Showing posts with label Increase Sales. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Increase Sales. Show all posts

Mar 31, 2010

Cold to Gold Mind Spark Session

Attention: the next Cold to Gold Mind Spark SessionTM is scheduled for April 6, 2010, at 10:00AM.

Registration for this powerful online workshop will close one hour prior to the start of workshop. Only 25 seats are available for this session, which runs each day from Tuesday through Friday next week, from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. So, hurry while you can still get in!

Cold to Gold is a system of selling created by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions.

You'll gain access to the mind shift, techniques, and methods that help you get in the door, form better qualified meetings, and highly successful business relationships. These are the techniques used by Scott to land multimillion deals with IBM, EMC2, Data General, and other sales organizations. For example, Scott wrote Jay Leno a letter and Jay returned Scott's call personally. Scott never met Jay prior to sending the letter. You'll learn the techniques Scott uses to get responses like this. Can your business use a lift?

To sign up for this workshop, please visit http://www.coldtogold.com/
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Copyright © 1999-2010 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.
Please note: The disclaimer re: warranty or terms is listed at ColdtoGold.com re: any assumption or statement of earnings you may make from ColdtoGold.
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Mar 29, 2010

Stop Thief! Headlines Increase Open Rates

Have you ever had someone yell "stop thief" on a street you near where you were standing? What do you do? You stop and take a look to see what is going on, right?

Well, good sales copy headlines produce the same result: people stop and open the email. Yet, how many salespeople pay attention to their email headlines? Most do not.

Sales executives often get lazy, too. They simply say what it is...
For example:
"Following up about ____"
"Here's my report for your review"
"Read our white paper on ____"
"Check out our new blabber widget"
Isn't this how most sales emails read that come across your inbox? Do these work for you? Or do you think they're boring? There's a better way. I've been studying email marketing and personally developing email campaigns for about ten years now. The first thing I notice about an email is the headline. Without a good headline, your open rate, or "opens", is low. With a good headline, your open rate increases.

The quality of your list can also dictate your success with open rates, too. However, for now, let us just say you have an average quality list of prospects that both know you and do not know you and you are trying to build a relationship so that over time, they decide to move in deeper and buy your products and services. That is why you have a list, right? How can you influence your success with that list?

Well, if they only read 20% of your emails, the odds of them making it to "buy" go down dramatically. You need your prospects to open your emails. PERIOD. Your headlines matter!

So, think about your headlines. If you are wondering what headlines work, watch what other marketers do - especially Internet Marketers. Study the best: Frank Kern, John Reese, David DeAngelo, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero, and John Carlton. Learn from them. In addition, especially, pay attention to what they teach about headlines. I "borrowed" the phrase "Stop Thief" from a headline Frank Kern used a few months ago. And, I'm pretty sure he borrowed it from another great writer. It works, right? You would not be reading this free training right now, if it didn't work for you. Of course, the headline ALSO must apply to your topic, so make sure to use relevant headlines, too.

This is part of what I teach in Cold to Gold. I help you understand the types of headlines that work, and those that do not (and why).

What do you think is better:
"Check out my keynote on 'The Biggest Mistakes Sales Executives Make'"
or "Oops! You just fouled up!"

Hey- maybe I'll use that one! Haha...


When you start to understand your headlines, you will approach your email in a completely new way. A previous manager (a CEO, no less) get mad at me for teaching my team how to write better letters. Frankly, he was crazy! If your team cannot write a good letter, how do you know they can communicate with their email, or follow up properly? Seriously! Improving our communication skills is the number one way to improve our ability to sell. Writing powerful headlines means you know the right words and phrases that convey ideas, trigger people to buy, and excite people to take their sales engine, ignite that engine, and send it zipping down the racetrack!

So, how is your sales engine? Is it zippy? Or, does it feel a quart low on oil? The best way to keep the sales engine firing on all cylinders is to maintain it properly. In the world of selling, that means education. You can read it in a book, or you can get the information from direct from the trainer.

Right now, for a limited time, you have an opportunity to learn more about how to shift thinking, what you say does matter, and more in Cold to Gold Mind Spark Sessions TM (http://www.coldtogold.com/). Visit the website, or call me and we will talk about how to work with your team to impact higher results.

