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Affiliate marketing resembles e-bay. Different items are advertised on your site and for this, each sale brings in cash. It isn’t as much work, few operating costs, it works 24/7, and what is even better, it’s relatively easy to learn. To start with, you need to make up your mind which merchandise or area most suits your business style. To get this out of the way, find out solutions to problems a certain customer profile is going through, and then determine how you can help them. One of the best ways to determine this is finding specific extremely specific longtail keywords or phrases; generally people look for these less often, however they will convert far more.

These crucial keywords can be found by using Micro Niche Finder or a program like it. Data compiled from this computer program or other applications and software packages compiles associated keywords in an extensive list providing valuable targets to get a great placing in an internet search and bring in a high number of hits. Additional info is available by Micro Niche Finder, for to illustrate search frequency, the number of other sites using the particular word or phrase, and how successful those web sites are. Lastly, the data generated will help in finding the best domain, material for your web site, and identify desirable items for you to sell.

Next you need to construct a internet site; but there are still important tasks to complete. Search engine optimization is an absolute must. This is where SEO Elite information can help may help. This program automatically analyzes competitor’s web sites and advises you what you need to do in order to get a good placing in the search engine listings. With applications such as SEO Elite, information supplied by the program indicates where you might find pertinent links, which words to concentrate on, and a list of article submission websites to use. In Brief, the data created are much like to the information you would get from a skilled SEO professional.

Once you decide on your niche, design some product promotion, and your internet site has been designed, then you are ready to get your website up in the search results. Your earnings will roll in without much effort and question why you doubted that affiliate marketing could be a success for you!

In essence affliliate marketing resembles e-bay. Your website features merchandise in return, you receive a commission from every sale or lead. There isn’t as much work involved, very few overheads, it works 24/7, and what is even better, it is relatively easy to learn. First off, you have to determine what items or niche area most suits your business style. A way of doing this is, identify what a unique market segment is experiencing, and then what solutions are available to help them. An efficient method of doing this task is to look for unique sets of extremely specific words and phrases; more often than not customers search for these less often, yet greater proportion of these end up in a sale. To get hold of these crucial keywords, you should use applications such as Micro Niche Finder. The results collected from Micro Niche Finder or other computer programs and software results in a listing of related terms providing valuable information to earn top placing on internet searches.

Micro Niche Finder will also let you know how many searches each one gets, exactly how many different websites use those keywords, and details on your competitors too. Ultimately, the information returned can help find desirable domains, subject matter for your web site, and draw attention to suitable items to market. The next step is to put together a site; but it will require more than just that. You will need to fine tune your web site for the search engines. Here SEO Elite information comes in. Competing websites are examined by Seo Elite information which then offers suggestions to improve search engine performance.

With programs like SEO Elite, information created from the application suggests where to find links, what words or phrases to concentrate on, and even details on where and how to submit articles. In short, the data obtained are the same sort of advice you might get from a skilled SEO specialist. When you settle on your niche, design your product advertisements, and your internet site has been designed, all you need to do is get your web site up in the search results. You will collect regular payments and wonder why you did not try affiliate marketing before!

In a fast moving world, there are two key drivers that have skewed the business landscape over the last few years; competition overload and information overload. Both create commercial clutter, which means it’s very hard to get noticed in business today. The surplus society tells you there are too many similar companies with too many similar people, with similar experience and similar qualifications, selling similar products and services to similar clients and customers for similar prices.

How do you cut through? If you’re in sales, your fight is on two fronts – expertise and trust. Added together, they make your credibility. When you have credibility, it shouldn’t be too hard to win the business you need to. And you make yourself credible by building relationships; by getting seen, known and trusted by the people that count – your contacts, customers or clients.

The problem is that we’re all too busy. My ‘One Step Removed Rule’ applies to business interactions today. Sales professionals now do coffee when they should do lunch, phone when they should meet, email when they should phone and text when they should email. Yet in my years as a professional networker, I’ve failed to find anyone who could build a better relationship by phone and email than I could face to face.

Phone and email have done more to enhance sales than any other tools. Yet the fact remains that nothing is as powerful in closing as a face to face meeting. So let’s go through a few practical scripts and tips that can secure you that all important ‘one to one’.

To start with, you must understand that a meeting is the ‘ultimate in business contact’. It’s anywhere from five to 105 minutes of quality, personal, focused and hopefully uninterrupted time with a potential new customer/client. That’s gold dust, and depending on your sales process, it must be the aim of your key interactions.

How do we get our prospects to agree to this? We need a few different approaches dependent on how and when we’re asking for the meeting. For instance, when you’re out networking, you should rarely ask for a meeting straight away. To do so often puts you in ’selling mode’, and networking is not selling. If you connect with somebody, and feel they might have problems you can solve, you first of all ask permission to call. Here’s a few phrases I use;

Depending on how you currently ___________, we may be able to help you. Would it be okay if I gave you a call next week to learn a little more about your situation?

