There is a Ford Mustang for sale down the street. I’ve driven by it several times. It’s a 1966 . . . or may a 1967. Every once in a while I stop in the middle of the street next to the car and look at the sign. All it says is “For Sale: $4000 obo” and the phone number. This tells me very little of what I need to know about the vehicle. It gives me no reason to call.

Oh, I know I could stop in and talk to the owner. Or I could call, but it’s easier to complain. No matter what you are trying to sell, and everyone is selling something, you need to provide the basics of your product or service.

To sell this automobile, why is there nothing on the sign about the year, the motor size, the type of transmission? Those three pieces of information are vital to a buying decision. How could anyone leave out basics like that? Well, actually, it’s done all the time.

“The publicity chairman of the Fairington Players resigned today, after finding that she had mimeographed and distributed 5000 flyers advertising their next production — and omitted the name of the play, the date, the time and the place.”
- Bill Gold, Washington Post and Times Herald

I often see flyers, ads in the newspapers, and even commercials on TV and radio where I’m left wondering, “What are they selling?” If you can’t give the basics about your product, how can you sell it? Potential buyers remain “potential” buyers until you give them reasons to buy. Real buyers find their way to your door when they are given sales information.

I can see the general condition of the Mustang. I know it needs work inside and out. I expect that. Repairs will be needed, but the basics are what I’m concerned about.

If you withhold information, then you deserve the sales you get . . . and don’t get. Meanwhile the Mustang still sits on the street with it’s uninformative “for sale” sign. Are you providing needed sales information to your potential buyers?

Don Doman is a published author, video producer, and corporate trainer. He owns the business training site Ideas and Training (http://www.ideasandtraining.com), which he says is the home of the no-hassle “free preview” for business training videos. He also owns Human Resources Radio (http://www.humanresourcesradio.com), which broadcasts HR and business training information, program previews, and training samples from some of the world’s great training speakers twenty-four hours a day. You can listen and learn on Human Resources Radio.

Buyers buy from people they like.

The only possible exception occurs when buyers have no choice but to do business with a particular salesperson or a particular company. Perhaps the company manufacturers or sells a proprietary product or service. Perhaps the buyer’s preferred vendor is out of stock and the buyer has to go elsewhere to service his or her customer. There are probably several other reasons I could think of, but these are rare exceptions, not the rule.

As I said above, people by and large do business with people they like. I would even go so far as to say that people go out of their way NOT to do business with people that they DON’T like.

Some call this system the “good old boy” system and say that it’s not fair. I disagree. I believe that it is everyone’s right to do business with whomever they choose. If how much buyers like a particular salesperson is the criteria they choose — well, it’s their money and they can spend it wherever and with whomever they wish.

As the salesperson, it’s your job to make prospects like you better than they like the salesperson they currently do business with. If prospects like your competitor better than they like you, whose fault is it? I believe it’s your fault! If 99.9% of buyers do business with people they like, then your skill level at getting your prospects to like you better than they like your competitor is certainly as important if not more important than all of the other skills a top producing salesperson must possess.

Techniques to Get Prospect to Like You

1. Put the prospect’s interests above your interests. Never be so desperate for an order that you will make a sale when it would be in the customer’s best interest to purchase another product from another salesperson. When a meeting planner calls me to discuss speaking at, say, the company’s managers conference, I always quiz the meeting planner to make sure that I am the best speaker for the job. If I’m not - if I know of a speaker that would provide more value than I can provide - I do my best to guide the meeting planner in the direction of the more appropriate speaker. When prospects see you putting their interests ahead of your own, you all of a sudden become better liked and better respected.

2. Remember the Platinum Rule. No, I’m not confusing my precious metals. The Golden Rule says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The Platinum Rule© says, “Do unto others as THEY would have you do unto THEM.”

There’s a big difference between these two rules. One focuses on you and what you like, while the other focuses on your prospects and that THEY like. Another way of putting it might be to say:

“Treat your prospects like they like to be treated.”

“Talk to your prospects about the kinds of topics that they like to talk about.”

3. Dedicate time to researching your prospects.

Learn a lot about your prospects likes and dislikes, pet peeves, interests, hobbies, hot buttons, etc. The more you know about a person, the better position you’re in to apply the Platinum Rule, earn their respect and make them look forward to your visits.

A few years ago, my daughter was sales manager for Nextel in Charlotte. One day she called me from the Lowe’s Motor Speedway. “What are you doing at a race,” I asked her in amazement that she would be spending her Saturday at race track.

“As you know, dad, most of my customers here are home builders and every time we’re together, all they seem to talk about is NASCAR racing. If I’m going to have a chance of beating out my competitors in this market, I’m going to have to be able to participate in conversations that include NASCAR. That’s why I’m here.

Personally, I love Atlanta Braves baseball, but when I work in Philadelphia or New York, I don’t find a groundswell of interest in the Atlanta Braves. In fact, the baseball fans in the northeast seem to be pretty tired of the Braves winning the Eastern Division year after year. So when I am talking to prospects in those markets, it behooves me to learn a little bit about the Philadelphia Phillies, the New York Mets and Yankees.

4. Smile a lot. Never complain.

Almost everyone likes a person who is happy and easy to be around. Almost no one enjoys being around a person who is always having a bad day or who is a persistent complainer. When a customer or prospect asks you how you’re doing, get in the habit of answering, “Terrific.”

5. Look for something that is worthy of a compliment and point it out to the prospect.

The rule is that the compliment must be sincere. The prospect will see through an insincere compliment in a heartbeat. Study the prospect’s business well enough to find something that this company is doing better than similar companies you know about. First of all, when you identify something specific a prospect is doing that is worthy of a compliment, you will come across as an astute observer. Second, you will make the prospect feel ten feet tall.

