Mastering the Sales Cycle

If you are in sales you have a decision to make; should I stay in sales and make it my career, or should I leave sales and get another job?If you have decided to stay, will you be just another average agent making an average (or below average) income, or will you strive to excel at your craft?I believe that if we will pay the price to rise from being just average to above average and look to take this career to another level, then the key is mastering the sales cycle. one you understand how this cycle works you can plan a road trip to success.Mike Kaplan, author of "Secrets of a Master Closer" had this to say about understanding the sales cycle;"Before someone will own a product, he must first buy it. Before he will buy it, he has to want it. Before he will want it, he has to be aware of how it will solve his problems. To do that, the prospect has to have his attention directed to the features and benefits of the product that will solve his problem, and he won't let that happen unless he first wants his problem solved - and that won't happen until his problem is found."I would suggest to anyone serious about selling as a career to learn this paragraph well. It sums up the sales cycle. And when we strive to take detours or go in other directions our sales seem to struggle.


Before you can get to your presentation and discuss features and benefits of our products you have to establish that your prospect wants to go there. I know I have been guilty of meeting people, going right into a presentation and then wondering why it was so hard to close. Here is what I found out;1) If you don't uncover a problem in your prospect's life, your products won't be viewed as a solution.2) You must play up the problem in your prospect's life so it is foremost in your conversation. " So you said Mr. Prospect that if something unexpected happened to you, your family would need all the financial assistance they could get. Isn't that right?"3) You must directly tie the features and benefits of your product to their problem. Forget how great your product is; focus on how it solves their problem and you will have an easier time closing the sale.Learn the cycle. Master it. Then go out and make a ton of money!

21 Mistakes Inexperienced Exhibit Booth Staff Make That Professionals Don't

Successful booth exhibits are full of personality and humming with energy to help sell products and services. As obvious as some of the listed items below may seem, too often exhibit booth staff are seen making common mistakes year after year. It certainly shows who is prepared and experienced, and who isn't.A reputable model and talent agency emphasizes basic fundamentals to models and booth staff employees who would like to challenge themselves and earn a place in the modeling business by demonstrating products, generating leads, making presentations, gathering crowds, and supplementing sales efforts of the company they represent at trade shows and events.Make sure you arrive at least 30 minutes early and never arrive late.
Never cancel a booking once accepted. Once you have taken the job, never make excuses for missing an engagement.
Plan for traffic and parking issues at the convention center; there is always traffic congestion and parking issues at the convention centers nationwide.
Bring cash for parking.
Wear comfortable shoes to walk in from your car to the convention hall, and then put your heels on (if you are wearing heels) so your feet aren't tired when you get to the booth.
Allow extra time to get your exhibitor's identification badge. There are always lines getting the badges and this can delay you.
Have your contact person's cell phone number at hand in case you can't get your badge. With today's security concerns, often models have difficulty getting their badges and must contact the client.



Always show up ready with a smile on your face along with an upbeat personality. Appear with your clothes pressed and looking professional.
Be prompt, polite, and engaging every day! For the most part, you are performing to a passing parade.
Always look freshly groomed; makeup/lipstick attractively applied, and hair trimmed and combed or brushed tastefully.
Always confirm with client on how long you have for lunch and breaks. Never leave the booth without letting the client know.
Remain engaged with the attendees. Don't stand around and talk with friends or other employees in your booth at the convention.
Never wear revealing apparel or wardrobe too tightly.
Never expose tattoos or body piercings other than one single ear piercing.
Never drink, eat, chew gum, or remove your shoes while in the booth.
Never talk or text on your cell phone in the booth. Use your cell phone on your break.
Never drink alcoholic beverages onsite or during contracted work hours.
Never give your phone or contact information out to the client or to others.
Always refer business back to the agency who booked you.
Be prepared. Ask the client as much in advance as possible about the product you are representing and learn as much as you need to so that you can talk intelligently with customers entering the booth.
Learn names of key people that you will refer visitors to that can close the sale.

C-Level Selling: What's in Your Solution Portfolio?

You sell products, services or both. But buyers don't want things or services. What they really want are solutions to problems (stating it negatively) or desired results (stating it positively.) These solutions and desired results can sound abstract or intuitive when initially talking, but they are very poignant and constantly sought after.Your Solution PortfolioYour solution portfolio is the array of benefits you offer - not features or services. You can't show pictures of them. It's hard to guarantee them, but it's what people want. And to make it more difficult, different people want different benefits even in the same company and/or department.Let's say you sell software. Well, what does this software offer - speed of record keeping, information for decision making, algorithms to calculate and predict events, etc. No! This is not your offering. Your offering is more sales, better quality, more profits, more market share, motivated workers, more throughput, etc. - desired results. Notice I didn't say cost savings, less downtime, fewer mistakes, etc. That's because these are negatives. C-level executives don't warm to negatives.Get rid of the term Value Proposition. It's dated, overused and limiting. Yet, sales people and marketers love to charge with it - like it's some kind of net that can capture anyone's and everyone's attention.You provide a portfolio of value propositions, but the only value that's of interest to a C-Level or a manager or an operator is what each individual values.Now if you're calling on lower levels - managers, supervisors, operator/users then these people don't really warm to the business offerings. They are focused on doing their jobs and are looking for solutions to help them. But even then, speed of record keeping and information for decision making is not what they buy. They buy what those two features do for them - quicker responses to the boss, better decisions and forecasts,... , happier bosses, recognition, excited workers, etc.


