Sales and Marketing Tips for You and Your Website

Be brief - many cold callers have long drawn out scripts with lots of selling points and promotional words. Don't waste the time. In a few words you should quickly tell who you are, where you are calling from and exactly what you are offering. This will allow you to quickly identify those who may be interested and dismiss those who are not. Less wasted breath means more time for placing calls.

Find your tone - Many cold callers change their speaking voice when selling over the phone. Some people speak with a softer than normal voice in hopes of sounding friendly and some speak with a deeper than normal voice to try and sound older and wiser. The truth is most people have one tone of voice which truly makes them sound comfortable. To figure out just what this tone is, try humming for a long period of time. The tone that you are able to hold the hum the longest with is probably the same tone you will sound the most comfortable speaking in.

 Record yourself - Everyone hates to hear a recording of their own voice but it is a great way to identify and correct bad habits. You can get an inexpensive digital recorder at any electronics store these days. