Conversations That Help Improve Your Business

Conversations That Help Improve Your Business

Maintaining relationships are essential to the success of your business. In this era of social media, it is easy to send a Facebook message or text to a contact instead of having a face-to-face conversation. However, there are times when interacting in person is appropriate and more effective than other methods. The following situations are opportunities for you to have conversations that will improve your business.

Face-to-face conversations to have with:

Clients – Once a month, you should meet with your clients to discuss the future as you continue doing business together. Even if it is just to touch base on a recent project or transaction, regular meetings with clients demonstrate your commitment to their satisfaction. Additionally, these meetings will give you both a chance to analyze and reflect upon where you see the business relationship going. For example, the owner of a local coffeehouse should meet with his baked goods supplier about once a month to go over possible new menu options, changing dietary demands of his customers, and price points. The supplier can then use this time to suggest new recipes and delivery schedules. Tip: Meet with clients to ask for suggestions. Talking solely about matters relating to sales will only show that you are thinking of how the relationship affects you and your business.
Prospects – Connecting with prospects can have many benefits. If you’re a direct seller who has discussed your opportunity with a prospect, schedule a face-to-face follow-up meeting where your prospect will prepare any questions he or she has thought of while considering a decision. It can also be a chance for you to alleviate fears, build confidence, and share materials. Meetings conducted in person have an advantage over phone calls because they show prospects that they are high on your priority list; they also allow both parties to rely on visual cues, not just verbal ones. Prospects should feel comfortable with a possible sponsor, and face-to-face meetings help them get to know you.
Mentors – Even if you are operating a successful, profitable business, it is a good idea to meet with your mentor every now and then. Pick the person’s brain about the industry, their experience with changing economic climates, and ideas about how to grow your business even further. Most industries are always evolving, and a mentor will be able to give you useful information and help you stay on top of what is current and relevant for your business. If you get to a point where it seems your mentor cannot teach you anything new, it’s time to find a new mentor. When your business changes, your needs also change.
Other salespeople – Whether it’s someone else in your field, or just another local business owner down the block, reach out to other salespeople to brainstorm ideas about how to work together to improve business. Contacts like these are also great for motivating each other to continue despite setbacks and sharing ideas about common goals. Surround yourself with other businesspeople who strive for success, and you will be consistently motivated to strive to reach your potential.

Making time for face-to-face conversations is not always easy, but failing to do so will cause you to miss out on some wonderful opportunities for business growth. What other types of conversations do you think will improve your business? Please share your ideas below!

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Checklist to Improve Your Business Relationships

Checklist to Improve Your Business Relationships

Imagine this: you walk into a restaurant to have dinner and are greeted pleasantly by the host. After promptly being seated, your server introduces him/herself and proceeds to provide you with attentive service. In the middle of your meal, the manager or owner comes by to introduce him/herself and make sure you’ve gotten everything you’ve needed. You leave the restaurant with a full stomach and ready to recommend the establishment to friends and family immediately. This restaurant is no doubt successful because of the importance it places on business relationships, and the owners’ commitment to building those relationships shows in a positive way. Read on for some ways to improve your own business relationships.

Offer more than they expect. Going above and beyond your customers’ expectations will always make a good impression. For example, a customer is unhappy with her recent photo framing order because the matte was not mounted on straight. Not only did the owner re-do the job for free, but she put it first on her priority list and also offered the customer free shipping on her next order if she continued to patron the business. For many successful business owners, a satisfied customer is not enough; doing something to make a customer say, “Wow!” is something to strive for.
Anticipate their needs. The more attentive you are to your customers, the better able you will be to anticipate their needs and attend to them, possibly even before they do! If you have a customer who always purchases the same product every month, consider offering her an automatic refill service where she can set up automatic payments and receive her item regularly without having to actually place the order each time. Another idea would be to show her different uses for the product that she may be unaware of or to introduce her to products that would complement the one she likes. Getting to know your customers will give you the insight to anticipate their wants and needs.
Be yourself. Most people can easily detect when someone is being insincere. You always want to smile and be polite, but don’t be afraid to show customers your personality. If people are drawn to your sense of humor, incorporate that into your conversations. Don’t worry about what you think customers want to hear or who they want you to be; just be yourself and let your business relationships be built on your genuine desire to provide excellent customer service.
Be honest. If you are not honest, you are not reliable. Customers want to do business with those who are dependable and ethical. If you mess up, admit to your mistake and do everything possible to make it right. If you can’t deliver on something, don’t promise it. If you practice dishonesty or deceit, the fallout can cause irreparable damage to your business and your reputation. Always hold yourself to a high standard; business relationships require trust between both parties.