6. Employ Customer Care tactics.

If your conversation with a prospect uncovers that the decision maker is a big Pittsburgh Steeler fan, go to the Amazon.com Web site and peruse the books that have been written about the Steelers. Find one you can afford - not too expensive and not too cheap - and give a copy to the prospect on your next call. Say something like, “I ran across this book and thought about you. I sure hope you enjoy it.” Be sure to jot a short note in the front of the book so the prospect will remember who gave it to him.

Customer care tactics are endless. The better you get to know each prospect, the more effective you’ll be at identifying small gifts, magazines, articles, etc., that the prospect will appreciate. (As you practice #3 above, you’ll find more opportunities to use Customer Care tactics.)

7. Help a prospect solve a problem.

We all have pressing problems that drive us nuts. Anyone who can bring us a proven and workable solution will be forever appreciated. Once you have earned the right to ask this kind of question, say to your prospects: “I do my best to be not just a salesperson to my customers and prospects, but also to be a problem solver. If you will share with me a business problem that is eating at you, I will do everything in my power to bring you a couple of ideas to help you solve the problem.”

The is the best way to earn an order and to make a prospect really like and also regard you as a business partner.

8. Be humble, always give credit to others for any success you enjoy.

Only Ted Turner and a handful of celebrities can get away with arrogance. No one - and I mean no one - likes a blowhard; that is, someone who is quick to give himself credit when things go great and blame others when things go poorly.

The self-demeaning statement is powerful at making customers and prospects like you. Here’s an example of a story a salesperson recently told a prospect on a sales call:

“I am the luckiest salesperson on the planet. Yesterday, I was driving down the highway when my cell phone rang. I recognized the number as that of one of my biggest prospects. As I was flipping open the phone to answer it, I dropped the phone and it rolled under the driver’s seat. I could hear the prospect yelling into the phone as I pulled over to the side of the road to retrieve it from under my seat. By the time I got to the phone, he had hung up. Of course, I called him back immediately. When I told him what happened, he laughed himself silly, just before he finally gave me a huge initial order. I felt like I really dodged a bullet. I had been calling on this prospect for over a year.”

What did telling this story do for the salesperson? It make him look “human.” He obviously had enough confidence in himself to tell a story that might have made him look like a klutz to his prospect. It had a happy ending. He got the point across that he was persistent, committed and diligent in pursuing a key prospect.

9. Be appreciative. Show respect. Be courteous.

Always write a thank you note when a prospect gives you an appointment, gives you your first order, gives you a specific obstacle you must overcome, etc. Thank you notes are so rare among salespeople that you can really set yourself apart in an extremely positive way by taking time to write one.

10. Show your prospect how to make more money.

This is my favorite, so I saved it for last. I personally like people who through their suggestions put more money in my pocket than I would have had without their input. Back when I was in purchasing, a vendor invited me to an educational program whereby I had a an opportunity to listen to some of the brightest and sharpest business experts present. This was one of the most beneficial days I had ever spent and it didn’t cost me one nickel. The vendor asked nothing in return. But it was the vendor’s way of gaining my favorable attention and making me genuinely appreciate that company in a way I had not appreciated them in the past.

I hope these techniques will benefit each subscriber to this electronic newsletter.

For more information, visit www.BillLeeOnLine.com. To order, see Shopping Cart or call 800-808-0534 to order via voice mail.

Bill Lee is a sales trainer who has conducted over 600 sales seminars throughout the US and Canada. He is also author of the book, Gross Margin: 26 Factors Affecting Your Bottom Line. $29.95 plus $6 S&H. Bill’s newest book is 30 Ways Managers Shoot Themselves in the Foot. $21.95 plus $6 S&H. See Shopping Cart at http://www.BillLeeOnLine.com Or call 800-808-0534 to order via voice mail.

1. Animate your window display.

How often do you change your window display? Once a month? Once a week? Try changing your window display every day! I saw a very successful display that had five or six mannequins facing left and right with a backdrop of a street scene. Every day the mannequins would move a short distance in the direction they were facing and the backdrop would pan left or right along the ’street’. Sometimes the mannequins would stop to ‘talk’ to each other as those around them continued on their journey across the window. Although the store was slightly out of my way I found myself taking a detour to see where the cast of mannequins had got to and what they were doing! Your display does not have to be as complicated as the one I saw or even tell a story but use your creativity and imagination to change your window every day and create an illusion of movement.

2. Music does sell.

In a recent study French and German music was played on alternate days for two weeks in a UK supermarket. During the two week period there were in-store displays of French and German wines. The statistics showed that French music led to French wines outselling German wines, whereas German music led to German wines outselling French wine. Responses to a questionnaire suggested that customers were unaware of the effects of music on their product choices. Music is an essential element in any store because it can be used to create atmosphere and add texture to the environment. Can you think of a way to use it to directly influence product choice in your store!

3. Discounted impulse items.

This is an old idea but so often overlooked. Store owners know that “Save $15″ is a much more powerful message than “20% off” and they also know that the best time to sell an extra item to a customer is when they come to pay. Experiment by combining the two and display only discounted impulse items near or on the checkout counter.

4. Your customers have email.

Now that almost everyone has an email address why not build a database of email addresses of your customers. Ask them at the checkout counter if they would like to be notified of seasonal sales, the arrival of new items etc. Don’t give them a form to take away and complete because quite a few forms will never come back. Also don’t ask them to write it down because it can hold things up if you have a customer waiting. Just keep a pen and lined paper handy, at a suitable point, ask them what their email address is and write it down for entry into your newsletter mailing software later. You only need to be successful at collecting a few email addresses every day and by the time your ’sale’ comes around you could be emailing thousands of previous customers to let them know about the outstanding bargains!

5. Use the silent sales person.

Small store owners can be divided into those that care about in-store signage and those that don’t. Poor signage, too many signs, misleading messages, spelling errors and signs written in black felt marker all send a negative message about your store and product. With the wide availability of desk-top publishing programs and cheap high quality ink-jet printers there is no excuse for poor in-store signage.

Make sure you produce professional looking signs, use good quality paper and uniform size acrylic sign holders. Decide what type of signs you need and for each kind select the key components. For example, title, price, product knowledge, ideas for use etc. then set up a template for each type of sign in your desk-top publishing system. This will make it easy for you to create new signs quickly and easily.

Choose a simple two or three color scheme and stick to it throughout the store. Make sure your signage is easy to read and don’t try to put too much on one sign. Change the signage as often as you like so that regular customers don’t get bored. Remember your silent sales person is always there when the customer needs them, can say everything about the merchandise that you would want them to and works all the hours your store is open.

Jodie Dean is the manager of Displayarama Store Fixtures a family run business selling discounted retail store display products. Talking with her many customers and listening to their experiences has given her a unique insight into retailing. You can call her Toll Free on 800-292-5227 or visit the Displayarama Store Fixtures website.

How do bar codes work? — a simple primer

What’s black and white and read all over? Sure, its an old
joke. But before you say a zebra with a suntan or skunk in a
blender, think bar code. We’ve all grown accustom to seeing bar
codes at the supermarket, in our shipping and receiving
departments and on the factory floor. Some are now seeing bar
codes in a different light — as a productivity tool for front
office applications.

At the supermarket, the bar code is telling the store inventory
system that the product you are buying has reached the checkout
stand and is being transferred out of inventory. In a sense, the
bar code is a tool for tracking the location of something,
whether it is a can of soup, or a freight car. Some are now
seeing the potential for tracking documents in the front office.
For example, each report or form a company produces can be given
a unique tracking number, which can be turned into a bar code.
This number can be a document number, an invoice number, a
purchase order number, a customer sales order number, or an
inventory control number. Virtually any number or character
string can be turned into a bar code.

Once you’ve bar coded your documents, all you need is an
inexpensive bar code reader. Bar code wands can be connected to
your existing PC or compatible through the computer keyboard.
Tracking your documents can then be as simple as waving the wand
across your documents bar coded tracking number. The bar code
reader converts the bars into the original numbers and
characters which created — for example the name of a file on
your computer. Your existing software applications accept this
input as if it were typed on your keyboard. This procedure
virtually eliminates any potential error manual keyboard entry
might introduce.

Here are some of the uses for bar coding in the front
office.

* Bar code your customer files. Now you will know when they are
checked out and who has them. Just require users to log out
documents with a bar code reader placed near your file cabinets.
Use Bars & Stripes to put a bar code on the cover page of each
document, or on the document folder itself.

* Bar code your sales response literature. When the customer
mails them back, you can capture the information immediately.

* Bar code your capital equipment. Then when someone wants to
take a piece of equipment home, your receptionist or security
personnel can wave the wand and capture this important fact.

* Bar code visitor name badges. Your security can be increased
if you log visitors in and out of sensitive areas.

* Bar code information you frequently type, for example your
company’s name and address, or product information during order
entry.

* Bar code your inventory. You can track your inventory as it
goes from stores to final test to QA and to shipping.

* Bar code your sensitive computer files. Anyone looking in
your computer’s directory could guess that a file named
personl.doc most likely contains personal or personnel
information. But what does a file named 154001.doc contain? If
you give obtuse names to your most sensitive files and create
bar codes of the file names, then your files will be secure from
prying eyes. You can do the same with your password

Of course this is but a sampling of the myriad of uses for bar
codes.

Bar coding documents is extremely easy. Bars n Stripes
(http://www.barsnstripes.com) is a plug-in for Microsoft Word
which allows Word uses to create a bar code from any string of
numbers or characters typed into a Word document.

The History of Bar Codes

While it may seem like bar codes have been with us forever, bar
codes didn’t really make an impact until the 1970’s. It wasn’t
until 1974 that the first bar code scanner was employed and the
first product bar coded. But the idea had been around for quite
awhile. In 1932, Wallace Flint suggested that an automated
retail checkout system might be feasible. While his concept was
deemed unworkable, Flint continued to support the idea of
automated checkout throughout his career. In fact, Flint, who
went on to become the vice-president of the association of food
chains some 40 years later, was instrumental in the development
of the UPC code.

During the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s several code formats were
developed including a bull’s-eye code, numeral codes, and
various other formats. Retail applications drove the early
technological developments of bar coding, but industrial
applications soon followed.

Initial Uses of Bar Codes

In 1948, a local food chain store owner approached Drexel
Institute of Technology in Philadelphia asking about research
into a method of automatically reading product information
during checkout. Bernard Silver, a graduate student at Drexel
Institute, along with fellow graduate student Norman Joseph
Woodland, teamed together to develop a solution. Woodland first
proposed using ultraviolet light sensitive ink. A working
prototype was built but rejected as being too unstable and
expensive.

On October 20, 1949, Woodland and Silver succeeded in building
a working prototype describing their invention as “article
classification through the medium of identifying patterns”. On
October 7, 1952, they were granted a patent (US Patent
#2,612,994) for their “Classifying Apparatus and Method”.
Efforts to develop a working system accelerated in the 1960’s.

Bar coding was first used commercially in 1966, but to make the
system acceptable to the industry as a whole there would have to
be some sort of industry standard. By 1970, Logicon Inc. had
developed the Universal Grocery Products Identification Code
(UGPIC). The first company to produce bar code equipment for
retail trade using (using UGPIC) was the American company
Monarch Marking (1970), and for industrial use, the British
company Plessey Telecommunications (1970).

In 1972, a Kroger store in Cincinnati began using a bull’s-eye
code. During that same timeframe, a committee was formed within
the grocery industry to select a standard code to be used in the
industry. IBM proposed a design, based upon the UGPIC work and
similar to today’s UPC code. On April 3, 1973, the committee
selected the UPC symbol (based on the IBM proposal) as the
industry standard. The success of the system since then has
spurred on the development of other coding systems. George J.
Laurer is considered the inventor of U.P.C. or Uniform Product
Code.

In June of 1974, the first U.P.C. scanner was installed at a
Marsh’s supermarket in Troy, Ohio. The first product to have a
bar code was Wrigley’s Gum.

Bar Codes Demystified

There is nothing really complicated about bar codes. Think
Morse Code. When Samuel Morse invented the Morse Code back in
1835, it revolutionized long distance communications. Morse’s
code described a way of encoding text suitable for transmission
via electric current over a wire. Each letter of the alphabet
was reduced to a specific pattern of dots and dashes as shown in
the following table.

Dit 1 unit of time

So the letter ‘S’ for example, was decoded as dit dit dit. The
letter ‘O’ became dah dah dah. These dits and dahs are often
represented as dots and dashes. SOS then becomes:

dit dit dit dah dah dah dit dit dit

Bar codes likewise have an alphabet of dots and dashes.
These are represented as thin bars and wide bars separated by
white space. UPC bar codes are one type of code. There are many
others. A specific code is called a symbol set or symbology. In
the UPC code, only the digits 0-9 are represented. Letters are
not allowed. Each digit is represented as a specific pattern of
thin and wide bars.

Bar codes used in retail

You’re at the supermarket. You’ve just finished your shopping
and your items are being scanned at the checkout counter. You
ask yourself how they get all that information from that little
bar code. The short answer is they don’t.

That bar code has three pieces of information in it. It does
not contain, as many believe, the name or description of the
product, its price, or any specific product detail. What it has
encoded into it is:

1. The manufacturer’s U.C.C membership identification number

Taken together, these parts comprise the elements of a UPC bar
code. More recently, a new global standard has emerged which
incorporates the UPC into sometimes referred to as the GTIN or
Global Trade Item Number.

When the item is scanned, the bar code scanner decodes the bar
code, producing the GTIN number. The GTIN is used to do a
product lookup in the store’s products database. The GTIN is
just a database record number. The database has all the
information the store personnel has entered into it about that
particular GTIN which often includes Manufacturer, product name,
description, price, color, size, etc.

The database software then supplies the necessary information
back to the point-of-sale system (the checkout register) so your
total can be calculated and your receipt printed.

Of course this is a simplistic view of it but essentially,
that’s how it works.

(Note: This article was extracted from a larger article which
can be obtained from the Small Business depot. Download a PDF
version of the complete eBook (24 pages) at
http://www.barsnstripes.com/ )

I bought a second pair of reading glasses from my local
Optician recently. I need this pair to help me find the
first pair which inevitably go missing. While in the
Opticians I remember thinking that I needed to buy some
solution and some of those tissues for cleaning my mucky
glasses.

However, when it came to the point of paying for my new
glasses the cleaning stuff went right out of my head. So why
didn’t the Optician or his assistant ask me - “Is there
anything else you need today?” or even - “Do you need any
cleaner for your glasses?” Perhaps they didn’t like or have
the courage to ask, or even they forgot. One way or another,
they missed an add-on sale and I didn’t get any muck
remover.

A couple of days later I was buying a lunchtime sandwich and
totally forgot to pick up a bottle of water. If only I’d
been asked - “Is there anything else sir, a drink to go with
your sandwich?” I ended up going back to another shop in the
mall for my bottle of water.

These are only two small opportunities of lost sales and
irritation for the customer. To be fair, I’m often asked -
“Is there anything else we can do for you today sir?” I
usually say “no” because I can’t think of any thing.

It’s far better to ask a specific question relevant to the
customers’ needs and your business. It doesn’t matter what
business you’re in, you could always sell another product or
another service if you only have the courage to - Ask!

Discover how you can generate more business without having
to cold call!
Alan Fairweather is the author of “How to get More Sales
without Selling” This book is packed with practical things
that you can do to - get customers to come to you .
Click here now
http://www.howtogetmoresales.com and
http://www.alanfairweather.com

The time-honored story around the Midwest is “The Wizard of Oz.” Can you imagine what a shock it would be to go to sleep in the Midwestern United States and wake up in the Land of Oz!

The splendor and excitement of arriving in a new land, full of new possibilities you never even dreamed possible …seems to be a kindred reaction of sales professionals who, after years of rejection from the executive suites, seemingly overnight find themselves regularly conducting business in the executive suites.

Now, if you’re at all like your colleagues, you believe the Wicked Witch is personified in gatekeepers. Those executive assistants who seem determined to keep you from going through the castle gates and into the presence of the great and powerful Wizard.

Just in case you’re not used to calling on top decision makers, you’ll be glad to know executives don’t resemble the Terrible Wizard anymore than the mild mannered showman professor did in the land of Oz.

An executive is just a man or woman in charge of a company, looking for the safest way to navigate the business and its people through the storms of commerce. And contrary to popular misconception, the executive assistant is really more closely aligned with the Good Witch Glenda who can tell you how to get to the great, powerful, mighty Oz.

When you ask them, executive assistants will tell you they like to be treated with respect (who doesn’t). They’ll also let you know that one of her primary directives is to protect the executive’s time from very draining people who suck up a lot of their precious time and provide nothing in return.

It is a little known fact that she is also on the look out for people who can help the executive. The key to having the executive assistant to recognize you as a caller whom she should admit into the executive suites is to use the words executives use when talking with the assistant.

As businesses grow, the executives’ skill set grows to accommodate the needs of the business. While incubating the business many need for the executive to “do it all”, book keeping; sales; marketing; and so forth. And the executive is challenged with figuring out “how to do everything that needs doing.”

Then, as the business grows, the business hires professionals to do all of the “how to stuff”. The executive finds it necessary to transforms himself from being the “how to guy” into becoming the “what guy.” The guy who decides “what” the company will be doing as the years progress, and leaves the figuring out of the “how” to those at lower levels of the organization.

So when a sales professional calls the office of the executive and the assistant hears the caller spew out “how his company can serve the executive ” the assistant immediately transfers the call down the organizational ladder.

This frustrates many a sales pro as they conclude the call was transferred because of the gatekeeper. When, in fact, the call would not have been transferred had the caller used the right language.

Most sales professionals have the subconscious thinking of a “how” person and, to successfully sell to executives, want to learn the best way to approach the “what” person.

Without a change of language, you’ll sound like a “how” person who is a better fit with low level decision makers than executives. Executives know this. Executive assistants know this.

The overwhelming majority of your colleagues do not grasp the importance of this kind of positioning. And most of those who do know, don’t know how to make a change of thinking that positions them as belonging at the top.

Even better to have the executive assistant on your side … did you know she is actually looking for people to invite into the executive suites and present solutions to the executives business issues?

So next time you hang up the phone thinking, “That ‘Witch’ referred me down.”, know that most likely the reason for her decision had to do with the words you spoke.

OK, Dorothy, now is the time to own your own power. Examine the words you speak. Learn the verbiage that positions you as the “what guy/gal” for your industry and then marvel as the Wizard says “he’d like to talk with you”.

Your rock solid positioning is to have the executive assistant as your “right hand person” and strongest ally.

Forward this article to friends … they’ll thank you for it!

For your FREE mini-course “Jealously Guarded Secrets to Cold Calling Company Presidents” visit http://www.ColdCallingExecutives.com! Or call Your Sales Coach for Extreme Profitability, author/speaker Leslie Buterin (like butterin’ bread) at (816) 554-3674 9-3 CST (that’s Kansas City/Chicago Time).

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These 3 trade directories are an excellent source for low cost
products if you plan to sell silver jewelry, art, hand crafts or
first class leather products on Ebay or start a wholesale or
retail operation on the web and any where else.

Business Fact #1: There is no such thing as Free Lunch .-

We know that you can probably find some Mexican silver, leather
products, rustic handcrafts or furniture marketers on the web
for free. But those “sources” will most likely be American
companies or individuals that are basically resellers. The truth
is that with them as your sources you won’t even get close to
having the best possible wholesale prices.

To make JUICY profits in the import / export business you
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The problem is that discovering real low cost sources can be a
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information providers on the web are charging $30 per
manufacturer profile, while others can charge you more than
$1000 per business directory, or even a subcription fee to
access their trade leads database. But who do you think is
listed on their databases? The Mexican manufacturers? or just
another reseller eager to sell at a nice profit? Exactly!. Those
trade leads databases are mainly filled with lists and lists of
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the product for a heavy profit.

Its all about the profits. YOUR Profits! at Mexico-Store.com .-

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The Evolving Role of Inside Sales and Customer Service Personnel

What role does Inside Sales/Customer Service (IS/CS) play in today’s sales process? How does the company leverage the existing relationships between IS/CS and the customer? The answer to this question plays a key role for upper quartile performers. Upper quartile performers understand the important role played by the inside sales person, customer service and counter personnel. “A Player” field sales reps are not threatened by the fact that the majority of inbound calls are handled by IS/CS personnel because the majority of these calls represent a sales opportunity for the company. Customers who call in do so for the main purpose of fulfilling a need, which often leads to the placement of an order. Customers are very dependent upon inside sales personnel for information, suggestions about products, substitution products, application help and expertise, new product information, new services, delivery information and promotional opportunities for cost savings.

Inside sales and customer service personnel have more customer contact than anyone else in the organization. IS/CS people take more than 80% of all orders placed. This means that the IS/CS are in a better position to influence buying behavior than the field sales person. Progressive managers truly understand what that means in regard to market share growth. They know that the consistent use of suggestive selling techniques, up selling and promotions can have a dramatic impact on average order size and increase share of spend in each account. IS/CS personnel traditionally build relationship equity, and many customers would give up their contact with field sales before giving up their relationship with inside sales and customer service personnel. This is the frontline in the battle for success. Customers have not only come to expect it, they demand it. It can become a competitive edge, the differentiator for your business compared to the competition. It’s about the commitment the company has made to customer demands for world-class service.

Equal and Critical to the Success Formula

This demand for world-class service makes IS/CS just as important, if not more important, than the outside sales force in driving growth and creating success. Many companies, however, do not fully understand the critical role IS/CS plays in the success formula for increased sales, market share growth and profitability. The reason for this lack of understanding is primarily due to the lack of adequate measurement systems to determine the full scope of work and specific roles of the IS/CS service group. This lack of adequate measurement systems leaves department managers in the dark when trying to determine departmental activity, direct contributions to success and individual productivity. These metrics are necessary to properly design productivity tactics and compensation plans, making sure to consider the group’s contribution to the success of the organization as well as their short and long term impacts on customer relationships.

Many companies have not upgraded phone systems to determine the number of inbound calls taken daily by sales people, in addition to measuring call abandonment, average time per call, transfers, voice mail and other metrics important to creating an effective IS/CS support strategy. However, even at those firms that lack these essential metrics, demands are often placed on IS/CS to utilize suggestive selling and up selling techniques on inbound calls. Additionally, many companies assign outbound call responsibility to IS/CS and some even create quotas for these calls.

On an additional note regarding phone systems, some executives were sold on the idea that voice mail could improve IS/CS productivity and address the issue of peak time inbound call burden. Failure to consider the customers’ perspective can be a critical mistake. Voice mail cannot enter orders or answer questions. In other words, customers’ needs are not handled efficiently at their convenience. It does, however, give the customer some options. Those options include: waiting for the return call, faxing the order or request, or calling a competitor who is better organized and more efficient. Voice mail cuts the customer off and inhibits building relationship equity. It just can’t provide analysis and solutions to even the tiniest problem.

