Selling U Newsletter: Issue #36 - The 12 Tips of "Salesmas"

12 Days of Sales-mas: Part 2
Quick Things to do to Boost Sales

     It’s almost the end of the year and soon we’ll be making our list of resolutions for the New Year. What? You’re too busy to make your list this year? Well, you’re in luck! My early Christmas present to you is a list 12 quick things you can do to makeover your sales and networking efforts for 2010.

     Last week we opened the first six tip gifts. To re-cap, they were: Create a memorable voice-mail message, Develop a 30- to 60-second commercial, Send out at least five hand-written cards/notes per week, Create a unique memory hook, Join your local Chamber, and Join a leads or referral group.

     This week we will unwrap six more sales tip gifts. Again, some of these may only take a few minutes, and others may require you to invest - not spend, but invest - a bit of time, but all of them create value to your business, your brand and your sales. So sing with me again… “On the second day of Salesmas, six tips from Selling U…”

#7 Read one book per month. You went to school, whether it is high school, some college or a master’s degree, and you studied to do well and learn your subject matter. Flash forward and many people are now working and too busy to make a sale or keep the doors open to continue learning. Very odd. You - well, not YOU, but… - people stop doing what got them to where they are in the first place.

     One book per month can be very doable. Wake up 15 minutes earlier and spend that time reading a chapter and taking a few notes in the margins. Or cut out 15-30 minutes of sitcoms or Facebooking at night to get your chapter in. Do this and at the end of a year you’ll have read 12 books and greatly expanded your knowledge and creativity. I’ll bet you’ll even have a few A-Ha’s along the way!

#8 Get Social. Start a Facebook account and/or an account at LinkedIn. This may sound like a contradiction to tip #7 but it isn’t - as long as the time you spend on it is productive and working towards a productive goal. Playing games and throwing virtual snowballs at all of your friends or colleagues is not productive. Providing value updates or thought provoking ideas is building your social credibility. This is time well spent.

     If you create a Facebook page for yourself, you may also want to consider creating a Fan Page for your business as well. Your personal page you will use to connect on a personal level with your friends and contacts. Your business Fan Page will connect with your friends and contacts on a more professional level.

#9 Start an e-mail address collection. No, this is not a new hobby. We are in a new age and the most important and valuable sales tool you will have is your e-mail database. There are various ways to use this tool, but regardless what you do with it, be sure that the people you get e-mail addresses from have given you their permission to contact them using their e-mail address.

#10 Start an e-Newsletter. This is probably the most effective use of an e-mail database. A well developed, professional e-newsletter packed with information of value is an excellent way to stay in touch with your customers and prospects. Another benefit to publishing an e-newsletter is simply that - being published. Advertising and marketing pieces get your word out. But speaking and writing help elevate you to the trusted advisor that your customers and prospects are looking for to provide solutions, eliminate dilemmas and ultimately increase profits.

#11 Develop a list of value questions. There are two ways to ask the same question. The first way is closed ended and elicits a close-ended response - a yes or no. The second way draws an open-ended response that can paint a picture for you to use to craft your conversation to build rapport and earn their trust.

     Let’s take a look at an example: “Are you happy with your widgets?” vs. “Describe how using widgets help you increase profits.” It may not be in the form of a question, yet it elicits a response 1000 times more useful than Yes or No. These types of value-minded, open-ended questions break down the barriers between customer and sales rep to develop a trusting relationship between the two.

#12 Have FUN! At the risk of sounding cliché, whatever you do, have fun doing it. This is important on many different levels. First, if you are having fun it’s almost not like you’re really “working.” And if you’re going to spend 8-12+ hours a day doing something, you might as well have some fun with what you do.

     I’ve found that my customers find it refreshing that we both can have fun working together rather than a stuffy environment many people think you need to have in business. Work you tail off, but loosen up a little while you’re doing it. Your customers will appreciate it and so will the voices in your head. (At least that’s what mine tell me!)

     So there you go - 12 ideas that you can use for a total sales and marketing makeover for 2010. It may seem like a lot to implement but do it just like you’d eat an elephant - one bite at a time.

Now Go Get ‘Em!!

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