Advice from A-Z
Cold
Calling is often the last thing
you want to do, not the first
By Azriela Jaffe, copyright 1999
The woman who wrote to me the following is full of wisdom,
up until the point where she talks herself out of what she already
knows:
"I am a widow, entrepreneur, retired Occupational
Therapist, musician, piano teacher and mother of 3 grown, married
daughters. I had begun to work in my former area of training, Occupational
Therapy prior to my husband's death. In time, I started to look around
and think about another business that did not require quite the fast
pace and demanded less mobility. In the course of life, I had become
disabled and I needed to rev up the intellectual side and reduce physical
demands.
"I began teaching piano when still well, and as
life progressed could not sustain the demands of 28 students. If one
wants to make it in the piano teaching business, you need a steady
60 students per week. I then signed up for an Amway distributorship.
I had been an Amway distributor when my children were very small and
it bought me my first piano. As the family increased and the demands
grew on my time, I opted to be a stay-at-home Mom.
"Since I knew the Amway business, but not the new
developments, I attended an opportunity night and signed up. I am
excited about the new business and think it can be worked while I
pick up more piano students to come to my home. I have learned some
valuable lessons in running businesses over the years. I know that
it is constant work, needs hands on cooperation with others and constant
cold calls and follow ups. Overcoming the initiation of the cold call
is the hardest part for me. I do not mind addressing a room of people,
or speaking with strangers. On the contrary, I think it is harder
to talk to family members about business things."
Tell me something, where did you learn that the cold
call will be your secret to success, or that you should start selling
to your "warm" market first - those people who already know
you and love you? Let me tell you the story of a client who hired
me to coach him because he was stuck in his business. He had heard
that I had just released my new book, "Starting from No! Ten
Strategies to Overcome Your Fear of Rejection and Succeed in Business."
I spent an hour talking with him on the phone, and it was easy to
see what his problem was. He was terrified to pitch himself to those
most dear to him, his family and closest friends. The thought of their
rejection paralyzed him from making any movement in his business.
He made up plans and resolutions every week, procrastinated, went
to sales training meetings, tried to get himself hyped up, nerved
up, free of fear, and still, he was going nowhere but south, feeling
worse about himself by the day.
I told him something very simple. If it scares the heck
out of you to make cold calls and to pitch to your family, don't do
it! He breathed an audible sigh of relief. I gave him permission to
do what he was going to do anyway. Not everyone is cut out for cold
calls. Not everyone should try to sell their products to a warm market.
"Fear of rejection" is not as global as it sounds. In fact,
we are each afraid of certain kinds of rejection. Very few of us will
find the courage to leap over huge obstacles of immobilizing fear.
Forget about all that "rah rah" talk that tries to convince
you that you can accomplish anything, if you just put your mind to
it. Sure, that's true in theory. But in practice, you will be much
more successful if you find what you are really good at, and you don't
tackle your worst nightmare at the start of your business.
Remember that client I was just telling you about? He
fired me after one month and only two coaching sessions. I was delighted.
He terminated my services because he didn't need me anymore. After
our first session, he went into high gear, going after the market
most comfortable for him, and forgetting, for the time being, the
prospects he thought he was supposed to be going after. Magic - his
fear of rejection subsided, he met with success, and success breeds
confidence. He was rocking and rolling in just one month's time. He
only needed permission to do what he was already doing - avoiding
that which terrified him.
So, dear lady, treat yourself with kindness and don't
worry about initiating cold calls quite yet. Start right where you
are, with what comes naturally, and success will surely follow. I
played piano for twelve years as a child, and I taught piano lessons
as well. If you are teaching 28 children a week, while disabled even,
you have plenty of courage! Do you teach all of your children the
same way, or demand from them an identical performance? Of course
not - you understand that each of your students has strengths and
weaknesses. Some can play beautifully by ear, but their sightreading
is abysmal. Others can make Chopin sing, but they'll destroy a Mozart.
You help your students capitalize on their strengths and fortify their
weaknesses. You make sure they choose music to learn that they enjoy.
Above all, you make sure that they feel good about themselves, and
always encouraged. And so it is, as well, in business. What makes
you a successful piano teacher will also lead the way for you in Amway.
Good luck!
Azriela
Jaffe is the founder of "Anchored Dreams" http://www.isquare.com/crlink.htm
and author of "Honey, I Want to Start my Own Business, A Planning
Guide for Couples" ( Harper Business 1996), and "Let's Go
Into Business Together, Eight Secrets for Successful Business Partnering"
(Avon Books 1998) and "Starting from No, Ten Strategies to Overcome
Your Fear of Rejection and Succeed in Business" (Upstart Publishing
April 1999). For free online newsletter for entrepreneurial couples,
or for information about her syndicated column, "Advice from
A-Z", email az@azriela.com. Questions and reader response can
be emailed, or write to PO Box 209, Bausman, PA 17504
Massaging Every
Publicity Opportunity
By Joan Stewart
When my friend Dana Burke heard a disc jockey on a Milwaukee
radio station complaining that he had hurt his neck that morning,
she called him and offered him a free massage courtesy of her client,
Scott Mathison, a massage therapist.
