Sell YOU With Your Small Talk (Yes You Can)
Want to build a relationship — sell yourself for a job — get ahead — make a sale?
Your ’small talk’ is crucial.
Everyday conversation can make or break you in personal relationships and in the business world. Sadly, most people don’t realize how important small talk is, nor do they try to do better.
That’s a shame, because anyone can easily develop great small talk skills.
Just how important is small talk?
A Stanford University School of Business study showed its impact on business success. It tracked MBA’s 10 years after graduation, and found grade point averages had no bearing on their success — but conversation did. Most successful were those who could make conversation with anyone — from strangers, to secretaries, to bosses to customers.
Small talk impacts your success in ‘personal’ relationships because it can shape how others see you in terms of intelligence and confidence. People tend to see good conversationalists as more intelligent and confident.
Other research — to find the characteristics of the ideal person — has shown confidence and intelligence are the most important factors for about 60% of respondents.
Despite the importance of small talk, most people don’t do it well. Shyness is one reason. Others range from not knowing how to start a conversation to not having anything to say.
But all it really takes to be good at small talk is a simple strategy.
THINK AHEAD
You will never have a conversation in a vacuum. It will always have its own context and environment. Think ahead about conversations you are likely to have — even those casual encounters that may happen because of where you will be on a given day.
HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY
Make sure you have ’something to say.’ Do a little research. Read the newspapers. Find interesting things to talk about — serious or humorous — on the subjects that come up in everyday conversation - careers, sports, the weather, money, kids, politics, etc.
ASK QUESTIONS
This is critical. A conversation takes two and questions help BOTH you and the other party. Ask someone a question, and you get them ‘engaged.’
LISTEN AND UNDERSTAND
This strategy step requires you to, not only listen to how others answer questions, but to ‘understand’ and adapt.
ADAPT
Let’s assume you are a salesperson and, when you enter the new prospect’s office, you alertly notice a picture of him standing in front of a sign saying ‘Michigan State University.’ You say, ‘Oh, I see you went to Michigan State.’ The prospect replies, ‘Yeah, I went there on a football scholarship.’
And you reply, ‘Oh, I went to Boston University, myself. What was your major?’
Wrong follow-up question! The prospect ‘volunteered’ information important to him (football scholarship). You should have ‘adapted’ . . . following up with something like, ‘Oh, what position did you play?’ This could lead to a whole series of questions, increasingly ‘engaging’ the prospect.
When you successfully apply this simple strategy, you create ‘rapport’ - a feeling of trust and liking. This can cause others to think of you in positive ways:
‘Personal’ friends or personal friends-to-be:
‘This is an interesting, entertaining and witty person — the kind of person I like to have around me.’
Employers or potential employers:
‘This is a person who would fit in here — a person who can relate well and get along well with others.’
Customers:
‘I’m comfortable with this person. This is the kind of person I’d like to do business with.’
Clearly, small talk is crucial to you. You owe it to YOU to do it well.
About The Author
Paul Barton is the author of, How To Be GREAT!!! In Conversation — Small Talk Techniques To Help You Sell YOU, and an Internet publisher offering personal image improvement and other self-improvement books.
W. Paul Barton Associates
10 Ways To Catapult Your Sales
1. Swap endorsement advertisements with other
web sites. Endorsement ads usually pull more sales
and traffic than regular advertisements.
2. Outsource part of your workload to save time
and money. You can spend more of your time and
money promoting your business.
3. Include a signature file on all the e-mails you send
out. Provide your business name, phone number,
e-mail and web address,etc.
4. Use pictures or graphics on your web site that
support the product you’re selling. They could give
your visitors a clearer vision of your product.
5. Create a friendly, long term relationship with all
your customers. Practice good customer service
and follow-up with them on a regular basis.
6. Create strategic alliances with other web sites.
You could exchange banner ads, sell each other’s
products as backend products, cross promote, etc.
7. Increase the perceived value of your product to
skyrocket your sales. Add on free bonuses, after-
sale services or an affiliate program.
8. Give customers a discount on their total order
to increase sales. You could give them a discount
for ordering over a set dollar or product amount.
9. Allow your visitors to reprint the content on your
web site. Just ask them in exchange to include your
resource box and a link to your site.
10. Provide a free contest or sweepstakes at your
web site. It’s a fact, people like to win things. If you
can fulfill that need, people will visit.
About the author:
Rojo Sunsen is a specialized bounty hunter who prefers to work quietly/confidentially for the benefit of her clients.
