Selling requires us to build personal and professional rapport. The better we become at this, the better relationships we'll have and the more we'll sell. But how can we find out more about our prospects and customers and build that rapport?

4 Tips for Better Sales

1) Check out the prospect's office - if you are cold calling and find yourself in a prospect's office, discreetly examine it for pictures, awards, and various other items that identify the prospect's hobbies, interests, alma mater, and other similar facts that may help you build rapport during the cold call. Comment on these items and ask about them.

2) Ask rapport building questions - Here are some sample questions and statements you can use when building rapport on the cold call:

• "Are you from this area originally?"

• "How did you get here?" (If the prospect is from another area of the country.)

• "I see you went to the University of Massachusetts (looking at the diploma on the wall)-I went there too. When were you there?"

• "Did you play any sports or were you involved in any activities there?"

• "I noticed all the birdhouses outside. Is that something you've been interested in for a while?" (If you're visiting the prospect at her home.)

• "Wow, that's a neat sculpture." (Or picture, or whatever it is. Just make the comment and let the prospect react to it.)

• "How did you two meet?" (To a couple you are meeting with.)

• "How did you get the golf trophy?"

• "I used to drive a Cadillac a few years ago. Is that a picture of yours?"

• "Is that a picture of your children?" (You then want to follow with, how old, do they play any sports, other extracurricular activities?)

• "What business are you in?" (If the prospect is an individual at home.)

• "What did you do for work?" (If the prospect is retired.)

• "How did you get into that business?"

• "What are your favorite activities outside of work?"

• "What are your personal goals at this point?"

• "How do you like the United States?" (If the prospect is from another country.)

The more "pleasant" personal information you acquire, the better are your chances of making a good impression on the cold call. Obviously, the most useful topics for discussion are ones in which you share an interest or in which you can share your own stories. Which leads to our next point.

3) Share your personal information as well. - When you share personal information, you become more "real" to the prospect. At the same time, be careful NOT TO dominate the conversation. Let the prospect have the spotlight. You want them to get to know you too however, the primary focus should be on them.

4) Other areas to look at - Ask how long the prospect has been with his company, and what other companies he has worked for. You may have some connections with the previous companies, if not the current one.

What about the person's name? Do you know anyone with the same last name? Even if the person you know is from another part of the country, you can ask if the prospect has relatives there. Also, listen for accents that may give you an idea of the prospect's origins.

Ask about local sports teams and local events. It truly is a small world. Begin probing with the above questions and see what turns up. When you do finally hit a common area of interest, the rapport will begin to build quickly. And that is your key objective during the cold call.

Whatever information you do obtain on the cold call, add it to the prospect's profile. Continue to gather more personal information on future calls. Your overall long-term objective is to get lots of information and turn your customers into friends.

Objections can be the most difficult part of the working day for any sales person. This is especially the case if they are viewed as an obstacle rather than an opening. Here are some useful suggestions on how to handle objections effectively.

1. Always try and ANTICIPATE objections in your presentation and COUNTER-OBJECT before the prospect gets the chance to use them. Too many sales people wait until objections come along. This makes more hard work that is often not necessary with efficient script planning.

2. Never rush your response to an objection. STOP and REFLECT. Show the customer you are listening! Sales people often respond too quickly in these situations. This will often create friction with the client which could also be avoided.

3. Repeat the objection back to the customer. This will buy you time and it will also show that you are interested in what they have to say. It's a good idea to say the same thing but with slightly different wording. It just sounds a bit more natural and less construed.

4. Remember that objections are often a "BUYING SIGNAL" because the customer is questioning your offer. If they had no interest, why would they still be talking to you? Watch out for an objection that is followed by another question! This is another sign that the customer is interested even though their "tone" may not make it that obvious.

5. Ask the customer if they are interested if you think that their objection is just a SMOKESCREEN. Smokescreen objections can be a real time waster for sales people and unfortunately even the more seasoned professionals can fall into this trap. Some clients can feel overpowered by a confident sales person and there only escape is to create a "false objection" A simple way to eradicate this type of problem is by further probing in order to make sure that the objection is genuine.

