This should not be an interrogation but a conversation. You ask a question and allow the potential buyer to explain what they think they want or need. Often what they think they want or need is not the solution to their issue or problem. So, you need to ask them simple probing questions that allows them to explain the situation that they are facing so that you can eventually offer the right solution. You are not selling at this point. You are discovering how they view the situation and what they want to improve. Often the solution is something completely different than what they originally thought.

Your task is to accumulate as much data as possible. You are listening and seeing the issue with a detached view. The buyer wants a solution so that they can move on to greater success or to deal with other issues. If you do not discover the complete want or need then you may not eventually offer the correct solution.

Sales people who are good at discovering wants and needs are viewed correctly by the buyer as a good listener who is focused on the buyer’s needs not what you have to sell.

Being successful in business relies almost completely on obtaining and retaining a steady customer base. Successful companies usually have 80% of their business dealings through approximately 20% of their customers. 

In all actuality, too many businesses are neglecting this pursuit of customer loyalty in order to obtain new customers. Any effort to obtain customer loyalty is worth it in the long-run and will pay off substantially down the road.

The best ways to build customer loyalty include:

    Communicate: Reach out to reoccurring customers through such things as e-mail newsletters, a holiday greeting card, monthly fliers, etc.

  Customer Service: Go the extra distance to meet customer needs. Even though the saying “The Customer is Always Right” doesn’t really apply anymore, a good solid customer relations process is highly important.

    Employee Loyalty: In effect, loyalty works from the top down. This means that loyalty shown to employees makes for happier employees and they will pass that happiness and loyalty onto customers.

    Customer Incentives: Customers need reasons to return to a company for repeat business. 

    Reliability: Be reliable and do what you say you’re going to do. If problems arise, though, be up front with customers immediately.

      People over Technology: Customers are not fond of machines and, therefore, the more difficult it is to speak with a human when it is necessary will end up making the customer shy away from doing further business.

Obtaining new customers is the first step to a successful business. Retaining those customers by following some of the tips above will allow a business to remain successful for the long term. t

You can have the skills and knowledge

You can have the experience

You can have action plans

But you cannot achieve a different result until you change your behavior

Personal Behavior Change is one of the most difficult obstacles to overcome

You must commit to your goals and you must change if you want to achieve a new result

You must take a detour

Prospecting has changed over the years.  Following old methods will get you old results. Doing nothing is unacceptable unless you do not mind losing to your competition. When you are networking , your goal is for people to know who you are and what you do. It is not time to sell.  It is time to get to know people and for them to know you. How often should you be networking? In these days of social media, it can be all the time. But like any activity it needs to be part of your overall plan for success.

If you want more information about sales networking contact Hank Sullivan at hsullivan@stratsolutionsnet

born with the skills to make them successful.   Obviously in order to be successful in sales you must have the personality to engage people. However, just an engaging personality will not insure success. There are 6 six very important steps for a sale to be made. These steps happen in sequence but not always with the same amount of time. Failure to follow these steps will almost certainly result in failure.

Sales Success Steps:

1. The Introduction – you need to make a favorable first impression
2. Gain Favorable Attention- Engage the prospect and sell them on you as a solution provider
3. Discovering Wants and Needs- Uncover the prospects wants and needs
4. Presenting Benefits and Consequences- Present your product or service as a solution to the prospects wants and needs
5. Closing- Get the order
6. Follow-up-  Do more than the customer expects and you will get more than you anticipate

So if you follow this process, you will improve your sales results.

If you want more information about this sales process contact Hank Sullivan at hsullivan@stratsolutions.net or call 510-432-7596

This often repeated quotation, attributed to Joseph P. Kennedy, is one that is very applicable to today. When we hear that things are not good or when things start to slow down, many people make it worse by getting into a negative thought pattern. It is very easy not be positive. Negative thinking allows us to blame our problems on someone or something else. So like an ostrich, we can put our head in the sand and hope the problem goes away.

One of the most common ways of negative thinking is fearing a scary event in the future, something that perhaps will never happen. You could be spoiling your present for a future that is not even real.

Another common way of negative thinking is imagining things that are not actually there, or thinking ourselves as a victim. At these times, it is useful to differentiate between thoughts and reality. In the end, where are you living, in your thoughts or in reality?

Every day we are inundated with negative news in our newspapers, radio and television.

We are being told how bad the economy is doing, that global warming will destroy our environment, and crime is at its highest levels. With this information in our minds, we have two choices dwell on the positive or on the negative. I suggest you focus on the positive.

As business people, we all know that there are good business times and bad business times.  The key is to have a plan that will get you through both. If you don’t know where you are going how can you possibly get there.

We have all been hearing that the economy is headed for a recession.  The facts are that the mortgage industry went through a tough time and that the price of gas this past summer was at its highest levels.  However, on June 25, 2008, Oracle Corporation reported record sales and profits and surpassed IBM to become the 2^nd largest software company in the world. Their sales are an indicator of future growth in the economy. On the same day, oil futures fell sharply and gas prices inched lower. As of today, gas is half the price of last summer. Does this information mean we can sit back and all will be roses? Probably not! So what does it mean?

