SALES CONVERSATIONS: ARE YOU HAVING ENOUGH?

In the world of professional services, having sales conversations is a necessary precursor to making sales. If you're a consultant, coach, designer, financial pro, therapist, or corporate trainer, prospective clients don't just glance at your business card or website, then write you a check.
 
No, you have to talk to them first. So if you're not having enough of those conversations, you're also not getting enough clients. Here are seven ways to make more sales conversations happen.

1. Set a goal.
   When you don't set a target for sales conversations, it's too easy for all your sales and marketing time to be consumed by other activities. This is fine when you're in ramp-up or revamping mode and aren't focused on closing sales right now. But if it's sales you want, set a goal for the conversations that lead to them. A typical benchmark is that for every three prospects you have a sales conversation with, one sale closes. Your results may vary, so track and adjust accordingly.
2. Follow up.
   To land each sales conversation, it's likely you'll have to connect with the prospect more than once. Don't stop after just one contact, and think your prospect isn't interested. Once someone makes an inquiry about your services, assume he or she is interested until that person tells you otherwise. When you're reaching out to contacts who haven't expressed interest yet, try connecting with them via multiple channels at different times. Call, email, mail a note, etc.
3. Ask for just a conversation.
   When you contact a prospect, it should be clear to both of you that it's only for a conversation. You're not asking for a sale -- yet. You're requesting a time to talk and find out what your prospect needs, tell him or her what you do, and see if there's a match between you. Let go of making a sale, and concentrate on making sure you are a good fit to work together. Both you and your prospect will find a conversation with that intent to be much easier to have.
4. Make it easy to contact you.
   Have your email address (or contact form) and phone number on every page of your website, or dead simple to find. Don't squeeze visitors into providing their email address before disclosing any information about your business. That may work to sell ebooks and home-study courses, but it's an obstacle to building the relationships that lead to professionals getting hired.
5. Focus your message.
   Request a conversation about just one of the services you provide; don't offer your entire menu. It may be true that you can help your prospects in a variety of ways, but you'll be more successful at landing sales conversations if you ask to discuss only one specific area at any given time.
6. Practice your approach.
   Requesting to have a sales conversation may seem awkward or confronting, if this is a new habit for you. Try on your approach with a colleague or coach to build your skill and comfort level. First, role play a request where your prospect agrees to talk. Then have your role playing partner stall, and practice how to respond. Finally, have your partner refuse to meet, and experience what that's like. Practice sessions like these will make the real thing go much more smoothly.
7. Qualify your prospects.
   It may seem counterintuitive to increase the number of sales conversations you have by eliminating prospects from your pool. But consider how much time you could spend pursuing conversations with people who aren't the best fit for what you offer. Get clear about your ideal client and research prospects to see how they match up. You'll close more sales when you spend more time talking to the right people.

Sales conversations are an essential component of the sales and marketing process. If you make it your job to have more of them, you'll see more clients as a result.
Copyright © 2015, C.J. Hayden

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Sneaky Tricks Steal Credit Card Numbers and Escrow Payments

There’s no end to the ingenuity of scammers when it comes to stealing credit card numbers, as we’re about to explain in this week’s Snippets issue.

In one of the latest tricks, what seems to begin as a lovely gesture turns into a sneaky and clever trick to get your card number, plus the security code on the back, right on your doorstep.

You’re almost bound to feel thrilled and intrigued when a uniformed courier turns up at your front door with a bottle of wine and a basket of flowers.

Click here to read the full article. 



©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

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5 Ways To Become An Overnight Success In Internet Marketing

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Jon Olson

 

I’ve got some of the coolest, hottest tips for you to really crush it and become the ‘overnight success‘ that most of these online marketing programs pitch you. These are sure fire ways to sky rocket your success, are you ready? All these are true because yours truly has lived through each other them…

1. Go In Debt! – Not suggesting that you mortgage your house but here’s a little story from my ‘overnight success journey’. The year was 2005, and I knew all I wanted to do was work from home on my computer. I had bills coming out of my ears, student loans that needed to be paid, a young son that needed food in his belly, a 2001 Pontiac Montana that needed constant maintenance, and oh yeah, I needed to get to Charlotte, North Carolina in the middle of winter for an online seminar that I knew would change my life. Let’s just say, the debt increased substantially in those years for me. But my eyes were on the prize. I knew what I wanted and I never once looked back….

