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MLM Woman Issue 99
April 2005This FREE monthly newsletter is made possible by our advertisers and customers. We thank them for their support!
From the Desk of the Editor
Welcome to the 99th issue of the MLM Woman Newsletter. This month we feature articles on sales tips from an unusual source, how to stand out and step up your profits, 9 highly effective marketing tips, and 10 steps to solving any problem.
Enjoy!
Linda Locke, Editor MLM Woman
Sales Tips I Learned from My Cat
By Wendy Weiss
I love my cat. Her name is Ms. Kitty. She was named
after Mr. Cat, who died 11 years ago, and
after Amanda Blake of “Gunsmoke” fame. Ms. Kitty and I
just celebrated our birthdays. She’s 11.
I’m... well, I celebrated a birthday, too.
Those of you who are cat lovers are nodding your heads
and smiling. The rest of you probably think I’ve totally lost
it. But before you tune out completely, let me share some of the
fabulous sales
tips that I have learned from Ms. Kitty and from all the cats in
my life.
Be clear in knowing your goal
Ms. Kitty always knows what she wants. Whether it’s more food or to be petted or not to be petted, she knows what she wants and when she wants it. She spends much time pondering her wants. All that time spent sleeping on the coach is not what it appears. She’s really planning her next move.
Ask for what you want
Once Ms. Kitty has determined her goal, she asks for it. Clearly and concisely. “Meow.” She lets me know in no uncertain terms what she wants. And if I’m not clever enough to understand the first time, she is patient with me until I do.
Ask again
If at first you don’t succeed… Ms. Kitty asks, and asks and asks. She won’t go away. She won’t stop saying, “Meow.” She wants what she wants when she wants it, and she lets nothing stand in her way.
Ask a lot of people
Ms. Kitty has learned over time that I don’t always immediately accede to her demands. That’s okay. She just asks someone else. And then someone else. Eventually, some human being says “yes.”
Be persistent
Ms. Kitty never judges herself. She doesn’t worry about being “too pushy” or “too aggressive.” She doesn’t worry that her prospect might be “too busy” or “already have a cat.” She believes in herself, she knows what she wants, and she keeps asking until she gets it.
Don’t take “no” for an answer
Ms. Kitty is clever and creative. She keeps asking. She asks many people. She reworks her pitch and starts over. She does not hear “no.” She realizes that sometimes humans are slow and she just has to keep after us till we “get it.” It’s a process.
To see Ms. Kitty's formal portrait, http://www.wendyweiss.com/ms_kitty.html
© 2005 Wendy Weiss
About the Author
Wendy Weiss, "The Queen of Cold Calling & Selling
Success," is a sales trainer, author and sales coach. Her book,
Cold Calling for Women, and the recently released Cold Calling College,
can be ordered by visiting http://www.wendyweiss.com.
Contact her at wendy@wendyweiss.com.
Get her free e-zine at http://www.wendyweiss.com.
Do
Something Different:
Stand Out and Step Up Your Profits
By Michael Angier
The first step in any sales process is to gain the attention
of your prospective customer. Without doing this, there's no way to
get your message across and no way to make a sale--unless it's
by accident.
In order to excel, you must differentiate yourself.
And even after you gain a customer, it's imperative you remain not only visible but foremost in their mind. You want your customer to think of you first when it comes to buying your product or service.
Differentiating yourself from your competitors is worthy of considerable and constant attention. It will save you money, time, aggravation and missed business.
Is this easy? No, it's not.
And that's why it's so uncommon. Standing out requires
real thinking. It takes brainstorming. It requires knowing what your
customer wants. It demands knowing who you are and what you
stand for. It also requires knowing your competition.
What Makes You Special?
Every person--every company--has unique skills, talents and potential
to bring to the marketplace. It's critical you discover what these are.
What special results can you deliver? How can you do it differently? What added value can or could you offer?
Get your staff together and brainstorm this question. Dig deep. Don't accept the easy answers. And keep digging.
What Do Your Customers Really Want?
You might think you know what your customers and potential customers
need, and you might even be right. But what do they actually WANT?
Spend time talking with your clients. Do surveys. Make it easy for your customers to share their ideas, problems and dissatisfactions. Listen to them.
The problems they bring up--ones they have in general and ones they have with you--are golden opportunities to help you craft your unique selling proposition and deliver exceptional service.
