Sometimes something very subtle, even a small mistake, can turn off a client and cause negative thoughts and attitudes. So, I would like to recommend a couple of books on the subject of sales for you to read, which complement each other but also conflict. But I believe there is a philosophy that can be gained from such reading:

“Winning Moves – The Body Language of Selling” by Ken Delmar – 1984.

The book has a little subtitle of interest: “the keys, strategies, moves, gestures, expressions, style and aura that work for winners.” The author suggests that religious leaders, politicians, actors, top trial lawyers, and top salespeople have these abilities in common. He further suggests that we can all do this if we learn how – and that is exactly what this book explains how to do.

Amongst the topics are how to maintain composure, a sense of trust, limit stress, look relaxed, self-assured, and confident. Imagine disarming prospects, improving your voice, and allowing hostile people to backtrack with proper body language and adequate tone. Learn to look alive on camera, command a room, quell anger emotions; it’s all here, and more. This is a great book.

“How to Master the Art of Selling Real Estate” by Tom Hopkins – 1986.

Mr. Hopkins starts this book by explaining what society expects a real estate salesperson to look like and act like. How to maintain a professional attitude, then he gets into prospecting, qualifying, verbal techniques, telephone sales, open house techniques, asking for commitment or offers, and how to close the sale. Next, how to present the proposal and how to maintain a referral network from happy customers and their friends as well. There is also a section on staying organized, scheduling, and planning. The final chapter is how to keep a scorecard of your successes: tracking sales, money made, net worth, and goal setting.

Once you are done reading these two books, I guarantee it will help you increase sales; more importantly, it will help you be a better you and make more friends in the process.

The post Sell More, Make Friends: The Fundamentals of Successful Selling appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

When a salesperson prepares their pitch, there are so many factors to be taken into consideration, including what should be avoided so as to not turn the potential client off. There is, of course, no way of reading your client’s mind, but there are certain things that you can be pretty sure no one would like, especially those who might be spending money on your product.

Perhaps the main thing when it comes to sales is the point that closing the sale is not only about the product you are selling. A large part of the client’s decision to accept or reject the product can depend on how you conduct yourself. If you are amicable, confident, and knowledgeable, they could warm to you and your product, but if they do not like you as a person, their reaction to you could extend to what they feel about the product.

For example, being late for an appointment (especially when you’re trying to sell something to a client) is an absolute faux pas. But you would be surprised at how many people go late to sales appointments, whatever the reason for that might be. As a salesperson, if you assume that you can get away with such misdemeanors, you are being extremely naïve. For starters, be aware of the fact that most people are quick with first impressions, and these impressions usually last.

Once they have already had a negative impression about you for making them wait, they might not be too open about listening to what you have to say about the product you have on offer. From your point of view, they might just have been waiting five minutes or ten, but keep in mind that almost everyone is running on a tight schedule and, after all, time is money.

To close a sale, a salesperson has to be confident about him/herself and also the product they are offering. Part of your job as a salesperson is to convey to the client that your product is the solution to a certain problem that they have. But there is a very thin line between confidence and overconfidence. If you walk into a sales meeting acting and talking overly self-confidently, it could very well be a turn-off. Your clients do not want to be treated as simpletons who do not know what is good for their business. You want to identify a need for them in their business setup and offer them a solution, and not talk to them as if they are too slow to know any better.

You want to make sure that when you are presenting your pitch, you do not come across as being arrogant. Clients especially dislike having to speak with salespeople who treat them with disdain and superiority. If that is the case, even if the client needs the product you are offering, it is very possible that they might choose to get a similar product from somewhere else.

The same goes for aggressiveness. There are many salespeople who believe that pushing the product forcefully can lead to a sale, but that is a delicate path to tread. This might work once in a while for you, but more often than not, clients get uncomfortable when you assertively try to push a product onto them.

Clients like to make their own decisions, and you are there to offer them options, not to force decisions on them. Bear in mind that your clients are usually well aware of the workings of their business and industry norms, and being as knowledgeable as they are, they will probably not digest everything you say without questions.

Part of the problem lies in the fact that many salespeople do not get proper training in the dos and don’ts of a sales pitch, so they might go about doing things in any way as long as they can close the deal. A salesperson who is not properly trained in sales might not realize the importance of customizing the sales pitch for different clients, body language, or the various other matters that impact sales.

