Take a Well-Worn Path to Clean Communication

While spending the week with family in Colorado, my brother-in-law, Jason, and I spent one morning traveling the mountainous back country on my father's ATVs. Thrilled by both scenery and speed, we took the hills with that wonderful combination of confidence and naiveté that men on 4-wheelers have.

After about an hour of maneuvering through the well-worn paths of Westcliffe, Jason looked at me and pointed to the mountain in front of us, indicating that we should ride to the top of it. Excited at the challenge, and armed with all the confidence an hour of experience brings, I raced ahead of him onto the base of the mountain.

Shifting into 4-wheel drive, we climbed the steep mountainside. As we reached the rolling flat summit, I threw my arms up like I was Rocky reaching the top of the stairs. A few seconds later, I realized that getting down from the mountain wasn't going to be as easy as getting up had been.

I turned to Jason and asked, "So... how do we get down?" He replied, "Easy, we go this way." As we began to retrace our path, it became apparent we were going to have some trouble getting down safely. The mountainside was too steep and we could feel the ATVs starting to tip over. Throwing them into reverse, we backed up, trying to find a safer path down. With his military experience, I trusted Jason's instincts over my own. Following him to another path, my heart jumped as the back two tires began lifting off of the ground, about to tumble. Looking at the quarter mile downward, I froze.

I dismounted the ATV and pushed it back to safer ground. We repeated the process no less than a dozen times. Jason's confidence and my belief in it had me following him blindly. Finally, I had to ask him straight out, "Do you seriously know how to get down from here?" He replied, "Yes, it's right over there, it's the safest way." Having just spent 45 minutes following him, I asked again in a non-accusatory tone, "Are you sure that's the way?" Jason paused, "No, I have no idea."

Admitting that he had no idea how to get down, we were able to make some progress. We dismounted, sat down, and evaluated the situation. Pooling together our thoughts and scouting out paths on foot, we found the most effective way to resolve the situation we were in.

In business, we encounter situations like this everyday. However, basic business training encourages seeking out "yes" answers and avoiding the word "no" at all costs. Truthfully, we should seek to establish clean communication with our customers, the type that allows the salesperson, and the customer, to evaluate the situation, using all of the information available in order to make the right decision.

Too often we lead our customers down the path of "yes" when the right answer is actually "no." We try so hard to close a sale that we fail to establish a clean understanding of the situation. In the absence of this clean understanding we can drag out the sales process with no acceptable conclusion, or we convince our customer to take a path that is wholly inappropriate. You may get a sale, but you will kill the long-term relationship as you and your customer tumble down in the wrong direction like a top-heavy ATV.

In every sales relationship, you must try to understand where you are at from a communication standpoint. There is great value in taking some time to have a simple conversation about whether you and your customer feel you are on the right course. To receive an honest, productive answer, creating an environment that allows your customer to feel comfortable enough to tell you "no" can sometimes be the fastest way to the sale and the only way into a long-term relationship.

Selling Countdown

What's your selling style?

Ready aim fire . . .

Ready fire aim . . .

Ready aim, aim, aim . . .

Are you ready to sell?

How do you know you're ready?

10 . . .
9 . . .
8 . . .
7 . . .
6 . . .
5 . . .
4 . . .
3 . . .
2 . . .
1 . . .

Lift-off!

Imagine you're the pilot of the space shuttle.

Months of preparation . . .

Months of planning . . .

Months of training . . .

Your goal is nothing short of excellence - 100% mission accomplished.

Finally, launch day, anticipation and the final countdown to the launch.

Ya know salespeople can learn a thing or two from the Space Shuttle Program.

Too many salespeople show up unprepared for sales calls to prospects and customers. It's an easy trap to fall into. Too many voicemails, too many e-mails, too many distractions, and way too many interruptions.

Who in the sales world has time to prepare, plan, and train?

How much better would your selling results be if you had a final countdown before every sales call?

It's your system for getting ready for every sales call and could look like this:

(6-10 on done before the sales call)

10 . . . homework and research completed.
9 . . . written sales call objective.
8 . . . review and rehearse six open-ended sales questions.
7 . . . review product features and benefits.
6 . . . rehearse how you'll ask for the next appointment.
(1-5 on done during the sales call)
5 . . . flip the switch - "Smile on!"
4 . . . attitude check - "Yes I can."
3 . . . establish rapport with a solid introduction.
2 . . . deliver your elevator speech.
1 . . . ask your questions.

How much better would your sales calls be, if you had a system and/or checklist to keep you focused?

How would you feel - probably more confident!

How would your sales prospects perceive you - extremely professional!

How would this impact your sales - like the shuttle, your sales would take off!

Don't follow the herd if you want to achieve unlimited selling success.

The herd is filled with mediocrity.

Become a raging bull!

Remember - the sky's your limit, not the sales quota you're given.

You have the potential to become exceptional in your business.

You get to choose between becoming exceptional or having permanent potential!

