Selling to Consumers | Sales Training Blog by Skip Anderson

Free eBook: "27 Can-Do Steps to Sell More in Tough Economic Times"

My new eBook is 33 pages and it's absolutely free. Download it here at free sales ebook.

And please email this link to your colleagues and friends so they can download it, too:

http://sellingtoconsumers.com/27_can_do_steps_to_sell_more.htm

 

8 Tips for When You Find Your Pants Zipper Down During a Sales Meeting

[I thought of this blog topic after a speech I gave last month. After my speech, I went into the restroom and realized my zipper was down.]

 
As I see it, there are eight possibilities:

1. Be a man and zip it up.

2. Nonchalantly zip it up. This is especially effective if you do it during a very dramatic section of your sales presentation (This is a slightly less manly option than #1 above).

3. Excuse yourself and go zip it up. You could say you have to use the restroom, or you "Suddenly don't feel well" or "I just remember I forgot to put my egg salad sandwich in the refrigerator."

4. Hold your legal pad, product brochure, or if you need it, your laptop, in front of your groin for the remainder of your sales interaction. For some a cell phone or pencil will do. I did something similar to this back in first grade when I had a potty accident at school (although we didn't have laptops or cell phones in those days). I held a large wooden "4" in front of me the rest of the day (it was awkward during P.E. class, however). When other kids asked about it, I explained that four was my favorite number.

5. Distract your prospects and zip it up. Effective options here are to shout: "Somebody over there just got H1N1!" or "Look! There are Jon and Kate plus Eight." 

6. Tell your prospects how much you miss Michael Jackson, and while moonwalking away from them, grab your groin and confidently yank up your zipper while tipping your head down dramatically.

7. Exclaim, "They sure don't make mens' pants like they used to!" while pointing to the zipper, thereby implying something is wrong with the tailoring of the slacks. Either leave the zipper down for the remainder of the sales interaction, or ask your prospects if they have any safety pins or a stapler.

8. Pretend the zipper-down-thing was planned for dramatic sales effect. Reach into your slacks and pull out an order form and place it in front of your prospect (most effective when you do it with a sly smile). If you know any magic and can make it look like you're pulling a pen out of your ear, this is a good time to do this trick. Set the pen in front of the prospect and say "If you'll just authorize this, we'll get your order underway." Zip up your pants only if the prospect buys.

If you like this post (or don't) please click on "comments" below and share your comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies and individuals who sell to consumers in B2C, retail, in-home selling, in the financial, real estate, and insurance markets, and other consumer-selling industries.

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Oh, How I Hate Salespeople!

That's what a former boss of mine used to exclaim periodically throughout the work day (actually, his language was often more colorful than that). Whenever he'd receive a phone call from a salesperson (whether it was a cold call or an expected call), he'd slam the phone down after the call and shout out "Oh, how I hate *$#%+#@ salespeople."

And he's not the only person I've run into that exclaims hatred for people in our profession.

So those of us in the sales profession probably have something in common with IRS agents and traffic cops: some people just don't like us. Even if we have something that might help them, even if we are friendly and nice and well-meaning, even if we work our behinds off to be professional and effective, some people do not care for us because we're salespeople.

Here are four ways to handle customers who dislike salespeople:

1. Don't get angry!

If someone who dislikes salespeople pushes your buttons, don't fall prey to their manipulative strategies! These folks love to see you turn red-faced thanks to their actions.

2. Kill them with kindness!

No matter how vile these people treat you, kill them with pleasantries, a smile, and a helpful attitude. They hate that.

3. Put them in their place!

Many of these scum-like customers will quickly change their tune if you put them in their place. It works like magic in certain situations.

4. Fire the customer!

You've got to draw the line sometimes. Fire your customer and spend your time with others who are less evil. Your spouse, children, and dog will thank you.

