Tips on Setting Appointments

There are only two real reasons for a general lack of appointments: the fear of the phone and not knowing what to say and how to say it.

Some people are just afraid to pick up the phone to make prospecting calls. These people either never get going at all or only make a few calls. They never generate enough positive activity to succeed.

There are also the fearless ones who can burn through a prospect list in no time. However, they lack basic skills. In the absence of these skills, they can turn a great prospect list into worthless pile of paper and end up discouraged and defeated.

The following appointment setting techniques and principles will give you some great tips for making successful sales calls and booking appointments.

Set the Prospect at Ease

For your prospects to be open to your message, it is essential that they first be set at ease. A statement of familiarity must be made early in the call to capture attention, create interest and raise the level of comfort your prospect has with the calls.

Make sure to state immediately the purpose for the call and the potential benefit of the both of you getting together. People always want to know what is in it for them, and if you can communicate this early on it will increase the length of the conversation by increasing their curiosity.

Take Control

The person asking the questions is always in control of the conversation. You must master the skill of asking questions that people are compelled to answer and get them talking about their needs.

When people hear themselves telling you their likes and dislikes they automatically start to become endeared to you and want to hear more about your product. Be sure to be bold when asking questions and try and show some empathy about what their plight might be. Do not be so quick to move on to the next person on the list because the prospect will feel that.

Enthusiastically Assume the Appointment

Do not ask for an appointment. Asking for it puts the ball in their court. You never want the ball in their court.

Force them to either go through the awkwardness of saying no to sitting down with you or acquiesce to your request because it is obvious to them that you expected them to. Your expectation is the most important thing you bring to the phone call and will set the tone for how the conversation will go.

Expect then Manage Appointment Pushback

You can almost always expect initial resistance to your request for an appointment from both qualified and unqualified prospects.

The key is to properly manage this initial pushback to determine if your prospect's resistance indicates they are really not qualified or if it is just an automatic response from an otherwise qualified prospect. This initial resistance to an appointment is normal, welcomed and easily managed.

Reaffirm After Confirming Date, Time and Location

Always make sure to repeat all the prospect's information back to them. It reminds them of the information themselves as well as emphasizes them that you are putting this information down in writing.

This places more importance on the meeting and helps them understand that this meeting is important to you and more importantly that you will be there. They will show up most times just for that reason.

Overcoming Rejection in Sales

One of the biggest reasons most people are scared of sales or selling is the fear of being rejected.

It is mentally draining even for very experienced sales professionals and entrepreneurs. The most successful people in sales learn and master how to not let a rejection affect their next sales appointment. How does one become more mentally tough about taking a no?

Learning to Love NO

It is important to note that this is not a fear that is specific to sales. People in general do not like being rejected as we all have an inherent need to feel accepted by the people around us.

However, the first step in becoming proficient at sales is to understand that when people say no to the purchasing of a product or service you are trying to sell, they are not rejecting you as a person.

A no simply means no. It doesn't mean you are a bad person, it doesn't mean they don't like you and it certainly doesn't mean they will not buy your product at another time.

Their answer quite frankly has absolutely nothing to do with you and everything to do with what they are in need for at that point in time! It is time to move and get over yourself.

But how does one get comfortable in an environment where high volume numbers are the only way to succeed and so the ability to take rejection is part of the job description? If you are struggling with this or even if you are a veteran, here are some tips you can use to strengthen your ability to overcome rejection from a potential client.

Quantity over Quality

People new in sales always make the mistake of trying to be perfect before attempting to make a sale. Focus initially instead on going through more potential clients. Trust me, it is okay. This will get you used to accepting rejection and understanding that whether they say yes or no really is not under your control.

You can't control what their answer is, but you can control how many prospective clients you sit down with that week. Put the numbers in your favor and just ask enough people until someone gives you the answer you want.

Ask More Questions

Learn to ask more questions. There is always a reason why a person doesn't want to buy your product. Ask them to explain why they don't see the value in it. Enough answers to this question will give you some insight into what you can do to promote the product better. You will also uncover some misconceptions they might have had about the product and clarify for them the benefit they did not pick up on.

Asking them why they do not want what you are selling will also affirm for you that they really have nothing against you and just don't need your product. This should boost your confidence and put you in the right state of mind.

Emotionally Disconnect from the Outcome

Remember that rejection may not be written into your job description as an entrepreneur, but it is a big part of it. To be emotional about a job function is suicide and your attitude will be like a roller coaster with dips and valleys at unexpected times. Your attitude is all you have so protect it by reading positive mental attitude books and listening to motivational tapes or CDs.

