Know Velocity

There is nothing more frustrating for a sales manager or business owner than not being able to afford to make a new sale. Meaning, the opportunity is there for the taking, the purchase order is there, if only you had the necessary funds to pay your suppliers. If only you could deliver!

Meeting supplier payment demands is one of the biggest challenges that owners and their sales people have. Your suppliers want to get paid immediately or upon delivery. Your commercial clients want to pay you 30 to 60 days after receipt. The math does not work and you’re left in the middle. Unless you have a well heeled bank account, your options may appear limited.

If you are like most business owners, your next call will be to your banker. And unless your business has solid financials, three years worth of audited financial reports and a lot of collateral, there is little chance that the bank will offer any business financing. Even the now common letter of credit requires the same bank underwriting criteria as a loan. This puts it outside the reach of small and medium sized companies. So, where can you obtain working capital if you have a strong sales potential but lack the funds to turn the potential into reality?

There is a little known form of financing that allows you to use your purchase orders (from good customers) as financial collateral. It’s called purchase order financing and your bank probably does not offer it. Purchase order funding enables you to deliver on your large orders from your best customers and enables you to make those sales. It’s easy to qualify for and is available to small and medium sized businesses. It is available to those businesses that have no apparent collateral, except a roster of strong customers.

The arrangement is fairly simple. Once you have a purchase order, the financing company provides your suppliers with a letter of credit that guarantees their payment. With the letter of credit in place, your suppliers can deliver the product to your clients, usually by drop shipping it, and you can close the sale. Then it’s a matter of waiting 30 to 60 days for the customer to pay their invoice and the transaction between you and the financing company is then settled.

Purchase order financing can be a great tool that allows distributors, wholesalers, product suppliers and trading companies to grow beyond their expectations, by capitalizing on their purchase orders.

Now the question is – if you had unlimited working capital, how many sales could you close?

About Invoice Factoring Group

We provide business financing through factoring, purchase order financing or a letter of credit. Marco Terry, the president, can be reached at (866) 730 1922

Commercial Capital © 2006 All rights reserved. Article may be reprinted only if not modified and all links are included live

Filed at 9:59 pm under Sales Tips + More
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How Will This Buying Decision Be Made?

Three-quarters of the secret to professional, strategic selling boils down to asking the Best Questions and listening carefully to the answers. Most of the Best Questions have to do with uncovering the crucial, underlying needs your products or services might serve. But you also must know how to sell to a particular account. Using the same strategy for all customers is a big mistake. The issue is: how do you compete for this customer’s business?

How do you know the right way to sell a customer? You ask.

For instance, you need to know when to time your sales calls, who to call on, what to present to each individual or group who will influence the buying decision, and how the decision ultimately will be made. How do you learn all of this? You learn these answers by asking questions early in the game.

Competition: Whom are you competing against for this sale? Once you know, you can ask targeted questions to draw out specific needs that you can resolve but your competitors can’t. And when presenting features and benefits of your products, you can lead with your specific competitive strengths.

Time Frame: When does the customer expect to make a buying decision? More importantly, when does the customer want to begin to reap the benefits expected from the purchase?

Buying Influences: Who controls the budget? Who analyzes the technical aspects of your product? Who will be responsible for making your product work correctly in the organization? This information tells you which features and benefits to stress to which audience.

Buying Process: How will the buying decision actually be made? Who must be “sold” before the transaction can be completed? Which criteria will be most important in the decision?

By getting clear answers to these questions early in the process, you can develop a strategy that will shorten your sell cycle, allow you to anticipate and defuse objections that otherwise would arise later, and make a lot more sales.

In The Field:

Veteran salespeople are often astonished (and a bit embarrassed) by the brave new world that opens up to them after they learn to ask the Best Questions.

The day after an Action Selling Sales Training Workshop at Eaton Cutler-Hammer, the southern regional sales manager received an excited voicemail message from one of his account executives.

“I put one of the selling techniques of Action Selling to work today on a sales call and was amazed,” said the account exec. “By knowing how to ask the Best Questions, I uncovered additional opportunities that I never knew existed!”

Duane Sparks is chairman and founder of The Sales Board, a Minneapolis-based sales training company that has trained and certified more than 200,000 salespeople in the system and skills of Action Selling. He has personally facilitated more than 300 Action Selling training sessions.

In a 30-year career as a salesperson and sales manager, Duane has sold products ranging from office equipment to insurance. He was the top salesperson at every company he ever worked for. He developed Action Selling Sales Training while owner of one of the largest computer marketers in the United States. Even in the roaring computer business of the 1980’s, his company grew six times faster than the industry norm, differentiating itself not by the products offered but by the way it sold them. Duane founded The Sales Board in 1990 to teach the skills of Action Selling to others.

