Tired of the Campaign . . . uhm, Sales?

Sales Strategies for Success
Strategy #16

I mentioned in a previous Sales Strategies for Success that campaigning is all about sales: getting in front of your target audience/market, making your message/offer compelling, and asking for the vote/business. This presidential campaign has been going on for well over a year. How long have you been selling your product or services?

At least with campaigning there’s an end in sight. Not so with sales! Are you getting tired?

It’s OK to admit it. We all get tired from time to time. It might be a momentary thing, particularly after hearing “no” following a great presentation. Or heading into a meeting after a long, trying day. Sometimes we really have to work at building up our enthusiasm to head into another sales opportunity with passion and optimism. It happens to everyone.

Imagine how the candidates must feel by now! We business professionals, even Type-A’s, typically take a bit more down time than any of these candidates have seen in a very long time.

How do you overcome those times when you just can’t face another prospect? Go to another networking event? Make one more follow up call?

There is a secret no one tells you about sales. None of us can sell effectively in a vacuum. Even the best and brightest – and most successful – among us need to work with others to keep our enthusiasm from flagging.

It is important to find others who can provide this motivation and inspiration to you. Even those of you in sales teams might need to go outside your immediate circle to find this support. After all, your sales manager wants you to make your numbers and your fellow sales reps want new accounts too. They may all be great folks, but their number one priority is not you – it’s them.

What to do? I believe strongly in the power of the mastermind process. I have been “masterminding” regularly for a couple of years now. It’s a group of like minded people getting together a few times a month to share ideas, brainstorm possibilities, support and motivate each other. In short, to create and achieve more working together than any of us can achieve alone.

It’s normal that we all get involved in our own businesses and the details relevant to it. Working in a mastermind group allows you to think outside of your own box and gain exponentially from the process.

Through my company I lead Business Success Mastermind Teams that meet by phone for an hour twice a month. We acknowledge our achievements, define and re-define goals, brainstorm to overcome roadblocks and move up to the next level of success. I facilitate these teams so that each call is focused, motivating and truly helpful. And I don’t simply lead the calls, I participate as well so that coaching is also a part of the value. I record the meetings too so that even if you miss a session, you still receive the value of everyone’s ideas.

Consider a mastermind team for yourself. Or at least one other person, not involved in your own business, to team up with for a sounding board, an accountability partner and a source of motivation to you. It might be a coach, like me, or a friend or a trusted colleague.

Want to participate in a truly effective mastermind team? Call Audrey at Secure Your Success, Inc., 831-241-1545, or visit our website at www.SecureYourSuccessInc.com for more information and business success opportunities.

BE PART OF A SUCCESS TEAM!

Business Success Mastermind Teams
For business professionals who want to catapult their income.

Work with your mastermind team for focused leadership support and solutions to achieve your goals, make more money and stay motivated. In addition to working with Audrey on your mastermind calls, mastermind group members receive discounts on one-on-one consulting with Audrey. Twice a month hourly sessions are held by phone and recorded for playback – only by your own team.

Contact Audrey Pierson at Audrey@SecureYourSucccessInc.com or 831-241-1545 to arrange a free consultation call to determine if masterminding is right for you.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Hear Audrey live~

SEE AUDREY IN A LIVE INTERVIEW

Your Town Radio Show – November 4, 2008
Take a break from election coverage and watch or listen in when Audrey is interviewed on the Your Town TV and Radio program on AMP Media channel 24 and AM 1240 KNRY in Monterey County, CA on Tuesday, November 4 at 5:00 pm Pacific, 8:00 pm Eastern. You can also listen on the Internet at www.ampmedia.org.

LEARN IN PERSON

Turning Leads Into Repeat Sales – December 10, 2008
Bring your lunch at noon and spend an hour discovering how to turn leads into repeat sales. Offered through the Monterey, CA Chamber of Commerce, the Brown Bag Lunch program is held at the Monterey County Fair & Exposition Center’s Turf Club, 2004 Monterey Road, Monterey, CA. This event is free and open to the public.

I look forward to seeing you soon!

Dress for Sales Success

Sales Strategies for Success
Strategy #15

I saw an episode of The View where a discussion was about the spending on Sarah Palin’s wardrobe and makeup. In short, her appearance. I’m not going to comment on whether the spending and where it came from is appropriate or not, but I do want to talk about dressing for sales.  And make no mistake, campaigning is all about sales.

