Great article from the Business Insider.

Selling isn’t Telling

Alice’s June 16th appearance on Reno’s KTVN with Jennifer Bushman.

There is just so much information out there on social media and all of my clients are asking me what they need to do.  The short answer is participate.  My recommendation is to have a blog, participate on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.  Deciding what is best for your company can be confusing so I recommend contacting a professional who is successful in helping companies with their online presence.  It is also important to remember that your social media plan needs to be part of your overall sales and marketing plan.  Most importantly remember social media is about the converstation, building relationships and putting out interesting content that people can relate to and respond to.   Here are some good sites to follow to keep up on what is happening in social media. www.mashable.com,  www.socialmediatoday.com, www.socialconversations.com.  I also offer online workshops to help you get started on Facebook and LinkedIn.  Watch my social media platforms for more information or call us 775-852-5020.  In December I will be part of Smart Reno Tahoe, a social media marketing conference for professionals, small businesses, nonprofits, gaming and tourism.  I hope you will join us. For more info www.smartrenotahoe.com.  The world of social media is changing fast. You can generate leads, develop relationships and yes, make sales if you use it properly.

This is the 6th of 8 things you can do to get more sales in 2010.

6. Use social media to your advantage.

Learn about social media and how it could benefit your company.  Figure out which social media attracts your ideal prospects.  You need a social media plan that fits into your marketing plan.  It won’t be long before every marketing plan will include social media as one of the media like radio, TV, print.  How can social media compliment what you are already doing for marketing, how can it enhance it?  Can you do it yourself or do you need to find someone on your team who will do it?  Do you need to hire a specialist or outsource it?  There are some great people out there in our community who can help, I would be happy to direct you to a few.  Don’t dismiss social media.  It is here to stay and it may be just what your company needs to establish relationships, deepen relationships and generate leads.  Figure out how to share your expertise and become part of the conversation.

We are turning the corner!  Get ready for 2010.  It is going to be a good year for growth.  Many companies struggled through 2009 and there were some who did well and grew.  Get your company geared up to grow in 2010 – you can increase your sales even in this economy.  Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting 8 things you can do to get more sales in 2010:

1. More networking and better follow up. Think you are doing enough networking?  Can you do more? Are you networking in the right places? As my friend Kymberlee Simantel says, “Networking is not an activity, it is a frame of mind.”  Make sure you are getting out to the events where your ideal prospects may be.  Utilize online networking.  Talk to people at parties, sporting events, PTA, Rotary, everywhere.  Build relationships.  Make your networking count by doing the follow up.  Call people to meet for coffee, lunch, cocktails or an office visit.  How many appointments should you set each week in order to meet enough people that you can do business with directly, partner with or become a referral source for?  Learn about them and what you can do for them.  This will lead to a stronger relationship.  Use your network to help you when you need it, for introductions, ideas, referrals, etc.  The next time you are trying to meet someone from a certain company instead of cold calling them, put a note out to your network asking if anyone can introduce you to this person.

by Michael Dalton  (reprinted from the Sales Gravy Newsletter)

I read perhaps fifty sales advice articles every month. While some of what I read is theoretical, technical or simply a disguised sales pitch, most of it is pure gold. I believe this little grab bag of power tips is on target and can make a big difference in your sales. Ranging from commonsense advice to counterintuitive ideas these gems can be put to work for you right away.

Investigate your buyer

Before calling that important prospect, go online and do some investigation. Check the person’s profile on LinkedIn, Xing or Spoke. Learn a little about the buyer’s background, interests and education. Then go to their company web site and read their latest press release. Take a few notes. Armed with this information, you’ll have a much better chance of establishing that all important first contact rapport. This only takes a few minutes and will be time well spent. You’ll build your relationship with the buyer quicker and have a much better chance of ultimately closing the deal.