Let’s Get Real

The reality that exists in most companies today is that IS/CS personnel are extremely busy just handling inbound calls. Some IS/CS personnel may handle up to 100 calls per day and the related task that each call may entail. With the volume of traffic exceeding reasonable expectations regarding their ability to build on relationship equity, most IS/CS personnel are motivated to end each call as quickly as possible to get off the phone and take the next call in the queue. The time they spend with each call is more than just taking orders. These calls may include requests for literature, quotes, expediting, logging and entering claims and complaints, checking inventory, and even fielding calls from outside sales personnel. And on top of the demands that these calls place upon these people, we expect them to take the time to create and maintain relationship equity with the customer, apply suggestive selling techniques, up sell and create a pleasant experience for the customer. And dinosaurs still roam the streets of New York.
Some IS/CS personnel are better than most at using different selling techniques and creating customer relationship equity. It requires specific skills that depend upon product knowledge, probing communication skills, effective listening, and training in both suggestive selling techniques and offering the customer options. However, even the best IS/CS people will stop these practices when the inbound burden becomes too great because they can’t take the time to leverage their relationship equity by talking with the customer, exploring options and identifying needs and interests. They go into an expeditious call turnover mode just to keep up with the inbound traffic.

If We Are Lost, How Can We Be Found?

There is no magic answer if you don’t have the process and measurements in place to develop an IS/CS initiative that is in alignment with your company strategy. That does not mean you give up. There are alternatives if you are willing to put forth an effort and make an investment. Start slow and minimize your exposure by creating a pilot project. Select one or two of your best IS/CS people to test a systematic approach to increase productivity. Hire a replacement for your IS/CS people that are in the pilot project. This is your investment. This creates adequate staff to handle all inbound traffic. They will handle the entire overflow to allow the pilot personnel to utilize their skill sets to increase sales with suggestive selling techniques and even proactive outbound follow-up calls. That means that the pilot personnel must receive extensive training that includes the items listed below. Management must also understand that call length will increase dramatically.

• Up selling techniques

• Suggestive selling techniques

• Outcall training

• Product training

• Communication and questioning skills

• Needs satisfaction selling that includes:

1. Features and benefits training

2. Value propositioning and value added selling

3. Promotional selling

4. New product and new source introductory selling

5. Service and warranty selling

The results of your pilot project may be surprising. You may conclude that IS/CS can generate opportunistic sales that will increase your share of customer spend. Growth and increased market share may also improve based on the contribution made by IS/CS. Customers respond well to recommendations and suggestions. Given the time needed, IS/CS can provide the kind of information that many customers need to know about your products and services.

However, make no mistake about it, your success will depend on changing management’s existing mindset regarding the support necessary to allow for this type of proactive selling. IS/CS cannot effect change on their own as it must be driven and supported by management. Appropriate staffing is a key component to handling inbound calls at a level of adequacy to allow for time to employ proactive selling techniques. Having competent, aggressive and talented people is also an essential ingredient.

As mentioned earlier, metrics are also a necessary ingredient because you can’t manage it if you can’t measure it. Adequate measurement systems will help identify individual performance and productivity in order to recognize contributions toward success and offer appropriate financial reward. You must evaluate what exists within the IS/CS department and how they function, not only in the normal course of business, but especially during peak times of inbound call frequency. Management must determine if the mindset in IS/CS has gravitated to getting off the phone as quickly as possible. (Some uninformed distributors actually have inbound call quotas.) A study is needed to determine if time is available to allow for selling on inbound calls based on staffing levels and other demands. A technology audit may be necessary to determine what kind of support is built into the existing system in regard to selling prompts for associate parts and other product line suggestions. E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com for a list of six key measurements that support proactive selling.

Conquering the Counter Conundrum

Counter sales personnel face many of the same issues that IS/CS people face. In fact, the counter sales life becomes one of juggling several balls in the air at the same time and becoming skilled at multi-tasking. Dealing with “will call,” customers at the counter, inbound phone calls and whining salesmen creates quite a challenge for the professional counter person. More importantly, this counter conundrum puts customer retention and value at risk.

Again, there is no magic formula to conquer this conundrum and answer the tough questions. These questions include:

• How do you effectively staff the counter?

• How should incoming calls be handled?

• Should a prioritization policy be developed?

• Should the will call counter be separate?

• Should inbound calls from sales people be handled by someone else?

The sales evolution on the customer side of the equation has changed customer awareness, which has led to different service output demands (SODS). These demands now focus on immediate response, cost savings opportunities and an expectation that distributor knowledge and support of their business initiatives go beyond the traditional business model. Counter distractions such as donuts, coffee or popcorn are just not enough to overcome sub-par service standards at peak times. Nothing short of service excellence is acceptable today to retain customers and create competitive advantage.

Creating appropriate solutions to conquer the counter conundrum must be based on branch operational metrics. The starting point is to evaluate this branch data. Increasing counter staff may seem like the obvious solution, but it may do nothing more than increase costs without solving the problem. Through the analysis of these metrics, you must diagnose the real disease and treat it, not the symptoms. Branch data analysis must include determining the pattern of peak times during the day and week for counter sales, incoming calls, will call and other specific counter responsibilities. Sales transactions and line item order entry information by counter sales people are relevant to the diagnosis. Faxes, e-mails, sales and profit trends, inactive and active account trends, average call time, call on hold time, call abandonment and the voice mail connection are all part of the situational analysis.

This analytical diagnosis should help you determine peak activity patterns and sales growth trends by segment, such as will call, phone orders and walk-in trade. Staffing levels and scheduling may then be matched more appropriately according to these patterns. This analysis should also help you determine overtime needs, whether new account development is successful and what your track record is on customer retention. Keeping track of transaction errors and when they occur will also help in conquering the counter conundrum. Don’t lose focus on those specific patterns that have the biggest impact on direct customer service. These include: the average wait time at the counter during peak periods, average on-hold time for call-in customers and the percentage of call abandonment. Very specifically, what are the sales trends telling you?

