Suggestions from the Pros - part one

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="133285a1erlcgo.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Highland Llamas</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Highland Llamas"><B>home</B></A><B>         </B><A HREF="id58.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sales Tips"><B>Sales Tips</B></A><B>          </B><B> </B><A HREF="id48.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Published Articles"><B>Published Articles</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id65.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Stall">The Stall</A>   |   <B>Suggestions from the Pros - part one</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="132d2c00dkelyh.png"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I><B>Suggestions from the Pros - part one</B></I></div> <div> <B>One of the best ways to bring a sale to a close is with the sentence, </B>"Where do we go from here?" This question, used when all needs have been identified and all solutions are explained, can help the prospect feel comfortable enough to make the deal. (<I>The Competitive Advantage</I>, P.O. Box 10091, Portland, OR 97210) </div> <bR> <div> <B>Ad power to your sales letters.</B> What's the most powerful section of your sales letter? Research shows that the postscript is one of the first (sometimes only) items a prospect looks at. Use the PS to restate your key point, emphasize a deadline, and/or pique the customer's curiosity enough to read the entire letter. (<I>Your Company</I>, American Express Publishing Corp., 1120 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036) </div> <bR> <div> <B>Perception is everything.</B> Although two competing candy shops had the same prices, neighborhood kids preferred one store to the other. When asked why, they said, "Because the person in the 'good' store always gives more candy. The girl in the other store takes candy away." True? Not really. In the "good" store, the owner would always make sure to put a small amount of candy on the scale, and then keep adding to it. In the "bad" store, the owner would pile a heaping amount on candy on the scale, and then take it off until it hit the right weight. The same amount of candy was sold, but perception is everything. (Adapted from <I>Personal Selling Power</I>) </div> <bR> <div> <B>When prospects need to 'talk it over'. </B>When your prospect needs to "talk it over" with someone, you response should be, "Can I interpret that as a definite sign of interest?" Or try a stronger question: "Will you recommend our (male/female) when you talk it over?" The answer will let you know if they are stalling and wasting you time. If interest is expressed, you may be able to also talk to the other party as well. (<I>Telephone Selling Report</I>, 13254 Stevens St., Omaha, NE 68137) </div> <bR> <div> <B>Save money.</B> The next time you plan a promotional brochure: Contact a local art school for students interested in doing graphic design. You'll get a more affordable product with a fresher look. (<I>Meeting News</I>) </div> <bR> <div> <B>Keep your ad headline to seven words or less.</B> Memory experiments conducted in Germany more than 100 years ago (and replicated many time since then) revealed that the human short-term memory can hold only about seven items at one time. Savvy salespeople use this information. For instance, when presenting a list of your llama's attributes to a prospect, limit the number of attributes to seven. Also, when designing an ad to attract the attention of the reader, try to get your message (headline) across in seven words or less. (adapted from <I>The Weekly Guerrilla</I>). </div> <bR> <div> <B>OPTIMISM -- It's all how you look at it. </B>The king had two sons--one an optimist, the other a pessimist. The king gave the pessimist everything he desired, and he gave the optimist a room full of llama manure. The pessimist was despondent because he no longer had anything to look forward to. The optimist was as happy as he could be. "With all this manure," he said, "there must be a llama." (<I>an adaptation of the original tale</I>)</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>