Five Things You Don’t Know About Closing Sales Which Are Eviscerating Your Profits

It isn’t just that most people are lousy at sales…
far more shocking is the fact that most SALES PEOPLE
are lousy at sales.

If you’re one of them, this article is for YOU!

The plain fact of the matter is that the overwhelming
majority of sales people rely on their charm, gift
of gab, and ability to “wing it” to make sales… instead
of being prepared to make sale after sale. STOP IT! Following
these sensible steps means more money:

1)  Closing sales is not a matter of motivation or pressure.
Instead, it’s a question of having the right information readily
at hand, so you can answer customer questions quickly, easily, 
thoroughly.

Thus, consider what you have readily available when
you are talking to a customer.

2) Do you have (readily available, mind) a sheet of “you
gets”, that is a list of PRECISELY what your customer
gets when using your product/service?

Dollars to doughnuts, neither you nor any member of
your business has sat down and written out the features
of what you’re selling; then converted each and every
feature into a benefit that the customer gets. Treat each
and every benefit like scoops on an ice-cream cone;
the higher you stack ‘em, the more enticing to the customer!

3)  Do you have a sheet of offers?

Products do not sell themselves; a sales person bragging
“Our product sells itself” is wrong, naive or both. What sells
products is offers; the better the offer the faster the sale.

Thus, have you got a sheet of offers; “add-ons” you can
use to motivate immediate customer action? This list should
make it very clear just what the customer gets for fast action.
AND when the customer must act, for ALL offers must be
limited by time, quantity, etc.

4) Do you have a sheet of results testimonials?

People what to be assured and re-assured about what
they will get when using your product. Here’s where “results”
testimonials come in. These not only provide a happy
customer’s experience in using  your product (“I loved it”),
but the specific results that customer achieved. The greater
the specificity and the benefits, the better and more
effective the testimonial.

Note: whenever possible ALL testimonials must include
full customer and such relevant details as title, location, etc.
In short, testimonials must be detailed and complete to be
completely credible.

5) A page of  objection responses and rebuttals

Face it, not every customer will leap for  joy upon hearing
of what you are selling. That’s why you must be prepared for
the nay-sayers, the procrastinators,  the cautious, and
the merely foolish. For these folks, a list of every possible
objection and your strongest response is required.

Commmon objections include:

“I must ask my spouse.”

“I’m on vacation for the next 2 weeks.”

“I have to check you out.”

“I don’t have the money.”

Now hear this: there isn’t an objection under the sun
which cannot be effectively answered, only not by
“winging it.” EVERY successful sales person knows
that preparation here is mandatory; the rebuttals may
seem spontaneous… but they must ALWAYS  be
rehearsed.  Brainstorm all objections; then work on
the responses. As new objections surface, add them
to your list… and, again, perfect the perfect, objection-
demolishing response.

Last Words

The key to sales success is NEVER a “wing and a prayer.”
It is ALWAYS  a matter of total, complete, deliberate effort.
Such effort can turn a mediocre sales person into a stellar
performer.  That, of course, is precisely what your goal
must be, and now you know how to achieve it!

Boys will be boys…. thoughts on hazing, fraternities, fair Dartmouth and a renowned college president who stumbled… or did he?

