Diva Sales Tips

Recently I was visiting some fabulous friends who have 2 young boys.

Boys who happen to love the cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants.

I have to tell you – I can’t stand SpongeBob SquarePants.
(Too much yelling)

However, the power of TV being what it is…as I was visiting with my friend, the other part of my brain was also randomly listening to dear SpongeBob.

And on one of his adventures he blurted out…

“I smell the smelly smell of something that smells smelly!!”

As a writer – I LOVE that line!

And as your bossy Sales Diva – I love it even more.

Do You Smell The Smelly Smell Of Something That Smells Smelly?

I can smell it from here actually.

There’s currently something in your business and sales that is…..

…OFF. Like something in your vegetable crisper that now resembles SOUP.

Maybe you know what it is.

You probably don’t.

But what you do know is that lately you’ve been smelling and feeling that there’s a

“Smelly Smell of Something That Smells Smelly!” in your business.

And lady – you’ve got to dig it out and find out what’s bothering you. You can’t avoid it any longer.

Success in selling isn’t just about attracting customers and selling them stuff.

A huge chunk of selling is STAYING FOCUSED and cleaning out what no longer works for you. (Because it’s starting to rot!)

Perhaps you need to…

• Focus on attracting some NEW clients
• Find a new supplier as your current one is dropping the ball
• Release a client who no longer fits your business (and they’re driving you nuts)
• Drop a product/service line or add a new one.
• Adjust your rates – as in INCREASE THEM
• Freshen your marketing strategy (please don’t say “What marketing strategy?”)
• Open the doors to new networking and promotional opportunities
• Attract some new powerful, strategic alliances
• Send to the garbage dump those OLD BELIEFS about selling

Listen. Something is STALE, SMELLY and STINKY and deep down you probably know what it is.

If you want 2010 to be the KICK BUTT year I know you want it to be, then you need to be willing to KICK OUT what “smells” in your business.

SpongeBob and I want to hear what you KNOW smells in your biz right now – send us a note on my blog!

Love from Your Sales Diva,

Kim

P.S. I’m devoted to helping as many women entrepreneurs and women in sales as I can. If you know of someone who would love to learn HOW TO SELL THE RIGHT WAY, then please encourage them to sign up at www.salesdivas.com and we’ll get them on the track to success!

This week’s question comes from Sylvia of  www.scrapbookingoasis.com, a Canadian Online Scrapbooking & Stamping store.

What are your thoughts on social networking advertising (Facebook etc)? and what are the best ways to take advantage of these types of sites?

Thanks

Sylvia
ScrapbookingOasis.com – www.scrapbookingoasis.com
Independent Rep for Lovable Labels – sylvia.lovablelabels.ca

Share your advice with Sylvia (and ME!!) in the comments!

Your question could be featured here! Send your sales and marketing questions to me now at info@salesdivas.com. Make sure you you include your name AND website!

When you’re a Canadian you have to learn how to love winter.

Three years ago I started cross country skiing. It’s an incredible work-out, the scenery is stunning and the hot tub afterward is pure heaven! (Plus I look really cute in my outfit)

A few weeks ago I skied 8 kilometres. (5 miles)  My boyfriend who is Super Athlete said “OK – we rocked the 8 km – next week let’s do 16 km.”

Stubborn, competitive fool that I can sometimes be, I said with a smile…

“You got it!”

Sunday rolled in with turquoise skies and the trees were covered with white frosting (it looked like something from Chronicles of Narnia).

As I was gliding along for the first 8 km, I thought with an evil grin …

“Hmmpf – this is a piece of cake!”

Then something happened.

At 10 km I started to feel a little grumpy. “How much longer?”

