Value-Added Selling is a Four-Step Process

Value-added selling is an ongoing process and, as such, contains four steps that repeat themselves constantly.  1st – Preparation. Commit to the value-added attitude. Become a student of sales and study. Focus strategically on the types of customers from whom you think you can get the return you need.  2nd – Planning. Planning is call […]

Seven Tips for Qualifying

Your goal in professional selling is straightforward: determine the customer’s needs, offer solutions, and successfully conclude the transaction as soon as possible. This necessitates qualifying prospects. Here are seven reasons why it is essential to qualify your customers: Qualifying determines wants, needs, and desires. Once you discover there is a distinct need that can be fulfilled […]

Selling the Quick Payback

One of the tricks of closing the sale, especially when selling to CFOs and other financial executives, is demonstrating return on investment. Prospects want to know that if they spend $1, they will get back $2. Copywriter Mike Pavlish puts it this way: “You must convince the prospect that the price you ask is a […]

Send a Travel Postcard to Increase Your business

Here’s a simple way to use postcards to attract new customers. The next time you’re at an industry convention, buy 25 postcards that represent the place you’re visiting. Think of a clever headline that ties in with the picture on the card. For example, a real estate agent sent a Nashville postcard that showed horses […]

Get Your Price

For those times you work hard finding the product that will suit your customer’s needs only to face getting beat up on the price, here are a few helpful ideas to preserve your margins:  Establish a consistent position. Consider the automobile industry. During ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, negotiating prices was so common that nobody would […]