How I transformed my sales results

My sales journey

My sales results a couple of months ago were nothing special. 

I worked in a customer service role, and took the view that customers didn't phone up to be sold to - that they would view someone trying to sell them something as an intrusion. 

As a result, I only told customers about their upgrade options if they asked about them. 

That was a mistake.

I’ve now started to proactively raise the topic of upgrades at every opportunity. 

The vast majority of the customers I’ve spoken to have been happy to for me to do so. 

Many have been delighted with what I can do for them - whether I’m saving them money or letting them know about extra services that are available. 

That change of approach has taken me from being an order taker to being an opportunity creator, and I swiftly achieved one of the highest upsell percentages in the call centre.

And the rewards were more then financial. It feels great to surpass your previous performance, and upgrading customers can be addictive!

Some tips

Be positive.  If you think, ‘The customer is going to love this’, and there’s a good chance that they will. The opposite also applies.

Be thorough. There is almost always something extra that we can offer the customer.

Be open minded. A classic sales mistake is to prejudge your prospect. Until you speak with them you don’t know what they want or can afford. You only find out if you…

Be curious. This isn’t just about asking lots of relevant questions – though that’s crucially important.  

By picking up on subtle cues, such as the customer’s tone of voice or things they mention in passing, we can increase our chances of finding a solution that the customer loves.

Be focused. An athlete in the zone is only interested in the task at hand. Nothing else matters. Similarly, you’ll maximise your results by really listening to the customer and concentrating 100% on what we can do meet and exceed their needs.

Be enthusiastic. Good vibes are contagious. If you’re upbeat, then the customer will enjoy the conversation more and be more receptive to what you say.

Be concise. Avoid flannel. The customer’s time is precious, so it makes sense to cut to the chase when telling them about an offer, i.e. ‘This is what you’ll get, these are the benefits, and all of this costs just £x’.  

Similarly, when asking the customer if they want to go ahead with an upgrade, a simple, casual, ‘So, would you like me to put that through for you?’ is as effective a close as any in my opinion.

Over to you…

Telling customers about products they aren’t currently receiving is a great way to to empower them, creating win-win situations.

This isn’t just about sales – it’s about helping to deliver a first class customer experience.

I’d be interested in people’s thoughts and tips on selling.

Finding your copywriting voice

VOICEOVER 1:

Afraid of injections? 

 

E Cream is a tried and tested way to help numb needle pain, taking the sting out of immunisation, travel vaccination, and blood donation! It's great for kids of all ages*, and it's available without prescription, so speak to your pharmacist today!

 

E: Hate needles, love E.

 

*Picture of scared-looking man with a needle about to be injected into his arm.

VOICEOVER 2:

 

Believe there must be more to life than 9 to 5?

 

Want to take control of your destiny?

 

Imagine having a business that generates serious income, year after year, allowing you to spend your time doing things you enjoy.

 

An ethical business that’s really enjoyable to run, with low start-up costs and sky-high potential profits.

 

H, with one of the world’s largest and most successful health and nutrition companies, can turn that dream into a reality.

 

Take the first step to a better tomorrow, and call us today!

 

VOICEOVER 3:

 

Want to get fit? Then take action! 

 

Even if you don’t have much time for exercise, remember that any exercise is better than none at all. 

 

Do more today than you did yesterday! 

 

Set yourself realistic goals! 

 

Make exercise fun and sociable! Commit yourself 30 minutes of exercise per day, 5 days per week! 

 

There are several sports centres across F, with activities for everyone. So take the first step to better health today, and call your local sports centre!

 

[Numbers of sports centres on screen throughout]

 

VOICEOVER 4:

 

Now wheelchair users can choose a vehicle that fulfills aspirations, turns heads, and makes a statement! A vehicle that lets you break free and experience total independence! 

 

C, the only motorcycle designed specifically for wheelchair users, is the ultimate in style, performance and individuality! 

 

It’s Motablity approved, and complies with all UK safety standards. 

 

Life’s too short for compromise, so book a test drive today at D.com!

 

VOICEOVER 5:

 

Hello! I’m Mrs TV, your school television!

 

I want to be fun to watch, but I need your help!

 

What would you like me to show?

 

Scary stories?

