Author : Bob JanetSaturday afternoon, about a half hour before a Penn State football game I wanted to watch, my wife Jan comes home from shopping and tells me, “I have a flat tire on the front of my car

Having been married to her for over 42 years I know what she was did not say was what I needed to do Go get it fixed

So out to the garage I went, found my small electric pump and put enough air in the tire to get it across the street to the Firestone store By the way a business I do not like to frequent I like to buy from mom and pop businesses but I sometimes I am like most others and spend my money where it is most convenient In this case, right across the street from my home They informed me it would be 2 hours or so and asked if I was going to wait I told them I would leave the car and they said they would call me when it was ready

Four hours later and about fifteen minutes before they closed I called them, asked if my tire was fixed and they said, “Oh, yes we forgot to call you ” “No kidding” I replied and sarcastically added, “Great service ”

I quickly walked over, paid them for the work and drove off Because of the configuration of the roads around the shopping center in our neighborhood it is much easer and faster to drive back to my house by going out the far end of the shopping center As I turned to enter the highway I noticed the state police had a road block set up stopping every vehicle My savings of time for going out the far end of the parking lot was now gone and I wanted my turn to be addressed by the police officer, with my license and registration in hand I pulled up, rolled down my window He asked to see my license and registration while informing me this was a routine block, told me to stay in my car and he would be right back Upon his return he said, “Mr Janet everything seems to be in order except do you know your state inspection was due last month ” Now it was my fault I did not have the inspection done, but I quickly turned the blame to Firestone After all my car was in their service bay for over four hours Why didn’t they look and see that I needed the car inspected? I mean that is their business to sell me all they can To sell me add-on service and products Inspecting cars is one way they make a ton of money As the officer handed me my ticket I saw I was fined $25 plus $121 court cost A total of $146

I now was not only blaming Firestone, I was and still am a very angry ex-customer From now on as far as auto service is concerned I will not take advantage of the convenience of Firestone being right across the street

When we used to pump gas in front of our tire business we would always check the customers oil and while under tier hood we checked for creaked belts, oil leaks, the need for a new air cleaner, etc We even got down and checked under their vehicles for leaks and checked their tail pipes and mufflers and worn tires wear We made lots of loyal customers and many, many add-on sales

Are your eyes wide open looking for the problems, needs and wants you can solve for your customers?
Are your eyes wide open looking for opportunities to make sales and profits and gain and retain customers?

HOW TO SELL ADD-ONS
Most products have related items you can sell along with the product that make you extra profits They are called add-ons because salespeople try to sell them after the products are sold Most salespeople fail to sell add-ons because it is very difficult to sell the related items after you have closed the sale The customer is no longer in the mind-set to continue buying You will sell more add-on items if you stop thinking of them as add-ons after the sale It is much easier to sell related items during the sale than to get the customer to spend more money after they have purchased the main item Speaker/seminar leader/author Bob Janet uses 40 plus years of face-to-face selling and marketing experiences, combined with his unique fun-entertaining presentation audience involved style to help sellers increase sales and profits. See all Bob’s sales growth programs at http://www.BobJanet.com

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Author : David LazearIn today’s world the old lines between sales and marketing have been blurred They are really two sides of a single coin

Sales and marketing, as we have known them, are dead We’re living in a whole new world which calls into question all of the conventional wisdom about sales and marketing - wisdom which has worked for many years

Let’s take a look at what’s changed by looking at some of the sales and marketing myths which are popular today:

MYTH: The frequency of contact with potential customers will eventually result in a sale It takes at least seven contacts before people will start paying attention to you and your message

REALITY: The effectiveness of any contact with potential customers is directly proportional to their desire to be contacted by you and their wanting to hear the message you bring “Permission-based” sales and marketing is where it’s at today

MYTH: You need a large marketing budget to be able to purchase TV and print ads in trade journals, magazines, newspapers, and other publications This helps to get your message before the largest number of people

REALITY: TV and print ads, as an effective way of reaching your potential customers, are a thing of the past Today consumers are on information overload so they are more likely to tune out your TV ad and not even stop to read your print ad What works today is “word of mouth” advertising

MYTH: Given the number of advertisements which bombard consumers every day, the only way to get their attention is with cute, funny, clever, or outrageous ads

REALITY: There is no correlation between a clever, very creative and original ad and consumers pulling our their credit cards or check books Yes, the funny, outrageous ads get their attention but this rarely turns into a sale Consumers tend to be set in their ways and no ad is going to change this

MYTH: All marketing and sales efforts must be benefit-driven You’ve got to continually hammer away with potential customers “What in it for them”

REALITY: The psychology of persuasion has shown that there’s far more at work in any person when they decide to buy than just benefits to them

