althist.info

In today’s modern world we have become accustomed to spending less face-to-face time in all areas of life. People find themselves sending more emails, more texts, tweeting and using the myriad of social media platforms to relay messages.

With less face to face conversations occurring there are less chances to influence people. This concept is bigger than just conveying a message. Influence relates to the focus on content, your choice of words and key points, and also the way in which you deliver those points.

• Are you truly paying attention to what you are saying and how you are saying it?
• Are you noticing what is happening around you during a presentation?

Having influence over people is crucial in a sales role as clients now buy you rather than your product or service because competition is so fierce. You can have the best product or service in the world, along with the most in depth knowledge in your industry, but if you cannot communicate this it becomes irrelevant. If the client does not like you there are many options and it’s easy to find someone new.

It all boils down to two key factors:

• Delivery
• Content/Context

Without nailing these two key factors you will be left floundering in any sales situation.

Delivery:

• How do you make your prospect feel?
• Do you walk into their office as if you belong there?
• Once you earn a seat at their table do you deserve to stay there?

One of the biggest problems and challenges to a sales career is getting your point across in a succinct manner. Many people ramble and can take the long way to their products or point. Sentences run together through a succession of ”umm’s” and ”ahh’s.” This frustrates listeners by telling them a lot more than they actually need to know.

This can be easily fixed by putting natural pauses in your speech or pitch. This helps you think on your feet and move with the feel of your pitch. Your listeners will have time to stop and think, so they are able to truly comprehend what you are saying. They will have a better chance of coming to a decision about whether to take the action you are offering. A rambling presentation means a lack of connection between the speaker and the listener.

A different type of presentational problem can be where the presenter is just “going through the motions.” It can be obvious when a speaker has read their script many times before and they do not tailor their approach to each person or group they are talking to.

Delivery is very important – the way you stand, how clear your voice is and even the direction in which you look.

Many people who present to small groups end up scanning the audience, talking to their notes or straight to their power point presentation. Eye contact is crucial to developing a new level of trust with your prospect.

There are a few points to keep in mind:

Walk into the room with confidence and an open posture in order to grab the attention of your audience in a positive way. You have to have an executive presence that they can feel.

When talking to a group of two or more individuals always look at each person for a full sentence. Once you leave eye contact with one, pause for a second and only speak again once you have connected with a different set of eyes. If you look down at your notes you instantly lose the connection with the audience, inviting them to do anything but listen to what you have to say.

If a group of individuals are constantly checking their Blackberry or iPhone, then they are communicating that you are not that interesting.

Fidgeting can also be a problem when speaking. We all fidget, but you have to find the right balance so you don’t distract your audience into fidgeting themselves.

Content/Context:

Your key content will already be in place but a good sales professional knows that it is all about context. To be successful you have to focus on giving examples that your clients and prospects can relate to. Thoroughly plan your key points in order to have specific examples for each of them.

How many of us honestly plan before every meeting or presentation?

It can truly make all the difference in the sales industry. Whether you are communicating over the phone, in person or on a conference call, the ultimate goal is to have impact and influence.

With a basic framework in place that extra bit of research allows you to be completely flexible with your content. The ability to change your content on the spot in response to your client’s reaction is a powerful tool to utilize and can lead to a successful and long term relationship.

Try to be aware of who your client is, what they need from you and what their opinions are of your product. Any vital information that can be used on the spot to change your pitch for the better is helpful.

Effective sales communication can be worked at through a combination of clear and confident ability paired with a flexible content structure that can be tailored to any situation or client. Pay attention to not only your words but also your actions. Learn from friends, colleagues and clients about your presentation style.

Every single one of us has the right to speak, you need to earn the right to be heard.

Constantly I’m stunned at how many well-known e-commerce sites have very deficient product
pages. Many large companies, especially click and mortar retailers, seem
to forget that products cannot be touched, tasted, or tested over the internet.
While the internet will never perfectly simulate the in store experience, there
are dozens of tactics that can be implemented on the product page to increase
customer engagement and convert visitors into buyers. Below I’ll describe 25
tactics I’ve either used or seen used by other internet retailers.

Better Product Pictures:

It’s important to remember that unlike you, your customers may have never seen nor handled your products before. Therefore, take pictures of every possible angle a customer
would want to see. Also, make sure the quality is acceptable. If you’re still
using a 1 megapixel camera you got for Christmas 10 years ago, it’s about time
to upgrade.

Flash Zoom w/ Different Angles:

Many advanced e-commerce customers have implemented flash technology to allow zooming and changing angles. If you have the expertise and the resources, this is a killer
add on feature for any product page.

