Posted by: Bryan Waldon Pope in Untagged on
Jul 27, 2009
How would you like to increase your sales force at no cost? You can...at least with no up-front cost.
We're all familiar with pay-for-performance sales. It's commonly known as "commission sales." BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT HERE TODAY...at least not in its traditional sense.
What I am talking about is affiliate sales. Simply put, affiliate sales is the process of identifying other non-competitive parties whose audience is also your audience and creating an alliance under which you share your client bases. When one of Party A's clients purchases from Party B, Party A receives a commission. It's that simple.
One misunderstanding of the term "affiliate sales" is that it is only something that happens online. Although the term is used heavily with online sales, the concept certainly existed long before the advent of the internet.
Posted by: Bryan Waldon Pope in Untagged on
Jul 20, 2009
A while back, I noticed on a personal hygiene product, a sticker that read "Sized for Airline Travel" and had a picture of a jet on it. The size of the product hadn't changed. The manufacturer simply took advantage of an opportunity to point out something their product offers, even though it was exactly the same as it had been for some time.
Brilliant! This change added a fraction of one cent to the production cost, yet set their product apart as the one to buy if you're traveling by air.
Call it a guarantee, a brand promise, or simply communicating benefits. In the end, the message conveyed by this simple sticker was that you may have to throw the other brands away when you check in at the airport...but not this one! Clean. Meaningful. Powerful. (After all, who wants to be without their personal hygiene products?)
Far too often we assume our audience is tuned in to the benefits our products or services offer when, in reality, they're busy with their own lives just like you and me. If your products or services offer benefits (which I certainly hope they do)-even if they are the same benefits offered by your competitors-TALK ABOUT THEM. There are plenty of competitors to this hygiene product I mentioned that also meet airline travel criteria; but none of them are talking about it. When you're standing there at the store trying to decide which brand to buy, something as simple as that little sticker may make your purchasing decision for you.
So, what do your products and services do for your audience? Tell them.
Posted by: Bryan Waldon Pope in Untagged on
Jul 13, 2009
Now that I've shared "The 21 Attributes of Extraordinarily Effective Salespeople" with you, here are some suggestions for making them part of who you are as a salesperson.
First of all, don't try to eat the entire elephant at once. That will only lead to discouragement and failure. Here's the best way I know to make these attributes a natural part of who you are:
There are just enough business days in each month that you can choose one of the 21 attributes each business day and make it your focus for that day. Write it on a card and carry it in your pocket. Post it in a place you'll see regularly during the day (that can even be on your electronic calendar). Talk to yourself about what that attribute means to you, where you're at in developing that attribute, and what you can do to make it stronger. With this approach, you'll get through The 21 Attributes each month and they'll become part of who you are.
Posted by: Bryan Waldon Pope in Untagged on
Jul 13, 2009
Over the past two weeks, I've shared 14 of "The 21 Attributes of Extraordinarily Effective Salespeople." Today you'll receive the final seven. As a package, these 21 attributes paint the picture of a person who is a "natural" salesperson. I use quotation marks with the word "natural" because I don't mean to infer that a person is born with these attributes or is out of luck, but rather that he or she makes them part of his or her natural makeup by conscientious effort.
Here are the final seven of the 21 attributes:
15. See opportunity, but don't be an opportunist
Posted by: Bryan Waldon Pope in Untagged on
Jul 6, 2009
Last week I shared the first seven of "
The 21 Attributes of Extraordinarily Effective Salespeople." Following are the next seven. As with last week's overview, my explanations of these attributes will be brief, but there is much to explore with each. If you feel inspired, please share your thoughts below.
These are attributes eight through 14 of 21:
8. Talk about money with ease
If discussing the financial side of the deal makes you uneasy, it will make your prospect uneasy. Offer outstanding value. Always know you're giving your prospect a superior deal.
9. Never have to "close" a sale
If getting the sale means putting your prospect through a pre-determined closing routine, do him and yourself a favor and find a different career. True salespeople naturally move to a mutually beneficial conclusion.
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