Don’t pay for more advertising just because you’re not getting sales. More ads or more traffic to your website is not always the answer to more sales. There are some simple steps that you can use to evaluate your situation before you make any definite decisions on why your online sales are sagging.
1. Survey your last 10 customers who never bought from you again. Many seasoned business owners already know that it is wise to keep addresses of all their customers. They can send out future promotions on sales, new items available or other current news about their business. Yet, how many use their customer base to help evaluate why their customers bought from them or didn’t buy from them again? If you’re having problems getting sales, ask some of your past customers to help you make your business better. Offer them a small gift certificate or some other small gift for their time. Simply make a fairly easy survey asking how they would rate your customer service, your website and your products or services. Include a special line for comments or suggestions. If you do your survey in a professional manner, making your customers feel that you value their opinion, they will usually be very happy to oblige.
2. Check out your competition. What on earth are your competitors doing? Visit their website and find out. What do they offer that you don’t? Find a way to make your product or service better or find some way to make it more unique.
3. Analyze your marketing ads. If your headline doesn’t catch their attention, your ad isn’t going to get read either. Your first few lines also have to draw the reader in. People are looking for answers to their needs or problems. If you can get people to realize you’ve got a solution to make their life easier, you’ll get better sales. If writing ads just isn’t your thing, take a copywriting course or hire a professional to help you with your ads.
4. Check out the demand for your products or services. Although this should be one of your first steps before you even set up a new business, the fact is trends are ever changing. New technology, new products and new trends change our world constantly. Keep up with the trends, make sure your products or services offer what people really want.
5. Analyze your targeted market. Perhaps you’re aiming the wrong direction. If you’re trying to sell doors to people looking for windows you’re definitely going to have a hard time making sales. You will have to evaluate what type of ads you are writing, what keywords you are using for your pay-per-click ads, what sites you are advertising on, etc. It may be time consuming to do a thorough analysis, but it’s very important to getting more sales. This process will also help eliminate money wasted on advertising that clearly isn’t geared toward your targeted market.
6. Analyze your website. The first impression still matters. Are you stuck in time with bright, flashing banners and animated graphics stuck all over your site? Today’s trendy websites aren’t looking to entertain with website “ornaments”. They’re geared to serve the visitors with information. Yes, a professional look definitely impresses your visitors, but does your website serve its real purpose? You need to analyze your website’s appearance, the checkout process, your navigation, your web copy and every tiny detail. Make sure it’s all user friendly, easy to navigate and understand. Make sure your checkout is super easy and in no way confusing. The way to do this is to ask several people to test out your website and get their opinion. People often navigate through a site much differently than we do, so you cannot trust your own opinion alone.
7. Make sure your products or sevices are living up to your claims. Analyze your products and services for their quality. Are your products overpriced or underpriced? How about your labels and packing are they impressive? Your website may be the first impression they get, but your products that they receive will make a lasting impression that can determine your chance of future sales. Spend just a few more dollars for better product labels if needed. It’s much cheaper keeping current customers happy than it is spending more advertising dollars to gain new customers.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Selling with Non-Verbal Communication
Non-Verbal Communication can be mightier than your words; this is especially true in-person. Your words are important, but your body language and “para-language” may transmit a louder message.
Studies have shown that people can “size up” another person in as little as three to four seconds. This judgment is a basic mammalian response that uses all our senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. In addition, we call upon our past experiences with others to help us sort out friend from foe. If we had a bad experience with a tall, bald man once before, we might be wary of others who fit that description.
Body language may make up to 55% of communication. This includes posture, facial expressions such as smiling or frowning, hand and arm movements, and the tilt of your head. A hand moved in front of your mouth can indicate that you uncomfortable or don’t agree with the other party. Arms crossed can be sign of aggression or disagreement.