You mentioned earlier that ___________. I’ve just solved a similar problem recently for one of my customers. How would you feel if I called you next week to see if I could do the same for you?

You say that ____________. I’ve got a couple of ideas on how I may be able to help you with that. How about I give you a call next week so I can find out a little more about your company?

The traditional ‘introductory cold letter’ or referral puts you in a similar position of using the follow up call to secure the meeting.

To Meet Or Not To Meet?

Depending on what you sell and the way you sell it, ‘to meet or not to meet’ is ultimately your riddle to solve. It’s certainly easier to sell face to face than the phone because your prospects are further down the road of commitment and closer to closing. The face to face interaction also allows you to use all means of communication at your disposal, which can make you more influential and persuasive.

That said, there is an argument to take the call as far as you possible can, so all that’s left to do when you actually see them is signing the deal. We can make more money, but not more time, so if you can prove value and gain commitment there and then, there is no reason to meet. Some deals can actually be done on the phone. If they are in the right place at the right time, with the tight need and the right budget, why not? No sense in going for a meeting needlessly!

So when you make that follow up call, your primary objective might be the actual sale, although it is usually a meeting. At the very least, your call should give enough information and benefits to arouse them and inspire them to know more. Any overselling or overburdening with costs, features and closes could induce resistance and allow them to make a ‘no’ decision while they’re on the call. Here’s a few strategies for creating the impetus to make a meeting both welcomed and logical;

Herding

By mentioning other customers/clients (either specifically or generally) that you’ve helped or worked with, you use the power of social proof through third party endorsements. If their competitors have used you, they’ll be mindful of being outside the herd.

John, we’ve had success with a couple of companies just like yours that has allowed them to __________.

Julie, we’ve done some very interesting things with XYZ company that has resulted in __________.

Due Diligence

It’s good to be armed and dangerous. By learning something about them before the call (either from your networking or your research), you can use phrases like;

Amanda, we know you’re looking for more clients…

I spoke to someone that uses your products and he said how you pride yourself on your technology…

You mentioned that you’re expanding at the moment…

It says on your website that you pride yourself on customer loyalty…

This shows you were listening and/or that you’re serious about doing business. You’ve taken some time and effort to get to know them, and that can only be a good thing.

Generate Interest

Someone has to see a reason to talk to you before they meet with you. And if they do agree to meet, it will only come on the back of concrete benefits, hooks or incentives. Think what it would take to meet if you were them. One way to engage is to ask meaningful questions;

The reason for my call is I’ve worked with a number of others in your industry, helping them to achieve __________ and depending on what you currently do with your __________, I might be able to help you in a similar way.

I wondered if I could ask you a couple of questions about the way you _________, as we’ve provided some pretty innovative solutions for a number of other organisations like yours and helped them avoid __________.

Oversell At Your Peril!

Telling them you can heal the world, save them millions or solve all their earthly problems might raise credibility issues! Art Sobczak, one of the world’s greatest experts in winning business by phone, advocates the use of ‘weasel words’. These under promise so you can over deliver. A few examples;

I’ve got a couple of ideas on how we could get you more clients…

Depending on what you’re doing with _________, there may be a chance we could ________.

If you _____________, then I might be able to help you __________.

Ask

If you don’t ask you don’t get! Having generated interest, they hopefully want to know more and perhaps see you to take things to the next level. It’s rare they’ll actually ask you to come in, so you’ve got to ask the courageous question. This is often easier if you’ve scripted out a few great things to say in such a situation. Here are a few;

Jim, I’m thinking it might be nice to chat this over together. Have you got your diary there?

I’m just wondering if it’s best we meet. What do you think?

I’d be happy coming over to see you if you think there might be something I could help you on with _________.

I’m coming to _______ on Thurs. Would it be okay if I popped in to show you what we did to help a company that had exactly your problem?

We could talk through a few ideas, but how would you feel about getting together for 20 mins and seeing __________ in action/for real/close up?

Ending 1

If you can see the whites of their eyes, you can be more persuasive and take the relationship deeper in a shorter space of time. You can build trust and rapport if you can get them one to one, and give yourself the best possible chance to solve their problems. And that means more sales!

Ending 2

Never underestimate the power of a meeting. It builds trust, rapport and commitment better than anything else. People buy people more than they buy phone calls and emails. So get out there, meet people face to face and give them every opportunity to like you and buy your solutions to their problems.

As spring moves to summer, the forecast should be for warmer and sunnier weather. What is the forecast for your business? Is the outlook sunny or cloudy?

Do you know what sales you can expect, whether for a team of sales people or within your own business or practice? How do you feel about putting together a forecast? How do the others in your business feel? I wonder why you have these feelings?

Forecasting is vital for any business – well, accurate forecasting is vital!! This is true for professional services as well as commercial organisations. How often are your forecasts accurate? Inaccurate forecasting carries all sorts of hazards. Whether there is a tendency to be too optimistic and sunny with your forecasts, or too downbeat and understating it, there are potential problems for the business. Are people encouraged, or allowed, to be pragmatic about their forecasts or do they feel as though they have to tell you they will do well? Do you tend to think that there are too many factors outside of your control and so it is not worth doing anyway?