Until then, enjoy the free training I just gave you and have a great day!

Your friend in selling and life success,

Scott Andrews, CEO
ARRiiVE Business Solutions
http://www.coldtogold.com/

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Copyright © 1999-2010 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.
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Feb 25, 2010

My Sales Team Is A Bunch Of Order Takers

Do you need more sales? Are your sales people good at taking orders but failing at making the numbers?  Have you ever said "Why won't my salespeople pick up the phone and grow some new accounts for us?"

Or, have you ever caught yourself saying "My Sales Team Is A Bunch Of Order Takers"?!

You're not alone. It is why I created Cold to Gold TM (www.ColdtoGold.com). The truth is that salespeople lack a system for getting in the door. Companies, thinking salespeople need to be trained on how to make a sale, spend tons of money on consultative selling processes and company product knowledge training sessions. Your salespeople could have all the knowledge in the world, but if they lack a system to help them actually get in the door, make a call, send an email, or get the appointment, they never get the meeting in the first place!

After realizing I knew how to get in the door AND how little companies were spending on this valuable service, I developed Cold to Gold specifically to meet this need. Cold to Gold breaks down the problem most companies have with their approach to prospecting. We analyze the error in how salespeople approach the entire prospecting process: from strategy to research, practice, cold calls, emails, letters, phone techniques, and move each Mind Spark Session TM participant from guesswork approaches that fail to surefire methods that win. Some salespeople will DOUBLE their production within just days after learning Cold to Gold.

Mind Spark Sessions are a system of learning I discovered by studying the best teachers and learning systems in the world. It is based on 4-hour workshops. I call them mind spark sessions because of the way the information is taught is the fastest way of getting the information in my brain into your brain short of a "Vulcan Mind Meld"! Mind Spark Sessions are highly effective and efficient - as a salesperson, myself, I *hate* spending time in BORING sales training workshops. But I LOVE learning when the people teaching me GET IT: my time is valuable - give it to me straight, quickly, and in a way that INSPIRES ME. Thus - Mind Spark Sessions. Your team won't even have to leave "the field" of selling to learn!

If I'm singing your song, visit http://www.ColdtoGold.com, and sign up your new hires in a Mind Spark Session (webinar). If they report back they love it, enroll the whole sales team! Try it out - I guarantee you'll get the bang for your buck. Even your salespeople who aren't "order takers" will learn some new ideas that will grow their sales, too.

Cheers! ~ Scott

P.S. - For a limited time, I'm offering corporate sponsorships for Cold to Gold. If this might apply to your firm, drop me a note at info (at) ARRiiVE [dot] com.

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Copyright © 1999-2010 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.
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Feb 15, 2010

Cold to Gold Mind Spark Sessions Launched

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


SHELL BEACH, CA -- ARRiiVE Business Solutions Launches COLD to GOLD TM Mind Spark Sessions TM.

COLD to GOLD Mind Spark Sessions (www.ColdtoGold.com) offer participants the opportunity to learn proven techniques to increase communication skills to stop blowing cold calls and start blowing away quotas. Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions, started offering Cold to Gold through a Keynote two years ago, and after receiving impressive feedback from audiences decided to expand content to include learning techniques to help each person assimilate Cold to Gold concepts through interactive sessions.

Scott realized the importance of Cold to Gold when he polled over 100 companies, asking, “What is your greatest challenge to generating new sales?” Surprisingly, clients overwhelmingly stated their biggest challenge is how to get in the door and build new relationships with the right people.  “That’s Cold to Gold’s target: how to get in the door and build long-term successful business relationships.” says Andrews. Through Cold to Gold, Andrews shares the biggest mistakes salespeople make; then counters with how to build sales success. Andrews drills-down into ways to structure your sales territory, how to write scripts and make phone calls, how to write letters, and send emails more effectively. Through Cold to Gold, Andrews shares techniques that helped him build a “Summit Club” record of success blowing away quotas at companies like IBM, DecisionOne, EMC2 and Diamond Resorts.

