NLP – Neuro Linguistic Programming
Do you know what NLP or Neuro Linguistic Programming means? The issue is not what it means, it’s what it can do for you in your job as a sales professional and that means you should read this article very carefully. Some NLP techniques can help you to lead a conversation and have your customers listen to you.
Here in the first paragraph I already gave you an example of one technique, which is called “Redefine”. You could answer any question with:
“The issue isn’t (x), it’s (y) and that means…” Click here to read more.. »
You hesitate, you cringe, you buy!
Never ask your customers how much they’re looking to spend or how big their budget is.
Think about Christmas… Or your spouses birthday… You go shopping, looking for a gift. You go into a store, and after a few minutes of browsing a helpful salesperson approaches you. After a little small-talk and your generic description of your gift-idea, the sales person tries to determine which product to show you: “How much did you want to spend?”, he asks.
“Around $300”, you might answer. So the salesperson shows you a first item, a second item, but eventually you leave, because you just started shopping and you still want to check out a few other stores. The products you saw you could get anywhere. Click here to read more.. »
Cross-Selling
Upselling is one strategy to improve your bottom-line — and your customer’s experience. Has this ever happened to you: you bought a tool or a toy in a store only to realize after you came home that you didn’t have the right batteries? The “order-taker” at the store failed twice: first, he disgrunteled you, the customer, and second, he missed an opportunity to make money. Don’t make the same mistake.
Super Size Me!
Upselling is the best way to improve margins and profit immediately, and it is essential during promotions.
When was the last time your server at your favorite burger place did NOT ask you if you would like to “Super Size” your meal? As much as we recommend “selling down” (see our Retail Sales Resource Vol. 2), during promotional periods, we have to sell up.
Promotions are done to drive traffic to the store. If both the manufacturer and the store participate in the advertising, they can be very successful. Anyway, promotions and advertising bring customers to the doorstep — not further.
Promotions work
It is our job in sales to ensure that the store, window decorations, entrance and showroom are in such good shape that the customer is actually pulled into the store. Click here to read more.. »
Mirroring – What’s That?
Have you ever been in a meeting or conversation with a customer when you realized that both of you are in the same posture? Both of you had your arms crossed, or both of you have had the elbows on the armrests in the exact same position?
Mirroring is actually a way of bonding, we mirror each others body language to create rapport and get accepted. You can build rapport through mirroring the body language, the tonality and also the choice of words. Usually we are not even aware that we’re doing it.
Social studies about body-language show that people who are on the same wave-length and are likely to be experiencing a rapport, will begin to match each others body language and expressions. You can also say they are in sync. By the way, that is also why background music during a date (or in your store) can be effective: both get into the same rhythm
The last time when you went out with friends to a restaurant and ordered…some might have checked “What are you having?” – as they try to mirror their meals. Click here to read more.. »
Learn from Baseball
How can batting practice help us understand the perception in our sales pitch?
When you watch a baseball game and you see the players warm up and practice, have you ever noticed the weight ring around their bat?
When you ask the players… swinging the heavier bat makes the bat without the weight feel lighter.
You might have the same experience when your at the gym and pick up the 10 pound weight…it feels heavier after working out with the 5 pound weight and then go back to the 20 pound weight…20 pounds feels lighter! Click here to read more.. »