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Customers Want You to Ask for the Money
Many years ago, I was the one starting a small business. I ran a part-time resume service out of my New York apartment. One client showed up on time for her first appointment, nervously clutching her notes. "Can we just talk for awhile?" she asked. "No," I said firmly, amazing myself. "If you want me to work on your resume, there will be a charge. You can decide not to hire me. But we can't just sit and talk." I remembered this incident several years later, when I greeted a neighbor in our local coffee shop. "I've got a friend visiting," she said. "He's thinking of starting a business and he wants to talk to you. You do business coaching, don't you? We'll see you tomorrow when you walk the dog," "I'd be happy to talk to him for a few minutes," I said, "but if he wants to work with me, I'll have to charge. This is what I do for a living." Customers are rarely evil people who want to steal services. My neighbor did not realize that consultants earn real money for "just talking" about business. Others have no idea what they are asking. Coach Jane asked me to make a few changes to her website. In return, she offered "a couple of half hours of coaching or something." After peeking at the source code of Jane's site, I emailed, "This project will take two to four hours. Here's what I will charge." Jane knew nothing of web design (a mistake -- but that's another article). She honestly thought I could accomplish her goal in less than an hour. Customers bring their own experience to your service. One veterinarian will clip your cat's claws after giving booster shots; another charges extra. Some hairdressers charge for a conditioning rinse or blow-dry; some say it's part of the service. . Pricing practices vary geographically. If your customer has just moved to your city, he won't know what to ask. He'll just fume quietly when he sees the bill. Finally, customers can be naďve. Janet ordered artwork for her brochure. When the designer offered an option for "one-fifty," she Assumed he meant a dollar and fifty cents! Fortunately, she clarified the difference before signing an order for one hundred and fifty dollars. Janet's designer was uncomfortable talking about money -- but not uncomfortable handing her a bill. Then it was Janet's turn to be uncomfortable. The time for a frank discussion of costs and contingencies is before you deliver the service. A book promotion coach informed me, on our second call, "I rewrote your copy. That will be an extra fifty dollars." I refused to pay and will never recommend her firm. A written schedule of fees and terms can avoid bad feelings. You can always offer discounts or extras to cement relationships with loyal customers. And when you ask a customer, "Would you also like to have...." mention the cost. Otherwise, I believe, she has every reason to expect it will be free. I offer one-to-one consultations on career strategy. About The Author Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker and career/business consultant, helping midlife professionals take their First step to a Second Career. http://www.cathygoodwin.com. "Ten secrets of mastering a major life change" mailto:subscribe@cathygoodwin.com Contact: cathy@cathygoodwin.com 505-534-4294
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Coaching Sales Tips from Sales Masters Hello! I Cant Sell! What's that you say? You can't sell? Why Salespeople Dont Take Risks Proponents of traditional sales training simply teach the material, sometimes in a very entertaining format, but they place the responsibility for using the material on the salesperson. You CAN Be a Great Salesperson! When you are in sales, you have the choice to be successful or unsuccessful. The only one to set limits on your income and success is you! A career in sales is a challenge. Use that challenge to motivate and excite you. Meet and beat that challenge! Increase Your Sales Without Spending Another Cent Many home business owners lament they don't have enough cash to pay for online advertising to propel their business forward. Before slipping down this foolhardy slope, make sure you are being the best you can be and doing the best with what you already have. Knowledge is Power in Auto Detailing Sales The most important thing for an auto detailer to do is to gain expert industry knowledge. Since auto detailing sales have a lot to do with educating the consumer, it pays to understand the industry. So let's start with the types of waxes used on cars, boats, aircraft and recreational vehicles. There are many types of waxes and all have different properties, come from different places and must be used slightly differently to get the expected results. TheTop 10 Reasons Why Salespeople Get Outsold In my business, it has been an interesting and very busy two quarters. I've worked with sales managers, marketing executives, professional services practice managers, business development executives, divisional presidents, two dozen sales teams, nine VPs of Sales and directly with 29 CEOs in North America and in Europe. I've seen a lot of deals won and more than a few lost. Boost Buyer Confidence By Assuming The Sale I saw something in town the other day that just really struck me as funny. Not only that, however, it really nailed home a strong lesson for me about how to make more money. Body Language, Five Key Ingredients When making your living in the sales industry, and working with people, it is important to not only get your point across verbally, but you want to allow for your body language to send a clear message as well. Do You Want Fries With That? - Using Suggestive Selling to Increase Your Sales Suggestive selling is a powerful tool that can increase your revenues-and your bottom line-significantly. We are all used to the order taker at a fast food place asking if we want fries with our burgers, or if we would like to "Jumbo-Size" our orders, but suggestive selling can work in any business. 7 Sales Techniques To Differentiate You From The Competition You have a choice. You can stand out or blend in with your competitive landscape. Differentiation doesn't come naturally, blending in does. We all want to fit in with the crowd, we want to be like everybody else, and we've been that way since we were kids. As a professional sales representative you should focus on what makes you different because the similarities will take care of themselves. Sales Letters - How to Write Them You could just send out your brochure to potential customers but it's much better to personalise your mailing with a well written sales letter. Selling - Always Go for Top Money If you've ever flown economy class on an international flight then you've probably noticed that the airline makes you walk through Business or First Class to get to your economy seat. You become very much aware of the wider isles, the more spacious, comfortable seats and the greater leg room. How To Stop Chasing Prospects Forever! Perhaps the biggest challenge faced by salespeople is the problem of chasing prospects. In this article I'll explain exactly why that happens, and how you can avoid it entirely and make prospects chase you instead. More Sales with Less Selling Have you ever passed by a bakery display case without feeling the urge to buy at least one cookie, dessert or cinnamon bun? Have you ever taken a child into a candy store and not had them ask to buy at least one of their favorite sweets? Selling White Space Almost all Internet Marketers have a basic idea of what they want to achieve in their careers. They may want to close more sales and earn a higher income. The process is quite simple. They craft a targeted letter with a powerful offer and post it on a web page. However, somehow they do not achieve the success they desire. Why? Why is it that intelligent, motivated, hard-working individuals are not achieving the success they deserve? It is because they don't know to sell white space. They pay all attention to sales letter vital elements: The Headline. They create a power headline to get the reader's immediate attention and create curiosity. Ideal Clients - Who are They and Where Do You Find Them? Ideal clients are the ones who are perfect for you. They are the clients who understand your offering, are happy with your services, are willing to refer you to their friends, return for repeat appointments themselves (where appropriate), who pay their bills on time, who show up on time for their appointments, who give you 24 hours notice when they need to cancel their appointment. Getting People to Buy Without Selling In my youth I landed a job selling encyclopedias door to door. I worked for commissions. If I did not sell anything, I did not get paid. Trying to sell a high ticket item such as encyclopedias door to door was no small task as you might imagine. Increase Your Sales With an Incredible Offer What are you selling? Increase Your Selling Confidence 1. Be on time. In fact, arrive a few minutes early, so you can mentally prepare for your sales presentation. When you arrive on time, your professionalism shows your prospects that you value their time as well as your own.
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