Andrews calls Mind Spark Sessions “The fastest and most effective method of training available today.” Mind Spark Sessions utilize a learning system Andrews developed through studying the very best trainers in the world and applying their techniques into a simple and effective learning system: rapid story-telling, high impact visuals, permission (or “buy-in” to each concept), then integration through an exercise cementing each concept in mind through a learn by doing approach. (Learn by doing is also popular at nearby California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo). “Mind Spark Sessions are beyond workshops or training;  Mind Spark Sessions represent the quickest way to get the information from my head into your head short of a Vulcan ‘mind-meld’,” says Andrews, making a humorous reference to the thought transfer process used by Spock in the popular Star Trek TV series and movies.

Initially, Andrews is offering Cold to Gold Mind Spark Sessions through online WEBINARS you can schedule now at ColdtoGold.com. He offers corporations the opportunity to SPONSOR Mind Spark Sessions for a limited time, too. Scott is also working on developing Cold to Gold into a series of videos he will promote through an Internet launch later in 2010. Cold to Gold Mind Spark Sessions are available for a limited time at a special rate starting at $297 – a bargain considering the high cost of airline tickets, gas prices, and hotel room fare, according to Andrews. He also cites an increasing need for resources like this after the current economic recession “squeeze” affecting so many companies.

ARRiiVE Business Solutions (www.ARRiiVE.com) is a private company offering innovative services to help business leaders improve sales and marketing success. ARRiiVE, offering business solutions from the Central Coast of California since 2006, originated out of AspireNow.com, a website founded in 2000 by Scott Andrews now globally reaching over 50,000 people each month. 

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Copyright © 2010 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.
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Oct 22, 2009

Are Sales and Relationships Synonymous Terms

I am talking to a bank manager about the possibility of creating a sales training program for her bank.

It's an intriguing opportunity, for several reasons. For one, she mentioned to me that she likes the idea, because her firm currently does not have any formal sales training.

"We call it customer relationship skills but same thing," she corrected herself.

"Is it?" I replied.

"Well, in the end, we want more business," the bank manager said.

This comment is causing me to think about sales in the way my client thinks of sales: where each sell is not really so much about the sell, itself, but about the relationship with each client.

Are sales and relationships synonymous terms?

You see, if the bank has built a strong relationship with you, any time you need to store money (most current "savings accounts"), transact money (checking accounts), save money (with "money market" accounts), or get more money (such as through loans) you will likely consider the bank where you handle your checking or savings account for that new transaction. Am I right or wrong? So, it IS about the relationship!

Imagine if banking approached sales from the perspective of "wham, bam, thank you Ma'am!" and just got their money and then got out, how would they ever succeed? Rather, the bank must deliver upon the promise of (1) being there, (2) offering good rates, and (3) offering outstanding service. If a bank does these three things, and does a better job of building relationships than peer banks, they are likely to grow.

There's more to it than that. The bank also has to offer unique banking products at the right time. But no matter what products they offer, if you don't know who they are how will they sell you anything? It starts with relationship!

But when we think of sales as a relationship building process, or even a "relationship" in simple terms, how else might that impact the way we approach the sales process?

When I consider how to answer this question, I realize that a bank relationship could be like any relationship we build with our friends. How do we form friendships? We find things in common, right? We do things together! If a bank is to be a friend, we must find ways to "relate" to each other. How many times to friends invite each other over or out to do things? With that being the case, banks ought to invite people over. Perhaps having an "open-house" for businesses. Or, participating in "Art After Dark" nights... or having "meet our new business" breakfasts. Anything like this would be valuable, from the relationship-building perspective.

What other things do we do to build relationships? Do we compliment each other? If a bank runs a newsletter, the bank ought to compliment certain customers. Perhaps awards for various things like innovation, creativity, good use of money, outstanding accounting habits, or other creative things like this would be valuable in the process of strengthening a relationship.

When do people need banks the most? This is another area I feel needs focus.

When prospecting, how would banks prospect? If I were a banker, I think I'd be looking for who moved to the area, for one. Or, perhaps, the bank could seek out families who just gave birth to a child. Maybe they could offer a "new child college fund" to parents in the area. Or, parents of kids entering 1st grade could be offered a "first account for a first grader" program. As we know, the earlier you start a savings account, the more that account will be worth by the time the child enters college.