Lastly, don’t rely on metrics alone. Talk to your counter pros. You may find out that a large percentage of their time is utilized on activities that don’t directly impact customer service and increased sales, such as those activities directed by field sales requesting prices, availability, order status, expediting or other requests that take up time.

Once your analytical diagnosis is complete, you should have a clearer picture of the issues that hinder the ability of your counter pros to maintain world-class service and continuous sales growth. This should lead to a well thought out strategic initiative to address the critical constraints. Possible solutions may include the following:

• Call forwarding to other branches or other personnel during peak periods

• An inbound prioritization schedule

• A separate procedure for handling will call, fax and e-mail orders and field sales requests

• Separating the will call from counter sales

• Training, which can always have an impact on critical constraints

• Improved technology solutions to support field sales and other customer demands

Customers must always come first. This must become a culture, not just a slogan. World-class service must become a core competency if you are going to create competitive advantage and differentiate yourself from the competition. Evaluate cross-functional activities, reporting relationships and tear down any potential silos you uncover. The goal is to leverage the IS/CS sales opportunity and to provide the field sales force with the kind of sales support essential for overall company growth.

Conquering these conundrums is possible, but it takes hard work, analytical diagnosis and a commitment by executive management to address critical constraints and create the systems and processes that make world-class service one of the company’s core competencies.

Note: Some information and research for this article was provided by Peg Fisher & Associates. Peg Fisher has since retired but she was one of the early pioneers in the field, paving the way on innovations in inside sales.

Dr. Eric “Rick” Johnson (rick@ceostrategist.com) is the founder of CEO Strategist LLC. an experienced based firm specializing in Distribution. CEO Strategist LLC. works in an advisory capacity with distributor executives in board representation, executive coaching, team coaching and education and training to make the changes necessary to create or maintain competitive advantage. You can contact them by calling 352-750-0868, or visit http://www.ceostrategist.com

Rick received an MBA from Keller Graduate School in Chicago, Illinois and a Bachelor’s degree in Operations Management from Capital University, Columbus Ohio. Rick recently completed his dissertation on Strategic Leadership and received his Ph.D. He’s also a published book author with four titles to his credit: “The Toolkit for Improved Business Performance in Wholesale Distribution,” the NWFA & NAFCD “Roadmap”, Lone Wolf-Lead WolfThe Evolution of Sales” and a fiction novel about teenagers called “Shattered Innocence.” Rick is an accomplished speaker and member of NSA. Download sample speaking contract @ http://www.ceostrategist.com

The telephone has arguably done more to help sales professionals than any other invention in history. And still it is the most under-utilised tool in your toolbox. Note I don’t say under-used, because if you’re like most professionals, you are probably on the phone more than two hours a day. The question is, how effective are you at using the phone to move your prospects closer to the sale and going deeper with your clients/customers to generate more sales and cross-selling opportunities?

It’s a fact that some people are naturally good on the phone. Others need to work at it. Here are some key skills and qualities you need to be good on the phone. You only need to be weak in one or two of these areas to undermine your performance and stop you getting excited about using the phone.

A clear voice. Talking slower and in a lower pitch has also been found to yield better results than fast, high pitched talking

Self belief. You should be confident in what you say and deliver. Just as dogs can smell fear, prospects and contacts can smell ‘unbelief’ and lack of conviction.

A good smile. Sounds funny, but ’smile while you dial’ works. People can tell if you’re smiling, and joy is infectious!

Patience. You could be the wrong idea at the right time. You could be the right person with the wrong deal. For a hundred reasons, they may not be ready for you now, or see what you see as quickly as you want them to see it. Business relationships are a long term game, not a one night stand.

Resilience. You’ll get knocked back, insulted, shouted at, ignored, bored to death and rejected. Everyone does. The ones who can bounce back are the ones who tend to be the most successful in the long term.

Organisation. Get your desk sorted, your database sorted, your diary sorted and your time management nailed. You can’t build and maintain relationships without investing time, and that means getting organised.

Reading people. You might say this is hard to do on the phone. But if you’re honest, you can tell when people are busy, when they’re stressed or what kind of a mood they’re in. Make it a skill that you can gauge people’s reactions and responses and your phone calls will be much more productive!

Closing skills. Can you ask the courageous questions or do you fudge round the issues? If you can’t, all of your relationship building counts for nothing but good feelings.

Persistence. Can you keep going until you hear a ‘no’? Resilience is bouncing back. Persistence is keeping going, through rough days, through tough times, through lean periods. Research shows that 48% of people stop after the 2nd call and Most give up after the third. However, there is a 68% success rate on the 4th call.

If you’re going to use the phone as a tool for building relationships, you need to know the nature of the beast. There are seven advantages and seven disadvantages of using the phone

On balance, you’d much rather be with a phone than without one, and in the age of mobiles, we’re never more than a phone call from pretty much anyone we want to talk with. So why do we still hesitate to use the phone to full potential? Sales professionals have three areas for concern;

Knowing What To Say (Knowledge)

There is only one way round this one - scripts. People worry that scripts are wooden and false. Let’s disprove that. Think of your favourite movie. Now think how it made you feel. Happy? Sad? Entertained? Scared? Thrilled? Moved? Consider that every word in that film was written, rehearsed and performed a hundred times by the time it gets to you. And it still evoked that passion and feeling in you. Consider the great songs which move you and bring you to tears or lift you up. Again, all scripted, I’m afraid. Never underestimate the power of a well-crafted and well-delivered word or phrase to elicit the response you want.

“The worst time to think of the best thing to say is as the words are coming out of your mouth”

Knowing How To Say It (Skill)

There is only one way round this one - practice. Everything is difficult before it becomes easy. Think of the first time you learned to ride a bike, to swim or to drive. You get better at what you do a lot of.

