarr.com. I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.  You can see the Registration form on this page.
  • -
    PPS – Interesting feedback from recent e-Course students:
    -
    “This program is really great! I’ve learned how to personalize the message for the prospect and have been able to find companies who are looking to buy within the next year. The worksheets very naturally drag out ideas for me. As a result of this course, I am a lot more confident than I was. Thanks for all of your help, Ann.”
    -
    Chad Hale, Business Development Director
    Superior Document Solutions, Duluth, Georgia
    “Ann, during your e-Course I have gotten more confidence in speaking and relaying to people the information I need in order for me to help them. People seem to respond and open up to me with more information. Thank you!”Marie Grace Dace, Account Executive
    Maunakea Integrated Solutions
    Honolulu, Hawaii 

Returning Your Call

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free-to-use-sounds-QwqMtGYyH-0-unsplashOn Thursday when I checked my voice mail messages, this was the first message:

“Hi Ann, this is Janet returning your call. You can reach me today until 5 pm Eastern time at [her phone number].”

What was wrong with this message?

I didn’t call anyone named Janet.

Neither the name, the phone number or the area where she placed the call were familiar.

Some may think this is a clever way to reach a busy person who may have forgotten that she placed the call.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time I had received a message like this.  Trust is destroyed with deceptive calls like this. And can never be rebuilt.

I love this quote from Stephen Covey:

“Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.” –  Stephen R. Covey     

Thanks for reading – here’s wishing you a safe and healthy day!

Ann

PS:  Looking for creative ways to boost your sales? Join my e-Course!
Email annbarr@annbarr.com with any questions you may have. You can see answers to some of your questions plus tuition information here. Convenient payment options are available.   Registration form on this page

Effective voice mail message tips:

What happened to voice mail?   and:

Why bother to leave a voicemail message?  and:

3 reasons why it’s important to leave a voicemail message

 

Credibility

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markus-winkler-yYpmCA32U_M-unsplash“Trust is the most powerful tool that a leader or organization can have.”

          - August Turak, Author

A question for you:

Is there one action you can take that will help to establish trust and build credibility with your clients?

Answer:  Yes.

Credibility, trust and so much more. Especially if you take this action on a regular basis.

You can:

  1. Establish credibility
  2. Add value to your services
  3. Lock down your niche
  4. Spur word-of-mouth referrals
  5. Save selling time
  6. Educate prospects
    and
  7. Increase sales from current clients

Here’s how:

If you are an expert in your field and you can apply your expertise to help folks solve problems or achieve results, you have the basis for creating a readable and welcome e-newsletter.

And

For your e-newsletter to NOT be immediately deleted, create a subject line that  attracts attention, interest and curiosity.

Example

Recently a message came to me because I’m a customer of Vital Choice Seafood. They send emails once a week and I don’t always open them unless there is something I want to order.

(Emailing to clients can be challenging if you don’t want them to think: “Oh, it’s her again. I don’t need to read this.” But the subject line in that email was so compelling I had to open and read it.)

This was the subject line: “Preferred Customer Alert.“

Wow!  How could I not open that email?  And the information in that email was important; a bit of news that I was grateful they shared with me.

Think about it.

Because you know your clients, think about what subject line will attract the most attention and what words will motivate them to open and read your email.

Ask for permission

When you are talking to your clients ask if they would like to receive emails from you on a regular basis. Weekly, monthly, twice a month or whatever you feel you can handle. And not just emails to sell products or services. Emails that will help solve problems or provide new information.  A bit of sales information when it doesn’t take up most of the email is good. The point is: you want clients to feel they will benefit by reading your emails.

Thanks for reading – here’s wishing you a safe and healthy day!

Ann
PS: If you have a new employee or a seasoned sales rep looking for creative ways to connect with clients and increase sales, take a look at my e-Course and if you have questions, send an email to me: annbarr@annbarr.com. I’d love to hear from you!

— 

Forget Cold Calls – Do This Instead

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tim-mossholder-sxb8StmTfaw-unsplashFirst:

3 serious questions to ask yourself:

1.  Have all of your inactive customers been contacted during the past three months?

2.  Are all of your current and past customers aware of ALL of the products and services you have to offer?

 3.  Do ALL of your customers buy everything they could possibly buy from you?

If you answered “no” to any of these questions – think about it:

Do you really want to start making cold calls before all of your inactive customers have been contacted?

If your focus is on bringing in new customers by cold calling BEFORE contacting inactive customers, you are actually leaving money on the table.

Before making more cold calls, think about this:

  • Your current customers KNOW you
  • They LIKE you, and
  • They TRUST you!

So … you will get less rejection and more sales when you contact your current clients.

Thanks for reading – here’s wishing you an awesome day!
Ann

PS:  Looking for creative ways to boost your sales? Join my e-Course!
Email annbarr@annbarr.com with any questions you may have. You can see answers to some of your questions plus tuition information here. Convenient payment options are available.

PPS: If you don’t believe you can be successful at sales, read what Kevin wrote.

And here is a fact -

Your employees may have skills you are not aware of yet. Grace wrote this:

“Ann, during your e-Course I have gotten more confidence in speaking and relaying to people the information I need in order for me to help them. People seem to respond and open up to me with more information. Thank you!”

- Marie Grace Dace, Account Executive, Maunakea Integrated Solutions, Honolulu, Hawaii

 

3 Best Ways to Answer the Dreaded Price Objection

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hassan-ouajbir-IYU_YmMRm7s-unsplashYou know that feeling, when the prospect seems interested, you’ve given your perfect presentation,
then …

... gulp. You hear the dreaded price objection :-(

What to do first:

  • Wait for the prospect to finish speaking.
  • Pause for 3-5 seconds.
  • Then ask a question.

 Prospect: “I’ve seen lower prices on this product.”

3 BEST ANSWERS

1.) Your answer: ” I understand. Are you saying that our prices are high in comparison to Internet prices or our competitors?”

The prospect may have seen lower prices on the Internet. If that’s the case, you can share horror stories from your customers about their negative experiences buying from websites like ebay.

If your price is higher than the competition’s, this opens the door for you to differentiate on value. You have more to offer than just price.

Prospect: “It’s too expensive.”

2.) Your answer: “I understand. In fact, I had two other customers just like you who were uneasy about the price at first. But what they found was … “

Use quotes from your happy customers who have written to focus on the value of buying your products, like free training, etc.

Prospect: “Your price is too high.”

3.) Your answer: “Setting price aside, do we have the product/service you want to buy?”

If the prospect answers “yes,” you can follow up with a very important follow-up question.

Your follow-up question:  In addition to price, what else is important to you?” 

After your prospect replies, you can stress the benefits your company offers, like fast delivery, personal service and you can quote from positive testimonials you have received.

You will discover more answers to objections – and much more – in my one-to-one private e-course.  And you can sign up for more sales tips on this page. 

 Thanks for reading – here’s wishing you a fantastic day!

Ann

PS – to sign up for the next e-Course, please email: annbarr@annbarr.com and ask me any question on your mind.

PPS – Good news: Your BTA educational discount applies for this course!  

PPPS – You can see the registration form on this page