A few days later, Scott was standing in the radio studio,
working the kinks out of Luke's neck while Luke was on the air. In
between songs, when Luke wasn't oohhhhing and ahhhhhing, he was giving
out Scott's phone number. He even told listeners about Scott's special
offer: Buy two gift certificates for a massage and receive a third
for half-price.
Dana was a hero. Luke felt better instantly. And Scott
got free publicity-and a gushing endorsement-that was more effective
than any paid commercial.
Then there's my friend Dave Delahunt, the real estate
broker for RE/MAX. He always wears his official RE/MAX lapel pin in
the shape of a hot air balloon. Dave estimates that so far, the pin
has been responsible for striking up conversations with people who
have bought or sold more than $1 million in transactions through him.
(How many lapel pins are buried in your jewelry box?) Dave also squeezes
everything he can out of every media opportunity. After USA Today
called him for a comment on real estate prices a few years ago and
continued to stay in touch every few months, David added the line
"Consultant to USA Today" on his marketing materials and
at his web site. Here are other ways businesses can massage every
publicity opportunity.
*Next time you attend a trade show, get out from behind
your booth and practice some profitable self-promotion by working
the room with a clever T-shirt and some shoeleather. That's what Shel
Horowitz did when he attended a book convention last year. "I
was walking the aisles, wearing my infamous blatantly self-promotional
T-shirt" (Headline: "The King of Frugal Fun", book
cover from The Penny-Pinching Hedonist: How to Live Like Royalty with
a Peasant's Pocketbook. The remaining text read, "Also available:
Marketing Without Megabucks: How to Sell Anything on a Shoestring
and phone/URL").
Stephen Morris, publisher of Chelsea Green, was in the
booth promoting a book on the theme of "Sustainable Hedonist"-
so Shel pointed to his T-shirt and began a conversation.
"Stephen took a look at both my books. Turned out
he was interested in expanding into the small office/home market,
and after some months of negotiation, we agreed on terms. I got my
signed contract in late December."
* If you do public speaking, don't just deliver your
speech, leave and hope the audience remembers to do business with
you. Offer a short summary of your presentation for the group's newsletter,
and don't forget to give them your photo. Be sure the last paragraph
includes information on what you do and how to contact you, and your
URL. Newsletter editors are hungry for articles, and many will welcome
yours.
* Write to newspaper and magazine columnists who specialize
in your topic. Send them a sample product or a list of "11 Tips
on How to..." Columnists always need fresh ideas.
* In your media kit, let the media know specific topics
on which you are an expert, and invite them to call you day or night
if they need background or commentary.
* If you publish a free or subscription newsletter, be
generous with complimentary copies to the media. I was interviewed
by Business Start-Ups magazine after the editor had been receiving
several copies of my newsletter, The Publicity Hound, and she assigned
a reporter to call and interview me for an article on how to recycle
publicity.
* Write a letter to the editor of the publication that
just printed a story about your company. Discuss one or two points
the reporter didn't include, or elaborate on a specific issue. Use
this same trick if your competitor gets a news story and you don't.
Write a letter or a longer opinion piece on whatever the topic is
about.
* Invite reporters to workshops or free classes you are
presenting. A local reporter attended a half day workshop I presented
recently through the local chamber of commerce on how to get free
publicity. She wrote a front-page story about it. I made reprints
of the story for my own media kit.
Joan Stewart is a media relations
speaker and consultant who publishes the bi-monthly subscription newsletter
"The Publicity Hound--Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free (or Really
Cheap) Publicity." For a sample copy, send a $5 check payable
to The Publicity Hound to 3930 Highway O, Saukville, WI 53080. Or
order by credit card at her web site at http://www.publicityhound.com
where you will find more helpful tips and articles.
How To Increase
Your Profits with
an "Upselling Offer"
Copyright 1999 By Bob Leduc
The cost of finding new customers or clients is a big
expense for most businesses. "Upselling" those new customers
maximizes your return on that expense. It's a simple approach any
business can implement quickly and get immediate results.
Upselling is a procedure designed to get more money at
the point of sale. You implement it by offering your customers or
clients an upgraded product or related item at the time they are making
their first purchase. Customers will never be more receptive to an
attractive offer from you than when they're paying you money. You
personally experienced upselling if you ever called to order a product
advertised on a TV informational. The order taker automatically offered
you an additional related product at a special discount only available
if you ordered it now.
