If you do business with people from cultural groups different than your own, you would be wise to invest some time understanding their cultures as well as their needs in terms of your products and services.

You may not necessarily be doing business with people in another country, but with those from other countries who have relocated near your place of business. If you want their business, you have to understand their needs on many levels. Read More »

The Alternate of Choice is a questioning strategy I teach in every seminar, every book, and audio recording. It’s truly a staple. The reason for that is simple: It works.

Typically, I teach it as a question with two answers. Either answer is a minor agreement leading towards the major agreement, which is a closed sale. The critical element of this question/close is to offer only two answers, both of which move the sale forward.

It’s most often used for things such as getting an agreement for an appointment, the location of your appointment, a color choice, payment options, and delivery dates. It might sound something like this: Read More »

You may do everything else masterfully but if you can’t close the sale, you might as well be a professional product demonstrator instead of a salesperson. The real pros in selling have certain skills and habits that make them stand out above average.

Here’s a Personal Inventory Evaluation. Take it and see how close you are to achieving “pro” sales status. Read More »

You will often encounter people who are just poor decision-makers. Perhaps they’ve never learned some basic life skills and made some bad decisions. Now, they just procrastinate until they can’t wait any longer to make decisions, hence the cycle of making bad decisions continues.

As a professional salesperson, you need to know how to recognize procrastinators and help them learn sound decision-making skills. Read More »

For too many people in business sales prospecting for clients is like fishing with only a string and a pole. They know if they throw something out there, they’ll draw attention. What they don’t understand is that you must first be at the right fishing hole. And, second, that you have to use bait that the fish you’re trying to catch like.

Let’s address the right fishing hole first. Answer this question: Who is your ideal client? You should be able to list at least five criteria of your ideal client without even blinking an eye. Read More »

When you initially meet a potential client, the first thing you must do is establish rapport. The faster you can make this happen, the more sales you’ll make. It’s as simple as that.

The only way to accomplish this is through practice. I teach a learning strategy I call P.D.R.—practice, drill and rehearse. The more you do those three things, the faster these proven strategies will become ingrained in you. So let’s get started. Read More »

You can learn to listen for specific clues as to how to best present information to new potential clients.

By that I mean to listen for them to say, “I see what you mean,” or, “We look for ____ in a supplier” which usually means they relate best in a visual manner. Adjust your demonstration for this person to show them things. Take advantage of product brochures as visual aids as well as the actual products on the floor or demo samples you bring with you. Read More »