Engaging Prospects: Two Vital Elements to Dropping Resistance!

Two very vital keys that will make a diffrence in how you approach customers and others in your life to create a positive interaction to get positive outcomes. When you can engage others you are more than half way to influencing them!

Keywords:

sales;selling;prospecting;cold call;engaging;rejection;phone call;getting in;

Article Body:

You pick up the phone, the decision maker is on the line, countless letters and attempts have been made to get to this point, your great benefit line comes out, response; “not interested, click”.

Want to be able to “engage” customers with out creating resistance? Here are 2 vital elements everyone needs to be influential and persuasive.

Now it does not matter if we are using the phone, walking in cold or in a retail setting. We need to avoid adding any additional resistance in the other persons mind. There is this avoidance of “sales people” in 80% of our population including other sales people. This is mainly because of product pushing, “I don’t want to be sold something”.

Here is the key; do I understand what the other person really wants? Do I have an idea of how to talk in their “language”? Can I ask a question that will drop resistance and engage them in conversation?

It has been proven time and time again that shoving your product in front of someone will create resistance to you and your product. Review the first and second key from the last article (4 Keys to Selling), your customer buys the “results” of your product/service/idea because it fixes, fills or satisfies their perceived needs or wants. This means your product/service/idea is just a means to and end, not the main issue.

1. Our first action is to take the time and determine just what is it that our product/service/idea does for the other person. Determine what the real results are from using your product/service/idea. Here are some examples.

A business owner might be looking for more time, better productivity, reducing hassle in some area, freeing up capital for something else.

A young mother with 3 toddlers might be looking for best value, more time, better direction, safety, even just a listening ear.

A plant manager might be looking for ways to get better compliance, reduce down time and get his numbers up, keeping his boss off his back.

Think of your past and current customers, what is it your product/service/idea did for them? What did it reduce, take away, eliminate or create? Also keep in mind that people have a tendency to avoid loss more than obtain gain. This means if you can provide a better “today”, it generally has more power than a better “tomorrow”.

In a recent training program we worked with a real conflict situation a participant was involved with. We ended up with over 50 “what’s in it for the other party” points that could be used to engage the other party in a positive way! It took 5 minutes!


2. Second you want to “engage” your prospect or customer in a positive way. The best way is to develop questions that can “engage” rather than repel.

Before we start, we have to understand what results your product can potentially provide for your customer. Here are some examples.

Office equipment: Reduce work load, eliminate paper, eliminate errors, streamline process, reduce labor expense, free up time, create in-house opportunities, and eliminate daily frustrations.

Real Estate Agent: Eliminate wasted time, reduce the stress of selling/buying, assure legalities are covered, target the market, professional image, experienced input, negotiations services, and eliminate the hassles.

Now there are many more and I suggest you create at least 20 for your product. Here is a hint, list the facts about your product, then all the benefits related to that fact and then ask, “What are the results to my customer/other party because of these benefits”.

Let’s now apply these to questions that “engage” our customers. We want to use “open” type questions that get people talking. If we don not have them talking we have only partial engagement. Open questions use what, why, how in their structure.
“Mr. Jones, what effect would a reduced work load have on your staff?”
“If you could eliminate both paper and errors in your current procedures, what would happen for you?”
“Just suppose the frustrations you face on a daily basis were gone, how would it change things for you?”

Now put yourself in the customer’s shoes, how would you react to the previous questions versus this?
“We sell copiers and office machines of the highest quality with excellent service, when could we meet to determine your needs?”

How many words are in this question that create resistance or could be rejected by the customer? Compare that to the three questions above, which ones “engage” and which question repels.

Now if your customer is a “D-I”* type you usually can ask for appointments or get quickly to the point. If you have an “S-C”* type they may want more info which you can give in the form of a quick example of another application you have done, not a litany of your products facts and benefits.

This has proven to be a much more viable way to engage customers and people in general than talking about your “stuff”. People are concerned about their issues and problems, not your product or you. Engage them by asking about what a “result” might do to their concerns and issues. You will find them much more open and willing to talk.

One of our participants in the Internet Technologies asked only one of these type questions and 20 minutes later closed on a million dollar deal! Just one question! The customer did all the talking and sold themselves. The power of engagement!

For more on building these skills and thinking patterns, check out the Influence and Persuasion Program and Reverse Engineered Sales at our web site www.hgoergerassoc.com
* DISC Behavior Patterns, ask us about how this can help you sell, manage and engage people.

