How to Lose a Prospect’s Attention in 5 Seconds or Less

When you make contact with a new prospect-either by telephone or in a face-to-face meeting-you have an extremely short window of time to connect with them. If you fail to achieve this they will quickly tune you out. Here are several things you can do to lose your prospect’s attention in the first five seconds of the conversation:

1. Start a telephone conversation with, “Hi, how are you?”
2. Open your conversation by introducing yourself, your company and what you do.
3. Make small talk about “stuff” you see in their office (awards, plaques, photos, etc).
4. Give them an overview of your products and services.
5. Explain how your product or service will benefit them.
6. Tell them what other companies you have worked with.
7. Show them the awards and accolades your company product has received.
8. Give them a brochure that outlines your key products or services.

Unfortunately, most sales people fail to effectively open the sales conversation with a new prospect. Most of the sales calls and meetings I have been subjected to over the years have started with one or more of the above. However, the moment your prospect senses that you are trying to sell them something that they don’t need or want they will tune you out and look for a way to disengage or disconnect from the call. They don’t care about you. They don’t want to know about your company. They don’t want to listen to you talk about your products or service. They want a solution to a problem. They want to know how you can help them improve their business. Here is how you do that.

Focus your attention on the prospect!
It may sound simple but most sales people don’t get it. They still believe that selling means talking at great length about their company, their product or their service. However, truly effective salesmanship is all about asking the prospect the right questions and demonstrating that you can help them solve a particular problem or issue. That means you need to direct ALL of your attention on their situation and resist the opportunity to talk about your company or your offering.

If you are making cold calls you can accomplish this by modifying your opening statement or voice mail message. State a specific problem they are likely facing (based on your experience or research). For example,

“Mr. Big, if you’re like other companies in ABC industry, I suspect that you (fill in the blank with the problem). If this is the case, call me at 800-555-1212 and I might be able to suggest a solution. By the way, it’s Kelley calling and my number is 800-555-1212.”

This also applies to face-to-face meetings as well. When you meet with a new prospect for the first time, the last thing you want to do is to start blathering away about your product or service. Instead, open the conversation by asking, “Mrs. Prospect, many of our clients are currently experiencing (insert the problem here). How does that compare to your company’s situation?” This demonstrates that you are knowledgeable of their business and/or the industry and it gives your prospect the opportunity to tell you about their chief concerns.

Over the last fourteen years I have learned that most people will tell you anything you want to know providing you give them a reason to do so. Launching into a product demo does not achieve this but showing interest in their business does. The key is to develop and ask high-quality questions.
Several years ago I worked with a company who regularly participated in industry trade shows. I observed them at one show and noticed that their sales reps simply talked about the products that people showed interest in. Not surprisingly, their closing ratio was low because in most cases they gave information that was not relevant to that prospect’s situation and that they talked to people who had little or no motivation to buy. After some training, they began asking people a few high-quality questions to determine the people who had problems, challenges, and were seriously interested in their products. They were instructed to let “tire-kickers” look around and focus their time on people who had pressing concerns. At the end of the show their sales were slightly higher but they also had a list of highly- qualified people to follow up with and many of these individuals ended up buying from my client.

Here’s the bottom line. The more time you spend talking about your product, the less inclined a prospect will want to continue that conversation. The more you focus your attention on their situation, their problems and demonstrating how you can help them improve their business, the more you differentiate yourself from the competition.

You only have few moments to connect with a prospect so keep it brief. Keep it focused. Keep it about them. And you will keep their attention.

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How To Use Prezi to Leave a Professional Impression

 When I’m watching a presentation, and it’s boring and uninspiring, I lose interest.

Your presentations need to be visually pleasing to convince me that you’re a trustworthy professional.

Your first impression is incredibly important. Important enough to make or break the sale.
So, how can you ensure that your presentations are up to snuff?

It’s a presentation alternative to PowerPoint called Prezi.

Using Prezi is a clean, engaging way to organize your content into an attractive presentation.
Chef Giada De Laurentiis once said, “I’m into very colorful food. Obviously lots of flavor, but I think we eat with our eyes first, so it has to look great. The presentation has to be great.”

It may seem far-fetched to compare the appeal of food with some of your small businesses, but the idea is the same.
Presentation is key.

1. Starting Up

Prezi is a freemium model, meaning there is a free option, but there are also three other models you can purchase at a low monthly cost that offer more advanced features.