And here's the catch. If these managers have to seek capital authorizations, budget approval or purchase order sign-off to buy, then you the seller and these managers have to focus on the business aspects of your solution portfolio for the C-levels and Profit-Center Leaders.So your offering is not what your stuff is, or features it has, or what it does. It is what your stuff does for someone - personally. What benefits does it offer this person?This difference may sound trivial, yet it is profound. A light bulb provides light and light allows someone to function in the dark, get where s/he wants to go uninjured, or read for entertainment or education, or see the people s/he's with. So, one is not selling a light bulb or even light, but rather one or all of those benefits light can offer that someoneMake It PersonalNow that someone is a very important factor. Everyone has his or her own desires or problems. The best approach to capture interest and engage anyone is to discuss the specific wants of the individual. And the only way to do that is to have each person tell you (speak the words) what that desire or problem is. The biggest mistake is to assume everyone in the same company or realm thinks alike. The group may have common goals, but each has his priority and spin. Ignore this and you will appeal to some and bore others.So to prepare for anyone and everyone, write all the solutions and results your products and service provide, categorized to the job responsibilities that you'll encounter, from C-levels to receptionists. Keep it on you for all sales calls. Vinyl coat it and review it before each sales call. Then when you're with a buyer, lead with a question to see if the person is interested in attaining one of the benefits that just so happens to be in your portfolio. If not, select another until you hit one. Then, let the discussion begin.And now I invite you to learn more.

Marketing Procrastination Is Sales Avoidance in Disguise

Are you still working on your website? Or marketing copy? Or designing a new service offering? Or deciding on what to charge?Whatever it is you are still working on in your marketing, do you understand the real reason it's not done?I can only tell you because I am guilty of it as well. As the saying goes, "if you can spot it, you've got it."Marketing procrastination is sales avoidance in disguise.Maybe it is a skillset issue. If you've never really had solid training in sales, the face to face moment of truth can be really scary. A lot safer to churn on marketing copy, or your logo, or your packaging, or whatever.But even people with good sales skills find themselves in this situation. I even find myself here from time to time until I jog myself out of it.Here's what's going on:Imagine you decided to open up a hamburger restaurant to sell your special secret-recipe hamburgers.But for months you delayed in getting your menu printed so your store couldn't open.The cost? Months of lost potential sales and mounting expenses while your store is not able to take orders.The upside? You protect yourself from the worst case scenario in the moment of truth: people hate your hamburgers.This risk is always present in business. Even product ideas that seem great fail because the customer doesn't actually want what you are selling. I've seen it happen many times.But when the business is YOU -- that risk touches very close to home -- right in your heart and soul.


So we avoid sales to protect ourselves from the possibility of rejection of our business -- which is a deep expression of our gifts and talents and who we really are.The specific mechanism at work is that your subconscious mind is protecting you from the fear of rejection or failure.Your subconscious mind has one job and that is to keep you safe. It does not want you to get hurt.This self-protective mechanism is very strong.The subconscious mind is also very sneaky, even insidious, in that it will create a seemingly rational story to convince you that your marketing just needs a few more tweaks.The unfortunate consequence here, however, is that by not being engaged in sales activity, you won't reach your ultimate goals.Imagine I could wave my magic wand and voila!, your website is done perfectly right now. (Or your logo, or copy, or whatever it is you are procrastinating on.)Then what would happen?You would have to actually talk with prospective clients.And you are afraid to do it.I get it. I've been there.If your marketing is not done, what is really going on is sales avoidance in disguise.If you are not actively in the game, offering your services on a daily basis, then this dynamic is at play.So knowing this dynamic, make the decision to get a mentor who can keep you in the game.

How to Prospect Without Cold Calling

A Customer is someone who buys from you - once. A Friend is someone who buys from you more than once. And an Advocate is a customer who buys repeatedly from you and sends you referrals. And referrals are your best source of new business.The process of converting suspects to prospects, prospects to customers, customers to friends and friends to advocates is called the sales pipeline, sales cycle or sales funnel. View prospecting as an integral part of your sales pipeline. Make friends with marketing. It is their job to generate leads. However, you must also do your own prospecting.Generate your own leads through speaking at industry events, conducting a webinar, doing your own email blast, asking your best customers for referrals, writing a newsletter or blog, engaging suspects in a conversation on social media and cold calling. Experiment to see which combination works best for you. Remember to coordinate with marketing so that your prospects hear you as one voice.Start a conversation with prospects on Twitter, LinkedIn or other sites. Your immediate objective is to generate interest, not to inform the customer of your products' features. Set goals for yourself to trigger the self-fulfilling prophecy phenomenon. Increase your prospecting not out of fear, not in a panicky, impulsive flurry of phone calls, but in a confident, methodical way.