by Dr. Jeffrey Lant
Author’s program note. I have total recall of this matter. It was1966 and I was about to be a sophomore at alma mater… and my parents were worried… worried that I, their darling, their first-born son, was becoming a wonk… all work, no play, a very dull boy indeed. Sure, I was #1 in my class, a certain summa in the making, but not well rounded, never the lithe master of every country club skill. And so, mom did not so much request as plead with me to go through “rush week” when older boys (to my worried parents’ complete satisfaction) scrutinized younger boys… delivering themselves of every social outrage, all in the name of social acceptance, social advancement, and the glory of the frat.
And so to please mama, I signed up as an available pledge… and went out each and every evening to my fate… which went like this…
Gilded anachronism.
To justify their anachronistic existence, and divert attention from what they liked to do and were in existence to deliver, all the fraternities sponsored a yearly academic prize… and all worked as hard as they ever worked on anything to win it… for winning covered a multitude of outrages. And so they sought out wonks, not because they liked wonks but because these wonks and their stellar grades, once pledged, gave them the latitude to party hardy.
“Boy,” they said at each House in the stream of parties attended, “we don’t want you… but we do want your perfect grade point average… that cool 4 point o.” And so, holding their noses, the jeunesse doree’ of Fraternity Row offered me membership… at the cost of my self-esteem. Finding the necessary resolution, I told them thanks but no thanks, breaking my uncomprehending mother’s heart, who saw not courage but a lifetime of effortless contacts from past, present, future brothers thrown thoughtlessly away…
… As a result, I was never hazed and so cannot from personal experience relate its intricacies, primal thrills and long-established protocols. Luckily I have at my disposal the unvarnished truths on the matter delivered by the man who kissed and told, that rogue brother, the traitor of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, Andrew Lohse, the man who did the worst thing he could do… letting his erstwhile brothers down… to his everlasting shame and damnation.
For the incidental music to this piece about boys being boys and the ways long honed by their Greek letter predecessors of getting around bamboozled parents and clueless authority figures of every kind, I have selected one of the popular songs from the “Animal House” series (first released in 1978). It’s “Louie, Louie”, the ultimate attitude song. It was written by Richard Berry and released in 1957. Find it in any search engine. Play it at once. And, remember, it didn’t get its reputation for outrage, insolence and ability to irritate every adult everywhere for nothing…
Dartmouth College, an abbreviated history.
When you first see Dartmouth, founded in Hanover, New Hampshire in 1769, you catch your breath. It’s a picture-postcard-perfect scene, a location tailor-made for well-heeled parents remembering their own undergrad capers. But behind the Currier-and-Ives scenaries is one generation of Dartmouth men doing absolutely disgusting things with and to the bodies of other young Dartmouth men… in rites as old as Neanderthal and as new as Facebook.
The current imp to unveil the excesses occurring behind the Corinthian columns on Fraternity Row — for they have been unveiled before — is young Lohse, aspiring journalist, who had no farther to look for inspiration than to his brothers. What they were willing to do to sleep in such exalted quarters amongst the gilded youths makes piquant reading indeed…
… how pledges slurped beer (no doubt the cream of pale ales) off the backsides, between the legs of their soon-to-be brethren;
how these same chosen few walked through kiddie pools sloshing urine and excrement;
how they feasted, as well they might, on succulent pies of gourmet-quality vomit.
There is more, of course; there is always more, of these gifted Ivy Leaguers snorting with each other, spitting on each other, tossing the furniture about, least wisely at a female Dartmouth security officer. There is still more… but you get the picture, the picture Lohse first published in the campus newspaper, The Dartmouth (America’s oldest college newspaper, since 1799) on January 25, 2012; a picture he has now sold for publication in “Rolling Stone” for the edification of the world.
The faculty reacted with the usual unedifying mixture of umbrage, outrage, humiliation, and — above all — embarrassment. How could they brag of their high positions at this Ivy League institution when this institution was most often portrayed — and in such detail, too — as a country club for the socially maladjusted and their jejune pastimes and adolescent joys? Outrageous!
Enter Dartmouth president Jim Kim.
Having little else to do in their pristine North woods, the abashed faculty made their way to President Jim Kim’s available door… pouring forth their hot words, often in iambic pentameter. Amongst the words most heard: outmoded, dangerous, illegal, scandalous, moral thuggery, physically, emotionally, psychologically damaging… and much more of this florid, grandiloquent, purple language of high import and flatulence; for this faculty, like so many faculties, never met a sonorous and highfalutin word it didn’t like, and uses them with gay abandon whenever the opportunity arises, as it most surely has arisen here.
Weak as water, or shrewd and cagey, biding his time?
President Kim, a renowned educator, gave these aroused faculty members no satisfaction whatsoever, although he called for an investigation and made it clear the College’s detailed anti-hazing policy, as well as that of the Granite State itself, would be applied and applied with rigor. That was the presidential equivalent of “blah, blah, blah” and conduced to greater anger amongst the academicians than they had already evinced. Too little, they grumbled, too late; they demanded the complete demolition of each and every den of iniquity and bad taste called fraternities.
Here President Kim not only disappointed, but alarmed them… for he made clear that he would not, and most likely, could not eradicate the insolent fraternities and their (to others) offensive ways. Some saw this as a nod in the direction of Dartmouth’s rich alumni, aging brothers with odd tastes and strong memories. If drinking beer their own way had been good enough for them, what had a few chiding do-gooders to say of the practice? They would give to Dartmouth if and only if…
And since Dartmouth needs money, and oodles of if, the fraternities and their bullying, homo-erotic, unhousebroken ways, might have to be tolerated… for this is, after all, America… where a man (or woman) has the God-given right to outrage their neighbors and their prim views just about anyway they like.
And, with that, I give you the stirring chords of “Louie, Louie” once again, because whilst these frats and their particular menaces and peculiar devices might well remain for cycles yet to come, “me, I’ve gotta go”…
**** We invite you to post your comments to this article.

‘How come you do me like you do, do, do?’ What your customers are saying about YOU!

