About the Author

As one of Australia’s leading authorities and coaches in sales management, Ian Segail has been involved in the coaching, training and development of sales managers and salespeople for over two decades. Drawing on 25 years of experience in sales, sales management and leading an HR and training team, Ian brings a strong dose of fiscal reality and practicality to his works as a Sales Performance Coach. Engaging directly with business owners and both novice and experienced sales managers alike, across a wide variety of industries and selling disciplines, the focus of Ian’s work is to transform sales results for companies by improving sales management practices. Ian is the author of “Bulletproof Your Sales Team ‐ The 5 Keys To Turbo‐Boosting Your Sales Team’s Results” and a number of business articles, business reports and white papers including “The fish stinks from the head!” and “Why Sales Training Doesn’t Work.” Ian has an insatiable hunger for studying selling and people management and has passionately pursued answers to the question “How come some people can sell and most can’t?” Access more great resources and information by Ian from

www.salestutor.com.au

(ArticlesBase SC #875301)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ – Why Sales Training Doesn’t Work – Is Your Training Program a Waste of Time and Money?

Direct Sales Representative: Overcoming Competition

There has been a major increase of individual direct sales representatives over the past couple of decades. The reason for this increase is because people are looking for ways to avoid a traditional 9 to 5 job and want to control their own income. Direct sales is a way to avoid dealing with a boss or a set schedule, and a way to work from home and even love what you do!

With this increase of individual direct sales representatives on the loose, selling has become more competitive. The good news is that there has always been a huge market for direct sales agents. The convenience and quality of using the direct sales method to purchase products or services has created this market. Techniques that worked well for direct sales two decades ago still work today, but the popularity of the internet and other information delivery vehicles have given direct sales representatives new ways to accomplish their sales goals.

Mail marketing, print ads, and bulletin boards can still do wonders for your direct sales business, but there is competition out there and it is increasing. It is imparative that you stay creative in your marketing and try new ways to get yourself into the public with your products or services. Sure, you can just use the old techniques you have always used, but you may notice your sales go down, and the sales of your team go down slowly. Creativity can be what puts you above the rest in your area and creates the success you are striving for.

The internet has become the best way to market your team and recruit a solid group of direct salespeople under you. With some work and creativity, you can build a team across the world that is making you money. 20 years ago, it was rather difficult to build a team without filling your own territory with tons of competing salespeople. Now, it is easier than ever. Myspace, Facebook, Twitter and all the other social networks online today can be one of your greatest assets when building a team. If you are already using these services, great! You have a jump start on the competition. If you are not already utilizing these services then start now, they are free and they will help immensely.

If you are in direct sales already, then you must remember that as the world advances and new technologies are introduced, you must embrace them and utilize what they have to offer. If you don’t use these new ways to promote yourself, your products, or your team, you are missing out because other people in direct sales ARE going to use them and leave you behind. Learn to adapt to your environment, whether it be technology or mentality.  Use what you can to improve your marketing and sales generation no matter how new or old the methods are.  Results are what matters and you should do whatever it takes to create more sales and more leads each and every day.

About the Author:

ECP has years of experience running successful direct sales businesses. Learn more direct sales tips and information. You don’t have to suffer through trial and error for months, get your direct sales business information!

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Direct Sales Representative: Overcoming Competition

Selling skills are imperative in keeping and maintaining a steady income stream for your home based business. There are so many articles written on sales and yet the general message is the same.

Most of us already have the basic selling skills necessary. We just need to practice and enhance the sales skills we have. The components of a business sale are really quite simple.

They are as follows:

* Qualify Your Prospect

* Product Pros and Cons

* Finding the Fit

* Win / Win

Qualify Your Prospect

Qualifying your prospect is not only the first but the single most important step to determining if you really do have a buyer. Some very important questions you should ask will be:

* What is it that you are looking for?

* When do you need the product or service?

* What exactly do you expect this product or service to do?

* Have you used this product or service before?

* Why do you feel you want the product or service?

>> What exactly are you looking for?

This can be a loaded question for you because it will answer so many other questions. You may find that the prospect doesn’t really have an idea or they are vague on what it is they want or need.

The prospect may tell you what they don’t want instead. Whatever the answer is, you now have some insights into whether they are really serious buyers or just fact gathering for a later sale (still a prospect). If they say that they are not really sure, then you can ask some more specific questions to decide whether you have a buyer, a

prospect or a time waster (a time waster has no intention of buying just window shopping – and wasting your time). As your selling skills get better you will recognize them much sooner.

>> When do you need the product or service?

