I’ve heard one of the foremost people in Internet marketing state that he doesn’t respect emails that come with a greeting. He wants to get right to the point. I find this ironic because the whole issue with social networking is to be social and to be personal. So the social networking question becomes, to greet or not to greet. In my experience, people still want to be treated like individuals. They want to count, not to be lost due to false [...]
Have you noticed how people resist change? Change involves risks. We never know when we make a change if we’re going to be better off or worse off. So what can a heart centered salesperson or marketer do to encourage prospects to change to his or her products and services? The answer is to find ways to reduce the risk. One of those ways is to use social networking to develop relationships. This social networking tip describes how to comment on other sites.
With the emphasis today on attraction marketing, you need a way to draw people to your blog and website. Show people how much you know by engaging in conversations on forums, group discussions and commenting on other people’s articles or blog posts. Then, it’s totally acceptable to put a link to an article that you have on your blog or on your website when it actually contributes additional information and insight to the topic being discussed. [...]
There’s one question that has served me extremely well in over six years as a small business consultant. It’s the same question that heart-centered, soft sell salespeople and marketers need to ask their customers and prospective customers. The most important question is, “Why?”
I’ve had salespeople and small business owners ask me about writing a script. I have used them successfully 18 years ago when it was a required part of the job. I didn’t like them then, and I really dislike them now. Other than to memorize an opening question to get you started so you can avoid being tongue-tied, scripts are designed to control the flow of questions so as to control the prospect. That’s a hard sell approach to sales because it only cares about one thing, getting the prospect’s money. After a short stint using scripts because a job required it, I returned to talking with prospects.
Heart-centered, soft sell sales and marketing focus first on the customer’s needs and wants. While people may quickly tell you what they think they want, it’s very important to dig deeper to understand why. Look for their real motivation then help your customers buy what will do the best job you can for [...]
Strange as it sounds, soft sell sales and marketing are, in some ways, tougher to do than hard sell because they require the self-discipline to focus on the concerns of others, and they require caring enough about others to delay your gratification of “closing” the sale. You must wait to describe how wonderful your products and services are until the customers are satisfied that you know and understand what their problems and/or desires are. When you have earned their trust by listening and by asking meaningful questions showing you want to understand better, they will be open and receptive to your advice. This is natural because now they feel you care about them, not just their wallets. Then, when they are ready, you can help your customers buy. [...]
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Social Networking Tip – How to Comment on Other Sites
Have you noticed how people resist change? Change involves risks. We never know when we make a change if we’re going to be better off or worse off. So what can a heart centered salesperson or marketer do to encourage prospects to change to his or her products and services? The answer is to find ways to reduce the risk. One of those ways is to use social networking to develop relationships. This social networking tip describes how to comment on other sites.
With the emphasis today on attraction marketing, you need a way to draw people to your blog and website. Show people how much you know by engaging in conversations on forums, group discussions and commenting on other people’s articles or blog posts. Then, it’s totally acceptable to put a link to an article that you have on your blog or on your website when it actually contributes additional information and insight to the topic being discussed. [...]