 

Pictures painted by your class?

 

Things you’ve made?

 

Let your teacher know!

 

Try to be REALLY creative!

 

I am your channel! Use me!

 

VOICEOVER 6:

 

Female Voiceover (Lady in 60’s):

 

"You cannot imagine how thankful I am to A’s products. Only the people who have endured the misery I have for the past 8 years will know how truly grateful I really am."

 

Male Voiceover:

 

A’s amazing herbal supplement, B, blends 23 organically grown herbs and botanicals, combining

 

ancient knowledge with modern science to balance and strengthen your body’s immune system.

 

Call your local distributor today!

 

VOICEOVER 7:

 

Who was I going to hurt if I lied and said I could get free prescriptions? And who would ever

 

find out? 

 

Prescription fraud is no different to stealing from the NHS. It means they have less money, so you're hurting everybody. And I ended up in court and got a massive fine! 

 

So only claim free prescriptions if you're sure you don't have to pay.

 

Protect the NHS so it can protect us.

 

VOICEOVER 8:

 

If you touch or step onto an electrified rail line, you will stick to it like glue.

 

If you’re not killed, you will suffer terrible burns.

 

So avoid the shock of your life, and stay off railway lines!

 

VOICEOVER 9:

 

Many people who suffer domestic abuse have to move home continually for fear of repeated incidents. 

 

The Sanctuary Scheme helps them to remain in their homes and feel safer by providing home security measures, which can include new locks, panic alarms, a safety room and fire security equipment. 

 

It is not an immediate response, but a long-term solution. 

 

For a confidential discussion, please call G today.

 

VOICEOVER 10:

 

[Text on screen: Great tips for great success!]

 

Here are some fun tips for making the most of your time at our school:

Be positive and enthusiastic!

 

Get organised and plan ahead!

 

Don't make excuses!

 

[Text on screen: No excuses = No reasons to fail!]

 

Don't put things off! Just do it NOW!

 

Ask yourself 'How can I make my work even better?'

 

And set goals! They will give you the determination to turn your dreams into reality!

 

School is what you make of it! Enjoy it and be everything you can be!

 

Many browsers, few buyers? This may be why.

Here’s a story about a website.

It ranks highly on the search engines, and is visited by many people. However, few of its visitors actually end up making a purchase or even submitting an enquiry. Most just arrive and then quickly leave, without making a purchase or contacting the site owner.

The site owners are frustrated, and considering the possibility that websites just don’t work for their type of business. Before they give up on the website, they should read this article. It tells you about what makes website visitors tick, and shows how you can use that knowledge to transform your site.

Understand your audience

There are four main types of website visitors:

Humanistic – The humanistic buyer is a caring, people-oriented person. They want to do business with a company they can trust; one with ethical values such as a commitment to providing excellent customer service and value for money. They are also community-oriented, and will want to see what other customers think of your business.

Having a testimonials page is an excellent way of reassuring the humanistic buyer that yours is a company that treats its customers well. Writing about guarantees that your company provides is also a good way of appealing to them, as is stressing your company’s values (such as a responsible environmental policy).

Spontaneous – This person buys the sizzle, not the steak. If your company or your product excites them, there’s a good chance they’ll use you. How do you excite someone about your company? Here are a few ways:

•  Have a website that looks great.
• Include lots of testimonials from delighted customers.
• Focus on the benefits of dealing with your company, using confident and upbeat language.

As a starting point, ask yourself this:

If you were looking for a company that does what you do, what would excite you? And would your website excite you?

Methodical – Methodical buyers don’t like to rush into anything. They want to weigh up all of the facts before taking action.

The way you impress a methodical buyer is by providing facts about your business. They want to know specifically what you can do for them, and they want any claims you make to be backed up with facts. For example, rather than state you are experienced in what you do, you might want to state how many years of experience in the industry you possess.

Competitive – These people want to win. They want to know that someone else isn’t getting a better deal than them by going to one of your competitors.

You need to show them that you’re not just good at what you do – you need them to be confident that they won’t get a better deal elsewhere. To do that, you show them benefits of dealing with your company rather than with someone else – whether it’s your years of experience and great reputation, or your unbeatable prices.

