http://www.tammystanley.com/Sales_Refinery_Blog/ Tammy's Thoughts on Selling and Life en-us Nucleus CMS v3.23 © Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://www.tammystanley.com/Sales_Refinery_Blog//nucleus/nucleus2.gif http://www.tammystanley.com/Sales_Refinery_Blog/ http://www.tammystanley.com/Sales_Refinery_Blog/index.php?itemid=34
But considering that I just sent off a check for my 19th year subscription to Bon Appetit, that's probably not going to happen any time soon. Now if you're wondering whether anyone needs 19 years of Bon Appetit's monthly magazine... certainly not.

Yet I continue to subscribe. Why? Well that's actually a great marketing story that I only share in live training sessions. But here's why I mention this to you today. When my monthly Bon Appetit magazine arrives in the mail, I get totally re-inspired to cook a quite few new savory meals. So, instead of dreading the kitchen, I often look forward to the time I work in it.

That's what education does. It inspires us. One of the things I've always invested in is education. Whether it's magazines, ezines, books, audios, coaching, classes, or seminars, I've found that by investing into further education, I remain enthusiastic and motivated to keep on trying.]]> General http://www.tammystanley.com/Sales_Refinery_Blog/index.php?itemid=34 Sat, 5 Jul 2008 11:38:00 -0700 http://www.tammystanley.com/Sales_Refinery_Blog/index.php?itemid=20
I remember when she was a little girl and it seemed like her growing up was an impossibility because it was so far off. Now that day is here.

Starting any sales business has it's similarities. When you first start your sales business it's common to think that you will never get your business off the ground. The day of sweet success seems more like an impossibility and so far off. However, that day arrives rather quickly, if you remain active and work your business.

In this week's article, I'll talk about daily activities that can move your business in a big way. ]]> General http://www.tammystanley.com/Sales_Refinery_Blog/index.php?itemid=20 Tue, 3 Jun 2008 09:00:00 -0700 http://www.tammystanley.com/Sales_Refinery_Blog/index.php?itemid=55
She wasn't at the volleyball practice the day before the game because she needed to show up for cross country and drumline. Apparently her volleyball coach decided to punish her by not playing her in this week's game.

Normally that wouldn't have bothered her much at all, but this week a good number of students from her school showed up to watch the game. She was so embarrassed that she was sitting on the bench the whole time, when the "entire school" (Zo�'s words) was there to watch (personally I think there must have been a boy somewhere in that "entire school" that she didn't want seeing her sitting on the bench).

Ah, what do you tell your child or a friend in that kind of situation? It's tough to forget what other people might be thinking, to rise up the next moment or the next day and give oneself a fresh start.

In this week's article I'll be talking about ways to change certain habits and give yourself a fresh start in your business. Ultimately we have to train ourselves to care more about what we know than what other people think!]]> General http://www.tammystanley.com/Sales_Refinery_Blog/index.php?itemid=55 Thu, 29 May 2008 06:14:00 -0700 http://www.tammystanley.com/Sales_Refinery_Blog/index.php?itemid=54
That got me thinking that often what you need in your sales business is a fresh start, but it isn't always easy to achieve on your own. Oftentimes you need assistance.

I'm sure I could come up with 12 things you need to do to give yourself a fresh start in business, but I refuse to do that. Why? Because I personally get either bored, overwhelmed, or discouraged when I see long lists of all the things I "should" be doing to make my business better.

After considerable thought I've decided that the best way I can assist you in giving your business a fresh start is to share with you one phrase that can actually impact your business and your life overnight. Yeah right! As if one little phrase can change a business.

All right. I admit that the phrase won't change your business but implementing the advice within will. Now before I reveal those three words, have some fun and take a guess what the three words are.

Do it now. Did you take a guess when I first asked you or when I told you to do it now? If you waited until I said, "Do it now," you're probably beginning to understand why I think those are such powerful words.

The more you begin telling yourself, "Do it now," as opposed to "Do that later when..." the more you will accomplish and achieve.

If you adopt this one habit of doing what you think of doing now, it will amaze you how much and how quickly your business improves.

The way you give yourself a fresh start in business or in life is to do something that you haven't been doing. Give yourself a fresh start. Do it now. You accomplish that by doing right now something that you've been putting off. Do it now. When you come back to finish reading this newsletter, you'll notice how much better you feel.