If you’re operating on a shoestring budget, the free model works just fine.

In order to use the free Prezi program, create an account using your email address, username, and password. This allows you to make public presentations with up to 100 MB of cloud storage.

2. Navigating The Prezi Screen

First things first, select a predesigned template to create your Prezi or start from a blank screen.
Move the Prezi canvas by clicking on a blank area and dragging the screen.
Click on a piece of content to zoom into the screen and to a specific area of your Prezi.
Plus and minus buttons appear when the cursor is at right side of the screen; these buttons allow you to zoom in and out.

Just above these buttons is a home button; this brings the entire Prezi into view and allows you to step back to look at your work.
Prezi works like a roadmap. You have different pieces of content that include text, pictures, video, diagrams, or virtually anything else. In order to include content within the presentation path (the sequence of the slides), frame it with the “Frames and Arrows” button at the top of the screen.



You can add a new slide by inserting a new circle, rectangle, bracket, or invisible frame and placing it anywhere on the screen. Once you insert a frame, Prezi automatically adds the content to the path and the corresponding left-hand sidebar. Alternatively, right-click the piece of content and select “Add to Path.”

3. Incorporating Text

Click anywhere on the screen and type to add text. A box appears over the words and you can adjust the font, color, size, background color, etc.

4. Getting Fancy

You can also add pictures, videos, diagrams, and PowerPoint to your Prezi. Select the “Insert” button at the top of the page and then the option you want to include.
You can also include live links by typing the URL into a text box.
Once you click away from the box, the link should go live.

Don’t forget that you can edit the path (sequence) of your Prezi by changing around the order of the slides in thesidebar on the left-hand side of the screen.

You also may want to explore the “Theme Wizard” which can be accessed by the “Themes” button at the top of the page. This changes the color scheme of your presentation, including the background, brackets, arrows, and font.



One of the most interesting components of Prezi is the zooming option.
You can zoom close up into the presentation to see that is invisible when looking at the presenation as a whole.

It creates a unique effect when the audience dives into the image to see the content during the presentation. Similarly, you can zoom so that the presentation becomes a dot on the screen, and place content there.

5. Finishing Up

At anytime, you can preview your presentation to see the final product.
Move to the first slide of your presentation and click the “Present” button at the top of the screen.
You can also download and edit anyone else’s public Prezi from the “Explore” page.
You can add their content to your Prezi, or add your content to a saved copy of their presentation. Of course, it’s always important to give them credit.


The Prezi Team has a wonderful example you can find HERE.
I also made a Prezi that you can view right HERE.

Prezi also has both a written and video tutorial describing how to use their product. Their instructions are extremely helpful when starting out with the program. Now you’re armed with everything you need to know about Prezi. So, no more boring presentations!

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How to Seal the Deal

Top 10 Sales Closing Techniques

 

Practice different techniques to close mores sales.

 

 

Understanding closing techniques is important, but there are no magic words to guarantee that you make the sale. You must start by helping your customer identify his needs and then demonstrating that your product or service offers an affordable solution that addresses those needs. With that foundation, a good closing will help you cement the deal and grow your business.

 

Opinions Count

Adding the phrase “in your opinion ...” to a question softens the reply if the customer has an objection. “In your opinion, will this solve your problem?” If the customer says no, it's an opinion, not a fact, and you can address his concern. This is a great trial close to use as the sales cycle progresses so that you don't encounter any surprises when it's time to wrap up the deal.
 

Sharp Angle Close

When the customer asks for a concession, whether it is price, delivery or additional features, respond by asking, “If I can do that for you today, will you sign a purchase order?” This is an important closing question – if you agree without asking for close, then the customer has an open door to continue asking for concessions.

 

Assumptive Close

If you have an established relationship with the customer and he respects your judgment, jot down the items he is considering on an order form as you are discussing his needs. When the timing is right, put an X on the signature line, hand it to the customer and say, “Here.” Then be quiet.
 

Something for Nothing

A free add-on may be gimmicky, but it can work if handled correctly. “I happen to have an extra charger with me. If you sign off on the order today, I'll throw it in at no charge.”
 

Ben Franklin

Ben Franklin is said to have made decisions by creating a list with two columns – the pros and the cons – and basing his choice on the longer column. This approach works well with analytical personalities. If you use it as a closing technique, just be sure you have a lot of benefits in the customer's "pro" column.
 