Carrying out a good sales pitch and closing the deal is nothing short of an art, and it is most definitely not something everyone can handle naturally. If you are a manager, make sure the salespeople you are sending out into the field are those who understand the nature of sales and clients and deal with them accordingly. Knowing the ways of keeping your sales pitch under control is one of the first steps to closing a sale.

The post How to Master Your Sales Pitch Before It Costs You the Sale appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

Have Faith.

We are not referring to what some would call religious faith, but we’re not discounting that either. What we’re referring to is altering a basic thought pattern that many are saddled with in their minds and, consequently, in their careers and lives.

We are suggesting that we work to eliminate these three career-limiting concepts from our mental vocabularies. The super successful people in all walks of life have done so already. You can too. The three concepts are Try, Hope, Believe. Why in the world would we suggest that these words that sound so nice are actually career and life limiters? We will look at each word in a little more depth to find the answer.

Try is defined as to attempt to do.

A thesaurus gives synonyms such as endeavor, struggle, strive, seek, and make an effort. All are very positive and noble, I suppose. These words share two things in common. They suggest action, which is a good thing, and the possibility of failure, which is definitely not a good thing. Therefore, do not embrace the word try. It is not a confidence-building word.

Hope is defined as to feel that something desired may happen.

Again, the thesaurus provides synonyms such as anticipate, wish, look forward to, and dream, which are all feel-good sounding words, but once again, there is a sense of doubt attached. I might just add that the opposite of hope is despair. Hope may be actually weaker in nature than the word try because it does not even involve action, while it definitely allows for the possibility of failure. Is it a confidence builder? I don’t think so.

Belief is defined as having confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something,

People have the tendency to believe in what others have told them. A belief is quite like superstition, which is defined as an irrational, but usually deep-seated belief in the effects of a specific action or ritual, especially in the likelihood that good or bad luck or result will occur from performing it.

Believing in success is much more beneficial than not believing; however, it still has a hint of irrationality to it. That brings us back to the concept of having faith.

Faith is much stronger than belief. Faith is total, unfaltering trust.

Faith is having a complete and confident expectation in the outcome. Faith is the complete removal of doubt from one’s mind. You might ask, “How do you obtain faith without first obtaining absolute proof?” You do it simply through preparation. You develop self-confidence by knowing that you are prepared for success. You have done all you can up to this point. Then you realize that preparedness never ends and success is ongoing. There is no failure. There are only learning opportunities and life-path alterations.

This type of faith is what is at the heart of all great success stories. How is your strength of faith in relation to your level of preparedness? If you are prepared, you can be confident and expect success!

The post The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything in Sales appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

Sometimes, something very subtle, a small mistake, can turn off a client and cause negative thoughts and attitudes. So, I would like to recommend a couple of books on the subject of sales for you to read, which, in a way, complement each other and also conflict. But I believe there is a philosophy that can be gained from such reading:

“Winning Moves – The Body Language of Selling” by Ken Delmar – 1984.

The book has a little subtitle of interest: “the keys, strategies, moves, gestures, expressions, style and aura that work for winners.” The author suggests that religious leaders, politicians, actors, top trial lawyers, and top salespeople share these abilities. He further suggests that we can all do this, if we learn how – and that is exactly what this book explains how to do.

Amongst the topics are how to maintain composure, a sense of trust, limit stress, look relaxed, self-assured, and confident. Imagine disarming prospects, improving your voice, and allowing hostile people to backtrack with proper body language and adequate tone. Learn to look alive on camera, command a room, quell anger emotions, it’s all here and more, this is a great book.

“How to Master the Art of Selling Real Estate” by Tom Hopkins – 1986.

Mr. Hopkins starts this book by explaining what society expects a real estate salesperson to look and act like. How to maintain a professional attitude – then he gets into prospecting, qualifying, verbal techniques, telephone sales, open house techniques, asking for commitment or offers, and how to close the sale. Next, how to present the proposal and how to maintain a referral network from happy customers and their friends as well. There is also a section on staying organized, scheduling, and planning. The final chapter is how to keep a scorecard of your successes; tracking sales, money made, net worth, and goal setting.

Once you are done reading these two books, I guarantee it will help you increase sales; more importantly, it will help you be a better you and make more friends in the process.