6. Remember that statistically speaking 3 OBJECTIONS are needed before a person will buy. How many sales people give up after the first or second objection without realizing that this person would have bought if they had persisted a little more? This can be particularly the case when a sales person is experiencing a "Bad Patch"

7. Objections are part and parcel of the Sales Process. Don't let them stop you from reaching your goals. Yes it's true that objections can be a form of unwelcome distraction but the true professional doesn't let them ever get in the way of end goals.

8. LISTEN carefully to objections. They often hold valuable clues about the client's needs and PAIN. An objection can often reveal important information that is often worth noting because even if the customer doesn't buy on this occasion you may know what buttons to press the next time you speak to them.

9. The better you explain your offer, the less objections you will hear! It's important to articulate your presentation in a way that the prospect clearly understands what you're on about. This will help to avoid objections that arise from not clearly understanding what you have said.

10. Wouldn't selling be boring if people never objected? This may appear strange at first but I actually think some customers enjoy the "bartering element" of buying and sales people should be fully aware of this. In my career I've often been congratulated for my persistence. I sometimes imagined that the client hated me by the time we were closing the deal. The reality was often very different in that they actually complimented my stamina and will to overcome all the obstacles that stood in the way.

Remember that attitude plays a huge part when handling objections. It's never about winning a battle of minds. "Think solution and use an agreeing tone rather than a contrasting one!"

The first time I ever worked for a company where I needed to call and speak with leads, I was more than hesitant and shaky. My company was filled with cubicles stuffed with people like me who were hired to contact others who filled out forms asking for more information.

I Was Nervous

As I made my way down the aisle to my new cube, I was surrounded by the sounds of representatives conversing with these interested (or not-so-interested) prospects. When I sat down at my desk and looked at my computer's contact manager, I panicked. I pushed around some paper, organized my pens and paper clips, and continued to "pump myself up." "C'mon Marc, just dial the phone…Be natural…You're not going to sound stupid…You can do this." I pushed around some more paper. After listening to my co-workers in my surrounding cubicles, I finally dialed my first prospect.

"Uh…hi…this Marc Smith, and…uh…I'm calling because you asked for some information…uh, um,…please call me back at…" I realized that I was nervous and that I had almost whispered the entire message into the prospect's voice mail. I certainly didn't want any of my co-workers to hear me.

I dialed another number, and she answered. "Uh, Hi" I exclaimed. "This is Marc Smith with XYZ and I'm calling because you submitted a request for more information. How can I help you?" After that speedy intro, she began to ask me question after question and I answered them. I thought that I was doing great, and that I could now stop whispering. The prospect ended the call saying, "Well, thanks. Let me think about it." I was never able to reach her again.

I Learned A System

Since those early unproductive days of calling prospects and recruiting, I've learned quite a bit and used the information to great success. In the eight years since, I've recruited thousands of individuals. My expertise grew leading me to positions of Director of Recruitment and Senior Vice President of Recruitment and Marketing.

Two Keys to A Great Call

Through my experiences, I've learned that the key to the initial phone call with a new prospect is in the way it begins. Here are the first two steps to a successful call.

1. Take control - Begin the phone call relaxed, cheerful, and in charge. The easiest way to take control of the phone call is through asking a question in the beginning, gaining a yes or no answer, and then continuing with questions. You must have control because you are the expert.

For example, here's a suggestion of the way to begin the conversation Always assume the person answering is the prospect (if the same gender as the name in your contact manager):

"Hi, Lindsay?" She answers. "This is Marc…You requested some information about XYZ. Is this information for yourself?" She answers "Yes". You now are in control of the conversation! By getting this "yes", you can now guide the conversation with your questions to better understand her needs and provide solutions. The person who asks the questions is in control of the conversation.

There is a sales script being distributed that suggests that you should ask, "How can I help you?" or "What can I do for you?" Please don't. Most of the time the prospect is going to bring up cost questions or a list of other customer questions before you can even get to know what she needs. Asking such a wide-open question this early in the call is a rookie mistake, and you may never get control of the call from that point on. Ask a simple "yes" or "no" question and take control.

2. Set the Agenda - Once you have control, then give the outline of the call. Let the prospect know that in order to help, you'll need to ask some questions. Asking questions during the call, not answering them, is vitally important. You'll be able to really understand what the prospect needs and the emotional hot buttons behind those needs.

