Sales tip of the day

Sales tip of the day

Sep. 4
POKER

I admit I am a bit of a fanatic when it comes to poker. Texas Hold ‘Em has become a phenomenon attracting all kinds of attention the past few years with television coverage, international tournaments and huge prizes. The next winner of the World Series of Poker will take home over $9 Million!

If you have ever played in or watched a tournament, you have probably noticed something about the best players: they don’t play every hand. While it’s true that any two cards can make a hand, the pros know they improve their chances of winning a hand by waiting until they get two GOOD cards to play.

Just maybe, salespeople could improve their closing percentage by only selling to the best prospects.

When you are getting started in sales, any prospect seems like a good one. But the longer you sell, the more you realize that not every prospect is a good prospect. As far as that goes, not all customers are the right customers for you.

By going after only the best possible prospects, you can reduce the time spent chasing after “tire kickers” and shoppers. Ultimately, that allows you to spend more time with high-ROI customers and activities.

Be selective about who goes into your prospecting funnel and you will have a higher closing percentage, greater client retention and a whole lot more fun serving your customers.

You may also earn enough extra commissions and bonuses that you can start up your own poker night. When you do, give me a call!

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This daily sales tip is brought to you by:
Patrick Williams, YOU ROCK!™ Communications
Helping people and business be #1 in their market!
http://www.YouRockCommunications.com • 253-318-7503

Sep. 3
GOTTA GET AWAY

Ever been trapped at a networking event?

You know exactly what I mean. You are cornered by someone who, for whatever reason, you really don’t want to spend a lot of time with and all you can think to yourself is, “I gotta get away from this person.”

You could claim the need for a restroom break, but then you’d actually have to go there. You could also claim the need to freshen your drink, but etiquette would require you to ask if you can freshen the other person’s drink too.

Never fear! There is a simple way to extricate yourself from this situation.

All you do is wait until you are making a comment and, as you complete your statement, you extend your hand for a closing shake and say, “please excuse me.”

It really is that easy. Just make sure you move at least half-way across the room before you start another conversation.

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This daily sales tip is brought to you by:
Patrick Williams, YOU ROCK!™ Communications
Helping people and business be #1 in their market!
http://www.YouRockCommunications.com • 253-318-7503

Sep. 2
YOU NEVER KNOW

Promotional offers, seasonal discounts and limited-time offers are all great ways to get the register ringing; but, if you don’t track responses, you never know for sure what worked, what didn’t and whether or not it’s worth repeating.

Before you advertise a special, make sure you alert your sales team to the particulars so they will know how to handle customers who respond to the offer.

Also, give them a logbook, tracking sheet or other tool for keeping track of how many people responded to the offer, what they bought and how they heard about you.

With this information, you can make educated decisions about where and what to advertise.

Without it, you never know if you are investing your marketing budget or wasting it.

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This daily sales tip is brought to you by:
Patrick Williams, YOU ROCK!™ Communications
Helping people and business be #1 in their market!
http://www.YouRockCommunications.com • 253-318-7503

Aug. 29
JUST A TOUCH

You may have noticed before that I am quite a fan of Zig Ziglar. His stories, voice, demeanor, openness, empathy and caring make him an absolutely lovable character, and his sales advice still rings true today.

Last year, he suffered a fall and has had some challenges with balance and short-term memory. A shunt has relieved much of the symptoms but short-term memory is still an issue.

Zig is back on the road doing the “Get Motivated” seminars around the nation. His daughter interviews him on-stage now, and when Zig gets a little off-track she will gently touch his leg to get him re-focused.

That’s actually not a bad technique to use in a team selling situation.

Sometimes, you may become unaware of how the prospect is receiving your presentation because you are so busy giving it. With just a touch, your presenting partner can alert you if you are going off-track.

Or, maybe your networking buddy can use the same technique to save you from making a faux pas in front of an important contact.

Just a touch is all it takes!

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This daily sales tip is brought to you by:
Patrick Williams, YOU ROCK!™ Communications
Helping people and business be #1 in their market!
http://www.YouRockCommunications.com • 253-318-7503

Aug. 28
A LITTLE BIT MORE

This past weekend, I saw “The Rocker” starring Rainn Wilson at a local cineplex. It’s an absurd little comedy with a big heart, some great music and a cameo appearance by original Beatles drummer, Pete Best, so of course I had to check it out.

Was it epic? Not really. Was it fun? Absolutely.

But the best part of my experience was what happened at the concession stand where I was helped by a counter person who was significantly older than the average employee....and those kids could learn a thing or two from their senior colleague.

She was very cordial, took just a few seconds more to actually engage me with banter and eye contact, then rang the items, handled the payment and filled the order like she was taking care of a good friend.

With just a little bit more effort than the usual counter clerk will give, she made the experience remarkable and I mentioned it to the management in a very positive, reinforcing way.

That clerk proved what I am always saying: because customer service is generally so lacking in America, it doesn’t take a massive effort to stand out. All it takes is an extra measure of care.

So, do you care about your customers?

Could you care a little bit more?

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This daily sales tip is brought to you by:
Patrick Williams, YOU ROCK!™ Communications
Helping people and business be #1 in their market!
http://www.YouRockCommunications.com • 253-318-7503

Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2008 (Archive on Monday, January 01, 0001)
Posted by jstoltz Contributed by jstoltz

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