* * * *

Here's a nice little video featuring some of my time management tips that the peeps over at Your Business Channel put together:

If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training. He works with companies and individuals who sell to consumers in B2C, retail, in-home selling, and the financial, real estate, and insurance markets.

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5 Brief Motivational Videos That Are Motivational

Business motivational tools can be trite, over-produced pieces that play on emotions but rarely have long-lasting effect.

So I was very pleased when I ran across five brief "motivational" videos by Jerry Kennedy. Their messages are powerful, the production is simple, and the videos are fantastic. I know Jerry, and nobody is more genuinely interested in helping others succeed.

Have a look and get motivated today!

Jerry also created Motivation 101, a fantastic audio program which I highly recommend, too. I've listened to the audio program in my car a half dozen times and will continue to do so.

Jerry's You Tube videos:

Got Purpose?

Got Focus?

Got Passion?

Got Optimism?

Got Motion?

Check out Jerry Kennedy's Motivation 101.

If you like this post (or don't) please leave a comment. Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers Sales Training.

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What Salespeople Go Through: A Video

If you sell moderate priced retail items, you probably don't have to deal with many negotiating customers. But for those who sell higher-priced items, or sell in customers' homes, or many other products and services, things can get very challenging when prospects try to nickel and dime you to death. Or, when they have unrealistic or unreasonable price positions.

Email the link to this video to all your friends who don't sell so they know what we go through in your career.Just copy and past this url in your email message: http://blog.sellingtoconsumers.com/2009/06/what-salespeople-go-through-a-video.html

I love this video! Thanks to Sales Training Ireland and Niall Devitt for bringing this vid to my attention.

If you like this post (or don't!), please consider leaving a comment. Subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter to read more sales tips and commentary about selling and sales.

Skip Anderson is the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and management consulting company. Skip is mad about helping companies and individuals sell more. 

The Attraction Effect, Top Sales Bloggers & The Role of Selling

Today, I have three interesting business tidbits for you:

1. A Peek into the Brain of Shoppers

What happens when buyers' brains when they consider difficult purchasing decisions? Researchers Akshay Rao from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, and William Hedgcock from the University of Iowa, have published a very interesting study in the Journal of Marketing Research.

Using MRI scans, the researchers have discovered what they call "The Attraction Effect." If you're considering purchasing a sweater, let's imagine that you have your purchase narrowed down to two possibilities. You like both sweaters, but are having trouble deciding between the two. When a third option is introduced into the mix, and when this third option is a less appealing one, the research study's subjects found the decision was easier than when two sweaters were being considered. And the MRI showed the subjects were experiencing more pleasure when the third option was present.

What can sellers take away from this? Give your customers a third option. I've been teaching the "three option" technique for years. If you sell life insurance, give your prospects a quote on three different policies at three different price-points rather than just providing two.

Read The Attraction Effect.

2. Top Sales Bloggers

Using data from several sources, Business Technology and Sales 411 (www.BTS411.com) has just published their list of the top 15 sales bloggers who are also power twitter users. There are some great bloggers on the list (Ian Brodie, Will Fultz, Art Sobczak, and Shane Gibson for example). I'm honored to have earned the #11 spot on the list for this Selling to Consumers Sales Blog. See the complete list of the top sales bloggers.

3. What is the Difference Between Marketing and Selling?

• Respected marketing guru Seth Godin says the role of selling is to overcome the customer's natural resistance to buying. I agree. Read sales is overcoming resistance.

If you like this post (or don't!), please consider leaving a comment. Subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter to read more sales tips and commentary about selling and sales.

Skip Anderson is the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and management consulting company. Skip is mad about helping companies and individuals sell more. 

Illegal Interview Questions, Sales Panic, and Smile & Move

1. Troublesome Interview Questions

As a business consultant, I am sometimes involved in teaming up to do interviews with one of my client companies. Every once in a while I hear an interviewer ask an inappropriate question to a job candidate. There are certain things you can't ask on a job interview, at least in the U.S. Read forbidden interview questions to make sure you know what you cannot ask of a job candidate.

