Friday, January 18, 2008

How To Set Goals and Achieve Them

We use only 5% of God's given potential, 95% of them is not used. Why not tap the 95% of our Creative Intelligence and achieve our desired goals. Our goals are limitless because of our creative imagination. You have to commit to your goals. If you don't have a goal , your life will be a failure. You are a goal seeking Organism. You can create your opportunity and you can do it anytime. You have to help yourself to achieve your goals.


The only way to reach the top is to have a goal. In order for goals to be effective they need to be big, because big goals create excitement once you accomplish. There is no excitement in mediocrity. The excitement comes when you are at your best. You need to see your life as something big and exciting . The only way to do that is through setting goals. Make a commitment and put it in writing. You have to crystalize your thinking so that you will be able to establish an exact direction for your own life. Goals must be realistic and achieveable. Goals must also include personality changes. Once you set goals and start to achieve them you will become successful.

Don't have a goal that is so vague that you can't tell, whether you have accomplished it or not. Have a clear statement of your goals. Write them down. Put deadlines on your goals. Have Short term, Intermediate and Long term goals.When you put them on paper they become tangible and you feel more inclined to do them. As you accomplish your goals, add more ambitious goals to your list.Your goals should be clear and definite.

Napolean Hill in his book 'Think and Grow Rich' says that your thinking should be crystal clear. You should know your goals. The purpose of those goals. Make a plan how you are going to achieve them. Be persistent and determined. Finally a burning passion and desire to achieve them.

You should give a definite period of time within which to accomplish those goals . Successful people are successful because they see themselves as successful.
Winston Saga the CEO of www.telesalestips.com and Sales International. He is the author of two best selling books, "How to become a Master Salesperson" and Total Success in Sales and Personal Life". He is often refered as the Zig Ziglar of the pacific. International Biography Centre selected him "International Man of the Year" 2003 for his outstanding contribution to sales and service.

15 Ways To Get Really Motivated

First, recognize that motivation is an inside job. The word motivate means to impel, inspire, hope, stimulate, incite, propel, spur, goad, move, induce, prompt, instigate, fire, provoke, actuate, cause, egg on, drive, excite, and to trigger. Don’t wait for someone to motivate you, here are 15 ways you can motivate yourself.
1. Set daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and lifetime goals. A goal is a goal if it’s writing. Goals get you going in the direction that’s right for you.
2. Listen to a motivational tape. Record into a tape recorder your favorite quotes, anecdotes and personal success stories. Play back your tape frequently. Nothing is more motivating than the sound of your own voice. Try it!
3. Get motivated to make better telephone calls by buying Art Sobczak’s new book, “How To Sell More In Less Time With No Rejection.” To order call Art at 402-895-9399.
4. To overachieve every quota you are given take this advice. First write yourself a check dated for 12/31/05 payable to yourself and write how much you want to earn on the amount line. Make three laminated copies and put one in your briefcase, auto console, and home office. Second, always aim higher than the quota you are given. If you adjust your aim, the results will follow.
5. Buy an inspirational book of quotations and keep it in your car. Read three quotes daily. Remember - inspirational words usually inspire us.
6. Invest 15 minutes daily to read books and articles about the selling profession. This is gourmet food for your brain. Don’t skip a day.
7. Get a mentor, preferably one outside of your company. The truly successful people never go it alone.
8. To jack-up your sales performance, prepare your own laminated cue cards. Create cue cards for making appointments, your 12 best questions, for handling the price objection, and for asking for the order. Each cue card should be prepared word-for-word. Your performances will sky-rocket.
9. Buy a composition notebook for your car. Record your successes, failures, and daily observations about your selling environment.
10. Read the “The Ancient Scrolls” an inspiring book by Tim Connor. To order call 800-222-9070.