Improving your business relationships is not much different from improving your personal ones. Think of others before yourself, be honest, be sincere, and listen to the other person. What else do you think should be added to this list? Please share your ideas below!

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When is the Right Time to Sell?

When is the Right Time to Sell?

The art of making a sale varies widely from person to person. Everyone has his or her own style of salesmanship, so it can be difficult to figure out how to approach the process, especially if you are new to selling. However, there a few basics to follow that apply to making a sale no matter what your own style of selling is. Read on to find out when the best time is to sell.

The right time is when…

A problem can be solved with your product. Part of your job is to educate consumers about why they may have a need for what you are offering. For instance, a business person that sells luxury bedding shares her expertise about the positive effects that proper bedding can have on one’s quality of sleep. This leads the customer to reflect upon how his lack of sleep has negatively impacted certain aspects of his life. He now sees that he has a need for the product because it will solve a problem and improve his mood and productivity. When your product is the solution to a problem, the time to sell it is now.
The problem can be solved immediately. The customer should be able to get instant gratification or something close to it when purchasing your product to solve a problem. Back to the luxury bedding example, the consultant gives the customer a list of ways he will notice improvements after just one night, 7 nights, and a month of sleeping on their line of bedding. Because these are tangible benefits that the customer will get right away, the product becomes much more attractive. It solves a problem and does it quickly, and when the customer agrees with that, then the time to sell is now.
You’re better than the competitors. You should always know where you stand against your competitors. It is not uncommon for a customer to make comparisons between your product and a competitor’s, and you may even be asked how yours differs from another. The luxury bedding business person would take this opportunity to point out her product’s higher thread count, its all-natural materials, and the company’s very competitive guarantee. When you can show the customer that he or she is making the right decision to buy from you instead of someone else, then the time to sell is now.
You can get it to them fast. After all this talk of luxury bedding and a discussion about how restful your nights will be, any customer would want to give the product a try right away. A customer never wants to hear that a product is backordered or will take longer than a few days to arrive. Even better than promising a fast shipment is having the inventory on hand for occasions such as these. Granted, it isn’t always possible or financially sound to keep a lot of inventory available, but there are advantages to doing so. Imagine being able to hand the bedding set to the customer that night and saying, “If you don’t sleep more comfortable tonight, I want you to send me a text and I will personally come to your house to refund your money.” When the customer can get a quick turnaround, the time to sell is now.

The above suggestions can apply to any product being sold by any type of personality. One of the keys to a successful career in sales is knowing when the sale is possible and likely to happen. How do you know when the right time is to sell? Please share your ideas below!

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Reaching the Baby Boomer Market

When you pick up your smartphone, how long does it take you to unlock it and bring up your social media feed? Can you do it without looking at it? For most people, the answer is yes. Chances are, you either grew up with modern technology or have been using it for long enough that it is second nature to you. However, if your target market includes the baby boomers (people born in the years following the end of World War II), things like technology aren’t as easily mastered. Consider the following suggestions to make your customer relationships with baby boomers more effective.

