Actual for You - Business

How To Write Better Ad-Copy
Nearly 30 years ago, I was a guest panelist at a seminar about “Writing for Profit.” -- All day long,the speakers had told the attendees all about how to submit their written works to editors and publishers ... what to expect in a publisher’s contract ... how to prepare a writer’s proposal ... primarily focusing on how to “sell” what the attendees had written.At the end of the seminar, a panel of five “successful writers” ... including me ... was introduced, with a list of each writer’s works and their individual accomplishments given.The first few questions from the audience were nothing more than a rehash of some of the information provided during the day. Then, a young man stood-up in the back and said ...“All day long, you’ve been telling us how to sell our written works - but - how do youlearn how to write to begin with?”After the other panelists finished recommending english composition classes; espousing the merits of good grammar and syntax; and advising him to “just keep writing, you’ll get better,” it was my turn.My answer was ... as usual ... short and to t

would actually steer clear from 'not taking no for an answer' Perhaps if you should go to lunch with one of them, you'll find out that they care about more than you think.

Many people are passionate about PR or Marketing. To many, it "just feels better." It might surprise you to find out that occupations such as PR or Advertising are in the same Marketing Mix component (called Placement) in which salespeople reside.

The promotion element of the Marketing mix is comprised of advertising, selling, sales promotion, and public relations. In other words, it is a subset of the marketing mix. Promotion is the communication function of the marketing mix, and the components of the promotion mix are used to provide information to the target buyer (or candidate). To be successful in promoting to these groups,

Authority Obsessed People
I've been working at a supermarket at a part-time basis and my managers have annoyed/bugged every once in a while, I guess they did it so I wouldn't slacken off. During the last few weeks of my role in the supermarket (some coincidence this is) one of the managers that I wasn't familiar with started picking on me. Of course from my past experience I know people can make mistakes so I gave him a few chances, oh yea did I say his name is Lance? At first I thought he was picking on me because I came from a European background, later I found out he treated majority of the junior staff this way and I finally understood that he was doing it just because he could. It is people like these that can't be pitied.What I did?He had used up his last chance and it was the last day I was working at the store and I had a plan if he was to come up to me looking for a fight. Nothing happened up until I was going home where he asked me a question and I unknowingly lied (due to fatigue), it wasn't a big deal, it was only an empty box that I had forgotten to put away. As I passed by the box I

Chances are when you think of the word 'salesperson' you hardly end up with a warm and fuzzy feeling. Come on! Admit it! You really don't like salespeople do you? Aren't they ALL just ___________ (fill in the blank). Unfortunately for the business community, sales professional is often seen as an oxymoron. Why is this?

So, when you think of salesperson, what's the first thing that comes to YOUR mind?

Unfortunately many times what comes to mind is anything but comforting to your business or personal mindset.

Do you really understand what salespeople do? Why do you dislike them? Is it because it's easy to? Is it because you were burned by one? Or is it just fun to do?

Are all salespeople really in it just for the money? Are they really just pushy loners who will do anything for your money?

Isn't this a negative portrayal of salespeople -- in other words... aren't you just stereotyping? Aren't you really doing the same thing (judging someone by their title) as others do with skin color or clothes people wear?

Unfortunately when people don't understand what salespeople really do, they have a tendency to over-generalize and stereotype. Are you one of these people? Be honest.

Many would argue that there should be a push to phase 'direct salespeople' out of many different industries.

Sure, that makes sense! Go ahead! Especially if you don't want to have any open positions to place people into, you don't care if you get a paycheck, or you don't need any bills to be paid by your company.

What people are wrestle with is the reality of salesperson competency. They wonder if salespeople are relevant any more. They are also armed with the perception that there really are no professional salespeople. It's too bad that people think this way. But who's fault is it?

It's the sales professional's fault of course!

Let's face it....we've done a TERRIBLE job of explaining what we really do for a living.

Many salespeople would submit that there is a difference between a salesPERSON and a sales PROFESSIONAL. But what exactly is that difference and where do you find a commonly accepted definition of it? Here's a hint: It doesn't really exist

Sure, there could be "bad apples" in selling. But there are "bad [insert occupation here]" too....to generalize all people in one occupation as "bad apples" just by their title is a foul and it's stereotyping...plain and simple.