We all have certain worldviews that shape how we respond to messages from the outside We have certain filters which screen out messages that are not in alignment with our worldview

Today sales and marketing is more about story-telling and helping potential customers build a story about your product or service that is consistent with their world view

MYTH: To really be competitive you’ve got to play with the pricing of your product or service If we’re offering the same or similar products or services as others, the only way to persuade people to buy from is with a lower price point

REALITY: The way to be competitive is to provide a higher value than your competitors Your product or service must stand out from the crowd because it “WOWs” people

Cheap is always good, but often lowering your price is an act of desperation If you make your product or service truly remarkable, potential customers will sit up and take notice

MYTH: We must continue to nurture our satisfied customers If we stay in touch with them on a regular basis, they will help spread the word about our product or service

REALITY: It is true that you must take care of your past customers But this is not a guarantee that they’ll spread the word about you and your product or service They will spread the word IF you are continuing to meet their needs and helping them find solutions to the problems that brought them to you in the first place However, once their problem is solved, they won’t be as turned on to you as they were originally

MYTH: The most effective plan for getting the word out about our product or service is to launch a mass marketing campaign If we contact enough people a small percentage of them will be interested in what we have to offer But you’ve got to reach the masses to find this percentage

REALITY: Mass marketing campaigns are a waste of time and money The vast majority of people will simply ignore your message

You must find an under-served or neglected niche market that desperately needs what you have to offer Once you know intimately what with their needs are and the problems they want solved in the lives, your marketing campaign will “hit the bulls eye” everytime

MYTH: If we offer a good product at a good price in a reliable way, we’ll do fine If we’re local, so much the better Having a long track record helps as well Decent quality and personal service are also key for success

REALITY: Seth Godin has said it best in his book, The Big Moo”: “Good enough isn’t good enough, because now everything is good enough Our expectations of quality are unrealistic and are being met every single day” We don’t just want to be satisfied, we want to be blown away ” With everything just a click away on the internet, being local is no longer a huge advantage David Lazear, author, trainer and business coach, provides training workshops for corporations and educators. His coaching services involve working with home business owners and people looking for work from home opportunities. Find out how to turbo-charge your business here @ Home Business Smarts.

Contact David Lazear
Phone @ 773-525-6650

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Author : Alice HeimanEveryone is complaining about the market Things are bad; the worst I’ve seen Business is slow and yet all of my clients are doing well They will survive this Some companies will come out of the recession stronger than they went into it They will do it by focusing on customer service and sales, and by staying positive and telling success stories You too can survive this economy by following these tips

Success Stories

I work with a logistics company that has been in operation in Nevada for a little over a year Last month was their best month ever Not only was it their best month ever, but they outsold two well-established competitors in other parts of the country

With Airlines in crisis, wouldn’t you expect airplane sales to be down? Maybe, but my client has found a niche He is focused on people looking for airplanes who know they can get a good deal now He has started a new business in this economy and business is flying in

One non-profit I am working with has seen high attendance and sales at a recent event Yes, there are signs of caution too, but for the most part, people are just being more reasonable with their spending

A printing company I work with has focused on increasing customer satisfaction and freeing up their salespeople so they have more time to sell Guess what is happening? Their sales have increased and their salespeople are much happier - and so is the boss

Provide Extraordinary Customer Service

Be the best you can be Are you giving your customers extraordinary customer service? Not sure? Ask them Your best source of business is always more business from your existing customers If they are happy they continue to buy, and if they are really happy they tell everyone they know Turn your customers into walking advertisements by giving them extraordinary customer service

Ask For Referrals

Capitalize on happy customers Do your salespeople consistently ask for referrals? I can answer that for you: if they ask, it is less than 10% of the time Why wouldn’t they ask for a referral? Most likely because the customer is not completely satisfied and they are nervous about asking The other most likely reason is because they don’t think about it They are not in the habit Now more than ever, they need to get in the habit Satisfied customers usually will give a referral when asked

Put the Focus on Selling

Are your sales managers really coaching your salespeople or are they busy doing reports, putting out fires, attending meetings and selling because sales are down? Sales managers need to spend 80% of their time coaching their salespeople to close business If they are doing anything else, you are missing out on revenue

Once your managers are focused on sales, get your sales people focused on sales How much time are your salespeople spending in your office doing paperwork or following up to see that orders are processed and delivered? Improve your processes so that salespeople don’t have to do these things Get them out selling Your salespeople need time to be in front of their customers learning about their goals and needs, and doing what they can to meet those They need to increase the number of customer visits each week so they can make sure the customers are satisfied, buying what they need and giving them referrals They need to increase the number of prospects they see each week They can’t do that if they are sitting in the office doing paperwork