Make sure your message is simple and clear. There could be a number of reasons why a senior citizen needs your message to be this way. As we age, it is more and more difficult to tune out background noise when having a conversation. Also, the brain may take longer to process information than it did in our youth. For reasons such as these, be sure to stick to the main point of your message and convey it clearly. Speak at a normal pace with good diction, compose written documents like emails with proper spelling and grammar (you should be doing this anyway!), and avoid using business jargon when choosing your words. Remember seniors are not less intelligent than others; they just may have different needs from you as their salesperson.
Be organized. This applies to all aspects of your customer interactions including emails, phone calls, and your general sales process. For example, when talking on the phone with a customer, make sure you have organized your agenda for the call ahead of time. There is nothing more chaotic and confusing than being on the other end of a conversation with someone who jumps from one topic to another with no rhyme or reason. It might help to either use a script to refer to or rehearse you end of the call before you pick up that phone. Other organization must-do’s include streamlining your sales process, making returns/exchanges easy, and simplifying paperwork by highlighting or flagging the sections that a customer needs to complete.
Be more personable. Much of our interaction with others comes in some electronic form: a text message, Facebook post, tweet, or email. As convenient as these methods of communicating are, they come with a disadvantage. We don’t have as many chances to talk with each other the old-fashioned way. It is a good idea to brush up on your people skills, especially when working with older clients who likely feel most comfortable dealing with someone in person. Make sure you have good eye contact, use appropriate body language (don’t cross your arms since it’s a non-verbal way of closing someone off), smile, and show that you are listening by responding to the other person when necessary. Making others comfortable and being able to provide pleasant customer experiences are extremely valuable skills to any potential customer, especially one who is a senior citizen.

As a direct seller you need to understand and connect with your target market. The “greatest generation” has much to offer in knowledge and wisdom; make sure you return the favor by giving its members an overall customer experience that is second to none.

So, how do you reach the Boomer market? Share your answers with us in the comments below. What other suggestions or comments would you like to share?

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Creating Great Ideas For Your Business

Have you ever felt unable to come up with a new idea? It can be frustrating when you feel that everything has already been done before. Creating great ideas doesn’t have to feel this way, and it can be done by tapping to your own experiences and previous ideas. Read on for some ways to get started.

Break down your niche market even further and fill in those needs. Niche marketing is an effective way to stand out from your competitors. With some research and preparation, you can find a smaller segment of your market to focus on and provide solutions to those customers’ needs. For example, one direct seller of travel packages decided to create a niche out of her love of homeschooling by tapping into her family’s experiences combining travel and learning. This is a great niche since there are many families throughout the country who home-school their children, but at the same time, it is a very specific market and need that is being fulfilled. Start with what you know, do some research online and in person (customer surveys, interviews), and segment your target market.
Improve upon old ideas. Perhaps there is something you have tried in the past that didn’t work as well as you had hoped. Instead of scrapping the idea altogether, go back and evaluate exactly how or why it went wrong. Maybe you tested out a new activity at your home party designed to spark interest in your opportunity, but it fell flat. Consider your audience, your presentation, the level of difficulty, the fun factor, etc. How could you make it better? By improving upon old ideas, you may be able to come up with something completely new and much more effective.
Combine ideas. Sometimes our ideas don’t work well on their own, but combined with each other, can help some aspect of the business tremendously. Many direct sales companies ship all the products ordered at a home show directly to the hostess. From a guest’s perspective, it all becomes a waiting game about when the hostess gets around to contacting you that your order is in, or when she is available for the guest to pick it up or drop it off to her. In a lot of instances, the process of getting the product to the guest can be complicated and time-consuming. One consultant had an idea for the hostess to send a text message to her guests when the order arrives in the hopes that it would speed up the process. However, this idea relied too heavily on the hostess actually sending the text. Instead, the consultant combined this idea with another idea for a contest; she contacts the hostess around the time of the expected shipment to make sure it arrived, and then the consultant sends out a text to the guests that the first one to get her order receives 10% off the next purchase. Get creative by recycling and combining past ideas.
Collaborate with others. There is a multitude of ways to collaborate with others for a mutually beneficial outcome. Consider direct sellers from other companies as well as local businesses related to yours for a starting point. For example, a local weight loss center opened their doors to an independent makeup consultant to set up her table in their lobby once a week. Every time someone came in for a weigh-in appointment, the consultant had an opportunity to demonstrate some products and offer a “total makeover” to celebrate the customer’s weight loss. This helped the consultant reach a new and more populated customer base, and it helped the weight-loss center stand out from its competitor down the street by offering an extra service. Use your networking skills to join forces with others and brainstorm ideas that will benefit both parties involved.