When you do what you need to do now, all the thoughts of what you have to do later aren't there to weigh you down. You can't imagine how freeing that is unless you're already in the habit of doing it now. You'll even discover that you have time to do more things that you want to do.

Think about the last time you went on vacation. Chances are that you had a zillion things you had to get done the day before leaving. How did you get them all done in one day? Whatever was on your list, you did it now. You didn't wait for a better time. You just did it and then checked it off your list.

Well, when you give yourself a fresh start today, which of course you can do each and every day, you don't need to make a list. I said it already but I'll say it again, give yourself a fresh start by doing whatever you've been meaning to do. And do it now! ]]> Personal improvement http://www.tammystanley.com/Sales_Refinery_Blog/index.php?itemid=54 Wed, 28 May 2008 09:12:00 -0700 http://www.tammystanley.com/Sales_Refinery_Blog/index.php?itemid=51
But here's what never ceased to amaze me while I was building a direct sales organization: how frequently distributors would think short-term while building their sales business. I came to the conclusion that these distributors obviously didn't see the connection between their daily sales business and the ultimate goal of leading a large organization.

Let me give you some examples. Let's say that a customer buys a couple of things from you and for whatever reason wants/needs to exchange or return an item she bought. Do you take it back even if it's too late to return it to your company?

What I discovered is that most direct sales entrepreneurs won't do that. If it's past the company's time limits for returning items, it's past theirs. Too bad Ms. Customer. You lose.

I can tell you that I never ran my business that way. If someone wanted to return something and it was past the company's allowed return date, I simply put the item in my inventory and gave the customer credit for that return to purchase something else.

Now if you're wondering whether or not that cost me money, I can tell you that in the short-term it did, but not in the long term. My customers learned quickly that it was safe to shop with me and that I was committed to a long-term relationship with them.

After awhile my customers began calling me and telling me about women who had bought my product line from another distributor, and were unhappy because the distributor hadn't let them return anything. My customers asked me if there was anything I could do about it.

I would then place a call to these new prospects and let them know that I could go ahead and give them credit for the item/s they purchased. I would explain that since I hadn't made the sale, I wouldn't refund them cash, but I would let them apply the credit to anything they wanted in the catalog.

Did I lose money from doing that? Not one time. Those new customers were so grateful that they usually purchased far more than what they returned. In addition to that, they became quickly convinced that I was the only distributor they ever wanted to work with in the future.

By focusing of the long-term benefits instead of the momentary short-term drawbacks, I had a solid base of customers who bought from me year after year after year.

Now, you might be wondering how I kept my customers from mis-using my lenient return policy. Actually it was rather easy. If you are a reasonable sales person, you absolutely have the right to ask your customers to be reasonable as well. It wasn't uncommon for me to let the guests at a home party know that they could return things, if they didn't work out for them. However, I would then mention how that process would involve considerable time since I had to send the item back to the company, wait for the company to send the new product, and then deliver it. Instead of going through all that, why not take a little extra time tonight and make sure the things ordered are the things wanted. When I added that little spiel to my demonstration, my customers really took it to heart.

If I had a customer who was making a habit of returning things months later, I would say, "Diane, you know I'm going to take this back and give you credit for it, but what would really help me is for you to understand that I'm not some multi-million dollar corporation like Nordstrom. When you return things months after you bought them, I can't return it to the company for compensation." Understand that I never said that in a snotty tone. If anything I'd deliver it almost monotone. My intention wasn't to make a customer feel bad or guilty but rather aware.

Again, when you are reasonable with your customers, they will be reasonable with you. Anyone who isn't doesn't need to be on your customer list. There's no reason for having customers you don't want. This is truly a business where you can pick your customers. Think long-term and develop the clientele you want to work with. ]]> Personal improvement http://www.tammystanley.com/Sales_Refinery_Blog/index.php?itemid=51 Fri, 23 May 2008 11:08:00 -0700 http://www.tammystanley.com/Sales_Refinery_Blog/index.php?itemid=50
You see, I've bought a good number of this marketer's products, and although his ezine content is great, it pales in comparison to his audio programs and books. I think I've read almost all his books and audio programs at least twice, and some even four times. They're so content rich, I have to keep going over them until I implement everything he talks about.

If you're one the subscribers that looks forward to reading my Sales Refinery Insights each week, it's because you know it's worth reading. But the only way you can read it and break out into a hearty "MOOOOAHAAHAHAHA" is to purchase one of my audio programs or my book. This week I highly suggest "Irresistible Vocal Marketing for he Direct Sales Entrepreneur."

