Tag: sales

Will Using Social Media = More Book Sales?

Posted on by Sue L Canfield

Book sales won’t soar just because you’re using social media marketing. It does, however, keep you in front of your audience of readers. Your authority and expertise in your industry can be established using social media by answering questions, sharing tips, and sharing other relevant information.

Your audience will begin to share your posts with their audience. When you are known as an expert and leader in your field, your audience will be more likely to visit your website and purchase your book or other products and hire you.

Social media gives you the opportunity to engage with your audience and show your readers what your book is all about. Regularly interacting with your audience, influencers, and industry leaders can increase your public image and give your book more exposure.

A Few Basic Truths About Selling

Posted on by Sue L Canfield

a few basic truths about selling

1. People don’t buy needs, they buy wants. If you’re positioned as a ‘need’, they buy on price. Selling at the lowest price is rarely a good way to do business.

2. Businesses don’t buy based on quality, or the best presentation, or even, who’s a friend of the boss. They buy what will fit into their existing infrastructure with the least amount of red tape and politics.

3. People don’t change from what they have to a competitor. They’ll change to something entirely new, if it fits #1 and #2 above, but convincing them simply to switch phone services means that first you have to convince them that their previous choice was wrong. This is a losing battle.

4. People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. You must earnestly believe that your product or service is going to change the world, or why should anyone bother?

So, to summarise: whatever you’re selling must be sexy and irresistable, something you believe in deeply and passionately, something fundamentally different from what they’re doing now, yet which will fit into their existing infrastructure without pain.

And that’s why selling things like phone systems or services, office supplies, cleaning services, and the like, is so very hard.

Selling luxuries, specialties, boutique niche whatever? People expect to pay a premium price, even change how they currently do things, in order to bring in the best.

Think you can’t be the best? “Best” isn’t about top quality, low price, most options. It’s about making them feel like they’re the best.

You can do that. Anyone can do that.

It’s just that so few people try.

Which gives you quite the professional edge, doesn’t it?

Post by Joel D Canfield

I’m Not a Salesperson!

Posted on by Sue L Canfield

Many of us hear the word salesperson and think of a pushy car salesperson. We don’t like to be sold to and so we hold back from selling our services because we don’t know how to do it without feeling like we’re being another pushy car salesperson.

If you’re in business, you’re in sales. So let’s think about how we can sell our services the right way. Here are 3 things to consider:

1. Diagnose – How can you make a recommendation to your prospect about how your services are their solution when you haven’t yet diagnosed their problem? And how can you diagnose until you’ve come to thoroughly understand the prospect’s situation?

2. What do they want? – Just because you and your prospect agree on the problem does not mean you agree on the desired outcome. Find out what they want the desired outcome to be so you can then offer the solution that will result in that particular outcome.

3. How will you provide what they want? – Explain in as much detail as possible exactly how you will provide their desired outcome. Be specific in what they will get, how you will work with them, what will happen. The more they know, the more reassured they will be that you can provide the desirable outcome they want.

This requires communicating with prospects. Listen to them, understand their situation and needs and desired outcome. Explain clearly how your solution will benefit them. Give your prospects solid reasons to work with you. Then invite them to get started!