Why does it matter? Apart from the reality that sales, whether to existing or new clients, are the lifeblood of your business! Being too optimistic about potential sales can lead to various issues – anticipating revenues which will not happen, planning resources such as people and products, problems with cash flow, panic management! The other end of the equation, under-estimating has its own problems too! Although it can feel good to see sales coming in which were not anticipated, think about the problems they might cause within your own business. Cash flow problems of a different sort, the need to get the resources at short notice, quality of customer or client service and response are all probabilities. Becoming more accurate with your forecasts will help you run a smoother and more profitable organisation.

How do you approach forecasting sales? Tea leaves, roll of the dice, check the stars or ask others for their expectations? There are some basic principles to consider or follow and a variety of methods you can use to help and they should prove more reliable then the ideas above! Although we are presuming you are already an established business, many of the principles will apply even for new start-ups.

First point – look at your records for the previous couple of years and do some analysis.

• What are the average monthly sales? (or revenues if you prefer!)
• Can you break this down to weekly figures, if useful to you?
• Are the any obvious patterns or trends to these? Seasonal or market driven?
• What is the breakdown between new business and repeat business?
• How frequently do existing customers purchase?
• Can you assess average “order” size from each category?
• What are the trends in all of these, year on year?

You may find that looking at a “Z-chart” can help you to take a realistic view of how you are doing. The key line here is the top one, which is created by taking the rolling total from the previous 12 months. It shows how you are really doing on a year-on-year basis and allows for seasonal dips and highs, which can distort the annual figures and cause a knee jerk reaction.

Knowing the trends is a good start. The next stage is to assess and breakdown your actual sales process. What are the specific steps and activities you take to go from identifying potential customers or clients through to getting their commitment? Not only the steps and the best practice activities, but how long does the process take on average? (The sales cycle, sales lead time or whatever phrase suits your business.)

Too often, organisations and sales managers in particular spend too long looking at results, which are effectively historical data and difficult to do anything about! Fundamentally, sales will come from the right levels of activity directed at the right potential clients – using the appropriate skills. If these inputs are wrong, there is an inevitability about the outputs! Getting to grips with your sales process can help you to create the effective measures and control points to improve sales forecasting and sales performance.

An element of forecasting, and good sales planning and management, is the old maxim – “start with the end in mind”. What do you need to be generating need to in terms of business? (Revenue, or numbers of units or whatever works for you.) Working back from this you can start to see where your critical checks and controls should be – and how you can assess the probability of getting a sale.

Think about your business – and be clear about the average order size or purchase level of each customer. (If you have several very different product or service groups or lines you may need to do this for each one.) Does this vary for existing and new customers? From this analysis you can see how many sales you need to get each month and what those numbers will be in each category.

Based on the averages, how many orders or customers do you need each month?

How many of these can be relied on for repeat business – and how much new business do you need to obtain?

In order to get to the point of orders coming in you will have to go through a number of stages, which may look something like this:

The stages might have different names within your business, the principle will hold true.

To help your forecasting become more accurate you need to be able to move through the process and assess how things stand at each stage and what is the potential of moving through to the end. The more you can break each stage down into specific activities, the better your ability to see whether you will continue moving through.

You need to initiate some form of sales reporting system to record what are the planned activities and the actual ones which take place. There are many variations available electronically, which can improve efficiency and effectiveness. Most of these will enable you to create your own sales “pipeline” or “funnel” so that you can monitor progress. Basic systems such as ACT, Goldmine or SalesLogix will also allow you and your sales people to develop customer records, keep everything related to the customer in one place, and manage their diaries. You can have an even more thorough tool such as SalesCentric, which can let you incorporate the sales process and activities and carry support material on the customer record. There are ways to use all of them to help with your forecasting, though SalesCentric will probably allow you to be more accurate with it.

Alongside the need to set some form of percentage weighting at each stage, it will help you to know the ratios between each stage of the sales process. The way to go about this is to work backwards!!
* As we stated earlier – how many orders (commitments) do you need each month?

* How many proposals will you need to be doing to achieve this number? (and what is the time lapse between presenting them and getting the response?) Do you convert 1 in 3, 1 in 2 or what?

* To get to formal proposals, how many people need to be at the “analysis” stage?

* To be able to do this – how many do you need,,,,,,,,,,you can get the idea!

These numbers will help you to create the right sales controls for yourself. If you are not talking to enough people at the start of the process, you are extremely unlikely to get sufficient sales!

The next phase is to look at each of the stages and think about how you can assess your chances of generating business. What criteria can you use for each one? Past relationships, number of contacts you have, relevant experience, number of competitors in the frame etc.,etc. You will need to work this out for your own organisation. You may then make some decisions about how you progress opportunities. What can you do to increase your chances? When do you decide to pull out of the opportunity?

