QR – Not a Drive-By Technology

There have been many new technologies come up over the last decade and a half. People tend to jump on the bandwagon often without knowing why and what they hope to gain. After allowing the new technology to fester on its own for a while, it is declared a failure. This is usually followed by a smug “I knew this stuff wouldn’t work.”

There are also those folks who don’t even try to use the new technology because they are afraid they’ll be in over their heads, or they don’t have the long-term vision to realize the potential

Sometime later (often years) eyes begin to open wide. People are dancing. Poets are writing sonnets. Hosts of angels begin to sing. The masses begin to realize what the early adopters grasped at the outset:

You’ve Tried the Rest, Now Try the Best!

How many times have you seen that slogan on a take-out pizza box?  Does it somehow validate your decision to choose that particular restaurant?   If you see it on a pizza box at someone else’s home does it somehow persuade you to switch your own pizza preference?

How about the plethora of  auto insurance companies that each claim they will save you hundreds of dollars if you switch from your current carrier, or the bank claiming they have the best loan rate?

Do any of these statements have any meaning for you? Of course  they don’t. They can’t all be

DWI – Don’t Wing It! (Well, maybe once)

There are going to  be moments when you are faced with having to answer a question or concern from a client or prospect that you’ve never had to answer before.   You have two options.

You can take the question under advisement and promise a response after you research it.  Or you can improvise an answer.  Which choice you make is

MAKE MORE MONEY BY INVERTING YOUR PHONE CALLS

I know the title may sound a little odd but it means exactly what it says.   The way most of us tend to make business calls is completely backwards in terms of productivity. This applies as much to other business calls – not just sales but I am specifically addressing sales calls here.  It will create happier clients which ultimately will earn you more money.

The good news is that it’s an easy fix.

When we first meet a client we put a great deal of effort into building a relationship which includes getting to know them as people – not just clients.  This is a good thing.  We learn things about each other such as hobbies, family and a host of other things.  They don’t necessarily become close friends but they do become more than strangers.

So in addition to business stuff our phone calls usually include some kind of non business chit-chat. You know, asking how they enjoyed their recent holiday trip – or they ask us about ours.

There’s nothing wrong with doing that. It helps

WHATCHOO BUYING THAT THING FOR?

There are two ways of increasing the size of a particular order.

1. INCREASING QUANTITIES (this is usually based on volume discounts)
2. SELLING ADDITIONAL ITEMS

The second item is much easier than it seems  but a lot of folks do it wrong which results in the impression that it’s difficult.  This is human nature. If you try something and it doesn’t achieve the desired results, it must be an ineffective strategy.

In addition to being more effective, doing this right way demonstrates to the customer that you really are interested in him.  Remember the core principle of selling organically is to care about the customer.

Below are two scenarios – the first represents the most common