I remember how Citibank built their credit card program by offering cards to college graduates. At the time, many banks wouldn't issue you a credit card unless you already had one (an oxymoron, huh?) and Citibank saw the wisdom in being the first bank to offer you a card, you'd likely keep their card for the longest time. It was true, I had my Citibank card longer than any other credit card.

These are all things I'm starting to think about regarding this program for the bank. What ways is your business unique? How can you relate it to other parts of life? This is how we must think when we are selling. Because sales and relationships can by synonymous.

Do you run a sales team? Are you seeking innovative ways to help your people succeed more?

Implementing a sales training program is a wise idea. The most successful organizations I've ever been part of or led always offer people who interface their customers training. It is a key to your success. I'm going to relaunch Concepts of SellingTM and Cold To GoldTM in the next month (November 2009), so stay tuned for ways ARRiiVE Business Solutions might assist you in this process.
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Above photo courtesy SXC. Copyright © 1999-2009 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.

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Aug 18, 2009

Sell What Your Clients Need Most

If your business is struggling to make sales, you're probably asking your self or your sales team "What's wrong? Why aren't we making the sales we need to hit our objectives?"

The answer to this question may be varied, with such challenges as:
1. The economy sucks.
2. Our product is confusing to customers.
3. Our prices are too high.
4. They don't have the money.
and so on...

Are you buying the excuses? In most cases, the reasons why you've stopped selling have little to do with the excuses and everything to do with your PERSPECTIVE and FOCUS.

With the right perspective and focus, your salespeople don't have to be Pedott from the classic The Twilight Zone episode entitled, "What You Need", where Pedott is a salesperson who hands each character in the show exactly what they need to catch a bus, get a job, save their life, and so on.

For example, if you say "the economy sucks" you could stop putting out the same effort you did in an average or good economy, which would cause your business to stop selling even more than the lack of economy. If you run the numbers and the economy is truly affecting your business, then lower your expenses as low as possible to still make it with adjusted economy, and then continue as aggressive as ever because a down economy is an OPPORTUNITY for salespeople who are creative to capture larger market share from those who fail to respond and manage their business appropriately.

If your product is confusing, simplify it. Customers buy when it is SIMPLE and EASY. Again, this is a perspective issue. If you're educating the potential client and offering too many choices, narrow it down and offer them TWO or THREE CHOICES. But keep it SIMPLE.

If your prices are higher, that may be a problem, but more than likely it is a problem of the salesperson than the problem with your product. IBM routinely charges more for their products than their competition. How do they do it? By SELLING what their clients NEED MOST! For example, when a Chief Information Officer (CIO) of a large corporation is considering a new mainframe computer system, when comparing the choice of IBM versus competitor A, who offers the same mainframe (as far as speeds and feeds go) for less price, or competitor B who offers a better mainframe for slightly higher cost, or competitor C who offers a distributed computing approach across multiple computers for significantly less money, how is it that IBM wins?

The answer is that IBM sells what the CIO needs the most: PEACE OF MIND. You've heard the expression "They say nobody ever got fired for buying IBM." The reason for that saying is that the CEO has peace-of-mind that IBM will keep their business running if anything goes wrong. That's what matters most to the CEO, and that also is priority number one for most Chief Information Officers, too.

As CEO of a much smaller company, I can assure you that I'm quite unhappy when my business' server is down. If I cannot send or receive email, it is a nightmare. I can only imagine how the CEO of a larger corporation sees the dollar signs flashing by the thousands in his or her glasses when their system is down!

If you're selling a vacation package, what are you really selling that client's need? Most likely more time with their loved ones, better health, rejuvenation, seeing the world/exploring cultures, living the good life, and things like that, right? So, don't focus on the details of YOUR program, focus on the details of WHAT THEY NEED.

If you're selling banking services, what is it your clients need the most? Most likely, they want easy access, better rates, security that their money is safe, and so forth. I also like to have NO FEES. If I'm late, if I'm overdrawn, if I forgot to transfer that chunk of money from one bank to the other, whatever, I don't want to be penalized for it. I hate bank fees. If I were running a bank, I'd eliminate most of those fees! Maybe you charge more for a monthly account or whatever but find out what your client's need and sell them that solution.

