April 1, 2010

Improve Your Listening Skills and Increase Sales... Three
Ways to Get More Done... How to Put Together a Successful
Marketing Plan... All Things Cool in Info Marketing... and More.

If you're in any facet of sales, then you're probably always on the lookout for sales techniques that could help you land the next big fish. However, even though there are numerous strategies and tips on how to be a great salesperson, the fact of the matter is that sales skills should come very naturally to you -- and you should know how to sell just from having conversations with people.

If you're a good listener, then you're probably a good salesperson, too. This is the most basic rule of sales; but, sometimes among all the hubbub of tips and strategies out there, fundamentals like this can be lost.

If you can improve your listening skills, then you will improve your sales. Let me elaborate. Being a good salesperson involves knowing how to interact with other people. You have to know what they want -- and how to give them what they want. You have to know how to convince the other person that what you have is what they desire.

So, how better to achieve this than to listen to the other person? If someone is in your store or is talking to you about your product, then the hardest part is over, as you'll already know that they're interested. Now all you have to do is close the sale.

Though you think this might be the tough part, it isn't. This person wants to buy from you -- if they didn't, then they wouldn't be bothering to have a conversation with you -- so it's up to you to listen to what they are saying and get to know them. Listen to their concerns and find out exactly what it is that they want.

Listen to your customer's questions, as opposed to spouting off the same sales pitch that you use on everyone. People want to feel that they have your undivided attention. They don't want to feel like your 50th customer that day.

If you listen to a customer before giving your sales pitch, then you can properly react to what he or she is saying. You can have an actual conversation with them. Believe me; they will appreciate that you're listening to them, as opposed to just talking at them.

You can start to improve your listening skills with the help of your family and friends. When you go out to dinner with a friend, or when you're having a coffee with your spouse in the morning, intently listen to what the other person is saying. Most people think that they have great listening skills, but, in reality, our busy lifestyle has turned most of us into poor listeners. So, start small. Get to know your co-workers and your friends by making an effort to be a better listener. Though you might not think so, good listening skills are learned. In order to improve your skills, you will have to make it a habit to really listen to others.

When you're selling to customers, get rid of any distractions that might detract from your conversation with them. Shut off your cell phone, pager, electronic organizer, and any other noise-making distraction that you might have near you. Concentrate on the task at hand. Try to learn what your customer desires and how you can satisfy this person's needs. Distractions are everywhere, it's true, but eventually you will learn to drown them out and concentrate on the person you're speaking to.

Listening skills are fundamental if you want to be a good salesperson. So start learning how to listen more than you talk now -- it will help you to really understand what your customers are saying to you.

On any given day, I find myself faced with a dozen different things I have to do.

There are research reports to compile, meetings to attend, articles to write and then I'll have to run any number of errands in the evening.

Even though I enjoy what I do, there are always some things that seem like more of a hassle than necessary. Facing traffic to get to an out-of-the way store is certainly one thing I could go the rest of my days without ever having to do again.

But, I know that I do need to get these things done. And getting lazy and simply letting some things slide into the background isn't going to get you anywhere.

However, there is something you can do. It involves adjusting what you think of as work and finding ways to enjoy what you're doing.

Here are three ways that could help you get more done with less hard work:

1) Find your motivation. When you really enjoy doing something, do you find it hard work? No, most likely not. And, in order to enjoy what you're doing, you want to figure what your motivating push is. Are you doing this to learn something new? Are you doing this to get something new? Whatever your motivation is, hold on to it and keep it in the front of your mind.

2) Give yourself a personal reward. Now, you may think rewards are for children, but that's certainly not the case. If you don't find what you're doing rewarding, you either need to change gears or develop your own reward system. If the fruits of your labor aren't reward enough, come up with something that is.

3) Get creative. Work becomes work once it is repetitive and dull. So take a step back, look at what you're doing and come at it from a different angle. Simply changing your perspective on the task at hand could completely change how you feel about achieving your desired goal.

Yesterday, I started explaining the importance of a marketing plan and how it differs from a business plan. Today, I'll offer some insight on how it should be put together.

You may think coming up with your marketing strategy may be fairly straightforward and simple. Well, chances are that, if you think that way, you'll be in for a surprise. The slightest details can have a profound effect on your success, so you'll really want to take your time and do your research. For example, when mailing a sales letter, something as seemingly unimportant as the headline or the shape of the envelope can mean the difference between two sales and 200.

Even if your marketing plan is only a few pages long, it should generally take a couple of months for you to research and write. After all, coming up with your blueprint is the hard part; putting it into action should be easy!

