Why Are Some Salespeople More Successful Than Others?

Over the years I've observed not only my own sales behavior but that of hundreds of salespeople who worked for my clients and I can tell you that the line between super sales success and mediocrity is a very thin one.

Let me explain.

There are several vital factors that will determine your success they include but are not limited to;

-your self-esteem

-your work ethic

-your attitudes during both good and bad times

-the condition of the economy

-your competitors

-your life outlook

-your attitudes about time

-your belief and confidence in your products and services

-your willingness to continue to learn and grow

Each of these will have varying impact on your overall success. None, in my opinion are more or less important than any of the others because they are all linked together. For example;
If you have low self-esteem you will tend to feel you have little value and will therefore tend to waste more time. If your life outlook is positive and optimistic in general your response to a challenging economy will to get more creative and work smarter. If your work ethic lacks passion your belief and confidence in your products and serves won't really matter.

So what is the difference between sales super-stars and everyone else?

Sales super-stars understand the connections between each of the elements of the sales process and their sales career and they work on each of them and all of them all of the time. The salespeople who consistently perform below expectations, never hit their sales targets or seem to excel always have reasons other than themselves - it's the price... it's the lack of corporate support... It's the competition lowering prices... It's the weather... It's Monday... It's Summer... Get it? Salespeople who never break records always have a reason.

How to Become a Better Sales Person

All of us have done sales at one point in our lives. If you have to go on a job interview, it means you have to sell yourself to get the job since there are so many competitors. You have to market your skills, have experience, know how to negotiate salary and be likable. You have to prove to your prospective employer that you are the person for the job and so you have to have a certain kind of confidence and belief in yourself. You have to be grounded, mature and eager to learn.

It is the same attitude that is associated with a person who is actually in sales. If you are in the field of sales and want to become a better salesman or saleswoman, you have to first learn from those who have had more experience than you have had over the years. A good sales person must know the product or services of the company so that they can provide adequate and correct information to the client. Knowing the product or services may, in some cases, mean using it yourself because once you have a personal experience with something; you can recommend it honestly to others. This is why in the network marketing industry, sales representatives are asked to have their own monthly volume of the same products they are promoting so that their sales pitch can be more convincing and real.

Be confident about your skills and your ability to sell. You don't want your customer or client to see any sign of insecurity because they will see that as not believing in the company and its products or services. This is not a good representation of the company. Learn as much as you can about the company, their vision and their mission statement. Let that be a part of your vision. If you cannot identify with the company's vision or accept it, you might as well not be there.

Keep sharpening your skill set. Take classes, workshop or training that will help you to be a better sales person. Buy books, CDs or DVDs that are geared towards better salesmanship. A good author on that subject is Zig Ziglar. You also want to have your own goals of where you want to be as a salesperson in five years, ten years or twenty years. You will then use those goals as a buffer to propel you in the right direction and to make you better year after year.

Believe in yourself and in your abilities. If you don't believe you can do it, no one else will do it for you. You have to encourage yourself and stay motivated. Be around positive people that will help you to see things in a new light. Never be too hard on yourself. If you make a sale, go out and treat yourself to a movie, dinner or something momentous. Accept any moment of failure because it is through your failures that you will learn to become a better sales person. It will give you enough tenacity to do better the next time around.

Use These Ten Sales Copy Approaches To Beef Up Your Online Sales

Utilize these ten approaches to energize your online sales copy.

1. The "Blast From The Past" Approach

The "if you order today, you will also receive all the past (bonuses or products) that I've previously removed..." approach tells potential customers that in the past you removed some things from your offer that they would never have had the chance to get until now. It could be older products, articles, reports, software, courses, content, etc.

2. The "Bought Everything" Approach

The "like you, I've bought products from everywhere imaginable and they still didn't work..." approach tells potential customers that you know that they have likely bought a lot of products from all sorts of places which never lived up to their claims. You could mention they may have bought them from infomercials, catalogs, the Internet, seminars, etc. You can say that after all those horrible experiences, you finally decided to develop a product that actually works.