On a related note, I received a job notice this week from someone who wanted to know if I knew of a candidate who would be a good fit for a sales opening. The posting said, "Only men are encouraged to apply." That's perfectly acceptable in some parts of the world, but not in the United States of course.

2. Play "Sales Panic"

This is a free online sales game which illustrates the steps of selling. Make sure you read the directions first.

3. Smile and Move

Watch the Smile and Move Video (I learned about this video via Jill Konrath of Selling to Big Companies fame - Thanks Jill). This three minute video has a really positive message. Smile and move today!

If you like this post (or don't!), please consider leaving a comment. Subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter to read more sales tips and commentary about selling and sales.

Skip Anderson is the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and management consulting company. Skip is mad about helping companies and individuals sell more. 

Read This Good Stuff

1. Colleen Stanley has three great suggestions for sales managers who lead sales meetings. I love her suggestions. Since many sales meetings are less than impressive, this is a must-read for sales managers.

2. One of the major reasons salespeople don't achieve their maximum sales performance potential is because they have difficulty looking at the sales interaction through the eyes of their prospects. By this, I don't mean you shouldn't ask for the sale, or ask challenging questions, or cower in the corner when they give you objections. What I mean is we sometimes we tend to sell as if WE are the most important ones at the table.

Read Mike Sigers account of his customer service nightmare. Then rethink your entire process (if you're a salesperson, think through your entire sales process; if you're a manager, think through you're entire management process; if you're a business owner, think through your company's entire customer interaction cycle). Then, identify what you must change to ensure what happened to Mike never happens to one of your customers.

3. Things are a bit wacky these days in most industries with the recession and all. But employees are still important, and always will be. If you can't keep your key employees (or any employee for that matter) happy by giving them more money, here are 12 ways to keep your employees happy without raising wages.

4. What's the next big thing? Forget about the recession. Quit looking back and look ahead instead. Here's the next big thing in China. It's crappy.

5. If you do any custom-order work for your prospects, it's important to achieve absolute clarity with your customers before you embark on the custom work (please take note, home remodelers, custom closet companies, landscape designers...and cake bakers).

Let's imagine you call the cake bakery to order a cake. The associate asks what you want written on the cake and you say, "Best wishes Suzanne - underneath that we will miss you."

When you go to pick up Suzanne's cake for the big going away party on Friday afternoon, this is what they have waiting for you:

If you like this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to our free sales tips newsletter.

Skip Anderson is the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and management consulting company. Skip is nuts about helping companies and individuals sell more. 

Successful Selling: The Secret & The Puzzle

If you knew there was a secret to selling successfully, would you want to know what the secret was? Of course you would.

First, I want to say I don't believe there is one secret to selling. Secondly, I'm suspicious of sales trainers and authors who try to sell books, seminars, and webinars by overstating the importance of their offerings with outlandish and exaggerated statements. 

Having said that, I believe that good selling skills are like a secret. Once you know how to accomplish this or that, you've unlocked almost magical powers to achieve remarkable sales success. There isn't one secret to successful selling; there are many secrets.That's why I started Selling to Consumers Sales Training: to help companies and salespeople achieve remarkable sales performance.

Here's a puzzle that illustrates the value of knowing a secret morsel of information: 

Directions: Connect all nine dots below by drawing four connected straight lines without lifting your pen from the paper. Each dot must have only one line touching it, and you can't backtrack with your pen.

You can download a pdf version of the 9 dot puzzle (sales managers: this is a nifty thing to do with your salespeople during a sales meeting).

When you're ready to see the solution, you can see it here, or download a pdf version of the solution.

Could you solve the puzzle successfully if you didn't know the secret? Could you achieve your maximum sales performance if you don't know the secrets to successful selling? 

Suggestion: Subscribe to the Selling to Consumers Sales Tips Newsletter for more sales secrets, and consider subscribing to the RSS feed of this blog. Learn the secrets to successful selling!

