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On second thoughts, this is how to achieve sustained sales success…

On second thoughts, this is how to achieve sustained sales success…
Free Download - “The war of the worlds” novel in 1898 was science fiction, but today in business the battle is real and unabated…and rarely debated! By John Lees
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In recent times I have been using a number of good business ideas that involve the term ‘second’, based on having second thoughts about key issues. For example, the phrase ‘features and benefits’ means nothing to the market, because customers are only interested in what we get done, not what we do…and so on second thoughts it should read ‘benefits and features’. The same logic applies to ‘handling objections’, because good sales people ‘anticipate and deal with objections’ before they enter the minds of customers. ‘Ask for the order’ is another misnomer, because in fact we should ‘suggest the order’ (as with a doctor ‘prescribing’ action), and a classic lie is ‘knowledge is power’…which is not true. The truth, on second thoughts, is that ‘giving knowledge is power’, because valuable information does not belong to you, it belongs to those you serve…and if you do not give knowledge then you, like a product that remains unused, will go stale (the accounting profession is dying because of staleness!). Another serious distraction is having a ‘customer focus’, which is wrong because you are selling to business people, not to customers… and the ‘customer retention’ theory is mistaken because the only way to keep customers is to engage in consistent ‘customer development’. Other deceptive business beliefs include ‘the customer is always right’, which only relates to the kind of service the market prefers; also ‘give customers what they want’, which is incorrect because we must find what they really need…and ‘the purpose of business is to make money’. The true purpose of business is to sell mutual progress…at a profit. Finally, the notion of ‘time management’ is redundant because we can only manage ourselves, not time. So, having established the need for second thoughts, here are some key issues that benefit from this cognitive concept:
• The second market gap…is the one that means the most to customers and the least to suppliers. The first market gap concerns established ‘demand’ for products and services, which is the area that most suppliers fight in…and the second market gap relates to future growth, potential or opportunity to improve results. All customers will spend all their lives in the future, and yet very few suppliers sell ideas that contribute to this key area
• The second skill…concerns the knowledge and talent required for suppliers to enter the second gap. Most suppliers focus on product knowledge, which will not build better business results
• The second economy…concerns our own business efforts and results, while the first economy reflects the condition of the large economy we contribute to. No matter what state the first economy is in, we have complete control over the second economy!
• The second sales force…is made up of our customers, whether they are resellers or users of our products and services. It may be hard to direct and control the first sales force, our employees, but if we do not learn how to stimulate and create success with the second sales force…we are doomed to ‘sell in’ rather than to ‘sell out’
• The second loyalty…is created when customers prefer to do business with your company, even though they may be able to access better prices, etc., elsewhere, not because they ‘like you’ but because you contribute the ‘second skill’ to help them consistently improve results in the future (the second market gap)
• The second nature…refers to a commitment to perform your sales duties in a fluent, interesting, flawless manner…based on much preparation and rehearsal

I hope you can use these ‘second thoughts’ as first class debate at sales or training meetings.





On second thoughts this is how to achieve sustained sales success - To learn more about this author, visit John Lees's Website.

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Leanne Hoagland-Smith
Are your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website

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Linda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website

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Dianne Crampton is North America's leading authority on team culture.  She is an author and professional speaker and president of the leading team culture consultancy, TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Crampton has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down or to subscribe to TIGES Free monthly e-newsleeter go here.

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As a Certified Information Systems Auditor, Michiel assists businesses in a professional capacity by evaluating the threats to their businesses. He acquired the necessary knowledge, skills, and techniques to minimize a business owner’s risk of business failure and to maximize his chances of high growth and success. He strongly believes that you CAN maximize your chances of business success, by implementing the business solution he has advocated for more than 12 years in your business plan and planning. Michiel has decided to share his experience with business owners by putting almost everything he knows in a business plan and survival guide (compiled in an e-book format) and written as a high growth SMB coaching course for SMB business owners, directors and managers - titled as the “Survival Kit for Small and Medium Businesses - Profit from your Business Risks!” According to Michiel, his goal was to add new techniques to a business owner’s business planning survival kit and instruct him or her in using these in the future - without any help from a consultant! For more information about the benefits of implementing profit protection planning in your business, please visit: http://www.business-around-the-globe.com - Visit Michiel Jonker's Website


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John Lees
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John Lees is a high-impact, entertaining speaker at major conferences, also a trainer in sales and leadership, a consultant to businesses that are serious about their marketing and sales obligations...and the author of 11 books on business development. In terms of background, John Lees was director of marketing & sales for Schwarzkopf in Australia and NZ, achieving market leadership (against the giants 'L'Oreal and Wella) and best operations internationally for the organisation. He then worked as a consultant to the German company in the US, Canada, the UK, South Africa and leading Western European markets. John Lees is a member of the Institute of management consultants. Website address is www.johnlees.com.au


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