How Can You Deliver Your Uniqueness in the Best Way?
How can you do it faster or better? How can you make it easier to use
your product or service? How can you make it less expensive? How can
you make your product/service one-of-a-kind?
How can you help your customer feel more special? How can you make your
product feel exclusive? How can you be more responsive?
What can you add to what you sell that would cost you little or no money but add real and perceived value?
Explore other industries and think about ways you can implement strategies or services from other trades into YOUR trade.
Perhaps one of the best questions to keep in the forefront
of your mind is IWWCI (In What Ways Can I) increase the value of my
product/service to my customers? I have an entire notebook
devoted to just this question. I'm constantly looking for ways to provide
more value to our members. I sit down with it often to review my notes
and add ideas.
Doing things differently is worthy of your attention. And it's a process that is never complete. It should be constant and never-ending.
It's also a lot of fun. It will keep your creative juices
flowing. It will sharpen your thinking and increase your energy. And
it will make you more profitable while giving greater value
to your customers.
About the Author
Copyright Michael Angier & SuccessNet. Michael is the
author of '101 Best Ways to Get Ahead'. SuccessNet's mission is to inform,
inspire and empower people to be their best--personally and
professionally. Download your free report "10 Essential Keys to
Personal Effectiveness" at http://SuccessNet.org/subscribes.htm
Explore their free access, memberships, eBooks and SuccessMark Cards
at http://SuccessNet.org
9 Highly Effective
Marketing Tips
Copyright 2005 Bob Leduc
http://BobLeduc.com
Here are 9 low-cost but highly effective marketing tips to help you boost your sales and profits fast.
Tip #1:
Look for some low-cost ways you can enhance the perceived value of
your product or service. Then test raising your price. Don't be surprised
if both your sales and your profit margin go up.
Tip #2:
Try to limit your customer's decision making to either "Yes.
I'll buy." or "No. I won't buy". Don't risk losing
them by including "which one" decisions. The more options
you offer, the more likely some customers will procrastinate and never
make the decision ...causing you to lose a sale needlessly.
Tip #3:
You can demonstrate a low cost for your product or service by breaking
down the price to its lowest time increment. For example, "Enjoy
all of this for less than 90 cents a day" (for something priced
at $325 a year).
Tip #4:
Add an unexpected bonus to every sales transaction just before completing
the sale. It prevents customers from developing any last minute hesitation
...and changing their minds about buying.
Tip #5:
Print your best small ad on a postcard and mail it to prospects in
your targeted market. Postcards are inexpensive and easy to use. Most
recipients who ignore other types of advertising will read a brief
ad when it's delivered to them on a postcard.
Tip #6:
Prospects who ask questions are usually close to buying. Take advantage
of this. Don't just answer their question. Include a reason for them
to buy as part of your answer. Then ask for the sale Or tell them
exactly what to do to place their order.
Tip #7:
Collect testimonials from your customers and use them in all your
advertising. Testimonials provide evidence that your product or service
delivers the results you promise. For maximum impact, use only testimonials
that describe specific results the customer enjoyed.
Tip #8:
Include "benefit rich" headlines on all your web pages.
Many visitors arrive at a web page then immediately click away ...unless
something instantly catches their attention.
Tip #9:
Continually test and evaluate everything you use or do to promote
your business. Allocate 80 percent of your advertising budget to proven
promotions. Use the other 20 percent for testing new variations. Most
businesses using this system continue growing - even in highly competitive
markets.
Bonus Tip:
Handle customer complaints quickly and with a positive attitude. Strive
to preserve your relationship with them instead of your immediate
profit from the transaction. They will reward you with repeat sales
and referrals ...instead of punishing you by telling everybody they
know about their unhappy experience and causing you to lose future
customers.
Each of these marketing tips provides a simple, low-cost way for
you to boost your sales and profits quickly. All you have to do is
to put them into action.
About the Author
Bob Leduc spent 20 years helping businesses like yours
find new customers and increase sales. He just released a New Edition
of his manual, How To Build Your Small Business Fast With Simple Postcards
And launched *BizTips from Bob*, a newsletter to help small businesses
grow and prosper. You'll find his low-cost marketing methods at: http://BobLeduc.com
or call: 702-658-1707 After 10 AM Pacific Time/Las Vegas, NV
Ten Steps to Solving
Any Problem
By Dr Jill Ammon-Wexler
Pioneer brain/mind researcher
http://www.quantum-self.com
© 2005 All Rights Reserved.