Contact The Sales Board for more sales information or sales training that’s been documented and research-proven to help you sell more! 1-800-232-3485

Filed at 8:32 pm under Sales Tips + More
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Daryl Benn conducted a study on how advertisers use word choice and catch phrases to sell different, but identical in effectiveness, brands of aspirin. Consider the following: Brand A: proclaims 100 percent pure, claims nothing is stronger. Benn notes that governmental tests also showed no brand was weaker or less effective than any of the others. Brand B: advertises “unsurpassed in speed–no other brand works faster.” The same governmental tests showed “B” works no faster than any of the others. Brand C: declares it used an ingredient “that doctors recommend.” Governmental tests revealed that “special ingredient” is nothing more than regular aspirin.

The words we use can hurt others and cause tension and resentment. Words can even cause wars. Humans tend to create and use words that hurt or label. Hitler used labeling and name-calling during his rule in Germany. He called the Jews many negative things, including “vermin”, “sludge”, “garbage”, “lice”, “sewage”, and “insects.” Labels also extend far beyond the names people are given, into the way we describe things in a negative light, such as, “broken home,” “single-parent family,” or “blended family.” Whereas we think of theses terms as essentially neutral, the words can carry significant negative weight to those people to whom the terms apply.

As you design your persuasive message, you must consider the emotional impact of each word and phrase. When you want to create emotion, choose words that will trigger feelings. If you want to downplay the event or situation, use an unemotional word. Notice the following words generally have the same definition but carry different emotional weight, for example, calling someone “thrifty” versus “cheap,” “traditional” versus “old-fashioned,” “extroverted” versus “loud,” “careful” versus “cowardly,” and “eccentric” versus “strange.”

There are many words that are emotionally loaded and represent different values to different people. These words can get people to pay attention and alert them to know what significance the message has for them. It is hard to find a neutral word. Your word choice will paint different pictures for different people because the way we define words is based on our belief systems, our past experiences, and our social roles. The beliefs we hold about a word will dictate our actions and how we respond. For example, some cultures view death as a celebration of life; others view death as a tragedy.

Sometimes, if used improperly, positive words can still lead to a negative response. For this reason, persuaders will often avoid certain words, although generally positive, and instead use words that may still bear positive associations, but are more ambiguous. For example, in the world of politics we hear phrases like “freedom of choice,” “fiscal responsibility,” or “responsible taxation.” When politicians use such generalities, people of differing viewpoints can actually both be appeased. They will fill in the blanks and provide their own definitions.

Words can convey emotional color by how long or short they are. Generally, shorter words are more blunt, direct, harsh, or sharp. Consider words like “kick,” “hit,” “force,” “stop,” or “no.” Longer words, like “lonely,” “depressed,” or “painful” are drawn out to evoke colors of melancholy or suffering.

Advertisers know that changing just one word in their ad can dramatically increase the response rate. One advertiser changed the word “repair” to “fix” and saw a 20 percent increase in response.

There are other words advertisers employ, which are known as “weasel words”. These words confuse their audience and don’t allow you to put an exact number on the advertiser’s claim. They let you justify and believe what you want. They are called “weasel words” because weasels are notorious for breaking into the chicken coop and sucking out the inside of the eggs without breaking the shell. The eggs look fine but in reality are hollow and empty, just like these words. Watch out for these words:

* Helps
* May
* Possibly
* Improved
* Up to
* Almost
* About
* Approximately

Application Questions

Do the words you use trigger a positive or negative response in your prospects?

What weasel words to you use and do these words detract from your message?

What is the one word in your presentation that is taking away from your message?

Learning how to persuade and influence will make the difference between hoping for a better income and having a better income. It is the missing puzzle piece that will crack the code to dramatically increase your income, improve your relationships, and help you get what you want, when you want, and win friends for life. Ask yourself how much money and income you have lost because of your inability to persuade and influence. Think about it. Sure you’ve seen some success, but think of the times you couldn’t get it done. Has there ever been a time when you did not get your point across? Were you unable to convince someone to do something? Have you reached your full potential? Are you able to motivate yourself and others to achieve more and accomplish their goals? What about your relationships? Imagine being able to overcome objections before they happen, know what your prospect is thinking and feeling, feel more confident in your ability to persuade.

Go to http://www.prewealth.com/iq and take the free Persuasion IQ analysis to determine where you rank and what area of the sales cycle you need to improve in order to close every sale! Take your test now at http://www.prewealth.com/iq

Kurt Mortensen teaches over a hundred techniques to give you the ability to effectively work with every customer that walks in your door. Professional success, personal happiness, leadership potential, and income depend on the ability to persuade, influence, and motivate others. Kurt Mortensen’s trademark is Magnetic Persuasion; rather than convincing others, he teaches that you should attract them, just like a magnet attracts metal filings. He teaches that sales have changed and the consumer has become exponentially more skeptical and cynical within the last five years. Most persuaders are using only 2 or 3 persuasion techniques when there are actually 120 available! Learning how to persuade and influence will make the difference between hoping for a better income and having a better income. Go to http://www.prewealth.com/iq and take the free Persuasion IQ analy

Filed at 7:25 am under Sales Tips + More
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10 Ways To Shift Your Sales Into Overdrive by: William R. Nabaza of http://www.Nabaza.com

1. Publish testimonials for your free stuff. It would increase their value and if they’re viral marketing tools, you’ll have more people giving them away.

