Increasing Your Sales Is A Phone Call Away!
by Kamau Austin
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Published on this site: January 2004 - See
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I have noticed that many E business people lack the sales skills of traditional
business people. Perhaps this is because, the Internet has made it easier for
all people to make attempts at business on-line. A digital business is nevertheless
a business, and you will need traditional sales skills to be successful in running
an on-line business. In this column, I will cover basic sales skills, to inform
you on more effective sales techniques that will generate more sales revenue for
your business. Lets start by examining the sales process because, it is the life
blood of any viable business.
The Sales and Marketing Marriage...for
Better or Worst
Due to the pressure of the 24/7 barrage of telemarketers
and sales persons always pushing their goods at us, what may come to mind, when
we think of the sales process and profession, is: the high pressure art of persuasion.
However, sales when informed by its marriage partner marketing, is simply-- helping
people to buy! Sales and marketing are in a marriage because, these two are in
a for better or for worst inseparable relationship. For instance, if you
have done your marketing planning and research effectively (i.e. you know you
have a substantial market for your products or services) your sales will be for
the better. The opposite will be true, if your marketing is shaky, and of course
your sales will be for the worst.
Hot Tip
If you haven't
developed, or need help with, your Internet marketing plan, Planning Your Internet
Marketing Strategy, by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson AKA Dr. E Biz, is the best book on
the subject. You can read my review of the book by clicking here:
http://www.einfonews.com/ereviews/planningim.htm
We
will assume that you have done some marketing research and therefore, you need
a sales strategy. Usually the more expensive, difficult, and sophisticated your
products and services are, the more you will be need to use - in person sales.
For example, if you need to sell high priced items like jet planes, display advertising,
real estate, and automobiles you will need an in person sales strategy. These
sales people will need to be highly trained specialist or executive sales people.
Moreover, Selling $2000.00 vacuum cleaners door-to-door, also a difficult sales
job (although not executive sales), you will also need in person sales people.
To change gears, if you are selling lower cost high volume ticket items like
classified advertising, long distance phone service, or broadband service it isn't
feasible to hire in person sales persons because a telesales person will be more
efficient. On the other side of the spectrum, if you are selling lower cost e
books, web applications/ASPs, or shareware: selling on a web site will be more
than adequate and effective.
You will need the telephone to seal the
deal
Now that we have those preliminary things out of the way, it
is important to note that the telephone will become a pivotal tool in the sales
of most businesses. This is because, although the Internet is the medium of e
business, communicating with the human voice is still our more natural way to
communicate.
Therefore, many times interest may be created on-line but,
you will need the telephone to seal the deal. Even executive sales people have
to use the phone initially to book their initial appointment, to later discuss
their business proposals or make presentations in person.
Hot Tip
Keep
the development of phone sales skills in mind especially, given the new trend
of tele-courses and seminars, where you sell back-end products on
teleconference calls.
In light of these factors, in many
cases you will have to master phone sales for high priced and medium
priced ticket items. The initial sales pitch over the phone, will
in most cases, make or break your sales presentation. In our next
issue of Keep It Real... Profitable!, we will discuss the structure
of an initial sales pitch over the phone. We will examine what are
the ingredients to a great sales pitch, that will get your foot in
the door.

Kamau Austin, helps small and minority business make
more money, by creating, search friendly web sites. He is
the owner of www.Ebizbydesign.com
, www.Einfonews.com
, and the creator of the Free Search Engine Promotion Tele-course
at: www.SearchEngineplan.com
. He can be reached called free at 866-324-9669.


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