Hurrican Selling Styles

As I prepare this issue of this Newsletter, at 37,000 feet on my way to Greenville South Carolina, the east coast is being battered by a Hurricane.
All hurricanes seem to start out as a blip on a distant radar screen. It grows in size and intensity as it draws closer to the shoreline. They don’t follow a prepared script or take a predictable path.
At the center, is the famous eye of the storm. Surrounding the eye . . . well, you know the rest.
Some salespeople seem to behave like hurricanes, are you one of them? Answer these questions for a hurricane (style) check.
1. Are you completely organized at the start of every day?
2. Do you enjoy talking more than listening?
3. Does your enthusiasm spill over into loudness when you’re talking?
4. If preparation means “in writing” is more than 95% of your typical sales call not prepared?
5. After a sales call, are most of your customers thinking, “WOW” after you leave?
6. Do you have so much experience that you know what your customer’s need without having to ask them really good open-ended questions?
Here’s a sales tip. As hurricanes approach the East coast, few people are rushing to check-in to the ocean front hotels. Likewise, your potential customers won’t be running to open their doors for you if you approach them like a hurricane.
Jim Meisenheimer is the creator of No-Brainer Sales Training. His sales techniques and selling skills focus on practical ideas that get immediate results. You can discover all his secrets by contacting him at (800) 266-1268 or by visiting his website: http://www.meisenheimer.com

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Why Are We All So Afraid?

What can strike terror into the heart of even the most successful sales professional or entrepreneur?

Cold Calling.

What can crush self-confidence, destroy self-esteem and leave even the most seasoned sales professional quivering with humiliation and defeat?

Cold Calling.

But why?

Every culture has its myths and stereotypes, and one of ours is the stereotype of the manipulative, unscrupulous salesman. The term “sales” conjures images of untrustworthiness and deviousness. We have the stereotypes of the “traveling salesman,” the “used car salesman” and, of course, the “telemarketer.”

These terms do not literally describe what the person is selling; they take on a larger meaning. For example, our cultural translation of “used car salesman” is not simply someone who is selling used cars, but instead means someone who is unethical, uncaring and will pressure you into a sale that is not necessarily in your best interest. “Telemarketer” has come to mean not just someone who sells over the telephone, but someone who interrupts your dinner, doesn’t listen and tries to pressure you into meaningless, valueless purchases. It can also mean someone who is running a scam over the telephone, usually preying on the elderly.

This is not the reality of individual telemarketers or used car salesmen. It is the stereotype. And these stereotypes do a huge disservice to most salespeople. Far too often, salespeople buy into these stereotypes, these images of untrustworthiness, placing themselves, in their own minds, on a lower level than their prospects.

If you buy into these negative images, you are at a disadvantage before you even pick up the telephone to call your prospect. It is imperative to change the way that you think about this process. Examine your intent:

· Is your product or service meaningful?
· Does it provide a benefit?
· Do you believe in the value and benefit of what you are selling?
· Are you doing the best that you know how to insure that your customers get what they need?

If your answers to the above questions are that you have a meaningful product or service, it provides value, you believe in your product or service, you are doing your very best to insure that your customers get what they need—if those are your answers, why then, you don’t fit the stereotype. Stop acting as if you do! Stop apologizing. Stop feeling uncomfortable. Proceed with pride and integrity.

But there are some additional reasons that people fear cold calling. When you are face-to-face with someone, you have all of the visual cues to help you through the sales process. How does the person look? How is she dressed? What are her facial expressions? Does she make eye content? Is she smiling? Is she frowning? We instantly and intuitively assess these cues, and they help us determine what is happening in our communication.

On the telephone, you have none of those cues. That’s what makes it so scary. It’s as though you are suddenly blind, and you cannot tell what is going on. It is important to train yourself to listen very deeply when you are on the telephone—you must hear those cues that you would normally see. And remember—your prospect has no visual cues either! That is why it is imperative to use your voice expressively and have a clear message.

© 2004 Wendy Weiss

Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling & Selling Success, is a sales trainer, author and sales coach. She is the author of Cold Calling for Women and the recently released Cold Calling College. Get her free e-zine at http://www.wendyweiss.com.

Qualifying Your Prospect

How do you respond when an absolute stranger calls, at work or at home, and begins to ask questions? “Are you the person who…?” “What is your marketing strategy?” “Do you own or rent?” Even, “How are you today?”

