The Easiest Way I've Ever Known To Ask For The Sale!

Hi everyone ..

This past week much of our discussion here on the blog has been about closing business.  It used to freak me out.  I could handle all elements of the sale but when it came to asking for the business, it felt like a huge wall went up between the prospect and myself.   

Then I was introduced to what was referred to as a track.  It worked like a charm and I have never looked back. 

It begins with your mindset.  Your objective going into your first meeting with a prospect is that you are looking for a "match" between their needs and your solutions.  As much as they are exploring you for your solutions, you are exploring them for being a good client.  To make this happen  you must ask lots of questions and receive lots of replies. Take the pressure off of yourself and enjoy the session.

Once you've done all your adventurous exploring you can see if all tallies up into a match for both of you. If so, have your prospect verbally agree that a match exists and that all the criteria is there for moving forward and completing a deal. Ant, at this time, the question you ask is, "what do we need to do to put this together?"  Or something similar, What needs to happen to have this up and running for you?  Let's make this happen! What do we need to do? etc.

If your prospect says,  "who do I make the check out to?" you are good to go!
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Otherwise sit down and together map out a timeline of what needs to happen. 
- Do you have a time line when all has to completed?
- Do you need to speak with other clients of ours?
- Also include what needs to be done from your side of the partnership.
This is also a great time to pre-ask common objections and get those answered early on.

Once you both have your timeline in hand it is all downhill.  You are working from a predefined agreement that makes calling your prospect quite comfortable,  asking how a certain task on the timeline is moving along quite comfortable, etc.

One additional thought.  Include in your timeline what you do after the sale.  State that your policy is to check in every so many months and get an agreement for that.  That way you won't feel awkward and like you are just calling for more business.   

All of this is just basic communications.   Finding a match between a need and a solution and identifying how to put it into action.  That simple. Nothing more, nothing less. Creating links for making a strong connection between the two of you.  Too often people think "sales" can jump over these links and that some type of hocus pocus makes it all happen.  Skip the hocus pocus and just lay out the details.
Both your prospect, now client, and you will be happier.

No more asking for a sale.  Start creating partnerships.

keep your business garden growing ... margie
www.todaysway.net

How Do Trick-Or-Treaters Get Their Candy? What Is The Process?

Do you live in a neighborhood where one house or maybe even one street attracts all the trick-or-treaters?  Why do you think that is? Probably because they  have the treats!  They are into Halloween!  The "get" the holiday!  They "connect" with the trick-or-treaters!

So, OK ... But then what?  The door is between the trick-or-treaters and the home owner.  What is the next step? All  the trick-or-treaters know the process for the sale.  They know that the process is, cry out "Trick-or-Treat" and magically, the door opens and the candy is given. Knowing the final process is what motivates the trick-or-treaters  to participate and get their candy.

Let's switch the topic to your business!  How do you attract all your buyers?  What gets them to your door?  Why are they there?   And once they are there, what opens the door. Do "they" know what the process is for making the sale happen?  You might get more people following through and doing business with you if you make your process obvious to them. 

How do you do this?  For the sake of this blog post let's stick to your website.  Here are some questions for you to answer.

1. Do you tell your website visitors, "How To Do Business With You?"
   Do you have a webpage that is all about "How to get started with us " or something similar?
   This is a page that tells your "shoppers" what steps have to take place in order to be a match for your solution.  It works very well with professional services.  It establishes what paper work, financial criteria, time frames, etc are required for your professional services to be delivered.  It lets the shopper know if you are right or wrong for their interests  It also helps you weed out those who would just be wasting your time if they got to you before seeing this page.  It makes it easy for your buyers to proceed and close a deal with you!
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2. Do you have a way for website visitors to let you know what they specifically need?
   Do you clearly state "click here to contact us with your specific  requirements?"  The "click" could take them to a form where they would be able to submit their criteria to you!  This is great for people who sell insurance or other services such as nutritionists  tax professionals, and many more.  This is opposite from No. 1 just above.  This "process" allows the shopper to tell you what they need and let you determine if you are a match. It also allows your shoppers to proceed and potentially close a deal with you.
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3. If selling via a shopping cart, do website visitors know how to purchase? Where to go?
   Perhaps you simply sell a product in a shopping cart on your website.  Is you shopping cart easy to find? Do you tell visitors its process, i.e. which credit cards you accept, purchase terms, the minimum order, return policy, quantity discounts, delivery time frames, etc?   And are your terms easy to see?  Make your process known!

 Bottom line ... if buyers know your buying process you will have more buyers!  Make it difficult to connect and/or not communicate the final steps and  they will go to the next website or just give up on making a purchase!  

While typing this I just had a group of little ones at my door.  All dressed up!  Bags for treats in their hands ,,, but they didn't know the process!!  (too little).  It was funny... I felt weird just giving them the candy.  Had to coach them to say, Trick or Treat!  It's the process!!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Keep your business garden growing ... margie
www.todaysway.net

Selling - A Trick Or Treating Adventure!

Happy Halloween!
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Do any of you get scared about selling?  Is asking someone to buy what you offer right up there with public speaking?  

Put your fears away.  Start looking at the entire selling process as an adventure, just like "trick or treating!"  How does that work?  Very basically.

Business is all about people with needs finding solutions and people with solutions finding needs.  So it's all about matchmaking.  The adventure is the process of finding the right matches.  So embrace the adventure. Here are four tips:

• TIP #1.  Stop thinking you have to do the talking!  You only need to be listening!
  Your first meeting with a prospect should just be about them telling you their pain.
  Ask questions to deepen your understanding and find your matches!  Explore, be curious, find the unique ways your solutions will heal their pain ... how "magical" is that!
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• TIP #2.  Think of yourself as the hero in an adventure!
  You are the provider of what someone needs!  Isn't that the definition of a hero?  A life-saver?  Yes, that's you.   No more feeling  icky cause you sell something. Think of yourself as being of service!
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• TIP #3.  Be full of fun & love  .. Fun of exploring & adventure - Love of helping people!
  You are the solution so desperately searched for and now found by a lucky prospect. How cool?
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• TIP #4. Start thinking of yourself as the TREAT!  Not the TRICK!
  It's sad that "tricking" is so often associated with selling and why we don't like it. 
  Time to apply some hocus pocus to that way of thinking.

Feeling a bit different about selling now?  Hope so!!

Happy Halloween everyone!
Keep Your Business Garden Growing ...
margie
310-306-1453