3. The "A Bonus Date" Approach

The "special bonus just added! (date) (time)..." approach tells potential customers that you recently added a new bonus to your offer. It may excite them that it has just been added because they will be one of the first to get it. You could even tell them the date your next new bonus will be added. They will assume they will keep getting new bonuses as a paid customer.

4. The "Buyer Advantage" Approach

The "all my paid customers get told about my new product releases before my regular prospects...." approach tells potential customers that if they become a paid customer, they will get a chance to benefit from your new product releases before everyone else. You could give your paid customers another perk, like being the first to join your new affiliate program for the new products you release.

5. The "Buy A Bio" Approach

The "I'll reveal more about my past with you when you become a customer..." approach tells potential customers that they can learn more personal and professional things about you when they purchase your product. You could have a partial bio on your web site and a full bio sent with their product package or on your thank you page. Many people become curious about your whole life and history when they decide to purchase something from you.

6. The "Inside The Mind" Approach

The "go inside the mind of successful people that have (your product's benefit)..." approach tells potential customers that you will give them the mental instructions for using and gaining their desired benefit with your product. You could mention they will learn the habits, attitudes, beliefs, mindsets, emotions, etc. of other people that have been successful with your product. You could just interview these people and compile it into an information product.

7. The "Bed Of Nails" Approach

The "I'd rather lie on a bed of nails than not have (your product's benefit)..." approach tells potential customers now that you know what it's like to have your desired benefit with your own product or one from someone else, you would do almost anything not to go back to the way it was. You could explain the emotions you used to have, the problems that you experienced, the way if affected people around you, etc. Other descriptions of torture are: walking over glass, needles shoved under your finger nails, lying on hot coals, etc.

8. The "Back You Up" Approach

The "bonus: you'll get a back up copy shipped to you..." approach tells potential customers that you will give them a physical back up copy of your digital product that they normally just download. Tell them it will save them the time and frustration of re-downloading it if their computer crashes, if they get a destructive virus, if they accidentally delete it, etc. Tell them to hurry because you only produced so many copies.

9. The "My Favorite" Approach

The "my favorite food is..." approach tells potential customers that you are revealing some fun, personal information about yourself that is unrelated to your product. It will lighten up your sales letter or pitch so people might rest their buying defenses for a few minutes. It could be your favorite color, TV show, movie, music, joke, heroes, drink, place to vacation, quotes, vehicle, book, dream item, etc.

10. The "Normal Than Usual" Approach

The "the normal commission is $(no.) per sale but if you join the affiliate program through this link, you'll get ($) per sale..." approach tells potential customers that you made a deal with the product owner to give your audience a higher commission than normal on his affiliate program. Of course, the owner could give you second tier commissions for telling your prospects about it. It's a win/win deal for everyone involved.

How to Boost Your Online Book Sales with Effective Web Copy

As a published author, your web site should become the clearinghouse of your marketing efforts. Every ad you place online, every article you publish in electronic publications, and even every e-mail you send should link back to your web site, where a visitor can read about your book-possibly even a sample of your book-read about you, find additional information, and buy your book. And every print ad or article that mentions you, should mention your web site, as well.

Your web site can be as simple as a blog, which is an often free, easy way to get online. If you already have a business web site, just add book sales pages and information about your book to what you already have - if your current web site gets traffic, you have a readily available pool of potential book buyers. Or you can build a web site specifically to market your book.

Realize that building a web site can be a big project, and not only does it possibly require help from an expert, but it also requires plenty of writing. When it comes to the writing, the following strategies will help.

How is writing for the web different?

When writing for the web, many of the same effective writing strategies you used in your book hold true. You should know the goal of your web copy, and use active, engaging language to keep your readers interested. You want your web content to be clear and error free. And it must appeal to the audience you're trying to target. But online, something called keyword density also plays a role in search engine relevance and driving traffic to your site.

What are keywords?

Keywords are phrases and terms that people enter into search engines to find what they need, so you need to think like your audience. For example, if your book is about how to reenter the dating field after a divorce, you must think of what your target Internet user might search to find the information you have to offer.