Many businesses avoid upselling because they're afraid
the customer may get irritated and not buy at all. I've found the
opposite is true. Customers appreciate your thoughtfulness in offering
them an added benefit they didn't know about. Some business owners
have told me they don't upsell because it's not feasible in their
business. They really believed that until I described the upselling
offers used successfully by some of their competitors. Every business
can implement a successful upselling program.
WHAT TO OFFER
A new distributor for an MLM company called me recently.
She wanted advice about how to increase her profit margin on new sign
ups. I suggested adding a training manual as part of the initial package
for all of her new distributors. She took my advice and personally
collects the payment for the manual. She instantly pockets a 60% profit
on the cost of the manual in addition to the commission her company
pays her for each new distributor she sponsors. Plus, each of her
new distributors gets a valuable training tool.
Think about your business. What else can you offer customers
or clients while they're making their first transaction with you?
Can you offer them...
** A discount on a related product or service?
** A volume discount if they buy more now?
** A special priced combination package including the
initial product or service?
Your offer should include preferential special pricing.
Most customers will accept your upselling offer when it's a good value
and the price is no higher than 60% of the cost for the initial product.
HOW TO PRESENT AN UPSELLING
OFFER
Upselling has none of the characteristics usually associated
with selling. It's so easy that I've seen even unskilled order takers
achieve high acceptance rates by reading printed scripts. Upselling
is simply offering a suggestion to an already receptive buyer to enhance
the value of his or her purchase.
Present your upselling offer casually, as almost an afterthought.
For example, if you were speaking with your customer in person or
by phone you might say: "Your website will be up in 48 hours.
If you'd like, we can double your server space, include unlimited
autoresponders and a shopping cart for secure credit card orders.
The regular price for all of this is an additional $40 per month.
But I'll give it to you for just an additional $25 if you order it
today." You can make this same offer on paper or post it on a
website. It doesn't have to be verbal to be effective.
Most businesses I've surveyed report acceptance rates
between 40% and 60% for their upselling offers. This is a big increase
for so little effort. Plus, the profit from the upselling portion
often exceeds the profit on the initial product or service because
there are no additional expenses involved.
If you're not making upselling offers to every new customer
or client, start doing it now. It's an easy way to boost your profits
fast with little effort and no expense.
Bob Leduc retired from a 30
year career of recruiting sales personnel and developing sales leads.
He is now a Sales Consultant. Bob recently wrote a manual for small
business owners titled "How to Build Your Small Business Fast
With Simple Postcards" and several other publications to help
small businesses grow and prosper. For more information: Email: BobLeduc@aol.com
Subject: "Postcards". Phone: (702) 658-1707 (After 10 AM
Pacific time) Or write: Bob Leduc, PO Box 33628, Las Vegas, NV 89133
Eight DO's & DON'Ts
For Success
By David Blangger (c) 1999
There are several ways we can journey life. But a few
known DO's and DON'Ts can make the whole journey an extremely pleasant
one. We can do what we're doing today and wonder why we never get
ahead. The only problem with this scenario is that a lot of people
have ideas that they were either:
1. Born under the wrong star.
2. "Everybody else gets the breaks, I'm just unlucky".
3. "Someday though, I might get lucky if I keep
waiting for the right time".....and the list goes on.
Another thing we might decide is: If I just work real
hard and never stop I will get ahead. I'll get two full time jobs
and save my money..... my life will just have to wait!
Then there is the give up method. This is where we convince
ourselves that we are totally happy right where were at....We don't
need the big house, the swimming pool, the Lexus, the vacations....
We will just stay where were at and watch the world go by.
The problem is even if you do nothing you are still on
a journey through time. You just don't know where you are going. If
you haven't figured this out.... think of where you are today... the
decisions "you"made 5, 10, 15 years ago, or longer have
led you where you are today.
Friend, let me tell you that life doesn't have to be
this way. I don't care what your situation is, it doesn't have to
be permanent. I'll also step out on a limb and tell you that you really
don't like your position in life or you wouldn't be reading this today.
Okay David you nailed me down. So what is the answer?.....Thought
you would never ask....
To change your life ... is very easy .... You change
the way you think. Let me explain ...You and only you can make this
choice. A person is told an average of TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY THOUSAND
times in their life that they can't do something. This is not even
counting the times that they have told themselves. It takes TWENTY
EIGHT times of hearing yes YOU CAN to change a NO from being embedded
in your subconscious mind.
Now if you go around thinking positive thoughts all day
eventually you might get even with the NOs.You wouldn't really be
ahead you would probably just feel a little better about yourself
.... stick with me on this... You don't have to pay $29.95 to hear
life's big secret......
Here are the DOs and DON'Ts......
