More Business Marketing Ezine from Charlie Cook
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Feature Article: 10 Phone Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

Update from Charlie: Struggling With Altitude

Charlie Recommends: Making Ecommerce, Email and Online Transactions Easy

Please add "ccook@marketingforsuccess.com" to your whitelist or address book in your e-mail program, so that you have no trouble receiving future issues! Not on the list? Sign me up for this ezine!

 
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A Note From Charlie

When you read this I'll be adjusting to skiing at altitude. I'm in beautiful Telluride Colorado this week for 4 days and then my son and I will be heading to Silverton CO for a couple days of back country snow cat skiing.

I love Telluride but at the top of the mountain, 12,000+ feet, there is 40% less oxygen then where I live at sea level and the first couple of days simple tasks like walking up stairs can take every ounce of energy you have.

Is growing your business like trying to walk up stairs without any oxygen, a struggle?

It doesn't need to be. Use the ideas below, they're like a dose of needed oxygen and discover the Insider Secrets to marketing and see your business reach the top with less effort.

To your success,

Charlie

 


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Feature Article

10 Phone Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
by Charlie Cook

Wendy wrote "I hate making marketing calls. I don’t know what to say and how to say it. I don’t have any sales training and I’ve been assigned to find new clients. In the past 4 weeks I brought in zero new clients."

Do you ever feel this way? 

Are you tired of being turned down?

Are you frustrated by your limited success selling on the
phone?

Making any of the mistakes below takes the fun out of your
job and can kill your sales.

1. Using Push Versus Pull Marketing
Most of us don’t like pushy people who talk about themselves all the time. Think about your marketing. Are you constantly pushing information out about yourself, your products and services? This may be pushing prospects away when what you want to do is pull them in.

Focus your marketing on prospects' concerns and offer them something they want. You'll help them, convert them to clients and increase your revenue.

2. Not Generating Enough Qualified Leads
Marketing is about starting conversations with prospects so you can learn what they need and help them understand the solution you provide. To bring in more business, help more people understand what you do and prompt prospects to contact you.

Does your marketing help you generate enough leads and start a conversation with prospects?

With the right marketing message, advertising copy and online and offline strategy you can generate a steady stream of qualified leads.

Discover how to use your web site to attract prospects, generate leads and convert them to clients >>

3. Limiting Contact To Email a Letter
Yes you can use email to help prime a prospect for a sale but the most effective way to make the sale is over the phone. Pick up the phone and you can use their questions to start a conversation. With just a couple of additional questions you can learn what your prospect's objectives are and then you can sell them the solution.

4. Quoting Price Too Soon
When prospects call, one of the first questions they ask is about pricing. Tell them right away and you risk ending the conversation and losing the sale. Dollar figures by themselves are meaningless.

When a prospect asks what you charge, don't tell them until you've had a chance to learn what they want. Then put the price in the context of the value and quality solutions you provide.

5. Wasting Time With People Who Aren't Buyers

Not matter how good your system is for qualifying leads, you’ll end up on the phone with people who can't afford your services or won't benefit from your products. Conversations like these can take up way too much of your time.

Use your qualifying questions and their responses to determine within the first 3 minutes of a conversation whether or not the person you're talking with is a promising prospect. If not, thank them for their inquiry and move on to your next call.

6. Doing Too Much Talking
You know your services and products inside out; you could talk for hours, if not days, about your processes, product features or benefits. Don't. You'll lose your prospects attention, especially if you're marketing over the phone.

Whenever you call a prospect or they call you, use the call to learn what they want and need. Ask questions Let them do the talking so that you get the information you need.

7. Not Clarifying Value From the Client’s Perspective
You have a crystal clear idea of the benefits of your products and services; you want prospects to understand these benefits from their point of view.

To help prospects understand the value you provide, get them to define what they are looking for and what it's worth to them.

8. Not Getting To "Yes"
Your primary objective is to get the prospect to say, "yes" when you ask them whether they want to place their order or sign up for your services. Set up a pattern of "yes" answers and you'll increase the chances they will say "yes" when you ask them to buy.

Review their objectives and ask them if that is what they are looking for. Review the solution you provide and ask them if that is what they are looking for.

Find out how to close more sales and build your business with this marketing blueprint for success. Use the Insider Secrets to Attracting More & Better Customers to be more successful >>

9. Neglecting To Ask For The Sale.
If you want people to buy your products and services, you need to ask for the sale. This sounds obvious, but the tendency is to wait for the prospect to say they are ready to buy.

Why do we do this?

Until you gain confidence in your phone selling technique, you're afraid of getting turned down when you ask for the sale. It's common to compensate by talking endlessly about the features and benefits of your products and services. If you're working with qualified leads, many of the people you are talking with want to buy your products and services. Help them clarify the value and then help them make the purchase.

10. Forgetting To Follow Up On Sales

When you make a sale. it may seem like the end of your marketing effort. Think of your first sale. not as closing a sale. but opening the door to a long-term relationship and you’ll increase future sales

When a prospect becomes a client or customer, they've provided tangible evidence of their trust in you and your products and services. Follow up with a phone call to find out how the product or service is working and there is a good chance you'll uncover a need for more of your products and services.

You don't have to hate marketing on the phone. Learn what to say and how to structure the conversation and you'll have more fun and make more sales.

Ready to finally pave an easy path for prospects to take to become clients? What are your current conversion rates? How many prospects become clients?

You could keep going in circles with your marketing and sales strategy or you could find out what works to cut your costs and increase sales.

If you're serious about growing your business discover the Insider Secrets to Eliminating Obstacles to Sales with this link >>

Charlie
MarketingForSuccess
 
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About Charlie

Small business marketing guru Charlie Cook, "The Marketing Response Expert," is the author of the top selling Insider Secrets series of marketing tools that have helped small business owners and professional marketers make millions.

If you liked this issue of 'More Business', you'll love his 'Insider Secrets' series , guaranteed to be the most effective marketing tools you'll own and to help you grow your business giving you more time and money to do what you love.

Find out what people who've used these ideas say. Read and listen to the comments from clients you'll find on each Insider Secrets page.

Charlie helps entrepreneurs, small business owners and professional marketers get a better response with their marketing to achieve ultimate success. On occasion space opens up in Charlie's marketing mentoring program. To be considered use this link >>

 
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Charlie Recommends

What's the one tool that every business needs to be successful online? Yes of course you need a web site that attracts prospects and converts them to clients. Yes, you'd be crazy not to get your copy of the Insider Secrets to Creating Web Sites That Sell but having a web site that works is just the first step to being successful online.

To be successful online you're going to need a simple, easy to use and reliable system for:
•  Managing your list of leads,
•  Sending out your newsletter,
•  Managing your online sales and
• Tracking the effectiveness of each step of the process so you can continue to improve your conversion rates and profits.

I regularly get email from clients looking for a way to do all this. What do I do?

As you read above, I'm away this week, but thanks to the simple ecommerce system I use, you're getting your weekly marketing tips and can get any of the Insider Secret marketing manuals instantly.

In addition for the couple of hundred people who add themselves to my mailing list in the last couple of days, the system sent them the download link for my free guide and a series of thank you messages, all while I've been enjoying my vacation.

Find out about the easiest way to automate your online business. Use this link >>

 

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