11 Rules for Selling to a Skeptic

by: Vicky Therese Davis, William R. Patterson, D. Marq

Let's face it: the greatest accomplishment for a member of the sales community is closing a deal with a skeptic. Many who are proficient at this art agree that it is far more gratifying to convince someone who initially felt your product was not necessary that it indeed is, than to complete what the industry terms an "easy sell." Lucky for us all, plenty of doubters buy products and services everyday. Let us examine eleven of the fundamental techniques used by those who succeed in persuading the worst of cynics.    1. Know your product/service Know it inside and out, backwards and forwards. You should know its strengths, weaknesses, and any proprietary features. Also understand the factors that influence its supply and demand. All of these will strengthen your presentation and help the skeptic make a more informed purchasing decision. There should be nothing that anyone can tell you about what you solicit. You will definitely be asked questions, so be prepared to demonstrate all aspects of your product/service in response.    2. Know your prospect Along with knowing your product comes knowing your prospect. Strive to know all you can about your target demographic and potential clients. Make sure you deal with the decision maker. You should know their purchasing habits, what motivation determines their choice, and how long a buying decision takes. You must understand how your product fits into their overall purchasing strategy. When you know the buying habits of your prospect, you can use it to develop a longer-term sales plan—that means repeat business. Put yourself in the most favorable position to get a "yes" by focusing on what most concerns your prospect.    3. Believe in your own words You will never be effective selling something you do not believe in, particularly to someone who is already skeptical. Your lack of enthusiasm will be an obvious as you attempt to convince your potential buyer. When you emanate passion and confidence, you break down the wall of doubt the cynic has built. To not be a pillar of strength during your presentation is a sure-fire ticket to an abrupt "no." If you are lucky enough to sell a product you do not believe in, you still lose because you risk killing referral business and losing the trust of your customer. 4. Be transparent Too often, we give strong pitches with lots of hype and little information. We will say, "If you want these benefits, buy my product." This is done with the hope that a prospect's curiosity about your bold claims will be enough to convince them to purchase. The idea that if you divulge too much information, you could dissuade your prospect is a far too common falsehood. Be prepared to give as much information as needed to convince the potential buyer to make a purchase. Transparency builds trust. Things people do not understand will always be greeted with "no." The more information available when making a purchasing decision, the more likely they are to say "yes." Another benefit of being transparent is the more resources you divulge free of charge, the more likely you are to generate interest in your product/service.    5. Gain trust by associating yourself with things they respect By offering endorsements and testimonials, especially from well-known sources that your target market respects, you strike the chord of "trust." Many a skeptic has purchased based on the recommendations of individuals they respect. Secure associations along these lines and look to align yourself with trusted agencies through strategic partnerships. Major endorsements mean less resistance and lots of sales.    6. Offer a free trial, incentive, bargain, or guarantee The structure of your offer can play a key role in building trust and enticing your prospect to buy. There are many variations of each, but incentives and guarantees are great ways to gain your potential buyer's confidence. Guarantees and free trails allow the skeptic to try the product/service before determining if your offer is a good fit. Incentives and discounts are also valuable tactics as they make the cynic feel they are getting a value. People always love the feeling of getting something for free and buying when it is a low/no-risk transaction. By guaranteeing the quality of your product/service, you disarm the skeptic and encourage them to buy. You also communicate an important message that you are confident in what you sell.    7. Compare and differentiate yourself from your competitors Know the nature of your business. Is it commodity based, where the low price bidder wins? Is the strength of your brand a factor? Is there something unique about your offer? You must understand your competitors and their advantages and disadvantages. Once you have both the knowledge of your competitors and an understanding of the skeptic's needs, you can choose the most effective marketing angle. We offer such phrases as:    "The lowest cost"…you play to the desire for value "The official"…you validate for authenticity "The best"…you show superiority "The only"…you offer exclusivity If possible, demonstrate the differences that make your product/service unique or superior.    