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Let 'Em Talk
People buy consulting services from folks with whom they feel
comfortable. Best way to create a feeling of comfort in a prospect
meeting: let the prospect talk! Listen and don't interrupt. Take
notes to convey the importance of your "one-way" conversation.
It's very possible that, in this very busy business world, your
competition won't take the time to listen to this prospect, as
they may be too anxious to tell what they can do for his/her
company. Button your lip and let 'em talk. It'll lead to more
business in the long run. |
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The "One and Only" Marketing Intro
"Is this THE Mary Gillen?" asked the voice on the other end of the
phone. To be honest, it made me stop and listen to what the
telemarketer had to say. It's human to want to feel important...
to be the "one and only." Even though I wasn't interested in what
the telemarketer was selling, he started off our conversation by
trying to make me feel important. Very smart move. Not being shy,
I asked him how this marketing tactic has worked for him and he
told me his closing rate has increased by 30% since he started
using it.
Have you made your customers and prospects feel important today? |
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How Long to Make a First Impression?
In her article "Make a Powerful First Impression Every Time"
professional speaker and author Patti Hathaway tells how long you
have to make a first impression on the people you meet:
"Whether you are in customer service, sales, management,
professional position or in a support role, you are making an
impression on those around you. Is it the impression you want?
How long do you think you have before someone will make a
judgement about you? minutes? seconds? In her book 'The Four
Minute Sell', Janet Elsea says you have 7 - 15 seconds to make a
good first impression. You have about four minutes total for
someone to decided if they want to go beyond that first four
minutes (therein lies the 4 minute sell)." |
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Got a Slogan? Get Remembered!
Cecelia Fairchild of A Plus Rental Center in Springfield, VA
(703-451-6060) knows the importance of using a catchy slogan when
marketing her equipment rental company.
"I use our slogan, 'If we don't have it, you don't need it' all
the time when I'm talking with people. We came up with it when we
first started the business and have been using it so long that our
customers constantly repeat it back to us. Using a catchy slogan
helps people to remember you." |
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Never Leave 'Em Alone on Hold
Time is money. According to facts listed on the Never Alone on
Hold web site, 94% of all marketing budgets are spent to
induce a customer to call and yet only 6% to handle the call once
it is received.
Frank Pival, owner of Seattle-based Never Alone on Hold,
creators of telephone on-hold messaging systems, tells more:
"According to AT&T, the average business receives 128 calls a day.
7 out of 10 callers are placed on hold for an average of 43
seconds. That's one hour per day or over 30 days per year. That's
a lot of marketing time. For every 10 callers who hang up, 3 will
not call back. And what people don't realize is that nearly 1 out
of every 5 callers have bought based on an on-hold ad."
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Build Your Credibility with Pre-Printed
References
It pays to prepare pre-printed cards that contain the names,
addresses and phone numbers of your three top business references.
Present these cards to prospects at the end of your presentations
and encourage them to contact your references. This helps build
your credibility, which always leads to more sales. |
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Smart Marketing at Bid Time
Losing too many bids these days? Stand out from the low bidders by
offering the client a solution to a larger problem the company may
not have even considered. This extra step shows your company's
creativity and smarts. This may not help you win every job, but it
sure can help get you noticed and remembered when the big bidding
opportunities come along. |
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Is Product Discounting the Way to Go?
Sure, you want the business, but is discounting the way to go?
Studies have shown that once the reduced price goes away, so may
the customer. Better to slowly build a base of customers who
really want your product "at the regular price" and who will stay
with you due to your service and expertise.
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One-of-A-Kind Marketing
Many folks buy because of a "fear of loss". Can you market your
product as a "one-of-a-kind" for a "limited time only?" Show them
what they stand to gain as well as what they will lose if they
don't order now. One auto salesperson we know always shows the
purchaser a model that is a "second choice" in case the "preferred
model" gets sold before the customer makes a decision. This can
really speed up the sales process. |
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Be Ready for Those
Last-Minute Purchasing Decisions
Many customers and prospects always seem to make buying decisions
at the last moment...leaving you scrambling! Preparation on your
part is essential if you want to continually win the hearts and
business of the "last minute Charlies." Some tips:
- Prepare proposal "templates" on your computer that can be easily
completed, then faxed or emailed.