2. Give your visitors a good time so they will visit your web site again. Use a few jokes, humorous graphics and funny stories.

3. Make money from web sites that don’t have an affiliate program, by doing a joint venture. Set up the affiliate program through a third party for them.

4. Build rapport with your potential customers by teaching them something new. Provide them with free e-books, articles, tips, courses, etc.

5. Allow your visitors to collect things from your web site so they will stop back again and again. It could be a series of software, e-books or articles.

6. Keep each page of your web site consistent or similar. Use similar text fonts, colors, graphics and background on every page.

7. Build a popular directory of freebies. It will draw tons of traffic to your web site and you can request that submitters place your link on their web site.

8. Create traffic generators that people can add to their site without doing all the work. It can be an article directory, freebie directory, web tool, etc.

9. Challenge your visitors to buy your product or service. People love a good challenge. Tell them if they can find a flaw you’ll give them a refund.

10. Form a strategic alliance with other related but non-competing businesses. You’ll be able to beat your competition by selling to a larger audience. — William Nabaza of http://www.Nabaza.com specializes in domains, webhosting, webmaster’s tools, netpreneur’s articles and resources. Stands out as a freebie provider, business opportunity provider and the like. Visit his site at http://www.nabaza.com or contact him directly at william@nabaza.com

more free articles here: http://www.nabaza.com/resources.htm

Filed at 4:37 pm under Sales Tips + More
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What makes sales so difficult for some people and so much easier for others? Why do some companies thrive and others fail to catch on, even when they have a great concept? What is the secret to success in sales? Obviously, there are many answers to these questions, but I have discovered one that makes sales easier for almost everyone.

The answer is… (not yet)

John, the cable guy, was at my house to fix the converter box that had decided to erase all of the programs we had recorded and refused to record any more. Not believing it was the box’s perogative to make those decisions, I called for help. John was very sharp. His ability with people was far beyond what I had observed from his peers who had been here on other occasions. I had an interesting conversation with him as he swapped out the box.

As he was leaving John asked, “What do you do?” When I told him that I was a sales consultant and trainer he lit up. “I did cable sales for a while. Then we ran out of good leads and it got too tough. I made good money when we had good leads, but when we had to just do cold calling, it took too long to find an interested person.”

What he was saying is that selling is easy if you are selling to people who want to buy. What a concept! Better leads = more sales.

The answer is effective Prospecting!

At its most basic, sales could be reduced to these two steps:

1. Find a willing party with a need.

2. Show them a solution that fits their need.

The better the willing party’s need matches your solution, the higher the probability that a sale will be made. Even a relatively unskilled sales person can sell if the match is right. So, given that assumption, isn’t it worth some effort to provide your sales team with better leads?

Unfortunately, too many companies put 100% of the prospecting on the backs of their sales team. Since many of the effective techniques for prospecting are more clerical or marketing related, shouldn’t we reevaluate this approach? A $15/hour clerk can do mailings and free up a $50/hour sales person for real selling time.

Our local cable company is still advertising for sales people. Their turnover is awful. What would happen if they built a better lead generating system and kept their sales people in front of potential buyers? John might still be selling and bringing in new customers.

My recommendations:

A. If you are a company executive, build a prospecting system that generates good leads.

B. If you are a sales rep who has to fend for yourself, build a system and find someone cheap to manage it for you.

Good prospects = Good sales!

Stephen Waterhouse is Principal and Founder of Waterhouse Group (http://www.waterhousegroup.com), a sales training company that helps companies increase their sales and profits. He can be reached at 1-800-57-LEARN or steve@waterhousegroup.com

Filed at 10:54 am under Sales Tips + More
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There’s a saying about business that goes, “You’re too
close to your business and services to see them the same
way others do.”

You might assume your clients know more than they actually
do. You don’t want to assume they will remember things. You
live for your business. You live and breathe it within your
industry. Your prospects don’t. They have their own lives.
You know every detail about your products and services.
They don’t. You want to educate them instead of just
advertising your business through conventional means.

One of the great ways to do this is through a newsletter.
It takes time for them to learn about your products and
services. You may see them just once a year and although
you may do a great job educating them, they’re still not
going to remember you a year from now. Just because your
product and service is your life doesn’t mean it’s theirs.