This is very important as your attitude will go down if you do not maintain a steady flow of positive reinforcement. It is like a gas tank that needs to be refilled every time it is half full. You cannot afford to let it get close to being empty because it needs to be overflowing with enthusiasm for the tougher prospects who will want to be convinced rather than sold.

Think of positive as being a noun and not a verb. The more positive you have, the more positive you will give out and the more you will get back.

Embrace Failure

Understand that success and failure are Siamese twins. You must go through failure in order to be successful as the road to success is paved with failure.

Every person in history who has ever become great had to go through numerous rejections before being given a chance. Luckily for you, you will be no different.

If you can persist and get to the other side of failure, success is waiting for you.

Embrace every no as bringing you one stop closer to a yes. Focus on getting your failure rate higher and by default your success rate will increase based on the law of averages.

Remember to stay consistent. Dick Devos, CEO of Amway Global, stated that "One must develop relentless perseverance to be successful as a business owner. Relentless perseverance is consistency, but consistency under pressure."

It's a Numbers Game

So the bottom line is sales is a numbers game.

But here's a question for you: what isn't a numbers game?

People in the medical profession have to overbook their calendar to make sure they are guaranteed a certain number of patients. Colleges and Universities accept more students every year because they know a lesser number will graduate. Sports teams at any level, whether from high school to professional sports, always have a tryout session with a lot of players initially and then gradually make cuts to get the best of the best from the group.

You get the point?

Michael Jordan when asked what he thinks contributed the most to his NBA career stated that he has missed more shots than he has made, that is why he has made more memorable shots and no one bothers to highlight how many he's missed.

Increase your failure rate, get more people to say no to you and you will be amazed at the success waiting at the other side.

How to Get Repeat Sales

The rainmaker in the old days was the person known for being able to summon rain at will to water the farmland centuries ago in the Native American culture.

Most people in sales know what it means to be the "rainmaker" in an organization. It is a prestigious title or nickname given to the person who consistently brings in the most sales in a company.

A closer look at rainmakers though will reveal that bringing in sales and keeping sales are two totally different things and the latter is much more difficult.

An entrepreneur will not be successful if they have a revolving door business. In this scenario, they have to bring in the same amount of sales every month and more just to stay ahead because they have no referrals from clients and fail to keep their existing clients on board.

Fortunately, the ability to not only bring in revenue from clients and maintain those revenue streams through repeat sales is a skill that can be learned.

Let's take a look at three key tips on getting and keeping customers.

Build relationships before and after the sale

Business is all about relationships. Selling has a lot to do with not just understanding your product but more importantly understanding the needs of your prospective clients. It is important that you identify what it is they are looking for and if they have a need you can fill and do the best you can to fill that need if possible with your product.

After the sale, however, make sure to make follow-up phone calls, asking them how they are benefitting from their purchase and if there is anything you can do to further help them. Make them feel like they are your only customer and they will always come back to you. In other words, create an environment that keeps them wanting your business.

Ask for referrals

The best and least expensive form of advertising is customer referrals. People will buy something more because they know someone personally that uses the product and less because of an advertisement or good sales presentation.

Do not underestimate the importance of asking for this even after the close of the sale. It is imperative, however, to ask for referrals even if you were unsuccessful in selling your product but do so with tact and be respectful of the wishes of the client.

Sometimes this technique can even have unanticipated results if the prospect that did not buy refers you a few names and numbers, and these people you eventually meet happen to get excited about your business. As a result the initial prospective client who did not want to buy the product, may possibly reconsider trying it out after hearing the excitement of their friends.

Offer subscriptions or replenishment services

If this is not yet a part of your business plan, make sure to include it right away.

Customers are lazy by nature and anything that can keep your business flowing through their household or organization is your responsibility. Offer a wide variety of subscriptions and replenishment systems to ensure that they use your product consistently and frequently so that it eventually becomes a part of their lifestyle. Once you are part of a customer's routine, you will never lose their business.

Be unique

Consider this example. Mp3 players have revolutionized the way people interact with music today. One of the more famous brands of mp3 players is the popular iPod. It is interesting to note however that the iPod is not the most expensive product in its category, doesn't have the most options and was not the first such product to be released.

The reason for its success is the simplicity of using the product. It is the easiest of the Mp3 players to manipulate. So the point here is this: have some exclusive items in your line of products. Develop a product that your customers cannot get anywhere else and this will ensure a continued long-lasting business for you.

So the bottom line is that repeat sales are more than just revenue. They represent the only real residual income for the organization. Without repeat sales it is tough to set realistic future goal. Use these tips to keep your organization bringing in more revenue and keeping old revenue as well.

