The Humility Advantage - How Less Ego Creates More Sales

See if this applies to you or your team members in your organization: You've been working in your industry for several years. Your responses to requests from customers, prospects and co-workers are fast and accurate. You know your stuff and your product knowledge is one of your greatest strengths. If this is the case, then the bad news is that your extensive knowledge may also be one of your greatest weaknesses. The reason - you may be inadvertently coming across as being arrogant and insensitive. I'm not suggesting that you have a holier-than-thou attitude or that you are unfriendly. It's just that you are so quick with your answers and recommendations that others feel like you haven't really been listening to their needs (even though you have). In other words, the greater your expertise, the more likely it is that you are unintentionally rubbing people the wrong way. The good news is that there's an easy way to prevent this misconception that I call The Humility Advantage©. Working with over a hundred sales and service teams over the years, I've found there are at least seven key opportunities where a little employee humility pays-off substantially. Here are three that I often share in my Influence with Ease® speeches and seminars.
1. Mention your Homework Several years ago, a couple of branding consultants approached me about enlisting their services. My first thought was that these folks knew nothing about my company or my industry, so why on earth should I pay their sizable fees. I only agreed to meet with them because a colleague said they'd done good work for his firm. When I sat down with the consultants, they did not start asking me lots of questions about me and my industry. (That would have confirmed to me that they really didn't know my business world and would have ended their chances of selling me their services). Instead, they began the meeting explaining that, by way of preparation, they'd been chatting with some of my colleagues and customers to find out their impressions of my company's services. Then, they asked if I would like to hear the word-on-the-street. As you can imagine, that got my attention. And the ensuing conversation led me to engage their services. When you talk with potential customers, do you begin the conversation by mentioning the homework you've done on their company? If not, you're missing an opportunity to let them know that you are truly interested in them. Rather than starting a sales conversation by asking about their needs, try commenting on something you saw on their website or read about them in an industry journal. It's a powerful way to confirm to others that you're knowledgeable without coming across as one who brags. It's one of the first steps in applying the humility advantage. 2. Confirm your Understanding If you've participated as an audience member in one of my live presentations, you might have seen me step off the stage pretending to be a waiter taking food orders from several audience members as if they're at a restaurant. During this skit, rather than order directly from a menu, each patron has a special request such as, “I'll have the salad with the meal.” or “I'd like to have fruit instead of fries,” etc. As the waiter, I don't write any of this down, and as you've likely guessed, when I walk away, the patrons assume that there is no way I'm going to get all the orders straight. There's the problem. I may have listened accurately to each request, but the emotions I left with my customers are worry and lack of confidence in my service. As an experienced professional in your industry, you may be a great listener, but are you perceived as such? Being regarded as a poor listener is a surefire way to kill a sale or curtail your career. Fortunately, by using a little humility, this is easy to correct. In the waiter demonstration, I redo the same order-taking scenario, except the second time after taking the orders, I say, “Let me make sure I've got this straight. You would like yours with fruit instead of fries...” (I then confirm everyone's special request accurately). Suddenly, the restaurant patrons feel good about the quality of my service. Here's the key; I repeated my understanding of their needs with the phrase, “Let me make sure I've got this straight.” Fact is, I knew I had it straight, but the customer didn't. The catch is, if my ego were running my life I'd never say, “Let me make sure I've got this straight.” Hence the Humility Advantage. Here's one more application: 3. Ask Permission to Present You've probably heard the expression that people don't like to be sold-to, but they love to buy. That means that before you present the benefits of your products or services, remember to ask for permission. When you thread all these techniques together, a sales conversation might start by pointing out the homework you've done on the other person. Then ask about their needs, confirming your understanding with, “Let me make sure I've got this straight…” Later, ask permission to present with, “Based on what you've told me, I do have some thoughts. Would you like to hear a couple of options that I think would fit for you?” Once the other person agrees, they'll feel less like they are being forced, and more like they are being helped.

About The Author
This article is based on the critically acclaimed book, Becoming a Service Icon in 90 Minutes a Month, by business strategist and international speaker Jeff Mowatt. To obtain your own copy of his book or to inquire about engaging Jeff for your team, visit http://www.jeffmowatt.com or call 1-800-JMowatt (566-9288).

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Getting the Most Return from Your Sales Time Investment (ROI)