The post The Human Side of Sales appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

This belief has been proven to be wrong. Selling is a learned skill. Many of the beliefs about the skills required for success are much different from those actually necessary.

Below is a list of truths about the sales profession:

1 – Sales is a learned skill. A sales rep will never reach their true potential until this fact is accepted. True professionals study and practice the skills proven to be effective and continue sales training throughout their careers.

2 – Sales calls can be made at any time. Many sales reps actually believe sales calls can only be made after 9:00 or before 3:00. The professional knows someone prefers 7:00 a.m., and others work evenings. Professionals find people to see them for a full day every day.

3 – The mind controls most sales. This is why many sales come in succession. It’s often called a lucky streak, but it isn’t. It is the sales rep “assuming the sale” without faking it. The previous sale programs the brain to believe the next one will buy also, and it often happens as a result. It is a 100% true belief that the buyer is going to buy today.

4 – Good telemarketing is critical. Work backwards and determine how many calls are necessary to develop a full week of appointments. This number is the number of calls that must be made each week.

5 – Increase selling time. The only time that is real “value added” is the time spent with the prospect or customer. The time getting an appointment, traveling to and from locations, completing paperwork, and attending meetings is an incidental necessity, but not value-added. Do all of these tasks outside of the high-value-added hours. Increasing value-added selling time can be learned using lean manufacturing and Six Sigma principles.

6 – Learn to Close. Closing is the most learned skill in the profession. When a prospect objects to the price, color, service, or anything else, the sales pro knows exactly how to respond down to the specific words. At the point of the objection, there is no time to think. All thought should be directed toward body language and preparing the next 3-4 steps in the sales cycle.

7 – Learn sales techniques. Techniques are not tricks, and no sales rep would be effective trying to trick someone into buying. Some believe closing is using tricks but it is not true. It is simply being an effective negotiator, helping the customer make a buying decision. For example, with a service objection such as the length of after-sales service being too short, the sales rep should use a “right-angle close”. This negotiation is simply stating the answer with a buying question, such as “If I can get the two-week service changed to four, will you give us a try today”?

The post 7 Truths Every Sales Professional Must Know appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

When a salesperson prepares his or her pitch, there are so many factors to be taken into consideration including what should be avoided so as to not turn the potential client off. There is, of course, no way of reading your client’s mind, but there are certain things that you can be pretty sure no one would like, especially those who might be spending money on your product.

Perhaps the main thing when it comes to sales is the point that closing the sale is not only about the product you are selling. A large part of the client’s decision to accept or reject the product can depend on how you conduct yourself. If you are amicable, confident and knowledgeable they could warm to you and your product but if they do not like you as a person, their reaction to you could extend to what they feel about the product.

For example, being late for an appointment (especially when you trying to sell something to a client) is an absolute faux pas. But you would be surprised at how many people go late to sales appointment, whatever the reason for that might be. As a salesperson, if you assume that you can get away with such misdemeanors, you are being extremely naïve. For starters, be aware of the fact that most people are quick with first impressions and these impressions usually last.

Once they have already had a negative impression about you for making them wait, they might not be too open about listening to what you have to say about the product you have on offer. From your point of view, they might just have been waiting five minutes or 10, but keep in mind that almost everyone is running on a tight schedule and, after all, time is money.

To close a sale, a salesperson has to be confident about him/herself and also the product they are offering. Part of your job as a salesperson is to convey to the client that your product is the solution to a certain problem that they have. But there is a very thin line between confidence and overconfidence. If you walk into a sales meeting acting and talking overly self-confidently it could very well be a turn off. Your clients do not want to be treated as simpletons who do not know what is good for their business. You want to identify a need for them in their business setup and offer them a solution, and not talk to them as if they are too slow to know any better.

You want to make sure than when you are presenting your pitch you do not come across as being arrogant. Clients especially dislike having to speak with salespeople who treat them with disdain and superiority. If that is the case, even if the client needs the product you are offering, it is very possible that they might choose to get a similar product from somewhere else.

The same goes for aggressiveness. There are many salespeople who believe that pushing the product forcefully can lead to a sale but that is a delicate path to tread. This might work once in a while for you, but more often than not, clients get uncomfortable when you assertively try to push a product onto them.

