The First 2 Mlm Sales Principles You Must Apply To Your Business

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Fact is, the sales profession has incredibly high demand. The reason? There are a couple factors that have made the job market this way. First off, with the recent struggling economy, brave Americans have been pushed towards the entrepreneurial route and developing small businesses. What has been the ultimate factor in profit? The number of sales that the company gathers, which is directly affected by the number of salespeople the company has employed. Second, a profession in sales is one of the hardest to fill; quite frankly, many people are naturally lazy. How many friends do you know that are dedicated, consistent, hard working people who dont mind working 10-11 hours a day? Thats what a typical day of a sales job entails. Third, job seekers do not like the sound of a commission only job. Its incredibly weird that people try to stay away from commission jobs. Commission means unlimited income based on your efforts. It makes perfect sense to me. Fourth, it is impossible to replicate sales skills; therefore, it is hard to duplicate. Every person has their own unique personality and develops their own way of doing things. Sales is an art, not an easy step by step process. To sum it all up, learning how to create a situation where somebody takes their money and gives it to you is one of the most difficult skills on Earth. Thankfully, there is a set of sales principles that every experienced salesperson follows. I, myself, as an experienced door-to-door and telemarketing salesman have done the same. Lets dig deep into them:

1. The sales process. The passing of time and advancement in technology has forced a change in Americas culture. Unfortunately, not many Americans moved along with this newfound culture. With this change came the shift in mentality of the basic sales process. The early sales process consisted of just seven simple steps: introduce, qualify, present, overcome objections, close, rehash, referral, and follow up. Now, the sales process consists of: awareness, interest, research, evaluation, commitment, referral, and follow up. Every step speaks for itself in terms of its purpose. But dont take this first principle lightly, as it is what gives you a concrete foundational mindset on what you need to achieve with your customers. How do the early and current sales processes differ? The early sales process was used more for traditional marketing like door-to-door and telemarketing. The evolved sales process is used for current, more efficient marketing tactics including attraction marketing.
2. The 4 factors of impulse. There are different versions of the 4 factors of impulse but they all have the same meaning. Variations include FIGS, FUGI, and GUFI. However, the most popular version of the acronym is FUJI (probably because of the popularity of Mount Fuji). To break it down, FUJI stands for fear of loss, urgency, jones effect, and indifference. What the factors of impulse do to a customer is truly powerful and can give you the competitive edge over other salespeople if used correctly and consistently. Fear of loss happens when the customer feels that he will lose out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If he doesnt act now, hell miss out forever! Urgency ties in with fear of loss, but has to deal more with having a respect for your customers time. Make sure to tell your customer that your message wont take long. Remember, you only have about the first 9 seconds to interest a potential lead. The Jones effect is a well-known rule that states people naturally want what other people want, especially if they know them on a more personal level like neighbors, friends, family, and colleagues. Indifference has been the new form of sales. It takes the focus off of the sale and puts it more on the customer service approach. You want to make the customer feel comfortable and being indifferent will do the trick. You probably noticed that other variations had a G instead of a J. The G stands for greed, which displays that people are naturally greedy and want what everyone else wants. Greed and the Jones effect are very synonymous. Apply these four factors and build the level of impulse throughout the sales process to make the customer think, I need to buy it now!

How Mercedes-benz Have Increased Their Sales In A Recession

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I just found this excellent article about the Sales Strategy of Mercedes-Benz during the recession. They have gained market share during the toughest economic period in recent history without reducing their prices.
The article was originally posted at: http://www.bnet.com and I have copied it below for your convenience. My view is that its completely unnecessary to reduce your price in a downturn. The best sales strategy to use in a recession is to keep your price the same while your competitors discount themselves into oblivion. You could always add on extra features at lower or nil cost, but I wouldnt be reducing your main price.

The reason is that your existing customers will feel ripped off, your new customers wont Its not news that the automobile industry is in trouble. GM and Chrysler have gone through bankruptcy. J.D. Power and Associates expect sales of cars in the U.S. to drop to 10 million in 2009, down from 16 million in 2007. Luxury vehicles have been hit especially hard.

However, Mercedes-Benz USA has a couple of success stories. Its new compact sport utility vehicle, the $33,900 GLK, launched in January and already leads its category. It has sold more than twice the number of vehicles this year as its closest competitor, the Acura RDX. Mercedes is also pleased with the sales of its most affordable sedan, the C-Class (starting at $33,600), which has gained 5 points of market share, albeit in a shrinking market.

