Online Punch

Think it’s a hard thing to do? Think again my friend. You don’t
need to be that good of a salesperson either. I’m sure you’ve
heard this “That person is such a great salesperson they could
sell snow to an Eskimo.”

To find the answer to what make these salespeople so great I
studied them. Here’s what I found each one had in common.

#1. They all studied their potential customers to learn their
needs and desires.

#2. They were all creative and knew how to target only people
that had a need or desire for the product or service they were
selling.

#3, They each had determination.

The first trait I’m sure all of you reading this article have.
You can all ask questions. Just make sure you fashion your
questions in a manner that gets you the information you need to
learn the person you’re asking needs and desires.

By now I’m sure you’re saying to yourself, “Yea, but how can I
sell snow to people that already have more snow than they know
what to do with.” To do this you will need to have the second
characteristic of the super salesperson.

Creativity is something we all have. It’s just some of us don’t
know it. Here’s how I found the answer to how to sell snow to
Eskimos. I posted a question on marketing consultant Willie
Crawford’s message board at:

http://www.williecrawford.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi

The question I asked was “What can you make out of snow?”

Willie gave me a list of things that could be made out of snow.
You see Willie stayed in Alaska for a while and knows snow. I
myself have no idea because I live in Texas and rarely every see
snow.

I also posted my question on the “Home Business Web Sites Forum”
ran by Steve MacLellan a Canadian. Steve told me of a Hotel
built of snow and ice in Canada. He also mentioned a few other
items that could be made from snow and/or ice. Steve is a web
developer but knows more than I about snow. You can post
business related questions on his message board at:

http://www.homebusiness-websites.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi

Steve is very knowledgeable and helpful.

While I’ve never sold a single Eskimo snow, If I were really
determined to do so I could. How? >From the list of things
Willie and Steve gave me of what could be made from snow and our
discussion of living in Alaska. I found several ways I could
process or repackage snow to sell to Eskimos.

Let just say I was determined to sell Eskimos snow. The first
thing I would need to do is talk with some Eskimos to find out
what their needs and wants are. Then all I would need to do is
show them how my snow-based product is just what will satisfy
their needs and desires.

So remember ask questions, satisfy needs and desires, and be
determined. And soon people will be saying you can sell snow to
Eskimos.

Over the years, many prospects have hidden behind their well-trained secretaries to prevent interruptions from persistent salespeople. But in today’s electronic world, voice mail systems have frequently replaced the human gate guard.

In surveys we have conducted, we have found that salespeople’s inability to get busy prospects to return their calls ranks just behind “not enough time in the day” among the frustrations salespeople face.

Biggest mistake: Leaving either a voice mail recording or a message with a secretary that contains nothing more than a number for the prospect to call. After all, if prospects believed that it was in their best interest to return your call, they would have already gotten back to you or else they would have taken your call in the first place.

Remember that at this point you’re not selling a product, you’re selling a return phone call, so after a few unreturned phone calls, you have received your first clue that you need to try a different approach.

Try this: Don’t get frustrated. Write out the equivalent of a powerful 20-second radio commercial that contains one to three reasons why the prospect should return your call. Then tell your prospect what action you want them to take. All salespeople must remember that when buyers receive their message, most of them ask themselves, “What’s in it for me?” So your message must answer this question.

The reference approach. References are people who think so highly of you that they will say nice things about you when prospects call them to check you out. Good references are worth their weight in gold. Make sure that you have a lot of them. If an existing customer actually suggested that you give a friend of his a call, this approach is often effective, “Hello, my name is Wilson Gomes with XYZ Supply. Mike Kincaid at Quality Fabricators asked me to give you a call and I promised him that I would…”

The advocate approach. Advocates are people who think so much of you that they will take the personal initiative to call one of your prospects on your behalf. With enough advocates on your team, your close rate will soar. When advocates make calls for you, always take time to thank them and provide feedback.

Pre-condition the prospect. There are several channels of communication: Letters, cards, postcards, faxes, E-mail messages, personal visits and telephone calls. You’ll find that prospects will be more willing to return your calls when you use one or more of these channels to communicate information that your prospect will perceive to be of value.

Examples include informative articles, local economy research, laborsaving tips, new professional techniques, business opportunities, etc. When your prospects have received several moneymaking ideas from you, you will be amazed at how much more willing they will be to give you an appointment.

Show your prospects how to make more money, save time, reduce waste, solve their most pressing business problems or be more successful and they will beat a path to your door.

Bill Lee is author of Gross Margin: 26 Factors Affecting Your Bottom Line. $29.95 + $6 S&H. Bill’s newest book is 30 Ways Managers Shoot Themselves in the Foot. $21.95 plus $6 S&H. See Shopping Cart at http://www.BillLeeOnline.com Or call 800-808-0534 to order by voice mail.