Are you annoyed and put off by these questions? Do you respond, “I already have a vendor,” “I’m not interested,” “Send a brochure” or “What are you selling?” (These days my response is to tell these callers to order Cold Calling College!)

This question-asking strategy does not work. It does not work to qualify your prospect, and it does not work to set your prospect at ease. If anything, this strategy puts you at a disadvantage and makes your prospect not want to speak with you!

Here is a better approach: Allow your prospect to “self-qualify”—allow them to tell you that they are the decision-maker. This is how: Position yourself as the expert. Give your prospect a reason to want to speak with you, and set yourself up as the person with the credentials who has the right to ask questions.

Use your script. Introduce yourself, your company and your product or service. Tell your prospect something about the above in such as way as to “stand out from the crowd.” Talk about your experience in the industry or your company’s credentials. Explain what you do in a way that is different from everyone else in the entire world who is doing something similar.

Talk about your business and the unique benefits you offer. You can use phrases like “we specialize in…” or “our reputation is…” or “we are known for…” You can also name-drop credentials to help this “expert positioning.” Mention clients or customers in similar businesses as your prospect. This does two things: it lets your prospect know that you are familiar with their industry, and it also makes prospects feel safer if they have not heard of you before. If someone has referred you, mention her name.

Once you set yourself up as the expert, then you are in a position to ask some of your predetermined qualifying questions. Ask them. This way, you are likely to get answers! In the ensuing conversation, the prospect will more than likely tell you that he or she is the decision-maker. If they do not, you can ask, “How is this decision made?” “Who else is involved in this decision?” “How has this decision been made in the past?” “What is your decision-making process?”

If you approach qualifying your prospect in this manner, you are setting up a relationship of equals. You are someone with expert credentials, someone with whom your prospect would want to talk. Your prospect will respond in kind. It is a far easier and far more effective way of qualifying prospects.

© 2004 Wendy Weiss

Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling & Selling Success, is a sales trainer, author and sales coach. She is the author of Cold Calling for Women and the recently released Cold Calling College. Get her free e-zine at http://www.wendyweiss.com.

Doomed Before You Dial?

Several weeks ago, I conducted a “Mastering the Cold Call” seminar for the Printing Industries of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts. At the end of the seminar, a participant came up to me and said, “Thank you! I learned so much! I learned ‘Don’t Take No for an Answer.’” Another participant standing to his side exclaimed, “No! What I learned is, ‘Don’t Make No Your Answer!’”

How often do you do that—especially on an introductory call? How often do you project your fears and insecurities onto the prospect you are calling and decide that you are doomed before you dial?

The definition of a cold call or an introductory call is that you are calling a stranger. This stranger could be having a good day—or a bad day. This stranger could be warm and friendly or brusque and dismissive. There is no way of determining this ahead of time. Beware of doing a mind read of your stranger/prospect and basing your subsequent actions on what you think your prospect is thinking.

“I don’t like calls on Monday morning”—therefore, no one likes calls on Monday mornings. This leaves out all the people who actually like calls on Monday mornings because that’s when they plan their calendars for the week.

“I know my prospect is avoiding me.” How do you know this? How could your prospect be avoiding you? Your prospect doesn’t even know you.

We all have choices. You can choose to believe that your prospect does not want to speak with you, is busy and not interested, or you can choose to believe that your prospect will enjoy hearing from you and will be open to what you have to say. The first belief is self-limiting and does not serve you. The second belief leaves you free to pursue new business.

The emotional “baggage” that you bring to introductory calling influences your attitude, which you then project in your conversation. Your prospect can hear if you feel unsure, afraid or uncomfortable, in the same way that you can pick up on those uneasy feelings when speaking with someone. On some level, you help create the attitude of the person to whom you are speaking. If your expectation is that your call will be unwelcome, this will make you anxious and tentative. Your prospect will pick up on that, and it will be likely to make her less receptive to you.