Effective Presentations

What are some aspects of a good presentation? What differentiates an average sales pitch to a contract-maker? In this article, we highlight some tips on giving effective presentations and essentially closing the deal.

A common myth often heard among inexperienced sales people is that "if a product is good enough it will sell itself."

This statement could not be any further from the truth because products don't sell products. People sell products.

No matter how good a product may be, there still needs to be a strategy to inform customers on the benefits, pros, cons and the ways in which the product differs from its competitors. As a business owner and entrepreneur, if you have the capital to do so a marketing strategy involving advertising is always effective. However if yourbusiness or company is still in its nascent stage, you might be forced to break out a board and easel, grab some magic markers and give presentations for potential customers.

It is a fact that public speaking and presentation skills are terrifying to most people but in sales this is a prerequisite. So if you're an entrepreneur and find that you break out in hives or feel like puking your lunch before a presentation, it is time to get over this fear once and for all. You will find that the more you give presentations the easier they become and the better you get at giving them.

Here are some quick tips on giving effective sales presenations.

Prepare and know your material

It is vital that you know what you will talk about, focus on, and communicate to your audience.

It doesn't matter if your audience comprises two people or twenty. If you don't sound like you know what you're saying, they will quickly lose interest and grow frustrated with your lack of seriousness about your own product. They will not take you seriously if you do not take yourself seriously.

Take some time to sharpen your axe before looking for a tree to cut. In other words, always be prepared with your material and sales pitch memorized and perfected. As the saying goes, "If you stay ready, you don't have to get ready". Opportunities are always available. Most people are just not prepared for them and miss them as they go by. Don't miss the chance to bag the big fish because your bait isn't enticing enough.

Speak with conviction and enthusiasm

Enthusiasm about your product will be contagious. Enthusiasm is the simplest way to communicate passion.

People are attracted to passionate people and will buy into you first before they buy into the product you are selling. If you are not the type to speak with boldness and excitement, just act like you are and eventually it will become part of your personality. Most people if given the option to listen to a boring lecture by a professor or listen to a dynamic speaker on any topic would obviously choose the latter even though the professor is more valuable in the knowledge he or she can impart to them. It doesn't so much what the message is as long as the messenger is convicted about his or her beliefs.

Interact with the audience

Be sure to continually through the presentation make eye contact with everyone in the room and ask for participation when possible. This will make the prospective clients feel like they are having a conversation and not just sitting in on a boring meeting. They do enough of that already during the week at work or at other engagements.

Figure out ways to relax them and let them know the presentation will be informative but also a lot of fun. Relate the product to their everyday lives and relate to some of the stuff and challenges they have to go through and experience because they don't have the product. This will create the value they are looking for and bring your presentation full circle.

Be straightforward

Nothing irritates people more than a salesman who is not straightforward about what he is looking for. Do not sugar-coat the price and definitely be honest about the value of the product.

Exaggeration of any type is not necessary and will only give the potential customer the impression that the product is not as good as you make it out to be. Less is always more. Let them ask you questions so you can slowly help them understand why your product is the best on the market.

Relax

This is very important and probably the toughest thing to do for people who are not proficient in the skill of presenting. People will generally reflect the posture and attitude of the person they are communicating with. If you are relaxed, your audience will be relaxed. If you appear uncomfortable, rushed, hurried, or unsure of what you're doing or saying your audience will become very uncomfortable and will stop listening.

Take a deep breath before proceeding and remind yourself that they are not there to try and make you feel stupid; you'll do more of that yourself. They are just there to listen to what you have to say. They have never heard the presentation before and as such will not know if you mess up or not. Relax and have fun and it should be a breeze.

Be yourself

People can smell a phony. Do not pretend to be anything or anyone but yourself.

Your audience will be most uncomfortable if they can tell you are putting on an act. No one really wants to be impressed. They just want to know if they like you before they even consider your product. Put your best foot forward but make sure it is your own foot. If you're not funny, don't try to be funny. Be genuine and let them know your honest opinion about the product.

If you are the owner of the product or business, then you really should have nothing but enthusiasm to share, and this is always a winning formula in sales.

Characteristics of Successful Salesmen

Sales people are some of the most mentally tough, self-motivated people you can find in the business world. The prerequisite for getting involved with sales usually consists of criteria like personable, driven, ambitious, hardworking, self-motivated, resourceful, etc. People skills are almost the bare essential with other charismatic traits as an added bonus.

Those are some of the traits you need just to get started. But what exactly do you need to be very successful in the industry? If you are already in Sales, watch the very successful sales agents around you and you'll notice they possess the following qualities.