In an interesting study on whether clients "have the money" or "don't have the money to buy" a company I worked with determined that clients "HAD THE MONEY TO BUY" over 80% of the time, but decided NOT to buy because of some other reason (the salesperson was either annoying, failed to listen, or failed to sell what they needed that interested them).

So, sell what your clients need most and see if your sales don't go up, starting right now.

Extra Bonus Video:

For fun, watch The Twilight Zone, 1st Season, Episode 12:

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ARRiiVE Business Solutions offers sales training, acting VP of Business Development services, sales plans, Diamond-Circle and Sales-Diamond Team Structure models, and other marketing and selling related services. Contact info (at) ARRiiVE (dot) come for more details.

Copyright © 1999-2009 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.

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Jan 22, 2009

Rabbits, Deer, and Elephants: Make Selling More Fun

I'm an elephant hunter.

Have you ever heard a manager describe a salesperson as an "elephant hunter?" I have. In fact, I've been called that before. I've also been called a "peak-and-valleys" salesperson (not true). But when you sell to elephants (large prospects) you will have deals less often and when you do they will be huge. Metaphorically speaking, hunting elephants is great because elephants provide a lot more food than smaller game. I've had two elephant-sized customers feed me my entire quota for the year for three years in a row!

Being an elephant hunter can be dangerous for salespeople.

But, be careful - when you hunt elephants, you might starve in between kills. Companies love, love, love you one day then a few months later they might be on the edge of firing you before your next big win. That's the life of an elephant hunter. So, to remind myself that I must always keep the pipe full of a variety of prospects, I created a system I call "rabbits, deer, and elephants" to target prospects.

My solution: the Rabbits, Deer, and Elephants system.

For example, at a current opportunity, I call a prospect with 10 - 50 locations a "rabbit", one with 51 - 200 a "deer" and "201 - 2000+" an elephant. Someone recently suggested adding a category "bear" in the 200 - 500 category, but I think they forgot WE'RE THE BEAR! Ha ha! Or at least, the lion. Anyway, I feel rabbits, deer, and elephants works quite well.

I added "rabbit" and "deer" to elephants to remind me that you need to sell small deals and middle-sized deals in order to eat (i.e. not get fired) between the big deals. Yes, your company will love you and send you to "club" when you bring in elephants, but the rabbits and deer will feed you in between those big deals and make sure you hit quota. Don't overlook rabbits and deer - all prospects are critical to your success. The customer reference you use from the rabbits will help close the deer, and the references from deer help close elephants. In other words, experience matters. Elephants, as we know, help close everything! But, it is good to know we can address each prospect's needs on their level.



I remember in the movie SWINGERS when Vince Vaughn describes hitting on a girl much like being a bear with claws and fangs, and the girl is like a little rabbit, all soft and cuddly. I had so much fun thinking of rabbits that it made selling to rabbits more fun for me, rather than thinking "this prospect is too small and a waste of my time," I now think "This prospect is important to close on quickly" because that is how a lion or a bear would approach a rabbit - as a small meal. But a meal is a meal, right? You don't always see bears eating deer. Sometimes they eat rabbits, or other small animals, to stay alive.

"That's a nice DEER."

In one of my companies, we will even talk about a prospect and say "Yeah, that's a nice deer." By categorizing prospects in such a way it does several things:

1. You think like a hunter, not like a farmer. Ever notice the salesperson who builds relationships with everyone but hardly ever closes anything? I'd call that salesperson a "farmer" more than a "hunter" salesperson, wouldn't you?

The smart manager pairs that farmer with a hunter to make both more productive. I like using rabbits, deer, and elephants as a reminder that I'm hunting, not farming. Otherwise, I'd have used strawberries, cabbage, and watermelons or something.

2. It helps keep track of the size of deal. For some reason, managers like to quantify deals in their reports. When you have them on your page with "two deers" they have fun adding up the money to know how much you're bringing in for the month. They'll also leave you alone when you throw the meat in their cage every so often as that's what feeds THEM, too.

