How to End Your Fear of Cold Calling

Most of us really dislike cold calling. It’s probably the most dreaded of all sales activity, and causes the most rejection. But there are wonderful ways to think differently about cold calling. We can eliminate the negative experience that’s typical for both caller and receiver simply by changing our mindset. When we begin to think differently, we find that cold calling is no longer the fear-laden experience we’ve come to expect. By adopting this new mindset, you’ll be... Read more »

Selling Swimming Pools Is The Same As Selling What You Sell

About a month ago my wife said to me, “Bob, I think we should have a swimming pool.” Having been happily married to this woman for over 41 years I could read between the lines to see what she was really saying. It would be something like this. “Bob, I want a swimming pool. I want it now. A swimming pool will make me very happy and you know when I am very happy you are very happy.” So, being an intelligent man I started my due diligence and learned everything about in-ground... Read more »

Successful marketing tips for your lawn care services business

There are various ways of marketing lawn care services. Sales or leads for lawn care services can be generated through telemarketing or through direct mails. Generally, marketing strategies are employed in fall and spring as there is a great demand for lawn care services during this time. Attempts are also made by various lawn care agencies to minimize cost by printing color postcards or self-mailer brochures. Ideally, lawn care marketing strategy has maximum impact when individual attention is... Read more »

Better Print Advertising

1. Headline: On the average, five times more people read the headline than the body copy. If consumers like the Headline they will go on to read the body copy. The Headline is what brings them in. The headline must be easy to understand and state the reason why the consumer should continue on and read the body copy. 2. News and headlines: Readers buy consumer magazines and newspapers to read the articles. If you have real news such as updates to your product or service or recent innovations make... Read more »

How To Use Bartering To Gain An Advantage Over Your Competition

If you have a business on the Internet you should be bartering goods and services with other businesses. You should always try to trade for something before you buy it. Barter deals usually require no money. Although sometimes you may need money to offset the value of the goods or services being traded. Bartering will give you many advantages over your competition. It can save your business money. You can spend the extra money on a buying paid Internet advertising. It allows you to offer your products... Read more »

Dissecting the Successful Cold Call

When you’re the one who receives the cold call, what is the sales person doing to create success? Introduction You’re deep into your work and the phone rings. Someone wants to sell you something. You think to yourself, ‘Another sales person? Talking to this person is the last thing I want to do right now,’ and you begin to hang up. Analysis: Less than 25% - and more like 10% - of cold calls reach the decision maker on a single try. Equally importantly, recipients never expect... Read more »

Shooting Fish In A Barrel

My friend Bill Tucker, President of the Florida Building Material Association, recently wrote in his associations publication (e-BLUEPRINT): The members of one of our business round tables were discussing how to increase sales, when one of them commented on the need for training. Without thinking, I quickly reminded him that during the construction boom, few members attended the numerous sales courses offered by FBMA. That’s the way it is; when shooting fish in a barrel, you don’t need... Read more »

Simple Skills for Successful Selling

If you thought that selling was difficult, think again. The truth is that successful selling involves a simple set of skills. One is the skill of getting information. The other is giving it. When you master the balance between the giving and the getting, you will find much more success in your sales situations. Getting Information Many new sales people make the mistake of trying to tell the customer too much too soon. If you overload your customer with information, you very well may lose your chances... Read more »

How You Must Be Like The Wise Old German Shepherd

One day a wise old German Shepherd starts chasing rabbits and before long, unexpectedly discovers things are not going as he expected as he is lost. But he was not overly concerned because this wise old German Shepherd had been lost before and he had a backup plan. Wandering about, he notices he is in grave danger as a leopard is heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having him for lunch. The wise old German Shepherd thinks, “Uh, oh!” I’m in deep doo-doo now! Noticing... Read more »

How To Sell A Timeshare In Sixty Seconds Or Less

There really is no guaranteed way to sell your timeshare property in 60 seconds, or at least sell a timeshare property very quickly and feel like you have sold it in sixty seconds or less. There are so many reasons why people like to sell their timeshares. But we would like to tell you that selling a timeshare property is very different from buying one. It is a lot more difficult to sell than it is to buy. So what are the reasons why people sell their timeshare, among them: - The realization that... Read more »