Enthusiasm

When it comes to sales, enthusiasm is the most critical personality trait you can work on incorporating into who you are as a person. Being genuinely enthusiastic about your company and products is extremely important.

In addition your desire to serve and help your customers on solving their problems will make all the difference between you and your competition. Norman Vincent Peale said, "If you have zest and enthusiasm you attract zest and enthusiasm. Life does give back in kind." Enthusiasm is contagious and your clients will feel it from you and respond by enthusiastically signing the dotted line.

Selling is and always will be a conveyance of feeling. If you can get the prospect to feel the same way about your product as you do, they'll buy it. Greater passion and enthusiasm will lead to greater sales, it's that simple. You express your passion and enthusiasm by the intensity of your voice, your body language, and your facial expressions.

This is important because 95 percent of the purchase decisions made by people are emotional not logical. Facts are important but communicate them with some passion and enthusiasm and watch your clients and prospects move up on their seats, lean forward, and eventually tell you to stop talking because they want all of what you're selling.

They Never Take the First NO

The old saying in sales is that "the real selling starts with the first no". This is not to say that you are not to listen to your prospect, but you must be able to read what they are saying no to.

The most successful sales people are very good at hearing a no response and asking a follow-up question right afterwards. They learn to accept objections as a challenge which when handled correctly will benefit both you and your prospect. This is critical: if you fear objections, you will always fumble your response. Most prospects that buy usually have 50 percent more objections than people who don't so you're losing out on a huge market if you are getting cold feet.

There are only a few reasons why prospects will have an objection to purchasing your product. Some common ones are they dislike decision making, prefer old habits, are reluctant to give up something old for something new, or even a perceived threat to their self-image. But always be on the lookout for the real reason.

Experienced salesmen are adept at getting past that first no to find the real reason why the prospect does not want to buy. Once you know what their concern is then solving it is easy and getting them to buy is a piece of cake.

They Overcome Rejection Very Quickly

Successful salesmen have mastered the art of overcoming rejection very quickly. What I mean by that is not making a sale or someone telling them that they do not value their product does not diminish how they feel about it.

For a lot of sales people, their biggest challenge is that when they get a NO, the actual value of their product doesn't diminish but it does in their minds. And they almost feel the next prospect they sit down with is not getting a good product because someone else told them they didn't like it. This is as a result of a low self-image and can only be improved through repetition.

Successful Sales people understand that a no to a product or service simply means that: NO. The value of the product still stands, and as long as they keep asking more people, they will get the answers they want.

They Have High Expectations

Successful salesmen understand that their expectations about how a meeting will go are more important than the process involved. Your expectations define your reality. What you expect is what you get. It's simple, powerful, and profound all at the same time.

The expectations that you present to the world about yourself, and the people around you, will usually manifest. Just the way our exceptions of others influences how we deal with them, they also influence how other people respond to us. As a sales person it is vital that you go into every meeting expecting every prospect to buy multiple units of your product.

In fact, you should be bewildered when your prospect says no. Having that expectation will do two key things. One, it will control your attitude during the meeting. And two, it will influence your prospects perception of what you have. If you can't believe they don't see the value in what you have, chances are they will start to not understand why they don't either. Expect the most positive outcome from every meeting, appointment, phone call, and sales pitch and you will be amazed. People tend to rise to your expectations; this includes prospects.

Benefits Versus Features

Most people in the business world are aware that sales is not the easiest thing to do but that it is perhaps the most essential of all the business functions.

Quite frankly, without sales a business cannot sustain itself. Understanding how to make a sale quickly and efficiently is both a skill and an art. It can be learned but it also requires a good amount of people intuition and people skills.

The first thing to understand about sales is that people are primarily concerned with one person: themselves. They are as a result of this driven by the benefits of a product and not so much the features.

Most would-be sellers do not realize how important the knowledge of these two aspects of a product is. As a result, they always fail miserably when making a sale.

Here's a tip that you should never forget: the customer always knows what they want, so it's your goal to figure that out by baiting them with the various benefits.

The popular sales quote is that "Features are the skins of benefits". Before you start selling, master the art of peeling each layer of a feature one at a time and understanding its benefits. Doing so will allow you to get to the core of what your customer are really looking for.

Remember, benefits help customers make decisions quickly, so get right to the benefits of the product as soon as possible.

So why does focusing on benefits always work more than focusing on features? Here are a couple of reasons.

First and foremost, benefits are more personal. Most people when looking for a specific product have a reason for looking for it. There is a benefit they are seeking out and hope to find it by using that product. When selling your product it is important to talk about the benefits to the customer first and foremost and then later talk about the features which produce those benefits and not the other way around.