• 11 km.  I started to grumble. “Who cares about stupid frosting on trees anyway?”
• 12 km.  An old man with an apple-doll face whipped past me.  “My ass hurts!”
• 13 km.  “Cross country skiing is man’s worst invention.”
• 14 km.  “I hate my boy-friend and he’s going to pay for suggesting this!”
• 15 km.  “I’ve officially hit the wall.  But I WILL NOT QUIT. Besides who’s going to drag me out of the frozen back-country?” My bottom lip wants to quiver.
• 16 km.  I slowly skied over to the parking lot where my beloved was waiting.  I was a huffing, puffing, red-faced, sweaty disaster and definitely NOT feeling cute.

“You did it Kim!!”

I held up one grouchy finger and said “You can’t talk to me for 10 minutes.”

Why?

I was writing this article in my head of course!

Have YOU Hit The Wall?

I’ve been in sales for over 20 years.  I’ve sold millions and one thing I know for sure is that there WILL be times when you HIT THE WALL.

You’ll feel stuck.

You’ll feel broke.

You’ll feel indecisive.

You’ll wonder why NOTHING is working.

You’ll wonder why customers aren’t buying.

You’ll also wonder why you’re not making the money you deserve.

You will want to quit.

You will want to run.

You will want to back-out.

My Bossy Sales Diva Advice?

Keep going.  Try a new approach.  Ask for help.  Invest in yourself. PRESS ON.

Success is closer than you think.

Later I was relaxing in the hot tub with a beer and Clamato juice (that’s a Canadian mixture for you), once again enjoying my “frosted trees.”  My 16 km misery seemed soooooo far behind me.  Then a BIG SMILE crossed my face.

I realized I had pushed myself 100% further.  A 100% increase in distance in 2 hours.

Was it painful? Yes.

Was it easy? No.

Was it worth it? Absolutely.

Of course you know what’s coming next.

I’m pushing for 20 km this week! (And look out apple-doll man!)

My Diva Dare To You?

What are you going to push yourself to do so you can GET OVER THE WALL that currently has you blocked?

Send me a note on my blog – I’d love to hear what you’ve done!

Love from Your Sales Diva,

Kim

P.S. I’m devoted to helping as many women entrepreneurs and women in sales as I can.  If you know of someone who would love to learn HOW TO SELL THE RIGHT WAY, then please encourage them to sign up at www.salesdivas.com and we’ll get them on the track to success!

I don’t know about you lady but when I NEED something this is what I do.

I call or email my friends.

I say… “Hey Kathleen/Jo/Sue I need the best…

- new hairstylist who actually listens to what I want
- car salesperson who isn’t a cheeseball
-French recipe that is mind-blowing
-web designer who understands the internet
-video expert (that knows how to visually take off 10 pounds)
-place that sells jeans that takes off 10 pounds! (for the video of course)
-drycleaner who is environmentally friendly (I’m a tree hugger)
-etc, etc…

…that you can think of! WHO or WHAT would you RECOMMEND?”

I call it the GOOD GOSSIP NETWORK.

The wonderful thing about the Good Gossip Network is that you can benefit AND help in 2 ways.

You’re either the ONE everyone is GOSSIPING ABOUT.

Or you’re one of the people who are DOING the GOSSIPING.

It’s all good.

Something that drives me nuts is how few women actually understand that

THIS IS HOW GETTING REFERRALS WORKS.

So What’s The Simple and Easy Way To Get Referrals?

Oh you’d better sit down – this may shake you up a bit.

The best, most underused and definitely the most effective referral strategy I know of is…..

…to simply ASK for them.

I just heard your mouth drop open.

I kid you not sister.  You’d be oh-so-very-surprised at all of the business and referrals that would come your way if you SIMPLY ASKED FOR THEM.

Do you know that one of your customers also knows at least 50 other people who are just like them?  That means potentially 50 NEW CUSTOMERS for you.

And yet most satisfied customers only refer 3 people.  Why?

They weren’t asked to do more.

They weren’t thanked for the people they did send.

So your Diva Dare this week is simple.

Contact one of your favorite customers, the one who ADORES YOU and say…

“As you know, most of my customers come from referrals from other customers. I appreciate this so much!  I’m holding a promotion this month that you may want to help us with and be able to give your friends a BIG FAVOR too!”