Make every day a Masterpiece.

Persuasive Sales Versus Manipulative Closes

On a recent call, one of my protégé students had posted to our forum something that illustrated yet again one of the most important points in selling and that's the difference between persuasive sales versus the manipulative close.

When I was about 19 or 20 years old I owned a health spa which I started from scratch. I was sitting at my desk one day with older gentleman who had asked for an appointment. He wanted to come and talk to me about radio advertising and I agreed because I thought it was an interesting idea with some opportunity. He started off with the typical manipulative, shtick, "If I could show you in 30 minutes time how you can make a lot of money and cut some of your costs you would be interested in this, wouldn't you?"

Ugh. It was already starting badly. Then he pulled out a thick book and began to go page by page telling me about where the company began, who he was, et cetera. It was light on content and heavy on pictures. It was a very slow process where only 10 minutes had passed, it felt like hours.

Finally I said, "Stop. I see how thick this book is and I see that you've already been going for 10 minutes. I'm surprised I've let you talk this long, but if we've got to get through that entire book, you aren't going to be here 30 minutes, you're going to be here for hours, and that simply isn't going to happen. Can you summarize for me what you can do for me? Yes or no?"

He stammered and mutter, "I'm going to show you back here if you'll just give me the opportunity to get there."

I said, "I'm not going to. That's the point. I'm not going to give you the opportunity if you can't give me a yes or no."

He tried to argue, "Well, I asked you for 30 minutes."

I said, "I'm asking you, can you summarize what you can do for me, yes or no?"

At this point, he was unable to come up with anything and I had to ask him to leave. I wasn't trying to be a jerk. Initially, I really did want to hear if he had something I could benefit from, but if he couldn't get to the value of his service, how was it going to benefit me if I only had 30 second radio ads in which to get to the point about my business.

There was no persuasion involved at all in his presentation. By belaboring me, by not being able to come up with anything for me to hang my hat on, and not even bothering to look for what my criteria was, he was the epitome of manipulative sales.

In the vein of the old fashioned, features and benefits kind of selling, Zig Ziglar once said, "This I do know beyond any reasonable doubt. Regardless of what you are doing, if you pump long enough, hard enough and enthusiastically enough, sooner or later the effort will bring forth the reward."

Simple Solutions For Making Sales When You Hate Selling

Do you hate selling?

Maybe you're even one of the many people who hates sales, salespeople and everything that goes along with it. Honestly, these days I don't blame you.

From telemarketers to used car salesmen, we're bombarded with people trying to force us to buy things we don't really want or need. And these rude, non-listening, aggressive types have given sales a very bad name.

However, it's almost impossible to be a successful entrepreneur if you hate selling Because the one thing you have to be able to do in business is sell.

You've got to sell your partner on your ideas...Your employees on doing it your way...Your clients on the value of your products or services...
The list goes on.

The good part is, most of us are already master salespeople. And have been since we were little kids.

Think about it...

Remember campaigning for weeks (or even months) to get that one particular toy for your birthday?

Or hounding your folks until they let you drive, or stay out late?

And at some point you've probably persuaded a friend to go to a certain restaurant, buy a particular item, or wear a different outfit...

Or convinced your child to do their homework, go to bed, or eat their green beans...

In each of these examples, you had to sell someone on something. And I bet at the time you had no issue whatsoever with trying to make the sale. Probably because you felt confident you were persuading each of them to do what you thought was best.

Now let's fast forward to today...

You've got a service and/or product to sell that you really believe in. But maybe you feel uncomfortable telling people why it's so great. Or with actually asking people to part with their hard-earned dough.

That's understandable, but it's also a big problem. Because if you want to grow your business, at some point you are going to have to get clients or make sales.

Thankfully, there are much better, easier, ways to sell than the old used car salesman stereotype implies.

What you really want to do is simply get people to want to buy from you. Because everyone likes to buy, but no one likes to be sold.

Here are 5 of my favorite ways to get people to want to buy from you:

1) Be a problem solver. If you show someone you can solve one of their most pressing problems, you are well on your way to landing a new client (Testimonials and case studies are a powerful way to do this). And if you deliver, you're likely to have a long-term client and a raving fan for life!

2) Be an educator. Anytime you can teach effectively-whether formally as a speaker or writer, or informally to clients and customers-you are automatically seen as a expert. And if the information you give away is helpful people are going to want more of your expertise.

3) Be an expert. People seek out experts, and are willing to pay them more. The easiest way to become an expert is by speaking and/or writing. Nothing says expert like your own book or you standing behind a podium.

4) Be a resource. Giving someone a quality referral to a solution or provider builds your reputation as someone who cares and is helpful. And it shows you have a lot more to offer than just your products or services.

5) Be someone who cares. Always be on the lookout for ways to make a difference for others. This could be as simple as offering a free tips sheet or report, or even helping someone carry a stack of boxes. Or it could be as complicated as volunteering with your local non-profit or networking group.