Does it matter what you wear when you’re selling? Of course it does. Like everything else you do to promote your business and yourself, how you look makes a difference. Much like changing your presentations to fit your specific audience, determining how you present yourself can also affect your sales success.

Remember that to effectively sell your services, you need to build a relationship of trust with your prospects. The very first thing your prospects see is you. How you look should help you in building that trust relationship.

How do you build trust through how you look? First, determine who you see, or are likely to see, and how you interact with them. For example, are you working with contractors at a job site or are you attending a trade show for CPAs? Showing up at a construction site in a business suit, even if that’s what you normally wear to work, immediately puts a wall between you and your prospect. Your prospect unconsciously sees you as someone who doesn’t understand their business. After all, they wouldn’t wear a business suit on a construction site.

Does this idea seem silly to you? It might, but if you simply take your suit jacket and tie off and change into shoes that can get dirty or muddy, you are now someone who looks like they understand their potential customer’s business life and therefore, their needs.

Establishing trust and understanding with your clients is a subtle thing. When you head into a business office wear your suit, particularly if your client works in finance. That’s because the people working in those locations are all dressed professionally on a daily basis. It’s required of their business, so it is what they look for in the vendors or service providers they use. They want someone who “gets” them.

Success is creating an immediate, unconscious feeling of well being in your prospect so they are open to hearing what you have to offer. It’s not hard to “dress for success” when you think of your customers first.
Want to learn more ways to build a continuing sales relationship with your prospects and clients? Call Audrey at Secure Your Success, Inc., 831-241-1545, or visit our website at www.SecureYourSuccessInc.com for more information and business success opportunities.

JOIN A SUCCESS TEAM!

Business Success Mastermind Teams
For business professionals who want to catapult their income.

Work with your mastermind team for focused leadership support and solutions to achieve your goals, make more money and stay motivated. In addition to working with Audrey on your mastermind calls, mastermind group members receive discounts on one-on-one consulting with Audrey. Twice a month hourly group meetings are held by phone.

Contact Audrey Pierson at Audrey@SecureYourSucccessInc.com or 831-241-1545 to arrange a free consultation call to determine if masterminding is right for you.

MAKE MORE MONEY IN NEW CLASS!

The Money Action Group

Watch this spot for information on an upcoming class beginning in January. Big possibilities!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Hear Audrey live~

Make More $$ with this Teleseminar – October 29, 20008
Is Your Fear of Selling Costing You Business?
If you’re in business to make money, you need to understand how you sell.

Listen as Audrey explains how you sell every day and how to do it “on purpose”. She will teach you how to make sales easy and fun, while remaining true to your clients and maintaining your integrity. Stay on the line for the entire call because Audrey will be available for live questions and answers at the end of the call.

This content-rich teleseminar is Wednesday, October 29, 2008, at 5:00 pm Pacific, 8:00 pm Eastern. Your profit-building investment is only $49.00. Register online at www.SecureYourSuccessInc.com or email Audrey@SecureYourSuccessInc.com . Once your registration is complete, you’ll receive call-in instructions by e-mail.

Start putting more money in your pocket! Register now.

Live Interview with Audrey – November 4, 2008

Take a break from election coverage and watch or listen in when Audrey is interviewed on the Your Town TV and Radio program on AMP Media channel 24 and AM 1240 KNRY in Monterey County, CA on Tuesday, November 4 at 5:00 pm Pacific, 8:00 pm Eastern. You can also listen on the Internet at www.ampmedia.org.

In Person Class – December 10, 2008
Turning Leads Into Repeat Sales

Bring your lunch at noon and spend an hour discovering how to turn leads into repeat sales. Offered through the Monterey, CA Chamber of Commerce, the program is held at the Monterey County Fair & Exposition Center’s Turf Club, 2004 Monterey Road, Monterey, CA. This event is free and open to the public.

See or “hear” you at an event soon!

Not All Sales are Created Alike

Sales Strategies for Success
Strategy #14

Not All Sales are Created Alike

As you’ve no doubt noticed, everyone has individual personality types and makes decisions differently.  For you to be effective (i.e., profitable) in your business, your sales presentation should change depending on your prospect.

