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Ask for the Order

By Eric Lofholm

This is one of the simplest ideas yet I am constantly amazed at how many people don’t ask for the order when they are speaking to their prospects. If you are speaking to someone and you don’t ask for the order you didn’t give a presentation you had a conversation.

It is not necessary to use high pressure when asking but you must ask.

Here are some simple ways to ask for the order:
1. How do you feel about moving forward?
2. What do you say we give it a try?
3. I am open on Tuesday at 3:00 or Wednesday at 3:00 what would work best for you?

After you ask for the order be silent. Selling has its own language. Part of the language of influence is silence. Silence is a simple technique yet very powerful. Consider the following scenario. Most of us have seen the girl scouts selling cookies in front of the grocery story. Usually what happens is they ask us if we would like to buy some girls scout cookies. After they ask have you ever noticed they are silent? The reason they are silent is because that is part of the sales presentation.

Part of the Language of Influence is Silence!

Does this technique work? The girl scouts have sold millions of boxes of cookies through the years. Now imagine this scenario. Instead of being asked if you would like to buy some Girl Scout cookies, she gave you a business card. She then explained to you that if you go to the web site you can purchase as many boxes as you would like. If she handed you a business card would you go to the web site and buy some cookies? The answer is no.

Unfortunately most people give out their business card and tell the prospect to call them when they are ready. Don’t fall victim to this pitfall. Ask for the order!

Success,

Eric Lofholm

Filed Under: Objection Handling, Sales Strategy, Sales Success, closing techniques, featured Tagged With: , , ,

Appointment Setting Secrets: 8 Tools to Set More Appointments

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The purpose of setting an appointment is to set an appointment. Too often, people try to accomplish too much when they pick up the phone to call someone.

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “sales is a numbers game.” That’s only true if you have an effective presentation. Otherwise, no matter how many appointments you run, you’re not going to achieve your sales goals.

What is an appointment? An appointment is a meeting with one or more people for the purpose of delivering your sales presentation.

Here are some different types of appointments:
*One-on-one meeting in person
*One-on-one meeting by phone
*Conference call with multiple people
*Front of room speech for multiple people

I also consider certain marketing activities to be an appointment including email marketing, audio recordings and sales pages. They can share details about your product or service and deliver a clear call to action.

If you want to set more appointments, then you need to invest your time in becoming good at setting appointments.

Here are 8 Appointment Setting Tools you need to set more appointments:

1. Appointment Setting Script
You need a powerful, persuasive script that will help you explain the benefits of your appointment and a clear call to action.

2. Confirmation fax or email
What doesn’t get scheduled, doesn’t get done. After you set an appointment, you need to remind your prospect by confirming the appointment.

3. Information fax or email
Apart from confirming  the appointment, you may want to send information to your prospect prior to the appointment.

4. Objection response scripts
There are a lot of reasons someone may not want to meet with you. You need to be prepared to respond to any objections.

5. Leads in your target market
When you sit down to make calls, you need to be prepared with a list of leads to call.

6. Calendar
In order to set appointments, you need to have a centralized calendar you can refer use to book appointments and so you will know when you’re appointments are.

7. Blocked, scheduled time
What doesn’t get scheduled, doesn’t get done. If you want to set more appointments, then you need to block out time on your calendar.

8. Tracker
Wherever you focus your attention, you will see an improvement in results. If you want to set more appointments, you need to set appointment goals. Use a Daily Tracker to track your results.

I’ve just begun to reveal the secrets that I teach my clients to help them set more appointments. There is so much more to share.

Setting appointments is one of the most important skills in sales and it is often overlooked. I highly recommend you take the time to work on your appointment setting skills.

Success,

Eric Lofholm

Filed Under: Appointment Setting, Objection Handling, featured Tagged With: , , , ,

Objection Handling Tips to Handle an Objection for More Time Part 2

By Eric Lofholm 1 Comment

What to say when someone says to you I need to think about it, I don’t have the time, or I don’t have the money.

One of the biggest challenges I see network marketer’s face is what to do when the prospect says I need to think about it, I don’t have the time, or I don’t have the money.

This is a challenge for the network marketer and it is also a challenge for most everyone on their team. We know that at the end of a presentation the prospect is going to say one of four things.

1. I am ready to sign up.
2. I am not interested.
3. I have some questions.
4. I need to think about it, I don’t have the time, or I don’t have the money. (or raise some other concern)

Prediction is a form of power. Because we know what they are going to say we can then prepare a powerful, persuasive response to overcome their concern and move the prospect to action. Persuasion is about leading. It is about moving people to action. Great network marketing leaders are great at moving others to take action.

After you have given the prospect your presentation you are going to ask them to take action. After you ask them to take action that is when they typically say I need to think about it, I don’t have the time, or I don’t have the money. I want you to imagine that when you ask the prospect to take action it is if you are giving them a hot potato. When they say to you I need to think about it, I don’t have the time, or I don’t have the money they are giving you the hot potato back. We now need to give it back to them. Here are some ways to do that.