When you are creating your forecast these percentages and numbers can then be combined to give you the potential – and with some anticipated timescales. For example, if you have £150,000 of business being discussed, proposed or tendered you can do the maths. If £60,000 is at the 30% stage, that equates to £18,000. The other £90,000 might be at 50% – giving a potential of £45,000. Therefore the forecast would be £63,000. You might be able to get more than this if you take action to increase the % probability – but based on a realistic assessment, your forecast is not £150,000!! It is having figures like that in mind which can cause problems, being far too sunny! Encourage everyone to use an effective sales planning and reporting process that is relevant for your market, or even insist on it! Then manage that process, correcting problems early on rather than when sales are not happening – and set the weightings for the forecast. Let your sales people give you accurate forecasts, do not compel false optimism. There is no harm in being sunny, just be sure it will happen!!

References: www.salescentric.com, Saleslogix, ACT and Goldmine are available from many suppliers.

Graham Yemm a founding partner of Solutions 4 Training Ltd.During his years as a consultant he has worked with a variety of major companies in the U.K., Europe, USA, the Middle East and Russia in Sales, People and Management Skills.

Graham is a Master Practitioner of NLP and was involved with setting up and running “The Business Group”, which promotes uses of NLP in organisations. He is an accredited trainer for the LAB profile programme – “Words that Change Minds”. His personal enjoyment comes from helping individuals to take more responsibility for their own actions- freeing them to feel they can make more choices about their lives. Contact, http://www.solutions4training.com or +44 1483 480656

If you’re uncertain about what to include in your RFP or simply want to make sure you’re covering all the bases review the four steps necessary for writing a detailed request for proposal.

STEP ONE

Begin by giving the selected vendors basic information about your meeting or group:

• Organization name

• Name of meeting

• Your name, address, telephone and fax numbers, and
e-mail address

• Location of meeting (city and facility or facilities)

• Headquarters hotel, if applicable

• Dates of meeting. Be sure to point out if any of the dates are a holiday. Even if your organization doesn’t celebrate a certain holiday, a union might . . . and overtime and double-time can have a huge impact on your budget. It’s equally essential to check for holidays when planning meetings outside the United States.

• Number of attendees

• Attendee profile. The attendee profile is extremely important when putting together an RFP for services such as tours, entertainment, and theme parties. Knowing the degree to which your delegates have “been there, done that” will help the vendor come up with the most appropriate events for your group.

• Previous locations (city and facility)

• Deadline for proposals. Allow vendors at least 10 business days to help ensure that the proposals you receive will be as complete as possible.

STEP TWO

List the items for which you require pricing, and remember to be as specific as possible. Let the vendors know, for example, if you would like the audio-visual equipment priced a particular way (a la carte vs. package price per meeting room). We suggest that you provide a template for the suppliers to make their job, and yours, easier. A simple spreadsheet document will help keep all bids in a common format, enabling you to make comparisons more efficiently.

The following is a rundown of major items to include in your RFP:

• Airport Transportation

• Major arrival date

• Major departure date

• Number of attendees

• Specify whether you require individual pick-ups or group pick-ups upon arrival or departure.

• Do you want the meet and greet staff stationed at the gate or in the baggage claim area?

• Type of vehicle requested (van vs. sedan)

• Is a restroom on the bus required?

• Age and capacity of buses

• Do you want driver gratuities included in the price?

• Do the vehicles meet ADA standards?

• Specify the maximum “wait time” for any individual. The shorter the wait, the higher the price since this usually requires more vehicles.

• Do you require a dispatcher at both the airport and the staging area?

• Where will the company stage the transportation?

Tours/Entertainment

• Date and time frame available for tours. Are some days unavailable for tours due to meeting activities? Do you want full-day or half-day tours on specific days during the conference?

• Profile of attendees for any specific tour or all tours (spouses or companions only, children, couples, age, etc.)

• Specific thoughts or preferences on tour options. Have museum tours been very successful with your group in the past? Do your attendees prefer more physical activities like biking or snorkeling or even city walking tours?

• Provide actual attendance figures from previous tours to illustrate the type of activities that generally do and don’t go over well with your delegates.

• Minimum number of attendees required to conduct a tour. If you want a lower minimum than most destination management companies normally require, specify this in your RFP. It will increase your per-person cost, but it may spare you from canceling a tour at the last minute due to lower participation.

• Maximum number of attendees allowed on tour

• Lunch, dinner, or snacks to be provided during tour

• What type of transportation will be provided?

If buses, do they have restrooms?

• Specify whether you want all taxes and gratuities included in the pricing.

• Indicate the types of themes and entertainment you have used in recent years so that history is not repeated.

Audio-Visual

• Provide the entire conference program including:

1. Number and location of concurrent sessions. Indicate whether you have a 24-hour hold on any or all of these rooms since setup and teardown could have a major impact on your labor costs.

