The Selling Sherpa

Sales Tip of the Day: FOR WHAT ITS WORTH

2009-12-02T00:04:10-08:00

One of the things you should do to help you understand the potential of your selling situation is evaluate every existing customer relationship for what its worth.

To do this, you’ll need to dust off your math skills....or send me an email with “value” in the subject line and I will share an excel based calculator you can use.

First, determine how many years a loyal customer is likely to stay with you. Then, multiply that number by the number of times a loyal customer typically makes a purchase each year. Multiply that result by the dollar amount of the average purchase and you will know the total gross sales your average loyal customer will contribute to your company.

Finally, apply your profit margin to the total gross sales, and you will know how profitable the average loyal customer is. Or, apply your commission rate (instead of profit margin) to the total gross sales and you will know how much commission you’ll earn from each customer.

Take a good long look at that number. That’s the money you turn down when you don’t return a call, or follow up, or remain persistent.

Do the math and evaluate those customers for what they are worth, and make sure they get every pennies worth of attention they deserve.

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

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Patrick Williams, Hit-Maker
Helping people and businesses be #1 in their market!
http://www.YouRockCommunications.com · 253-318-7503

Sales Tip of the Day: HAVE A CIGAR

2009-12-01T02:10:49-08:00

Want to be memorable to your customer or prospect? Make a memory by congratulating them upon the successes, accomplishments, or events that merit commemoration.

See a notice about them receiving an award or recognition? Drop in for a quick visit and to say, “have a cigar” or “here’s a bottle of champagne to celebrate with” (but only if you know they enjoy either of these), or some other appropriate token of esteem.

If you see them featured in a news story (newspaper, magazine, trade paper, or online versions), make sure to send a copy to them and tell them how happy you are to read about them. [Believe it or not, I still have a card from my bank at the time who used this technique to congratulate me on my election....to Junior Class Treasurer in High School!] You’ll get extra points if you get the article matted and framed, then present it to them.

When you take the time to acknowledge the milestones in someone else’s life, you set yourself apart from the average salesperson.

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

Sales Tip of the Day: BLACK FRIDAY

2009-11-30T00:01:00-08:00

According to ShopperTrak, there was a 0.5% increase in spending on last week’s Black Friday.

Is it because the economy is improving? We all hope so.

But the biggest reason Black Friday sales are always the strongest of the year is because retailers have trained all of us to go shopping on that day.

Through consistent promotion and advertising, we have been conditioned to expect some of the best prices on that day. Sadly, we’ve also been conditioned to expect some of the worst shopping conditions on that day.

Yet, we still brave the lousy parking, terrible traffic, and frequently less-than-perfect customer service. Or we go online to get the same items at the same price.

Black Friday rocks because of conditioning.

What are you doing to condition your customers to spend with you?

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

Sales Tip of the Day: HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2009-11-26T00:01:00-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Even the most professional salesperson (that's you!) should schedule time to share with family and friends. So it is with me, as well.

The "Sales Tip of the Day" will resume on Monday, November 30.

During this time, I hope you celebrate the many blessings in life that give us all a reason to be thankful.

Thank you for being a subscriber, a fan, a friend.

You REALLY Rock!
Pat

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Patrick Williams, Hit-Maker
Helping people and businesses be #1 in their market!
http://www.YouRockCommunications.com · 253-318-7503

Sales Tip of the Day: I THANK YOU

2009-11-25T00:51:01-08:00

Early in his career, sales trainer Tom Hopkins made it a goal to send at least 10 thank-you notes every day. By the end of the year, his business was virtually 100% referral. The people he thanked sent him new customers because he made them feel appreciated.

Here are some ideas for how you can incorporate more “Thank You” in your day.

Thank a prospect for taking your call.
“Thank you for talking with me on the telephone. I know time is precious, and I’ll always respect the time you invest as we discuss the possibility of developing a business relationship.”

Thank a prospect for meeting with you.
“It was a pleasure meeting you. Thank you for the time we shared. We’ve served many happy customers, and my wish is to someday serve you. If you have any questions, please call.”

Thank a customer for making a purchase.
“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to offer you our finest service. I know you’ll be happy with your investment. My goal now is to offer excellent service so you’ll refer others to me.”