Akin to body language is the amount of space you maintain between yourself and others; while this space can be cultural and learned, it can also be an indicator of someone who is aggressive or unskilled socially. Standing too close to another person can make others very uncomfortable in western cultures, while in Middle Eastern cultures standing nose to nose is considered polite and a sign of friendship or trust.
Para-language is the use of intonation, sighs, and pauses in your speech; studies have shown that para-language accounts for 38% of communication. Once again culture may play a big role in use of para-language. For example, Japanese business people will use long pauses in meetings to reflect upon important points. These pauses show respect and wisdom; these pauses also allow for time to think and help you avoid saying something stupid. Para-language can be heard on the phone such as a sigh or an inflection of voice; our listening for these signals is more acute when on the phone. In-person you can actually see a sigh which involves a deep breath and its release.
Our words may say one thing while our body language and para-language may say another. For example, on a job interview you may try to say the right things while your nervous hands and sweaty brow may communicate another. The interviewer will know that you are nervous despite your confident words.
Another example is the behavior of a liar. Typically someone who is lying is stiff and uses few arm and hand movements. They avoid eye contact and they will turn away or turn sideways. Sometimes they unconsciously put things between you and them such as a stack of magazines or some other object to hide behind.
Studies have shown that people can “size up” another person in as little as three to four seconds. This judgment is a basic mammalian response that uses all our senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. In addition, we call upon our past experiences with others to help us sort out friend from foe. If we had a bad experience with a tall, bald man once before, we might be wary of others who fit that description.
Body language may make up to 55% of communication. This includes posture, facial expressions such as smiling or frowning, hand and arm movements, and the tilt of your head. A hand moved in front of your mouth can indicate that you uncomfortable or don’t agree with the other party. Arms crossed can be sign of aggression or disagreement.
Akin to body language is the amount of space you maintain between yourself and others; while this space can be cultural and learned, it can also be an indicator of someone who is aggressive or unskilled socially. Standing too close to another person can make others very uncomfortable in western cultures, while in Middle Eastern cultures standing nose to nose is considered polite and a sign of friendship or trust.
Para-language is the use of intonation, sighs, and pauses in your speech; studies have shown that para-language accounts for 38% of communication. Once again culture may play a big role in use of para-language. For example, Japanese business people will use long pauses in meetings to reflect upon important points. These pauses show respect and wisdom; these pauses also allow for time to think and help you avoid saying something stupid. Para-language can be heard on the phone such as a sigh or an inflection of voice; our listening for these signals is more acute when on the phone. In-person you can actually see a sigh which involves a deep breath and its release.
Our words may say one thing while our body language and para-language may say another. For example, on a job interview you may try to say the right things while your nervous hands and sweaty brow may communicate another. The interviewer will know that you are nervous despite your confident words.
Another example is the behavior of a liar. Typically someone who is lying is stiff and uses few arm and hand movements. They avoid eye contact and they will turn away or turn sideways. Sometimes they unconsciously put things between you and them such as a stack of magazines or some other object to hide behind.
Selling The Right Product Will Make You A Top Producing Salesperson - No Gimmicks Or Sales Tricks
There are a lot of sales experts and sales trainers that teach sales skills, tips, and tricks – how to cold call, how to generate leads, how to close sales, where to find prospects, how to upsell, how to ask for referrals, and the like.
You can do a search on Google and find thousands of results from people teaching you how to sell. Most, if not all of these, are just tricks or gimmicks. If there's a problem with your sales results, they'll normally tell you that your techniques are wrong. But not many will tell you that perhaps there might be something wrong with the product that you’re selling. Perhaps it’s not you – the product might be bad. And, no sales gimmicks will help you sell a product that nobody needs or wants, no matter what the so-called sales trainers tell you.
Of course, some of these sales techniques do have merit but what is not right is when somebody tells you that you can sell anything as long as you apply the proper sales methods; that is not true – You cannot sell ice to an Eskimo no matter what the so-called experts tell you.