Clients like to make their own decision and you are there to offer them options, not to force decisions on to them. Bear in mind that your clients are usually well aware of the workings of their business and industry norms, and being as knowledgeable as they are they will probably not digest everything you say without questions.

Part of the problem lies in the fact that many salespeople do not get proper training into the do’s and don’ts of a sales pitch so they might go about doing things in anyway as long as they can close the deal. A salesperson that is not properly trained in sales might not realize the importance of customizing the sales pitch for different clients, body language or the various other matters that impact sales.

Carrying out a good sales pitch and closing the deal is nothing short of an art and it is most definitely not something everyone can handle naturally. If you are a manager, make sure the salespeople you are sending out into the field are those who understand the nature of sales and clients and deal with them accordingly. Knowing the ways of keeping your sales pitch under control is one of the first steps to closing a sale.

The post Avoid These Mistakes to Win Your Next Sale appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

But he didn’t.

You’ve just been told no, and given some objection or reason why your prospect doesn’t want to make a purchase or make a decision, now. For a moment, all that head of steam that you were so neatly and professionally building up, has just collapsed like a withering balloon. You’re facing your prospect, trying to figure out what went wrong and how to salvage the sale. How can you convince this person that they are wrong by not choosing to buy from you, right now?

Every sales person has been in this exact same boat, more times than we will ever want to admit to or remember. However, it is very important to remember that being told no, right after making your close and asking for the sale, is a fairly common experience. It does NOT, however, mean that your sale is now doomed. It does NOT mean that your prospect has automatically shut you off. And…most importantly, it is vital to remember that your prospect is saying no to the product/proposal you are offering, and NOT saying no to YOU.

There many ways to overcome and handle objections. This is not the purpose of this article. Instead, what I am going to give you is an important tip on how to TRANSITION from hearing an objection, to proceeding to handle it. This technique works on any kind of objection that you will come across, and it’s very easy to master.

First of all, always keep in mind that if you try to tackle your customer’s objection, head on, as an objection, then you are setting the stage for an adversarial situation, and in that scenario, you will never win. Your goal is not to make your prospect wrong, but rather to let your prospect be RIGHT.

When your customer voices an objection, do NOT immediately respond to it. Jumping right in and attacking the objection only makes your customer more defensive and also makes them believe you really didn’t hear nor understand what they were saying. Instead, count to 5, in your head. As you are counting. slowly nod your head so your customer sees that you are truly listening and comprehending what they are saying. Doing this will work wonders in bringing you and your prospect closer together.

Repeat the objection back to your customer, but repeat it in the form of a QUESTION. “Well, Fred, I definitely can understand what you’re saying, and it’s a very good point. In fact, many of my clients also felt the same way, when they were considering this deal. Am I correct in believing that you do feel that this makes sense, but you’re concerned about…..(state the objection, here)?”

When your prospect then AGREES with you on this question. Simply ask them if this is their only concern. (never use the word “objection” to your customer)

Your next move is to say the following: “So, Fred, would it be reasonable to say that if we could find a way to effectively address this issue, to your satisfaction, then there really would be no reason to not move ahead with this?”

Once you get that second agreement/commitment. Proceed with addressing your customer’s concern, and then re-close.

You will find, that if you remember to use these simple steps, your closing percentage will greatly increase.

See you at the top!

The post What to Say When a Prospect Says No: A Simple Technique for Handling Objections appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

Commercial realtors consistently seek innovative ways to elevate the tenant experience. Verizon’s Digital Agent Program provides a seamless and highly accessible solution that aligns naturally with this objective. The program enables businesses across virtually all vertical markets to offer Verizon solutions—including Verizon Business Internet, connected laptops, and connected tablets—directly to their customers with minimal effort and no limitation on earning potential.

Unlike traditional mobility sales models, the Digital Agent Program requires no deal registration and is purpose-built for point-of-need selling—precisely where commercial realtors operate most effectively. Realtors engage decision-makers at the exact moment connectivity services are required, eliminating the need for cold calling or prospecting.

Why the Digital Agent Program Is Ideal for Commercial Realtors

• Direct access to decision-makers at the moment connectivity is needed
• No prospecting or cold outreach required
• Internet and mobility services are essential for new tenants
• Enhances tenant value without disrupting core business operations

Commercial realtors are uniquely positioned to succeed with this program. With an established client base already in place, they can offer Verizon Business Internet and Fios services to new tenants as they move into their properties—creating a recurring revenue opportunity while simultaneously improving the tenant onboarding experience.

