Recent Articles From EvanCarmichael.com http://www.evancarmichael.com/ http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/494/Not-Getting-Enough-Profitable-Business.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/494/Not-Getting-Enough-Profitable-Business.html As a Sales and Marketing Coach it’s my job be able to recognise, treat and cure sales and marketing pains. So let’s split out: Not Getting a) Enough Business and b) Profitable Business and help you with a couple of simple tips… http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/494/10-Tips-On-How-To-Create-a-Positive-Image-In-Person.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/494/10-Tips-On-How-To-Create-a-Positive-Image-In-Person.html You may or may not have already made direct contact with the person you’ve made an appointment to see. Whether this is someone you hope will become a customer, loan you money or offer you a job, you want to create a good impression. The tips in this article can be used as a simple but nevertheless effective checklist to help you on your way to achieve your goal. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/494/Where-to-draw-the-line-in-selling.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/494/Where-to-draw-the-line-in-selling.html Do you want a quick sale or to build long term relationships with profitable customers? The choice is yours. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/494/Find-out-what-your-customers-REALLY-want.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/494/Find-out-what-your-customers-REALLY-want.html What we sell (unless it's a commodity) is usually what our customers see as a vehicle either to avoid something unpleasant or achieve a desired end rather than an end in and of itself. If you don't spend the time discovering what end they want to achieve, chances are your sales activities will be an uphill struggle. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/494/6-Useful-Tips-On-Chasing-Payment.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/494/6-Useful-Tips-On-Chasing-Payment.html The best way would be to avoid the necessity of chasing payment altogether by only providing the product or service on receipt of money, or offering attractive discount savings to encourage prompt payment. However, if neither of these options is available to you or applicable to your business, ensure that you make one to one contact… http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/494/10-More-Tips-On-Preparing-For-The-Call.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/494/10-More-Tips-On-Preparing-For-The-Call.html Many people don’t find prospecting easy or enjoyable yet they need to do it to bring in business. The following tips apply equally to the telephone or face-to-face and are designed to help your calls be successful... http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/494/Do-Your-Customers-Pay-On-Time-5-Check-Points-For-Upfront-Ease-Of-Payment.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/494/Do-Your-Customers-Pay-On-Time-5-Check-Points-For-Upfront-Ease-Of-Payment.html Don’t make it easy for your customers to delay paying you. One of the first things I was taught as a salesperson was that nothing has been sold until the money is in. Did you know that more companies go out of business through cash flow problems than for any other reason? And that would mean everyone in your company would be out of a job. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/494/Know-How-Your-Market-Buys-Or-Forever-Negotiate-On-Price.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/494/Know-How-Your-Market-Buys-Or-Forever-Negotiate-On-Price.html You need to identify who the Buying Decision Maker is because, no matter how good the offer, it’s wasted if it is made to the wrong individual. Whilst it may normally be fairly obvious in consumer sales, it sometimes takes more digging to establish the right M.A.N. in business to business. This is the person with the Money, Authority and Need. But it doesn’t stop there… http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/494/Gatekeeper-Friend-Or-Foe-A-6-Point-Plan-To-Deal-With-Any-Gatekeeper.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/494/Gatekeeper-Friend-Or-Foe-A-6-Point-Plan-To-Deal-With-Any-Gatekeeper.html You’re ready to attempt to sell to the M.A.N., your target Decision Maker in the prospect company. This is when you are likely to encounter a Gatekeeper. They come in the guise of receptionist, assistant, voicemail, secretary or PA in the office, or husband/wife/partner or answer machine in the home. Apart from the mechanical ones, they normally don’t present a problem when you are just checking the accuracy of basic information, and can even be helpful enhancing that information. It’s when you actually want to speak to your target that gatekeepers really come into their own… http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/494/If-something-is-getting-you-down-find-out-what-you-can-learn-from-an-old-donkey.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/494/If-something-is-getting-you-down-find-out-what-you-can-learn-from-an-old-donkey.html A friend told me some time ago that his granddad used fables and stories when he was a young lad to get him to understand things that might otherwise have been difficult for a youngster to take on board. He said that what he’d learned from them had stayed with him ever since and still made utter sense. This short story is from him and it's about an old farmer and his equally old donkey…