If you don’t have an on going product or service program in
place, you should begin one immediately. This will keep
your company at the top of your client’s mind.

What kind of valuable information can you provide? Quite a
bit. Show them extra ways, tips and techniques to use your
products and services. If you constantly educate them over
and over again, then they’re going to feel more connected
with you.

Your goal should be to get all of your customers to explain
your products and services then you’d really be doing a
great job. Believe me, your bank account will reflect this.

Always Give Them Something. you can mention this in your
newsletter. You never want to leave a prospect or client
without giving them something. You don’t want to leave them
empty handed.

You don’t want them to walk out of your store or leave your
web site without taking something with them. You don’t want
to leave a customer or prospect’s house without’ leaving
them with something. You don’t want to leave a meeting with
a prospect without giving them something.

It can be something you sell, a small token, or create
something specifically for this reason. You can create a
special report. This might be an after service or after
purchase report that shows them how to get the most
benefits out of your product or service.

A certificate for a complimentary maintenance, tune-up,
telephone conversation or something to enhance the initial
purchase. a free gift such as a pen, paper weight, calendar
or discount coupons fqr another purchase.

You don’t want to use this just for prospects, but also for
customer clients. If they buy from you, they should receive
something from this list also or everything off the list.
Everybody likes to get a free gift. Everyone who does
business with you or inquires about business with you
should always receive something extra. If you constantly
follow this strategy and not leave them empty handed, you
will get a lot more business.

You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter on
your web site as long as the byline is included and the
article is included in it’s entirety. I also ask that you
activate any html links found in the article and in the
byline. Please send a courtesy link or email where you
publish to: support@multiplestreammktg.com

Copyright © 2005

Abe Cherian is the founder of Multiple Stream Media,
a leading performance-based Internet advertising
company dedicated in helping small businesses create
online presence, brand recognition and online automation.
Main company web site: http://www.multiplestreammktg.com

Filed at 5:27 pm under Sales Tips + More
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Through out our career and lives we regularly get an opportunity to meet new people and form new relationships. Did you know you have seven seconds to make a first impression? Apparently in those seven seconds people assess your age, income, marital status, education level and interests – in seven seconds! Regardless of whether people are right about their perception of you… we all subconsciously make assessments of people when we meet them. To ensure you make an outstanding impression every time… try some of these tips.

Appear confident. There’s an element of ‘fake it ’till you make it’ here. Smile when you first meet someone and look him or her in the eye. Even if you don’t feel it, your smile and eye contact will show the other person you are friendly and confident.

Be aware of your body language. Be aware of good posture; stand straight with your shoulders back. Don’t fidget with pens or your clothing – keep your hands by your side if you are someone who constantly fidgets. A smile, combined with good posture will boost your confidence.

Introduce yourself first. Rather than stand alone, be brave. Walk up to an individual, or a group, extend your hand and say, “Hi my name is Neen James, nice to meet you”. Everyone will respond positively to your confidence and appreciate you making the first move. It will be a trigger for others to do the same.

Shake hands. This is an important skill; if you don’t know how to shake hands properly, learn. Some women, particularly those who haven’t been required to do it in business, can lack confidence with their handshake. It’s important. Cultivate a firm handshake – not too hard, but just right. Look the person in the eye when you shake their hand and say their name out loud: “Hi Robyn, it’s nice to meet you”. If you are unsure about shaking hands with someone, always extend your hand first. It is rude to not shake the hand of someone who offers theirs to you.

Learn how to pronounce their name. When you encounter someone with a difficult to pronounce name, ask him or her to repeat it, spell it and say it again – and allow him or her to correct your pronunciation so you get it right. People will appreciate you taking the time to learn how to say their name properly.

Use a person’s name several times when you first meet. This will help you to remember their name, it’s a very personal way to communicate – and, people love the sound of their own name!

Learn conversational skills. The ability to make conversation is what scares so many people about new social interactions, here a few questions you can ask anyone you meet for the first time:

What do you do?

Where do you work?

Where do you live?

Does it take you long to get from home to the office?

What inspires you?

What do you like read?

What has been your most valuable business lesson?

Ask people what they like to do in their spare time. This is a great question and most people become energised when you ask them about their life outside of work. Watch their eyes sparkle as they tell you about the activities they most enjoy. Take the time to discover that people are far more interesting than their work.

If you meet someone with an accent, ask where he or she is from. Find out something interesting about their country by asking:

Where are you from?

How often do you go to visit?

What do you miss most about that place?

Who is someone famous from there?

What food is that country famous for?

If you are at an industry or charity event, ask how they heard about the event. It’s a great icebreaker and allows you both to share stories of how you came to be at the event and what you hope to achieve by attending.

Listen intently. Give the person you are speaking with your full attention. Use active listening techniques such as nodding, smiling and leaning towards them while they speak. Ask questions about the topics you are discussing. People will appreciate your attention. It is very rude to look beyond the person you are speaking with or to look around the room for someone more interesting.