It's important to consult with anyone else involved in your business -- from the people in finance, to the people in marketing, to the suppliers, to the manufacturers -- because they will all play a part and have valuable insight to provide. Not to mention your ability to market will encompass every component of the business, so you should be sure to consider them when developing your plan.

After your plan is drafted, make sure everyone who needs to see it has a copy. This will let them use it as a reference to make sure things are working on schedule and goals are being met. It's also something a number of businesses choose to keep private, so that the competition can't steal the ideas contained within. In some cases, however, companies will sell their marketing plan if it has been successful and is in high-demand.

There are a few essential pieces of information a marketing plan should contain, which vary depending on the size of your business. Monday, I'll break down the most important features of a good marketing plan.

** All Things Cool in Info Marketing
By James Burt, Online Marketing Expert

"Good grief," my dad said, "The kids today really are nuts!"

He had just come in and started describing the oddity he had seen while walking downtown: a young girl with a pierced nose wearing hot pink and white clothes with an "iPod" blaring what I understood to be electronic beats and rhythms. For him, she might as well have been from outer space.

"I can't say I approve of all of this," he said.

Before my dad went on, I pointed to a photo of him on the mantel. It was a high school portrait, with him in a checked shirt and sporting an Eddie Cochran haircut. He was into western movies, big fishing adventures, and fast trucks. I asked him if his mom and dad approved of all that. In a typical no- answer fashion, he silently shrugged and went to the fridge for a beer.

Generations upon generations of hip, young folks have always had their own dress and deportment. While they might appreciate certain aspects of their parents' generation, they usually want to create their own styles of dress, entertainment, and even speech. It's part of growing up and it's how young people to establish their own place in history.

I was a teenager of the 90s and sometimes think the young folks now are, at least at a glance anyway, way odder than we were. But I'm kind of glad. They aren't really hurting anything and I would probably be like them if I was a little younger myself. With that in mind, an info marketer with information on today's hip trends stands to have access to a potential goldmine of providing great information to people with the same interests. Since trends are ever evolving, an insider with new, exciting info can help young modern types get the scoop on the things they love.

There are a lot of topics for an info marketing "hipster" to write about these days, but here are a few popular ones:

--- Fashion: Back in my secondary school days, it was all about loose jeans, secondhand store jackets, and college basketball logos. Now it appears to be more skinny pants, bright colors, and flat-brimmed ball caps. I can't claim to be any kind of fashion aficionado, as collared work shirts and khaki pants have always been my clothing staples. But that doesn't mean you aren't. Modern fashion changes regularly and there are designers coming out from every major center in the world. This isn't the retro fashion either -- these are new designs that will potentially hit store shelves and change how we dress ourselves. This might be something you are in on. If so, put together a regular info newsletter and let the rest of us know about it.

--- Body Art: At my local pub, the bartender John sports a collage of tattoos on his left arm. My fellow patrons and I tease him about being in the mafia, but one day he brought in a whole book on the history of tattoos. This guy knew his stuff and pointed out the chronology of body art, including stories about the Maori Indians, the Aztecs...right up to current practices. While I still don't care to have any tattoos or piercings myself, I gained a new appreciation of body art that I didn't have previously. This might be something you are into. You might be into designs or trends in human body décor, and can provide regular info on all of this to people like yourself.

--- Entertainment Gadgets: One of my clients is a modern technology fiend. His love of "BlackBerry" devices, "iPods,""PSPs," games, and even pocket video devices is unparalleled. He does not enjoy reading anything but tech manuals and only works out so he can listen to the music on whatever portable device he has. He isn't alone either. Society is pretty wired up these days and people, especially the youth, almost need the info on this stuff, as it affects their daily lives. If you are into the entertainment gadget scene or are part of it, your info can be a valuable resource to the rest of society. Not to mention a successful venture for yourself...

--- Youth Entertainment: "VH1," blogging, eBooks, the newest DJ with the sickest portable gear...this stuff is part of the new lexicon for young folks. Music is different, movies are on different formats, the Internet is becoming what satellite TV was 20years ago. It's pretty wild, but also exciting. Young people want to know what's out there for them to enjoy and interesting things they can spend their pocket money on. A good, multi-faceted info marketer could create more than one info product to service the youth market and keep them hip to what they want to know about.

Young, hip people are often ignored by the older generations. They seem too weird and their interests are so different from anything before. But from that, the message becomes clear: they need an information source just for them. And that source might be you. Get started now!