Make sure its worth passing on to the Good Gossip Network and make sure you thank them when they do recommend you.

It’s as easy as that.  (Don’t be a chicken)

So there. (And make sure to let me know on my blog how many referrals you’ve asked for this week!)

Love from Your Sales Diva,

Kim

P.S. I’m devoted to helping as many women entrepreneurs and women in sales as I can.  If you know of someone who would love to learn HOW TO SELL THE RIGHT WAY, then please encourage them to sign up at www.salesdivas.com and we’ll get them on the track to success!

This week, Nikki MacCallum of NikkiDesigns asks:

Hi Kim

I have a business creating custom, organic home decor items like window coverings, bedding and table linens.  I sell online and need some tips on marketing my business online.

Nikki MacCallum
Owner, NikkiDesigns
- custom, crafted, home decor
website: www.nikkidesigns.etsy.com
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/nikkidesigns
Twitter:  www.twitter.com/nikkidesignseco

Share your advice with Nikki (and ME!!) in the comments below!

Your question could be featured here! Send your sales and marketing questions to me now at info@salesdivas.com. Make sure you you include your name AND website!

So many of the customers I’ve worked with say that 2009 was really tough on them. If you don’t want 2010 to be like last year, then now is the time to do something different.

One of my good friends has launched something that could make a tremendous difference in your life…MyInspiration4Life.com.

I really do love and admire what they’re doing. Their mission is to bring out the natural brilliance in each of us while at the same time, help 2010 be your best year ever!  And they’re offering my subscribers a chance to experience their program FREE for 7 days. (Yahoo!)

Click on the link below and watch a short video to learn how you can sign up for their program. Make a commitment to yourself and say, “Beginning today, I’ll start making changes in my life so I can create my best year ever!”

https://ccd.infusionsoft.com/go/152/Diva

Remember, you can try it out absolutely free for seven days. No credit card to put in and no strings attached.  At the end of your FREE 7 day trial period make the choice to have a great 2010 and learn more about MyInspiration4Life’s membership options.

Ask anyone who is experiencing a tremendous amount of happiness and success in life – there was a turning point, a time when they said, “ENOUGH.” From that moment forward, their life would never be the same.

Click on the link below and discover for yourself how MyInspiration4Life will do that for you.

https://ccd.infusionsoft.com/go/152/Diva

I’m always on the lookout for a great read, so I wanted to point you to this fabulous article by Lexi Rodrigo called Romance 101: How to Use Feminine Words That Sell

I love her tips in this entry… and especially loved the lipstick kiss!
http://www.copyblogger.com/feminine-copywriting/

Have you ever FLOPPED?

As in….”I tried something and it didn’t work and I want to hide under a rock for a few years” kind of a FLOP?

One of the myths that people believe about successful salespeople is that they’ve NEVER FLOPPED.

People have actually come up to me and said …

“Well Kim -you ALWAYS know what you’re doing – you always land on your feet.”

Oh my. You can’t believe that lady.

Successful people FLOP A LOT.

In fact, I’ve flopped so many times in my sales career and business that honestly I had to

SCRAPE THE MUD off my face. (Doesn’t THAT sound attractive??)

I’ve lost clients, almost fallen off a stage, been burned by customers, and had huge shipments of product stuck in customs for so long it grew leg hair.

But there’s a method behind the madness.

So why so many flops?

And why didn’t it stop me?

FLOPS if they are managed correctly – have a brilliant way of turning into FABULOUS! (I definitely wouldn’t be the international success I am today if I’d held too tight to my flops.)

Want To Know My 2 Secret Mantras?

Are you ready? Secret Mantra #1:

“Failure isn’t an option.”

Remember – a flop doesn’t necessarily mean it was a failure.

It means it flopped.

One or more conditions that were needed for success….were missing or lined up wrong.

So revise and try, try again.

My Second Secret Mantra?

There is a wonderful Japanese phrase about what success is.

“Fall down 7 times. Get up 8 times.”

