December, 2010

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Archive for December, 2010

10 Sales Killers To Avoid In 2011

By Tom Hopkins | December 31, 2010

Any sales veteran can tell you a story about the one that got away. Veterans who are successful today learned valuable lessons from those situations and, hopefully, never repeated them. As challenging as the business of selling might be for some, losing sales is unbelievably easy. Learn from the mistakes of others so you won’t have many of the sad stories to tell.

Sales Killer #1 – Lack of professional appearance. If you want people to listen to you and heed your advice regarding your product or service, you have to come across both in appearance and demeanor as a professional expert. This includes grooming and the level of confidence you exude. People will buy from you based more on your conviction and enthusiasm for your product than they will your product knowledge.

Sales Killer #2 – Talking too much. When you’re talking, you’re telling. When you ask questions to get clients talking about their needs, you’re selling. You’re finding out what they want to own. Only then can you guide them to the right product or service.

Sales Killer #3 – Your vocabulary. Words create pictures in our minds. Certain words that are inherent to selling turn people off. For example, I caution people in business to avoid using the word “contract” when handling the details of a large sale. We all know that contracts are legally binding documents and require legal efforts to get out of them. If appropriate, call your contract an “agreement,” “form,” or “paperwork.” The mental image is less threatening. Think about other words you use and replace any negative word-picture images with gentler, more positive ones.

Sales Killer #4 – Not investing time in building rapport. Establishing good rapport builds trust. No one will want to make a purchase from someone they don’t like and trust. Don’t just jump right into a presentation on your product. Get to know your client a bit.

Sales Killer #5 – Lack of a qualification system. A certain percentage of the people you talk with will not be good candidates for your product or service. Your challenge is to figure this out as early in your communication with them as possible. Come up with at least 3 or 4 questions the answers to which will tell you if they’re qualified to own your offering.

Anyone who’s ever sold anything – whether toothbrushes, printers, or stocks – can tell you a story about “the one that got away”. You know that story – the sale you were this close to closing – the one that would’ve made your year -only to have your potential client interrupted by an all too familiar distraction.

If you’ve ever sold, you also know if you had changed just one thing – your story might have ended up a lot differently.

The Simple Key to Successful Time Management

By Paul Martinez | December 30, 2010

If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you work long hours to pursue your dream. But you can’t work long hours forever. You need to have a plan in place that sets clear goals about reducing your work time—while simultaneously increasing your wealth, happiness, and freedom.

Ok, don’t panic; this doesn’t require any hard work. I’m going to give you a step-by-step plan you can follow. And you can do this in 10 minutes on a notepad.

How Can You Make 2011 Your Best Year Ever?

By Charlie Cook | December 30, 2010

Whether 2010 was a good, bad or an indifferent year for your business, you’d like to make 2011 even better. What’s your plan?

I was about to call it quits for the day when the phone rang. It was George calling from Delaware. He told me…

How To Make A Profit From Your Photograph

By Joan Stewart | December 29, 2010

Whenever I send a news release about something I’ve done to my local newspapers or trade journals, I hardly ever hear feedback from my neighbors or peers, even when I know it’s been printed.

But when I send my photo with the release and it’s printed, I hear a chorus that sounds like this:

“I saw your picture in the paper!”

“Did you know you’re in the most recent issue of PR Tactics?”

“Hey, I was Googling last week and your photo showed up on a website for writers. I thought your article was terrific.”

That’s music to The Publicity Hound’s ears. That’s because in the majority of cases, a photo attracts readers’ attention and draws them to the news item.

Yet journalists remain continually frustrated by the inability of publicists and others who pitch to understand the incredible power of photos. Freelance writer Pat Luebke, who writes for the restaurant and aviation industries, says a lack of photos is one of her top pet peeves.

“People keep trying to get into more and more newspapers and magazines,” she says. “If they’d only understand that especially with the digital cameras that are available today, making photos available to editors automatically DOUBLES the space you receive.”

Gina Spadofori, who writes a syndicated pet page for Universal Press Syndicate, says she has a continual problem finding good images to fill a small hole on a page.

“The availability of high-quality, high-resolution art can tip a ‘maybe’ item into the ‘yes’ category,” she says.