Equally important is that by asking questions and giving feedback, you'll be developing a strong rapport with your prospect. You'll be building a friendship The easiest way to set the agenda is just to say it: …Is this information for yourself?" She answers, "yes". "Great! Let me start off by asking a few questions so I can better help you." Then, ask the first open-ended question.

Notice two things about this simple agenda-setting sentence. First, you're giving a reason for questions: "so I can better help you." Prospects relax when they know you want to help. Second, you didn't ask if you can ask some questions. You told them you were going to begin asking questions. Remember, you're in control.

What About the Rest of the Call? If you use these two tips in the beginning of your prospect calls, you will be much more productive and your prospects will be more responsive. I had to learn it the hard way, but once I did my prospects became friends who became customers much more often!

Later, I'll give tips for the rest of the call: uncovering needs, building rapport, and leading your new friend to action.

In today's business world, getting new customers and clients is on everyone's mind. Talk to the average small business person, for example, and prospecting for new customers is probably their top concern. There are a lot of ways to create new business, and one of the most effective remains receiving referrals from your existing client base.

Customer referrals are so powerful because trust is one of the most important aspects of deciding who to do business with. When a potential client is referred to you by a friend or colleague, that trust is already there. Here are 4 quick tips to improve the number of referrals that you receive:

Preface that you will ask for referrals

It's helpful to let clients know that you are going to ask for referrals before you actually do so. It can be direct: "Later I'll ask you if you know of anyone else who I can help out"; or it can be indirect: "One of the most powerful ways we've built our business is through referrals from happy customers". It works best to put these statements at the beginning of your sales presentation.

Simply Ask

Most sales representatives lose out on potential referral business simply because they don't ask. They get caught in the mental trap - they think that their customers will overwhelmingly happy and volunteer referrals on their own. You'll always receive more referrals when you ask for them. You'll often hear from your customers, "Now that you mention it, I do know someone…". Don't lose that business just because you were reticent to ask.

Ask Again

Don't ask for referrals once, ask over and over. You don't want to become an obnoxious bore by asking the same question over and over, but you can vary your approach and get a great response. For example, ask when you first close the sale, and then ask again when they take delivery of the product or service. Then ask again in a month when you make a follow-up call to make sure they are still happy.

Ask WHO Instead of DO

Instead of asking "Do you know anyone who…?" ask "Who do you know who…?". By asking an open ended question, you are much more likely to get a positive response because you are encouraging the customer's brain to find an answer to the question.

It's been said, "Prospects don't want to be sold. They want to buy." To buy, prospects need to trust the person from whom they are purchasing. If you use the approach I've created through the following acronym, you will help your prospects trust you. The acronym is LEAD©. Listen…Empathize…Add…Develop©. Let's develop what each of those words mean to you in terms of helping prospects to buy.

One absolutely critical method for building trust is through the powerful use of the skill of listening. Listening effectively is a learned skill. However, as sales people, we tend to think if we're listening we're losing control. The converse of that being by talking we maintain control. Nothing could be further from the truth! The fact is to help a prospect buy you have to truly listen to what s/he is saying. The more you effectively listen…the more you know…the more you know the greater your control over the outcome of the sales conversation. You have to turn out and tune in, so to speak. That requires focusing your full attention on the buyer. It means being silent and taking the time to listen.

Listen for the real message. Listen for content, the facts, ideas or feelings. Take notes when receiving a lot of information. Avoid judging or evaluating while listening. If you're doing either of those things it means you're really thinking about how you are going to respond.

Along with the verbal is your responsibility to pay attention to the non-verbal cues your prospect is giving you. Listen with your eyes, so to speak. The other person's body language can help you hear a great deal of what they are thinking.

Listen actively by nodding; looking at the speaker…after all, our eyes were made to communicate with people not the wall behind them.

As you really listen to your prospect, it's key that you help them through the sales conversation by asking them appropriate questions to assure a productive discussion. There has to be a logical, non-threatening progression in the flow of your questions. You don't want your questioning to raise the ire of your prospect. I have a very simple questioning method to avoid doing that. The method uses the acronym, IRE©. It gives you a three level sequence to your questioning. The first level is to ask Issue/Occasion questions. The next level is Result questions and the last level is Explore/Hear questions. Let's take a deeper look at each level of this questioning strategy.