Put another way, there are the facts and there are the stories we tell ourselves about the facts. The facts are: You need to make some introductory calls. You will pick up the telephone and make a call. You will either reach your prospect or not. If you reach your prospect, you’ll say what you have to say. Your prospect will say what she has to say. And that’s it. Those are the facts.

The story: I’m interrupting my prospect. My prospect does not want to hear from me. My prospect already has a vendor. My prospect is avoiding me. My prospect hates me… And on and on…

It is time to change your story. I invite you to use my introductory calling story until you create a better one of your own. My story: I will reach my prospect, who will be delighted to hear from me. We will have a good conversation. I will get what I ask for.

Wishing you all introductory calling success!

© 2004 Wendy Weiss


Wendy Weiss, The Queen of Cold Calling & Selling Success, is a sales trainer, author and sales coach. She is the author of Cold Calling for Women and the recently released Cold Calling College. Get her free e-zine at http://www.wendyweiss.com.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

9 Ways to Keep Clients Coming Back For More

A lot of effort is put into getting new clients. We all know our client base will change. Previous clients can move to a new area, sell their business, close down, or change their priorities. So finding new business is always important - but so is keeping your previous clients. Here are nine ways to keep previous clients coming back for more!
1) Provide exceptional service. Sounds obvious, but is very hard to do consistently. If clients believe they can't do better elsewhere, they won't succumb to the temptation of trying another provider.
2) Maintain your database. This can be as simple or complex as you like. Just make sure it meets the needs of your business. You must have suitable contact details, and preferably some measure of sales value. For example, I use email extensively with my clients, so having current email addresses is paramount. But I have clients who must use regular postal mail to communicate with their clients, as their clients do not widely use email. So postal address details are critical in their situation.
3) Use direct mail. This is your pipeline to future sales. Create regular opportunities to communicate directly with your previous clients, especially if your service has a long sales cycle. Keep in touch between purchase decisions.
4) Make special offers. Find ways to encourage previous clients to buy from you. Examples may be: package offers; time sensitive deals; introducing new services; pre-releasing information or products to current clients before the general public.
5) Run special events. Offer a free (or low cost) seminar to your clients on current issues. Invite complementary businesses, local business people, or celebrities to present new ideas. Use breakfast meetings, lunchtime executive briefings, or evening functions. The key here is to add value for your clients, outside of their usual dealings with you.
6) Write a note. Get a pen and write a personal message. This could be triggered by seasonal activities, birthdays, business events, or personal circumstances. Let your clients know you are still thinking of them.
7) Ring them up. Where possible get on the phone to previous clients and have a chat. Make it brief but meaningful. Keep posted on their current projects and priorities. Seek out ways you can help.
8) Promote your business. Demonstrate the value you can provide. If you have recently written a useful report, or presented a topic at a conference, or issued a press release, or conducted some research, or completed an interesting project, tell your clients about it. Don't keep your hard work a secret.

Five Keys to Make Your Cold Calls Sizzle

Do you clam up on the telephone? An advertising rep called the other day to sell some ad space in a local news magazine. After I said, "Hello," there was nothing but monotone dialog until I interrupted him a minute later. It sounded like he was reading a script... but he wasn't (I asked).
When you make calls trying to sell your products or services to your prospects, don't forget to be yourself. Here are five simple tips that will help.
1. Smile -- it can be heard in your voice.
2. Stand up -- it helps you breathe.
3. Look In The Mirror -- it will help if you can see what your face is doing. You'll convey your message better.
4. Listen -- remember it's about your prospect, not about you.
5. Be Personable -- act like you're talking to the person face-to-face. It makes the process easier.
Denise O'Berry helps small business owners take action to grow their business. To find out more, visit http://www.deniseoberry.com