The common thread here...?

Not once did I use the words sales, sell or selling. Instead I've given you 5 ways to pay attention and find ways to help other people.

Because selling is all about you and your needs. But if you want people to buy from you, it's got to be about helping them get what they need. They need to know, and believe, you truly have their best interests at heart.

My guess is you already do. You may have just been so focused on making (or avoiding making) sales you forgot to show others you care about them, their happiness, and their success.

Now I'm not saying you shouldn't focus on making sales and growing your business. Just that this should come in a close second to helping other people.

How to Recession Proof Your Packaging

The news says everyone is worried about the economy and consumers are spending less. Is this causing your product sales to decline? Typically consumers cut back spending during hard economic times. So how can you counteract product doldrums when the economy is in a recession or a slowdown?

The first thing to understand is that consumer still "buy" things. For example 70% of all packaging is food related and people still have to eat. They just buy in different ways. They may cut out fast food or restaurant purchases in favor of home prepared meals. But they still want to purchase the same conditions. In the case of fast food easy to prepare, reheat or ready to eat. Wal-Mart's fresh take home pizza is a good example of fulfilling a need. In my case in place of a restaurant trip its rotisserie chicken that is ready to go with dozens of applications for meal prep. But I still want convenience too and limited meal prep.

To understand how to recession proof your packaging you need to learn to recognize what buying signals will motivate your customer to purchase your products. They still want to spend money they just want to do it cost effectively and to reap some value for their purchases. Or they just may want to treat themselves to something special as a way of feeling better.

Here are a few ways you can influence the consumer purchasing decision though product packaging.

Even though overall purchasing might be down people are still willing to experiment. As a good example they might cancel a planned vacation. Can you products be used to simulate a "vacation" at home? Products could be oriented toward having a lifestyle experience without ever leaving home. You could package that experience as an alternative to a vacation. Words like have a luxurious spa experience in your own home or vacation at home with our X. It's all in how you connect the experience with the desired outcome on your product packaging.

Despite the economy luxury product sales are increasing too. People are willing to spend money to treat themselves or to make a personal statement. What do you package that can be considered
luxurious and a special treat for someone? Is your product packaging glitzy and unique? A good example is the number of companies incorporating Swavorksi crystals into their product packaging or using ultra sophisticated, elegant glass bottles instead of plastic. Other products include people purchasing something unique, different and expensive to make their own branding statement. In this case price is not an object its the "feeling good" outcome that counts.

On the other side of the coin is the switch from branded products to private label usually with considerable cost savings. Almost every retailer now has its own private label line of products.
Can you private label your product for an untapped market opportunity? Literally anything can be private labeled. It's one of the fastest growing market sectors. As consumers look for ways of saving money they are willing to experiment with new brands. private label packaging is now as sophisticated an branded goods.The interesting fact is once they switch and are satisfied they are generally never go back to the branded counterpart. So what can you private label with your packaging?

Another way to capture the consumer is to provide more value. Numerous articles have recently been written about the "shrinking package" on products yet selling at the same price. As I have said when asked, smart marketers would figure out how to offer more value not less. So in McDonald's lingo supersize me. Give me more for my money not less. Call this out on your packaging 10% more for the same price, value pack or even our packaging is NOT smaller. Your customer will be watching what you do and might be buying from someone who is.

I'd like to got back to rotisserie chicken again. This week I bought a chicken at Publix. I was shocked how much smaller it was as a usually much larger chicken but still selling at the same
price ( just like the packaging shrink). I was an unhappy customer for two reasons. I like the chicken from Kroger much better (the store is equally close). Krogers' chicken comes in a resealable ziplock bag that makes it incredibly easy to store while Publics chicken comes in a paper bag which tears easily and isn't airtight making me take an extra step to repackage. Even better Kroger runs the member special with rotisserie chicken at a lower price frequently. That's what I mean about connecting with your core customer: On the same packaged product Kroger is offering value and convenience Publix is not.

Lastly think about repurposing your packaging. This is somewhat similar to "value" in packaging but in this case people will retain your packaging, refill it or use it for something else. Think about how you can give double the reasons for purchasing something by letting your consumer know. You get twice the bang for your buck as you can capture the environmental movement too. Words like our product is reusable, refillable or collectible, or even don't throw it away.

To recession proof your product packaging its all about listening to the consumer. They WILL buy, if you package the right message at the right price with the right value, recession or not.

I'm JoAnn Hines The Packaging Diva. I'm tapped in to the latest packaging news. I can help you assess why or not you should consider changing your product packaging. At the very least I can tell you what your competition is doing.

If you are just chumming the "packaging" waters then be sure and visit and one of my web sites for lots of information and advice or to get your free packaging report "Why Packaging Fails".

Considering that the cost of designing an average retail package is $7,000, what's a few dollars to get it right the first time (or risk spending thousands more to fix it later)! It pays to do your homework!