Thank a non-customer for not making a purchase.
“Thank you for taking time to consider using our services. I’m sorry that your plans don’t include making the investment at this time. However, if you need further information, please call me. And I’ll keep you posted on new developments that may benefit you.”

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

Sales Tip of the Day: PROMISES, PROMISES

2009-11-24T00:01:00-08:00

You’ve wowed your customer time and time again. They’re not just satisfied. They are even more than loyal. They are fanatical!

And, they’ve given you the name and number of a friend as a referral.

So, how do you handle calling the referral?

Most salespeople might use something like, “Mr. Prospect, this is Bob Smith with ACME Products. David Jones said I should call you.”

While that is the truth, it doesn’t stand out and it doesn’t say much about you.

A better way to begin a conversation would be, “Mr. Prospect, this is Bob Smith with ACME Products. David Jones asked me to call you and I promised him that I would.”

With one statement, you’ve established that you are the kind of person who keeps promises to your customers.

Just make sure always follow through on those promises, and your reputation will be rock solid!

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

Sales Tip of the Day: DAY AFTER DAY

2009-11-23T01:25:00-08:00

If what you sell can solve a prospect’s problem, you have a good chance to make a sale.

Want to know a sure-fire way to nail it?

Help your potential customers determine precisely how much money it cost them to go without your solution last year. Then break it down to show just how much money they are losing day after day.

When they see for themselves that it’s more economical to use your product, service or treatment, they will become very anxious to buy.

By the way, this technique can also work when you show a prospect how much time they can save day after day.

After all, time is money.

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

Sales Tip of the Day: TAKE ANOTHER PICTURE

2009-11-20T00:14:33-08:00

This idea is purely for getting better engagement from your customer, especially if you are in the retail or restaurant business.

Find out which of your loyal customers are most likely to take a trip in the coming months. Give them a nice shirt with your logo on it and ask them to take a picture of themselves in your shirt at their destination. Promise them a gift, discount or some other item of value in exchange for that photo.

Then, tell them you will repeat the reward when they take another picture at a different destination.

With the photos you collect, create a “Wall of Fame” at your location featuring the customers who love you so much that they take you (well, your shirt anyway) with them travel the world.

You can offer special bounties for the first photo in front of any of the seven natural wonders of the world, famous buildings that are instantly recognizable, or while participating in activities like scuba, skydiving, or snow skiing.

Once you have a good collection on the wall, you can start selling shirts to the patrons who will want to get their photos on your wall, too.

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

Sales Tip of the Day: I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW

2009-11-19T00:01:00-08:00

Have you ever gotten a business card from someone and had trouble finding their phone number, email, or other contact information? Maybe it was so they could make room for their photo, or their logo, or the huge list of features for their product or service.

Isn’t the point of a business card to give someone a way to contact you?

Make sure your contact information can pass what I call The 3-Foot Test. If you can hold the business card at arm’s length (which is about 3 feet for average folks) and still read the phone, email, and web information, it’s fine. Typically this can be accomplished by using fonts no smaller than 12 point.

You should pull out one of your business cards right now and see if it passes The 3-Foot Test. If it doesn’t, get it fixed now.

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.

Sales Tip of the Day: TIGHTEN UP

2009-11-18T00:01:00-08:00

If you aren’t making as many sales as you should be right now, you might need to tighten up your time management.

Some of the things you can do include:

    • use “time blocking” to schedule your activities and stick with your plan
    • transfer voicemail messages to your ‘to do’ list and delete immediately
    • ask those who interrupt you if you can schedule a time later to discuss
    • learn to tactfully say no to meetings and events that don’t serve your goals
    • ask for early appointments to minimize the “late meeting” trickle-down effect
    • handle simple phone calls during lunch hour to leverage voicemail efficiency

Using these techniques can help you make the most of your prime selling time.

What else could you do to tighten up and avoid time-wasting (non-revenue) activities?

© 2009 YOU ROCK!™ Communications

THE REQUEST LINE IS OPEN! - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A SALES OR MARKETING TOPIC, OR HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM YOU WANT HELP WITH, SEND ME AN E-MAIL WITH FULL DETAILS AND I MAY GIVE YOU SOME ANSWERS IN AN UPCOMING SALES TIP.