5 Ways To Keep Your Call Center POSITIVE!
It’s not an easy job, managing a room with potentially hundreds of people in it. How do you help them to be productive?
One of the best ways is by managing the mood of the place.
Here are five pointers that I’ve developed over the years:
(1) Identify your center’s “opinion leaders.” These are usually folks in the rank and file who have no formal power, but lots of the informal kind. Perhaps nothing you can see makes them leaders, and you might never consider them for management, but a simple fact remains. They have followersthat’s what makes them leaders.
When you have group meetings and you mention a change in procedure, observe who receives the glances from his or her peers. If they’re looking to see how Jim is responding to you, he might be one of the top dogs.
Keep a close eye on these folks, and make sure they’re on the same page with you. Do this by informing them about upcoming changes, first. Ask for their support, but don’t ever reveal that you have pegged them as being informal leaders.
(2) Patrol your center on a regular basis. Wear a smile. Say “nice to see you,” and ask how people how they are doing. It’s like being a politician who is working a crowd. It’s part of your job, and your obvious conviviality keeps the tone light and positive.
(3) Give the group daily goals for hitting sales targets or handling large call volumes. Announce how they’re doing at crucial times. “Hey, it’s two o’clock and we’re on target; keep it up!”
(4) Recognize individuals in a big enough voice for them and at least a dozen others around them to hear. “Mary got another sale. Great job, Mary! Keep it up!” She’ll appreciate the praise, even if she tries to show modesty, and others will feel the heat turned up a notch or two beneath them.
(5) Remove sourpusses from the room, quietly, and quickly. Have a brief pep talk with them. Make sure they’re energized before mainstreaming them again.
You may not see it in your position description, but if you manage a call center, it’s your duty to keep it positive. Try these five things, and tell me how you do!
Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of www.Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com
Security Cooperation-A Business Opportunity For IT and Defence Companies
The US has established a program of Security Cooperation with foreign sovereign nations who share common interest and values to meet common defence goals. Island Consulting has learnt that the Security Programmes must be authorised by the US Foreign Assistance Act and, as amended, by the Arms Export Control Act to enable the Department of Defence, or commercial contractor, to provide defence services and articles in support of national policies and objectives.
The two key programs within the security cooperation brief are Foreign Military Sales and International Military Education and Training, (FMS & IMET). The FMF program is managed by the Department of Defence on a not for profit basis. The beneficial country in question has grant aid allocated which may be “spent” against the acquisition of US defence articles in support of security cooperation.
When required defence articles or services have been identified, in the end user country, the countries representative must provide a Letter of Request normally through the local US Embassy Office of Defence Cooperation representative.
The reply could be in the form of Price and Availability information or a Letter of Offer and Acceptance. If the requesting country accepts the LOA the US will then provide the material or services offered.
A wide range of articles may be requested through the FMF program including such things as; Electronic Defence Systems, Logistics systems, Support equipment, and training. Training in US military schools can also be available particularly where items being acquired are similar to those items being transferred through the FMF programme.
As a separate line of Defence Cooperation countries can be offered support for IMET International Military Education and Training, after making the appropriate request as for FMF.
US companies operating in the defence field can benefit their European business by taking advantage of these Cooperation programs and implementing IT and Defence systems supported by FMF.
It is interesting to see how the US Foreign Assistance is requested at the Congress level as this gives an idea of the priorities assigned to individual recipient nations.
If we limit our interest to Central and eastern Europe we can see that the mature Western nations are understandably not offered direct assistance, but the former Eastern European nations have accrued considerable benefit as they bring their Defence infrastructure and systems more in line with western standards. Typically Hungary, Poland and the Czech republic have been beneficial recipients but this has now moved in favour of countries such as Bulgaria, Romania the Ukraine and most recently Turkey.
By way of example Island Consulting understands that in 2005 Bulgaria received approval for $6.9m, Romania $29m and Ukraine $3m whilst Turkey received $33.7m.
Island Consulting is an independent Research Consultancy giving your organisation business advantage in Government, Defence and Public Sector account research within Western Europe.
Services include: Market Intelligence for ICT companies targeting Government, Defence and Public Sector accounts. If you are focusing on these customers Island Consulting can deliver specific market intelligence data to improve your business opportunities.
Three key methodologies are employed to meet customers market intelligence requirements.
1.Meetings and interviews with MoD, Public Sector and Defence experts enables up to date information to be effectively collected for standard reports or customer specific requirements.
2. Dedicated data gathering includes opens source desk research augmented by direct follow up with the targeted accounts.