What does this mean to you and your sales career? It means that if the sales numbers are not up to par, it may not be that your sales skills are lacking or that you are not doing a good job. It might just mean that your product sucks. Don't be afraid to sell a product that sells itself!
You can do a search on Google and find thousands of results from people teaching you how to sell. Most, if not all of these, are just tricks or gimmicks. If there's a problem with your sales results, they'll normally tell you that your techniques are wrong. But not many will tell you that perhaps there might be something wrong with the product that you’re selling. Perhaps it’s not you – the product might be bad. And, no sales gimmicks will help you sell a product that nobody needs or wants, no matter what the so-called sales trainers tell you.
Of course, some of these sales techniques do have merit but what is not right is when somebody tells you that you can sell anything as long as you apply the proper sales methods; that is not true – You cannot sell ice to an Eskimo no matter what the so-called experts tell you.
What does this mean to you and your sales career? It means that if the sales numbers are not up to par, it may not be that your sales skills are lacking or that you are not doing a good job. It might just mean that your product sucks. Don't be afraid to sell a product that sells itself!
Five Proven Ways to Get More Appointments
This time of year you see a lot of surveys about sales, views of sales leaders and their goals for the year ahead. One consistent theme is the need for more prospecting both within existing accounts and for new clients. This can not be accomplished without getting appointments, probably the least liked activity for all sales people, veteran or new. It’s not rocket science: Sales come Prospects, Prospects are a result of meeting with people: Appointments.
Our Appointment-Making Program deals extensively with the art and science of getting appointments with decision makers on a consistent basis. Here are some proven methods to help improve your appointment setting skills and numbers.
Shift your calling hours: Many trainers suggest that you do your calling first thing in the morning. Theory being that you “get it out of the way” first thing, and then go on about your day doing what you do best and like to do: sell. The reality is that you need to shift your prospecting calls to when your target audience is more likely to be available. For some services like ours first thing in the morning is best, first thing being 7:00 to 8:00 – 8:30 a.m. However if your target is a plant manager, service manager, traffic manager, VP ops, you are not likely to find them in their office in the morning, mid-day is probably a better time.
With a bit of research and keeping track, you can typically learn when is a likely time not only to find your target by their phone but also in a position to listen to your approach, and respond in a way that serves your mutual needs. A little preparation, segmentation and planning goes a long way.
Please be clear, we are not excusing you from making calls at all times, just encouraging you to call targets at a time that will yield best results for you.
Voice Mail: ALWAYS LEAVE A VOICE MAIL MESSAGE! A lot of people don’t believe in leaving voice mail, and that’s alright, because if you do, you’ll get more appointments.
There are a couple of dynamics at play. A lot of reps say “I never get a call back”; “No one ever returns voice mails”. Not true, I get return calls from 5 out of 10 messages I leave. (Our Appointment-Making Program instructs participants on how to leave effective voice mails.)
But you can also benefit from the ones that do not call back. Studies have shown that it may take anywhere from 4 to 7 approaches for someone to respond or deal with a new matter. Other studies have shown that most sales people give up after three attempts at reaching someone (usually with a manager saying move on in the background).
Now if you do not leave a message, then you may have tried 3 times, and let’s say you’re one of the keeners who tries 4 times, as far as the prospect goes you’re at zero, because they have no way of knowing that you called, because you didn’t leave a message or “calling card” telling her you want to talk to her. You also don’t want to be at the other end of the spectrum, wasting your time dialing someone dozens of times, not leaving a message, then finally connecting and letting built up frustration out on the prospect, as though it was their fault that you called and called and called, instead of leaving a message and having them call you, like every other person I leave a message for does.
Another thing to consider is that a vast majority of reps, who do not leave messages, still listen to the entire outbound message on the voice mail, so why not take a few more seconds and leave a message.