Knowing your audience has a lot to do with this-you have to know what search terms they'll use as they browse the web. So you might choose "dating after divorce," "divorcee dating," "dating help," and any variation of those phrases as your keywords. For more keyword ideas, try playing around with the Google Adwords keyword selection tool.

How can you write keyword-dense copy?

Once you determine a list of keywords, you must write keyword-dense web copy to boost your site's relevancy on the search results. This is a little trickier than it sounds because search engines are designed to flag sites as spam when they don't use keywords effectively. The key to writing successful keyword-dense copy is to find a middle ground between making it appealing to search engine robots and to actual human visitors. In other words, you don't want to overload your web copy with keywords and risk readability or clarity.

One effective way to achieve this is to create resourceful web copy that gives users information and use keywords as often as possible within the content you write. Write a first draft with your keyword list handy. Then when you go back and edit, make sure you look for places where additional keywords make sense. Again, resist the temptation to go overboard-the search engines don't like keyword-overloaded copy.

How can you keep your web copy fresh?

Frequent updates to your site encourage your audience to come back, and new material makes search engine robots crawl your site more often too. So every press release and article you write, post them on your web site. You can also create a blog and write tips and other industry news as often as you have time for. Frequent updates to your site can boost search engine rankings. So keep writing to keep your content fresh and appealing to your target audience.

Taking Your Book Sales Online

Marketing your book online is a multifaceted endeavor-and you'll have to keep yourself up-to-date on internet marketing strategies. You can't expect people to find your web site because it can easily become buried in the enormous amount of content on the web. It takes work to get to the front page of search engine listings.

With your online efforts, as well as any marketing efforts, you'll have to stick with it. And writing plays a big role in your success. Because as soon as you stop posting to your blog, and as soon as you stop driving traffic to your web site, potential readers will stop coming and your book will stop selling. Using these web writing tips will help you get started marketing and driving traffic to your web site, and boost your book sales and generate interest as a result.

SHERIFF'S SALE

(SS74962J)
NOTICE OF SHERIFF'S SALE
CJ-96-6243-63 Notice is given that on the 13th day of May, 1997, at 2:00 PM at the Oklahoma County Courthouse, the Sheriff of Oklahoma County, will offer for sale, and sell for cash at public Auction, to the highest and best bidder: Lot One (1), of Block Seven (7), in BLUFF CREEK ADDITION to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, according to the recorded plat thereof. The property has been appraised for $98,000.00, and will be sold for a sum that is not less than two-thirds thereof. Sale is to be made pursuant to a Special Execution and Order of Sale issued in Case No. CJ-96-6243-63 in the District Court of Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, against the following defendants: Fredrick James Catton, a/k/a Fredrick J. Catton and Peggy Lorraine Catton, a/k/a Peggy L. Catton, or the unknown successors thereof; Oklahoma County Treasurer; Board of County Commissioners, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma; Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company. JOHN WHETSEL, Sheriff of Oklahoma County LAW ASSOCIATES, INC. Rex Livingston, OBA #11906 5800 South Lewis Avenue Suite 199 Tulsa, OK 74105-7109 (918) 748-8998 Attorney for Plaintiff (4-10, 4-17-97)

SHERIFF'S SALE

ALIAS NOTICE

OF SHERIFF'S SALE

CJ-95-5834

Notice is given that on the 27th day of August, 1996, at 2:00 PM at the Oklahoma County Courthouse, the Sheriff of Oklahoma County, will offer for sale, and sell for cash at public Auction, to the highest and best bidder:

Lot Twenty-two (22) in Block Nine (9) in WALNUT CREEK ESTATES SECTION TWO, an addition to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, as shown by the recorded plat thereof.
The property has been appraised for $50,000.00, and will be sold for a sum that is not less than two-thirds thereof. Sale is to be made pursuant to a Special Execution and Order of Sale issued in Case No. CJ-95-5834 in the District Court of Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, against the following defendants: Gene R. Shedrick and Denise K. Shedrick, or the unknown successors thereof.

J.D. SHARP,

Sheriff of Oklahoma County

LAW ASSOCIATES, INC.