If you like this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to our free sales tips newsletter.

Skip Anderson is the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and management consulting company. Skip is nuts about helping companies and individuals sell more. 

Sell with Enthusiasm

Don't we just love it when we run across an individual with sincere, genuine enthusiasm? It could be an athlete, a public speaker, a politician, a teacher, or a new friend, but people love to be around enthusiastic others.

We're talking about real, natural, enthusiasm here, not faked enthusiasm. Nobody likes to be around someone who isn't really enthusiastic but is trying to act like they are.

If you could watch a video recording of your last dozen sales interactions, or your last week at work, or your last week at home, where would your life rate on the enthusiasm meter? How would your customers rate your enthusiasm? Your coworkers? Your manager? Your employees? Your family?

Today, be enthusiastic about:

• your product;

• your company;

• your job (lots of people don't have one right now);

• the opportunities you have in your career;

• your life; your family; your friends; your health, if it's in good shape;

• your potential as a sales professional; and most of all...

• your prospects.

Do you need a bit of inspiration to help you along today?

I'm a big fan of classical music (and lots of other music, too). I was blown away by a TED video of a youth orchestra from Venezuela under the direction of Gustavo Dudamel (The 28-year-old Dudamel will become the Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic this fall). In the video, these young musicians play extraordinarily difficult music with incredible enthusiasm. Even if you're not into orchestral music, I hope you'll take a few minutes to watch this video. It's awesome. Crank the volume!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to our free sales tips newsletter.

Skip Anderson is the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and management consulting company. Skip is nuts about helping companies and individuals sell more. 

Your $2000 Gift is Waiting from Top Sales Experts

Today is the big day. As a Top Sales Expert, I want to inform you that today at noon pacific standard time is the launch of Top Sales Experts 2.0.

You can get $2000 worth of free sales training and learning products (including my brand new eBook) . These products can help you through this challenging period. Just one sales tip can change the course of your February sales.

So here's what to do TODAY:

Follow the countdown to noon here.

Then, at noon PST today, visit the site.

Enjoy! Sell More!

Your comments are always appreciated. Please share your comment by clicking "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is a professional speaker, sales coach, and the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter.

Grow Your Business Today: 3 Experts Share Their Fab Ideas

Today, I have three dynamic experts to help you grow your business (whether you are self-employed, a business owner, or an employee of a business). Here goes...

ONE. Here's a quote from internet strategist Leslie Carothers that she thought up herself right there in her little ol' head. And I love it:

"Intention without action = the status quo."

-Leslie Carothers

Salespeople and business owners' heads are full of good intentions, but sometimes the only thing keeping the intentions from becoming reality is one thing: inaction. The status quo is the enemy of business growth. So what can you take action on today upon which you've had the intention of taking action?

This reminds me of one of my own quotes:

"Activity breeds activity."

-Skip Anderson

If you want more customer activity (as in "buying"), then get more active. Get off the sofa!


TWO. I'm a big fan of marketing expert Al Ries. I absolutely love his marketing books (The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing is a must-read for anyone interested in marketing and business). If you're self-employed, a business owner, or simply interested in marketing, read his wonderful post at Advertising Age, "The Difference Between Building a Business and Building a Brand."

Read it even if you're a salesperson. As you read Ries' post, think about your personal brand as I presented it in my personal branding post earlier this week. Be true to your brand!


THREE. Over at Trizle, there's a great post about "Why Entrepreneurs Fail." It's well written and has some great, simple insight into what we all need to do to run successful businesses.

If Carothers, Ries, and Trizle can't inspire you today, then I don't know who can! Read on! Sell more!

Please share your comments. C'mon, now...click "comments" below just a little bit and post a comment!

Skip Anderson is a professional speaker, sales coach, and the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter.

