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Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

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Sales Tweet #53

by Rick Baker
On Sep 29, 2010
Sales Tweet #53 As Gitomer says, people hate to be sold but they love to buy. You can expect people will love to buy today.
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
Jeffrey Gitomer's stuff is a must read for sales people. His books are eye-catching and most of them are available on CD. So, we can listen to them and learn while driving or relaxing after hours. He is right, many people do love to buy…that is, many people do get an emotional kick out of the buying experience. Watch your Clients - do they show signs of loving to buy?

Tags:

Sales | Thought Tweets

Sticky SUCCESs

by Rick Baker
On Sep 28, 2010
There is no need to read on if the following apply to you:
  • You had to put in a new set of phones and a new set of internet lines to handle your recent avalanche of new Client business.
  • When you give instructions to your staff you are always surprised by how quickly the instructions are understood and followed to the letter.
OK, for those who face challenges like the ones I face…
 
Chip Heath and Dan Heath provide advice on how to improve the way we communicate our ideas.
 
http://www.madetostick.com a link to their book – ‘Made to Stick’
 
For the Heath brothers, communications succeed when they are Sticky.
 
Sticky messages = messages that are understandable, memorable, and effective in changing thought or behaviour
 
The Heath brothers provide a summary to help us remember their advice…
 
The Heath brothers’ Six Principles of Sticky communications:  SUCCESs
 
Simple: Sticky messages contain a core message, which is shared with an audience in a compact package
 
Unexpected: Sticky messages contain an unexpected element, which surprises the audience, makes them pay attention, holds their attention, and sustains their interest
 
Concrete: Sticky messages contain concrete details, not abstract concepts. This helps the audience understand and remember the message. And it allows people to bridge the gaps between their thinking.
 
Credible: Sticky messages cause people to agree and help people believe. Experts provide external credibility. Convincing details help the audience experience internal credibility.
 
Emotional: Sticky messages make people care. They appeal to us as individuals: they appeal to self-interest and they appeal to sense of identity.
 
Story: Sticky messages contain stories, which tell people how to act and give people the energy to act. Sticky messages inspire.
 
Whether we are leading, managing, supervising, marketing, selling, or working to persuade co-workers we can use the Sticky SUCCESs Checklist to test and improve our communications. [Sticky SUCCESs Checklist]
 
Footnote:
  1. We should use the Heath brothers’ Sticky SUCCESs Checklist as a filter when we consider marketing of Value Propositions [VALPRO] and Differential Advantages [DA]…i.e., this checklist is a very helpful guide to better TARMARVALPRODA communications.

Tags:

Communication: Improving Communication | Marketing | Sales

Sales Tweet #52

by Rick Baker
On Sep 28, 2010
Sales Tweet #52 Don't strangle your sales calls…stop choking your Clients with facts, figures, graphs, and analytics.
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
When you mention numbers you will cause your Client to think about numbers. The Client's mind, a Buyer's mind, will call up the tools a Buyer uses to analyse numbers. Unless performed with care and skill, that will take you farther away from closing a sale…not closer.

Tags:

Communication: Improving Communication | Sales | Thought Tweets

Sales Tweet #50

by Rick Baker
On Sep 24, 2010
Sales Tweet #50 What are your most-successful questions? I mean the ones that almost always lead to a closed sale.
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
Every sales person should have a repertoire of BEST QUESTIONS. [Search the word "question" at the Activestor website for more about this topic...here's a link www.activestor.ca]

Tags:

Questions?: The Art of Asking Good Questions | Sales | Thought Tweets

Sales Tweet #48

by Rick Baker
On Sep 22, 2010
Sales Tweet #48 Pull out the stops for your next trade show. Spend one hour preparing for each hour of attendance.
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
While visiting some 300 or so businesses during the last 2 years, I have been fortunate enough to see some absolutely amazing work done in preparation for trade shows. Trade show participation has been treated like a project and given a full project-management effort...including: trade show floor plan with colour coded pins and coloured connecting strings, pre-set meetings under coordinated timetables, competitive analyses, attendee lists, video shoots with Clients, special touches added to break-out meeting rooms, etc. Time spent planning for trade shows pays off in multiples.

Tags:

Sales | Thought Tweets

Sales Tweet #46

by Rick Baker
On Sep 20, 2010
Sales Tweet #46 When you simply listen with an open mind...what are your Clients saying about your competition?
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
The main point is - Listen. Don’t make comments about your competition. And 'overrule' yourself if you are tempted to ask leading questions. When your Client brings up your competition it means something. Your challenge is to determine what it means. You can prepare for this inevitable situation by planning the questions you will ask your Client after your Client raises the topic of your competition. When you design those questions, design them carefully. [Search the word "question" at the Activestor website for more about this topic...here's a link www.activestor.ca ]

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