Now is a Great Time to Clean House

If things have slowed down a bit at your company it is a good time to clean house Go through your processes and do what you can to refine them You can hire an outside consultant to help, but I will bet you have all the knowledge you need in your workforce Do a brainstorming session and ask them how processes can be improved, then ask them to help make the needed changes, and reward them for doing it

Tired of the poor results some of your salespeople are getting? If you are coaching them properly and giving them time to sell, and their results are still poor, it is time to cut them loose, especially if they have a bad attitude I can’t tell you how many times I ask clients, “Why do you keep this salesperson?” I get a wide variety of excuses, but when it comes right down to it, they know they should have let the person go months ago Not only is the salesperson doing a bad job, but the “ick” being spread by the bad attitude is upsetting the other employees Get rid of the ick! Right now they should be easy to replace

Why would you hire in this economy? To get a fantastic salesperson you might otherwise not be able to get To hire someone who can jump in with a great attitude and increase sales Don’t be hasty though, do a very thorough job You don’t want to hire another company’s problem I caution you to use a professional when hiring salespeople

Focus on the Positive with your Sales Team

If you have done everything I have recommended, you should have a great sales team focused on selling, providing good service and asking for referrals There should be lots to be positive about Have a Zero Tolerance policy for negative attitudes Positive words need to flow freely throughout a company Salespeople, especially, love appreciation They hear complaints all too often about how all they do is take people to golf and lunch Every sale should be cause for a celebration

Stay Positive and Your Customers Sill See Your Confidence

Start with the sales teams and watch the success stories abound They are everywhere Success that employees have with projects, success with difficult situations, sales success, customer success The grumbling should cease and confidence will grow Confident positive sales people close more business than negative grumbling sales people

There is plenty of good news in your industry to share Find it and share it with your customers Help them understand what is happening in your industry and dispel rumors Send them other customer success stories (with permission of course) Be sure and combat the bad news with the good news This means you will need to read your industry journals and keep up with the media Salespeople can ask for success stories to share when they are out visiting customers

You can’t do anything about the economy, but you you can change the way you react to it Stop complaining about the economy, the market, your industry, slow business and start making the changes needed to increase your sales Alice Heiman is the Cheif Sales Officer of Alice Heiman LLC and has been coaching sales teams to success for over 10 years. Alice’s website has many tools available to help you increase your sales..Alice Heiman LLC. Get more great information about sales at Smart Sales Tips

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Author : Alice HeimanYou will have more success finding prospects and closing deals if you stay positive Ooze confidence about your company and your product Buyers aren’t sure who to trust in this market They want to know your company is going to be there to provide products and support once they give you their money Give them what they want

You Can’t Change the Market, but You Can Change Your Attitude

We can’t control the market We can’t control the credit crunch We can’t change attitudes about spending We can, however, look for opportunities to sell,then approach them with a positive attitude People are still buying Not as many people as before, but sales are still happening How can you improve your odds of getting those sales? Well, first you have to work a lot harder at finding those customers than you did last year Second you have to work harder and longer at courting prospects Third you have to have a great attitude The more positive and confident you are about your product and your company, the more your confident your customer will be about their decision to buy

Stay Positive In the Office

Focus is powerful Get everyone around you focused on the positive Positive words need to come from everywhere in an organization You can be the start of that change Keep your attitude and conversations positive When the people around you get negative, turn it around Focus on the good things Thank the people around you when they do something for you A quick thank you note goes a long way toward building positive feeling

Enlist the help of your sales manager Let them know that you need the people around you to be positive Suggest to them that everyone should be quick to recognize a job well done, especially senior management Ask for a zero tolerance policy on negativity

Every sale should be cause for a celebration If your management team isn’t celebrating with you, celebrate with the other sales reps Celebrate with your friends Celebrate the successes, whether big or small Sometimes finding a good lead is cause for celebration Getting a meeting you have been trying to get is a good reason Whatever it is, don’t hold back Keep a list of your successes where you can see them Do whatever it takes to celebrate your own successes The more you focus on the successes the more confident you will feel about going out to sell

Success stories should abound in your company They are everywhere Look for success that other employees have with projects, success with difficult situations, sales success, or customer success And why not focus on success? It is well known that we get what we focus on and work hard for I would rather have success than failure, so it always bewilders me when people are focused on what is wrong with their operation rather than what is right

Stay Positive With Customers - Tell Success Stories

Doom and gloom doesn’t usually put people in a buying mood All of the media attention on what is going wrong affects the economy in and of itself There is plenty of good news in your industry to share Find it and share it with your customers Help them understand what is happening in your industry and dispel rumors Send them other customer success stories (with permission of course) Be sure and combat the bad news with the good news This means you will need to read your industry journals and keep up with the media Salespeople can ask for success stories to share when they are out visiting customers