Nuggets

Here are some weekend nuggets:

1. Consumer spending is at its lowest point in 28 years.

2. I love Copyblogger's thoughts about a marketing tagline. Hopefully, my tagline ("Sales Training to Sell More) passes muster.

3. Seth Godin hits the nail on the head with his short post about  "saying I'm sorry."

4. For those of you not on Facebook (or on Facebook but not using it for business), read Gino Orlandi's  5 Ways to Promote your Business on Facebook.

5. If you use Twitter, go to my Twitter profile and follow me if you like. I'd love to follow you back.

Share your comments by clicking on "comments" below. If you you use Digg or Stumble Upon, please consider using the Share This button (below) so others can find this post.

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting company specializing in sales training in retail, in-home selling, and services. Subscribe to the free Sales Tips newsletter.

The Ultimate Business Book

Philip Calvert is putting together a book of business tips (each tip is just one or two paragraphs). Proceeds from sales of the book will be donated to charity. Each contributor has to agree to sell ten of the books once it's published.

I was the first to contribute a sales tip to the book. If you'd like to contribute your sales tip, go to the LinkedIn groups page for The Ultimate Business Book and post your tip there.

Share your comments by clicking on "comments" below. If you you use Digg or Stumble Upon, please consider using the Share This button (below) so others can find this post.

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting company specializing in sales training in retail, in-home selling, and services. Subscribe to the free Sales Tips newsletter.

A Seth Godin Audiobook for Under a Buck

I've been following Seth Godin for several years. Although he's not a sales trainer per se, he's got a reliably sharp mind and he makes me think, which are two things I value in authors, speakers, and gurus.

I just bought his latest book, Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us, in audiobook form from iTunes for less than one dollar.

Although I haven't listened to it yet, based upon the quality of Seth's books and the quality of his thinking, I feel comfortable making this recommendation to you: Rush to the iTunes store and buy the audiobook (or buy the book version at Amazon for about twelve bucks) before someone realizes it's priced way, way under its market value. It's not a sales book, but I feel confident anybody in business will gain knowledge from hanging around with Seth Godin or one of his books. And, at an investment of only ninety-five cents, you're bound to come out ahead.

If you get Tribes, I'd love to see you come back to this site and share your impression of the book with other Selling to Consumers Blog readers.

Please share your comments by clicking on "comments" below. If you you use Digg or Stumble Upon, please consider using the Share This button (below) so others can find this post.

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting company specializing in sales training in retail, in-home selling, and services. Subscribe to the free Sales Tips newsletter.

Free Webinar by Craig Elias

Craig Elias, creator of Trigger Event Selling™, says there is a silver bullet in sales: timing. His concepts are well conceived and I've learned a lot from him.

Craig is presenting a free webinar today for Jigsaw about leveraging trigger events to create more sales. I'll be attending the webinar today, and you should, too. It's at 10:00 - 10:30 am PDT today.

Register for today's free webinar here.

Please share your comments by clicking on "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to the free Selling to Consumers Sales Tips Newsletter.

Book Review: Linda Richardson's Perfect Selling

I've been a big fan of Linda Richardson's books over the years. Now she has a new book, Perfect Selling.

I found myself cheering (sometimes internally, and sometimes externally!) when I read Perfect Selling. Linda writes about sales skills that are very important (including building rapport, and spending more time in the needs discovery process). I highly recommend it.

As the host of the SalesPractice Podcast, I interviewed Linda Richardson for the most recent episode of the podcast series. You can hear Linda Richardson's interview here.

Please share your comments by clicking on "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to the free Selling to Consumers Sales Tips Newsletter.

Speech in Selling...How's Yours?

Via Jill Konrath comes Anne Miller to my attention, a speaker for the 2009 Sales Shebang (Jill's sales conference for women). Anne is the author of Metaphorically Selling.  She's got some great thoughts on how our speech can project a professional image.

Please share your comments by clicking on "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to the free Selling to Consumers Sales Tips Newsletter.