Any problem, no matter how complex, can be solved if approached with a creative strategy. Here are ten steps to getting your mind in an optimal problem-solving state.
Step 1. Start with Some Focused Questions.
The first step to unleashing your true problem-solving potential is to
ask yourself some very focused, challenging questions. Here are some very
powerful questions that will often do the
trick:
=> “What am I really trying to do?”
=> “How am I trying to do it?”
=> “What assumptions am I making?”
=> “Could there be a simpler, better way to accomplish this?”
=> “If I were to start all over again today knowing what
I now know what would I do
differently?”
Step 2. Question your Answers.
The next step is to question your answers. Ask yourself:
=> “If my assumptions are untrue, what should I do differently?”
=> “Should I drop what I am doing now, and take a different approach?”
=> “Is all of this in my best interests?”
Step 3. Apply the Theory of Resistance.
One effective way to get some creative solutions to your problems is to
apply the “theory of
resistance.” This theory says that in every activity, there are one
or more resisting factors.
The resistance you encounter often controls how fast you’ll move
from where you are today - to
where you want to go. The good thing is this about identifying resistance
is this: you'll often
trigger some very powerful personal insights.
Suppose, for example, your have a goal of doubling your income over the next three years. You could begin your problem-solving exercise by identifying the resistance standing in the way of your goal. Ask yourself: “Why is my income not that high already?”
Step 4. Analyze the Resistance.
Next ruthlessly go after your answers to Step 3. Be totally honest with
yourself. Don't avoid
asking hard, painful questions, and demand an answer from yourself. In
the case above you could
ask: "Exactly why am I not making twice my income right now? Exactly
what is holding me back?"
Step 5. Take a Look at the Outside World.
One way to immediately determine if the resistance is internal or external
is to see if someone else
is managing to accomplish the goal you desire. If they are, then you can
safely conclude the
resistance is internal to you.
Step 6. Identify your Primary Internal Resistance.
As a consultant to key executives, I have often discovered that usually
80% of what holds us back
lies within ourselves and only 20% in the outside world. So if you
have not achieved what
you desire, the best place to begin to look for the source of the resistance
is within yourself.
Plus … since it’s so tough to create change in the outside
world, it’s far more effective to focus on
yourself anyway. You’re far more likely to get the results you want!
Superior achievers tend to ask one question when they’re not moving
ahead: “What is it inside me,
or that I am doing or thinking, that is holding me back?”
Step 7. Get Ruthless.
There’s a powerful old saying that’s very appropriate here:
“When a man’s fight begins with
himself, he is really worth something.”
So sharpen your teeth and bite into your primary internal source of resistance. Demand answers from yourself. You NEED to know *how* you are placing limitations on your desired achievement, and look it right in the eyeballs.
Step 8. Turn on the Lights.
The more often you repeat this process, the better you'll get at it. This
process switches on your
mental headlight, and you’ll begin to spot internal resistance before
it grabs you by the
ankle.
Step 9. Constantly Examine your Goal.
Now that you have your mental headlight on, take a close look at your
goal. Make sure you’ve set a clearly defined goal that you have a
burning and passionate desire to achieve.
Combining your goal with the intense emotion of desire or excitement
puts you into the upper level
of achievers. The more excited and enthusiastic you are about your goal,
the more rapidly your
mind will go to work to bring the goal into your life.
Continue to ask focused questions to generate more ideas about to achieve your goal. The more intense your questions, the more ideas you will generate! And once you have sunk your teeth into your key internal resistance, you have placed your feet solidly on the high road to success.
Step 10. Become a Professional Problem Solver
Brain Tracy says, “A goal you have not yet achieved is simply a problem
you have not yet
solved.” In fact, whatever your goal, your real job is to solve any
and all problems that stand between you and the achievement of that goal.
Your success in life, your career, your relationship, and your business
all depend on one thing - your ability to understand and solve problems.
So from now on just view yourself as a professional problem solver, and
watch your goals
fall in place easier than you could have ever imagined.
About the Author
Come visit the exciting Self Discovery Community. Discover the most interesting,
unusual, stimulating and creative methods of self discovery on the web
today! Free sizzling weekly ezine, and the web's first Brain Gym ezone.
http://www.quantum-self.com
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Copyright 2005, Regent Press