2. General session. Include move in, move out, and actual session times.

3. Equipment needs. If you already know your needs for this year, spell them out. If you’re going out to bid before knowing your exact requirements, however, you could use last year’s equipment list (just be sure to alert the suppliers that this is the case) or estimate what you will require this year. The latter strategy works well if you provide the same equipment in each breakout room such as an LCD projector, screen, and lavalier microphone.

4. The cost of tear-down and setup time required to move equipment from one room to another.

5. Are projectionists required?

6. Exhibitor rentals. If your conference includes a trade show and the AV vendor will have an opportunity to provide equipment to exhibitors and generate additional revenue, your overall piece of business becomes more attractive, which could result in a deeper discount. So be certain to include some history on exhibitor rentals from previous years.

7. Obtain standard printed price sheets and explanations of the discount you will receive.

General Service Contractor

• Number of booths

• Size of booths or booth packages

• “Extras” about your show such as the size aisles you desire, number and location of any lounge areas, etc.

A copy of last year’s floor plan may prove helpful.

• Number of registration counters

• Signage needs. This includes not only signs inside the exhibit hall, but also any other signs you may require for meeting rooms, sponsor acknowledgements, banners, etc.

• Drayage requirements. General service contractors (GSC) make most of their money from drayage. As a result, if you know how heavy your show is, you may be able to negotiate more complimentary items such as moving freight from the dock to the registration area, entrance units, etc.

• Labor requirements

• Exhibitor revenue. Specify how much revenue your exhibitors generated for the GSC in previous years. If the GSC can’t provide you with exact amounts, ask for usage figures on items such as carpet, tables and chairs, upgraded furniture, prefabricated booths, assisted labor, etc. Armed with this information, you may be able to negotiate a deeper discount or additional complimentary items.

STEP THREE

When planning a meeting and requesting a proposal, compile a wish list. Let the suppliers know what complimentary or discounted items you would like to receive based on the value of your piece of business. You may not get everything you ask for the vendor has to turn a profit, after all but if you don’t ask, you may not get anything. An audio-visual vendor, for example, may be able to provide complimentary walkie-talkies, speaker ready room equipment, or even one microphone per day per room. A DMC may be able to supply complimentary tour desk staffing or site visit transportation. A general service contractor may be able to pick up the tab for all or some of your show management shipping needs or furniture or equipment for your show office. It’s almost always possible to obtain a discount off the full price. Be sure to find out how great a discount you will receive.

STEP FOUR

Finally, ask the vendor to provide a list of references… and be sure to check them before making your final decision.

Wanda Kovacs is a Meeting & Event Manager at Conferon Global Services, Inc. in Twinsburg, Ohio. Visit us at http://www.conferon.com for all your meeting planning needs.

I hope it has been some time since you last had a dead battery. It’s not a lot of fun, especially if it is pouring rain and you don’t have a set of jumper cables.

Most people know a battery has a positive and a negative terminal. When jump-starting a car it is very important to know which is which. If you don’t connect the negative terminal on one battery to the negative on the other, and then do the same with the positive connections, one can do serious damage to the battery and alternator.

So what does this have to do with sales? Well if you think about it, those in sales have a negative and a positive. Instead of terminals, we call it attitude.

Unlike a car battery, everyone knows the difference between a positive attitude and a negative attitude … or do they? You would think this question is a no-brainer. A recent encounter caused me to wonder how evident this fact is.

It is no secret to many in sales that those who maintain a positive mindset towards their daily tasks, their prospects and their clients will out perform those at the other end of the spectrum.

Have you ever come across someone who didn’t realize they have a negative attitude? I encountered someone recently that if you looked up the word negative in the dictionary you would have found a picture of this person. Envision a person firmly closed to new ideas or different ways of thinking. He was sceptical about the impact of mindset on actions and behaviors. He believes established processes are more critical than creatively thinking through a solution. He was openly argumentative with his peers, challenged his manager, and discounted others results. His only defence, “I’ve always done it this way.” He was fortunate in having established a sizable block of business contacts over the years; which helped him produce above the required corporate quota.

I was left to wonder what his true potential could be if were to flip the dial from negative to positive.

Those familiar with the pioneering work of psychologist Dr. Henry Murray will know he was one of the first to postulate a direct, observable link between thinking and behavior. In the 1960s and 70s, a Harvard professor, Dr. David McClelland extensively studied achievement motivation and concluded that successful individuals have a significantly stronger drive or motivation to succeed than do average or below average individuals. Building on these works, the late Dr. Clayton Lafferty noted that successful sales people were likely to engage in constructive thinking, while unsuccessful sales people were prone to think in counter-productive ways.

Top sales people learn to be effective thinkers. That is, they consciously maintain a positive mindset; they focus on the sale and have established an inner drive to succeed. They combine their strong relationship skills with a strong belief in their clients. If you want to see what they look like, look up the word success in the dictionary!

If you want to jump-start your sales performance – connect to the positive terminal.

Clayton Shold shares his experience at SalesDialogue Systems Inc. a company committed to assisting sales professionals better understand how their internal conversations affects sales success. Learn more at http://www.salesdialogue.com.

