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Greetings!
 Chris and I are taking this week off at a cottage - with no WiFi! So I prepared this newsletter in advance for you and I hope you are having a great week.
Thanks again to everyone who made our Social Selling call a success. I have heard from so many of you about how Social Selling is overwhelming and I know that the step by step tips Donald and I shared on this call will help you get rid of that overwhelming feeling and get you start using the tools immediately for great profit. So go back and review your notes!
Thanks to everyone who took advantage of the early bird savings for the Sales Mastery Workshop. I am very excited to get the chance to work with you personally this year. If you are still in decision mode you should know that we are still offering a generous 3 pay tuition program of $600 per month until the end of September. I hope you jump on the registration soon because I know you would benefit greatly from the content and the networking in the room in Chicago. After all, if Donald can turn one Sales Mastery Event idea into $900,000 in sales so can you!
Have a super week - happy Labour Day and talk to you when I am back in the office.
Dedicated to increasing your sales,
Colleen Francis
P.S. I am going to be in Phoenix having dinner at my great friend Kristen's new restaurant Nourish in Scottsdale the weekend of Sept 11th. If you are around and want to join in let me know!
Can’t Get No Satisfaction?
Be interesting and show interest in others.
In sales, it can be tempting to think about your existing customers as loyal and satisfied, simply by virtue of the fact that they’re doing business with you more than once. Don’t trick yourself into that kind of thinking! Loyalty and satisfaction find their roots in something deeper than habit. There needs to be some kind of engaging, emotional connection between you and your audience, and the way you make that happen is through the way you communicate with them.
This is where social media can really help. It’s immediate, personal and easy to share. However, as with all other kinds of communications, it’s only going to be effective if what you have to say is engaging to others. Remember, it’s not just the quantity of what you have to say, it’s the quality of your messages that creates engagement.
"If you suck in real life, you will suck online." That’s how Rory Vaden, self-discipline strategist, speaker and author, summed up the problem recently at the National Speakers Association meeting that I attended. He explained that as sales people and business owners, we have a professional responsibility to live interesting lives, to associate with interesting people, and to be interested in others and other things than just our business. Offer more than something you want to sell.
Interest strikes an emotional chord with people. It’s why Harley Davidson (and enthusiastic owners of their bikes, like me) talks so much about the ride experience, why the maker of Gretsch guitars talks about "that great Gretsch sound," and why Nike invites people to "Just Do It." Each of these messages suggests an idea that people find appealing on a level that’s deeper than carrying out a simple business transaction.
Interest is reciprocal. The more interestedyou are in others, the moreinteresting you are to others. By sharing experiences with your audience, you pique their curiosity to learn more about you. You also create an invitation for them to realize: “hey this is someone who understands the problems that I deal with in my work.”
Interest is also contagious. When your audience takes interest in what you do and what you have to say, it’s likely that they are going to want to share it with others. The more your ideas and activities are shared, the bigger your audience becomes for your expertise, plus the products or services you sell. Click here and discover tips to be more interested and interesting!
 Take
the Sales Quiz!
Test your sales knowledge with this Sales Quiz. Just answer the topical sales question below
and have Colleen give you her answer!
Here is a question along the lines of today's Sales Flash theme:
You are most interesting to clients when you...?
- Hang out with celebrities
- Post updates to social media every day
- Call your clients with regular product updates
- Show you are interested in them and their business
Pick your answer and see how you do!
 Unleash Your Secret Sales Force!
Three Must-Have Testimonial Types!
With written testimonials there are three versions you want to include in your materials. The good news is that you don’t have to get three testimonials from each client. You just need to know how to chop up a letter effectively to create the format you need. Here are some examples you can consider for your business
Variation 1: A Full letter
Always strive to receive a full testimonial letter from your client. Once you have a full letter you can break it into smaller chucks to use in a variety for ways. In a full letter testimonial the letter should include:
- Client’s letterhead
- A full personal signature
- Full contact information
- Details about the program you offered
- Quantifiable results
Here is an example from one of our clients:
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Company Logo and Letter head
June 1st, 2010
Re: Increased Sales through Coaching. Mentoring and Training
Dear Colleen:
In the first four months of 2010, we hired Colleen Francis and Engage Selling to work with a number of our sales professionals in Ottawa and Toronto - with one to ten years experience - and with enormous success. In fact the success of the program can be seen through our actual results with sales up 22% over last year.
On a weekly basis, Colleen worked closely with each individual on:
- Setting achievable goals,
- Turning larger objectives into smaller activities,
- Building their confidence level,
- Honing their negotiation skills and dealing with discounting,
- Choosing better language and tone,
- Asking for business,
- Creating stronger meetings,
- Overcoming hidden objections,
- Increasing follow-up and after-sales service.
This high impact coaching program has been felt throughout our organization. Our sales team is asking for continued or future coaching ideas and support. They expressed a comfort in working closely with an impartial, outside specialist who could offer new ideas or re-package existing ideas. In addition, they heard feedback from a different angle or approach and were better able to accept suggestions for improvement.
The investment in mentoring and coaching programs can be significant; in the case of Colleen and Engage Selling, the investment was more than worth it. I would highly recommend their programs, and more so, their program delivery and effectiveness.
Should you require clarification or have questions, please contact me at (613) 230-1111 x111.
First and Last Name
Title
Company Name and address |
And remember - one of the best ways of getting a letter like this is to draft it for the customer! Don't be shy - you are helping them out by saving them time. So give them a call, ask a few questions and ask the customer if you could send them some text based on the conversation to be used in a testimonial letter. They will virtually always say yes!
But this is only the beginning - you need to ensure you have two other testimonial types.
Click to Discover the Other Two Must-Have Testimonial Types
Connect with Colleen!
Engage
Selling Solutions - www.EngageSelling.com
6 Grove Avenue, Suite #302, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1S 3A6
Tel: 1.613.730.7700, Toll Free: 1.877.EngageU (1-877-364-2438), Fax: 1.613.730.5971 |