First, are Issue/ Occasion questions. Here, you are beginning to delve into the prospect's situation to begin to understand issues they may be confronting or occasions that may be presenting them with an opportunity to improve their situation. Examples of these kinds of questions could be:

"What is the biggest issue impacting the bottom-line of your business, right now?"

"What occasions have occurred recently where you missed out on a real business opportunity?"

Listening intently to the prospect as they answer will tell you where to go next. Probably, the logical progression in your questioning will be to ask a Result question. Examples of these questions could be:

"If you don't overcome that issue what do you see the result to be?"

"How has not being able to take advantage of that occasion impacted your business?"

Here, again, by listening intently to your prospect you will be able to lead the conversation to the next level by asking an appropriate Explore/Hear question. Some examples:

"Would you like to explore some ideas that could help you resolve that issue?"

"May I offer you the opportunity to hear some ideas I have to help you not miss such an occasion in the future?"

Leading your prospect through the logical progression of the IRE© questioning method, maximizes their comfort and the amount of knowledge you gain about them. Through truly listening it allows you to effectively increase the trust your buyer is feeling by empathizing with him or her… the next element in the acronym, LEAD©.

What's seems hard about empathy is it requires us to identify with and understand another person's situation, feelings, and motives. As hard as empathizing might be perceived to be, it is as simple as ABC. I'll use the example of asking questions of a prospective client to explain what I mean.

Whenever you talk with prospects, it is important to build rapport-to earn the right to continue the conversation. If you ask question after question, but never explain why or relate one question to another, your probing is more like an interrogation. When buyers think that they are being interrogated, they may feel that you are meeting your own needs while ignoring theirs. In this situation, prospects usually become reluctant to answer questions and may become resistant and defensive about their answers. On the other hand, if you actively involve prospects and show interest in meeting their needs as well as your own, they will usually grant you the right to continue. Three communication skills that will help you earn that right are acknowledging, bridging, and confirming…ABC.

During the sales conversation, acknowledge the prospect's comments, opinions, and ideas. When you acknowledge, you let the person know that you've heard and understood their remarks. In other words, you provide feedback before talking about a related or different subject. For example: "That's an interesting point." Or "Yes, I can understand that…"

If you're changing direction, or if you're trying to tie different topics and needs together, use the technique of bridging. When you bridge, you let the prospect know where you're headed. You also demonstrate that you haven't forgotten or overlooked his or her needs, opinions, and concerns. For example:

"We've talked a great deal about…There's another aspect that you might want to consider."

"Earlier you mentioned…I'd like to address that more fully."

Finally, to make sure that you really do understand, use the technique of confirming. State your understanding of what the person is telling you and then ask for confirmation. Once again, some examples:

"If I understand correctly, you're telling me that…Is that accurate?"

"Do you mean that…?"

Using the ABCs for Empathy©, can truly help you build trust within your buyer. They'll know you care and then, they will want to know what you know that can help them. They will be ready for the next concept in the acronym, LEAD©, which is the A, Add.

Add to the mix of the sales conversation your ideas on how you can help them meet an opportunity or solve a problem. Once again, though, the focus has to be on the prospect. You do that by relating your product's or service's features to relevant benefits that will help the prospect.

Most buyers don't understand how the features of your product or service will help them. They are probably asking the question in their minds, "What does that mean to me?" Let's take digital cameras, as an example. The key feature of those cameras is that they are digital. What does that mean? Digital doesn't necessarily tell us much. But if you were to say something like, "The digital feature of this camera will allow you to instantly view the picture you have just taken which really means that you can immediately know whether you have a quality shot of a major life event. If not, you can retake the shot while the moment is still at hand."

Following that process with each of the benefits that tie to your prospect's stated needs will create a compelling picture. As a consequence, the time is right to develop a strategy with the prospect for taking advantage of those benefits. Develop is the D in the LEAD© acronym.