The Porcupine

You must be careful stroking a porcupine and you must also be careful answering customer questions. When your prospect asks a question like “Does it come in red?” answer by tossing back the question: “Would you like it in red?” Her answer will give you a measure of the depth of her interest and help you adjust your presentation appropriately.
 

Impending Event

If you truly have a deadline or reason for the customer to make a quick decision, the impending event closing works well. “I have an installation crew in town next week. Can we schedule a day with you?” If the deadline is in your interest and not the customer's, it will be seen as self-serving and will not work.
 

Solicit Objections

If you have gone through the discovery phase of the sales cycle and are confident that the customer understands that your product or service addresses her needs, then ask for the sale by asking for an objection. "Is there any reason why we can't proceed with the shipment?" This oblique approach allows the customer to raise any final objections -- if she has one -- without saying no to the sale.
 

Level With Me

As you approach the end of the selling process and the customer says he wants to think about it, ask him to get to the point: “Level with me. Have I failed to show you the value that you will receive from your investment?” Then be quiet.
 

Direct Close

When you have addressed the customer's concerns and you are confident that she knows the value of your product or service, then pose the question directly, "So, Mary, are you ready to place the order?" Use this closed-ended, yes-or-no question only if you are very confident that the answer will be affirmative.

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How to Open an Online Clothing Boutique

If you have a passion for fashion and love clothes, starting an online clothing boutique may be the perfect business for you. Unlike traditional boutiques, the costs for starting up an online boutique are much lower. There is no need to find a location, rent or buy a building and you won't need to hire many, if any, employees. By working with drop-shippers, you can even eliminate the need to stock an inventory. With just a few steps, fashion know-how and some networking, you can open an online clothing boutique.

 

 

Step 1:  Decide what type of market you want to reach with your clothes. If you want to appeal to a teen audience you will need a very different line of clothes from what you would need if your audience is expectant mothers. Know your market, what it wants and the upcoming trends.
 

Step 2:  Source out a supplier for your clothing. If you will be carrying an inventory, you will need to find a supplier that can give you a full size run of the clothing you wish to carry in your store. If you will be using a drop-shipper, fully research them ahead of time to make sure that they have a good reputation of filling orders promptly and that the clothes are high quality. Place a sample order to see if they can meet your expectations.

 

Step 3:  Store your inventory properly. If you will be having an actual inventory, the clothing will need to be stored in a cool, dry location away from pets, children, smoke and moisture. Your inventory is your future success--treat it like gold and take excellent care of it. Consider getting warehouse or inventory insurance as a back-up should the unexpected occur.

 

Step 4:  Set up your website. You will need to purchase a domain and buy web space for your site. Most hosting companies now offer the ability to easily configure your site and your web store. You will also need to have a merchant account to be able to take credit card payments through your site. Get all of your clothing inventory loaded on to your web store and then troubleshoot your entire site before going live.
 

Step 5:  Advertise your new clothing boutique. Find places where your key market visits online and place ads with these sites. Utilize services, such as Facebook and Twitter, to take advantage of social marketing. Pay-per-click ads are also a good way to market clothing online and can be cost-effective for startups since you only pay when someone actually clicks on an ad.

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Pre Trade Show Marketing Ideas

Start promoting the show as soon as a date is set.

 

Trade shows and business expos are venues for promoting your company’s products and services to a wide audience. To make the most of this promotional investment requires detailed pre-trade show marketing efforts designed to attract attention, raise awareness and encourage attendance.

 

Email

Email marketing campaigns are fast, cost-effective ways to get news about your trade show exhibit in front of the right people. Develop one email campaign for your current clients and customers that describes where you’re exhibiting and why they should attend. Create a separate email for colleagues and business-to-business customers, inviting them to be part of a extraordinary business networking event. Provide a link to your website for more details and include a link to the event registration page.

Social Media

Use social media business accounts to create buzz about your upcoming exhibit. Include photos of the venue and provide ongoing preshow updates on how your trade show theme and booth design is developing. Invite feedback and questions from your followers and keep people coming back by posting teasers about show raffles and prize giveaways.

 

Newsletter

Use your company newsletter to promote your participation in the trade show. Give readers a rundown of what the exhibit offers, the various exhibitors scheduled to participate, and highlight fun aspects of the event. Presentations, giveaways, food and entertainment are good draws.