Neen is a Global Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Neen helps people to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice, sense of fun and uncommon common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Find out more at http://neenjames.com/

Filed at 7:16 am under Sales Tips + More
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Think about it. If only it was as easy as “filling a funnel” and having sales fall through the other end. I can make 200 calls a day, but who are they to and what am I doing? Just pounding phone lines and telling the company story isn’t selling. Or better yet, when I get the check (the bottom of the funnel) what about implementation or customer service?

Now don’t me wrong, having a good prospecting plan is probably the hardest thing about maintaining your sales career. In today’s business climate, with shrinking budgets and more scrutiny over purchases, what you need is a system that relies less on the law of averages and more on helping the customer make the most of every contact you have with them. The key is to have a complete understanding the entire customer experience and “synchronize” to that buyer throughoutthey’re the boss when it comes to the “sales funnel” not you.

To truly understand the customer’s buying cycle and where they are along that cycle will result in a sales process that builds trust and respect, and allows you to become a trusted advisorthat’s the magic recipe for success.

As an example, put yourself in your buyer’s shoes. Or better yet, think about the last time YOU bought something. Remember the earliest stages of need definition? Remember how you progressed throughout the search and selection process? Did that experience end after you wrote the check? I’m sure it continued on into full integration of the product or service into your daily life. What I have done is break down buying behavior into 9 distinct phases outlined below starting from the beginning to the end and this allows you (as a great salesperson) to synchronize with their processes.

1. Plan – The buying organization outlines a plan for its business, such as its strategic plan, realignment of the organization, the acquisition of new capabilities, or define a new vision.

2. Recognize – The buying organization realizes they have a need (based on what happened in phase 1) and seeks to satisfy that need. They begin to take action towards buying (as opposed to making their own solution or product). They act accordingly by setting forth goals, objectives, targets, and budgets. They may appoint a team of people to evaluate potential vendors in this phase.

3. Search – The buying organization engages in activities to find a vendor, partner, or supplier. They begin reviewing capabilities of selling organization(s) to see which competitor can meet their needs and with whom they would like to have a relationship.

4. Assess – The buying organization requests proposals, conducts more in-depth meetings, requests more detailed information, has more “serious” dialogue, conducts an analysis of risk.

5. Choose – The buying organization has narrowed the choices down to one organization, begins “testing water” to gauge the organization’s ability to fulfill. Has decided that benefits outweigh risks, begins talking about implementation.

6. Obligate – The buying organization writes the check or signs the proposal. Key decision-makers have their reputation on the line, the budget is set aside, and the entire affected organization has begun moving in a new direction.

7. Implement – The buying organization is now a “customer or client” and begins implementing the selected solution. They re-align organizational resources as necessary. They put long-term plans together.

8. Track – The customer formally or informally begins documenting the selling organization’s ability to fulfill the solution.

9. Integrate – Once the purchase is complete and the product/service is implemented, the final step of the buying organization’s buying cycle is obtaining maximum use of the product/service in the buying organization. This is sometime referred to as return-on-investment (ROI) in pre- and post- sales processes, and return-on-assets (ROA) once the purchase is capitalized. The product or service must be fully integrated, leveraged, and justified. From a relationship perspective, the buying and selling organization begin to work with a more trust-based bond. The buying organization begins to include the selling organization in appropriate strategic discussions.

For every buying phase, there is a equal and opposite selling phase. Sounds simple and it is! Ask yourself what you (or your company does) to “line up the phases.” Undoubtedly it will fall into marketing, sales, and customer service. This helps you to sell the right way at the right time, in support of the buyer’s decision making process. When I realized that it wasn’t my job to push my sales funnel onto my prospects (and hope they fall out the bottom) I was able to make more sales by applying the close at the appropriate time (phase 6). It even helped me identify when my future customer was months away from a decision (because they were bogged down in phase 3).

Aside from a better understanding of my customers buying methods, the greatest advantage I’ve noticed since implementing this system is the reduction of the adversarial mindset towards sales people. As soon as my clients recognize that my process is designed to assist them in making the best decision for their business, even if that means helping them decide on a competitor’s product, I have created a new relationship that will eventually lead to more business for me. I can even pull this out and ask them what phase they’re in, and offer help to move them through each one.

Here are a few things you can do to implement a similar approach.

1. Give up the idea that all you need to do is make more calls. Keep making calls but create a system to support the madness and find out what “phase” your prospects are in. Focus on advancing them through each phase, or letting them sit while you focus on others.

2. Use or develop a system that addresses the buyer’s needs. The United Professional Sales Association system is my choice, but others exist as well.

3. Loose the sales pitch. Instead develop a series of questions that will help you what phase your customer is in and where they are in their process.