If you have properly practiced the other principles outlined in the LEAD© acronym, developing a strategy to achieve a solution to the buyer's needs is the easiest part of the process. It is a natural culmination to a consultative sales conversation. The strategy is a simple, conversational addition to the sales discussion. It, first, includes a reference back to agreed upon needs. The conversation continues with a review of how the benefits of the recommended solution meet those needs. Then, you develop an understanding of what your buyer would like to do, at this point. You ask them an appropriate and conversationally relevant question. Questions like: "How does that sound to you?"…

"What questions do you have?"…"How would you like to proceed?"

I began this article by making the point that prospects would prefer to buy rather than be sold. Buying requires trust. You gain that trust by following the sales principles prompted by the acronym, LEAD©.

© 2008 Gary Greenfield, Performance Alliance, L.C. All Rights Reserved

We all have problems with price. Between myself and my clients, I've probably been through every single situation that you've ever dreamed of with regard to price resistance and I'll try to give you the best points that I've been ever able to find. I am answering the question in two parts:

1- Three basic ways to minimize a price resistance in the first place.

2- Seven points on handling price objections.

Lets start with Three basic ways to minimize a price resistance in the first place

1- Don't Start The Selling Process With A Lower Level Person In The Organization:

Never go to a lower level person to begin with.

The lower you go in an organization; the lower is the power to take a decision.

The lower (in terms of spending money) is the spending allowance.

Moreover - the reason for their high-price-resistance is that they are not exposed to high numbers as might their seniors be and hence are not attuned to value-adding ideas.

MOST Important - Lower level people insist on saving money and that is how they will present your proposal internally - whereas Higher level people want to make a profit and will view your price to calculate a justifiable return on investment.

Finally the higher you start, the easier it is to get a real decision maker. The only reason salespeople go to a lower-level person is to get an easier level of entry - BUT it complicates everything.

2- Willingness To Pay And Ability To Pay Are Two Different Things:

Nobody's ever willing to pay, nobody ever wants to pay money out, but whether or not they can, is totally different. Most people can.

They can find the money if they really want the product badly enough, but whether they're willing to or not is a different thing. The way that you increase the willingness to pay is by increasing the buying desire, by talking more and more about the benefits of the product or service, because the more the person wants it, the less concern they become about the price.

Remember - It is absolutely alright to be High Priced. It is absolutely unacceptable to be 'perceived' expensive. Therefore always focus on benefits that increase the return on investment for the client.

You should always leave the person with at least three such benefits - not more than three because he or she is likely to only remember three. Never less than three because no matter who you are selling to in an organization, this person will still have to sell your offering to others in that organization and is going to need three very compelling reasons to pull it off.

3- Shift The Buying Criteria:

This becomes especially important if you are selling a product that is priced higher than the competition in the market. Shifting the buying criteria means changing the reasons why the prospect will buy. Changing the 'industry' positioning.

Few examples from our clients:

A leading office automation MNC was positioning it's product in the way the industry does - Looks, features, reliability, stability, warranties And because everyone else was doing all this too - the positioning shifted to price, payment terms….

They shifted their positioning to the corporates - "Are you interested in saving 20-30% in your administrative costs." - How many people do you know who are likely to say 'No' to that question. They then developed a mechanism to prove how their products can do that for their customers. This company has seen a 30% increase in closure rates since then.

A real-estate company we were working with - guarantees that any property they sell to you will be rented within 120 days of your purchase or they will pay the fair market rent for up to two years. They charge a 2% higher commission than the market and Get It.

A TV Company (you probably watch your television on this company's set) recognized that their customer is the retailer and not you and me - and so it offers to buy back any sets not sold by his retailers in the first 180 days at the retail price (not at the factory price) such that the sale happens anyways. Now which TV do you think would the retailer prefer to stock. And which TV do you think would be most easily available in the market for you and me to buy.

A car dealer in Bangalore, we worked with doubled his business by offering- no questions asked- a two week, 100 percent money-back guarantee on any new or used car purchase.

No dealer had ever offered that. If you were going to buy a car, why in the world would you buy it from another dealer when you might make a mistake and regret it a week later?

His volume shot up. He had a small number of people who did bring the cars back. But surprisingly, the vast majority didn't want their money back - they wanted to trade up to a larger model or a more luxurious one. So the dealer actually made more profit that he did on the initial sale.