Info about Where the Product was Manufactured:

People care immensely about this. Whether they are concerned about ethical working
conditions, or just for quality reasons, be sure to tell them where your
products are made. If they are made somewhere besides the US, be sure to put a
link to your fair labor policy, so your customers don’t think you’re using
sweatshops.

List benefits not features:

Don’t rattle of an endless bullet list of technical specifications. Tell customers specifically
how this product will improve their life.

Show product measurements and weight:

Remember, they can’t actually touch and hold your product over the internet. Give them the
next best thing with the measurements and weight.

Make “Buy Now” Impossible to miss:

The “Add to Cart” or “Buy Now” button should reach out and grab your attention. Avoid the tiny, vague “Add to Bag” buttons that are used by many online stores.

Customer generated product reviews:

This will both increase the amount of trust your website receives and add valuable content
for the search engines. Worried about negative product reviews? Don’t, the
experts say it can be one of the greatest tools to show your customers you are
transparent and trustworthy.

Ask a Question Button:

Don’t leave your customers hanging with nagging questions about a products. Add a link that emails your customer service department so customers can ask a specific
question about the product. This also serves as a great feedback tool so you
know what information needs to be put on the product page to prevent
questions. For an example of this, checkout the product pages of C28′s

Witness wear.

Show Related Cross sell items:

Having a “customer who bought this also liked…” section is a great way to cross sell. Remember, a product page can be a dead end if the customer is not interested in what
they are viewing. Always give them somewhere else to go.

Show Related Up sell Products:

Add to your average order by suggesting an upgrade to what they are currently viewing.

Show add on items:

Selling shoes? Don’t let your customers checkout without socks! Customers will
appreciate the suggestion, and you will increase your average order.

Include possible search query terms in the title tags:

If you sell moisturizer cream, don’t just put the product name in the title tag. Create an
extra field in your product database that people will likely search for such
as “Cure for Dry skin.”

Currency converter:

Have you ever been to a site that showed currency in something other than US dollars? I have, and I usually leave because I am too lazy to convert it. Including a currency
converter link near the price will help encourage your international business. If you don’t want to clutter up your product page, you can even program the link to only show if the user has a non-US IP address.

Add a Wish list:

Wish list’s are a great way to create stickiness and possibly even reduce shopping
cart abandonment. People tend to use shopping carts as wish lists, so giving
them to real thing will allow you to more accurately track your true shopping
cart abandonment.

Email Me When It’s Re-stocked Button:

Many sites, especially apparel retailers, may sell out of a certain size or variety of a
product. Rather than throwing up a “Out of Stock” notice on the product page,
why not allow people to be emailed when the item is re-stocked? In my
experience, this is one of those features that really surprises and delights
customers who are otherwise already frustrated. Checkout an example of this on
the product pages of C28′s
Faith wear and t-shirts.

Email Me Before It Sells Out Button:

People tend to wait to the last minute. But what if you warned them before the item sells
out? There’s no greater way to create a sense of urgency then by sending an
email saying “Hurry, it’s about to sell out!”

Email Me When Products Like this are Added:

Customers are tired of generic, one size fits all email newsletters. Give them something
they really care about by creating a system where they can request to be
notified when product within certain categories are added to the site.

Social Book marking Links:

Although its not typical to see a Digg or Delicious button on an e-commerce site, it may work well for certain buzz worthy products.

Bread crumb navigation:

It’s easy to get lost in a myriad of product categories, so always keep visitors informed about where they are with Bread (aka Cookie) crumb navigation. Bread crumb navs
typically are located in the upper left hand of the page and look something
like this: Home > Top Category > Lower Category > Product Name

Customer Submitted Photos:

Allow your customers to upload pictures of them using your products. This works great for
apparel retailers, or anything where people take pride in using a product.

Customer Audio Testimonials:

This is becoming common as sales pages for eBooks or other informational products. A
testimonial that can be listened to will probably hold more weight than simple
text on a page.

Customer Video Testimonials:

Even better than just audio, allow for full video testimonials. If you have the videos hosted
by YouTube, you can also spur a viral marketing campaign.

Back Button to Product Category:

This allows customers to navigate more efficiently and return to where they just were.

Browser Bookmark Button:

Don’t let them forget your site. With a simple JavaScript command, you can trigger their
browser to bookmark your product.

RSS Product Feed:

With the integration of a feed reader into Microsoft’s IE 7, Rss feeds will likely
move out of the early adopter stage and become more mainstream. With the
abundance of SPAM in the inbox, receiving product updates through an RSS feed
is a great alternative for keeping your customers informed.

I trust that some of the ideas above have given you inspiration for your website. Remember that with everything you do on your site, keep your customers top of mind. With that
strategy, you’ll never fail.