The Big Moo

I recommend The Big Moo, edited by Seth Godin. I bought this book some time ago, but just now got around to reading it. It consists of 33 short essays written by "33 of the world's smartest business thinkers," including Malcolm Gladwell, Guy Kawasaki, and Mark Cuban.These essays are extraordinarily well written and wonderfully engaging.

This is not a sale training book, it's a business innovation book, and will appeal to all who are interested in growing their business, solving problems, and learning valuable business (life) lessons.

The most interesting thing about the book is that the individual writers of the individual essays are not identified. Rather than associate a particular idea with a particular person, this collection of ideas is allowed to anonymously seep into your brain page after page.

All proceeds are given to three charitable organizations. Read it!

Please share your comments by clicking on "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to the free Selling to Consumers Sales Tips Newsletter.

Words Matter

I work with my clients to help them select sales language that will yield their desired results.

For instance, at the beginning of an in-home sales appointment, saying "Do you have a table we can sit at while I get some things ready" will  help get the prospect (1) seated, (2) with you, (3) and at a table, so you can prepare to do business together.

"Do you have a place we can sit at..." may result with the prospect showing you a  comfy chair in the living room (not a location that lends itself well to doing business - at least in most in-home selling scenarios) instead of a table;

"Do you have a table I can sit at..." may result in the prospect showing you a table and chair, but the prospect may not sit with you, because you didn't imply that the prospect should sit with you.

"Do you have a table we can sit at so we can talk before measuring" alerts the customer that a sales pitch is coming (Beware! Sales pitch ahead!).

Words are important. Words mean things. Different words yield different results. Use the right words and you'll be more likely to get the results you want.

Via Jill Konrath, here's a great short movie, The Story of the Sign, that shows the importance of selecting the right words.

Please share your comments by clicking on "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to the free Selling to Consumers Sales Tips Newsletter.

Thought Leaders in Sales and Business

I love to learn, and I'm a big-time reader. I started reading and subscribing to blogs about two years ago.

Eventually, I identified a sales blog that I really enjoyed reading. And then I found another. And another.

Now, ten sales bloggers have joined forces to provide some of the best sales thought leadership that's available on the internet. Among our plans in a quarterly eBook. Each of us is in a different sales or sales training niche, so we'll be able to offer our own unique perspective on the same sales topic in each edition. It should make for a fascinating read.

There will be more information to come. But for now, I want to introduce you to the members of our group:

http://www.salesmanagement20.com/profile/bmtrnavsky

http://www.salesmanagement20.com/profile/ColinWilson

http://www.salesmanagement20.com/profile/CraigElias

http://www.salesmanagement20.com/profile/IanBrodie

http://www.salesmanagement20.com/profile/JimKlein

http://www.salesmanagement20.com/profile/KarlGoldfield

http://www.salesmanagement20.com/profile/NeshThompson

http://www.salesmanagement20.com/profile/SkipAnderson

http://www.salesmanagement20.com/profile/TimRohrer

http://www.salesmanagement20.com/profile/
TiborShanto

Stay tuned!

Please share your comments by clicking on "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to the free Selling to Consumers Sales Tips Newsletter.

Top Sales Blog? You're Reading One!

Alltop is a site that aggregates the top blog sites in dozens of areas, including business, marketing, and careers. The brainchild of entrepreneur Guy Kawasaki, Alltop makes it easy for hungry readers to find quality posts to feed their need for knowledge.

When Alltop's top sales blogs site was launched a couple weeks ago, the Selling to Consumers Blog was selected as one of the best sales blogs, and is included in the Alltop site. We're proud to have been selected by the Alltop folks, and are in good company on the Alltop list with notable sales experts such as KarlGoldfield, Paul McCord, Ian Brodie, Colin Wilson, and Jill Konrath,

We're proud to be recognized as one of "the best of the best" sales blogs.

Please share your comments by clicking on "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to the free Selling to Consumers Sales Tips Newsletter.