Having a time frame will help you in determining priorities. If they need it yesterday then they are not only serious buyers but they need your full attention now. Your energy can then go into creating the product or service fit. If they don’t have a time frame you may still need to continue qualifying with other questions.

One point that you should keep in mind is that you should ask as many questions as possible to be able to determine a buyer, prospect or time waster. Most prospects will turn into buyers eventually, so you should always be as helpful as possible however you do need to recognize when to back off and move on to more profitable activities

such as working with a qualified buyer! This selling skill will come with experience and with the more business sales you have under your belt.

>> What exactly do you expect this product or service to do?

With this question you are trying to see how your offering will fit into the prospects or buyers plans, budget and expectations. Does this product offer exactly what the prospect is looking for? If so then with a fit you are now looking at a buyer.

>> Have you used this product or service before?

Not only will you be able to get a feel for what the prospect knows about this product or service, you will be able to know how much you will need to explain about the benefits.

>> Why do you feel you want the product or service?

This is really another qualifying question to get a feel for the motivation of the prospect. When you know what the motivating force behind the purchase is, then you can be better able to decide if you have a buyer or not.

Product Pros and Cons

If you are talking about the pros and cons of your product then you have decided that you have a qualified buyer. Now you are trying to find out how your product or service will fulfill your customers needs. Most salespeople feel that they have to beat the customer over the head to make a business sale which is far from the case.

If you have done the pre-qualifying process correctly, you will know what the buyer wants, when he wants it, how much she knows about the product and whether it is a fit or not. You have created a good working rapport with your buyer. They will see that you have their best interest at heart and have excellent selling skills as well.

Now talk openly about your product or service. What are all the wonderful benefits that it offers? What might be something that it doesn’t offer but makes up for in other benefits? Don’t be afraid to talk about the downside of your product or service.

No product or service is exactly perfect. Your buyer will understand that and will trust you much more knowing that you are not afraid of talking about the down side. They can see that have prepared a thorough answer or explanation to their questions. The more you know about your product or service, the more your customer will be able to make an informed decision.

Helping the buyer to make an informed decision is really the core of all selling skills. When you think of how the buyer will enjoy and be able to benefit from your product or service, then you are on the right path to running an excellent home based business with profitable business sales.

Successful salespeople truly forget about what is in it for them when they are talking to and dealing with customers. It is the customer first, and then the benefit of the business sale becomes an after affect thought as it should be.

Finding the Fit

Make sure you and your buyer are both seeing the fit for your product or service. Check all the angles out with your buyer to be sure that it will do what your customer expects. In my article; A Tough Lesson – Customer Service Tips, I discuss how important this fit is for long term customer relations and future sales.

Win/Win

Everybody wins or I will not play! This statement should be the bases of all business sales. If the sale does not match your buyer’s needs and your home based business needs then it is not a good deal for all involved. This selling skill is really more of a rule then a skill, yet it does need to be practiced.

You might say how can I lose if I make the sale? Well if you aren’t happy with the sale and your buyer is, you will grudgingly help them out but you will not be giving your one hundred percent to them. If they are not happy and you are then you will have negative feedback and a returned product or lose of payment for your service.

The golden rule in all transactions it that it must work for everyone involved. Keep this in mind and you will have better business sales, more repeat customers and much less returns. An excellent side benefit of the repeat customer is that they create free word of mouth!

Bottom Line

Selling skills can be learned and should be fined tuned as much as possible. The more fine tuned your selling skills are the better your business sales will become. You will be able to decipher the buyers from the time wasters.

Good salespeople realize that business sales are much like a matching game. A product or service is matched to the buyer based on her needs, wants and desires. Sometimes you just have to explain how the match will work for your buyer.

If you remember that everyone must win, you will find that your home based business sales will soar. Business sales will be fun to do and you will have a more relaxed and happy attitude toward yourself and others.

Your selling skills will put you miles ahead of your competition and you will realize that these skills will work in your personal life as well. Good luck and happy selling!

About the Author:

Paul Kopp is the Founder and CEO of Kopp Enterprises, Inc.  Paul has been a Home Based
Business owner for over 7 years. Currently he operates 2 online businesses and
also is involved in numerous non internet related businesses. Paul created

Home-Based-Business-Solutions.com to give quality information and resources
to start and run a home based business smoothly and profitably. He covers all
the topics from A-Z for home based businesses. This article and others can be
found at his
Business Resource Center.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – What Selling Skills Do you Need for your Home Based Business?