Both successes have a lot to do with Mercedes fierce defense of its brand, according to Steve Cannon, vice president of marketing for Mercedes-Benz USA. In short, Mercedes is not succumbing to the temptation to cut prices. You have to stay true to who you are no matter what, Cannon says. So many of our competitors are doing distressed advertising, saying sale, sale, sale. You cant move down-market in times like these.

If you do, you undermine the value of your brand, says David Melanon, CEO of New York-based brand consultancy The Ito Partnership. Melanon points to Macys as a company that, once considered among the toniest of department stores, has downgraded its image through endless discounting. Why would I ever pay full price for anything at Macys ever again? Melanon asks.

The other thing you cant do is stop advertising. In a recession, every CFO wants to slash the advertising budget, says Bob Austin, an auto industry brand consultant and senior partner of the Auto Futures Group in Ridgewood, N.J. Counterintuitively, Austin believes the worst time to stop advertising is in a downturn. Studies have shown that consumers can keep only up to four choices in their minds when they are contemplating a purchase. Even if youre confident that customers know precisely who your company is as a brand, now is the time to keep reminding them of its defining characteristics, with plenty of details, Austin says. The guy who can stay visible the longest wins, he says.
Mercedes has wholeheartedly embraced advertising the details. When the company introduced the C-Class, it opened up the brand to a whole new group of buyers. But rather than lead with the lower price in messages to new consumers, the company emphasizes all the ways in which the C-Class is still a Mercedes, a product of 100 years of German engineering. The same is true of the GLK and, Cannon says, of other models Mercedes will introduce later this year. People buy emotionally, but they justify intellectually, Cannon says. In this market, the justification hurdle is a little bit higher.

By hammering home product attributes that make a Mercedes a Mercedes, the automaker is helping consumers think their way through to a purchase. And in the process, Cannon says, Mercedes continues to build its brand rather than chip away at it. When the market turns, we will have [these new consumers] in the brand, and they will grow with us, Cannon predicts.

The Sales Training Series Ask For A Commitment Every Time

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Salespeople are called upon to perform many duties, from customer training to market analysis. But we must never forget the primary value we bring to our organizations, the real reason we remain on the payroll: We are excellent at gaining commitment from paying customers. Or, at least, we’re supposed to be.

Why don’t customers commit? Because salespeople don’t ask them to!

Yet incredibly, four out of six sales calls end without the salesperson asking the client to commit to any action that will move the process forward toward a sale. The salesperson presents some product information, maybe leaves some brochures and then walks away.

That is a travesty. Here’s how to prevent that from happening.

1. Always set a Commitment Objective before every call. You may have any number of valid goals for a sales call, but a Commitment Objective is a particular type of goal. It is an agreement you seek from the customer to do something that will move the sales process forward.

Your Commitment Objective is not always to get an order. It might be to get a referral to the real decision-maker, or to schedule another meeting with all decision-makers present, or to gain primary-supplier status.

Before every call, ask yourself: What commitment will I try to gain from this customer during the call? How will this commitment move the sales process forward?

2. Look and listen for buying signals. These may take the form of questions, statements or body language. “How much is it?” “How soon can you deliver?” “I like what you’re saying.” All of those are signals that it is time for you to ask for commitment.

3. Ask for commitment in a straightforward and non-manipulative way.

a) Summarize your product’s features and benefits, and quote price.
b) Ask, “What is your opinion of this?”
c) Ask, “Would you like to go ahead with it?”

Whenever you quote price, always ask for commitment. To put this another way, never quote price without asking for commitment immediately.

Once more, gaining commitment is the principal mission of every salesperson. But you won’t get it if you don’t ask. Begin your planning of every sales call by determining the commitment you want and how you’re going to ask for it.

In The Field:

Since 1990, when Patterson Dental (PDCO) began training its North American sales force with Action Selling Sales Training, the company has become the largest distributor of dental supplies and equipment in the United States and Canada.

Jim Violette, branch manager for the Spokane, Wash., facility, credits Action Selling for a dramatic turnaround at his branch. “My sales force acts like an entirely different team since we implemented the Action Selling approach,” Violette said. “Our skills at Gaining Commitment have dramatically improved.”

That’s an understatement, both for the Spokane branch and for the company as a whole. At nearly $1.6 billion in sales, Patterson has grown by 17 percent per year and increased its market share by 32 percent over the past five years.

Sales Resume Template And Sample

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Sample Resume Template Sales Jobs

Contact Information
Name
Address line 1
Address line 2
Telephone No.
E-Mail ID.

