You Haven’t Earned the Right to Sell to Me!  
By Kathleen Gage

How often do people try to sell us something before we have expressed an interest, have a desire, or are in the market for what they have? It seems the standard for many salespeople is to try to sell to anyone and everyone regardless of the interest level.

When someone attempts to sell us something before we have expressed an interest, the initial thought may be, “Why would I buy from you? You haven’t earned the right to sell to me!”

The fact of the matter is that selling, both online and off, is about determining if there is a need before ever attempting to match a buyer with a product or service. It is about providing enough information for the buyer to make the best decision based on their needs. And it is about gaining trust. The most successful sales professionals are those who are a resource before they are a vendor.

Having been in both brick-and-mortar and online sales and marketing for many years, it never ceases to amaze me how many people try to sell without determining the customer’s needs. They don’t seem to realize that the better the match, the more likelihood for return business. The better the match, the more trust gained. If you depend on repeat business or referrals, trust is absolutely a factor in your customer’s decision to come back to you when they need your product or service.

Anyone who has been in business for an extended period of time (or plans to be) would be hard pressed to believe otherwise. Whatever you are selling, the buyer’s experience from the initial visit and/or purchase will likely determine whether or not they will ever purchase from you again.

When a customer has a great experience from the beginning the chances of them turning into a repeat buyer is more likely. It is a proven fact: it is more cost effective to have repeat buyers than it is to constantly seek out new customers. That is not to say you shouldn't be adding new clients as part of your business model. Building trust with existing clients will add to your conversion rate more consistently.

What is often missed in the equation of sales and marketing is the lifetime value of a customer. Once the initial sale is made they are forgotten. With proper care, a one-time or occasional buyer can turn into a loyal buyer. And loyalty is more often than not based on trust.

We live in a “try before you buy” society. Because of this many buyers use what is referred to as the buying ladder. The buying ladder is very applicable to brick-and-mortar sales as well as Internet sales.

Before buying a high ticket item, buyers will "test the waters.” This can be done in a number of ways: by test driving a car, taking a tour of a home, asking friends and associates for a recommendation. When purchasing on the Internet it can be downloading a free information item or buying an inexpensive product from a website to test out the level of service, quality of product, delivery time, quality of information (in the case of an information product), and response time. It may even depend on the buyer’s “gut feeling.”  What are your own buying habits? What process do you go through before making the decision to buy?

When you gain trust people want to do business with you. And they want to tell others about the experience. Have you heard the expression that if someone has a bad experience they will tell more people about that experience than they do a good one? I can’t say that I necessarily agree with this statement. There are occasions when I have heard people rave about a great experience over and over again.

Buying decisions are made for a number of reasons, but they ultimately depend upon whether or not the buyer trusts the process. And if they trust you. It is through the process of building trust that we have earned the right to sell.

Kathleen Gage is an award winning keynote speaker, author and business advisor specializing in marketing and promotions. She is the recipient of the Utah 2004 Giant Step Award for business creativity and success. Access Gage’s FREE eBook Street Smarts eMarketing Tips Guaranteed to Jump Start Your Internet Presence to Put You Miles Ahead of the Competition at www.streetsmartsmarketing.com/free-ebook.htm

Publishing Guidelines: You may publish my articles in your newsletter, on your website or in your print publication provided you include the resource box at the end. Notification would be appreciated but is not required.

So You Want to Be a Professional Speaker? By Kathleen Gage

Have you ever dreamed of getting paid to speak? Not sure where to start? Wondering if you can make a living as a speaker? Have people told you what a wonderful presence you have in front of an audience?

If you are like many people you have a secret desire to become a professional speaker, but you’re just not sure where to begin or what to do. As someone who has been speaking professionally for many years I often recommend to people who have the dream to start right where you are at. Begin by speaking for free, work into a small fee, then a bit more, then more and then more.

The type of response I get to this recommendation will determine if someone has what it takes to become a professional speaker. Note that I did not say public speaker. Many people confuse professional speaker with public speaker.

The main difference between a public speaker and a professional speaker is the professional gets paid. Granted, there will be times that professionals choose to not get paid for an engagement, yet they do derive some, or all of their income from speaking.

The profession of speaking can be one of the most rewarding and lucrative you will ever have. On the other hand, it can be one of the most frustrating. As with anything there are pros and cons with this career choice.

Being a professional goes beyond having a good, or even great, speech. You must also have business savvy. Simply put, you must know how to identify those people who want to hear what you have to say; differentiate yourself in the marketplace; market yourself; be able to sell your services; give great customer service; deliver an stellar product (you); and have great follow up.