These aren't extraordinary examples. These are just normal business people shifting the buying criteria. The possibilities are endless.

Now Seven points on handling price objections.

All of these might not apply to your situation, however you will be able to modify or use at least some of them. Here they are:

First of all, don't mention the price until the customer asks the price. Do not bring up price at the beginning. If a person says, "Well, that looks like an interesting product. How much is it?" Say, "Could I come to that in just a second? That's the good part." That's one of the things I'd say, "That's the good part. Can I come to that in just a second? I just want to go over one or two more things quickly." And then come to the price. Put the price off and bring the price into the conversation where you want to bring it in. In my sales presentations, I have a specific place where price appears and at that point either the customer says, "Oh, by the way, how much is it?" or I say, "I think you'd like to the investment." But it doesn't come up until that point and if it does, I put it off.

Number two is, always focus your presentation on the benefit they receive, not on the money you receive. Talk about what they are getting rather than what you're getting. If the price is coming too often into the conversation - you have already made one of the three basic errors mentioned above.

Three. Always justify the price with sound reasons. Always explain why it costs this much.

Four. Never discuss price without mentioning values and benefits at the same time. If a person says, "How much is this machine?" never say, "This machine is x number of RUPEES" What you say is, "This machine, including this, this and this, plus these attachments, plus 90 days warranty and a supply of 1000 sheets of paper will cost you ONLY x number of rupees per month." Very important to use the word only. It removes 'expensive' perception.

In other words, always precede the price by restating the values that the person is going to get as a result of paying that price. Your job is to increase how much they want, not to argue over the price.

A salesperson is not there to tell the prospect how much the product costs. A salesperson is there to engage the customer.

Five. You can compare the price with more expensive articles. When a person says, "That costs too much." A perfect answer is compared with what, Mr. Prospect? Sometimes, they don't understand what you're talking about. They have no idea what things cost. They may not have bought one of these for 5 years and don't realize that the price has gone up 200%. You say, compare it with what? If they say compared with ABC's product. "Mr. Prospect, ABC's product in the same line, is 5000 more than ours is. As a matter of fact, here's there recent price sheet." - or whatever.

You have to find out what they're comparing you with. If you say, "This is a Mercedes automobile." He says, "That costs a lot!" "Compared to what?" "Compared to Honda." "That's true. But there are very, very distinct differences why it costs so much more, would you like to know what they are?" So, always compare apples to oranges.

Six. Stretch the life price over the life of the product, which is a very, very good way to do it. The person says, "God that costs a lot!" You say, "It costs 50,000 more than the other machine, but Mr. Prospect, this machine has a five year life. That works out to about 10000 a year or more which would is about 800 a month more, for all of the additional qualities, the accessories and facilities that are built into it. Is it worth 800 a month more is basically the question, which comes out to approximately 25 a day or more. Is it worth 25 a day more to have all these features involved?"

The more you stretch the price over the life of the product, the smaller it appears to be.

Seven. Never argue Price.

Never argue price. The prospect says, "that's a lot!" You say, "Yes, Mr. Prospect, it's not cheap. However, there are very good reasons for the price and I would like to explain some of them to you. There are very good reasons why thousands of people have examined this product carefully and compared it with our competitors and decided to pay more and buy this product. Would you like to know what they are?" And the person will almost invariably say, "Yes, why?" "Because and these are the benefits and values that you get." It's so logical.

Remember at the end of it, it might still seem high but as long as it doesn't seem too expensive, you're ok.

yours,

Chetan Walia

Many a savvy salesman has lost a sale because he failed to know his customer. You may have infinite product knowledge, a slick sales pitch, and a phenomenal product - but, if you don't know who needs your product and why they need it - you'll be about as effective as a death row pardon at two minutes past midnight.

So, how do you gain a better knowledge of your customer?

Keep a pulse on the market. Spend a bit of time on your favorite search engine, and you will find a wealth of information at your fingertips. From mainstream media sites, to blogs, to trade publications, much of this information is free of charge; however, if you do have to part with a few bucks to further your knowledge, consider this an investment in your future. Chances are these expenses can be written off as a tax deduction.