But – and this is important – don’t do this by criticising a competitor, or you’ll put off the humanistic visitor (and you may also provoke your competitor to retaliate!).

Bringing it all together

It is worth going through your website, and asking yourself how well your site appeals to each of the above personas. And don’t forget that it isn’t just what you say that matters, it’s how you say it – both with words and pictures. It’s important that your website leaves your site’s visitors in little doubt that your company is a professional business that means business. Doing so will appeal both to analytical viewers and those who make emotion-based decisions.

The marketing mix – A recipe for business success

Running a business is like playing chess. 

You need a strategic vision: a plan that simplifies and clarifies the way forward, allowing you move forward confidently and decisively. 

That’s where what’s known as the marketing mix can help.

What is the marketing mix?

The marketing mix is an analytical tool used by marketers. It can be used to tell you about the resources you have at your disposal, and also about the market in which you operate.

Its ultimate aim is to ensure that the right products are sold: at the right price, in the right place and in the right way.

The Four Ps

In the 1960s, marketing professor E Jerome McCarthy proposed the revolutionary concept of The Four Ps. His model, a popular way of approaching the marketing mix, looks at:

Product - What product(s) and/or service(s) your business offers.

Price – How much you charge, and how much your suppliers charge you.

Promotion – How you let people know about what your business can do for them, which can range from having a website through to employing telesales staff.

Place – Where your product or service is delivered. If you are a tradesperson, this could be within a particular radius of your location. If you sell mail-order products on EBay, it could be anywhere in the country.

Using the Four Ps

The Four Ps raise questions which can help you to determine the best way forward for your business. To illustrate, let’s look at some of the questions that the four Ps raise:

Product –

Is there a high demand for your business’s products or services, relative to the level of competition? Is that demand likely to increase or decrease over time?

Could you use your business’s skills and resources to diversify?

Price -

Is your pricing competitive?

If you were to reduce or increase your prices, what would be the impact on profit?

Are you obtaining the best value for money from your suppliers?

Promotion -

Are you promoting your company as effectively (and as cost effectively) as you could?

Are you harnessing the full power of internet marketing?

Place –

Would it be worth expanding geographically?

Alternatively, might it make sense to focus more on a particular geographical area (if it reduces the time and cost of traveling, for example)?

Bringing it all together

The four Ps provide an excellent framework for making business decisions, highlighting threats and opportunities and helping you to make the right decisions for your business.

I hope you find this article useful, and I welcome your feedback.

Failure: A detour on the road to success...

‘One who fears failure limits his activities. Failure is only the opportunity to more
intelligently begin again’.
Henry Ford

The beginning of an exciting journey

Let’s say you’re thinking of starting a business. You’ve come up with a brilliant idea, and your research tells you that the new venture will be a great success. It will be a lot of hard work and you won’t make a million overnight, but those things don’t put you off. You’ve crunched the numbers, and you know that, if it doesn’t work out, you’ll still be able to pay the bills.

You’re onto something good here. You have a well-considered plan. If things work out, the sky is the limit. If they don’t, then hey, it was worth a shot. With everything to gain and little to lose, it's a no brainer...

The inner roadblock

Despite the above, you don’t start taking the steps needed to turn a vision into reality. The thought that you might fail keeps holding you back. After all, four in five small businesses end up failing. Such thoughts are understandable, but don’t let them kill your dream.

Better to try than fail by default

It is better to try and fail than do nothing (and fail by default). And if your business doesn’t work out, then it won’t be the end of the world. You can pick yourself up, learn from the experience, and try other things until you do succeed. It won’t be so much the end of the journey as a fork in the road, taking you in new and interesting directions...

The sweet taste of success

Nick Holzherr had a vision. He wanted to make it easier for people to purchase food recipe ingredients, making online food shopping quicker and more enjoyable.

Nick became a contestant in The Apprentice.  He made it to the final, but was knocked back by Lord Sugar, who asked Nick of his product, “Who could be bothered with it?”. Undeterred and undaunted, Nick has gone on to launch his Whisk app after raising £500,000 from investors.