This CD set reveals the seven deadly mistakes made by most direct sellers while telling others what they do. You'll learn what gets your prospects eager to learn more and the key components to a powerful message that attracts prospects like crazy. You'll also hear examples of introductions that changed the businesses for the entrepreneurs who invested $250 to be in my Irresistible Vocal Marketing Workshop, as I guide you to develop a magnetic 10-second introduction and 30-second commercial all your own. ]]> The Sales Process http://www.tammystanley.com/Sales_Refinery_Blog/index.php?itemid=50 Wed, 21 May 2008 10:06:00 -0700 http://www.tammystanley.com/Sales_Refinery_Blog/index.php?itemid=49
Most people think they have to paint a completely optimistic picture for their prospect. In other words, they think the prospect needs to be SOLD before she'll buy (Obviously people who think like that have never seen me walk into a store, spot a belt I love, pick out my size, walk to the register and whip out my wallet in less than three minutes of entering the joint). Look, I know we've all heard, "You have to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.." Heck, we've even heard The Andrew Sisters and Bing Crosby sing it! (I confess, even I own that album/CD) But here's the point - prospects know that all pretty roses have thorns.

Years ago one of my off-spring sales managers called me up and told me about an insight she'd had. It occurred to her why so many of her consultants quit when the going got tough while my consultants would hang in there in spite of the rough times. She told me, "I always tell them how easy this business is, but I've noticed that you don't do that."

Even at opportunities meetings I always found something to say that removed some of the luster. For example, "People in this business love to say that women only need to see our product because it sells itself. Don't believe anyone who tells you that. If you think I haven't worked to get where I am, you're gravely mistaken. Now, have I had a ton of fun along the way? Have I earned a great living for loving my job? Yes."

Instead of accentuating the positive to the ridiculous (this product sells itself, this job is so fun you won't call it work, you won't believe they pay you so much for how little you do, etc.), you're much better off presenting yourself as a reasonable person who's assessment of the business opportunity or products is trustworthy. In the end, prospects find that far more appealing than fabrication.

Certainly some prospects can be lured in with fabrication, but they'll have little to no tolerance of anything less than the picture perfect description you gave them. If you want customers who buy from you for years and team members who have stick-to-it-ness, drop the hard-sell pitches fast, and add the flavor of reality to your presentations about your products and your business opportunity.

What never ceases to amaze me is that plenty of sales people still use hard-selling techniques. The reason they do that is because they believe that nothing has changed in the world of sales over the past 50 years. But all you have to do to discredit that theory is to look around you. If you take a marketing class at your local university, you'll discover that the textbook authors don't refer to the people who live in America as Americans, but rather as consumers.

Yes, the people around you are very used to consuming. Most have seen enough commercials for three lifetimes, and they've purchased enough stuff to start a business on Ebay! They know a sales pitch when they hear one. In other words, they're not easily fooled or manipulated by a syrupy sweet, hard-sell sales pitch.

Want to stand out as a sales person these days? Challenge yourself to let go of the Pollyanna Pitch. A couple weeks ago I told you about the appliance salesman who dared to tell me how manufacturers deliberately make lousy compressors for refrigerators these days so that people have to replace them two to three times more frequently. I bought a refrigerator from him within ten minutes. And if you remember, he didn't follow me around as I browsed giving me reason after reason why I wanted such and such feature. In fact, I actually had to search for him once I made my decision, and a key point is that I did because I wanted him to get the commissions for being so honest with me.

Imagine him going home to his wife and saying, "Wow, I made the easiest sale ever today. I never even said one nice thing about a single refrigerator, and this lady bought one from me within ten minutes of walking in to the place. Isn't that kind of strange?" And his wife, who always reads The Sales Refinery Insights each week replies, "Honey, it's not strange at all. Didn't you know, people don't want to be sold but they love to buy."
]]> Sales Tips http://www.tammystanley.com/Sales_Refinery_Blog/index.php?itemid=49 Mon, 19 May 2008 08:05:00 -0700 http://www.tammystanley.com/Sales_Refinery_Blog/index.php?itemid=48
Oh, and on top of all that, I did some of the exercises with my husband, Jim, and with our youngest daughter, Zo� (she's 14). After I did one of them with Zo�, she said, "That was cool? Are there any more?" I call moments like those bonding.

