November, 2007

I was talking to a family member the other day about sales and salesmen. I spent a moment indicating what I thought the best characteristics of a good salesperson is. It didn't take long for her to tell me how she didn't think she could be a salesperson. I asked her why. She indicated that she couldn't work to talk people into buying something. I found that interesting because just ten minutes previous she was telling me all about a book she was reading and how I should read it. She didn't realize that she was already trying to sell me something... she just wasn't getting a commission on the sale. The fact is, the reason we don't think we can be salespeople is because we think that it means we have to talk people into buying something that we don't believe in and they probably don't really need. We don't feel like we want to be con-artists. Well, salespeople have earned that reputation because of the stereo-typical used car salesman. When we go places like a furniture store or a car dealer, we are swarmed with commissioned sales people. The trouble is, how do you make a sale or be the first sales person on the team to reach the customer if your customers as saying, "I don't want to talk to you, I'm browsing" and then five minutes later grab another salesman. My brother-in-law commented that he went to an auto-dealer as was completely impressed with their approach. They asked, "Do you need any help?" He said, "No, just looking." They responded, "Ok, let us know if you need anything" and then left him a lone. He loved it. "Wow!" He thought. "How refreshing to not be pressured." I asked him if he bought from them and the answer was no. I think that the customer causes the problem as much as salespeople because the customer sends mixed signals. The struggle salespeople have is that we can't blame the customer. We can't change their behavior. We have to understand and work with it. So, what is the answer? Salespeople need to become the trusted adviser. Salespeople need to understand that customers today want information and not to be "sold." Customers want to know the reason to buy something... the reason it solves their problems. When the customer understands that salesperson can be a trusted adviser, the salesperson can ask for the sale. Often, the same persistence that gets a "pushy salesman" response before the "trusted adviser" status will get a "good job" after the "trusted advisor" label. If you are to be a good salesperson (and everyone can do it) then you need to stop selling and start teaching. As you teach, customers will trust. As customers trust, you will sell.

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Corey Smith is a co-founder of Resumango where you can build a better resume for free.

Whenever I hear of a deal that is only good for the next few hours, or has a time limit, I always have to question. Especially if it is the salesman that tells me that there is a time limit.

• When you go to a car dealer and he tells you that the price of the car will go up tomorrow.
• When you talk to a salesman at a timeshare (of course, if that is the case, you get what you deserve) and if you walk out the door, the price triples.
• The jewelry dealer that has once in a lifetime 70% off sale.
• If you are buying some office equipment and suddenly the manufacturer has come up with an "end of month special" that if you buy right now, you will get a magical discount.

There are multiple examples of "time sensitive" offers. From knife sets on infomercials to the stereo at the Circuit City. The fact is, most products have the same worth whether you buy today or tomorrow. If the product is in high demand, then sure, the price might go up... but a salesman isn't going to know that. The salesman wants you to make your decision now so that you won't change your mind later. He is paid on a commission. So, if you are trying to sell something and I have just exposed your tactic... what do you do? First, try to be honest in your communication. "Yes, the price will go up. Not because it is worth more, but because this is how we market. We want you to make your decision today because that is how we choose to do business. If you don't make your decision right now, we simply don't want your business."  After all, what they are really saying is that, "if you have to think about it, then you will say no." How about that for honesty? It was this thread that spawned my thoughts on this. You should scroll down on the page and look at the comments from Matt Carter.

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Corey Smith is a co-founder of Resumango where you can build a better resume for free.

Focusing on your target market is a key factor to the success of your business. It is very important that you do not try to be all things to all people. But, what happens if your product is truly suited for businesses across vertical markets? How do you take care of every one but still stay true to focusing on your target market? If you are selling legal software, it is easy to focus on your target market. But, what if you are selling paper, toner or printers. Your market is really rather large. You still need to focus to something. You have to be sure that you can speak the language of your customers. If you are talking with a legal administrator, your conversation needs to be different than if you are talking with an office manager for a cold storage facility. Okay... you might think, "What difference does it make? They are still just buying paper. Everyone needs paper, so what difference does it make if I understand their business or not?" The issue is that of providing additional value. If you are content to sell a commodity where your only real differentiating factor is that you "guarantee a 10% savings over your competitors," then paper is all you are selling.. maybe. But, as you understand more about their needs... as you know them better, you will find that there are other sales opportunities for you and they will begin to look at you as a trusted adviser. There is something that all of your customers have in common. In order to focus on your target market, you have to understand what it is you are focusing on. If you can not find the commonality between those companies, you are simply providing a commodity where price is the only reason why someone will buy.

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Corey Smith is a co-founder of Resumango where you can build a better resume for free.

Consumers today expect a greater level of personal communication from the companies with which they do business. The internet has caused consumers to expect that we are remembered when we shop. From Amazon.com remembering our book purchases and our bank know our transactions, we have come to expect all of the places we shop to remember important details about how we do business. Knowing that our customers have grown to expect this type of interaction requires that business provide marketing pieces that speak personally to them. One to one marketing (sometimes defined as personalized marketing) is simply a strategy for customer relationship management. Through one to one marketing tactics, companies can provide a greater level of personal interaction and personalized relevance to their customers thus engendering greater customer loyalty and increase profits. During the course of any transaction businesses gather a significant amount of information. Not only do we know the address, phone number and contact name, but we also know what products were purchased, how much money was spent and quickly a customer pays. Leveraging that information can provide a greater level of customer interaction that can increase customer buying behaviors But, how to you start?

The key is to take the data you already have and start to apply it to your customers. The simplest form of one to one marketing is a simple mail merge in Microsoft Word so that instead of a letter saying “Dear Valued Customer” it says “Dear Tom Smith.”

As you become more proficient in how you handle your data, you can get very fancy by including variable images. For example, if your customer is a man that has purchased motorcycle accessories from you, you might include pictures from Strugis. If your customer is a woman that has purchased camping equipment, you might include pictures of great outdoor destinations. Understanding that you already have the data you need to provide more personalized marketing pieces is the first step to providing a personal message that can help your customers to want to do more business with you in the future.

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Corey Smith is a co-founder of Resumango where you can build a better resume for free.