Interview with Nick Holzherr

Nick spoke with BT Marketing Solutions, and the interview is reproduced with permission:

1.  How did you feel when Lord Sugar rejected your business idea and told you to take it to America?

Anyone who comes up with an idea that isn’t already proven in the market has to be ready for rejection. But trying something brand new can reap big rewards.

Although rejection hurts, I’d done my homework, run the idea past other people and was confident my idea was credible. I was (and still am) confident Whisk would work, so the rejection on the BBC Apprentice didn’t put me off the idea at all.

2.  Do you think we’re forgiving enough of failure or willing to take risks in Britain?

I don't think we're as forward thinking as we could be. We don't see failure as a positive experience that makes us stronger (like the Americans do, for example).

I would say three things about the risk of starting a company:

-    The risk is not as big as you think.
-    It's not risk for risk's sake but a risk/reward calculation. It can be financially rewarding too if you do well.
-    The worst case scenario really isn’t that bad. What have you lost if you don’t make it? And the experience is a great thing to put on your CV.

3.  After The Apprentice you went on to get financial backing elsewhere and have successfully launched your new business. How do you cope with setbacks?

I've never dwelled on rejection too much. You could even say I ignore it a little too easily! I've learned since my university days to listen to negative feedback and try and take on board what the other person is saying, even if they’re not 100% right.

There’s always a lesson you can learn. Maybe there’s a flaw in your business model. Or perhaps it’s just that you’re not explaining your idea well enough.

I think a certain amount of self-confidence (even bordering on arrogance) helps. 

4.  Do you feel that online or technology businesses have a lower risk factor?

A bricks and mortar business is fairly likely to succeed, but it’s unlikely to make you a millionaire. I think a tech business is more likely to fail. But if you make it big, you really make it big. Once a tech business works, it's also much easier to scale.

People forget that online businesses are easy to set up, but you need traffic if you’re going to sell anything. To get traffic you need to either spend money on online advertising or invest a lot of time into growing your traffic organically.

5.  Do you think your previous experiences with starting businesses like QRky and Co-Go Coffee to Go helped when you came to launch Whisk?

Absolutely. The more experience you can get running a business the better you get at it. It's not really something you can learn at business school (though going to one doesn’t hurt). A great way to learn is to get a job at a small start-up where you can see first-hand what goes on.

I've never had that, but I have worked for other people in over ten different jobs ranging from a stint in a call centre to an investment bank role. I also surround myself with experienced mentors who have made it before in online business and have been in the industry longer than I have.

Over to you...

Do you agree with Nick?

Do we have a healthy relationship with business failure in the UK?

How to come up with great ideas

A tale from an ideas factory...

There’s a story about a guy in a design agency. For a while, he appeared to do nothing all day but doodle and stare into empty space. Understandably, this frustrated his colleagues. They thought, ‘Why should that guy be able to get away with doing nothing all day?’

Eventually they approached the boss of the agency about the matter. The boss’s response surprised them. “Excellent,” he said, “Make sure he’s comfortable and keep him topped up with coffee. The last time he behaved like that, he came up with an idea that made us millions!”

The power of ideas

As the story above illustrates, ideas are powerful.

You can see or touch an idea, but it has the power to stir you emotionally, and throw a fresh light on old problems.

How do you come up with great ideas?

There is no right or wrong way to come up with ideas. However, you may find these tips helpful:

Brainstorm. Get a blank sheet of paper and, either individually or with colleagues, write down anything that comes to mind. At this stage, you aren’t criticising any of the ideas; you’re just letting your mind run free. It doesn’t matter how silly an idea seems; sometimes apparently silly ideas lead to brilliant solutions, so stick it on the sheet!

The next phase of the process is to analyse the ideas generated, rejecting some and investigating others further.

You may find the results of this process amazing. It unleashes the power of the unconscious mind to generate ideas, and you may find that it uncovers ways of approaching a problem you hadn’t even considered previously.

Don’t expect an instant light bulb moment. Sometimes you’ll think about a problem and the solution will come to you instantly, but sometimes solving a problem takes time. Also, sometimes you’ll need to plough through lots of ideas that don’t work before you find one that does. That’s just the nature of the creative process; don’t take it personally.

Next time you’re struggling to find an idea that works, consider this. When trying to invent the light bulb, Thomas Edison had literally thousands of failures before he found a solution that worked. When asked by a reporter about these failures, he said, “Son, I haven't failed! I've simply discovered another way not to invent the light bulb!"