Direct Mail

Send direct mail trade show invitations to your customers, vendors and prospect lists. Include an entry ticket or a raffle ticket to entice them to show up. If you’re offering trade show discounts, tease them in your direct mail piece or offer a “mystery discount” redeemable in person the day of the event.

Website

Use your website to post pictures and video clips from previous trade shows. Provide regular updates about what visitors can expect, and highlight networking and business-building opportunities that are available. Many trade shows feature a mixer or professional development component, which can be big draws for attendees.

Paid Advertising

Consider cost-effective advanced advertising in media that targets your market. Promote your exhibit and highlight specials, promos and discounts, especially show-only offers. If you’re debuting a new product or service at the event, use paid advertising to promote it. Paid advertising is especially useful if you are the host of the trade show.

Timing Your Marketing

Start promoting your trade show participation on your website and through social media as soon as you book the date. If you’re attending a national or international show, begin issuing invites and placing ads six months in advance, with more regular marketing communication efforts coming in the last several weeks leading up to the event. Local shows can be marketed two months in advance.

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Cool iPhone Trick for Insurance Agents to Improve Service and Sales

Cool iPhone Trick for Insurance Agents to Improve Service & Sales

    

The easier it is for clients and prospects to contact you the better.

Right?

And if all your contact info is stored in their phone that makes it pretty easy.

Also right?

What’s NOT easy is getting a client or prospect to type your information into their address book.

Last night I found a cool feature on my iPhone that can make it dead-simple for insurance agents to get into their client’s cell phones.

It’s not top-secret and you might already know your phone can do this.

But I think this iPhone capability can be incredibly powerful if used right for insurance agents so I wanted to share it with you.


Here’s the easiest way to get your agency’s contact information into your client’s phone.
By the way, if you don’t have an iPhone don’t give up. Your phone might have some similar functionality. It’ll just be less user-friendly and harder to figure out.

First – Create Optimized Contact Profiles in Your Own Phone

These are the contact profiles you want clients and prospects to have in their phone.
I recommend creating two separate profiles:

1) One “Agency Profile” that you give to clients.

This profile is branded as the agency and includes things like:

• The agency’s main phone number
• The general office email address
• Individual extensions for each employee
• Phone numbers for filing claims
• Phone numbers to contact carrier(s) directly
• Phone numbers to make payments
• Useful client website links
• Links to social media accounts etc.

You basically just want this contact to be a clients one-stop-shop for any information about your agency or your carrier they may need while on the go.

2) And one “Salesperson Profile” that you give to prospects or networking connections.

This profile is branded as you and includes things like:

• Your personal cell number
• Any phone number you may call them from (so your profile displays in Caller ID)
• Your direct email address
• A link to your LinkedIn, Facebook, and/or Twitter profile
• A link to your “Get a Quote” page
• Phone numbers, links, and anything else about you

Get the idea here?

You’re not just creating a standard contact, you’re creating robust and valuable profiles full of information people will find valuable to have on hand!

Here’s how to set up those profiles:

Step 1: Open The Contacts app.

Step 2: Tap the “+” button to add a new contact.

Step 3: Enter As Much Information As Possible

Step 4: Pretend you’re a teenage girl and take a “Selfie”

Update: After testing this process, I learned that the profile photo doesn’t always transfer when you share this contact.

It’s still fun though, so I had to leave it in here ;-)

Step 5: Save the New Contact You Created

That’s it.

And here’s how you get these profiles into your clients’ and prospects’ phones:

Step 1: Open the Contact Profile and Scroll to the Bottom

Step 2: Tap “Share Contact”.

Step 3: Share the Contact by text message, email, or Airdrop.

(I haven’t tested the Airdrop so I don’t know how it works but email and text work fine. If you figure out the Airdrop and there’s any advantages please let us all know in the comments below)

Here’s what the client needs to do:

The client/prospect needs to take one extra step to save your information to their phone.
For illustration purposes, here’s what it looks like if they receive the contact via text message on another iPhone.

I don’t know how this process differs on non-iPhones, you’ll have to figure it out yourself because there’s only iPhones in my house.

Step 1: They’ll get a text message that looks like this:

Step 2: After tapping the message, they should scroll down and tap, “Create New Contact”

And You’re In!

By the way, this may have seemed like a lot of steps because I showed lots of screenshots for every step but I promise (other than setting up the contact profiles) the process only takes seconds to do with a client.

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