3. It keeps selling fun. Let's face it, making sales calls is a bit of a grind. Not only that, but we face plenty of rejection in selling. We might bat 2 for 20 at some efforts (a 10% success ratio) and that means hearing the word "no" or the words "yes, but not now" far more often than we'd like. Yes, we'd love to hear "yes" all the time. But by keeping sales fun, we make selling a bit more of a game, and that keeps it exciting. Oddly, it also increases the likelihood of a "yes" because people like to buy from people who are enjoying their job and having fun. Don't you?

4. Using rabbits, deer, and elephants also helps categorize sales prospects so that you can vary your pitch. For example, at my current company, an elephant will buy for different reasons for a rabbit. So, use the animals to help determine marketing strategies, too.

Now, back to elephants. If you're going to hunt elephants, you'd better bring a big gun. Or a bunch of people. That's my approach to hunting elephants - gang-hunting! In the corporate world, they like to call that "team-selling" but whatever. When I hunt, I hunt with one or two other sleek, well-ripped lions who know how to get the kill, just like me. So, enlist key people in your company to help you sell the elephant and bring it in. Both deer and elephants may require a team effort (sometimes, even rabbits need to be "herded" towards the trap) so make sure you use your pride (team) to help you sell!

By the way, make sure the other people you hunt with also know how to hunt, or you might look silly when the elephant gets away. After all, you never see two or three lions hunting an elephant with the help of a gazelle, right? Life isn't exactly like the movie, Lion King, after all.

Try using a technique like "rabbits, deer, and elephants" in your own selling to help you sell more of your products and services. You'll have more fun selling, and find yourself thinking about prospects like a hunter, not a farmer. The way I see it: if you're going to hunt you might as well have fun doing it.
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Copyright © 1999-2009 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE. Images from Wikipedia. Swingers video from YouTube is most likely copyright Miramax and not used with intention to violate that copyright, just to make a point here.

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Jan 16, 2009

10 Habits of Top Sales Performers

If you're seeking to become a top "sales" performer, either for your own company or selling for someone else's company, you might review the following habit guidelines:

10 Habits of Top Sales Performers

1. Top sales performers set specific and measurable goals.

If you set a goal of 200% quota, you tend to over-achieve every year, year in and year out.

2. Top sales performers embody the lifestyle that they are selling.

For example, when I sold vacations, I took vacations, so that I could show pictures that related to what I talked about with the people touring with me. It made my presentations more "real" and gave credibility to my sales pitch.

3. Top sales performers are more concerned about how to make others feel good about themselves than what other people think of them.

If you're focused on your client, you aren't worried about bragging or showing off. You're focused on the client's needs and ways to relate your solution to those needs.

4. Top sales performers strive for balance in all areas of their lives.

I've met people who sold a lot and could be described as work-a-holics and those who worked six hour days but sold double the work-a-holic. How did they do it? By working smarter and leveraging company and personal resources (such as their boat, game tickets, golf, and so forth). Their personal life blended with work so that it didn't feel like they were working all the time.

5. Top sales performers give credit to others.

You'll notice how superstar ball players, when asked how they made their difficult shot or play, will often deflect to the team "well, it was a team effort, I put it up and it went good" would be typical.

6. Top sales performers live in a state of gratitude.

Being grateful for abundance is an attitude that begets more abundance.

7. Top sales performers believe in treating others with integrity and respect.

Have you ever seen a salesperson outright lying to a prospect? I've seen it and it makes me sick. I find that the very best salespeople don't need to lie. They are so good at bonding with their client that they simply relate and close more easily.

8. Top sales performers listen twice as much as they speak. Another way to put this is top sales performers listen first and try to sell or solve problems second.

Most salespeople ought to put this one at #1 on their list and just focus on this trait. Simply by listening twice as much you can double your sales results. There's an expression I recall "keep it in the bag" meaning that you leave your "bag of tricks" and just listen. Then, after you fully confirm what the prospect needs, you offer your solution in a timely manner.

9. Top sales performers help others freely.

I recall when a manager asked me to be a "mentor" to new salespeople. I agreed. I remember how both salespeople I mentored later went on to become top salespeople in the company. My help put them on the path quicker so they could succeed faster than others. I gave them the inside track to what worked at the company and what didn't. If you're new at a company, seek out the top performer and ask them what worked for them. The best of the best will always help you out.

