Nothing Happens Until Something is Sold

Grow Sales By Focusing On The Sales Process - Part 2

At Sales Growth Pros we recognize that that the Sales Process is a series of events and actions that are all critical to helping you grow your business and increase sales. That's why it is critical to Manage the Sales Process Like a Product (Part 1 in the series).

Many people get confused as to what is important...sales, marketing, influence, persuasion, etc. In Part 2 of our series Grow Sales By Focusing On The Sales Process we explore...

The Essence of Sales - nothing happens until something is sold

What is the essence of selling? It depends on who you ask. Some will tell you it's to convince a customer to buy your stuff as quickly as possible, others will tell you it's about determining a customer's needs and matching them up with your solutions. There are many answers.

Let's examine the essence of selling with an equation.

The essence of selling is to move someone or a group of people from their current state X to a desired state Y.

Isn't that what you are trying to do with your customers?

Take them from their current state X (not buying from you) to a desired state Y (buying from you)

This X - Y shift is the foundation of all behavior change and sales is an example of a behavior change. Customers have numerous choices and you want to increase the chance they choose you.

There are only two reasons why anyone would make a shift from X to Y.

First, if their current state is not working they will seek out a new Y. For example, they are hungry and they want to eat will cause them to search out a solution or if their car breaks down they will be in the market for a new car.

Second reason people change is that your offering or Y appears "cool" to them. For example, they were staying home for dinner when they see an ad for your restaurant and it looks like a "fun time" or the food looks intriguing so they make a change in behavior or they see an ad for a new Apple iPhone and even though their current phone is working they see the iPhone as "cooler" and go purchase it.

So how do you make this happen? Isn't that what you want to know...how do I get people to buy my stuff or make an X - Y shift?

There are two main ways to create an X - Yshift:


Make the customers see their current situation as bad so they want to change or buy from you and/or make your solution very cool to them and they will want to change.

Let's examine the dynamics of making their current situation seem bad or worse then they think it is. You have a few options - you can tell that what they currently have or are doing is bad. The trouble with this, even if it is 100% true, is you are telling them the decision they made that got them in their current situation was a bad decision.

No one wants to be told their baby is ugly...and oh by the way you dress him bad also. The customer's initial reaction to being told that a previous decisions they had made was bad is to dig their heels in and resist even more. You cannot win at that point.

The key is to tell stories about other people's difficult situations or "ugly babies" and let the customer make the decision that they are in the same situation. The ability to tell a story that grabs the customers attention because they recognize they have had or are having the same issue or problem is a powerful way to get them to admit their current situation is not working. Once someone admits their current situation is bad they are open to you helping them make it better.

How do you make your offering cool to the customer?

The majority of sales or marketing messages about products or services concentrate on what the "it" is and often speak in marketing language instead of the language of the customer.

Customers don't care about all the features of your products or even the name of it...they care if it can solve the problem they are having. The more you speak in the language that the customer speaks in the greater chance your message will be heard.

Being able to increase a customer's dissatisfaction with their current situation AND having them view your solution as "cool" will explode your sales. Even if you only get good at doing one of these you can see an increase in sales.

Understanding that Sales is a simple equation of moving someone from X to Y is the foundation for being able to manage the sales process like a product and GROW YOUR SALES.

In Part 3 of the series I will focus on the advanced communication skills necessary for success in today's competitive times.

Sales Growth Pros has tools, techniques and training to improve these critical areas for your business. Our focus is on improving each step in the Sales Process with you so that you get more customers that ring your cash register.

How to Get a Free iPhone This Summer

Everybody wants the newest and best gadgets, and this includes the very snazzy Apple iPhone 3G. Unfortunately, the price of the iPhone, at £300 on PAYG, puts the iPhone out of most people's reach.

But what if you could learn of a fantastic new way to get an iPhone free of charge? No contract is required for this free iPhone and anyone can take advantage. It's just a matter of signing up and having a go.

This brand new internet based phenomenon is taking the UK by storm after spreading across America at breakneck speed.

The system, based on web 2.0 social networking, was originally geared towards getting a free iPhone, but users can actually claim anything they want for free as long as it can be ordered online. This free iPhone system, featured and endorsed on BBC Newsnight, works by users utilising their online network of friends to refer each other to certain companies as potential customers. This exposure is extremely valuable to advertisers who pay commission to the free iPhone website, which is used to send you the iPhone, or whatever you choose.