Let's face it: you are probably working for far less than you need to. And the sad thing is, you may not even be aware of it or the options you have! As of now, we're going to change that for you, and possibly share with you not only a thought but a vehicle that can change your financial life. We are going to show you how to get much more out of your sales time investment. This probably applies more to the part time, home based business person than the professional...but we have seen, met, and talked with professionals who really are under- valuing their return on time investment. I know.. we are using that "time investment" word alot all ready. But you MUST consider it just as you do a cash or money investment. In fact, it's even more important because once spent or invested, you can't ever get that particular moment or minute back. It's gone. You can always invest more money, but you only have so much irreplaceable time. Your sales time investment is one of the most precious ones you can ever make. As we look at business models, we find on one end, the model that proposes high volume but low profit per sale. Walmart has certainly shown this works, and many, many, many supermarkets work this same way. It will work if you have the ability to create large volumes of sales. The question is: Do you. If you are a individual sales rep or a small business, just how much of an opportunity do you have to create really large volumes. The appeal to the small business person is to do this by creating some type of a multi-level (also and probably incorrectly referred to as a pyramid) sales organization. In the ideal world, IF you can do this, you can create volume. But this could take years to accomplish, and still never guarantee any income or security because (1)The company behind it could go out of business, be taken over.. or any number of things, (2) The pay plan could change, or (3) The group suddenly dissolve, particularly if or when a heavy hitter or group leader decides to switch to another business and takes his distributors or sales force with him. Did you make a good sales time investment if you chose this model?
Of course you still have the ability to sell the product or service yourself, but (1) Can you do volume, and (2) Is the profit per personal sale worth your time? The second business model, at the other end of the spectrum, is one that provides a relatively high profit or earning per sale. Sometimes we think of real estate people and car sales people in this category, as well as sales people of specialized capital equipment. But that's not the majority of us. The downside here is that if we are thinking about selling a high ticket/high profit item, we have to ask (1) Is there a large market and prospect base? and if we are thinking in terms of an ability for a part time person--possibly a "stay at home mom", can this high ticket, high profit product or service be first mastered in terms of the technology, and second, is the customer prospect base readily accessible? In most cases, the answer to those two questions is "no, not available". But if it is or was, then here's a fact that can be virtually carved in stone: IT TAKES NO MORE TIME OR SKILLS TO SELL THE HIGH PROFIT PACKAGE THAN IT DOES TO SELL THE MASS PRODUCT WITH ONLY PENNIES OR DIMES IN PROFIT! Think about that! This is ALL relative to your sales time investment, and once more: It's the MOST IMPORTANT investment y ou have to make. Ask yourself: "Am I working for pennies or dimes when instead with the right vehicle I could be working for dollars?" If the answer is yes, and this is so true of particularly home based business entrepreneurs who are involved in sale of nutritional supplements, skin care, fad gadgets, etc., then ask yourself, "Am I doing this because I want to earn a nice income, and do it as quickly as possible... or am I kidding myself about that goal and I just want to get products wholesale or discounted and have some fun?" Nothing wrong with that, by the way, if you have an hones assessment of what you are doing and why. But..... If your goal is in the area of $4000-$5000 a month or more, and you also don't want to spend all your waking hours "working your business", then it's time to change. As your article writer, I can tell you this is an article written from the school of hard knocks and one that really had us so emotionally involved with the businesses. Rah rah rah; recognition, pins, etc. Amway. Free Life. Primerica. Herbal Life. Been there, done that. Made some money? Yes, but far, far, far less than in other options. And that's just the part time side of things we did to supplement our "real" job. Made some money, but had no security, and worked for far less than we could have been doing. Plus we just sold our time for money there. No residual income.. but that's the subject for another article. We hope this has helped you focus some thinking and our resource block will point you to one tool that will let you change your life.

About The Author
Joe Leech has been involved in both conventional and home based businesses for over 40 years. He offers sound advice from his experience and at his website at http://www.wideworldinfo.com/abundant/opty.html he offers a way to do what he writes about.

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10 Reasons Why Your Company Should Own a Business Credit Card

No matter the size of your company, be it large or small, you may still benefit from owning a business credit card. This article presents 10 reasons why having a credit card that is specificly designed for business is a beneficial decision for both you, your company, and it’s employees. 1. Adds and air of legitimacy Owning a business credit card will bring a level of respect to your company. Whether you are taking a client out on a business related outing, or just making a general purchase, paying with a business card shows people that your company is a legitimate business. In order to get a company credit card, the business must be well established, and this shows that your company has a level of respect associated with it. 2. Builds a positive credit history Just like in your personal life, it is a necessity to build good credit for your business to ensure its future growth. Through the proper use of a company card you will establish a good credit history. This will help your business as you move forward, and look to expand your business in the future. 3. Better perks and discounts Most business cards offer better perks and discounts for their users than similar cards that are not specificly designed for business owners. Business cardholders receive special rates on gym memberships, cell phone plans and devices, office supplies and equipment, rental cars, hotel stays and airfare to name only a few. These discounts are a great way for you to save money when you are making normal business purchases.
4. Earn rewards There are business rewards cards currently available that allow cardholders to earn rewards when making purchases. Some of the reward categories that business cardholders can participate in are airline, hotel, gas, restaurant, and cash back. These rewards are earned when the cardholder makes purchases with their business card. Points or miles can then be redeemed towards discounts on future purchases. 5. Extra protection Business credit cards offer higher levels of protection for their users to help reduce the risk of problems that may arise. Some of the protection features available to users are traveler’s insurance, lost luggage insurance, auto rental insurance, as well as extra layers of identity theft monitoring. These additional features are a great way to protect you and your employees. 6. Higher spending limits Business cards offer a higher spending limit than a standard credit card. This allows companies to make larger purchases and gives business owners more room to carry a balance on the card. 7. Employee and company spending limits Business cardholders are able to set spending limits for the entire company, as well as for each individual employee. This is a great way to help you and your employees stay within a set budget. This allows business cardholders to control the companies spending habits. 8. Additional cards for free Business cardholders will find it easy to receive additional cards for their employees and other potential cardholders within the business, all of which will display the names of each additional cardholder. Most card issuers will charge cardholders a fee for additional cards, but with a business credit card account you will receive additional cards at no extra charge. 9. Eliminate need for cash and checks A major advantage of owning a business credit card is that it eliminates the need for cash and checks. Consider the advantages of this in situations such as business related travel. Business cardholders no longer have to give their employees cash advances, or take the time to add up receipts when they return from business travel to reimburse them for expenses. Instead, business cardholders can use a company card for their expenses, and all of their spending becomes far easier to track. 10. Expense reporting Another fantastic reason for owning a company card is the advanced expense reporting that is offered by the issuers. The credit card companies now offer expense reporting that is compatible with Quicken and Microsoft Money, which allows cardholders the ability to directly tie these reports in with their accounting data. This feature may be especially useful to cardholders during tax season, as it will give those that take advantage of the service exact amounts of their spending and provide useful backups for any receipts that may have been lost or misplaced. Now that you see all of the advantages of owning a business credit card, don’t you think it is time for you to go out and apply or one today?

by Ben Wilver

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