Qualifications Summary
[Provide summary of your professional details. Use bulleted points to list these details]

Area of Expertise
[Provide the details of your area of expertise. This is the work profile you were previously engaged in or you are familiar with]

Work Experience
Designation in the company
Company Name, Address
Total Experience in terms of years
Job Responsibilities
..
..
..

Skills
[Start with the most relevant job skills. use bulleted points to list these skills. For computer skills, make a separate section with the heading computer skills and list the details accordingly]
Skill 1
Skill 2
Skill 3

Education
[Mention the name of the degree in sales sector along with the year of passing. If possible, also provide the name of college/ university]
Name of the Sales Degree, Year of passing
Name of college/ university

Professional Affiliation
[Any professional affiliation to any sales association should be mentioned in this part]

References
[Listing the references is optional. You can present the names of references at the time of personal interview when asked by the interviewer]

Now, we will see a sample resume for the position of Senior Sales Executive. This particular person is an experienced sales executive now looking for the position of Senior Sales Executive. Go through the sample to know more about writing CV for such jobs.

Sample Resume for Senior Sales Executive

Reiko G. Davis
4213 Cherry Tree Drive
Jacksonville, FL 32216
Telephone (095)-654-5786
E-Mail ID [emailprotected]

Objective
Seeking the position of senior sales executive in the established company where I can explore new job skills and work efficiently with the help of my existing skills. With my excellent communication and interpersonal talent, I can handle any type of client and convince them

Summary of Skills
Over 4 years of experience working as sales executive
Possess strong and effective communication and interpersonal qualities
Significant sales, marketing and mathematical skills
Strategic planning, business development, and client servicing
Strong organizational and leadership qualities

Work Experience
Sales Executive, Home Appliances
Ginger Home Services, Jacksonville, Florida
2006 to present

Responsibilities
Trained the junior sales executives across different branches of company
Coordinated with the marketing team to decide the sales strategy for
marketing the particular product
Developed a pioneering sales strategy that helped the company achieve
the sales growth of 120% in 2008
Achieved the monthly sales target consecutively for complete year in 2008

Education
Bachelors Degree in Business Administration, 2005
College of Management Studies, Oakland, CA
Diploma in Business Management, 2002
College of Management Studies, Oakland, CA

References
[Will be provided on demand]

This is just a sample resume for senior sales executive position. Do not copy the details as it is but take reference and come up with your unique details.

The Intertwined Energies of Love and Sales

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On the very first day of the Jewish New Year, my divorce became final. I consider that symbolic. And a major accomplishment, considering it’s been 3 years since I’d started the legal process toward this new beginning.

On the Saturday night two days later, my dear friend and I celebrated all this with a lovely dinner out. We dressed up and called it a date. Her partner took photos of us before we went out, like it was the prom. How fun to have a special occasion! I treated her to a delicious meal, complete with cognac (one of her faves), and she surprised me with a gift subscription to jDate. Joy and ease. Giving and receiving. Banner night. I felt energy flowing that I’d been missing for a long time.

Almost immediately after we established my account, I started receiving messages from potential suitors. Curious, I responded to a few. More energy flowing.

That experience inspired me to listen to music I hadn’t heard in a long time — music with emotion-filled lyrics and tunes. Love songs. More energy flowing.

In the next days I attended Heather Dominick’s SOAR seminar on Soul-Filled Selling. I learned valuable information and had a wonderful time connecting with many of my favorite women entrepreneurs. (More energy flowing.) I also continued to dialogue with the potential suitors. (Ditto). I cried a little when one of the songs on my ipod particularly touched my heart. (Double ditto.)

And ultimately this concatenation of experiences sparked a major a-ha for me: there is a close connection between loving and soul-filled selling. Love is an action. Presenting my high-value, brilliance-based service is a loving action. And with that perspective, my sales conversations now feel completely different.

Paul Simon wrote -Negotiations and love songs are often mistaken for one and the same.- By opening myself to love again – by opening myself to experience a special night on the town and write my jDate profile and spend time with friends and listen to some mushy melodies – I have formed multiple new connections. The more I open myself to experience love, the stronger and deeper connections I can have with my prospects and clients, which will ultimately benefit my bottom line. Down to my toes I can feel that by opening my heart I have opened a previously invisible retractable roof on my life and my business.

What roof is over your life and business? If you’re ready to raise it with love, by expressing Your Brilliance and articulating your Unique Definition of Success, let’s talk.

Debra Woog coaches women entrepreneurs to accelerate success, with joy and ease, by building your Brilliance-Based Business with profit-enhancing marketing, technology, management and personal best practices.