An excellent way to find out more about the industry is to visit your local chapter of the National Speakers Association. There are chapters in cities throughout the United States, Canada and other parts of the world. A quick search on the Internet will give you a number and contact person of your nearest NSA Chapter. You can even call the corporate office which is located in Tempe, Arizona.

Before quitting your day job, take the time to develop your presentation skills. Read a book, take a class or attend a speaking seminar. Join an organization that assists you in developing presentation skills such as Toastmasters International. Consider hiring a presentation coach. Your time and money will be well spent.

To determine what topics to speak on look to your own experience, knowledge and passion. What do you have a great deal of expertise in that people would want to hear about and be willing to pay for?

The amount you get paid is based on skill and market demand. A more seasoned speaker will likely make more than a new speaker. A speaker with specific expertise that is not your run of the mill type tends to command more than a generalist. A speaker who is an author of a best selling book also can command more than a non-published speaker.

There are many factors that are a part of the equation of a successful professional speaker. Again, a great way to find out what the determining criteria are is to find others who are succeeding in the industry and learn what they have done, are doing and plan to do in their career.

Join Kathleen Gage, Lori Giovannoni and our special guest for the training intensive - Become a Six Figure a Year Speaker. March 17^th, 18^th,  & 19^th in Salt Lake City. Click here for information brochure

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Looking for an engaging, dynamic speaker for your next conference or convention? A speaker guaranteed to energize and pump new life into your group. When planning your next meeting, conference or convention, Kathleen Gage is just the speaker to call on.

To learn more about Kathleen’s speaking availability to speak at your conference, convention or in-house training session and fee schedule contact her at: 801.619.1514 or Kathleen@turningpointpresents.com  

If you live in the Utah area and would like to know about upcoming events please click here

FREE Workshop!! How to Become a Professional Speaker featuring Kathleen Gage   Proudly Sponsored by Toastmasters International – District 15. February 18, 2006 9:00 a.m. – noon University of Phoenix 5373 South Green Street, Murray, Utah. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Very Limited Seating Learn what it takes to go from dreaming of being a professional speaker to becoming an in-demand paid speaking professional.  Learn how and where to begin Know what materials you need to market yourself Understand why you must have a “never say never” attitude in order to succeed Learn how to make money in the industry even when others aren’t Gain inside secrets about why you can’t bill yourself as a motivational speaker Create a memorable presence even in your absence Understand the power and profit that come from the marketing mindset Learn marketing strategies designed to help you succeed as a speaker Limited seating. Reservations recommended.  Email precisionspeakers@yahoo.com call 801 - 485-8527 Become a Six Figure a Year Speaker Join Kathleen Gage, Lori Giovannoni and a mystery guest for a training intensive designed for anyone serious about making money in their speaking career. March 17th, 18th, & 19th in Salt Lake City.  Training limited to 30 people. Click here for information brochure

Become a Six Figure a Year Speaker A training intensive featuring Kathleen Gage, Lori Giovannoni and a mystery guest, designed for anyone serious about making money in their speaking career. March 17th, 18th, & 19th in Salt Lake City.  Training limited to 30 people. Click here for information brochure   Your information is SAFE! This newsletter is sent by subscription only! As a Valued Subscriber your name and email address will NEVER be sold, rented or given to any other person or business entity.

Great Ideas Come in Pairs

Split a pair and create a commotion! Anything left incomplete creates a disturbance in the mind. As humans we are driven to dot i’s, cross t’s, solve puzzles, and complete pairs.

Send your prospect an item that is obviously missing its mate. For example, a culinary store could send a nice saltshaker with a note letting the recipient know she can come in to pick up the free pepper grinder.

An industrial supplier who plans to exhibit at a trade show can send the left hand of a pair of industrial gloves and invite the prospect to stop by their booth to pick up the right glove.

Whatever your business, you can send a left glove with a letter inviting a prospect to stop by your business to complete the pair. Attach a note to the right glove that says, “We want to be your right-hand resource” or “Let us give you a hand.”

If getting your prospect to your place of business is better than going to theirs, anything you can do to increase traffic to your establishment is a plus.

Tired of cold calling? Ready to get your foot in the door of your prospects once and for all? If you answered yes, get your own copy of 101 Ways to Get Your Foot In the Door Click here

Commit to the long-term   

Marketing campaigns work best if you fit them into the long-term vision of your organization. Far too often, a marketing strategy will be attempted once and then dropped. In order for optimum success every strategy should have a purpose and a clear understanding of how the strategy fits in the overall vision.

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