If you plan to do sell your product or service in Europe the problems you encounter may not be the ones you expect. It’s easy to focus on perceived difficulties, such as the so-called ‘language barrier’, while not noticing the real pitfalls – until it’s too late. I learned three lessons the hard way: appreciate the different cultures, understand the value of quality vs. speed, and know which foreign language is key to your business.

If you hope to compete with local firms in Europe you must understand European business cultures. Notice the use of the word of the word ‘cultures’ – plural. When I first started doing business in Europe, three years ago, one of the first things I learned was that the European business environment is much more diverse than in the States. Despite the introduction of the single currency, Europe is not a single business entity. Different countries retain different ways of doing things. Like many Americans doing business in Europe for the first time, I learned this the hard way. After a number of awkward meetings and deals that mysteriously didn’t go through I began to understand that it was a bad idea to deal with Europeans like I dealt with people back home.

The American business model prevails in northern Europe – with the UK and possibly Germany representing the nearest thing Europe has to a US-style approach. Businesses in former Easter Bloc countries that have recently joined the EU are also very US-friendly. During the Soviet years America represented freedom; American business can now reap the rewards of that iconic status.

The rest of ‘old Europe’ is a little different and you should be aware of each country’s customs. Italy, for example, retains a way of doing business that might seem bureaucratic and patriarchal to Americans. Even Silvio Berlusconi – a good friend of US business – is known as ‘Papa’ Berlusconi in some Italian circles. In France, a history of civil libertarianism twinned with state control that stretches back to the revolution of 1789 has nurtured a business culture that favors consensus rather than individual leadership. It’s important to do your research – not only on a country’s business structures but also on its general culture and history. It’s even more important to get to know the people. If you travel to Madrid to cut a deal having never before set foot in Spain you are at a disadvantage.

Business people in old Europe have slightly different perceptions of what constitutes good practice from their US counterparts. Although it would be patronizing to say that a maana culture persists in southern European business, it is true that timeliness is not considered a virtue in the way it is in the States. For European business people, providing a quality product or service is much more important than adhering slavishly to deadlines or driving the hardest possible bargain. Because of this difference in values, Europeans often perceive Americans as being ‘pushy’ – when the Americans in question think they’re simply being businesslike.

When I first came to Europe I thought that the most important thing was to learn languages – I was wrong. Most European business people accept English as the lingua franca of international business. However, you don’t want to risk seeming ignorant. A reasonable level of conversational French or German, for example, will come in useful. I have found that many Europeans have a prejudice about perceived American ignorance of the outside world. Showing a little linguistic skill – and, more important, willingness – will be to your advantage.

My experience is that knowing the local language is particularly useful in France. The French have traditionally been very protective of their mother tongue. Today, many native speakers consider French to be in a state of crisis, attacked on all sides by international English – so your French hosts will warm to you quickly if you seem keen to speak it to them. Again, showing you are willing to try is more important than being fluent.

Even so, skills learned in language classes back home are useless unless basic cultural differences are understood. Once again, do your research: time talking to locals or reading about European culture and history will be well spent. Knowing a little history is especially important if you’re working in Greece or any of the nearby EU satellite states in the Balkans. Educated people there will often talk about events of a millennium past as if they happened yesterday. There is a perception all over Europe that Americans follow Henry Ford’s maxim ‘history is bunk’ – I made friends quickly when I disproved this prejudice.

The good news is that Europeans are more like us than they are different: the general cultures of both continents respects business and promotes honest dealing – but it’s important not to let the small differences cost you money.

Steve McLaughlin founded Global Market Insights, with offices in Europe and the U.S., with his vision of giving clients two synergistic competencies: knowledge of the global marketplace and industry expertise in manufacturing, finance and information technology. Identifying and hiring the right people with these skills, Steve built the company from one home office to a presence on two continents while quadrupling revenue and becoming an identified success story of the U.S.-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce. Steve has over twelve years of international experience in three continents, having started in executive search as a Beckett-Rogers Associate. Steve is a graduate of Rice University, where he was student body president, and completed post-graduate studies in International Economics at the Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile. A former U.S. Marine Corps Officer, Steve’s hobbies include running marathons and reading history in three languages.

Many sales professionals know what it’s like to visualize calling prospect after prospect on the drive to work. They envision handling any objection and closing all their prospects with fun and ease. But once they settle into their office chair, they quickly fall prey to a berating little voice that always suggests to keep waiting for seemingly good reasons:

• If you call too early in the morning, you’ll be considered a noisome pest. Go get a cup of coffee and plan out your day. If you fail to plan, you know you’re planning to fail.

• Better check your email before making any calls. You never know when an existing client might need assistance. You shouldn’t keep existing clients waiting.

• It’s almost time for the office meeting to start. If you get started on making calls now, you’ll feel rushed. You won’t have success with prospects if you’re feeling rushed. They’ll think you’re rushing for the sale, and you’ll lose the deal.