Make your follow-up email sing

Given the high volume of email flowing into most in-boxes, your follow-up note might not get read. To avoid this, always use your prospect’s first name in the subject line. Example: “Bob, here’s the summary you requested.” Keep your email short! Most buyers, who are already dealing with information overload, are not inclined to wade through volumes of product data along with your company’s history and mission statement. Summarize and provide links in case they do want more information.

Remember to carefully proofread before you hit send. In fact, you might invest in proofreading software. Many are free or relatively inexpensive. Spelling and grammatical errors in follow-up letters can be a real buyer turnoff.

Think outside the in-box

Because in-boxes are increasingly crowded and noisy, marketers are rediscovering the power of regular mail. Consider following up your initial email with information delivered via regular mail. Include your business card along with your brochure, report or product spec sheets. It doesn’t matter if they have already received this information electronically. The main purpose in doing this is to beat the email “fatigue factor” and stay in touch with your prospect.

Power Tip: Write a very brief personalized note on the front of the envelope. Example: “Mary, I enjoyed our conversation. Enclosed is a hard copy of the information you requested.” Call a few days later to confirm receipt and renew your conversation.

It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it!

Persuasive speakers communicate by using positive language. Example: Instead of saying, “We can’t ship your order until next Tuesday,” say, “We can ship your order as early as next Tuesday.” What a difference! Put yourself in your listener’s shoes; which version is more appealing? The habit of using positive speech has helped me to achieve more results than I ever thought possible. You can practice this skill all the time, too. Try it with coworkers, family, and friends. You’ll begin to see things in a whole new light!

Learn to listen

Develop your listening skills. Good listeners close far more sales. Period.

I recently received a call from a salesperson with an annoying rapid fire staccato delivery. This poor soul didn’t even allow me to answer his questions before plunging forward and talking over me. Within a few minutes I was developing a headache and had completely tuned this guy out. When he had finally finished his pitch, I jokingly asked, “Could you repeat that?” He didn’t respond. I then offered to send him a link to information that would help him improve his phone skills. He declined my offer and rushed off to his next victim.

Obviously Mister Rapid Fire never heard of the 80-20 rule where the prospect does 80 percent of the talking and the salesperson 20 percent. Frankly, I think the rule, while a good guideline, is a bit difficult to observe especially on a first call. However, if you will slow down and ask intelligent questions that get the prospect talking you’ll close a lot more sales. Shoot for a 70-30 split and you’ll be in excellent shape.

State your business

Some telephone cold-call gurus will tell you to offer a pleasantry or two after introducing yourself. They are wrong. Avoid the opening, “How are you?” When spoken over the phone to a stranger, the phrase reeks of insincerity. You might as well scream, “I am going to try to sell you something!” Instead, employ a more businesslike opening, such as, “The reason I’m calling you this morning is to learn about your company’s personnel needs, and to see if we can be of help.” In other words, after introducing yourself, state the reason for your call. Prospects will appreciate your directness and respect for their time and intelligence. Only ask, “How are you?” after you’ve progressed beyond the initial contact and a relationship has been established.

The more you learn, the more you earn!

This is the most important advice I can give you. Make a commitment to your success. Every day invest a little time sharpening your sales skills. The number one mistake salespeople make is neglecting their ongoing sales education. No excuses. This doesn’t have to be a huge investment of time or money. There are plenty of free or low-cost sales skills improvement resources on the Internet. Get started today!

Michael Dalton Johnson is an award-winning publisher and successful entrepreneur and business leader. He is Editor and Publisher of Top Dog Sales Secrets, the bestselling book featuring advice from 50 renowned sales experts. Michael is the founder of SalesDog.com, an educational website for sales professionals. He has appeared on NBC’s Today Show and been featured in U.S. News and World Report, Time, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and New York Times. He has been a featured guest on over 200 television and radio shows.

by Maribeth Kuzmeski (reprinted from the Sales Gravy Newsletter www.salesgravy.com)

It’s a question most of us have asked ourselves: What makes successful people so, well, successful? It’s tempting to think that those at the top of the ladder know something the rest of us mere mortals don’t-and at a time when we’re all desperate to hold onto jobs, clients, and market shares, the quest for that missing ingredient takes on new gravity. But that “special something” you’ve been searching for isn’t an uncanny ability to predict the market’s future, a membership with MENSA, or a secret business formula.
Quite simply, what sets you apart from the competition is your ability to connect.