In 1924 America’s first crooner, red-hot pop star Rudy
Vallee (and his Connecticut Yankees band) had the nation
humming along with the catchy rhythm of his latest hit:
“How come you do me like you do, do, do?”
The legions of liberated “flappers” who followed
Vallee everywhere (unleashing a national debate
about the “new woman”) sang along with America’s
boy next door:
“Why do you try to make me feel so blue?
I ain’t done nothing to do!”
“You better treat me right, or let me be!
’cause I can beat you doing what you’re doing to me.”
It was a phenomenon, and a golden marketing model
was born that in due course produced Crosby, Como, and
Sinatra.
The flappers, and Vallee himself, are now history…  but
the song’s lyrics carry on as insistent questions customers
ask business owners worldwide:
“WHY do you do me like you do, do, do? WHY do you
do me like you do?”
Your customers are talking about you.  Do you like
what they’re saying?
Now hear this: EVERY customer who steps through your
door, calls you on the telephone, writes or emails you is
going to talk about what happened. Were they treated
properly, professionally, promptly…. or was it a case of
“Why do you do me like you do, do, do?”  Remember,
what they say is a direct result of what you do. Thus, you
have it in your power to ensure that they never say — and
you never suffer from them saying — ANY of these:
1) “They never returned my call!”
Not so long ago, every business made it a point to
return calls promptly and have the information the customer
needed readily at hand when they did. No longer. Now, there
is not even the pretense by most businesses that they return
every telephone call… much less promptly and thoroughly.
Yet, let’s be clear, customers WANT their calls  returned…
and they are certain to complain to friends and family
when YOU don’t!
Make it a point to return all calls within 24 hours, even
if you only report that you are working to get what the
customer wants. The returned call itself signifies volumes!
2) “I filled out their online questionnaire and heard nothing.”

This really bugs your customers… and rightly so. This is
how the customer reckons: “you posted a questionnaire on
your web site. I took the time and trouble to complete it. Then
nothing, absolutely nothing, from you.” Oh, yes, you can be
sure the customer will tell the people he knows with a “can
you believe this?” slant to a tale which you may be sure
will lose nothing in the telling.
3) “They promised to send me… but never did!”
Customers are literal. They expect you to do what you
say you’re going to do… and they will shout it from the mountain
tops when you don’t. So, do.
If you can handle the customer’s request today, do so.
If you can’t, then explain to the customer when she may expect
to hear from you.
Don’t just promise action, however; deliver it. Otherwise, in the
words of the song “why do you try to make me feel so blue? I
ain’t done nothing to you.” Believe me; they will start doing
something, something you won’t like, if you don’t come through!
4) “They never told me what was happening.”
When a customer says this, what they are really saying is this:
“Can you believe this? Can you believe that those yahoos would
treat ME like this… ME the all-important customer?” In short, the
customer will make it clear to everyone who will listen that you
are little better than a jerk and certainly far from delivering the prompt
professional service they have every right to expect. Ouch!
Solution?  If you want to impress your customer, instead of
providing the fuel for the fire that ends up scorching you, then
follow-up and keep the customer in the loop. Always.
5) “I waited and waited for service while the staff  gossiped
about what they did over the week-end.”

Want your customers to see red… and tell the world? Then
ignore them. Don’t bother to show your staff how to treat
customers; don’t treat them properly yourself. Just continue
to ignore them while chatting away. This is an absolutely
sure-fire way to lose a customer and launch a stream of
comments, the worse because they are absolutely true.
You and your staff do gossip in front of customers.
Indeed, you seem to not even see the customers, much less
regard them.
As a result, thoughtless, avoidable rudeness by rudeness you
are helping your customers create the negative image that kills your
profits and enriches your competitors. Ouch again!
6) “He was texting his girl friend while I waited for assistance!”
Inappropriate and untimely text messaging has become a worldwide
problem and a sure-fire way to get your customers to bad-mouth
you and  your business.
Be assured that if you text message in front of customers,
particularly about personal matters, you will tap into the
rich, inexhaustible vein of customer irritation, exasperation,
and rage. Text in front of customers, and you can be sure the
customer will retaliate in ways that hurt your bottom line. Count on it!
“cause I can beat you doing what you’re doing to me!”
7) “He left for a break right in the middle of ‘helping’ me!”

More avoidable customer exasperation and disbelief. OK, so you want
your break! OK, you “need” that cigarette… or that sugar high RIGHT NOW.
But must you make your feelings about your acute boredom with
and disdain for customers quite as clear as you do by walking away
from them when you’re supposed to be assisting?
We live in rude, vulgar, selfish, acute me-centered times. These are getting
worse and worse as general acceptance of boorish behavior grows.
Customers, however, continue to expect businesses like  yours to
exhibit service and civility… the more so since they get so little of it otherwise.
Last Words

So,  WHY do you do your customers like you do, do, do when they are
the life blood of your business? WHY do you allow behaviors and actions
which not only irritate customers but hurt yourself and your business? You
see, every negative situation cited above is entirely avoidable. Instead of
doing things which infuriate customers, start singing them Rudy Vallee’s
greatest hit — “My time is your time” . With that as your focus, they’ll stop
moaning “How come you  do me like you do, do, do?” and start whistling
a tune you’ll like a whole lot better.