• People are getting ready to head out for lunch. No one wants to be bothered by a sales person, when he’s getting ready to leave the office.

• People are just returning from lunch. They don’t want to be bothered by a sales person, when they’re trying to get settled in.

• Now would be a great time to call, if only you felt more confident in your script. If you don’t feel confident, the results won’t be worthwhile. There’s no sense in putting time into making calls, if you aren’t going to get the good results you desire. It would be more advantageous to get online and learn about effective sales calling techniques.

• Calling certain prospects could really influence your business in a big way. When you’ve mastered the new techniques/scripts you learned, you’ll be able to advance very quickly. It’s best to master those techniques before calling such influential prospects. You don’t want to ruin your opportunities just because you weren’t better prepared.

• It’s too late to call prospects. They’re getting ready to leave work. Arrive here all the earlier tomorrow morning, and you can get all those calls completed before noon.

If any or all of those suggestions sound familiar, you probably know what it’s like to hear a voice chastising you on your drive home from work because you didn’t make the calls you were supposed to make. Strange, isn’t it? It sounds quite like the voice that talked you out of making any of those calls all throughout the day.

Learning how to “seize the phone” requires investigating the voice, that talks one out of making the necessary prospecting calls that advance anyone’s sales business. There are plenty of programs to assist sales professionals become more efficient during the calls, and certainly it’s always beneficial to hone one’s skills. But too many sales professionals report that it isn’t the sales process that trips them up, but rather, actually picking up the telephone and placing the call to Mr. Prospect. There always seems to be a reason why it would be better to wait and call later.

Most sales professionals understand on a gut level that waiting for a better time to call is only cheating them from further expanding their sales business today. But getting past a relentless, fear inflicting voice in their heads is no easy task. Of course, if it were, top sales professionals wouldn’t be so desperately needed or so highly paid.

One day, while musing through a book by Dr. Seuss, I Had Trouble Getting to Solla Sollu, one of the poems seem to jump out at me like a jack-in the box:

I learned there are troubles of more than one kind

Some come from ahead and some from behind

But I’ve bought a big bat; I’m all ready, you see

Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me

In the sales profession, most troubles come from ahead and behind the telephone. In honor of Dr. Seuss’ little poem, I refer to those troubles as the “trouble thoughts.” Trouble thoughts often bombard one before and after reaching for the telephone to make a prospecting call. In my coaching experience, I discovered the novice as well as executive relates to those trouble thoughts I described above.

Indeed, even sales professionals with very outgoing personalities can find themselves in a petrified state before picking up the telephone. It seems that no matter how much success they might have experienced, they still undergo sales call resistance. Some of my clients divulge that their previous outstanding sales history does little to convince them that they have what it takes to keep making prospecting calls today. There are even those who admit that a month after starting a new sales position, they have yet to place even one prospecting call. According to good ol’ Dr. Seuss, they simply need a big bat to give those troubles a little trouble.

From my own sales experience, I learned that the best time to call a prospect is as soon as I think about calling him. Waiting for a better time usually results in one of two things – never finding the right time to call that prospect, or waiting so long that by the time the call is finally placed, the prospect is already doing business with someone else and no longer requires the suggested product or service.

So how does one get oneself to the point that he can walk right past all those nagging reasons to wait and call later? Is it necessary to thoroughly examine his past and everything that has fueled his fearful feelings? I don’t believe so. The most effective method to change a present situation is to keep one’s focus on the present, not the past.

When sales professionals become aware that it’s actually possible to seize the phone, or as I say “Carpe Phonum,” when they lack courage, they stop waiting and start calling. In order to create that awareness, I use an analogy of a baseball player going up to bat, and naturally having the goal to hit the ball, run to each of the bases, and finally cross over the home plate and score.

Getting to first base involves coming face to face with the voice that talks one out of making all those calls. That voice must be presented, discussed and revealed as the liar that it is, before the sales professional can swing, that is, swing his position from one of standstill to action. He must learn to trust his true desires so he can easily move from the batting or starting position to first base.

Moving to second base requires learning how to detach oneself from the persistent voice that nags and distracts but never points one in the right direction. Every sales professional needs a big bat that effectively dismantles the seeming hold that fear has on him, so he can move on to third base.

Getting one’s feet firmly planted on third base occurs when the sales professional sees more to his business than the exchanging of goods and money. By opening his eyes to recognize the potential ongoing value he creates and the good that unfolds simply by contacting others on the telephone, he learns the greater aspects and opportunities of his business.

Finally, the sales professional must learn that getting to home plate is only accomplished when he takes his foot off of third base. It is necessary to come to grips with the fact that the sales process is a continual cycle, that everyday he must walk out of the dugout of fear, pick up a bat of immeasurable value, put himself in the game and start playing. Ultimately, it is the only way to cross the home plate and score the sale!