Questions or comments:
Contact Harlan at Harlan@itstartswithyou.net cell phone 701-799-1972.

Getting Your Prospects' Attention: Create A Character

When you are marketing and selling a product or service, it's key that you understand who you are talking to.

Keywords:

target audience, clients, marketing, marketing plan

Article Body:

When you are marketing and selling a product or service, it's key that you understand who you are talking to.

Who is your ideal customer?

Who has a problem that you, your product or service can solve?

Who would be most interested in your product or service?

Who is most likely to buy your product or service?

Once you identify who the best customer or ideal client is for your product or service, write a description of that person.

How old are they?

Are they male or female?

Where do they live?

What kind of work do they do?

What do they do for fun?

What is the problem your product or service can help them solve?

Are they affluent or is money tight?

You may not have all the answers to these questions, but do the best you can to write a detailed description.

Once you have completed the description, take it one step further: Create a character.

What exactly do I mean by that?

Picture in your mind, a single person who embodies all of these characteristics. Once you have a picture in your mind, begin to think about who this person is.

Here's an example

Let's say you are a wellness coach or fitness professional and your ideal client is a middle-aged, overweight woman who does not currently take very good care of herself, but wishes to drop a few pounds and get healthier.

First, here's a description

She is a woman between the ages of 35 and 50 years old; she's married with school-aged children; she works full- or part-time; leads a stressful, busy life trying to manage her family and work responsibilities; doesn't take very good care of herself because she's always caring for others; is 20-30 pounds overweight as a result; and doesn't eat very healthfully.

Now, here's how we create a character

First, we give her a name: Mary Smith

Then we imagine how her typical day goes, as follows:

Mary gets up at 6:00am and fixes breakfast for her two elementary school-aged children. She helps them get dressed and ready for school. She makes their lunches. She kisses her husband goodbye as he leaves for work, and proceeds to get ready for work herself.

Mary loads the kids in the car, drops them off at school, and heads to work. She works in a busy office, and rarely takes time off for lunch. Because she usually doesn't make time to pack her own lunch, she often runs out for fast food or another quick take-out lunch, and returns to the office to eat at her desk while she works.

At about 3:00pm, Mary needs a pick-me-up so she grabs a soda and a sugary snack from the vending machine.

Mary leaves the office at 5:30 and heads to the babysitter to pick up the kids. They arrive home between 6:30 and 7:00pm, tired and hungry.

Dinner is often fast food, frozen pizza or another quick meal, usually lacking in solid nutrition.

After dinner Mary helps the kids with their homework, gives them a bath and puts them to bed.

She sits down to relax in front of the TV with her husband around 9:00pm and has some ice cream f:00am to start this routine all over again.

Now, let me ask you a question

Do you feel like you know and understand your prospective client better based on the general description (age, family status, etc.) or based on the detailed 'character' description about Mary Smith and her typical day?

Which description would best enable you to create effective marketing messages?

Which description would enable you to select places to put your marketing messages to reach this ideal client?

If you're like most people, your answer is the detailed character description because it turns a generalized description of your ideal client into a person you can understand. A person who has very clear challenges and issues you can help solve.

Yes, you will be making some assumptions and generalities when you do this. That's okay. Just consider you are creating a character that represents the type of client you would like to reach with your marketing. This character is merely a representation.

Combine the character description with a photo

To further identify with your ideal client, you may even want to post this character description along with a photo cut-out from a magazine to represent him/her, as a reminder of who you are marketing to.

Creating a character brings your target audience to life

It allows you to market and speak to people. It enables you to create messages that touch those ideal clients and truly address the challenges they face in their daily lives. It allows you to see how you, your product or service fits into their lives as a solution to those problems.

It enables you to market more effectively

I challenge you to look at your target audience description and take it one step further and create a character. Then make sure all of your marketing is designed to speak to that person in language that resonates with them and helps them see you understand their issues or needs.

Try it. I think you'll find that your marketing becomes much more powerful and effective as a result.

(C) Copyright 2005 Debbie LaChusa

Electronic Cards: A Winning Business Solution for Keeping the Attention of Prospects and Costumers

E-cards, being a very good example of tradition and innovation fusion, are today’s Marketing Professionals’ lucky charm in attracting new clients and retaining the old ones.