Stand on the shoulders of giants. Find out what has worked for other businesses that are facing the challenges that you are facing. Your circumstances and theirs will be different, but there may be lessons you can learn from them.

Don’t over-complicate things. If you are a football fan, you probably can think of a player who is creative but who sometimes does an elaborate manoeuvre when a simple one would be better. Be careful to avoid being creative for the sake of being creative; creativity is a means to an end, not an end in itself.

Avoid becoming so emotionally attached to an idea. It won’t love you back, and there may be better ideas out there!

Ask ‘why?’. Let’s say sales are down. A good starting point might be to ask why they are down. Is it because there just isn’t the same demand for your product or service as there used to be? Or is it because a competitor is undercutting you on price? Alternatively, it may be that your marketing is not reaching the people you need to reach.

If you can work out why your sales are down, it will help you to address the problem, and the ‘why?’ approach can be applied to many problems.

Relax. If you try to relax and enjoy the creative process, you’ll find that ideas will flow more easily. Should you find it hard to relax, you might want to consider relaxation techniques such as hypnosis and meditation.

The little thing that makes a huge difference...

A great idea can transform your business.

It can solve old problems and create new opportunities, and be the little thing that could make a huge difference.

Be a great copywriter!

It’s not just what you say...

It’s the way you say it!

Quality copy is powerful and distinctive.

You know it when you see it, even if you don’t know exactly why you like it.

It draws people in, creating desire for your product or service.

It leaves your audience in little doubt about what you can do for them.

And it conveys a positive impression of your company, helping to build trust.

Some tips

Here are a few tips for writing high impact copy:

Be clear – What you write might make perfect sense to you, but it might not always be immediately obvious to the reader what you’re trying to say.

It’s a good idea to read what you’ve written to someone. Ideally, this should be someone who isn’t in your line of business, as it allows you to see what you’ve written through the eyes of someone who doesn’t have your background knowledge.

Be concise – The more text a reader is presented with, the less likely they are to read it (however well written it is). It’s therefore important to make every word count.

A good place to start is with words and phrases like ‘very’ and ‘of course’. They are fine in conversational English, but often add very little to a copy. Kill them before they kill you!

Be reader friendly – Imagine you’re looking for a plumber because your boiler isn’t working. You probably won’t want to read through reams of text. What you want know is what the plumber whose website you’re looking at can do for you; things like:

• What products or services do they provide?
• What geographical area do they cover?
• What sets them apart from their competitors?

Good ways of helping to make your website reader friendly include:

• Using bullet points
• Having lots of headers that describe the text underneath them
• Having small paragraph
• Making what you write relevant to the reader’s needs.

Be natural – Would you prefer to deal with a garage whose website told you that it remedied automobile mechanical issues or one which simply said it provided car repairs? Most people would go for the latter – the wording is clear and unpretentious.

Many people are great when it comes to face-to-face communication, but struggle with the written word. A good tip is to imagine you were talking about your business to a typical first time customer, and write what you’d say.

Be grammatically correct - The importance of this cannot be overstated. A simple spelling or grammatical error can ruin an otherwise great website, causing visitors to focus on the error and not on your message.

Be inviting – Include a call to action that invites the site visitor to get in touch with you for prices or further information. Doing so could encourage them to do so.

Be confident – There is a time and a place for modesty, but your website is not it! It is your opportunity to highlight your strengths and get people excited about what you do. Back up your claims with hard facts where possible and don’t be boastful, but don’t be shy about telling people how great your company is.

Be humble - However great your website script is, there will be room for improvement. Rewriting or removing a script you’re proud of can be painful, but it’s essential if you want to write copy that sizzles. Don’t see it as a sign that you’ve done anything wrong. See it for what it is: an essential part of the creative process.

Be patient - Writing copy is fun and rewarding. However, as with any art, getting good at it requires time and plenty of practice.So don't judge yourself on your initial effort - instead:

• Take on board feedback - it's an opportunity to learn.
• Treat mistakes as something to be expected, not to get angry about.
• Have fun!

I hope you have enjoyed this article. Any comments welcome.