No system can guarantee success, but given today’s business climate, and the challenges of selling today, it’s about time you put a cork in the funnel and developed a better approach.

Brian is the Chairman and Founder of the the United Professional Sales Association (UPSA). UPSA is a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington DC that has addressed the concerns and challenges of individual sales professionals. Brian has authored the world’s first universal selling standards and open-source selling framework for free distribution. This ‘Compendium of Professional Selling’ containing the commonly accepted and universally functional knowledge that all sales professionals possess. The open-source selling standards have been downloaded in 16 countries by over 300 people. Over 30 people have made contributions.

Because UPSA is not owned by one person or any company, it is a member organization and guardian of the global standard of entry into the sales profession.

Find out about the membership organization and understand the processes and framework of professional selling at the UPSA Website at http://www.upsa-intl.org

Find out more about Brian at: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert_bio=Brian_Lambert

Or at http://www.brianlambert.biz

Filed at 5:18 am under Sales Tips + More
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Do you feel frustrated at the lack of response to your sales letters? Do you avoid devising mailers because they are a “waste of time and effort”? Writing sales letters is an art that everyone can learn. It is an essential skill for sellers, as the selling letter must do the job we ourselves would do if we were present with our customer. You would not drop a brochure on your customer’s desk and say nothing! And yet, that is what many sales letters effectively do. They TELL a lot, but SELL nothing.

Why do we talk of “junk mail” in derogatory terms? “Straight into the dustbin” is the usual comment. In fact, this belies the fact of how we handle direct mail. Research by the DMA-UK shows that 69% of business people read direct mail, and 81% of homeowners read theirs. Moreover, when you know how to harvest it, you can reap the benefit of this potentially huge readership.

Why does direct mail suffer from such bad press? Mainly because the letters tell us what they want to tell us, irrespective of what we might want to hear.

Let’s look at direct mail from the receiver’s point of view, show you exactly how direct mail is handled when received, and show you how to garner more attention for your offers, and better response rates if you are looking for an action from your reader. How is it read? Do we automatically throw direct mail shots in the bin? Actually, we don’t. Consider the last piece of direct mail you received. You looked at the envelope. Your name was spelt correctly- or you got a little irritated that it was incorrectly spelt. You opened the envelope.

Consciously or otherwise, you are likely to have scanned (in order): * The logo of the sender * The spelling of your name and address. Your job title. * The headline of the letter * The signature of the sender * The P.S. * The first sentence of the lead paragraph.

By now, over 95% of readers will have lost interest at some stage, and your letter is on its way to the dustbin.

Lets’ look at these elements and see how we lose them, and how you can better hold and focus your reader’s attention.

Company logo

Not much there to lose a reader you may think. However, if you have had a bad experience with the sending company the mere sight of their logo can be a major turn off. Personally, any letter from Hewlett Packard gets my immediate thumbs down, due to an horrendous experience with one of their printers a couple of years ago. Nobody at HP would take any responsibility for solving the problem. It took over seven months to get a refund on a printer that was faulty from day one. Good-bye and thank you!

Customer name & address. There is NOTHING that drives people nuts the way a misspelling of their name does.

As a sales coach and trainer I have learned this lesson the hard way. The slightest error on a name card, say, and out comes the pen to correct it. Kathleen with a “K” or a “C”. Stephen with a “ph” or a “v”. Anne, with or without an “e” on the end. Our given name is the thing that distinguishes us as individuals. We love it. We can’t resist the sound of it. A man named Tony will pay little attention to a shout of “Jack”, but call his name and he is genetically programmed to respond. He will search for the source of the sound. He will tell those around him to quieten.

When the sale letter starts “Dear customer” or “Dear fellow gardener” you know you are one of the lucky 50,000 people getting this letter today. I’m only a number, a category. Where’s that dustbin?

Personalise and go to whatever lengths it takes in order to spell your recipient’s name, title and address correctly.

Headline

This is one of the major milestones and is the death of many mailers.

Suppose you pay an electricity / gas bill each month. You have received a letter from the utility company and the headline reads: “Are electricity prices causing you panic attacks? Reduce your bill by 25% per month”. Into the dustbin? I don’t think so, because the headline grabs you! Cost is a concern of every electricity bill payer. “Special FREE offer to previous Dell computer owners”. You are a Dell user. Dustbin? Naaaah! Let’s see what they are offering. Yes, we know it’s a sales letter, but let’s check anyway.

Your headline must spell out the biggest Promise, Value, Benefit, Guarantee, or Merit that the reader will receive in return for reading the letter and taking some action. And the headline must have impact! It must appeal to THIS reader. (See “Magic words” below for content ideas). Even better if your headline incorporates the Problem, the Solution, and the Target Audience in the headline. People are focussed on problems! Define the target’s key problem and offer a solution combined for big impact. “Do you find it difficult to find maternity clothes that really fit? Here is your answer” Problem, solution, target audience. Your target readers will want to know what it is about.