How have you generated some great ideas? Please share with us in the comments section below!

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Questions to Improve Your Business

Running any kind of business requires a lot of self-awareness and self-reflection. Self-awareness helps us use our strengths to their fullest potential and minimize our weaknesses, while self-reflection allows us to improve upon past mistakes. In order to tap into these two qualities and improve your business, ask yourself the following questions to focus your energy in all the right places.

What do I do best? Perhaps you have a unique way of making people feel comfortable, getting them to talk about themselves, and leaving a positive memorable impression on them. Harness your strengths into selling power for your business. Make it a point to chat up as many guests at a home party as possible, and conduct your networking opportunities face-to-face when you can. Whatever you happen to be good at, find a way of incorporating it into your business because you’re not just selling a product; you’re selling yourself.
What is my product’s best solution? The product or service you sell must be the solution to a customer’s problem. Most likely, it has several uses. Decide which is most valuable and desirable for consumers and emphasize it in your demonstration and marketing efforts. For example, your company’s line of educational books for children comes with a trade-in program for customers who make at least one purchase every six months. This solves the all too common problem of children’s rooms being overfilled with books they’ve outgrown. Such a unique and valuable solution to a problem plaguing most parents should definitely be one of the first things a customer learns about your product, as it sets it apart from competitors.
Where are most of my sales coming from? This applies to both your demographic and your method of sale. What is the profile of the customer who is buying the most? (Businesswomen between 25-45 years old, mothers of young children) How are those sales being made? (online, at a home show, through referrals) Analyzing your sales will help you maximize your marketing efforts so you get the greatest return on your investment. It will also reveal any dead-ends you may have been unknowingly pursuing.

You’ve asked the questions; now what do you do with the answers?

Make the best use of this information by creating an action plan. Set a goal (be specific with numbers and deadlines), create benchmarks, plan rewards for yourself, and map out your path to completing the goal. If your goal is to implement a target marketing campaign, use the information you have about your strengths to come up with a way to execute the plan. Identify the solutions your product provides in order to hook your target market, and plan sales methods that will reach them. Now your business approach is based on proven information about just a few elements which are essential to improving your business.

Being aware of yourself and being willing to reflect on past actions are two qualities that can make you a strong business owner. Remember to always be honest with yourself about the answers to these questions, and commit yourself to putting your action plan into effect. What questions do you think should be added to the list? Please share your ideas below!

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Why Price Doesn’t Matter

Whether you’re making a big purchase like a new car or a small one like a jar of baby food, there is a variety of factors to consider besides how much something costs. Like virtually all direct sellers, you really cannot control the price of your products, but successful salespeople know how to think like a customer. In doing so, you can showcase those other factors that most likely outweigh price.