A Sales Script Gone Bad

I'm a big believer in using sales scripts. I recently interviewed both Tom Hopkins and Jerry Bresser (two sales trainers who believe in the power of the use of correct sales language), for the SalesPractice podcast. Both talked about the importance of selecting the right words to get the sales results you want. A script is a great way to do that.

B2B sales expert Jill Konrath believes in using the right words, too...even thought they got the best of her this one time. You've got to read (and listen to) her sales faux pax. Talk about intensity! Thanks for the story, Jill.

Please share your comments by clicking on "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to the free Selling to Consumers Sales Tips Newsletter.

Know Your Strengths

Several years ago, the Gallup Organization completed a four-decade research project into what makes people successful and happy in the workplace. The massive research suggests that the biggest factor in one's success is regularly using one's strengths.

Two members of Gallup's team wrote Discover Your Sales Strengths, an analysis of Gallup's research aimed specifically at the sales professional. If you haven't read this book, you must. Included in the price of the book is the online assessment, the Clifton Strengthsfinder, which I highly recommend. Gallup's research, and Marcus Buckingham (a leader in the so-called Strengths Movement), have convinced me that all of us can best position ourselves for career success by utilizing our strengths everyday.

Businesses also need to know what they're good at. Organizational strengths can be leveraged into business success. Where businesses have challenges is when they can't effectively differentiate between their strengths and weaknesses, and therefore try to be all things to all customers. This is a recipe for disaster.

Does your business have well-defined markets based upon strengths? Does your company understand what product areas it should not be involved in? Does your company stay within its target product and service offerings (the ones that you're good at delivering)?

Chris Whyatt shares a Dilbert cartoon that illustrates how silly it is to step outside of a business's strengths.
 
Please share your comments by clicking on "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to the free Selling to Consumers Sales Tips Newsletter.

We Are Products Of Our History

If you're a music fan, what kind of music do you listen to?

If you're like many people, you listen to the same music you listened to when you were in high school. Given the rich diversity of music that exists today, and the ready availability of that music on the internet, why do some individuals exclusively consume music that they listened to ten or thirty or fifty years ago when they were a student?

The answer is that we're products of our history. Our friends and social network in high school helped dictate our musical tastes. Peer pressure was alive and well, as were our hyperactive adolescent hormones.

In selling we're products of our history, too. We learned to sell by trial and error, or by watching others, or by attending a sales training class. Just as with music preferences, some salespeople get stuck in a selling rut born of their past. They feel comfortable with their current sales methodology, but stop looking for other sales information or sales practices. This can be a significant limiting factor in the attainment of sales success.

If you're in a musical rut, check out these tunes and see if any of them are to your liking:

- Keb' Mo': Remain Silent
- Real Quiet: Tight Sweater IV. Pickle Trousers
- Brazilian Girls: Jique
- Yo Yo Ma and The Silk Road Ensemble: Distant Green Valley
- Age Pryor: Curious Boy
- The Ting Tings: Great DJ
- Ollabelle: Northern Star
- Booka Shade: Solo City

If you're in a selling rut...

- Read The Dip by Seth Godin
- Read what Brad Trnavsky's has to say about S.M.A.R.T. goals
- Read my Squidoo article on the importance of questions in the selling process
- Participate in the leading social networking site for sales professionals
- Read Napolean Hill Quotes
- Spend a day shadowing a good salesperson who works for another company
- Start using Jott
- Subscribe to our free Sales Tips Newsletter

Here's to a rut-free life!

Please share your comments by clicking on "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to the free Selling to Consumers Sales Tips Newsletter.

Selling to Consumers

Sometimes you need to break the rules. Tim tells an entertaining story that helps me to understand when to break the rules.

Dawud shares an experience about a waiter who gave a compelling sales presentation.

We all know that salespeople shouldn't lie.

Please share your comments by clicking on "comments" below.

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to the free Selling to Consumers Sales Tips Newsletter.