Tammy Stanley, founder of Carpe Phonum, shows how to seize the phone even without courage. To receive your free audio lessons from Tammy, visit http://www.carpephonum.com

We are each responsible for our own success – or failure. Winning at a career in sales is no exception. To ensure a win, you must take a proactive approach. Prevention of failure is an important part of that process. If you find yourself saying “I’m not cut out for sales,” “I’m not pushy enough,” “I hate cold calling,” “I can’t take the rejection,” or “My manager is a jerk”-you are heading down the wrong path.

Here are some recurring characteristics and traits of salespeople who thought they could hit a home run in a sales career, but who struck out in their attempts. Many of those people had a bat on their shoulders, but failed to swing at the ball as it passed them by. Hopefully none of these apply to you.

They don’t believe in themselves. If they don’t think they can do it, who will?

They don’t believe in their product. Lack of conviction is evident to a buyer and manifests itself in low sales numbers.

They fail to set and achieve goals or fail to plan. Always define specific goals for the long term-what They want-and the short term – how they’re going to get what they want.

They’re lazy or just not prepared to make the sale. Their self-motivation and preparation are the lifeblood of their outreach. They must be eager and ready to sell or they won’t.

They can’t handle rejection. Prospects are not rejecting them. They’re just rejecting the offer they are making, or, they are rejecting because we don’t suit their needs.

They fail to master total knowledge of their product. Total product knowledge gives them the mental freedom to concentrate on selling.

They fail to learn and execute the fundamentals of sales. Read, listen to tapes, attend seminars and sales meetings, and practice what they’ve just learned. Everything they need to know about sales has already been written or spoken-learn something new every day.

They fail to understand the client and meet his needs. Learn to question and listen to the prospect.

They can’t overcome objections. This is a complex issue. They are not listening to the prospect. They are not thinking in terms of solution. They are not able to create an atmosphere of confidence and trust suitable enough to cause (effect) a sale. People are not afraid of failure, they just don’t know how to get success.

They can’t cope with change. Part of sales is change: change in products, tactics and markets. Roll with it to succeed. Fight it and fail.

They can’t follow rules. Salespeople often think that rules are made for others. If they think rules are not for them – they should think again. They cannot “break” the basics. They can only break themselves against them.

Success in professional selling comes to those who think in the long term. Those who start in sales for a reason and who have chosen to succeed. After that success decision is made you need only to trust the process and keep learning.

Neil Greenberg is a sales manager with a DC based e-commerce company. He also keeps his blog, Sales Sherpa (http://salessherpa.blogspot.com/) fresh with articles on sales, goal setting, motivation, and more.

The term whale is used for many things and it often relates to large, profitable accounts. The term for this newsletter is not about the water creatures that roam the ocean. This newsletter is about the business whales. The precious key accounts most salespeople dream about. The salespeople who handle these accounts are often the most courageous, detailed oriented and experienced in their company.

When you decide to go after a whale, you better bring a large boatload of key contacts and information. Because this is what whales expect. Know your stuff too. Knowing our stuff is important because we can embarrass ourselves and lose future deals by going for the sale too soon and not having accurate information. Whale accounts take time and require us to bring experience and knowledge with us. One thing I’ve learned is that whales like to talk with other whales. They do this because they think at a different level. It is really a decision profile we must learn and identify with. We will get into that later in this article.

Don’t go whale hunting alone

Success with whales can be achieved be anyone who simply has the courage and initiative to take on a whale. The process is often longer but the rewards are so much sweeter. You will need the time because one of the keys to success is to know their business. It is one thing to understand your own business, but it is important to understand the whale’s issues and their problems. Listening has always been a key to working with these accounts. Research into a whales business usually means that we have to listen to individuals who are not at the whale’s level. These conversations and the research at the lower levels pay huge dividends when a salesperson has confirmed what the problems are within a whales company. You will want to bring these people and their issues with you when “the meeting” actually takes place.

The meeting is when the moment of truth appears and all the time and research becomes ripe for a decision. At this point, you better know everything and how the whale thinks. Whales think differently than smaller fish. They look for the big picture. Most of the whales I have worked with, and there have been a lot of them, think the same and have the same type of conversations. They always want to know the line.

Know the right line – top or bottom line

I say line, because it is usually one of two lines. It is either the bottom line because they want to know how much it will save them. It might also be the top line so they know how much it will make them. This is the decision profile we wrote about earlier.

If you are not a whale and you want to sell to a whale, it is always a good idea to bring the largest fish in the company that you can. They will know how to talk about the top and bottom lines. It really boils down to these two lines. How much will you save them or how much will you make them and every large fish or whale wants to know these numbers?

Breakdown the numbers if you can and chart them for easy understanding.

Do your homework. If you are a whale but don’t think of yourself as a whale, fake it as best as you can but remember to toe the line. Keep thinking about why you make your business decisions and relate why they should make the decision to work with you. Just remember, it will either be the top or the bottom line. Asking good questions will lead you to the answer and the right line to use. Top or bottom!

Submitted by Steve Martinez, Founder of Selling Magic, a company focused on improving sales using technology and Automated Sales Process Management (ASPM). Get more sales tips at our website http://www.sellingmagic.com.