Your relationships are the key to closing more sales!

Translated, building strong relationships will not only help you with business development and sales, but will help you in all areas of your personal life. The single biggest factor in strengthening your relationships is understanding the other’s viewpoint.

- never assume you know, instead ask why
- turn a misunderstanding into a clarification
- move anger into the realm of analysis to find what you may be missing

This 2009 reach out to more people than ever before, keep a positive mindset and find ways to help each other. You will prove the headlines wrong and be on to a continual Smooth Sale!

Wishing you a Happy and Prosperous 2009!

Have you ever been with a prospect and noticed the conversation taking a downturn?

Many sales and businesspeople overlook the importance of observation when speaking and listening to their clientele. Listening to the other’s words and watching facial expressions while they speak and when you speak will provide important clues on how well you are doing. This mindset of careful analysis will help your business development and relationships with your clientele, and ultimately close sales.

The moment you see or hear a sign of doubt, do not gloss over it. Instead, clarify their understanding and your meaning immediately. If instead you let this play out in your prospect’s mind, the misunderstanding will be blown out of proportion and the hope of closing business will soon vanish.

Acknowledging and taking responsibility for the misunderstanding will lead you to a sure-footed path for a Smooth Sale!

Do you “do” coffee with associates?

This morning I had coffee with a renewed acquaintance, Christine, who counsels people on how to find jobs suited for their personality. I initially viewed it as a let’s catch-up good time prior to the holiday. I was wrong.

Christine had a creative (we’re both left-handed) idea on how we can partner and include a couple of our associates in-common. We began to brainstorm the idea of a seminar to help people in these tough economic times. As we spoke the idea and format materialized; within 45 minutes we had the format, content and the where hammered out.

I pose to you that while office work is extremely important, so is building relationships, creating new business development, keeping an open mindset for new possibilities and meeting for coffee to discuss ideas as they flow. Furthermore, the coffee appointment directly leads to a Smooth Sale!

Do you make it easy for others to say Yes!?

I have noticed many business people have their ideas of how things are supposed to be done and will never deviate. They are almost like old-fashioned school teachers who cannot appreciate creativity or new thinking. This inflexbility makes it very difficult for others to work with them. Their mindset prevents the business development process from running smoothsly.

On the other hand, when you change your mindset and are flexible enough to accommodate special requests, you will more quickly build your business and your relationships. Your customer service policies will be favorably recognized. New business will come from competitors, word of mouth about how good you are, and repeat business.

I am on the verge of having a new book released. The publisher loves the manuscript. His only qualifier was the book will read better if the chapters were compiled in a different order but his team did not have time to do it.

Without flinching, I immediately offered to reorder the chapters myself. If I want a new book on the shelf it would have been foolish of me not to offer. My goal is to make working with me so easy, the publisher will always say Yes!

The publisher was delighted with my offer. So far so good and looking forward to a Smooth Sale!