The prospect says to you I need to think about it. You can say:
1. Other than thinking about it is their anything else preventing you from moving forward today?
2. Other than thinking about it I am sure that you have some other concerns. Can share with me your other concerns.
3. Tell me more about that.

The prospect says to you I need to check with my spouse. You can say:
1. If the decision where up to you would you move forward today?
2. On a scale of 1-10 how motivated are you to get started today?
3. Other than checking with your spouse is their anything else preventing you from moving forward today?
4. What would you do if your spouse says no?

In each of these responses you have now given the hot potato back to the prospect. The prospect now needs to respond in some way back to you. When they respond back to you they are probably not ready to take action yet. Your next step would be to tell them a story and then ask again for them to take action. This process is like a dance. After you ask them to take action the first time they raise a concern. You then respond to the concern. They then raise another concern. You then respond with a story and ask them to take action again.

You want to tell a very specific type of story. You want to share a story of someone in a similar situation. A story about someone who had the same concern they did. For example if the prospect tells you they don’t have the money to get started. Tell them a true story of someone else who did have the money either. They went and found the money and now they are financially free because of it. After you tell the story the next step is to ask the prospect to take action. One way you might do this is to say (right after you finished telling them the story of someone in a similar situation) based on what you have shared with me so far I really believe getting involved with our company could help you achieve your dreams. What do you say we give it a try? After you say this be silent. The prospect is now in a place where they need to make a decision. At the end of each presentation you deliver you want the prospect to make a decision. A no is OK. A yes is a lot better. One of the most important things you can do though is to have the prospect make a decision.

Success,

Eric Lofholm

Filed Under: Objection Handling, Sales Strategy, Sales Success, featured Tagged With: ,

If YOU Want to have your Best Sales Year in 2010, Start Preparing Right Now!

By Eric Lofholm 1 Comment

Sales IncreaseIf you are like most sales people, you want 2010 to be your best sales year ever.

But the question is: “Where do I start?”

The most proven idea to increase your sales is by using sales scripts.

You have 30 days left until 2010.

Sales Pros, like you, use checklists to accomplish their goals.

Here’s a checklist to help you get your sales scripts completed by January 2010.

* Set the Intention to create your $million dollar script book for your sales career.
* Brainstorm all the different scripts you will need for every aspect of your business.  (Most Sales Pros have more than a dozen scripts in their $million dollar script books.  You should too.)
* Prioritize your list of scripts to determine which scripts should be created first, second, third…
* Schedule the time to write your winning sales scripts.
* Reverse Engineer and Persuasion Engineer your scripts for maximum impact.
* Have a script writing expert review your completed scripts and receive high-level feedback.

Get Started NOW!

Filed Under: Objection Handling, Scripting, Uncategorized, persuasion, sales scripts Tagged With: , , , ,

Part 2 – What we can learn from Tiger Woods' Script he put on his website today

By Eric Lofholm 1 Comment

Tiger WoodsI am sure by now you have heard about the car accident that Tiger Woods was involved in last week.  Let me begin by saying I am a Tiger Woods fan.  I have never been interested in golf but I have always been interested in Tiger.  On Sunday Tiger issued a statement on his website.  That statement is considered web copy.  Web copy is a script.  Today Tiger issued another statement.

What really surprised me about Tiger’s script was he chose to continue to ask for privacy.

Here is his statement.

“I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.

Although I am a well-known person and have made my career as a professional athlete, I have been dismayed to realize the full extent of what tabloid scrutiny really means. For the last week, my family and I have been hounded to expose intimate details of our personal lives. The stories in particular that physical violence played any role in the car accident were utterly false and malicious. Elin has always done more to support our family and shown more grace than anyone could possibly expect.

But no matter how intense curiosity about public figures can be, there is an important and deep principle at stake which is the right to some simple, human measure of privacy. I realize there are some who don’t share my view on that. But for me, the virtue of privacy is one that must be protected in matters that are intimate and within one’s own family. Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn’t have to mean public confessions.

Whatever regrets I have about letting my family down have been shared with and felt by us alone. I have given this a lot of reflection and thought and I believe that there is a point at which I must stick to that principle even though it’s difficult.

I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family deserves. For all of those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology.”

Tiger Woods is not just a person he is an industry.  He built his empire with well crafted, persuasive scripts.

Corporations loved him because his image of success helped them sell products.  His endorsement of their products was a part of their script.

Tiger gets paid $100 Million per year to endorse products because having his name in those companies scripts produces billions in sales.

His image is no longer gold to those companies.  In other words using Tiger Woods name in the company script is no longer going to produce the same level of sales.

Tiger most certainly some of his endorsements.

Be watching Tiger’s scripts in the future.  Based on those scripts you will be able to predict if the endorsement deals will come back.  (Assuming he loses them as I am predicting)

Always remember everything is a script.  A script is simply words in sequence that have meaning.

Filed Under: Objection Handling, Scripting, featured, sales scripting Tagged With: , , ,
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