Nervous About Doing It (Behaviour)

There is only one way round this one - get motivated! Here are a few reasons why you must pick up that phone;

You need the business

You need the money!

It keeps you in touch.

It keeps your skills fresh.

Others will if you don’t.

If you’ve said in the past you’ll call and you don’t, what will they think of you?

How much might you lose by not making the call?

If you don’t call, you’ll never know.

Circumstances change - they might just need to hear from you.

Consider the lifetime value of these calls - a customer sticking with you for five years spending £500 a year means £2500 of income. That’s worth picking up the phone, right?

If relationships are grown by investing time and effort, then we need to see the phone as a way to connect with people. I once saw two guys waiting for a delayed flight out of Dublin. In one hour, one read the paper and the other made 2o phone calls. Some seemed to be just to voicemail but you just know he was great at keeping in touch. The lesson here is to maintain contact.

Finally, although I’ve yet to meet anyone who can build a better relationship by phone than I can face to face, there are a few more strategies you can use to get people talking and go deep with your key contacts. Use what my friend Art calls ‘verbal nods’. When face to face, we indicate we’re into the conversation with facial expressions and body language, including nodsof the head. What do you do by phone? On the phone, these go, so a healthy sprinkling words and phrases such as ‘uh-huh’, ‘I see’ and ‘interesting’ can keep the kettle boiling.

Encourage people to talk with prompts such as ‘go on’, ‘tell me more’ and ‘expand on that if you would’. Use good questions such as ‘how do you mean?’ and ‘why is that?’ to get under the skin of issues and problems they might have.

The last word is on smiling. As obvious as it seems, there is no doubt it works. It’s tough to sound downbeat or boring when you smile. ‘Face-to-face, we connect with others more easily when they smile, and perceive them as more likeable,’ says Art ‘The same holds true on the phone.’

So pick up the phone, pick up your relationships and pick up your sales!

I knew the first time I met him that he was just out to get my business. After all he was a salesman. That’s what his card said, that’s what his job was, and that’s what he did for a living.

I don’t trust salesmen, and I bet a lot of the people who read this don’t either.

It’s not surprising, I guess. There are a lot of salespeople in the world who will do or say almost anything to get a sale, and a lot of times the things they say are lies or half truths, and the things they do are deceptive and deceiving. Just like a lot of other things in life, it only takes getting burned a couple of times to make you distrust all of their ilk. (C’mon, who uses “ilk” anymore?)

I was a federal purchasing agent, so it was MY job to deal with salespeople, and I got to see a lot of the bad ones. I got to see a lot of junk passed off as quality goods, and sometimes I had help clean up the mess or deal with the aftermath. This wasn’t the first time, either. I had been a business manager for a mental health facility in northwest Florida, an accountant for the Florida State Department of Education in Tallahassee, and a fiscal consultant/accountant/purchasing agent/comptroller in a regional office of a federally funded education program. I had been taken on a few rides and, like I said, I don’t trust salesmen. I had gotten to see enough of them in action.

Over the years, I had begun to stereotype people in sales. When they walked in the door, the first thing I thought was, “Uh-oh. Wonder what he/she’s going to try to push off on me this time?” I had my defenses up and it showed. If a sales person gave me a compliment or made a joke, I figured they were just trying their tricks to get inside my defenses, so I just hardened that wall, didn’t give them any more time than I had to, and then forgot about them.

Then along came Steve.

He was the major rep assigned to our account by a local office supply and equipment firm. We did a lot of business with them, so there was no way to avoid dealing with him. He was smooth, but pleasant, and it was difficult, but I managed to keep the wall up.

I couldn’t understand why the other purchasing agents were always calling him and placing orders with him. I could see what he was doing. He worming his way into their confidence so that they would place orders with him, but I could see right through his act and could follow his every move.

Then the day came that I ordered something that the local store didn’t have in stock but needed quickly. It wasn’t a big order and Steve was on commission, but he drove a couple of hours to get to another store, pick up the order, and then drove back and delivered it personally. He probably didn’t make any commission on that order.

A few days later, I placed another order. This one was a little bigger, so he had more at stake. As it turned out, his firm had discontinued those items but he bought them from another company in the area and sold them to us…at cost.

The day finally came when I had been trying to track down something for one of our departments but was unable to come up with a supplier or even a manufacturer. I didn’t even have anything other than a description of what I was looking for. I don’t remember anything about the item, but I DO remember Steve. When I had totally exhausted all my resources, I picked up the phone and called Steve. He had never heard of this sort of thing either! I was up against a wall.

The next day, the phone rang. It was Steve. He had spent hours calling contacts and suppliers all over the country with only a description of what I was looking for. He had come up with a manufacturer and a supplier, and he gave me the addresses and phone numbers.

In network and internet marketing, it is often said that one of the first things you need to do is establish a bond of trust between yourself and the customer. It works in a lot of places, this “bond of trust” thing.

I will never know if Steve did the things he did because he was a good guy, or liked me, or had made a promise to his dying mother. Maybe he did what he did because he was a salesman and that’s how he knew to make sales.

Well, it worked. He made sales. It didn’t take long for me to start slipping business to Steve whenever I could. I trusted and respected him, and I owed him.

After all, wasn’t he the one who taught me that not all salespeople are just out to get my business?

You know something? Maybe that’s not the only thing I learned.

The author is retired from the Army after 21 years of service, has worked as an accountant, optical lab manager, restaurant manager, and instructor. He has been a member of Mensa for several years, and has written and published poetry, essays, and articles on various subjects for the last 40 years. He has been an active internet marketer since 2000, and now makes his living online. To learn more about improving your internet sales, please visit http://marketingsecrets.xtramoney4me.net. To read more articles by the author, please visit his blog at http://donovanbaldwin.blogspot.com/.