Qualifying Your Prospect

How do you respond when an absolute stranger calls, at work or at home, and begins to ask questions? “Are you the person who…?” “What is your marketing strategy?” “Do you own or rent?” Even, “How are you today?”
Are you annoyed and put off by these questions? Do you respond, “I already have a vendor,” “I’m not interested,” “Send a brochure” or “What are you selling?” (These days my response is to tell these callers to order Cold Calling College!)
This question-asking strategy does not work. It does not work to qualify your prospect, and it does not work to set your prospect at ease. If anything, this strategy puts you at a disadvantage and makes your prospect not want to speak with you!
Here is a better approach: Allow your prospect to “self-qualify”—allow them to tell you that they are the decision-maker. This is how: Position yourself as the expert. Give your prospect a reason to want to speak with you, and set yourself up as the person with the credentials who has the right to ask questions.
Use your script. Introduce yourself, your company and your product or service. Tell your prospect something about the above in such as way as to “stand out from the crowd.” Talk about your experience in the industry or your company’s credentials. Explain what you do in a way that is different from everyone else in the entire world who is doing something similar.
Talk about your business and the unique benefits you offer. You can use phrases like “we specialize in…” or “our reputation is…” or “we are known for…” You can also name-drop credentials to help this “expert positioning.” Mention clients or customers in similar businesses as your prospect. This does two things: it lets your prospect know that you are familiar with their industry, and it also makes prospects feel safer if they have not heard of you before. If someone has referred you, mention her name.
Once you set yourself up as the expert, then you are in a position to ask some of your predetermined qualifying questions. Ask them. This way, you are likely to get answers! In the ensuing conversation, the prospect will more than likely tell you that he or she is the decision-maker. If they do not, you can ask, “How is this decision made?” “Who else is involved in this decision?” “How has this decision been made in the past?” “What is your decision-making process?”
If you approach qualifying your prospect in this manner, you are setting up a relationship of equals. You are someone with expert credentials, someone with whom your prospect would want to talk. Your prospect will respond in kind. It is a far easier and far more effective way of qualifying prospects.
© 2004 Wendy Weiss

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

The Anatomy of a Sales Letter

When Dr. Frankenstein exclaimed "it's alive... it's alive," he thought he had brought wonderful new life to the world. What he really did was create a monster. He took a bit from here and another piece from there and sewed it altogether. Then he was distressed to see how things turned out. Many marketers create their own monsters in the form of sales letters. They throw everything into them and then are distressed at the response.

Sales letters work best when you have something to sell. You make an offer. Too many sales letters from smaller businesses are of the "Hi my name is..." school. When it comes right down to it, I'm busy; I don't care if you just started this wonderful venture because you love to serve people. What can you do for me right now? Why should I take time reading any of your letter? Make me an offer I can't refuse. Quickly convince me that I need what you have to offer.

When creating a better monster--er sales letter--start off where Frankenstein made his biggest mistake. He used the wrong head.

The right head (or headline) can make or break your sales letter. Focus it tightly on your target market. Address a big problem your target faces (assuming you have the solution for it) or play on their desires. If you can do this with a clever play on words, by all means go for it, but if wordplay isn't your forte, keep it simple and straightforward. There's no perfect length for a headline, but don't waste words. Keep it to one sentence. The point is, make them care.

Once you've grabbed them with your headline. Don't let them escape. It may seem odd, but the last words of your letter--the PS--are often read right after the headline. A PS is the best way to end your letter. It sticks out from the body and grabs attention. Don't waste your PS. Say something that will encourage your reader to go back to the beginning and start to read.

The first paragraph is crucial, so get to the point. Give them the guts of your offer and what makes your offer so good. How much money is it going to save/earn them. How will their lives be dramatically improved. Whatever makes your offer worthwhile must be there.

By this point you either have their interest or you don't. If you do, the remainder of the letter must answer the basic questions and address the common doubts your reader may have. After all, you've worked hard get them this far, it would be a shame to lose them on a technicality.

Fill the body of your letter with benefits, not features. Give it the "so what" test. If a benefit doesn't answer the question "so what?" for your target audience, it's a feature not a benefit. Dig deeper and discover what your offer really delivers to your target.

Speak to your target in their language. Write informally. Ask rhetorical questions. Create as conversational a letter as you can. However, take care when using humour. It can backfire, because we don't all have the same sense of it. Unless you know for sure, keep humour to a minimum.