Tell time on their clock. Are you selling sports equipment? If so, the possibility of garnering big returns from a display ad in a computer game enthusiasts' publication seems unlikely. By stark contrast, a company that manufactures ergonomic chairs for computer users and gamers will experience dramatically different results. Get into the mind of your prospect, and learn to think like they do. Years ago I read a quote that sums this up rather nicely, "learn what makes them tick, and tell time on their clock."

Know your competition as well as you know yourself. Why? Never assume you are the only choice on the market. You may well be the best choice, but can you articulate why? This is when your product knowledge comes into play. You can never have too much product knowledge.

Now, don't mistake that statement to mean you will be required to recite it all for every customer - you won't. However, when that one prospect comes along that wants to know the finer points of every detail that sets you apart, rest easy knowing that you'll be ready.

Employ systems that turn leads into prospects. Let's go back to your display ad for a moment. You've run your ad in a market-specific publication. Did you obtain the reader's survey results from the publication?

If you aren't asking for this information, you should be. It is something that you can negotiate into your ad contract; it will allow you to obtain leads from readers who have taken the time to complete the request for information card that appears in the publication. These are diamonds in the rough, folks! Make it a point to follow up with these leads, and get them on your mailing list - you can do this with a free report or trial offer, discount, or other special promotion. Whatever you do, follow up with these leads…and do it while they are warm.

Position yourself as the obvious choice. There are a number of ways to go about doing this - article marketing, tele-seminars, webinars, on-location special events, guest speaking engagements, books, ebooks, special reports - the list goes on and on. The important thing is that the more often your prospects are presented with your message and brand, the more it reinforces your position in their mind. Your goal is to become the go-to guy for your market; establish your reputation as the company that offers unrivaled value, superior service, and a genuine concern for your customers. Do these things, and you'll soon become the Pied Piper of your market.

Knowing your customer sounds like an obvious concept at the outset, yet many companies fail in this regard. Taking the extra time to develop your ideal customer "profile" will give you a tremendous advantage. Keep this profile at the forefront of your mind, and let it govern your marketing efforts. If you endeavor to do this, you'll never find yourself watching the clock as it approaches the midnight hour.

Sales training is a necessary part of business today. In the aggressive fast paced business world, it is important that you give your business every advantage. Businesses today are much more aggressive than businesses in past years.

Sales people have more to contend with than just sales. They have the responsibility of keeping their customers happy. They are also responsible for creating presentations for closing new sales.

With all the responsibilities that sales people have today, it can be overwhelming. In the past, salespeople worked long hours with few rewards. In today's business world, all that has changed.

Although today's business world is more fast paced than ever before, many salespeople are more efficient then their associates of the past, mainly because they have had the benefits of sales training.

A sales trainer is one the best resources that can be used by any business. It is a means of training your employees whether in house or at a seminar. These training sessions are conducted by people who have been in the sales industry for many years and have developed techniques that suit the needs of today's marketplace. The trainers are able to train your employees in multiple techniques that are proven to be effective in the business world today.

The aggressiveness of the business world today dictates that aggressive methods need to be implemented in order for the business to stay afloat. It is critical to your business that you give your employees every opportunity to succeed.

Sales training gives not only your sales people the training that they need, but also any member of your staff that has contact with your clients. Sales trainers will give your staff the confidence that they need and it will show through to your clients.

Training sessions schedules are tailored to the needs of each business. You can choose to hold a sales meeting weekly monthly or for new hires only. If your sales staff is on the road a lot and cannot make it in for the training sessions, it is possible to set up seminars online. Your employees that are across the country or across the world will be able to attend training sessions when it is convenient for them. This gives your salespeople more time to meet with potential clients.

The majority of all business is sales. If you do not have sales, you will not stay in business it is just that simple. With the online community growing everyday, more and more businesses are joining the online community. This gives them the opportunity for worldwide sales. Salespeople need to have the techniques that will dazzle their clients and when you initiate sales training, they will be shown what is effective and what is not.

Many companies that have used sales training have reported an increase in sales within the first month of implementing the sales techniques. These companies track their success and have found that it was directly related to the training.

Finding a sales trainer is very easy by doing a Google search. You will find millions of links to companies that give your sales force the boost that it needs.