The product is a solution to a problem. You’ve probably heard before that you should be educating your customer about the benefits of your product and how it can solve a problem. For example, a businessman who travels frequently wants to improve his diet, but finds it very difficult to do so on the go. Your company’s individually-sized protein powder packets can easily be mixed into a bottle of water and supplemented with whatever else he happens to be eating at the airport or in the hotel. This convenience may come with a higher price tag, but in this case, the benefits far outweigh the cost.
Present a good value. Customers are always in search of a good value. As a representative of this product, it’s up to you to know what the product’s overall value is and how to share that information with your customers. In the example above, the product offers convenience and nutrition, two things that contribute to its value. Find out what the customer is looking for, since value can be perceived differently by everyone. Aside from the protein powder’s nutrition and convenience, it also mixes well and pours easily out of the packet to eliminate messes; most people would rather pay a bit more for a product that suits their needs in so many ways. Everyone wants to get the most value out of a hard-earned dollar.
Know why you have a competitive edge. Knowing what your consumer wants and needs is important, but it’s also important to know what your competitors are offering. It’s not uncommon for a customer to say, “But the XYZ company has this same kind of thing for a lower price.” Such a statement can make or break the sale, depending on how prepared you are to respond. Your customer may not realize that the competitor offers an inferior guarantee or that its product is made from lower quality materials. Educate yourself about not only your product line, but also how your company competes with similar products and prices.
Offer peace of mind. Because there is some degree of risk involved in making any kind of purchase, you want to be the one to minimize that risk and offer peace of mind to your customer that he or she is making the right decision to buy from you. Of course you want to emphasize any guarantee policy that your company has in place, but you should also emphasize the quality of the product and your commitment to satisfying the customer. Let’s say at a home show, one of the guests is visiting the hostess from out of state and is worried about the hassle and cost of having to make a return or exchange. Offer to cover the postage and personally take her through the process if she needs to send something back. With someone’s biggest concern no longer an issue, the sale can easily be made.

The price of a product is only one of many factors that contribute to a customer’s decision to make a purchase. With a bit of research and preparation, you can be sure to overcome any obstacles you feel the price point has created when it comes to closing a sale. How do you show your customers that price doesn’t matter? Please share with us below!

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DSEF & CBBB – Go On, Trust Me: Why We Trust Some People But Not Others

By Holly Doering

Ever think about why you trust some folks and not others? Author and psychologist Michael Lovas once conducted an experiment using body language. He stood at one end of the airport and walked toward someone at the other end, copying their gait, head position, and hand gestures. Almost always, the other person nodded, smiled, or otherwise acknowledged — even kids who looked like gangbangers.

I can remember a customer review on www.bbb.org that mentioned the author was initially inclined to trust a certain business because of the store cat, a well-fed, rescued animal. But the customer ended up unhappy. I don’t know who is wrong, right or misunderstood in that situation, but I do know this: If you want to “start with trust” when you research a company, it’s great if they’re kind to animals, a family-owned, multigenerational minority business, donate to charity, or in some other way seem similar to you. But!

The real substance is their track record. When you check out a company at www.bbb.org, you’re starting to build a picture of its past actions in the marketplace. Are they properly licensed? Do they generate a pattern or volume of complaints? How do they handle complaints? Remember that scam artists love to prey on your sympathies by telling you they, too, are Christian, policemen, disabled, teachers or something else that seems trustworthy.

A recent study at the Kellogg School of Management found that using subliminal clues, like the name of a good friend, could stimulate feelings of trust for a stranger without people realizing it. Con men, the professor says, commonly drop names to stimulate trust. So investigate before you invest: A gut feeling is fine, but trust ideally is earned.

Previously published in the Spokane Spokesman-Review.

DSEF and Council on Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) fosters honest and responsive relationships between businesses and consumers—instilling consumer confidence and advancing a trustworthy marketplace for all.

About the Better Business Bureaus
As the leader in advancing marketplace trust, Better Business Bureau is an unbiased non-profit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. Every year, more than 87 million consumers rely on BBB Business Reviews® and BBB Wise Giving Reports® to help them find trustworthy businesses and charities across North America. Visitwww.bbb.org/us for more information.

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Profile of an Easy Sale

Profile of an Easy Sale

Making a sale is not always easy. However, understanding these main points may help you convert more sales and make the process easier.

Identify the right product for the right client. You must define your target market and then make sure that your products/services are solving problems they have. Without this key element you will not make many sales.
Develop and cultivate relationships. If you have some kind of relationship with a prospect it will make it easier to approach them with your products/services. Done correctly, the sales pitch comes across more like helping out a friend. Make sure you are authentic, honest and providing a solution to your friend’s problem. A relationship built on trust and value will generate reorders.
Once you have a relationship with your prospect, find out what their likes and dislikes are. Understand what impresses the prospect. Do they focus on value, style, ease? Lead with that in your solution to their problem (sales pitch).
Finally, make the sales process quick, simple and easy. Your ability to do this will project professionalism and cause the prospect to perceive greater value in your products and services. And the next time he/she needs products/services like yours, he/she will go to you first.