This does not mean you change your personality or your offer. You must simply present your offer in a way that holds appeal to the prospect in front of you.

Think for a moment about the people closest to you. Does your business partner form decisions the same way you do? Does your husband or wife? Does your best friend process ideas or have exactly the same opinions you do? Of course not. So why would every sales prospect respond to the same presentation method?

It’s easy to see some of the differences in how people think and respond to offers. Consider the differences between men and women or younger and older generations. Now add other variations to the mix. What about engineers and graphic designers? Business professionals and soccer moms? None is better than or smarter than the other. But each group has different priorities in their lives and their decision-making processes.

Like most people, you’ve likely developed your sales approach based on what works for you. You probably did it without even realizing it because it’s what you “know” works. However, you will not achieve consistent sales if your presentation never varies.

To successfully sell to all types of personalities, you not only need to understand what those types are, but to discover through your sales process which type you’re in front of. Then modify your presentation to highlight what that prospect most wants to know. Perhaps it is to offer several options, or lots of specific technical data, or to create a safe, warm environment in which to make a decision or maybe it’s simply to make your prospect look good in his or her workplace.

When you understand how and why your prospect makes decisions, you know how to direct your presentation to focus on those points and make the sale.

Learn how to differentiate your presentations for different prospects. Call Audrey at Secure Your Success, Inc., 831-241-1545, or visit our website at www.SecureYourSuccessInc.com for more information and other business growth opportunities.

NEW BUSINESS BUILDING OPPORTUNITY!

Business Success Mastermind Teams
For business professionals who want to catapult their success to the next level and beyond.
Use your team for focused ongoing support and solutions to stay in action and at your most effective to achieve goals, make sales and increase profits. Mastermind group members receive discounts on one-on-one consulting with Audrey. Twice a month hourly group meetings by phone.

Contact Audrey Pierson at Audrey@SecureYourSucccessInc.com or 831-241-1545 for more information or to arrange a free consultation call to determine if masterminding is right for you.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Want more? Here are some upcoming events where you can hear Audrey live.

Teleseminar – October 29, 20008
Is Your Fear of Selling Costing You Business?
Do you think referrals alone will build your business? Do you doubt YOU can sell?

Listen in when Audrey explains how you already sell every day as she pulls back the curtain and removes the mystery of selling. Learn how to make sales easy and fun. If you’re in business to make money, you need to understand sales. Audrey teaches you how to sell, while remaining true to yourself and maintaining your integrity.

The teleseminar is Wednesday, October 29, 2008, at 5:00 pm Pacific, 8:00 pm Eastern. Your profit-building investment is only $49.00. Register online at www.SecureYourSuccessInc.com or email Audrey@SecureYourSuccessInc.com.

Your Town Radio Show – November 4, 2008

Take a break from election coverage and watch or listen in when Audrey is interviewed on the Your Town TV and Radio program on AMP Media channel 24 and AM 1240 KNRY in Monterey County, CA on Tuesday, November 4 at 5:00 pm Pacific, 8:00 pm Eastern. You can also listen on the Internet at www.ampmedia.org.

Brown Bag Seminar – December 10, 2008
Turning Leads Into Repeat Sales
Bring your lunch at noon and spend an hour discovering how to turn leads into repeat sales. Offered through the Monterey, CA Chamber of Commerce, the program is held at the Monterey County Fair & Exposition Center’s Turf Club, 2004 Monterey Road, Monterey, CA. This event is free and open to the public.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

To your sales success,

Audrey

Audrey Pierson
Secure Your Success, Inc.
831-241-1545
www.SecureYourSuccessInc.com

Make more money through targeted sales strategies.

New Success Opportunity!

Announcing Your New Opportunity for Business Success!

Audrey Pierson, President and Founder of Secure Your Success, Inc., (www.SecureYourSuccessInc.com) is delighted to announce the launch of her Business Success Mastermind Teams.

Masterminding is one of the newest (and oldest!) ways to build your business success and improve your professional skills. In today’s challenging markets, you need every edge you can produce. If you’re not already involved in a mastermind group, you are missing out on a powerful way to increase your bottom line. If you are in a mastermind group, judge if you are spending your time productively, in a focused manner, or simply “getting together” with friends.