It’s a no brainer, on the one hand, even if they don’t call back (within 72 hours), you are on the prospects radar (yes initially at the fringe) but still better than the superstars who don’t leave messages; on the other hand a 50-50 shot of getting a call back, good odds, and certainly many more conversation leading to more appointments.
If by chance you do miss a return call from someone you left a message for, not the time of their call to you, and aim to call them back in the same time frame, another way to shift your calling hours, in addition to those detailed above.
Segment Preparation: Since most sales people do not like to prospect to begin with, they like preparing for it even less. But at the end, anything worth doing is worth doing right, and in sales and prospecting that means taking the time to prepare.
With prospecting preparation is just as vital as at any point in the cycle. This goes from a simple thing like having a complete calling list ready, including name, title, number, potential value statements, references, potential voicemail message, and the ability to anticipate and deal with objections.
While these may seem obvious, many sales people do not take the time to be ready, and as a result get distracted, rejected and dejected. Having the above and an understanding of how to relate to the person you are calling can dramatically increase the resulting appointments. As with any of the things discussed in this piece, the better you are at getting the right number of appointments to drive your business, the less calls you have to make.
I would caution that you have to be realistic not confuse “preparation” with “deep research” for each appointment setting call, that would be a waste of time at this stage. If your numbers are 12-6-1, (12 dials to reach 6 decision makers resulting in one appointment), and you spend 5 minutes researching each call, that’s 2 hours of research for 1 appointment, not a good use of time.
Leverage: As you are working with clients, or calling prospects, you are in a position to glean a lot of useful information that is current and relevant to a given sector or type of buyer. Why not use that information right away to generate more appointments.
You can call people in the same sector that you have tried in the past, and demonstrate the interest you have in their sector, how you are keeping up with developments and why they should rethink meeting with you. This especially works if you present it to them in the context “I was thinking about you and the impact ………would have on you company” (project, initiative, what-have-you). People really respond when you tell them you were thinking about their issues and how you can help rather than just as an order.
You can also call new prospects and lead with something current and relevant, distinguishing you from the horde of reps whose initial prospecting call is generic with questionable relevance for the prospect.
The more folks you engage with based on their points of interest, the more you increase your probabilities and resulting appointments.
DO IT! We’re not being cheeky; the number one reason for lack of appointments is lack of action taken, lack of effort. It’s something most reps don’t like to do, so they find any number of reasons not to do it. A sales manager at wireless company captured it very well when he said “there is always a battery that needs to be driven across town just when its time to prospect”. Sometime the greatest creativity shown by sales people is demonstrated in the way in which they avoid making the appointment setting calls.
But as with any professional endeavor, there will be necessary aspect of the drill that are not fun, yet those who excel understand that they have to incorporate it into their game. The way to minimize the grief is to improve your skills, master it and thereby have to spend less time at it while still achieving the levels required to be consistently successful.
What's in Your Pipeline? If you are sad to admit, contact Tibor Shanto, Principal with Renbor Sales Solutions Inc., and find out how he has helped dozens of organization to fill their pipeline with real prospects - - driving real revenue.
Tibor Shanto, is a Principal with Renbor Sales Solutions Inc., Renbor Sales Solutions Inc. enables companies achieve sustained growth, by focusing on critical aspects of revenue growth. By recognizing that an outstanding sales force is THE differentiator in today’s environment, our clients with our help, focus on the development of both strategic and tactical initiatives to foster a winning team that will out think, out sell and out perform competitors while consistently gaining market share.
Our Appointment-Making Program deals extensively with the art and science of getting appointments with decision makers on a consistent basis. Here are some proven methods to help improve your appointment setting skills and numbers.
Shift your calling hours: Many trainers suggest that you do your calling first thing in the morning. Theory being that you “get it out of the way” first thing, and then go on about your day doing what you do best and like to do: sell. The reality is that you need to shift your prospecting calls to when your target audience is more likely to be available. For some services like ours first thing in the morning is best, first thing being 7:00 to 8:00 – 8:30 a.m. However if your target is a plant manager, service manager, traffic manager, VP ops, you are not likely to find them in their office in the morning, mid-day is probably a better time.