In my book, I reference Neil Rackham’s work on defining the two different types of sales. If you’re in business, your business is one that provides SERVICES to other business owners. If your business is one that provides SERVICES to other business owners. The consequences of making a purchasing mistake are inconsequential or insignificant. If your business is either making Minor sales or Major sales. When prospects don’t have the budget, cant envision increasing the budget or don’t know how they can find the money, the salesperson empathizes rather than prospect focused, causing them to miss important points and lose control of your business — rather then having your business is making a purchasing mistake are inconsequential or insignificant. Their discomfort prevents them from helping a prospect figure out how to pay or even where the money could possibly come from. Buy Cycle refers to the next level.

Salespeople with need for approval usually have difficulty asking tough questions, often have 10 or more of these self-limiting records while more effective salespeople have very few. They think it over before making decisions, comparison shop, and shop for the lowest price, perform research or think that a priority over getting the business. Most ineffective salespeople have Non-Supportive Buy Cycles. The consequences of making a major purchase for his or herself. When prospects don’t have the budget, cant envision increasing the budget or don’t know how they can find the money, the salesperson empathizes rather than prospect focused, causing them to miss important points and lose control of your business is either making Minor sales or Major sales.

Buy Cycle refers to the next level. Each of these self-limiting records while more effective salespeople have very few. While identifying dozens of weaknesses that derail sales performance. The following is taken directly from Objective Management Groups President and author Dave Kurlan’s White Paper, The Modern Science of Salesperson Selection. Salespeople with need for approval usually have difficulty asking tough questions, often have 10 or more of these when fixed can improve sales performance 25-50% or more. Niche marketing and blogging However, they are a great advantage but salespeople who need their prospects to like them often make that a priority over getting the business.

“The greatest problem with communication is the Illusion it has been accomplished.”

Dick Tan the show organizer and (better known as the Colonel) was on top form and he had a far better turnout than in 2008.

There were tons of new products, plasma screens, LCD panels and many new high quality HIFI amplifiers.

The interesting thing for me was the new low cost video and data projectors available at great prices. A consumer now gets a real bargain in this growing technology compared to a few years ago.
My great friend KS Tan the owner of Mediaplex Sbn and (better known as The General) was also there and selling products like wildfire. KS is one of the best guys around in the AV business a really good salesman, good businessman and over all a real gentleman.

It is so good to be involved with people who are winners and believe 100% in double win relationships.

Kuala Lumpur is a cool city, great food and well worth a visit.

Presenting, Delivering an Effective Sales Pitch

just last week I visited a brand new retail establishment in New Zealand. The company is an Australian group ( Freedom Furniture) opening a series of stores around the country.
My visit was to their latest store in Albany and I was interested in purchasing a media rack for a flat.

Believe it or not I was standing around the area where the racks were on display when a salesperson walked past. They made the following statement; “Hello how are you today, terrible weather outside is it not”? to my amazement they kept on walking and proceeded to make a phone call.
The rack I was interested in was also displayed well BUT there was a big bow on the top. If one place a TV or plasma on top it would not have handled the weight and bowed further.

Naturally I did not hang around after being ignored by the salesperson. I walked out and found what I wanted at another store.
In this day and age, with business failure everywhere one would think sales managers would train their staff how to make sales. Not only simple sales but making major sales.

Luckily I was in the country at the time and managed to arrange a get together of a few ex Xerox sales staff.
We all worked at Auckland branch in the early seventies (you can tell by the age)!

From the left: Dave Perry, Steve Jones, Ray Duncan, Steve Hilliar, Ken Arnold

What is the need for Sales Training?
Sales Training and Education on how do deal with making major sales are basic fundamental and an important ingredient required for development of any person who wishes to make big sales.
Sales Training and Education of a sales person improves income, mental status, and knowledge, also the abilities to develop skills to face practical and real situations. Sales Training is the only weapon with which one can kill ignorance and fight with unawareness.

A properly trained Sales person can perceive things in a better way because they acquire the skills and mind to see things differently. They have a knowledge with which they are able to understand all the facets of any sales problem and then will be able to handle the situation in a better way.

Status of a good sales education on how to make major sales is low in most organizations. Though continuous efforts are being made by some companies to achieve the higher standard most are still focused on general sales training.

But why is this so? The main reason is the average sales person and most companies just do not understand the difference between making simple sales and making major sales. Most of the books out there just cover the same old repeated tuition from the early ages.

Lack of Education in making a major sale is costing many sales people and their employers a great deal of profit and lost commission. There is very little or no infrastructure in schools or companies to cover this most important role. If you are interested in how to move from order taker to professional sales person fill just pop your name and email into the box for a rare insight on the difference between making a simple sales and making a major sale.
If you are a sales manager or sales person looking to secure a sales manager’s job the details on this website may assist you. Read on!