I would also say that of the 5,000 salespeople I have personally spoken to and the thousands of members our organization has DEFINITELY DON'T add to the image of a shady, oily salesperson who cares less about the buyer than the numbers.

If you have ever been burned by one of these types, I am sorry on their behalf. In fact, if you have been hurt by a salesperson in your past, perhaps you can share your story with me so I can then discuss it as a case study when I run training and guided discussions on sales ethics and sales process.

With over 3,000 people in our organization, I have yet to find someone who WASN'T humanely motivated to make a call, communicate the results or next step, or even a apologize when they are wrong about something. Any salesperson who has done well in the field would actually steer clear from 'not taking no for an answer' Perhaps if you should go to lunch with one of them, you'll find out that they care about more than you think.

How Some Sites Promote Their Scams by Appearing to do Just the Opposite
You're looking for a work at home job and you come across a webpage that tells you it is going to steer you away from the hundreds of scams straight toward the scant few legitimate sites out there. Sounds great, right?Wrong! It's the latest in work from home scams and simple to create: all you need is a website and a affiliate ID with ClickBank. I have looked at over a dozen of these sites. They were all designed with one basic principle in mind: steering you toward the three to five sites they wanted you to purchase through their ClickBank affiliate links.One note about ClickBank. ClickBank is not a bank as its name implies. According to them, they are a "digital marketplace" that sells "digitally delivered products." While many of the questionable products I have found are sold via ClickBank and Google Ads, and you might wonder about a company who is willing to profit off such schemes, you shouldn't necessarily blame them. After all, would you blame Amazon or BooksaMillion for selling you a bad book? It's a moral quandary, sure, but it is simpler to teach consumers to protect themselves,

money?

Unfortunately when people don't understand what salespeople really do, they have a tendency to over-generalize and stereotype. Are you one of these people? Be honest.

Many would argue that there should be a push to phase 'direct salespeople' out of many different industries.

It's the sales professional's fault of course!

Let's face it....we've done a TERRIBLE job of explaining what we really do for a living.

Using Rainchecks at an Electronic Store
What is a rain check?A rain check is a ticket you receive when an item is out of stock. They are placed at the courtesy counters and all you normally need to do is ask for one.How do I get a rain check?When an item is on sale it normally sells out quickly. When this happens, most people will leave the store in disappointment. But, the bargain shopper will immediately go to the courtesy counter and ask for a rain check.The person behind the counter will fill out a form which has the item # and the sales price. You can then use this form for up to 60 days after you receive it according to the FTC (Federal Trade commission)...This means, once the item is in stock, you can get it at sale price.Why do I want a rain check?As stated above, the main reason to get a rain check is to get an item for sales price even after it has run out of stock.The second and most beneficial reason to get a rain check is to combine the sales price with a store sale. Most people don't know that the rain check becomes the price of the item. So, if there is

nder if salespeople are relevant any more. They are also armed with the perception that there really are no professional salespeople. It's too bad that people think this way. But who's fault is it?

It's the sales professional's fault of course!

Let's face it....we've done a TERRIBLE job of explaining what we really do for a living.

Cross Cultural Blunders
At our company we often get many emails from visitors to our sites saying how much they enjoy examples of cross cultural blunders. We are constantly asked for more. Bowing to pressure we have therefore complied some more examples of how cultural ignorance can and does lead to negative (and much of the time humorous) consequences.The following cultural blunders are therefore presented to our visitors and we would again like to stress that such examples of ‘culture gone wrong’ are presented in order illustrate to people how crucial cultural awareness is in international business today.Managers at one American company were startled when they discovered that the brand name of the cooking oil they were marketing in a Latin American country translated into Spanish as "Jackass Oil."American Motors tried to market its new car, the Matador, based on the image of courage and strength. However, in Puerto Rico the name means "killer" and was not popular on the hazardous roads in the country.A sales manager in Hong Kong tried to control employee's promptness at work. He insisted they come

mple.