 

Would You Like Your Logo To Effect Consumer Behavior?

Researchers have shown that exposure to the logos of certain brands has an effect on consumer behavior. Gavan Fitzsimons and Tanya Chartrand from Duke University and Graínne Fitzsimons from Waterloo completed the study wherein subjects were exposed to the logos of either Apple or IBM.

Subjects were told they were taking a visual acuity test. During the test, the subjects were exposed to a visual flash of one of the logos that was so brief that the subjects weren't even aware of it (cash was offered to the subjects to name any brand logo they were shown during the study and not one student earned the loot). The subjects were then given an assessment to see how creative they were. They were asked to list as many uses for a brick that they could, other than building a wall.

Apple's brand could be accurately described as being creative and non-conformist, while IBM's brand could be described as traditional and responsible. Subjects who had been exposed to Apple's logo listed significantly more unusual uses for the brick than those subjects that were flashed IBM's logo. The results suggest that subliminal exposure to brand logos can cause consumers to act in certain ways.

Read more about the effect of brand logos on consumer behavior, including results of a study where subjects were exposed to the logos of The Disney Chanel and E!.

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting firm. Subscribe to the free Selling to Consumers Sales Tips Newsletter.

Improving Your Presentations: Do You Know Where to Start?

If we were to focus just on your presentation skills for a moment, and I asked you what you need to improve, would you know what to tell me?

Would it be the speed of your speech delivery? Or the volume? Do you have any funny quirks in your speech? (One of mine is that I say "great" all the time). How about funny quirks in your body when you present your product or service? Do you umm and ahh? Is your speech clear and understandable? How is your eye contact when you're talking to a prospect? Do you ever finish your prospects' sentences for them? Do you respond appropriately to prospect's questions and objections? What does your body language say about you?

If you're like a lot of salespeople, you don't have a clue. The reason is that you're focused on your prospect when you're in the midst of a presentation, not on your presentation.

That's normal, but it's also not a very good prescription for improving your presentation skills. You probably need to do something that will help you focus on your presentation so you can accurately identify your presentation strengths and weaknesses.

I suggest audio recording, or better yet video recording, several of your presentations (in front of real prospects, if possible). If you've never done this, you may be surprised about what you hear and see. An individual has to be looking for areas for self-improvement to see opportunities for self-improvement.

This video might illustrate the importance of actively looking for something.

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting firm. Subscribe to the free Selling to Consumers Sales Tips Newsletter.

It's True: One Degree Makes All the Difference

There are lots of tacky motivational business videos out there. But I like the 212° movie. If you haven't seen it, you can see it here.

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting firm. Subscribe to the free Selling to Consumers Sales Tips Newsletter.

Use Jott Instead

Have you ever been out and about and wished you had a note pad to write down a thought while it was at the epicenter of your consciousness? Maybe it was something like, "Get Pam a birthday card." But memo pads aren't accessible while you're at the coffee shop or out for a beverage with friends or shopping at the mall with your daughter.

But now I use Jott instead. I heard about Jott from Seth Godin. Jott is free, and here's how it works:

Let's say you're picking up your dry cleaning one morning, and suddently you think of something that you absolutely must do that day. You call Jott from your mobile phone. The automated attendant asks, "Who do you want to Jott?" You say "Myself."

Then you leave yourself a message by speaking into your phone: "Remember to call Dan Wilson about the XYZ fund." Moments later, your message appears on your computer as an incoming email. When you get to the office, you check your email, and you're reminded to call Dan.

You can also set up other recipients (spouse, friend, etc.) and have Jott turn your spoken word into email messages that are automatically sent to them.

I've been using Jott for several weeks. I use it all the time. I think many salespeople (especially in outside sales) could put Jott to good use. Check it out at www.jott.com.

Skip Anderson is the Founder and President of Selling to Consumers, a B2C sales training and consulting firm. Subscribe to the free Selling to Consumers Sales Tips Newsletter.