Set aside at least an hour a day for prospecting. Segment your accounts by grouping them according to geography, industry or size. Aim for 50 - 75 phone calls a day. Expect to reach 6-8 qualified prospects a day. You goal is to make appointments with 50%, or 4 prospects and close 25% of those. For most industries, there are similar sales ratios to work with. Stay in touch with prospects over a long sales cycle through web conferences that update customers on industry news, product changes, certification issues, pricing changes or promotions.Reach out to new people every single day - no matter what. No one ever gets too successful to prospect. It's quite the opposite; daily commitment to prospecting is what makes long term success possible. Begin to create a sense of urgency as you prospect. Momentum and a sense of urgency are necessary conditions for closing sales, and it starts with your first contact with your prospect. Remember that your goal for the initial phone call is to get an appointment. In most cases you need to be face-to-face with your prospect to make a consultative sale.

Sales Negotiation Tip: The Most Toys Wins

Achieving a win/win negotiation can be difficult, even for the most seasoned sales pro. Follow our tips in your next negotiation and you and your client are sure to both come out winners!"She (or he) who dies with the most toys, wins!"Have you heard that said, somewhere? Whether said in fun or seriously, the sentence conveys a delighted "It's all about satisfying me!"Applying the idea to negotiations, we might say, "S/he who develops the most options, wins"...... and it's all about "satisfying US" - finding creative paths to satisfying ourselves AND our negotiating partners. Win/win.Negotiation resolves differences that remain at the end of sales processes. We trade 'things of value' to reach conclusions. When there is only one issue on the table, usually price, there's no negotiation. It's a haggle, typically with both sides moving toward the middle between them. If there are multiple items of value on the table, the parties can bargain or trade some issues against others, say, a reduction in nominal interest rate in return for commitment of deposit balances, in order to reach a conclusion.We may see even more interesting and valuable options if we have explored our clients' situations broadly and listened carefully.


For example, suppose that, during the course of several discussions about a potential loan, we hear the customer's challenges with competitive pricing pressures, billing and collections, contracting with customers or vendors, dealing with legal fees, making investment decisions, developing a junior manager in the company, dealing with an aging board member, and considering preliminary ideas about retirement.On the surface, few of those items related directly to the terms and conditions for a loan. However, faced with a gap between 'bid and asked' on loan terms, there may be 'other things of value we could do' to help a company or its owners with cash flow or other challenges that would help grease the skids on the loan discussion, move conversation forward, and enable bank and customer to come to agreement.S/he who develops the most options and tradeoffs has the best chance of reaching agreement!Action Item: When planning negotiations, list all of the customers' needs, wants, and challenges you've heard during conversations to that point. Assign value to them (high, medium, low) for the customer and from your own perspective. Look for options to address them or use them as "tradeoffs" when working toward solution.

Is a Blog Good for Business?

Like so many questions, the answer to this one is: "Well, that depends." A blog can be a boon to business or it can be a money and time-sucking bust. So how to know if a blog will be good for your business? Start by answering the following questions:Do I have the time and money to invest in a blog? A blog is a long-term marketing proposition. If you or an employee likes to write - or you have the resources to hire a blog writer - that's great: Put a check in the "yes" column. Plan to post once or twice a week for at least 3 months before evaluating the project's success. Make time each week to chime in on other blogs and to market your blog on social media. It takes time to build blog-love.Do I have resources to create and host my blog? While blogging doesn't have to be expensive, you'll need to choose a host and set up your site, which definitely takes time and often takes financial resources. If you are able to host your blog on your company website, that's ideal. If not, Google "best blogging platforms" and start researching. Word Press, Blogger, TypePad, SquareSpace, and Tumblr are popular blogging platforms.What will my blog look like? The most popular blogs are visually appealing, easy to read, and include interesting visuals. If you're not great with graphics, be prepared to hire a designer to design your blog and create a visual or two... or three. If you have the visuals under control, put another check in the "yes" column.


What will I blog about? My best advice is to speak to your customers. Answer questions you hear most frequently, post product and service reviews, talk about what's new and exciting in your field, provide helpful how-tos... you get the idea. If blog post titles are firing in your mind, that's a good sign and another check in the "yes" column.Am I patient? Blogging is like a marathon; slow and steady wins the race. Yes? No? Be honest when you can answer this question. Blogging is lots of things, but it's not a magic bullet.Am I social? There are many ways to get visitors to your blog, but posting on social media sites is one of the best. If you're social - or if you have a solid plan to get readers - you're on the right track.These are the primary considerations before deciding whether or not a blog is for you. If you've answered yes to most of the questions above and believe you have what it takes to start and build a blog, give yourself a pat on the back. There's no doubt about it: A well written, visually appealing blog has the power to shoot your business to the top of the search results.