Maybe you can change attitudes, if you start by changing your own Share your sense of confidence and success People feel successful when they associate with successful people Bringing doom and gloom won’t sell anything, but bringing success stories increases your chances Alice Heiman is the Chief Sales Officer of Alice Heiman LLC, and has been coaching sales teams to success for over 10 years. Alice’s website has many tools available to help you incraase your sales..Alice Heiman LLC. Get more great information about sales at Smart Sales Tips

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Author : Marc SavageOne of the most powerful uses of hypnosis and hypnotic trances is the embedded command These commands are also known as subliminal messages or hypnotic suggestions They are commands that are hidden in some way so that the person’s conscious does not focus on the message, while their unconscious takes in the message with no biases

Your conscious mind acts as the “filter” it analyzes information and determines a response to it Your unconscious mind handles the more mundane tasks such as breathing, storing memories, and managing activities which do not require full concentration, such as driving

By distracting the conscious mind you are leaving open a door to the unconscious which will allow your message to go directly into their mind without them first thinking about it

There are many methods to plant a subliminal message and will depend on the method you are using to hypnotize a person To give a subliminal message to someone in public, or without first placing them under hypnosis, then you will need to create a momentary trance

This can done by confusing their mind so that their conscious becomes distracted and thus placing the subject into a fleeting trance One famous method employed by many politicians is the “Handshake Induction” which involves disrupting the normal pattern of a familiar task, such as a handshake, and then placing your message while they are distracted

Other methods include altering the tone of your voice, tilting your head, looking them in the eye, or touching them Any minor action which will be unexpected but not offensive will do The window for your suggestion is short however, so the suggestion must be simple and to the point

You will know if your suggestion has worked if the person makes a comment such as, “What did you say? I wasn’t paying attention ” This is because, while their unconscious mind absorbed the message, their conscious mind was distracted and wants to know what it missed

However, if your subject says nothing this does not mean that your subliminal message did not work Imagine your embarrassment at asking a stranger or person you barely know to repeat themselves when they were just a few feet from you It is entirely possible that your subject will be left scratching their head about what you said but too afraid to ask

Lastly, it should be noted that messages can be embedded into forms of media easily as well Product placement in movies and on TV is a classic example of this This is a form of subliminal advertising

While it is often used in marketing to have your favorite characters promote a product or service, it is also a means to reach your unconscious while your conscious mind is wrapped up enjoying the show

Many people will not even notice the presence of a product in a movie unless special attention is drawn to it; however their likelihood of buying this product is still increased by them having seen the product in the movie Similar images can be used in artwork or video if you are truly skilled with such mediums Learn more about the Hypnotic Mind Controlfrom my FREE report at my website

Marc Savage is the owner of http://www.hypnoticmindcontrol.net

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Author : Ray Subs One of the ways that you can save gas and still find the products and services that you are looking for is to use classified ads If you live in or around the New York area, you should look in the New York or New Jersey classifieds to help you find what you are looking for, right from the comfort of your own home There is no need to get into your car and run around looking for what you want You can look at New York classified ads to find whatever it is you are looking to buy

What You Can Find In New York or New Jersey Classifieds
There are so many things that you will see advertised when you are looking through these ads NY classified ads are a myriad of opportunities for anyone who is looking to save money on both products and services You can usually find everything from beauty treatments, such as eyebrows threading, to houses for sale You will be amazed at the number of products for sale that you may be looking for as well as the services offered that are featured in these ads There are many entrepreneurs willing to provide services that you need, right at your home, allowing you to save gas with classifieds

You can use NY or New Jersey classified ads to find just about anything you are looking for, even right online You can find apartments for rent, houses for sale, automobiles for sale, and even jobs and artwork Services run the gamut of everything from auto repair to in home beauty treatments You can peruse the classified ads and find what you are looking for right online In some cases you can even find photographs of the products or services offered in the New York listings online Using these ads to look for items like cars and homes really makes sense and can save you quite a bit of money on gas You can weed out the good from the bad by looking through the classifieds in NY and narrow down your selection choices considerably

In addition to using New York classifieds as a way to save gas when you are looking to buy a product or service, you can also use the same ads to sell products or services If you are looking to sell something that requires you to cold call or go door to door, you can save gas by placing one of the small ads

Even if you are looking for a job, these ads can help you save gas Why go from place to place looking for a job when you can go right to the ads to see what is available? If you are looking for a way to save time as well as gas money, use New York classified ads or even New Jersey local classifieds as a way to find the products and services that you want Ray Subs is a public relations specialist working with the NY and NJ classified ads newspaper. For more common sense advice on advertising visitnynjlist.com.

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