Check out the following Q&A to see how Masterminding will help you make more money.

What is a Mastermind group?
Definition (n): A Mastermind group is a creative collaboration of brilliant minds; individuals who are sharp, successful and keen to focus their energies, resources and expertise to help each other grow personally and professionally.

Who should be involved?
Business professionals who want to catapult their success to the next level and beyond.

How does it help me?
Join one of Audrey’s Business Success Mastermind Teams and you will . . .
~ Make more money. Find ways to overcome challenges quickly and effectively, through the assistance of other experienced and successful business professionals. Meetings are held by phone to eliminate wasted travel time and make the most of each hour.
~ Time savings. Masterminding with an experienced leader keeps your meetings focused and on point to get the most from your mastermind experience.
~ Networking opportunities. You’ll be joining a Mastermind team that suits your personality and business style with like-minded professionals (not in competition with your business) that expands your circle of daily contacts.
~ Safe environment to grow. You speak with your team by phone so you always feel “safe” to express yourself. All team members honor their Mastermind commitment to each other to maintain confidentiality.

Why should I join a Business Success Mastermind Team?
As a business professional, you already know how to network and join with others in your line of work to improve your skills. A major value of independent mastermind teams is that you are matched with others who bring different points of view to your development. Working with your team, you receive benefits you can’t get in your day-to-day circle of influence (friends, co-workers, competitors).

Additionally, you enjoy the leadership Audrey brings through her successful business experience and her ability to share ideas and solutions between different mastermind teams, providing you with even more resources to succeed.

How does it work?
Business Success Mastermind Teams meet by phone for an hour twice a month in focused, facilitated sessions that hold you accountable to your goals, provide you with creative strategies and solutions to break through roadblocks and maintain your motivation.

These are not gripe-sessions or story-telling hours. Each meeting is a defined opportunity to better your business and build your profits.

What can I expect?
Business Success Mastermind Teams focus on and accomplish the following:
~ Acknowledge and appreciate your successes with your team.
~ Detail your challenges, roadblocks and goals.
~ Dive into focused brainstorming with your Mastermind Team to overcome challenges and find solutions that work.
~ Use the power of the mastermind process to develop strategies greater than you could imagine alone.
~ Define your goals and intentions.
~ Be motivated to take your new ideas and inspiration into your business life to achieve success.

How to get started
Contact Audrey Pierson at Audrey@SecureYourSucccessInc.com or 831-241-1545 to arrange for a free consultation call to determine if masterminding is right for you and which team suits you best. Mastermind team calls are held on the days and at the times best suited for each team’s members.

Don’t wait – mastermind teams are forming right now!

Investment
Your investment in professional and business growth is only $227.00 per month. Feel confident that you will more than repay yourself through increased business success.

Payment may be made online at www.SecureYourSuccessInc.com, under the Products & Services heading. Once you are part of a mastermind team, your credit card will be charged automatically each month.

Bonuses
* Join a team in October and receive a 15% discount on your first month’s investment. That’s a savings of almost $35.00.
* All Business Success Mastermind Team members receive ongoing discounts when working with Audrey in separate one-on-one sessions.

Spend some powerful time to improve your performance and watch the rest of your life become more focused and lucrative.

Don’t wait! Start increasing your business success today.

Contact Audrey Pierson at Audrey@SecureYourSuccessInc.com, call 831-241-1545 or stop by www.SecureYourSuccessInc.com for more information.

Practice Makes Profit

Sales Strategies for Success
Strategy #12

I was driving to a meeting recently and noticed a very scared young man behind the wheel of a drivers’ training car. It made me remember my own first attempts at driving – not good, I learned on a clutch! While I truly felt for him, I also found myself flashing forward several months in the future when I imagined the same young man “cruising” around with one hand on the wheel, laughing with his friends.

What does it take to create that change in his confidence? Practice! And that is true for everything we do, including sales. As you present your sales offer again and again, you fine-tune it and make it more compelling. You learn through experience what works and what doesn’t. Like anything you practice – and refine – you become more skilled at it.