2. Want It More Than The Next Person – Above I mentioned that I had to get to an offline seminar in 2005. This changed my life, it truly did. I got to meet future business partners, it got me thinking of the big picture and how we could grow the traffic exchanges as an industry, and I rubbed shoulders with future and current millionaires. This seminar was in Charlotte, North Carolina…I was living in Saskatoon, Canada…I drove there. Google that length of a trip. I drove through 2 snow storms, slept in my minivan on the side of the highway but no matter what, I was getting to that seminar! Oh yeah, did I mention above about how I went into debt? So again, please tell me about all the sacrifices you have made in your business because you ‘really want to be a success‘?

3. Refused to Fall for the Slot Machine Marketing Approach – Internet marketers are a sneaky bunch. Look at the price point of some of these ‘opportunities’…They aren’t too expensive, they come and go all the time and that’s because they know, you are willing to invest a few bucks here and there for the ‘chance’ to make it big with one of them. Sneaky. I refused to do that (after I learned by pulling the handle a few times mind you). I focused. All I lived, breathed and ate was traffic exchanges. I had every ‘marketer’ in the world and the entire Warrior Forum telling me I was an idiot and I was wasting my time…I still focused. I still believed in my products. I didn’t listen to everyone telling me I couldn’t do it…I just did it!

4. Have Yearly Goals, Not 30 Days Or Less Pipe Dreams – Something that kills me and one of the reasons I wanted to do this blog post is that I hear it from time to time in the industry, someone is fed up with not seeing results after a certain amount of time. Problem is, that certain amount of time is usually about a month or two…Here’s a nugget – This stuff takes years! If you haven’t noticed yet, this blog post is showing you that it takes years to become an ‘overnight success story’. I know I know, there are the rare cares where someone strikes it rich by being lucky. I think luck follows those that show up everyday and do the little things over time. Hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you are spending more than you are making (read above…) but if you are growing everyday, and your plans are for the long term…Success is there. I guarantee it!

5. Stop Listening To The Haters – You’d be surprised who is really going to ‘hate’ on your dreams. For me, not only was it people thumbing their nose at traffic exchanges but it was also close family and friends. Imagine having those closest to you, telling you daily that you were a failure and all this internet stuff was a joke. Yup, I had that in my ear every day when I was getting started. Safe to say, I didn’t listen to much of it. It hurt, God knows it hurt, but I knew this was my future. The best way I can suggest to deal with the haters in your life is to become your own ‘success’. People HATE when you stick out and do things your own way, mostly because they don’t have the courage to do it themselves. Much easier to point the fingers at someone that actually tries something than to look in the mirror and ask yourself what could I do better…

The theme of this blog post, as mentioned above, is that this stuff takes time. The quickest way to become a success in your online business is to show up every day and do it the right way. There will be pain, there will be money spent more than money made at the beginning, there will be sacrifices, there will be heart ache…

But there will be success. There will be so much of it and you will look back and enjoy every second of the journey. This is where the true wealth is in business, the journey…The people you meet, the lessons you learn, the relationships you build. Focus on that and then you can say ‘I’m an Overnight Success’

When Toll Roads Become a Highway to a Scam

Users of toll roads across the U.S. and many drivers who never use them are the latest group of consumers to be targeted by crooks.

They’re sending out emailed violation notices, claiming recipients used a toll road and failed to pay.

They contain what appears to be a link entitled “Get Invoice” with details for payment but it actually summons a file that installs malware onto victims’ PCs.

Click here to read the full article. 



©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

Reprinted with permission.

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Tools and Tips for your Identity Theft Protection

There was a time not too long ago either when identify theft seemed a distant threat and identity theft protection was something you heard about but probably thought you didn’t need.

Those days are gone thanks to increasingly sophisticated phishing and theft techniques, as well as hacking of customer databases at major retailers, banks, etc.