Notes for Email: Headlines Think about this. You open your Outlook Express in the morning and maybe a hundred emails are downloaded. How do you decide which ninety five emails to zap? Simple. You base it on the content of each Subject Line!

Therefore, if you wish to have your selling email opened by others, the Subject Line becomes the most important part of the whole email! Getting your email opened by the recipient may be your toughest task. Pay as much attention to your email subject line as you would to the construction an advertisement headline (and you usually pay a pro to do that for you)….See notes above on headlines.

Signature of Sender

Again, apparently not that important. But how convinced are you by the guy who signs the Reader’s Digest letters- “Tom Champagne”. You think this is a real man? You innocent old thing. Our company sends out approximately 1200 pieces of direct mail once every six weeks and I insist that each one is personally signed with my name. (I do my share, but our staff members do the bulk of the signing). Each $1000 we invest in direct mail returns approximately $13000 in revenue. Real people signing in real ink is, I believe, an important element in the success of this initiative.

And we hand write the salutation. Another little touch which tells our readers they really exist for us. Troublesome, yes, but look at the financial return.

The P.S. Along with the headline, if people read nothing else they will generally read the PS! The PS is an essential part of sales letters and every letter should have one. (The equivalent in an email is the “signature”…..a subtle sales message with a call to action which should be contained automatically in email that leaves your office).

Your P.S. should contain the biggest Promise, Value, Benefit, Guarantee, or Merit that the reader will receive in return for reading the letter and taking some action. – and it must have value for them..

Lead Paragraph / sentence. By now if you still have your reader, you need to firmly hook them to read the remainder of your letter. How? By ensuring that your lead para/ sentence contains the biggest Promise, Value, Benefit, Guarantee, or Merit that the reader will receive in return for reading the letter and taking some action-the MWR- your Most Wanted Response. If you can persuade your reader to get as far as this, they are likely highly interested and will read the complete letter.

Body of the Sales letter Notice that EVERYTHING so far is focussed on your reader? Nothing at all about yourself yet. Excellent! Until your readers are hooked in something of high value to themselves, you and your service are unimportant. Didn’t you learn that in Selling Basics? I know, it just slipped your mind for a moment.

The body of your letter is where you give your reader the essential facts and information. It can be relatively straightforward, as your reader now wants this information. Remember to use short paragraphs, sub headings, and bullet points to highlight certain aspects for them. Words and language are the tools of your trade so each word, phrase, and sentence must be examined for its “word picture” impact on your reader. Too many so- called sales letters are informative, but can be negative in persuading us to give the MWR. Litmus Test: If I suggested that something was “cheap” what would you automatically associate with the item? See what I mean. Words such as “shoddy”, “inferior”, “poor quality” probably popped into your mind. Yet recently, I received a mailer with the headline: “We make the CHEAPEST shock absorbers in town!” Dustbin! Every word in your letter, mailer, or web page must be crafted to do a job for you. Understanding that every word generates a meaning or a picture in your reader’s mind, each word must be tested for relevance. You don’t really want me to believe that you make shoddy shock absorbers, do you?

Long copy works If you have hooked your reader and they want information, there is no need to confine your letter to being a one pager. Long copy works. If possible though, arrange to break your sentences in midstream at the page turnover stage, with a “(cot’d next page”) indicator….. preferably on a juicy point you are making.

The 12 most persuasive words in the English language A study conducted at UCLA (1988) shows the following to be the most persuasive words in the English language: You, Free, Discover, Proven, Save, Health, Safe, Love, Value, Extra, New, Announcing. And if these are the most persuasive words in our language, what are the implications for you when writing sales letters designed to garner an MWR? In your headlines, P.S.’s, lead paragraphs, and body copy use these “magic words” to generate positive images and associations in your reader’s minds and you will greatly increase your chances of getting your MWR.

So much expense is wasted on fancy four colour glossy brochures that fail the most important test. They fail to get the MWR. Words sell! If oyou owuld really like ot understand this, here is the biggest favour I’ll do for you. Download this book and learn to to do the business! “Make Your Words Sell!” is incontestably the best book on the topic of writing for the web/ email/ direct salesletters,. Highly recommended if you want to write sparkling targeted copy. Check it out here: http://myws.sitesell.com/GEC.html

And you must ask for action in every letter. “Act now”, “For a limited time only”, “Respond today”. Make it easy for them to get back to you.

Golden rules of Direct Response: 40 % of response comes from the value and desirability of your offer. 40 % of your response comes from making your offer to the right target audience. 20% comes from the creative “packaging ” of your offer.