In fact, one good-quality photo that accompanies your story pitch can automatically move a story from Page 21 to Pages 1, 2 or 3 in a newspaper or magazine. Craig Saunders, editor of Prism, Canada’s magazine for eye care, echoes what many other magazine editors say:

“In the front section of our magazine, nothing gets in without good photos–nothing!”

I have my own pet peeves regarding photos. A man in a photo looks as though he has a plant growing out of the top of his head. One woman gave me a photo of her in a sleeveless blouse, with her bra strap showing. One person gave me a snapshot of him and his dog. The dog had the dreaded “red eye” problem that we see so frequently, leading us to wonder if all dogs and even people have red eyes.

I became so frustrated with these problems that I wrote “How to Use Photos & Graphics in Your Publicity Campaign,” a 138-page ebook that walks you step by step through the entire process of how to take your own photos and create your own graphics. The ebook includes everything from a thorough explanation of camera equipment and the elements of great photos to things such as the pros and cons of prints versus digital photos, how to optimize photos for your website so it loads quickly, how to take photos at your own special event if the media refuses to cover it, and how to use creative photos for routine announcements like births, weddings and anniversaries.

Those of you who need to hire a professional photographer will find an entire chapter devoted to saving you time and money finding the best professional for the job. It also lists the important questions to ask photographers so you don’t find yourself in a legal battle over the use of photos years later.

You’ll find tips for pitching “stand-alone” photos, ideas on how to get an entire page of pre-event coverage, and 18 ways to stay on a photographer’s good side. Learn about dozens of bonehead mistakes you shouldn’t be making. You can download the ebook and be reading it in just a few minutes. Read

Whenever I send a news release about something I’ve done to my local newspapers or trade journals, I hardly ever hear feedback from my neighbors or peers, even when I know it’s been printed.

But when I send my photo with the release and it’s printed, I hear a chorus that sounds like this:

“I saw your picture in the paper!”

“Did you know you’re in the most recent issue of PR Tactics?” Read More »

What You Need To Change In 2011

By Charlie Cook | December 28, 2010

I’ve got good news and bad news for you.

The bad news?

You’re probably suffering from at least one of three guaranteed success killers – procrastination, perfectionism, and lack of focus – and don’t even realize it.

8 Local Search Links That Will Get You Traffic

By Charlie Cook | December 27, 2010

Here’s the good news about local search: If someone is new to your town (i.e. recently relocated or visiting, for example) they have no idea who your competitors are. The yellow pages are a thing of the past – consumers now go to the internet to find new resources in a city. Read More »

The Easy Way To Get Client Testimonials and Increase Sales

By Jeffrey Dobkin | December 24, 2010

How convincingly easy it is to close large accounts when you take out that a big book of recent testimonials and show them how great you are. What? You don’t have a big book of recent testimonials?

If you had one, when people asked you about your services, you’d bring out the huge testimonial tome, and tell them to call any of the many who signed off on their statements of your firm being the best thing since sliced bread or indoor plumbing. When confronted with 100 testimonials, most people won’t call any.

In your normal course of conversation with clients it’s easy to get someone to mention something flattering about you. Someone said something nice about me once. I’ll never forget it. It was in June of 88. Wednesday. We were about three or four gin and tonics in and… OK, no matter about the rest of the story. Man, I was all over them for a written testimonial like a cheap suit. Here’s how you can do it, too.

Even if it’s a simple statement, “Hey, thanks a lot. Nice speaking with you.” Or, “Thanks, I appreciate it.” You can make a testimonial out of it.

“That was a nice thing to say!” you exclaim! Inferring that it was nice of him to say it was nice talking to you, or that he appreciated something you did. Of course, people probably have said much nicer things than these simplistic statements about you, haven’t they? Oh well, me neither.

“Would you mind if I use that as a testimonial?” you continue, big smile on your face and catching them completely off guard.

“OK,” they’ll say without thinking.

Now that they’ve committed, casually ask, “Come to think of it, can you say a few more nice words about my firm (or myself) that I can use – I’ll write them down? Got my pencil ready!” Then smile – it makes a difference. “Keep it clean, though.” you joke. It’s good to sound fresh, like you’ve never asked anyone to do this before, or this is the first time for that joke. Ha!