Keywords:

Electronic card, business solution, clients, marketing

Article Body:

Embracing the same age-old adage of keeping people together, greeting cards have become invincible in the business and communication industries.

If cards are yielding power in keeping distant friendships and relationships stronger and longer, why not apply the same principle to our clients and business partners?

That is exactly what many successful businesses are doing. They make use of anything that is proven effective, and then try to apply it to another area.

E-cards, being a very good example of tradition and innovation fusion, are today’s Marketing Professionals’ lucky charm in attracting new clients and retaining the old ones. They use electronic cards to boost sales by sending them to clients: old and new, as a substitute for newsletters.

Since the web is chalk full of free e-card websites, this strategy is unarguably less-costly than any other marketing means. And since these cards are grouped according to occasions, we can bet there is an appropriate card for every single event. For instance, we can come up with a send-to-all card for important occasions such as Christmas, Summer vacations or Thanksgiving. Or we can personalize it by sending Anniversary or Congratulations cards to companies. We can even send “thinking of you” cards to old clients.

Being remembered and valued is on top of everyone’s list. Few other happy feelings can replace the euphoria of being remembered and valued. And this is made even more special because e-cards often come with pictures, music and poetry lines. No person would say no to something that is sure to add a smile to his day.

Think wisely. Do business passionately. Do it with e-cards.

Discover What Prospects Consider Most Important In Deciding On A Company

Who gave the presentation? Is that a surprise? It’s about YOU. People join people, they don’t join companies. So the most important item to prospects by a landslide is "who gave the presentation?" Again, that's from a prospect standpoint. Maybe to us it’s more important to know the company name, how long it’s been in business, who’s the founder, and so forth. The prospect wants to know exactly who gave the presentation. This is a people business, when you care about people, they relate to that.

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Article Body:

Up-line support: Back to YOU again, the 2nd most important factor, again won by a landslide. Prospects need to know if YOU will be of any help to them, and will the up-line be any help? So number one is, people join people ... but #2 is pretty much the same. They want to know if they can do it, and their definitely not going to join somebody they don’t like, because then they have to work with them.

Training Provided. Look at this! They aren't even wondering about money yet, we haven’t talked about a company, were still talking about YOU. #3 is about you again. Do you have a conference call we can plug into? Do you have some systems in place to help us be successful? Do you have training? Does the company do training? Are you a good sponsor? Will you help me? A LOT of people aren't sure they can do this. Maybe it's their first exposure to network marketing. But if they know they'll be trained by someone who's good, it raises their belief level. One thing I do with my people, when I work with someone or when I sponsor someone I tell them please, please, listen to this specific tape. Or read this book. And I tell them please do not talk to anybody. I don’t want you to go try to sell your friends & family. Let me work with you, help you get educated on this business. We'll work together to get you successful. So it’s critical that you help that person and give them the training they need. I know some new people get just the opposite. You join and the first thing you hear is, "OK. Let’s go hammer the phones. Make your list today. We'll start calling tomorrow at 5:00PM when you get off work.” I’m saying, "Back up! Don't burn that bridge." If I just joined your business and had no idea what I was talking about, I'd probably say the wrong thing. I'd be excited and leave things out. You’re excited that you joined, but let’s say the right thing, not burn that warm market.

Marketing Plan and Potential Earnings: So were almost halfway through the list. And NOW the prospect is finally wondering, "Can I make some money?" Its not really about can they make some money. Its more, can YOU train me? Can YOU help me make money? And how much money isn't the issue. It’s just, "Can I do this and make some money?" So 1, 2, & 3 were about you. Then we finally get to money. They want to know a little about the compensation plan. Don’t go into great detail, because they probably won't understand much of it, anyway.

Product Line: We finally get to products. Are you paying close attention? Because if you've got a prospect, and you try to tell them the secret ingredients, how the product works or how your long distance service switches work, how deep the cables are buried or whatever your product or service is ...... then you're going at this bass ackwards! People don't care about that stuff. They just want to know, what’s the product? Can I use it? Don't waste time teaching them how many grams of sodium it has. Keep it simple. Let’s recap; first, they need to like the person who did the presentation. So you need to learn a bit about them and identify with them. Next, they want to make sure they can do it. They want to believe. Third, they want to make sure you and the people you work with can train them. Then comes money. Then comes product line. Is that how you had the first 5 on YOUR list? Do you follow this order of importance when you talk to people? What should you remember: People join people, they don't join companies.