3. Telephone research is available for customer projects or sales campaigns.
For example the European Defence Research project provides ICT companies with a detailed analysis of current status and areas of opportunity, across 18 Central European countries
How to improve your english partII
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Converting Sales Training To Sales Success!
The goal of all sales training is not just to teach solid selling principles and techniques, but to actually help participants increase the number of new accounts (products and/or services) they sell and improve their multiple sales ratios. Unfortunately, many sales and service industry professionals gain an intellectual awareness of the methods of selling from the sales training they receive, yet fail to improve their bottom line sales results by systematically using the concepts in their daily transactions. See my article, The Processionary Caterpillar Syndrome Costs You Sales?
There are a number of methods you can use to move beyond an intellectual awareness of sound sales techniques. By applying some of these ideas, you can begin to see a steady improvement in the number and scope of your sales transactions. These concepts can help any sales professional drill-for-skill the vital selling principles needed to become a sales leader. Really all it takes to be successful in sales is just a little practice and perseverance.
Give Yourself Permission To Succeed
To become a sales leader in any kind of business only requires that you give yourself permission to succeed. In sales, as in every endeavor in life, it is your attitude not your attributes that count. There is no reason you can not be extremely successful at selling your company’s products and services, if you make up your mind to do the job.
William James, a Harvard Professor and the man many view as the father of American Psychology, wrote in 1895:
“The greatest discovery of my generation is, that a human being can alter his circumstances in life by altering his attitude of mind.”
James also gave people a formula for achieving an altered attitude of mind. He simply told them to “act as if” they were already successful and this act alone could make them successful. If you act as if you have changed or act like a different person, according to James, you must change or become a different person. If a sales professional acts as if she can sell, her sales ratios and product account closings can do nothing but improve.
By releasing your “inner brakes” and seeing yourself using the sales and customer service techniques you have learned, you can become extremely successful in your efforts to sell your company’s products and services. If you want to consistently produce multiple sales transactions, just let yourself go and you will start to see the success you are seeking. You have the right to be successful. The only thing that can stop your improvement and ultimate success is yourself. Tell yourself that it is all right to produce outstanding sales results; and then, begin envisioning the success you expect to achieve.
Use Affirmations To Produce Success
To help you consistently execute the sales techniques you have learned, use affirmations to change the way you think and perform. Affirmations can also help release your internal breaking system.
We gravitate to our dominant thought patterns. By using affirmations (”I can,” “I am,” etc.), you can create dominant thoughts about specific sales methods that will help you to move away from your fears (the fear of failure or of looking foolish) toward successful sales transactions. Write down a series of positive affirmations about the sales process or a specific technique. Then read them over until you create the dominant thought patterns that produce success.
As we teach in all of our Sales Success workshops and discuss in detail in our published training material, it is vital to your sales success that you regularly affirm your selling skills and visualize successful transactions using the techniques you have learned. To succeed you must see yourself as one of your company’s top sales producers by regularly performing mental dress rehearsals for the position.
Repeat The Technique Until It Is Yours
As you are taught new sales techniques you need to practice them on the job as well as in your mind, until you can use them in each transaction without even thinking about their use. We call this level of sales proficiency “unconscious competence.”
Many sales professionals, try a new sales approach only once or twice before rejecting it out of hand or deciding that it will not work for them. True professionals; however, diligently practice a new sales concept until they can execute it without even thinking about it. This approach (going beyond an intellectual knowledge of a sales method) sets top producers apart and can be seen in their extraordinary closing and multiple sales success. It is also quite noticeable in their pay checks as well!
Role-playing at each new sales technique with a co-worker is a powerful way to gain the ability to consistently use these concepts on the job. Remember; however, that practice does not make perfect. Only “perfect practice” makes perfect. So as you practice with other employees, try to be as accurate as you can in the execution of a given sales concept.
Set aside some time each working day to drill in the sales concepts you have been taught. Take them one at a time and master each one. It might surprise you how much more you will enjoy coming to work when you become truly proficient in building sales and long term customer relationships for your company.
Saturate Your Mind
Saturate your mind with sales and motivational materials. As you do this, you will move from an intellectual understanding of the sales techniques to a daily working knowledge of the methods you need to succeed, and you will have more than just an occasional thought about what you are trying to accomplish. What is needed to help you change your behavior is a constant positive saturation of your mind by reading over the materials you have been given or the notes you have taken on the subject.