They’ll say a few words, you smile and nod (which will look good in person, or will look less good over the phone but will sound like you’re smiling) and write down the gist of what they said.

Continue promptly, “Thanks. Thanks so much. Here’s what I’ll do so it’ll be as easy for you. I’ve written down what you’ve said and I’ll send it to you. You can just initial it and send it back – I’ll enclose two copies one for your files, and an envelope to send the other copy back to me. Hey, thanks for doing this.” Insinuating it’s a done deal.

Now that you have a nice approximation of what they’ve said, feel free to admonish it ever so slightly. Use a deft touch… like a great editor whose work is so subtle the author will go back and read his words and never know it was touched by anyone else. Now that’s the mark of a really great editor. You, on the other hand, don’t need to be quite that good. Just go ahead and make your testimonial sound great.

Since it was oral, your client most likely won’t remember what he said exactly – so you can take some liberties here. This is especially true if you’re at a bar and have been for the past 6 hours, you know, like when I got my first testimonial. Or was it 8 hours. I forget. But that’s not important – what’s important is I got this huge tattoo that night and who exactly is Janette. If anyone knows, please call.

If you’re friendly with this client, you can mention how great his new testimonial would look on his own letterhead, but “it certainly isn’t necessary.” Never hurts to drop a hint. Then send the testimonial that he “sort-of said” to him in a printed form.

You can also feel free to send it over to him by fax. It’s fast. If you send the testimonial that he “sort-of said” in a letter. it will take a few days to get to your client and here’s the benefit to this: Over the course of the day or two it takes to draft this statement and send it to the client in a letter, there’s no way they’ll remember what they said, and certainly they won’t remember their exact wording. Plus – if you received this testimonial after a few drinks, you can probably feel free to take great liberties writing what you thought you remembered and what he thought you both said. Or something like that.

Writing a testimonial for a client, unlike soliciting a client’s written testimonial, where most clients prove way beyond a shadow of a doubt they don’t use spell check, you can spell every word correctly. Send them their statement in a letter and as long as it doesn’t look to far out of range I promise you they’ll sign off on it. You’ll have a great, well written and signed testimonial.

For best results, collect a whole set, and don’t be afraid to show it off to new prospects. Tell them you’d be so proud if you had their personal testimonial in there while pushing a pen and paper their way. That’s called “The assumed close.” And that’s another article.

With a half dozen or more great testimonials, you have instant credibility and closing the sale is that much easier. What? You don’t have at least a half dozen recent testimonials?

If you had them, when people asked you about your services, you’d point them to your testimonials, and tell them to call any of the many who signed off on their statements of your firm being the best thing since sliced bread or indoor plumbing. Read More »

What Should Be On Your Marketing Wish List?

By Charlie Cook | December 23, 2010

Imagine for a moment that Santa Claus does exist. (After all, the U.S. Postal Service collects tens of thousands of letters addressed to him each year). Pretend that he’s going to put the things you need to succeed with your business in his bag and deliver them to your door.

What would you ask him to bring? Do you know what you want and need to make your business a lasting success? Read More »

How To Turn Ideas Into Income

By Andrew Pek | December 22, 2010

One of the biggest challenges facing small businesses these days is translating IDEAS into INCOME. Most organizations are fully aware of the need to come up with big ideas and many have sophisticated systems, processes and techniques for doing just that. Unfortunately, this is often where creativity and innovation meet a roadblock.

How Santa Rings In A Blizzard of Sales Every Year

By Charlie Cook | December 21, 2010

You gotta love Christmas, unless you’re a Grinch. Saturday, my wife and I walked across the street to our neighbors’ Christmas gathering of… a hundred and fifty plus friends. It’s great to have an excuse to get together with friends and also to have them over, as we did on Sunday, though our dinner party was only for eight.

Speaking of good cheer…

What’s that ringing sound you hear at this time of year?

It’s the sound of cash registers ringing up the sales generated by Santa Claus. Just because he’s old, overweight, long-haired and unshaven and dresses funny, don’t overlook his success.

Santa is a top marketing expert and you can become one too, if you follow his methods. Read more >>

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