Being first in the area: Have you noticed we haven’t even talked about the company yet, but were being first in the area? People don't want to blaze a trail, but the they do want to see there's a large potential to have some growth there.

Company Literature shown. There are a LOT of net workers who focus on the literature. But this isn't a reading business. It's a relationship business. If you don't believe that, take a look at the top 3 on this list again. If you're relying on a sales brochure to sell someone or an audiotape or a videotape, you'd better think again. It’s back to you. If I have a real nice 3D presentation, holograms, smoke and lights, that's great. But if I don't connect with people on a personal level, nothing else matters.

Company Image: Maybe you show a video featuring a 20,000 square foot office & warehouse, on three acres in an exclusive suburb, all the bells & whistles. Big whoop, that’s #8 on their list, barely on the radar. Why bother? They just need to know the company is there, it’s legitimate, not hiding behind some post office box or working out of a storage unit, and will send them a check. That’s basically all they care about at this point. So were almost to the end of what's important to prospects. But I’ve been to a lot of presentations, and "Company Image" tends to be the FIRST thing shown & mentioned. "Hi. My company name is Blah-Blah. They're great. I'm now going to waste 20 minutes of your valuable time & tell you all about them. "A lot of presentations that are done bass-ackwards, from a prospects angle ... which is the ONLY angle that matters.

Is The Sales Kit provided? Now the prospect wants to know that you do have a good video, you do have good literature, and you’ve got tools and services they can use to build their business. So YOU are still the most important thing and the sales kit is almost the least important thing! But how many presentations have you seen where first they talk about the company, and then they show the sales kit? Prospects don’t care. They need to know if you can help them, if the up line can help them. Can they make some money? Can you help them be successful? Which brings us to our final item ...

Company Management experience: LEAST important to the prospect is that the president is a family man, and he's got four or five families to prove it. It does not matter to the prospect. So this whole process is way simpler than most people think: 1. Make sure they like you. 2. Make sure they believe they can do it. If you don't do those two, nothing else matter's, Think about all this for a second, you’re talking to a prospect. You start off with the company management experience, which is the least important thing to them. Now your prospect is leaning back, eyes are glazed over; zoned-out, nodding off. They've heard it all before, and they just don't care. But what if you start with the most important thing first- YOU! Tell them a story about your experience in the business (or your up line’s experience, if you're new). Tell them how you work with people, and exactly what you'll do to help them be successful. THAT is what prospects want.

Here's A Quick Way To Prospects In Less Than Online Marketing

Here's A Quick Way To Prospects In Less Than Online Marketing - Guaranteed! Quickly and Easily!

Keywords:

Prospects Online Marketing

Article Body:

Do you ever feel like you know just enough about Prospects Online Marketing to be dangerous? Let's see if we can fill in some of the gaps with the latest info from Prospects Online Marketing experts.

1. Tell your prospects that you offer free delivery. This may cost a little money, but, you will gain the extra customers to make up for it.

2. Tell your prospects that you offer a lower price. If you can't afford to offer a lower price you could always hold the occasional discount sale.

3. Tell your prospects that your product achieves results faster. People are becoming more and more impatient and want results fast.

4. Tell your prospects you've been in business for a longer period of time. People think if you've been in business longer you have more credibility.

5. Tell your prospects that your product tastes, smells sounds, looks, or feels better. When you target the senses you're triggering human appeal. The information about Prospects Online Marketing presented here will do one of two things: either it will reinforce what you know about Prospects Online Marketing or it will teach you something new. Both are good outcomes.
Truthfully, the only difference between you and Prospects experts is time. If you'll invest a little more time in reading, you'll be that much nearer to expert status when it comes to Prospects.

6. Tell your prospects your product is compact or light. People may want to take the product on a trip or don't have much room where they live.

7. Tell your prospects that your product lasts longer. People don't like to spend more money purchasing replacement products all the time.

8. Tell your prospects that your product is easy to use. People don't want to buy a product that they have to read a 100 page instruction manual.

9. Tell your prospects that your product has better safety features. People want to feel safe when they use your products.

10. Tell your prospects that you stand behind all your products. People want to know that you back- up any claims you make about your product.

There's a lot to understand about Prospects Online Marketing. We were able to provide you with some of the facts above, but there is still plenty more to write about in subsequent articles. http://www.internet-marketing-ez.com/