My children hardly ever remember the gifts we bought them for Christmas (okay, they DO remember the time Tess asked for a piano at age 7, and her daddy [yes, my husband - the cellist] went out and bought one) but they remember well the things we do together. Noah St John's book, Permission to Succeed, gave me some of those things-we-did-together moments.
]]> Personal improvement http://www.tammystanley.com/Sales_Refinery_Blog/index.php?itemid=48 Sat, 17 May 2008 09:04:00 -0700 http://www.tammystanley.com/Sales_Refinery_Blog/index.php?itemid=47
Do you ever feel like there's someone following you around all day, critiquing nearly everything you do? Wouldn't it be nice if it could be successfully removed? Well, you may not be able to remove it, but my goal today is to motivate you to "shut her down."

A good number of years ago I heard a woman tell a story about one night when she went out to look at the stars. It was an absolutely gorgeous night and she was truly fascinated by what she observed. Then without any warning, she heard something in her say, "This would be so much more special, if you only had someone to share it with."

If she had not been vigilant, she probably would have exchanged the awe she felt for melancholy and/or depression. Fortunately, she was standing watch at the gateway to the thoughts passing through her mind, and she was able to stop the mutiny before it occurred.

Just recently I heard Matt Furey (a marketing guru) talk about the need to obliterate every negative thought or fear based thought as soon as it's detected. He went on to say that by consciously obliterating those kind of thoughts frequently, it would eventually become a natural process.

A week or two ago I recommended that you order and read a book by Noah St. John, Permission to Succeed. One of the reasons I recommended it is because St. John suggests a powerful way to prevent those mutinous thoughts from ever even getting started. Although St. John doesn't mention the Zeigarnik effect, which I've talked about before, his technique does indeed involve the power behind the Zeigarnik effect - the power behind asking your brain a question.

A number of years ago I went to a very high priced seminar (you probably wouldn't even believe me if I quoted the price) and one of the things I'll always remember hearing about was the power in asking yourself questions. You see, if you present a question to your brain, you don't have to sit there and ponder the possible answer; your brain will do that for you while you go on with your day, or go to sleep for that matter.

Let me assure you, <$firstname$>, the very fact that you are reading this ezine is proof positive that you want to improve your business, probably even your life. You're obviously open to new ideas. So here's the one I want you to open up to and implement this week. Start asking yourself questions that will get your brain thinking about why you're so smart, so successful, and so wonderful.

One of the things I loved about Permission to Succeed is that Noah St. John shows how we're always asking our brains questions, but we're simply focused on the wrong questions. Come on. Haven't you ever asked one or more of the following:

Why am I so stupid? Why can't I succeed at this? Why can't I remember names? Why is my calender always so empty? Why doesn't anyone on my team work?

Now for those of you who remember what the Zeigarnik effect is, I ask you, why would you want your brain wanting and working to find answers to those questions? Ah � the power of good questions! By asking yourself questions like:

Why am I so successful at this? Why is it so easy for me to get new prospects? Why am I so smart? Why am I so irresistible?

your brain will go to work (hopefully overtime) to find the answer to those questions, and you'll start to find yourself coming up with new ideas that change the course of your business, (dare I say it?) even your life.

There have been times in my life that I've been really good at shutting down that inner critic inside of me. But the interesting thing is that it not only requires vigilant work to shut it down, it requires continual work. I say that because as soon as challenges present themselves, that silly critic always seems ready and rearing to give it another try.

While I was on my way out to California this summer (remember when I had to jump in the car because our daughter was having an emergency appendectomy, when she was supposed to be having a blast at dance camp?) I made the decision to give up suffering. I don't know about you, but I can suffer over the silliest things - The chicken piccata has too much lemon (why, why, why did I add too much lemon?); The trashcan in the girl's bathroom is practically overflowing and none of them have emptied it (Oh, the horror, the horror!), and let's not forget... Where are we going to get the money to pay all these bills?

Listen, I'll tell you a secret. It's really not that difficult to stop suffering or to shut down the inner critic. It's actually fun. BUT you have to be willing to laugh at yourself and have fun with the process. Here's a tip - when you realize that you've let that inner critic get the best of you, you can't get upset with yourself. That's what the critic wants. You have to do the unexpected - LAUGH. And then ask some wonderful question like, "Why am I so FANtastic?"]]> Personal improvement http://www.tammystanley.com/Sales_Refinery_Blog/index.php?itemid=47 Thu, 15 May 2008 08:03:00 -0700 http://www.tammystanley.com/Sales_Refinery_Blog/index.php?itemid=52
I thought of that today and it gave me a fun idea for the ezine � Clodia and Grace. Let's look at how each of them might handle a sales situation.