So whatever you think you flopped at….or whatever is holding you back from GOING FOR IT (because you’re terrified of flopping) – enough is enough.

Remember – ONLY SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE actually take a chance on something new, something that scares them or something that challenges them.

Use my 2 secret mantras and you’ll see how you’ll never stay down in the mud again.

So there.

I’d love to hear about how you turned a flop into a fabulous opportunity! Fire me a comment on my blog!

Love from Your Sales Diva,

Kim

P.S. I’m devoted to helping as many women entrepreneurs and women in sales as I can. If you know of someone who would love to learn HOW TO SELL THE RIGHT WAY, then please encourage them to sign up at www.salesdivas.com and we’ll get them on the track to success!

First off – I am NOT a big fan of Jim Carrey.  (Too much rubber face)

However, my 2 cutie pie nieces recently convinced me to rent and watch his movie called

“Yes Man”.

Honestly – I loved it! Afterward my nieces and I had a chat about what it would be like to “Say YES to every opportunity that crossed your path”

My 14 year old niece said “I’d have to join the cheer leading squad.”

My 11 year old niece said “I’d have to eat liver.”

I said “I’d have to go to kick-boxing with my friend Tina!”

The three of us agreed on 2 things.

The first?

We probably say NO too much.  (Now I know SOME of you struggle with saying NO – however I’m not one of those people!)

The second thing we agreed on?

We all should say YES more.  Not to everything….but definitely to things that stretch us out of our comfort zone.  And sometimes to even things that don’t.

So I thought I’d experiment with this.

It was cold, it was snowing, it was an evening event and every single fiber in my being wanted to STAY HOME.  Networking event?  I could surely pass on this one.

What made me go? 2 things.

• One of my dearest friends was holding the event
• I’d just watched the “Yes Man’ movie by rubber face Jim Carrey

So I got dolled up, jumped into my gorgeous and trusty Land Rover and hit the icy road for an hour drive (one way, at night, in winter – I deserve a medal don’t you think?)

When I got to the event it appeared that many other women had decided to SAY NO and not bother going to the event.

But for me – it turned out pretty spectacular.  Even though there were only a few women there.

I met some cool, new people.  I have a potential fabulous new coaching client who is getting ready to work with me….and I had some of my friend’s home made meatballs.

(I also won a bottle of wine)

I also had some wonderful conversation with a very successful entrepreneur who hired me years ago to speak at her association.  Guess what? She’s a zillionaire and yet she was out in the snow and the cold too.

She said yes.  I said yes.  And we had a blast!

I normally do say YES to really big things….TV opportunities, being interviewed in the media, going to large international seminars, hiring a coach to help grow my business further, writing a new book, launching a new website (stay tuned!)…

…but I admit that sometimes I do say NO to things that initially feel like a pain.

So what’s my Diva Dare this week?

Say YES to the opportunities that cross your path (big and small) and then send me a note on my blog. I want to hear your adventures!!

Love from Your Sales Diva,

Kim

P.S. I’m devoted to helping as many women entrepreneurs and women in sales as I can.  If you know of someone who would love to learn HOW TO SELL THE RIGHT WAY, then please encourage them to sign up at www.salesdivas.com and we’ll get them on the track to success!

This week’s question comes all the way from Nova Scotia, Canada…

Kim

I started a web site www.nutritionaldiva.com and a blog www.nutritionaldiva.com/blog and e-zine which can sign up  on home page.

I have several e-products and consulting packages available.

Natural Nutrition and Health is my scope of practice.

I need to know how to draw people to my site on the internet and how  to market my e-products to being sales.
I am somewhat panicked here.

I have just recently finished an e-product called “8 Aspects to a  Healthy Life” to promote to Health practitioners.

HOW DO YOU ACTUALLY CAPTURE AND SELL TO PEOPLE?

Regards

Heather Sparrow
www.nutritionaldiva.com
www.nutritionaldiva.com/blog/

How do you turn a reader into a buyer? Let us know in the comments!