10. Top sales performers look for reasons people need their solution and why they might buy. They have a positive attitude.

I recall some deals I think I made in my past simply by driving by the prospects building, and THINKING I could close business there, some day. Then, throughout my week, I'd put out some effort towards each of those accounts I'd driven by. It is amazing how many of those I closed in my career! I called it "drive-by" selling as a joke, but the reality was I used the power of BELIEVING I CAN to succeed.

Use "I CAN" and "I WILL" in your statements about prospects, and you'll sell more.

Note: I offer sales training courses for managers and individual sales teams. If you're interested to learn more, click here to learn about our sales training programs or email me directly.
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Copyright © 1999-2009 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.

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Jan 7, 2009

Hope For Gain: The Savvy Entrepreneur Series

If you're seeking to improve success with any sales endeavor, you need to embrace the two biggest motivators: FEAR of LOSS and HOPE for GAIN.

I've already explored FEAR of LOSS earlier (click here to read).

In this article, I'll discuss HOPE for GAIN.

Think about the last thing you bought to improve your life or business. Was there not some aspect of why you bought that item related to increasing your ability to do something, enjoy life more, or experience something new?

If we buy a new car, we almost always seek more air bags, cup holders, gadgets (like my sunroof in my Tundra), sliding windows, more horsepower, better gas mileage, more storage space, SOMETHING MORE. These are all examples of HOPE FOR GAIN.

When I sell my service to companies helping them gain organic search position with their websites, yes, I do use FEAR of LOSS (by asking "How do you feel seeing your competitors with these phrases and you're not there?") but moreover I use HOPE for GAIN by promising to put their landing page in Google's Top 10 results for the phrase they seek. It's a challenge no single company has mastered, but I can realistically say that I'll capture Top 10 over 50% of the time with my methods. And, that leads to more traffic. More traffic leads to more people who click "BUY NOW" on the web page, right? Beyond that, converting more of those leads is also a HOPE for GAIN, too.

When I sold computer service and support, I would use HOPE for GAIN by promising their computers would stay up longer, that we'd respond faster, and that it would cost less money. Those are all examples of hope for gain. I would suggest that by using my competitor, they would increase exposure to slow response time, which is using FEAR of LOSS. See how those two motivators, when used together, become highly powerful?

The majority of Americans vacation, on average, 12 days a year. Yep, that's right, less than 3% of the majority of American lives are spent on vacation. Sad, isn't it? (Notice the use of LOSS there)... well, I'd use that statistic as a motivator when I sold vacations, and indicated that by COMMITTING to a PLAN there was implicit HOPE FOR GAIN of more dreams, going more places, spending time with those they love most, exploring the world, and seeing nice places by buying a vacation program. Those benefits all indicated HOPE FOR GAIN. The benefits extended to other aspects of living: people who vacation more are more productive at work (GAIN), more healthy (GAIN), and live longer (GAIN). See how it works?

How to use HOPE FOR GAIN:

First, make a list describing what are you selling. How do people benefit from buying what you sell?

Next, make a second list extending how they benefit even in other related areas by benefiting from what you sell them. This is the extended list.

Last, put these together in an order of priority that addresses your prospects biggest need first, second biggest need second, and third biggest need third. Keep in mind that smaller prospects have different needs than larger organizations. Selling a company a fleet of cars is definitely a different GAIN pitch than selling a single car to a young woman still in college. And, selling that single woman in college a car will use a different "GAIN" pitch than selling a luxury automobile to a wealthy entrepreneur.

Clearly, a person will buy a Toyota Corolla for different reasons than they will buy the Tesla Roadster. One is economical and simply wheels to get you there while the other is about speed, prestige, and flash. Both people GAIN. They just gain in different ways. So, make sure you utilize the differences in gain to your advantage and then target those benefits to the buyer most likely to buy for those reasons.

Best of success to you in improving your sales using HOPE for GAIN.

Read FEAR of LOSS here.