All users need to do to get their free iPhone is sign up to one of the many freebie internet sites that are springing up on the net. Take care to select a legitimate site as there are many fraudulent sites that will claim to give you a free iPhone but will actually keep the money for themselves. A good idea is to check the site displays a proof page to show you that gifts really are given out.

Once signed up, you need to complete an offer from a sponsor, there are many to choose from and they range from free trials to spending £10 on a bet or a bingo site. To ensure your iPhone truly is a free iPhone, I always recommend you choose a free offer. Once you have done this, the sponsor pays a commission to the freebie site.

You then need to introduce others to the sponsors and they pay commission (up to £40) for each person you introduce. This money adds up until you reach enough money for the freebie site to buy you your free iPhone, or whatever it is you have chosen. You can even just take the money if you want.

The system began in America a few years ago and has been incredibly successful. After a slow start up in the UK the system is now spreading remarkably quickly and many people are using this as a great way to make some money or get hold of the latest gadgets in these difficult times.

How I Use Digg to Increase My Traffic By Over 5000%

Digg is a social news site where users discover, highlight and promote content that they find interesting or newsworthy. The visitor figures speak for how much people love Digg. Traffic-tracker Compete.com reported that Digg amassed almost 20 million visitors in March 2008.

However, with the massive amount of content online nowadays, it is a tough competition to get 'dugg' and a race to make it to the front page! Each story is given a 24 hours frame to collect as many votes to propel it to homepage headline where the top 15 stories get their two hours or so of fame before it gets pushed down the chart by other emerging headlines.

Front liners can gain an increase of over 10,000 to 15,000 unique visitors, while truly sensational stories have generated up to a whopping 200,000.

Other features that make Digg so popular is the ability for users to dis content that they don't like by 'burying it' because it is a bad link, off-topic, duplicated, spam, or even because "it is lame", an option offered by Digg.

Typically, content like breaking news, how-to guides, news on high profile people, lists and off beat stories get the most votes.

While digging your own content won't count for much given how big the community is, you can use Digg another way to help with your marketing. With knowledge about Digg, you can utilise these concepts to create and position your content such that it will be popular with 'Diggers', search engines and your visitors.

Start off by signing up for a free account on Digg.com, but don't immediately submit your content. Familiarise yourself with the website and check out the stories that make it to the front page to get an idea of what users like.

Here are some quick suggestions and tips to get you the visibility you want.

- Flame Del.icio.us, Microsoft , Vista or any thing logically except Digg in a single post
- Write something related to Apple, Pleo, Wii or other popular tech gadgets. Extra points if they are unheard rumours which you can create fake evidence for
- Embed a Youtube Video that shows a retard or something contagiously funny
- Hacks and How to - Create "How-to" that can fit a mention to Roomba or Pleo, or even better, hacking a Wii remote to control your Pleo through your Iphone.
- Share your excitement with exclamation marks at the end or "Funny Video!!!!" Extra points if you can squeeze in some bracketed number for some line noise.
- Perform some unusual transformation to any piece of food, or some hot consumer product. E.g. Toasts with Harry Potter effigy or try microwaving a Wii

To maximise the benefits of Digg takes more effort and time. This will require you to use the social networking aspect of Digg and understanding the Digg community well so that your friends can help you generate Diggs and create hype about your content.

However, if played well, Digg can help you increase traffic to your site and give you the exposure you never thought possible. Now dig that?

Where Can I Purchase an iPhone Online?

There are quite a few places these days where you can purchase an iPhone 3G online. Unfortunately, not all these sites are created equal. There are many important differences between them, including key issues such as different iPhone prices, the availability to complete the purchase of your Apple iPhone 3G online, the possibility to choose from a wide variety of models and more. Let's get into these issues one by one.

If you're still wondering where can I purchase an iPhone online, you need to know there are four "official" places you can turn to in your search for your new iPhone 3g, and a few "unofficial" places too. The four official sites are: the Apple store, AT&T, Walmart and BestBuy. The most important unofficial ones include sites like eBay and a number of classified sites. As mentioned above, these places differ quite a bit on many subjects, but their iPhone offers and selling conditions are sometimes surprisingly similar.