1. Dream again. Don't listen to the people that are in the same position
as you (if they knew the answer they wouldn't be there).
2. Write down quickly everything you want in one year..five years
... ten years. Don't worry about if they are possible or not!
3. Now that you have them written, take any ACTION step in their
direction. Learn what it would take to reach them. Ask someone that
has achieved them how they did it. Don't tell your friends about them.
They are yours.
4. Put them where you see them. Look at them a minimum of three times
a day. Don't miss a single day that there are not fixed in your mind.
5. Take ownership of them by believing that you already have them.
Don't get in the trap of "someday I'll."
6. Ask yourself this question...Is what I'm doing right now taking
me toward my goals or away from them? Don't ever give up!
7. Have a cause bigger than yourself. If you can only give time..do
that. Don't stop the universal flow of giving.
8. Live with passion, enjoy what you do. In closing allow me to give
you this thought.You tell a successful person your plans and he will
listen and believe you. Why? Because he knows it can be done. You
tell an unsuccessful person your plans and he will laugh and ridicule
you because he would have to face that he could be left behind.
David Blangger, is helping as many people as
he can be successful in business. You can visit his website at: http://www.lifeforceintl.com/7017101/index1.shtml
or e-mail him at: value@lcc.net
How to Find
Time to Write Articles
By Dr. Kevin Polk, Copyright (1999). All Rights Reserved
You have probably heard that writing articles is a great way to
promote your business. But how do you reach the goal of writing an
article? Mark Twain said it best, "Write, write, then write."
All humor aside, to reach the goal you will need to spend some writing.
Like a lot of things it is easier to find time to write in small chunks.
Spending just thirty minutes a day on one or more of the following
steps will move you toward your goal.
Step 1: Getting an idea. Many
people get put off of writing because they immediately think they
need to come up with a new idea. It is much better to start by writing
about topics that you have already read about and formed opinions
on. Look at titles of articles and choose some topics you might write
about.
Step 2: If you are like most
people, you will start having great ideas for articles, and then promptly
forget them. Write your ideas down in a pocket notebook as soon as
you have the idea. You won't use every idea you write down, but some
will turn out to be just the topic you wanted.
Step 3: Now that you have a
topic you need to write one sentence that outlines the paragraphs
you are going to write. The sentence will go something like this:
You (the reader) need to know about the importance of _____________
because of ________, ________, and ________. Let's say you are writing
an article about paying attention to your customers. You might write,
"You need to know about the importance of paying attention to
your customers because of customer retention, more sales, and more
referrals." Don't worry about making this sentence sound good
for now. Keep it simple.
Step 4: Write the first paragraph.
Bring up the topic in the first sentence or two, and then use your
outline sentence. In the example above you might use, "The importance
of paying attention to customers just can't be stressed enough."
Then insert the outline sentence. Then finish up with something like,
"This article will explain how paying attention affects retention,
sales, and referrals."
Step 5: Write two or three sentences
about each of the other topics (paragraphs) in your thesis statement
(e.g., retention, sales and referrals). Don't worry about writing
more now.
Step 6: Finish up by writing
a summation sentence and paragraph. Continuing with the "attention"
example you might begin by writing, "You can see why paying attention
to your customers is so important and can make life easier on you
in the long run." In general you will tell the reader what benefits
they are going to get, the time they are going to save, money they
are going to make, etc. I recommend you keep the last paragraph brief
and to the point.
Step 7: Read through the article
and fill in any things you obviously left out, but don't get too carried
away. You just want to clean it up a bit and get the outline of the
article in your head. Now set it aside for a day or two and let your
brain work it over for awhile.
Step 8: Now go back and carefully
read your article. Fill in any information you think needs to be there
and take out the unneeded. If needed, turn most, if not all of the
passive sentences into active ones. Improve your sentences, making
sure each one flows to the next. At this point you're done, or at
least almost done. Read it over a few times to make sure it sounds
good to you and spell check it. If it does not sound good to you put
it aside where you can find it in a few days or weeks. I always have
several articles at this stage. Once a week I look them over and choose
one to finish.
Step 9: (Optional) Have someone
you trust read the article to get their opinion and find typos.
Step 10: Publish the article.
The Internet has made this simple. You can publish it in your own
newsletter or send it to other newsletter publishers.
Spend thirty minutes a day on one or more of these steps you will
be at step 10 before you know it. Keep it up and in a short time you
will have several articles in your portfolio.
Happy Writing!
Dr. Polk is a goal and time management
coach, writer and speaker. Need more time to write? More time for
fun? Drop me a line at mailto:doc@timedoctor.com or visit http://www.timedoctor.com.
For a FREE subscription to my monthly "Time Saving Tips &
Tricks" put SUBSCRIBE in the BODY of an email to timesavers@oaknetpub.com
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