How have you used FEAR of LOSS and HOPE for GAIN to improve your selling? Weigh in below.
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Oct 22, 2008

Fear of Loss - Innovations In Business Show

"Fear of Loss: The Savvy Entrepreneur, Part IV" on ARRiiVE: Innovations In Business Show

When:
October 22, 2008 at 2:00 PM PST / 5:00 PM EST
Topic:
"Fear of Loss: One of the Two Most Important Sales Motivators"

Host:
Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions

Call In: Call in at (724)444-7444 and enter 37798 # 1 # Text chat online: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/37798 to text questions or listen online.

Listen to the show live here now:


Details:

Visit http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/37798 To hear Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business solutions, discuss ways to use "fear of loss" increase your sales and grow more business today at 2PM PST / 5PM EST.

Some of the top companies in business use fear to sell their products. Why? Because people buy when they are afraid of losing something. The Insurance industry is known for using fear. Automobile tire companies, computer companies, and more. How can you use fear of loss as a motivator for your product or service? Dian in to learn ways you can dramatically improve your sales results, starting right now!

Don't miss this fun and educational call with Scott.

Scott Andrews' BIO:

Scott Andrews is a business professional with over twenty years' experience in executive management and sales positions with IBM/Lexmark, EMC2, Instantis, DecisionOne, BusinessLand, JWP, Data General, Instantis, Sunterra, Wyndham, and ARRiiVE Business Solutions. Through developing a "summit club" and "million dollar achiever" record of success throughout his career, Scott built a series of programs which empower people to grow their success. Scott is currently focused on helping organizations through marketing strategy, sales training, and business leadership coaching. Through AspireNow.com, Scott's articles help people in over 100 countries. He also has appeared on numerous radio programs, including KEST 1450 AM SF, CA Seeing Beyond Personal Growth Talk Radio, and is host of the ARRiiVE: Innovations In Business internet talk radio show.

Scott's programs include "Concepts of Selling" "Cold To Gold" and "The Keys To Discovering Your Purpose" and many of the articles Scott writes are posted to http://www.arriive.blogspot.com or http://www.aspirenow.blogspot.com. To book Scott to speak on your show or at your event, contact (805) 459-6939.

It's simple and easy to join - call (724) 444 -7444 enter 37798#1# to dial in or visit http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/37798 OR http://www.ARRiiVE.com (see radio show link) to visit online and/or text chat questions to Scott.

ARRiiVE Business Solutions provides sales training and executive coaching. Click the link or email info [at] arriive.com to get started.

Update: Share this article with a friend and forward this link!

Want to share your thoughts about this show? Weigh in below.
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Copyright © 1999-2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.

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Sep 15, 2008

Carmine Gallo: 7 Secrets of Inspiring Leaders on ARRiiVE Innovations In Business Show

Join us for the ARRiiVE: Innovations In Business Radio Show tomorrow on "7 Secrets of Inspiring Leaders" with special guest, Carmine Gallo of Gallo Communications:

When: September 17, 2008 at 2:00 PM PST / 5:00 PM EST

Topic: "7 Secrets of Inspiring Leaders"

How to Participate:

Call (724) 444-7444, enter show 37798 # 1 #

Visit http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/37798

Description:

Fire up your colleagues, customers and employees by learning the language of motivation. In his new book, Fire Them Up, Carmine Gallo reveals the 7 keys all inspiring communicators share. He has spent two years interviewing extraordinary leaders and entrepreneurs like Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz, Ritz-Carton President Simon Cooper, Google Vice President Marissa Mayer, and many others. Learn how these men and women use language and presentations to engage their leaders.

Carmine Gallo's Bio:

Carmine Gallo is a communication skills coach for the world's most admired brands. As a former journalist for CNN, he leverages his skills as a journalist to help company executives tell their stories through presentations, pitches, and media interviews. He is here to discuss the insights he learned after interviewing more than two dozen well-known business leaders and entrepreneurs for his new book, Fire Them Up!

Fire Them Up is available at all major bookstores and online at Amazon.com, BN.com or through our partner company AspireNow's Amazon Bookstore.

Sign up for Carmine's newsletter by sending an email to: vanessa@gallocommunications.com. Put "newsletter" in the subject.

Call in - it's simple & easy, fun & educational to join the call and ask your questions!!

Also, you may click here to visit/follow the show: http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/37798 or http://www.arriive.com/arriive_liive.htm or listen in after completion of the show.
________________________________________

Copyright © 1999-2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.