By streamlining move-in connectivity and ensuring immediate access to reliable services, realtors deliver a meaningful benefit to tenants and strengthen long-term relationships.

When opportunity, value, and convenience converge, the advantages become unmistakably clear.

The post Verizon’s Digital Agent Program is Perfect for Commercial Realtors appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

Effective and successful sales people implement a certain routine daily, and this can’t be overlooked. They don’t get upset by not making a sale, as a prospect is still a prospect until he purchases the item somewhere else, or no longer needs it.

Learn to Communicate Well

Communication is the most important thing in sales, and communication is a two-way street. You will earn respect if you listen and understand your prospect’s needs, and if you can provide much-needed information, a prospect will come to trust you and value your opinions and your help. To become a leader, you must attract trust, and in the network marketing business, attracting trust and knowing everything about your product or service will attract a team dedicated to you.

Learning how to converse is also part of communication. Successful sales people know how to word questions, so they don’t attract the word no. If you are cold calling prospects who have come to you via an email or through your website, be sure to respond quickly, as many people will forget why they signed up in the first place.

Remind the prospect where you are from, how they contacted you, and give your name. If after a few sentences the prospect simply says he isn’t interested, move on.

If you get into a conversation, good, you can start to understand what exactly the prospect is looking for, and you can explain a little more about your product, offer to send samples, or visit with some information he requests. It is a waste of everybody’s time trying to sell something to someone who doesn’t want it, and you will be perceived as a nuisance if you persist.

Treat Your Prospect as You Would Your Friends

Spouting a bunch of technical facts and figures about your product will soon have the prospect’s eyes glazing over, unless he asks first. Draw the prospect out, and get to the root of why he needs your product and begin a friendly conversation about how your product is what he’s looking for. If he says he already owns one (he doesn’t like) from another company, do not make disparaging statements about that product; just give a side-by-side comparison about why your company’s product is better (and hopefully it is).

Keep Your Conversations Fresh

A quick follow-up keeps a conversation fresh in both minds, by which time your prospect will have done some more research and probably ask you a bunch more questions. Be prepared.

The Cheapest Leads are Referrals – Just Ask

Referrals are the cheapest leads. If your prospect buys or he doesn’t, it never hurts to at least ask for a referral.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Business can be serious stuff, and many folks welcome some humor to brighten their day – just don’t crack any insensitive jokes! Find out what your prospect likes to do in his spare time, and finding a topic outside of business that you are both interested in can lead to a friendship, a definite sale and perhaps some referrals from his golfing buddies.

Networking is a fantastic way of getting good quality hot leads.

Look Forward to the Tenth Call

If you make a lot of sales calls, statistics show that the most sales come around the tenth call, so don’t give up. Look forward to getting near to that tenth telephone conversation, it could be the one!

Remember to expect what you inspect and do this daily!

The post Daily Sales Habits That Turn Prospects Into Long-Term Buyers appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.

Studies of communication have revealed that a significant portion of our communication takes place on a non-verbal level. Our body language and tone of voice are often more important than the words we’re actually saying. Since we often can’t use body language nowadays, we must rely more heavily on tone to make sales.

While it’s difficult to modify the actual sound quality of your voice, it is possible, and recommended, to try and modify your diction into something sounding more professional, confident, and mature. It can be hard to judge your own tone, so you may need to ask a friend of coworker exactly how you come off. It’s important when conducting business with clients that you don’t sound disinterested or immature or unsure of yourself. You need to be assertive and positive in order to make a sale.

Remember to always SMILE when you are talking to a prospect on the phone. Believe it or not, that SMILE will come across the line and you will naturally sound more friendly.

Another key to modifying your tone of voice for sales is to use proper inflection. Normally, we do this unconsciously, but for salespeople, its something you should really think about. Really emphasize the key virtues of what you’re trying to sell by changing your inflection. Customers will respond to your level of energy and interest in what you’re trying to sell.

If you don’t have confidence in yourself and what you’re selling, then that will come across in your voice and sabotage you every time.

SMILE!

The post The Secret Sales Skill You’re Ignoring (But Your Customers Hear It Instantly) appeared first on ConectUS Wireless.