Let's analyze the first two places you're likely to be drawn to when shopping for an Apple iPhone 3G: Apple and AT&T. Well, it should not come as a surprise to anyone that the conditions offered by both of them are almost the same. They both offer exclusively a black 8GB model, and white or black 16GB models. Prices for these iPhone 3G models are $199 and $299, respectively. They both let you complete the transaction online. However, AT&T only lets you purchase one iPhone per household. Also, both Apple and AT&T ( obviously ) ask you to sign a contract with AT&T as your sole cellular phone service provider for 2 whole years ( the price of this plan is $30/month, by the way ). As you can imagine, this is indeed one of the most common iPhone complaints right now.

As regards Walmart and Best Buy, neither one of them offers iPhone customers the chance to complete the purchase online. You need to go down to a local retail store in order to get your new iPhone 3g. The models and prices offered by these two stores are the same as AT&T's and Apple's ( oh no, sorry, Walmart offers a $2 discount on both models; yes, you read right : 2 whole dollars ! ). You can find some refurbished iPhones a little cheaper though, but nothing really significant in my opinion. Of course, you will still need to sign the same 2-year exclusive contract with AT&T.

As you can see, there is nothing really new here for those wondering where can I purchase an iPhone online at the best price?

Now, people who understand this fact are sometimes tempted to search a number of online classifieds ( namely, Craigslist ) for the cheapest iPhone deal. Very often, unfortunately, this turns out to be a mistake. These sites still constitute pretty unsafe buying environments. You can find some good iPhone deals, but you can also come across many scams. The possibility to check both the product and the seller's reputation is pretty much nonexistent. Also, if something does go wrong, there is pretty much no one to turn to for assistance. If you still want to purchase an iPhone here, do so at your own risk. Wish you the best of luck.

Finally, there IS one place online you can go to if you want to buy an iPhone online safely, find all the models you've ever dreamed of and get a great deal, too: eBay.com. Of course, there are still quite a few important details you definitely SHOULD know if you want to successfully purchase an iPhone at this site at the best price and with 0 risk. However, I'm afraid getting into that here would be going a little far for this short article.

Well, that's it. As someone who also used to ask where can I purchase an iPhone online ?, I believe now you have a pretty good insight on the situation. The best of luck to you and I hope you too soon become the owner of a new iPhone 3G.

Apple iTouch 16GB - What's Good and What's Bad?

The Apple iPod touch 16 GB (2nd Generation) is just about the best Mp3 music player around, and nobody is going to argue with that statement!

Never the less, we can continue the trend of gathering data from the people who have actually purchased and used the item for themselves, if I look hard enough I am bound to find some complaints about the Apple Ipod touch 16GB that has literally taken the world by storm, and now they have released the 2nd generation, lets take a look shall we.

Although the Apple Ipod touch has been out for some time now, the 2nd generation has sprung onto the market, bringing with it some marked improvements if that is possible, from the 1st generation.

From here on in, any statements of fact that are made , you need to assume that I am referring to the 2nd generation, this will refrain from me mentioning the words 2nd gen each and every time, thank you for listening ha! ha!

First of all Apple have thought that the manual volume trigger was the way to go, in a similar way to what you get on the iPhone, and that improvement seems to have gone down very well indeed.

The unit itself has a more rounded feel to it, giving the impression of it being much thinner, but I think this is probably only an illusion.

I know there were a lot of requests for Apple to include a built in external speaker, they have followed your advice, but unfortunately the sound is quite poor, but lets be honest, this is not a ghetto blaster - plug in your earphones to experience what was intended from Apple.

The genius option was received very positively, this enables you to have the iTouch suggest a play list from your library, that is a similar genre to the song, you are listening too when selected, so it perfectly compliments your mood, how good is that...

The safari web browser goes down an absolute treat, but to be honest the range of wi-fi, could be better if I am honest.

You will need to be careful if you happen to live in a area, where the outside temp can shift from say 30deg to 70deg as this will create moisture condensation in your unit and if this happens then the warranty is in-valid.