8. Sell the relationship, not the product Contrary to popular belief, the best salespeople not only close deals, they foster relationships. Relationships are more valuable to both you and the prospect than a one-time transaction. For the salesperson, relationships bring repeat business and the ability to cross-market your offerings; increased referrals because you gain access to the prospect's network base, and the ability to charge a premium because of the higher perceived value of your relationship. For the skeptic, relationships help build trust. These bonds let them know they will not be abandoned after the transaction is finished. Ultimately, they are buying a relationship with you and your firm, not the product/service, so approach selling that way.    9. Focus on benefits offered and value delivered Self-interest is the skeptic's primary concern, so focus on how your product/service solves their problem, fulfills their need, or satisfies their desire. If your prospect is solely bottom-line focused, your presentation should be centered on how your product or service will make or save them money. If your product satisfies a desire, focus on how it fills an emotional void. Emotional selling differs from bottom-line selling because it focuses on feelings rather than metrics. Remember to focus on the benefits that concern your potential buyer; anything else will make a skeptic lose interest and you lose the sale.    10. Isolate their objection In life and business, two of the greatest challenges are making intelligent decisions and properly following through on them. One of your fundamental goals as a salesperson is to help people make informed decisions. To do so, ask two types of questions: those to better understand your potential buyer and his/her needs, and questions designed to lead your prospect to buy. A series of well-placed questions will allow you to isolate any objections. You should brainstorm every possible reason a skeptic will not buy from you and comprise an effective solution or rebuttal for each. Any other question should be crafted in a way that allows for only one reasonable answer, and that answer should compel your prospect to agree with you.    11. Don't seem desperate! Your emotional state will be apparent to a skeptic. Never appear as though you "need" a sale. Everyone avoids a hard-pressed individual. Often we are conditioned to give to and buy from those who do not need our money. It is the same principle that makes us more likely give a rich man fifty-cents to make phone call because he has no change, than to a homeless man in need who makes the same request. Therefore, it is imperative that you operate from a mindset of abundance. Understand there is always a bigger sale out there, so you need not be pressed for this one. Your confidence will put the cynic at ease and make them more likely to buy from you.    Once internalized, these 11 points will mesh into an effective sales strategy. You will begin to think of them not as individual points to be mastered, but one comprehensive selling technique. They are designed to compliment each other and give you a thorough footing for selling to those who are naturally doubtful about you and your service. Master them and win!    About the author: Vicky Therese Davis, William R. Patterson, and D. Marques Patton are co-authors of the acclaimed business and personal finance National Bestseller, THE BARON SON: VADE MECUM 7. Vicky Davis is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Indulgence Jewelry Corp. William Patterson is Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Warcoffer Capital Group, LLC. D. Marques Patton is Co-founder and President of The Warcoffer Capital group, LLC. To receive their breakthrough book and over $3,631 in FREE success gifts, visit: http://www.baronseries.com Need Extra Money At Home ? Visit Make Money At Home And Online Business Tips. Or Affiliate Revenue Tips.  Need Million Free Traffic to your webs ? Please visit Search Engine Optimization Tips   Circulated by Article Emporium