In his tapes, The Psychology of Selling, Brian Tracy tells his listeners that one of the best methods to increase sales success is to read then reread one of the best books on sales for 30 minutes each day. He feels this type of saturation will have a tremendous impact on the sales activity of an individual. Research from Stanford University indicates that you can learn more from reading the same book six times than you can from reading 40 books on the same subject.
Work Smarter Not Harder
Outstanding sales results come to those sales professionals who correctly follow and apply sound sales principles. They won’t do the work for you but they will lighten your load and give you an edge. All it takes to be successful at selling your company’s products is to want to improve the way you perform, see yourself using new selling techniques, give yourself permission to use the concepts and regularly practice them until they become second nature.
Best wishes for continued sales success,
VIRDEN THORNTON is the founder and President of The $elling Edge®, Inc. an Ohio consulting firm specializing in sales and sales management training, personal coaching, advisory services and publishing. Clients have included Sears Optical, Eastman Kodak, IBM, Service Linen Supply, Bank One, Jefferson Wells International, and Wal-Mart to name a few. Virden is the author of the “best selling” Building & Closing the Sale, Prospecting: The Key To Sales Success and Close That Sale, a video/audio tape series published by Crisp Publications a division of Thompson Learning. He has also authored a client acclaimed Self-Directed Learning series of sales, coaching, telemarketing, and personal productivity manuals. To obtain a substantial discount on two of Virden’s latest books, 101 Sales Myths or Organizing For Sales Success, go to: http://www.TheSellingEdge.com/
Ten Mind Altering Words That Make People Buy
I have put together 10 Amazing Words that will drive your customers so that you will make more sales. More sales, more money, it’s a formula for Success.
1. Use the word “fast” in your ad. People want fast results, fast delivery, fast ordering, etc. Nowadays, we usually value our time more than our money.
2. Use the word “guaranteed” in your ad. People want to be assured they are not risking their hard earned money buying your product.
3. Use the word “limited” in your ad. People want to own or receive things that are exclusive or rare because they are considered to be more valuable.
4. Use the word “easy/simple” in your ad. People want easy ordering, easy instructions, easy to use, easy payments, etc.
5. Use the word “testimonial” in your ad. People want to see believable proof before they buy your product. It should be reputable and specific proof.
6. Use the word “discount/sale ” in your ad. People want to find bargains. They could be rebates, one time sales, percentage offers, get one free offers, etc.
7. Use the word “free” in your ad. People want free incentives before they do business with you. They could be free books, accessories, services, etc.
8. Use the word “you/your” in your ad. People want to know that you are talking them. This’ll make them feel important and attract them to read the whole ad.
9. Use the word “important” in your ad. People do not want to miss important information that could effect their life. People will stop and take notice.
10. Use the word “new” in your ad. People want new products or services that will improve their life like new information, tastes, technology, results, etc.
I hope these words help you as much as they have helped me.
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Submitted with AD Submitter.
Export Factoring - How to Use Trade Finance to Finance Your International Sales
Selling your goods internationally can be extremely rewarding and challenging at the same time. When you start exporting goods, you truly open your company to a world of possibilities, including the possibility of big financial rewards. At the same time, you expose yourself to some of the challenges of international commerce.
Many international transactions are settled using bank or corporate letters of credit, which means you can rest assured that you will be paid on time. However, many of your clients will insist that you give them payment terms. This means you may need to wait 30, 60 or even 90 days before you get paid. And if your company is growing, waiting to get paid can be very tough.
Going to the bank for a business loan may or may not work. Most banks only give business loans to businesses that have a great past history. But this is of little use to businesses that have a short history but a bright future.
A better option is to consider factoring your invoices, which eliminates the 30 day wait that it takes to get paid. Export factoring (or international factoring as it is also known) can be a very useful tool for new and growing businesses.
Factoring is a form of financing, where a factoring company advances you a substantial portion on your invoices. The factoring company waits to get paid, while you get immediate use of the funds. This eliminates the cash flow issues that happen when you extend terms.
Export factoring is a factoring specialty. Actually, very few factoring companies offer international export factoring, so when talking to companies be sure to be specific and ask if they offer this type of factoring.
Many factoring companies also offer purchase order financing. This factoring product extension provides you with financing to fulfill purchase orders. Purchase order financing gives you the necessary funding to pay your suppliers, using the purchase order as collateral.
If your company is growing and selling goods offshore, be sure to look into factoring and purchase order funding as valuable financing tools to help you grow.
About Commercial Capital LLC
We are trade financing experts and can provide you with trade financing, export factoring and invoice factoring financing. For a quote, call Marco Terry at (866) 730 1922.