Resources: If you really wish to write copy that sells, “Make Your Words Sell”…… http://myws.sitesell.com/GEC.html ……is the Bible. Particularly strong on understanding your customer’s mindset and how to appeal to it. And great information on making your words do their selling job. Check this out, even if you do not wish to purchase. This book includes two extra books – “How to write anE-book”, and “The 333 most persuasive words in English” (categorised) http://myws.sitesell.com/GEC.html And for Those Selling a Service… or Could Be! It’s *THE* Most Overlooked Opportunity on the Net. Build an ever-growing client base until you can say… “I’m sorry… I’m not taking new clients.” A Theme-Based Content Site is perfect because every personal service revolves around a theme. DL this 306 page Free book to your desktop. (PDF file zipped) It seriously over -delivers, and will focus your thinking about your personal service business big time. http://service-selling.sitesell.com/GEC.html Copywriting: Jennifer Stewart is a master of the English language. If you’d like learn how to give your business writing/ letters, / web pages/ direct mailers a selling makeover, her site is well worth the click!

You can reach her here: http://www.write101.com/cgi-bin/affiliates/clickthru.cgi?id=maiti u

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You can always tell a good salesperson, they are always on the look-out for opportunities to do exactly that. Every chance they get they’ll promote whatever it is they offer. They are driven through their need to either make money, they’re passionate about the goods and services they offer or both.

And for those of you who turn your nose up at people who ’sell’ for a living, forget it! Everyone has to sell something. You wouldn’t have a job if your company had nothing to offer. Every business has to sell something. Selling creates business. Sales creates economies. Imagine what would happen if your local supermarket had no stock to sell. They would go out of business and so would many other businesses who sell their products to the supermarket. Heaps of people would be unemployed as there would be no reason for them to be at work. If you work in an education institution, what would happen if you didn’t have courses to sell? There would be no need to employ anyone as you wouldn’t make any money to run the organisation.

There is more to selling, than telling

According to Michael Gross, parenting expert and well-known speaker, when you know who you are dealing with, you can dramatically increase the number of sales you make. Birth order knowledge gives you vital clues to the approach you use and helps you increase your sales performance.

First borns

If you are selling to first borns make your approach direct and to the point in line with their direct, no-nonsense personalities. They like meat and potato type information to help them make a decision and they don’t respond so readily to the gloss and glitter of coloured brochures and other bells and whistles that can be used in the selling process. When selling to first borns tell them what your service or product will do for them rather than focus on features or fads.

Closing a sale to first borns is also tricky. First borns like to be in control so it is a mistake to back them into a corner. The “Now that you can see the benefits I shall just show you where to sign” approach won’t work with many first borns. They are cautious and often like to take their time and consider their options. An attempt at a quick close can cause them to back off completely. First borns need to think that they are doing the buying rather than they are being sold to but that doesn’t mean that you don’t follow up with first borns. You may need to be very persistent with this group, as they like to take their time when they buy.

Second and middle borns

Second and middle borns value relationships so an alert salesperson will work at finding out about their clients’ friends, family and interests. Unlike those direct first borns seconds like to be asked questions so don’t be shy when selling to a second or middle child. These people generally like sales calls outside of the work environment so they respond well to social calls and promotional activities. Seconds don’t mind being sold to so Leman suggests that anyone selling to them shouldn’t be afraid to close the sale, but give them the chance to check with others first.

Youngests

They like to play so selling to them should be a fun experience. They also like to take risks so they are more likely to try new trends than first borns. Youngests respond well to glossy brochures, graphs and PowerPoint presentations containing all the bells and whistles that first borns tend to shun. Their impetuosity makes them more susceptible to signing on the dotted line without delay so don’t be afraid to move quickly to close a sale if they provide an opening.

The Final Word

Isn’t that interesting? There’s always more to learn when it comes to selling. Let’s face it, life is all about relationships in some way isn’t it? What do you do to learn how to enhance your communication skills with others? It’s definitely worthwhile reading books like Michael’s so that not only do you learn how to communicate effectively, but most importantly you learn about yourself and what makes you tick.

For a complete guide to birth order personalities to use within your family and at work make sure you read the ground-breaking new book that everyone is talking about “Why First Borns Rule the World and Last Borns want to change it by Michael Grose. Order from www.parentingideas.com.au for only $27AUD.

Have a great week!

About The Author

Lorraine Pirihi is Australia’s Personal Productivity Specialist, Leading Life Coach and a dynamic presenter. She runs her own business The Office Organiser specialising in working with Small Business Owners and Managers helping them to dramatically improve their productivity, reduce the stress and the mess and have more time for living life!

With a Bachelor of Experience, a PHD in Commonsense and a Masters in Results, Lorraine is Australia’s expert on how to get organized at work so you can have a life too!

Book Lorraine today for your next event. It will be the best investment of your time and money you ever make!

Tel: (+613)9532 5497, lorraine@office-organiser.com.au

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