With a bit of research and keeping track, you can typically learn when is a likely time not only to find your target by their phone but also in a position to listen to your approach, and respond in a way that serves your mutual needs. A little preparation, segmentation and planning goes a long way.
Please be clear, we are not excusing you from making calls at all times, just encouraging you to call targets at a time that will yield best results for you.
Voice Mail: ALWAYS LEAVE A VOICE MAIL MESSAGE! A lot of people don’t believe in leaving voice mail, and that’s alright, because if you do, you’ll get more appointments.
There are a couple of dynamics at play. A lot of reps say “I never get a call back”; “No one ever returns voice mails”. Not true, I get return calls from 5 out of 10 messages I leave. (Our Appointment-Making Program instructs participants on how to leave effective voice mails.)
But you can also benefit from the ones that do not call back. Studies have shown that it may take anywhere from 4 to 7 approaches for someone to respond or deal with a new matter. Other studies have shown that most sales people give up after three attempts at reaching someone (usually with a manager saying move on in the background).
Now if you do not leave a message, then you may have tried 3 times, and let’s say you’re one of the keeners who tries 4 times, as far as the prospect goes you’re at zero, because they have no way of knowing that you called, because you didn’t leave a message or “calling card” telling her you want to talk to her. You also don’t want to be at the other end of the spectrum, wasting your time dialing someone dozens of times, not leaving a message, then finally connecting and letting built up frustration out on the prospect, as though it was their fault that you called and called and called, instead of leaving a message and having them call you, like every other person I leave a message for does.
Another thing to consider is that a vast majority of reps, who do not leave messages, still listen to the entire outbound message on the voice mail, so why not take a few more seconds and leave a message.
It’s a no brainer, on the one hand, even if they don’t call back (within 72 hours), you are on the prospects radar (yes initially at the fringe) but still better than the superstars who don’t leave messages; on the other hand a 50-50 shot of getting a call back, good odds, and certainly many more conversation leading to more appointments.
If by chance you do miss a return call from someone you left a message for, not the time of their call to you, and aim to call them back in the same time frame, another way to shift your calling hours, in addition to those detailed above.
Segment Preparation: Since most sales people do not like to prospect to begin with, they like preparing for it even less. But at the end, anything worth doing is worth doing right, and in sales and prospecting that means taking the time to prepare.
With prospecting preparation is just as vital as at any point in the cycle. This goes from a simple thing like having a complete calling list ready, including name, title, number, potential value statements, references, potential voicemail message, and the ability to anticipate and deal with objections.
While these may seem obvious, many sales people do not take the time to be ready, and as a result get distracted, rejected and dejected. Having the above and an understanding of how to relate to the person you are calling can dramatically increase the resulting appointments. As with any of the things discussed in this piece, the better you are at getting the right number of appointments to drive your business, the less calls you have to make.
I would caution that you have to be realistic not confuse “preparation” with “deep research” for each appointment setting call, that would be a waste of time at this stage. If your numbers are 12-6-1, (12 dials to reach 6 decision makers resulting in one appointment), and you spend 5 minutes researching each call, that’s 2 hours of research for 1 appointment, not a good use of time.
Leverage: As you are working with clients, or calling prospects, you are in a position to glean a lot of useful information that is current and relevant to a given sector or type of buyer. Why not use that information right away to generate more appointments.
You can call people in the same sector that you have tried in the past, and demonstrate the interest you have in their sector, how you are keeping up with developments and why they should rethink meeting with you. This especially works if you present it to them in the context “I was thinking about you and the impact ………would have on you company” (project, initiative, what-have-you). People really respond when you tell them you were thinking about their issues and how you can help rather than just as an order.
You can also call new prospects and lead with something current and relevant, distinguishing you from the horde of reps whose initial prospecting call is generic with questionable relevance for the prospect.