Matthew J. Nowinski, 12151

5800 South Lewis Avenue

Suite 199

Tulsa, OK 74105-7109

(918) 748-8998
Attorney for Plaintiff

(7-25, 8-1-96)

Can You Afford To Employ A Dual Agent In A Business Sale?

The pitfalls of hiring a dual agent in a business sale transaction

Most people have heard of dual agency in the context of a real estate transaction and have some awareness of the issues surrounding dual agency. In spite of the inherent conflict of interest, many people do not mind transacting residential or commercial property using a dual agent. The reason is pretty straight forward - while there is risk of not getting good representation, the downside is typically small. Property values are driven by comps and cap rates and in most cases, the amount of money left on the table is a small percent of the transaction value. The commodity nature and relative liquidity of real estate also helps make buyers and sellers comfortable with the risk level.

But does this logic apply to business sale transactions? Businesses, compared to real estate, are illiquid and the valuations and the ultimate closing prices vary dramatically from business to business. The deal amount can also change dramatically through the duration of a deal. In Business sale transactions, not having a fiduciary agent working for you can cost you plenty.

Let us start with an explanation of "fiduciary duty". An agent used to represent a buyer or seller in a business transaction has a fiduciary duty. A fiduciary duty is the highest standard of care imposed at either equity or law. A fiduciary is expected to be extremely loyal to the principal. Among other responsibilities, a fiduciary must not put their personal interests before the duty and a fiduciary must not profit from the fiduciary position without express knowledge and consent of the principal. A fiduciary also has a duty to be in a situation where there is no personal conflict of interest and where there is no conflict of interest with another fiduciary duty.

In light of large sums of money at stake in a business transaction and these fiduciary responsibilities, let's look at the three key issues faced by a dual agent in a business sale.

1. Conflict of Interest

This is by far the most obvious and most damning part of being on both sides of a business sale transaction. A business intermediary is obligated to serve the best interests of his or her principal. Buyers and sellers by definition have conflicting interests. Who should the intermediary be loyal to? Is the agent looking after your best interests? Some agencies will tell customers that they will assign separate individuals to the buying side and selling side and create a Chinese wall.

In practice, the wall between the two sides in the same company, even in a large company with processes to cover this type of conflict of interest, let alone a typical small to mid market intermediary, is more akin to a sieve than Chinese wall. An agency in this situation is in violation of the standards of being a fiduciary.

2. Advocacy

Any competent agent will tell you that, when two principles' interests are in direct conflict, the agent cannot advise, advocate, or give allegiance to either party if such counsel gives one party an advantage over the other. Not remaining neutral or showing favoritism would be illegal and can make the agent liable to potential damages. A careful dual agent would shun the risk of advocacy and will tell you that they will be extremely careful to represent both parties equally and fairly. In other words, both parties lose "advocacy" for their best interests! Is this what you pay your agent for? Wouldn't you rather pay an agent that advocates your interests?

In practice, providing equal service to two parties is difficult and, even if the agent is highly ethical, agent's biases and self interests may tip the scales in difficult situations.

3. Sensitive Information

A business sale can take an extended amount of time and the seller or buyer may experience one or more personal events which, while not affecting the performance of the business being transacted, may have substantial impact on the negotiations. The agent may become aware of this sensitive information which, if disclosed to the other party, could harm one party and benefit the other. If the agent has one principal, clearly the agent will develop a strategy to minimize the impact to the principal. How does a dual agent handle this type of information about a client? Would you trust your sensitive information with a dual agent?

In practice, the agent ends up playing favorites or in a worst case scenario, one or both of the parties' interests are sacrificed in the interest of "getting the deal done".

Summary: Business sellers and buyers need to carefully pick their agent in a business sale transaction. Providing equal service to both clients is practically impossible in most deals. In the best case scenario, neither the seller nor the buyer is getting an advocate. In the worst case scenario, one or both of the parties are being sacrificed. For this reason some states do not permit dual agency. Much can be lost by employing agents who put themselves in the position of being dual agents and thus not living up to the fiduciary standards.