How to stay focused and make money on days you DON’T feel like it!

Did you lay in bed this morning unwilling, unable
to get up? Did every fibre of your body demand
more time in the sack? Was it a struggle to
open an eye… and get up?
Sure enough, if today wasn’t like this, some
of your many tomorrows will be. You need to be
prepared for such inevitabilities… because they
can and will occur and can and will sabotage your
ability to make money. Here are some suggestions
that’ll help you rise and shine… suggestions I use
myself when getting up and getting going are most
decidedly NOT my first priority!
1) Create a “to do” list before you go to bed.
The key to making tomorrow organized, efficient,
and profitable is what  you do today. Make it a
rule before you retire for the night to draw up a
clear, clean, specific “to do” list. Write it, read it
over, put it next to the bed… then turn off the lights.
While you’re sleeping your subconscious mind
will be busily at work helping you organize and
implement the items on your list. Even when your
body is screaming for more sleep and all the
creature comforts it can get, the brain — and
your crucial “to do” list — will be helping you get
up and at ‘em.
2) Take a cold shower.
The British empire, the largest the world has ever
known, was practically built on a cascade of frigid
water. Its young men, pillars of the imperium, were
shipped off to prep schools and immediately
subjected to the jarring temperatures which will work
for you as well as it worked for them.  Don’t stand
there and debate…. turn up the cold tap and plunge!
You’re about to be invigorated, rejuvenated,  primed
to run your empire.
3) Do some exercise.
Are you huddling in a corner of your kitchen,
hands gripping a cup of joe, comfy in your bunny
slippers? Whoa! This isn’t helping getting your act
together. You need some brisk, bracing exercise…
the kind guaranteed to send vital oxygen to that all-
important brain.
Put the steaming liquid down and kick up your
heels… or quick-step around your back yard or
up and down your street. With every step your
brain will exult. The key isn’t coffee… it’s oxygen.
Move bristly and infuse it where it must go for
maximum good.
4) Give yourself an easy, immediate success.
Don’t feel like doing anything? Then give yourself
an easy, immediate success. This should, of course,
have been indicated on your “to do” list. Before you go
to bed be sure to post on your list an easy thing,
a thing that will start today’s sequence of successes.
Once begun, as we say in New England, is half done.
What could this “easy” thing be?
It could be calling a long-time customer to get
a nice re-order or following up with a new customer to
whom you’ve already sent a proposal and quote.
One success engenders another. Even a small
success is sufficient. Start successful, remain successful.
It all begins when you least feel like it.
5) Put on your head phones and engage with
some stirring music.
Still need help getting into gear? Go to the play list
on  your computer and choose something rousing.
What? You don’t have such a play list? Start it
today. I can assure you, you are going to need it.
Here are some of my sure-fire upbeat selections,
guaranteed to get you going:
Wake up Little Suzie by the Everly Brothers (most
appropriate, don’t you think?)
Think by Aretha Franklin.
Natalie Cole’s version of Pink Cadillac, and
J.P. Rameau’s always motivating Tambourins I-II
from Dardanus.
Your list may well be different from mine; the
important thing is to have a list you can access at
once. Turn up the sound… and move your body.
Your uplifting selections are moving you towards
another successful day.
6) Visualize what you’ll get when you turn this day
into a success.
All too often we work without conceptualizing why.
We work today because we worked yesterday.
This is not nearly good enough.
Remind yourself just why you’re working and what
special thing today’s successes will help create.
In my case, for instance, I have a pile of auction
catalogs stacked high next to my computer. I motivate
myself on days when such motivation is needed by
looking at the things I want from auctions coming up
quickly. Getting myself focused and together is a
precondition for maximum acquisition. Visualize
success; then do what’s necessary to achieve it.
7) Still not alert and moving? Then take the day off
formally and properly.
Like most people these days, you are working
more and longer than either your parents or grand
parents. We are the most leisure-challenged
generation ever.
The plain fact is, you may be unable to get up and
resolutely face the day because you’re just worn
out. If so, take the day off… sleep in, sleep properly,
sleep, relax and goof off without guilt. You’ll be the better
tomorrow if you take what is necessary and do not
regard it as an indulgence but physical need.  Enjoy!