The more folks you engage with based on their points of interest, the more you increase your probabilities and resulting appointments.
DO IT! We’re not being cheeky; the number one reason for lack of appointments is lack of action taken, lack of effort. It’s something most reps don’t like to do, so they find any number of reasons not to do it. A sales manager at wireless company captured it very well when he said “there is always a battery that needs to be driven across town just when its time to prospect”. Sometime the greatest creativity shown by sales people is demonstrated in the way in which they avoid making the appointment setting calls.
But as with any professional endeavor, there will be necessary aspect of the drill that are not fun, yet those who excel understand that they have to incorporate it into their game. The way to minimize the grief is to improve your skills, master it and thereby have to spend less time at it while still achieving the levels required to be consistently successful.
What's in Your Pipeline? If you are sad to admit, contact Tibor Shanto, Principal with Renbor Sales Solutions Inc., and find out how he has helped dozens of organization to fill their pipeline with real prospects - - driving real revenue.
Tibor Shanto, is a Principal with Renbor Sales Solutions Inc., Renbor Sales Solutions Inc. enables companies achieve sustained growth, by focusing on critical aspects of revenue growth. By recognizing that an outstanding sales force is THE differentiator in today’s environment, our clients with our help, focus on the development of both strategic and tactical initiatives to foster a winning team that will out think, out sell and out perform competitors while consistently gaining market share.
How Can The Words You Use Generate More Sales?
Being able to communicate effectively with a prospect is vital for obtaining a sale and is a very useful sales technique.
In communicating with a prospect try to avoid technical terms (unless of course the prospect understands them). Using these terms to a non-technical person will only lead to confusion which in turn may cause you to lose the sale. It is important to say exactly what you mean. By listening to yourself, you will be able to determine if your voice inflexion is correct.
How convincing are you? Words that provide a solution to a prospect’s problem will work remarkably well. Instead of pushing the product onto the customer you will make the prospect want to buy. Make it very clear how buying the product will solve their particular problem.
Words combined with agreeable body language is a great sales technique that you can utilize to your best advantage. Try to get your customer’s immediate and favorable attention using the fewest words you possibly can. This way you mitigate the risk of overselling and time is not waste on non-relevant issues.
If you can frame your words to give a choice rather than pose an open question to which the prospect can say no then the result will be a dramatic increase in your sales. At some point in your presentation the prospect will want to know how they can benefit from your product or service. If you present something of value then you will more likely close the sale.
Finally, you may want to ask why to any objection that the prospect may have. By doing this you can better see things from their point of vies. For instance, if the prospect says that your product is not needed then by asking why you may find out that it costs too much. You may be able to offer a more affordable product or service.
In communicating with a prospect try to avoid technical terms (unless of course the prospect understands them). Using these terms to a non-technical person will only lead to confusion which in turn may cause you to lose the sale. It is important to say exactly what you mean. By listening to yourself, you will be able to determine if your voice inflexion is correct.
How convincing are you? Words that provide a solution to a prospect’s problem will work remarkably well. Instead of pushing the product onto the customer you will make the prospect want to buy. Make it very clear how buying the product will solve their particular problem.
Words combined with agreeable body language is a great sales technique that you can utilize to your best advantage. Try to get your customer’s immediate and favorable attention using the fewest words you possibly can. This way you mitigate the risk of overselling and time is not waste on non-relevant issues.
If you can frame your words to give a choice rather than pose an open question to which the prospect can say no then the result will be a dramatic increase in your sales. At some point in your presentation the prospect will want to know how they can benefit from your product or service. If you present something of value then you will more likely close the sale.
Finally, you may want to ask why to any objection that the prospect may have. By doing this you can better see things from their point of vies. For instance, if the prospect says that your product is not needed then by asking why you may find out that it costs too much. You may be able to offer a more affordable product or service.
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