10 Things Every Home Based Business Owner Needs

by: David A. Bailey, Jr

When you make the decision to earn income from the internet you will need to go through a set up process to be ready for business.    Following are the basic steps in setting up for home business success.    1. Attitude  The key to your business success is your attitude. Treat your business like a business.    This is critical whether you are working part-time or full-time. One of my colleagues is a mother who works from home around her family. She has always put her family first whilst at the same time developing her business. She says, "I work part-time, but I have a full-time attitude."    Put another way, "If you have a hobby attitude you will have a hobby income, if you have a business attitude you will have a business income."    You can be successful working part-time and you can be successful working full-time but it is highly unlikely that you will be successful working in your "spare time".    2. Working Environment A space that you can call your own, free from distractions for your scheduled time. A comfortable chair and organized desk.    Stationery supplies as required. For example: - pens - highlighters - stapler - hole punch - sticky tape - note book(s) - a simple filing system - ring binders - manilla folders    Consider the value of a broadband connection. Your time is valuable and a broadband connection can allow you to get more done in a given time frame.    3. Schedule Develop a schedule that works for you, your family (or "significant others") and your business. When you allot a block of time for work then use that time for work. Equally important is to schedule time for your other commitments - family time, self education ( reading, listening and viewing), "health time" (exercise, cooking and eating), and leisure time. During these other times don't work. After all if one of the reasons to work from home is to spend more time with your family then you don't want your working at home time to consume your family time.    You are working for yourself and your schedule (by your choice) is your "boss". When you have people calling you or dropping around unexpectedly or maybe out-of-town visitors may want to catch up with you then you need to make a choice. Are you committed to your own business success? What will be your choice in these situations? Only you can decide what is important to you.    In a family environment you may need to negotiate with your partner and children to have your business time agreed upon, during which you will not be interrupted. Put this schedule prominently somewhere so all family members are aware of your work schedule. 4. Describe Your Business Be able to describe your business concisely; a powerful one or two sentence description that someone can repeat in describing your business to others. A unique and memorable tag line can also be invaluable for promoting your business.    5. Know Your Product or Service Once you have selected your product or service to sell, it may or may not be something that you use yourself but you need to know your product intimately. If you are selling ebooks then know the content and its value. If you are selling software then use it know it "inside out". You will develop a reputation of providing quality information and because of your product knowledge you can become the preferred supplier.    It is not practical to use certain products (for example a woman may choose to sell man's shoes or vice versa) in which case the seller won't be a product user, however the seller can still know the benefits and features of the product intimately.    6. Administration Use good record keeping practices. This may involve a consultation with a tax advisor who can let you know about the optimal way to set up your financial records and what records need to be kept. Your advisor will also recommend record keeping systems and you can find out what software may simplify this aspect of your business. Additionally your obtain advice on the best arrangement for your bank accounts. You will most likely be advised to have a separate bank account.    You will also need to keep track of your various logins, usernames and passwords. A very handy little software tool for this is Treepad available as either the free Lite version (without password protection) or the commercial Plus or Biz versions. http://www.treepad.com    There are other useful tools for this also from a simple paper notebook to free and commercial password keepers. One popular solution is Roboform that will remember your login details and can automatically fill out your login and other registration forms. http://www.roboform.com    7. Computer Protection Your computer is the lifeline to your business dealings and must be protected including the data that is stored. You need a virus scanner, personal firewall, anti-spyware and anti-adware and preferably an email scanner with the ability to delete suspect of spam email from the server before it is downloaded to your computer.    Some suggestions are: AVG Anti-Virus: http://www.grisoft.com Spybot S&D: http://www.safer-networking.org Microsoft Anti-Spyware: www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx Adaware: http://www.lavasoft.com/ Mailwasher Email Scanner: http://www.mailwasher.net    8. A Domain Name You will most likely need a domain name for your business and one cost effective registrar is GoDaddy, http://www.godaddy.com.    9. Payment Processing You will need a way to process credit cards; that may be using services such as: - PayPal https://www.paypal.com - Storm Pay http://www.stormpay.com - 2 Checkout http://www.2checkout.com - Clickbank http://www.clickbank.com or others.    This is the most economical way to get started. Once your business picks up you may need to look into your own merchant account for credit card transactions. Consideration may also be given to other forms of online currency such as eGold http://www.egold.com    10. Email accounts Once you have your own domain you can use an associated email account. This can further assist in the promotion of your business and promotes a more professional business image.    As a final comment on continuing in your internet business, conduct your business ethically, provide extraordinary service and be proud to put your name to the products or services that you are selling and you will be on track to developing a sustainable long term internet business. [ Submitted with ArticleSubmitter Pro - http://www.articlesubmitterpro.com] About the author: Are you an internet marketer looking to better your English speaking skills? David A. Bailey, Jr shares his top-secret, little-known tricks, tips, and ideas to learn English FAST in four easy steps from the comfort of your own home. Join the English Club and meet other ESL students just like yourself. SERIOUS ONLY! Learn English NOW! Need Extra Money At Home ? Visit Make Money At Home And Online Business Tips. Or Affiliate Revenue Tips.  Need Million Free Traffic to your webs ? Please visit Search Engine Optimization Tips Circulated by Article Emporium