For instance, in the past two years alone, one of our Scambusters Team members has received seven notifications of hacks against retailers and others that included her personal data!

Click here to read the full article. 



©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

Reprinted with permission.

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FIVE KINDS OF FOLLOW-UP: WHICH SHOULD YOU USE?

Following up with your contacts, prospects, and referral sources is crucial to successful marketing and sales, but it can also cause anxiety and confusion. Follow-up is one of the least favorite tasks on the to-do list of many self-employed professionals. You may find yourself delaying or avoiding it because:

• It makes you nervous. When you follow up with people, they may not be interested or simply not respond, which can cause you to feel rejected or ineffective.
  
• You're not sure how to go about it. What do you say to people when you call? Can you follow up effectively in ways other than calling? How do you follow up with contacts who aren't prospects?
  
• It seems tedious. Follow-up doesn't feel as exciting, creative, or spontaneous as some of the other ways you could spend your sales and marketing time.

All these barriers to powerful follow-up can be overcome, but you need to use the right kind of follow-up at the right time. Here are five types of follow-up you probably need to include in your marketing action plan, and what each one entails.

1. Closing a sale - This is the reason for follow-up we most often think of. It's probably also the kind that provokes the most avoiding and delaying, because the stakes seem highest. You should only be using this type of follow-up if you have already had a sales conversation with your prospect where you found out about his needs, described what you do, and decided there's a match between you.
   
   When following up to close a sale, be prepared with an appropriate closing question. For example: "Are you ready to get started?" "Is my proposal what you were looking for?" "Would you like to schedule an appointment?" Don't feel as if you need any other reason to call or email than to ask your prospect to hire you. Just contact him and ask.
   
2. Having a sales conversation - This variety of follow-up can also score high on the anxiety scale, because it can expose you to rejection. Contacting a prospect to have a sales conversation can be much easier when you already know she is interested. Try to nurture a prospect's interest in your services before asking for her time. (See #3 below.) Or, to smooth your path, seek out introductions to prospects from your other contacts.
   
   Be ready to make a specific proposal when you call or email. For example: "Might we have a 15-minute phone conversation?" "May I stop by your office on Tuesday afternoon when I'm downtown?" "May we have coffee one morning next week?" If you're on the phone, don't launch into an immediate sales conversation unless your prospect agrees to it.
   
3. Developing interest - In contrast to the first two types, this kind of follow-up can be non-threatening to both you and your contacts. You can sometimes develop someone's interest in your services by sending traditional marketing materials like a postcard, brochure, or media kit.
   
   But you'll probably have better luck with an educational approach. Send an article, blog post, photo, audio, video, ebook, sample newsletter, event invitation, or a link to any of these. Focus on content that shows off the benefits and results of working with you, rather than the details of the process. See my article 44 Ways to Follow Up with Your Prospects for a host of creative ideas.
   
4. Staying in touch - Light touches, with a soft sell or none at all, serve to remind both prospects and potential referral sources of you and your work. It's a good idea to have a stay-in-touch strategy in place for all of your contacts. If they agree to opt in, subscribe them to an ezine or your blog posts. Without an opt-in, you can still make calls, send postal mail, or occasionally send personally addressed emails sharing some of the same educational content described in #3 above.
   
5. Stimulating referrals - You never have to say, "please give me the phone numbers of your closest friends" to encourage referrals. Remember to include in your stay-in-touch strategy former clients and all relevant contacts. These people may never become prospects, but when reminded of you regularly, they will naturally refer you when they have the chance.

The next time you find yourself stalled or stymied by follow-up, remember these tips. When you're clear about why you are following up and what to say, you'll be able to take action with less stress.
Copyright © 2015, C.J. Hayden

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Title Washing Cleans Up Cars’ Murky Past

Differences between rules and word definitions used in individual states are enabling crooks to hoodwink used car buyers with a scam known as title washing.

Up to 800,000 autos on our roads today may have been totaled and rebuilt without the owner knowing this critical part of their history.

The truth gets lost in the system when a new title document is issued, omitting details of a car’s previous status.

Click here to read the full article. 



©Copyright Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved.

Reprinted with permission.

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