Diva Sales Tips

     Wow - what a week!

 I recently was in Dallas, speaking at a massive conference for http://www.ewomennetwork.com/ and it was absolutely incredible.  There were SO MANY fabulous women there who are interested in growing their business.  (If you’re not a member already - you should definitely join!)

And because I’m the Sales Diva - I love watching how people sell.

Some are good…and wellllllll…some are NOT so good!

You get to see sooooo many different types of salespeople and business owners in action.  What they are doing right as well as where they are struggling.

There was something I noticed that many women were slipping up on.

Timing.

What were they doing? Trying to close the deal 2 seconds after they had met you. 

EGAD.

 So why does this hurt you in the long run?

 There is ZERO RELATIONSHIP. 

And you come across as pushy and amateurish.  I call it “being a cheeseball”

However - you can be a GOOD cheeseball if you know how to let people try you out vs going for the KILL.

What Should You Do Instead?  Be Spreadable!

• Let Them Sample You.  How can they try your product or service? Either immediately or after the conference?
• Give Them Something So They’ll Sign Up For Free Tips!  A free report, a CD, something right there at the conference etc will encourage people to sign up for your database….which is worth MORE than a quick and little sale!
• Get Them Talking About You! If you and your service are a WOW - then people will start spreading the word about you! How spreadable are you?

I’m all about ASKING FOR THE SALE but TIMING is everything LADY.

If you’re speaking to people when they are rushed, surrounded by people and not really listening to what you’re saying - you’re going to get hit with tons of rejection.

And that’s just cheesy!

I bought this FABULOUS jacket the other day - something really cool to wear with jeans and stilettos (my favorite biz attire).

As I was hanging the jacket up, all of a sudden I noticed writing in the pink lining of the coat.  It was embroidered in large gold  letters but I had absolutely missed seeing it when I was trying the jacket on in the store.

The words read:

” Where there is love, there is life!”

I actually had a grin on my face from ear to ear.

Well, as a very good friend of mine loves to say:

” Who Knew??”

Who Knew You Could Learn A Sales Tip From Jacket Lining??

I think  the individual who had the idea of sewing a message into the coat was brilliant.  How cool is it to see such a positive message as you are putting on something..and then knowing you’re wearing a message that no one else can see?

I know it cost them more time, money and energy to include the message.

But I am soooooo glad they did it! (in fact - I’m sending an e-mail to their company) I am a lover of words…and this jacket ended up making my day and is now EVEN MORE SPECIAL to me.

This absolutely reminds me of selling…why it is so important to go the extra mile.  A quote that I love says this ” You will never find a traffic jam on the extra mile.”

No kidding.

Of course this reminds me of a book.  “Free Prize Inside” by Seth Godin. http://www.sethgodin.com/freeprize/

Seth talks about the importance of offering that “something extra to your customer” that is tough to measure but at the same time is priceless.

What are YOU doing to offer “something EXTRA in the silver lining of your business?”

I’m curious! (write a comment and tell me what you’re doing!)