Notice I included “refine” in that sentence? That’s because as effective as you believe your sales message to be, it can always be better. You need to constantly review your process and be aware of your prospect’s response to each part of it. It may be as simple as a benefit you make sure to mention, or an additional option you offer. Perhaps it’s including client testimonials or remembering to ask for the sale.

Watch your listener closely and be aware of their facial expressions and body language. Determining your effect on a prospect may be subtle. Even if a decision about buying from you is not made at this meeting, your ability to follow up and ultimately make the sale does depend on the impact you make during every contact.

Get in front of your target market at every opportunity you can. The more often you practice your sales approach, the better you will become and the more effective you will be. You’ll become more adept at noticing when you “lose” your audience and learn to adjust your presentation on the fly to keep your prospect with you all the way to the close.

For help fine-tuning your sales presentations, honing your sales skills and getting the sale, contact Audrey Pierson at www.SecureYourSuccessInc.com. We train, coach and provide ongoing sales support to keep you in the money!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Want more? Here are some upcoming events where you can hear Audrey live.

Teleseminar – October 27, 20008
Is Your Fear of Selling Costing You Business?

Do you think referrals alone will build your business? Do you doubt YOU can sell? Listen in when Audrey explains how you already sell every day as she pulls back the curtain and removes the mystery of selling. Learn how to make sales easy and fun. If you’re in business to make money, you need to understand sales. Audrey teaches you how to sell, while remaining true to yourself and maintaining your integrity.

The teleseminar is Wednesday, October 29, 2008, at 5:00 pm Pacific, 8:00 pm Eastern. Your profit-building investment is only $49.00. Register online at www.SecureYourSuccessInc.com or email Audrey@SecureYourSuccessInc.com.

Your Town Radio Show – November 4, 2008

Watch or listen in to the Your Town TV and Radio program on AMP Media channel 24 and AM 1240 KNRY in Monterey County, CA on Tuesday, November 4 at 5:00 pm Pacific, 8:00 pm Eastern. You can also listen on the Internet at www.ampmedia.org.

Brown Bag Seminar – December 10, 2008

Bring your lunch at noon and spend an hour discovering how to turn leads into repeat customers. Offered through the Monterey, CA Chamber of Commerce, the program is held at the Monterey County Fair & Exposition Center’s Turf Club, 2004 Monterey Road, Monterey, CA. This event is free and open to the public.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

To your sales success,
Audrey
Audrey Pierson
Secure Your Success, Inc.
831-241-1545
www.SecureYourSuccessInc.com
Make money through targeted sales strategies.

The Second 30 Seconds

Sales Strategies for Success
Strategy #11

The Second 30 Seconds

I recently attended a networking event at which we had one full minute to tell others about our businesses. I was amazed at the number of people who were unable to do so effectively.  This was not because they hadn’t spent time on their preparation. On the contrary, they had spent all their time practicing to present their businesses in 30 seconds and they didn’t know what to do with the other 30 seconds!

I commend all of you who have worked hard to create an effective tag line, as well as your elevator speech. They are critical to draw in your prospects. But have you worked as hard on your follow up? The goal of your 30-second introduction, or elevator speech, is to generate your listener’s interest. When you are successful, your listener will ask a follow up question to learn more information about you or your business. This is exactly the opportunity you want to create and now your work begins.

You have been provided with your golden opportunity to make an impact. When you can present compelling and concise details about the benefits of what you do, you have created the opportunity to continue the sales process with this person. Don’t wait for them to ask how!

Make sure you use your second 30 seconds to make your benefits clear, as well as provide the next step your listener takes to work with you. You must make it easy, seamless and compelling, or your prospect will move on to the next introduction and your sales process becomes a lot harder.

Take the time to think about your elevator speech follow up and practice it. You really never do get a second chance to make a first impression. Make yours memorable and profitable!

For help creating or fine-tuning your elevator speech, tag line and follow up introduction, call me at 831-241-1545, or check out our website at www.SecureYourSuccesInc.com for more information.

I’d like to ask you a favor. If you enjoy receiving these sales strategies, please tell your friends and ask them to visit my website to sign up for their own e-mail tips. Let’s help everyone reach sales success!

Thank you ~ see you next week.

To your sales success,

Audrey
Audrey Pierson
Secure Your Success, Inc.
831-241-1545
www.SecureYourSuccessInc.com