Relationships are the real secret to success. If you can build strong relationships and connect with your customers and colleagues, you will get your piece of the proverbial pie. If you can’t, you’ll be scrambling for crumbs.

Here a eight secrets used by the world’s most successful people:
Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that reads, “Make me feel important.” This was the life philosophy of Mary Kay Ash, the well-known cosmetics mogul. Her genuine concern for others catapulted her out of poverty and was the secret to her success.

Seek out a common interest. People want others to be like them. Establishing that you and a client root for the same baseball team or volunteer at the same charity will go a long way in making you relevant in his eyes!

Don’t work from a script. Try to scrap the memorized pitch in favor of a more natural conversation. You’ll seem more at ease and authentic-and your prospect will be less tempted to think that you’re fluffing up the facts.

Remember the remarkable. Entrepreneur Sunny Bates makes a point to identify and write down the things that stand out to her in every conversation. She then references those statements in future interactions-and has been amazed by the reactions she’s gotten when others realize that she has paid attention to and valued what they’ve said!

Cultivate curiosity. According to Lee Iacocca, former Chrysler CEO, “A leader has to show curiosity. He has to listen to people outside of the ‘Yes, sir’ crowd in his inner circle. Businesspeople need to listen at least as much as they need to talk. Too many people fail to realize that real communication goes in both directions.”

Act like a good listener. (Don’t let your body image betray you!) We’re constantly bombarded with information, so it’s almost instinctive to tune it out. When you’re interacting with someone, you need to consciously change your body language to reflect that you want to receive information; otherwise, it may appear that you’re trying to get away from it. Remember, your face says it all.

Resist the urge to be a one-upper. Perhaps you feel compelled to share that you battled the flu for twice as long as your colleague. Or maybe you’re dying to tell your client how great your vacation to Hawaii was after she mentions her trip to the lake. Three words: Don’t. Do. It. When you’re always trying to top other people, you’re ruining communication.

Ask effective questions. When you’re communicating, remember: garbage in, garbage out. If you ask the wrong questions, you’ll get the wrong answers-or at least different answers from the ones you were hoping for. Think about what you’re hoping to learn, and remember that an open-ended question is almost always more effective than one that elicits a simple “Yes” or “No” answer.

Connecting takes time, it takes effort, and it means putting others before yourself. But it’s worth every second of time and every ounce of energy. Your relationships will be more prolific and rewarding, and you will be more successful. Don’t let yourself settle for a position on the fringes when you could dwell at the epicenter of productivity and success…even now!

Maribeth Kuzmeski, MBA is author of The Connectors: How the World’s Most Successful Businesspeople Build Relationships and Win Clients for Life (Wiley, September 2009). Creating strong business relationships has been the focus of Kuzmeski’s business and career. Her book, The Connectors, is packed full of tools and techniques aimed at helping readers develop better, more profitable connections-tools and techniques proven effective by some of the world’s most successful professionals. For more information, please visit www.theconnectorsbook.com.

Many thanks to Jeb Blount of Sales Gravy for letting us reprint this article.  www.salesgravy.com

How to Market Your Business With Facebook

By KERMIT PATTISON Published: November 11, 2009

Quick Tips:

• Identify a short list of goals before you begin.
• Show some personality in your page.
• Don’t shill. Use your page to engage-and trust that sales will follow.
• Use Facebook data to analyze your customer demographics.

A growing number of businesses are making Facebook an indispensible part of hanging out their shingles. Small businesses are using it to find new customers, build online communities of fans and dig into gold mines of demographic information.

Read the full article  from the New York Times