Do You Really Want To Be A Manager?
"What do I do now?"Craig looked plaintively across the desk at me. He'd come to me for help adapting to his new role as a manager. He was having a lot of trouble.Craig had thought he wanted to be a manager. He'd supported himself through college by running heavy machinery in the construction industry. He was a hard worker.When he was hired by the company that made some of the equipment he used to run, Craig was ecstatic. He liked the people in the construction industry and he thought his new employer was as fine a company as there was.Craig was hired as a sales trainee, but his goals were something else. He wanted to be an executive and climb the corporate ladder. He started out by turning himself into a great salesperson. He let his bosses know that he wanted to move up.His opportunity came after only a couple of years. The company tapped him for a sales manager's job. At first he was ecstatic.Now it was three months later. Craig didn't like the things he had to do in his new job. He missed the freedom of selling on the road, spending time on jobsites

would actually steer clear from 'not taking no for an answer' Perhaps if you should go to lunch with one of them, you'll find out that they care about more than you think.

It may surprise you to find out that you're actually closely related to a salesperson not only in job function but also in responsibility and competency.

Everyone knows:

• the best salespeople are able to put themselves in their customer’s shoes and provide a solution that makes the customer happy.

• The best salesperson is the one the customer trusts and never has to question. The best salesperson is the one who knows that with every cold call made, they are closer to helping someone.

• The best salesperson is the one who takes immense satisfaction from the satisfaction their customer gets.

• The best salesperson is the one who wakes up early every morning excited to come to the office and get on the phone and let people know exactly why they love their product, their job and their clients

It sounds so very simple and there has yet to be a successful company that has survived with zero sales. So if selling is the most important job in a company, why is it so hard to find someone to fit within an organization and stay there? Also, why do negative stereotypes exist?

It's because this simple job hasn't been defined too well.

In my book the 'Models of Salesperson Improvement', I highlight in depth the roles, competencies and outputs of salespeople. Below is a very brief summary.

See if you posses some of these. For more information, you can download the free universal selling framework for how all this is put together called the 'Compendium of Professional Selling' at our website.

There are Seven Roles of Highly Competent Salespeople

ROLE 1: 'The CLIENT-FOCUSED SOLUTION PROVIDER'

**Knowledge Needed for this Role:
---- Buyer Knowledge
----Individual knowledge
----Environmental Knowledge
----Client Market Knowledge

**Abilities Needed for this Role:
----Expectation Management Ability

**Skills Necessary for this Role:
----Skill in understanding where buyers are in the buying cycle

=======================================
ROLE 2: 'The PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATOR'

**Abilities Needed for this Role:
----Communication Management Ability
----Opportunity Management Ability

**Knowledge Needed for this Role:
----Business Knowledge

**Skills necessary:
----Intrapreneurial Skill, skill with Supervisors with Co-workers and with customers and people in general

=======================================
ROLE 3: 'The FOCUSED CATALYST'

**Abilities Needed for this Role:
----Personal Management Ability

**Skills necessary:
----Purposeful Skill
----Understanding of Needs
----Goals

**Knowledge Needed for this Role:
----Solution Knowledge

=======================================

Role 4: 'The CONCERTED FACILITATOR'

**Abilities Needed for this Role:
----Relationship Management Ability

**Knowledge Needed for this Role:
----Personal Knowledge

**Skills necessary:
----Emotional Intelligence Skill
----Social Skill

=======================================
Role 5: 'The EFFECTIVE MANAGER'

**Abil

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In 2005 we saw a paradigm shift in Starbucks Corporations retail strategy. A strategy from making customers at home in their “third place” to serving consumer rapidly at the drive thru.

Asking your company for more money is never an easy task. This article gives you the specific steps to prepare a solid case, so you can approach your salary negotiation with confidence and conviction. These five tips will allow you to present a compelling request that will be difficult to refuse.

Value in one's product or service should be and almost always is defined on customers' terms. It is a matter of perception. If your product or service is perceived by the customer as having value then that perception will result in a purchase. Customer value may also arise from having used the product consistently with satisfactory results.

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