Busy, busy, busy. I know it, you know it. Everyone is busy. They probably won't read everything in your letter, but guide them to the good bits. Embolden the bits they'll care about. It'll encourage them to keep reading. (But don't embolden your company or product name. Your names may be interesting to you, but they're not what's interesting to your target.)

Now that you've told them how great your offer is, get someone else to tell them too. It sounds so much better coming from someone else. In the body of your letter, sprinkle a testimonial or two. Write them yourself, and then ask one of your best clients if they would be comfortable having it quoted under their name. Focus on the results your clients have achieved. Testimonials are best if they are believable and don't gush.

Once you've covered all the possible doubts and questions in the body, it's time to put your best foot forward again. Repeat your offer. And, if you can, offer a guarantee of satisfaction. Make trying your services a risk-free endeavour. Unfortunately, this is difficult for some service-based companies because often their services aren't directly quantifiable.

Just to make your life more difficult, with business-to-business marketing, keep your letter to one page. If your letter is more than one page, re-write it.

Before you set your letter loose upon the world, try a test on a limited number of prospects. Fine-tune it according to your responses. Then continue to track your responses to further fine-tune both the letter, and your target market.

A sales letter won't do it all. Keep up your other marketing efforts, and don't forget to quickly follow up on all leads generated by your sales letter.

Put together with care and skill, a good sales letter will prepare your audience for your sales approach. A great sales letter will have them out looking for you.

Keith Thirgood, Creative Director

Capstone Communications Group

Helping businesses get more business through innovative marketing

http://www.capstonecomm.com/

Miracles are Your Responsibility!

John Di Lemme on "Miracles are your responsibility"
Miracles are your responsibility! What does that mean? Simple...You have a responsibility to create miracles in your own life. The responsibility lies on your shoulders. You cannot blame anyone else, and you can’t look outside of yourself for someone else to create the miracles for you. In this article, I’m going to break down the word “Miracle”, because each of you have a responsibility. As you know, my Why is to impact others and change the world one heart at a time. As you read this today, my goal is for you to take responsibility and realize that you have the innate ability to create miracles. So let’s get started!
The letter “M” means Momentum, which is created by you. You must create Momentum in your life for yourself, for your Why, for your family, for your success, for your finances, for your health...YOU create Momentum! No one else will do it for you. You aren’t a surfer waiting for the next wave to come in. You and only you must create your own Momentum to drive you toward creating your Miracle!
The letter “I” stands for Incentive. You must have something inciting you to action...your ultimate “Why”. Why are you doing what you are doing? Why do you want to begin that business? An Incentive builds the foundation that keeps you focused on your Miracle. No doubt about it! But again, it is your responsibility to determine what your incentive is and how it will drive you toward your Miracle.
The letter “R” stands for Revelation. As you read this today, get a Revelation! It’s your responsibility...no one else’s. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you came from, how much money you have...get a Revelation. YOU can and will create Miracles!
The letter “A” stands for Action. I know you’ve heard this before, but read this today, print it out and decide that you are going to take Action to create Miracles. Once again, no one will do it for you! Take the Action that you know that you need to take to create your Miracle.
The letter “C” stands for Commitment. Finally...once and for all…dive right into it...get Committed to your Miracle! It’s your responsibility. Inside you is a reason for why you are here…your Miracle...so Commit to it. Go for it!
The letter “L” stands for Love. You must Love what you do. You must Love the Miracle that you are focused on creating. If your Miracle is all about money...you will fail! Your Miracle cannot be based on money. Your Miracle must be based on what you can do to impact the world, which will produce everlasting results. You will produce true Miracles! Don’t let anyone else tell you what you must do for money. Love what you do and create your own Miracles.
The letter “E” stands for Energy. Your gonna need Energy to create your Miracle. There’s no such thing as it “falling in your lap”, “luck” or “winning the lotto” in a success mindset. It takes hard work! You need the Energy to take those daily action steps to create your Miracle. Again, it is your responsibility to maintain your Energy to create your Miracle. Miracle...It’s your responsibility.
As I say,
You must be absolutely clear about your goal and be relentless in your pursuit of Your "WHY!"
Changing Lives!
John Di Lemme