Tonight both Clodia and Grace have a skin care demonstration scheduled. Interestingly enough they each encounter the same situation.

At each of the demonstrations one of the guests says that she's never bought an entire skin care collection because she can�t afford it.

Clodia responds by saying:

"Well when you see how great the results are from using all these products together, you'll be glad you bought the whole collection. Trust me."

When Clodia looks away, the guest looks at a friend sitting nearby and proceeds to roll her eyes.

Meanwhile, at the other demonstration...

Grace responds by saying:

"I can appreciate that. Some of my customers have been in that same boat. If you don�t mind me asking, are you completely happy with your complexion or is there anything that concerns you?"

The guest replies, "Well, I guess I have noticed that I�m getting more noticeable wrinkles."

Grace says, "Typically my clients have the most dramatic results by using the whole system, but I think you�ll be happy with the results you'll get from just using our Wrinkles Away night time cream. Maybe you'll feel more comfortable trying just one product before investing in the entire system."

The guest says, "I don't know. Maybe it is time I give an entire skin care system a try."

Probably the goal of most skin care consultants is to sell each of their prospects on using an entire skin care system. The customer ends up with products that are all designed to work together for premium results, and the consultant ends up with a decent sale.

The key here, no matter what it is you sell, is to remember that different prospects have different needs and wants. By discovering what each prospect needs and wants and then recommending something that suits her, a prospect is far more likely to buy something, and often ends up buying precisely what you wanted to sell her in the first place.

The reason Grace ends up selling an entire skin care system as well as the Wrinkles Away night time cream and Clodia doesn't is because Grace takes the time to address the one guest's needs. Then by addressing the need (a way to get rid of wrinkles) as well as the want (not wanting to spend a lot of money) in her suggestion, she gains the guest's trust. Clodia thinks the guest should trust her simply because she tells her to.

While Clodia expects her prospects to trust her, Grace does what is necessary to earn their trust.

There is a timeshare kiosk in the mall I usually go to. Naturally the sales reps are always hungry looking to approach people and present their irresistible offer to get a night free at a beautiful resort in exchange for attending a 90-minute sales presentation.

Not long ago, as I was walking through the mall, I overheard one of the timeshare sales reps say to his prospect, �Just trust me.� Now you know where I got the idea for today's article! When I heard the sales rep say that, it was all I could do to not burst out in laughter at him.

It is true that during the sales process you want to build an element of trust between the prospect and you, but blurting out, �Just trust me,� isn't going to achieve that. If anything, it has exactly the opposite effect. When you say, �Just trust me,� you obviously haven't figured out how the prospect truly stands to benefit from the transaction.

When I heard the salesman at the mall say, �Just trust me� to his prospect, what I heard was, �I haven't done my homework about this thing I'm selling, but I really need to make a commission check today so just trust me.�

I've found that one of the easiest ways to get a prospect to trust you as a salesperson is to momentarily forget about the thing you want to sell and discover first whether or not your prospect needs or desires what you're selling. The only way to do that is to get to know your prospect by asking questions.

The other day while I was making prospecting calls (yes, I have to make prospecting calls too; I don�t just talk about doing it), I really wanted to sell the VP of Events of a particular company on the idea of scheduling a meeting with me at an up-coming conference. But before I could do that I had to find out if she'd even be attending the conference.

That sounds elementary, I'm sure, but it's just like the selling process I described above. If the VP of Events wasn't going to be at that conference, she wouldn't have the need to meet me there, would she?

By taking time to ask her questions, I discovered that I had something more useful to offer for her situation. And if you're wondering whether or not I gained her trust -- She told me all about her Chihuahua-Yorkie that weighs 9 pounds and goes to work with her on occasion, she has no children, just broke up with someone whose last name was Butts (no kidding!)... do I need to go on, or have you figured out whether or not she trusted me?

We can't expect our prospects to trust us until we give them a good reason to. That good reason is when we show that we're willing to put their needs and wants before our own (which is obviously to sell them something). How do we show that we're willing to do that? By listening to what they say and asking questions that correspond to their comments.]]> The Sales Process http://www.tammystanley.com/Sales_Refinery_Blog/index.php?itemid=52 Wed, 14 May 2008 08:09:00 -0700