Choosing the Right Business Mobile For Your Company

Mobile handsets are part and parcel of doing business in this day and age, your employees need to be able to get voice messages on the road. Getting the right mobile handset for your company's needs is something that runs through a gamut of choices.

First, do you need a company data plan? The short answer is that they're getting less and less expensive, and once employees have the ability to check email from their handsets, they seldom ever want to give up that capability. Packages for data plans will include fees for integration with your email server software.

Second, does the company have an existing contract for voice phones with an existing mobile phone network provider? If so, do they offer handsets that integrate with your needs for voice-and-data telephones? If not, it's time to do some comparison shopping. Look for as close as you can get to unlimited data plans, and look for network stability and coverage within your general service area. A mobile that your employees can't make any calls on isn't a bargain, no matter how much you save on it per year.

Third, look at support services - does your vendor support all the phones that you have, or are some models reaching their end of expected service life? How much will it cost to replace phones? What about their policies for missing and damaged phones? Mobile phones are one of the most commonly misplaced items on public transportation, and ones that have data access can be especially tricky to track down and replace.

Related to this, if you're rolling out a new set of mobiles, your staff will need some training on their capabilities, and your vendor will need to be able to handle support calls as well as support contracts. Make sure you've got a good account manager on the vendor side to help with transitions and new hardware roll out.

As for specific phones and models thereof, it depends largely on personal preference. The industry leader is the Canadian Blackberry, from Research In Motion. The first phone with data capabilities including push email facilities (allowing real time notifications of new email), it quickly became the industry standard; there are now several models to choose from, though most offer the same basic capabilities. The Blackberry user base is quite vocal about the keyboards on the devices.

On the other end of the spectrum is the Apple iPhone; it's a pricey design, and offers a lot of capabilities that a business phone doesn't specifically require (such as watching television programs on the device) and it's still waiting on a full features email push system. On the other hand, it's the most customizable telephone out there, and the ability to run applications that your agents need is quite handy.

Whatever your mobile business phone needs are, you should poll your users to find out what capabilities they currently use, and what capabilities they wish they had. The lure of a smart phone with voice and data integration is that it can allow your employees to make use of downtime to be more productive, keep that in mind while you weigh your options.

T-Mobile G1 More Than a Mobile Phone

Google finally has launched a smart phone based on Android. As has been announced previously, the first Google Android phone HTC Dream which is also called the T-Mobile G1 has strong integration with various Google services including one-click access to Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar and Gtalk. Although the design in terms of the G1 phone is not beautiful has ever made, G1 resemble various features such as WebKit-based browser, QWERTY keyboard, 3D graphics, wi-fi, 3G, GPS, accelerometer and digital compass.

Android will also come with the Android Market, a distribution center application that is similar to the App Store for iPhone or repository for the various Linux distro. Android Market will accept submission without any application exceptions, such as Apple does not already refused several times to display different programs to compete with the iPhone as an own made application.

T-Mobile G1 will be delivered to customers starting in a few days. However, some sites have technology of the world to get this product since a week ago, giving them more time to try the phone before you can write a full review before the phone to the hands of users. Here are some preview complete G1 taken from my favorite sites.

In general, they seem to agree that the G1 provides a different experience from the iPhone and have the power to pull the different types of users. Integration of hardware and software still feels a bit "beta," but if further developed the potential to become one of the most difficult competitor's iPhone. Integration with various Google services though is a value-added, not comprehensive enough and is currently only supports Gmail, Calendar, Maps, Search, and YouTube.

G1 will be sold in the U.S. with the $ 180 price of the contract following the use of T-Mobile throughout the two years. Most of the reaction to Android so far positive, CrunchGear reviews the G1 even though the latest mobile phone that is a product of the "almost perfect," almost rival iPhone in terms of ease of use.

G1 main specifications:

* Processor: Qualcomm MSM7201A, 528 MHz

* Size: 117.7 mm x 55.7 mm x 17.1 mm (4.60 in x 2.16 in x 0.62 in)

* Weight: 158 grams (5.57 ounces)

* Display: 3.2-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen with 320 x 480 (HVGA) resolution

* Camera: 3.2 megapixel color camera with fixed focus

* Battery: Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, 1150 mAh

* Talk Time: 406 minutes/li>

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