Selling "-abilities" : Part 2

In the last article I talked about different strategies for selling the ‘reliability’ aspect of your software or hardware. I mentioned how most high tech salespeople love to talk about their “-abilities”: Reliability, Upgradeability, Compatibility and Expandability. In this article I want to discuss how to sell upgradeability. When is the right time to sell upgradeability? When do you mention the possibility of future upgrades? How do you position future upgrades to software or hardware with a new or existing customer without selling yourself short? How often should your company release upgrades? These are all great questions when it comes to the art of selling upgrades.

Selling Upgradeability

So how do you sell upgradeability? Well, lets start with a basic question. What does the word upgradeability bring to mind when a salesperson mentions the word? If you’re like myself, I think the product has room for improvement and in the future if I choose, I can upgrade to whatever new capabilities the software or hardware may offer. Microsoft Windows epitomizes the model for selling upgradeability. There are four ways to sell upgradeability:

Strategy 1: Ernest Dichter a famous advertisement executive made a statement that talked about how we as sales or marketers must use the techniques of motivational thinking to make people constructively discontent. Dichter knew people would only buy a product when they are discontent with what they currently have. The job of marketing and sales is to make ‘people constructively discontent’ with what they’re currently using. A good example of this is our migration from the audiotape to the compact disc. Marketers reminded us of that annoying ‘hiss’ sound with tapes and how time consuming it was to rewind or fast-forward to find our favorite song. They went on to promise the delivery of full ‘fidelity’ with the compact disc along with the ease and convenience of finding your favorite song. Consumers bought the argument and the age of the compact disc was heralded in. When selling upgrades, are you making your customer ‘constructively discontent’?

Strategy 2: When I hear upgrade in any sales pitch I immediately think of options. The task of the salesman is to give the customer a ‘vision’ of what could be possible if they chose your product and decide later on to upgrade. Upgradability indicates there are other features that can be purchased without having to absorb the cost for them all at once. A customer likes to know that if they are satisfied with the products performance that they could upgrade at any time to something more sophisticated or advanced. This piece meal approach is especially effective with customers who have limited budgets.

Strategy 3: Upgradeability, especially second or third generation indicates to the customer that your company is continually improving on the product (i.e., responding to customer needs and investing in Research & Development). This is key; many customers want to be reassured that the product has not ‘peaked in performance’ and that you will be improving the product over time. Upgrades should be sold on average once a year. To many upgrades a year can be seen as ‘product fixes’ or another way of extracting further sales from a customer leading to ‘buyer resentment’.

Strategy 4: A major mistake made by many salespeople is not taking the time to show or prove to the customer how using your product will increase sales and effectiveness thereby leading to quick return on the buyer’s Return On Investment (ROI). Customers want to see hard numbers on how the solution you’re offering is going to positively affect the bottom line. Too often salespeople will say things like, “This is going to improve you productivity.”, “This will make your employees more effective in their jobs.” Or, “This is going save your company a lot of money adding this upgrade.” All these statements are qualitative, not quantitative; the latter can be proven, the former is just an assertion. Customers want quantitative proof of how your upgrade is going to improve their profitability either by increasing sales or reducing their cost. Highly trained salespeople go into a customer meeting armed with quantitative proof of how upgrading to the next product level will achieve their profitability goals.

Upgrades are a great way to add an additional revenue stream to your company’s bottom line. Again, think Microsoft. Every year or so, a new version of Windows comes out and many of us technophiles rush out and buy it. How can you create this type of excitement or anticipation with your company’s product upgrades?

Victor Gonzalez, All Rights Reserved 2004

Victor Gonzalez, top motivational speaker, sales trainer and author of “The LOGIC of Success”. For more info go to: www.thelogicofsuccess.com or by email victor@thelogicofsuccess.com