- Purchase a mobile phone that you always carry with you. Make
sure that your prospects know the number so they can reach you any
time during the business day.
- Send direct marketing mailings or e-mails every 30 days so that
you keep your name in front of them |
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Don't Be Outdated
Many customers and prospects always want to feel they are
purchasing services from someone "in the know." The smart marketer
always keeps up with the latest information in their prospects'
industries. Make sure your prospects know that you know. Make it a
point to call or email them when you come across information that
can cause changes in their industries. This extra effort can be
time-consuming on your part, but can lead to more sales in the
long run. Time-saving tactic: Visit the
DejaNews Site and search
for articles and newsgroup chatter pertaining to your
prospect/customer industries. |
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Easy Marketing with Order Forms
Some customers need to buy right now. A smart materials handling
distributor we knows sends his customers new order forms in the
mail every three weeks with a "how 'ya doin'?" note. He finds that
he gets more orders than his competition because he makes the
ordering process easier. |
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Why Don't Corporate Customers Buy?
One of the major reasons folks don't buy is a fear of loss.
Business customers from large corporations in particular don't buy
because they fear they'll be ridiculed by management for making
the wrong purchasing decision. A smart copier salesman we know
makes it a point to supply each prospect with the names and phone
numbers of 10 satisfied customers and encourages the prospect to
call these references. The salesman believes this part of his
sales program is what prompts the majority of his corporate
prospects to buy from him. |
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Major Shift? Go to the Top
If you are selling a service or product that causes a major shift
in a corporation, then only sell to the top. A smart daycare
center owner we know only markets to the presidents or CEOs of
large corporations. Most large organizations don't want the
"shift" and overhead of providing an in-house daycare center. Our
entrepreneur proves to top management that she can provide them a
needed service without a major shift.
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Don't Be So Exclusive
In business, it's easy for clients to think that you only offer
one service or product - the one they've most recently bought from
you. Make the extra effort to educate your clients about all your
products and services. A financial planner we know conducts a
monthly direct mail campaign that highlights one service or
financial product that he offers. This has lead to a great number
of referrals from clients who may not need that particular
service/product, but pass the word to those who do. |
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Highlight What's Important
Sending out FYI articles to your prospects and customers? Go the
extra mile and use a yellow highlighter marker to identify the
information in the article that you believe will interest each
person the most. This saves the prospect/customer time by allowing
them to immediately focus on the most important sentences, which
in this busy world, will be greatly appreciated.
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Don't Forget to Look for the Good Stuff
Most consultants are hired to "find the problem and fix it" which
leads one to find only the negative things about a client's
business. Go out of your way to report the good things you find as
well. This builds a client's self-esteem and makes them feel good
about themselves... and about you as their consultant. It's a
habit that leads to more business. |
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Leave the Brochures at the Office
Have a nice company brochure? Leave them at your office next time
you go out on a sales call. If you hand your brochure to the
prospect at the beginning of your meeting, he or she has the
opportunity to pay more attention to the brochure than to you!
Tell the prospect that you will be sending a follow-up package.
Mail your brochure with a thank-you note. This is also a way to
demonstrate to the prospect that you are dependable.
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Network Meeting Mingling
At your next networking group Open House, set up more than one
place in the room where folks can get food and drink. People will
then circulate and mingle with a little more ease. |
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Keep 'Em Coming Back
The Arlington, VA Chamber of Commerce keeps their members coming
back for more with a unique door prize. The Chamber contributes
$100 to an initial door prize drawing. At every monthly
Business-After-Business networking function, a member's name is
drawn...and you must be present to win! If the member isn't there
at the time his/her name is drawn, the Chamber contributes another
$100 to the prize. The current door prize is now worth $1600!! As
the prize gets bigger, the more members make it a point to show
up!
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What They Need
1. "Make it quick, I don't have time to waste."
2. "Make it easy for me to understand the benefit."
3. "Make it easy for me to reply."
4. "Don't let me down."
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Realtor Contract Smarts
Rushing back to the office to complete a contract for a soon-to-be
client can waste a lot of time and money. The Texas Association of
Realtors has set up quick access to numerous contracts for its
realtor members online. Users can select from 85 up-to-date
contracts delivered as Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files.
The online forms appear in a user's Microsoft or Netscape Web
browser. Realtor members can download and print the materials they
need...any time, any place. |
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