Take a look at your current approach to selling. Do you follow these main points? How well are you implementing them? If you understand and apply these main points in this order, and take the time to do it correctly, in the long run you will generate more sales, reorders and make sales easier.

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6 Ideas to Increase Sales

Working as a direct seller requires you to wear many different hats: sales representative, party planner, marketing executive, administrative assistant, etc. It can be easy to get sidetracked with all of these responsibilities, so it’s important to remember that the bottom line of your business comes down to sales. Even if you have built a substantial downline, many direct sales companies require you to meet a minimum number in sales every month to earn your commission.

Here are some tips on how to increase sales.

Cross-selling is recommending related products that complement others that have already been purchased or are being purchased at the moment. Your customer is likely unfamiliar with your entire line of products, so introducing something that might be of interest based on past purchases can increase the amount of that sale. Using this technique repeatedly can quickly add up. For example, if a customer is buying a baby lotion that is specifically designed for sensitive skin, direct him/her to your company’s line of products that are hypoallergenic and free of unnecessary chemicals. Besides the lotion, the customer may wind up walking away with body wash, diaper cream, and sunscreen as well. As an added bonus, you’ve also demonstrated your attention to the customer’s specific needs, which will make him or her want to buy from you again.
Best value quick sale is offering products/services that give customers the best value for their money and are ready for immediate delivery. Especially for new customers, this will establish that you’ll sell them products/services of high quality at a reasonable price, and give them instant gratification.
Business referral exchange program. By partnering or teaming up with other businesses or consultants in your area, you not only generate more brand exposure, but increase sales. Create relationships with other businesses that compliment your products/services where you recommend each other’s services/products and may consider offering special promotions for each other’s products/services to your customers.
Personalize appointments by offering to meet with people face to face and set up private appointment. It gives you a chance to be more social, develop a relationship and explain the advantages of your products/services related to the customer’s needs.
Create contests or promotions to market your products. Whether your company has a featured product for the month or if you have some excess inventory you’d like to unload, contests are a fun and effective way to draw attention to certain products and make them stand out from the rest. With spring almost over and summer close upon us, it might be a good idea to get a jumpstart on your summer-related products with a raffle. For every dollar your customers spend on beachwear in the month of May, for example, they will receive one entry into a drawing for a family-sized beach tote filled with goodies for the kids to enjoy while playing in the sand this summer on vacation. Specific promotions like these allow you to control what products are highlighted, draw focus to featured items, and give customers the opportunity to purchase something now that they may have held off on by offering them a fun incentive.
Reward your customers by implementing a referral program. In direct sales, word-of-mouth goes a long way, especially when there is a lot of competition. Make sure you have some way of learning how each new customer found you: you could ask them when making a transaction face-to-face, create a space for it on your order form, make it a question on a post-purchase web survey, etc. Every time a customer refers you to someone who in turn becomes a customer, reward the original customer to show your appreciation. Some consultants make their own rewards cards a la Subway, while others give away vouchers, coupons, or free gifts. Whatever you decide, make sure you always follow through and that your customers, especially the new ones, know that such a rewards program exists.

Increasing sales requires planning, creativity, and knowledge of your company’s product line. Focusing on your existing customers is a great place to start, and always make sure they know that you appreciate their patronage and that you will always do your best to make them satisfied and happy they chose you.

What other ideas do you have to increase sales? Please share them in the comments section below!

All posts tagged customer service

Conversations That Help Improve Your Business

Conversations That Help Improve Your Business

Checklist to Improve Your Business Relationships

Checklist to Improve Your Business Relationships

When is the Right Time to Sell?

When is the Right Time to Sell?

Reaching the Baby Boomer Market

Reaching the Baby Boomer Market

Creating Great Ideas For Your Business

Creating Great Ideas For Your Business

Profile of an Easy Sale

Profile of an Easy Sale

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