Most people will shut off quickly when they find that you are circuitous in your description of your product and not directly relating it to them and what they're looking for. Remember once again to ask questions as this will help you understand the need that the customer wants filled.

Another important thing to consider is that every product has features. There isn't a product on the market that doesn't have specific features that come with it. The problem here is that customers are inherently lazy when making purchases, and they are not skilled in translating features into benefits. They want the dirty work already done for them.

Analyzing the features of every single product they see advertised to come up with the potential benefits takes too much work and they will simply choose not to do it if given the choice. You need to explain the benefits. Since your competitors may be doing the same thing, focus most on the benefits that are unique to your offering and you'll have more success.

The bottomline? Benefits focus on the customer, features focus on the product.

Customers only care about themselves and what the product can do for them, period.

If you can shift the focus of your sales team or presentations from a product orientation to a customer orientation, you should seen an increase in success in this area.

Activities to Keep Your Sales Numbers Growing

The key to selling is having the opportunity to actually sell. If you are in sales the one thing you must master in order to be successful is keeping a steady list of appointments booked into your calendar.

Keep your calendar booked

The first thing to understand about developing the ability to book your calendar on a week to week basis is that it is a skill. It doesn't take talent to book your calendar every week but it does take time and effort to hone the necessary skills.

Sales numbers will inevitably start to drop if you don't have appointment numbers that are consistently growing.

Just based on the law of averages, every sales person knows that you will get more people saying no to the purchase of your product than saying yes any given week. So in order to be efficient with your time you have to make sure your calendar always has a plethora of appointments.

Initially you will find that you are just sitting down with prospects that show a little interest in what you're selling but with time the quality of your prospect list will improve and so will your success ratio as well. Remember this important tip: if you have five appointments booked this week for example, it is because of the work you did last week, not this week.

To book your calendar in advance you must do the work in advance. This is the fastest way to gain momentum and boost your sales volume month to month.

Have a script and go over it daily

This is very vital when making phone calls to book appointments as well as when you eventually sit down with your prospect. In the world of Sales there are two main reasons why prospective clients will not buy: one if you, the other is them.

The goal is to absolutely eliminate any mistakes from your end so at least you know you did everything you could to make the sale. Have a script that is pretty generic and can be used to call anyone with reference to your product. Go over this over and over until it becomes second nature that you can eventually say it with your own personality and style.

Scripts keep you guided and help keep the phone conversation flowing. Most people are busy and if you call them and start stuttering or fluttering with nervousness they will grow impatient and hang-up the phone. Make sure to include in your script a plan of action if they say no to either the purchase of your product or even to sitting down for an appointment.

Prospects can only give a variety of answers and usually ask the same questions. Master how to respond to the questions on the fly so you do not get flustered and come across as not being confident in your product. You have to sell your confidence too, and if you have a script and memorize it you will appear very confident. The prospect wants to know you've done this before so if you haven't mastered your script get to it!

Personalize your calls

The script is important, very important, but make sure to remember that you are not acting here for a movie. The goal of the script is to give you a professional guided blueprint for how your phone calls, appointments, and meetings should flow. But the ultimate goal is to connect enough with your prospect so they eventually want to purchase your product. This will only happen if you find out what it is they are looking for and try and relate to where they are.

A lot of times prospects want you to have done your research so they don't have to. Study their industry before giving them a call so they know you put some time into trying to help them fill a need they have. They will greatly appreciate this. Also make sure to let them know if you have helped other people or companies in a similar situation they find themselves currently in. People like to know that you have a proven success record with a competitor or even a non-competitor of theirs.

The bottom line: relate, connect, pull and then close the sale. Prospects don't want to be sold a product from a sales person. They want to buy a product from a friend.

Ask for referrals

This is the single-most dropped ball by so many sales people. It is staggering how much more a sales person could bring in monthly sales in whatever industry if they just form the habit of turning the answer no into a yes by asking for referrals.

The challenge in asking referrals is this: people don't ask! The assumption is that most people would be offended if asked for a referral in the light that they are not going ahead with purchasing the product. In reality they really don't care. They can either say two things: yes, or no.

If they say yes that still leaves the door open for you to come back to this prospect at a later time and is a clear indicator that the prospect recognizes the value of your product.

If they say no, at least you still asked! If for every no response you got from a prospect you got three to five referrals, how big would your list be at the end of the week of people to call? And how much less work did you have to do just because you had the guts to ask them if they knew anyone who they would refer you to in confidence that you would service them just as well as you have the prospect. Ask, and you shall receive.