It means that in business things happen every day, some good and some bad. We should not try to react but we should plan and take action.  Develop a solid business plan and execute your plan every day. Stay positive by being in charge of your business. Start every day with the attitude that it will be a good and productive day. We still have to be realist but we can be positive realist. So if you have a good business plan with actionable goals that you are implementing daily then you are more like Oracle. If you don’t, then stop procrastinating, take charge of your future, and get going.

For more information about this or other leadership issues contact Hank Sullivan at Strategic Solutions 510-432-7596 or email hsullivan@stratsolutions.net. or go to www.stratsolutions.net

If you are concerned with how you are going to produce more and better results in  2009, then you need to begin with taking action now. It all starts with a positive attitude. Commit to 2009 being successful and then go out and make it happen.

Below are steps to consider in your action plan:

1. Start with the end in mind.

Develop a clear picture of what you want to accomplish. State the end results in one sentence that even a child can imagine, understand, and remember. Consider the power of President Kennedy’s goal “to send a man to the moon and bring him safely back home within this decade”. Thousands of people did very detailed work and spent billions of dollars based on this simply stated goal.

2. Develop a written plan.

Get it on paper (or on the computer). Make the plan as specific as possible, in terms of what will be done and by when.

3. Enlist support of others.

Let them know what you are doing, and how they and others will benefit from the results you want to produce. Invite them to lend their support however they can.

4. Set up milestones and reporting systems.

Break the job down into segments, and set target dates for finishing each segment. Develop a reporting system on paper or via a good software program. Send regular reports to people who are working on your team, or who have an interest in your project.

5. Have a support system.

Set up the supports you need in your work and in your personal life. Have one or more advisors that you meet with regularly to report progress, and get advice and encouragement. Your personal coach can be one of these key people.

6. Monitor progress and make adjustments.

Realize that even the best plans need to be adjusted in the heat of battle. Make adjustments quickly and respond to new opportunities or short cuts along the way that help you reach your destination faster. If you find it difficult to get around or through certain roadblocks, get help and advice promptly.

7. Form mutually beneficial alliances with others.

Find out what other people or groups are natural allies and team up with them so you can help each other reach your objectives more easily and effectively.

8. Work your plan regularly and continuously.

Maintain a high focused activity level yourself, and get help when you need it. Don’t try to do everything yourself. Delegate as much as you can, and follow up with those to whom you delegate work.

9. Keep your allies on your side and your enemies at bay.

Inform your allies about progress you are making and problems you are having. Thank them for their help. Protect yourself from important enemies by setting up and maintaining boundaries between yourself and your enemies. Recognize that enemies can be within you as well as about you. When you find that you are doing things that impede your own progress, replace that activity or habit with a better one. Ask your advisors what you personally can do better. Then put the corrections in place.

10. Celebrate progress along the way.

Share the glory. Recognize and thank the people who have helped you produce results.

If after considering this list of things to do for success in 2009, you decide it is too much work then just keep doing what you have always done. In the meantime, your competition will be implementing these ideas and who do you think will end up with a better year?  I hope you decide it will be you.

We live in a 24 / 7 world. We live in an instant world. We live in a world where some people live time zones way from where they work. We carry our computer and phone with us wherever we go. In fact, the first thing people say to a group these days is “please turn off your cell phone.”

Therefore, there are tremendous demands on our time. People will often say “I just don’t have enough time or if only I had more time.”

This need for speed and responsiveness has left few people or businesses untouched. Only a few short years ago, we were amazed with the speed of the microwave and today we are impatient that a computer may take 2 minutes to boot-up.

There is no shortage of unique time management planning systems to solve the time management problem. However, the question is can you really manage time and the answer is not really. You can only manage you. Do you need a system? Yes. You need a system that fits your needs and one that you will use.

Before selecting a system however you need to develop a strategy that works for you. Effective utilization of time is a skill, a mindset and a lifestyle. It can be learned by:

Ø Anyone who has a desire to get more out of their life

Ø Someone who wants to feel more in control

Ø A person who wants to achieve success in business

Ø Someone who wants to reduce stress and realize more balance in their lives

So if you want to have more control of your time then you need to commit to Change. Everyone knows that if we continue to do the same thing, we will continue to get the same result. So if you want to have more control of your time then you need to change.

There are 3 basic things you can do that will result in better utilization of your time:

v Do It Now - We normally do what we like first and avoid what

we do not like. We often do things at the last

minute that could have been done earlier.

Change that habit with scheduling the things we do

not like to do first. It will give you more time for

those that you like.

v Dump It - We may clutter our desks and life’s with things

that should be thrown away. Piles of paper and

magazines for instance that really either need

to be read now or just dumped. It will clear the

way to getting important things done.

v Delegate - We do too many things that others should be doing.

We do it because we can do it cheaper, faster and

better when in fact it would be better to delegate.

So in summary, the effective use of time begins with you and your willingness to change your habits. In the words of Paul Meyer “Time is usually wasted in the same way every day.”

If you want more information about Time Strategies contact Hank Sullivan at Strategic Solutions. hsullivan@stratsolutions.net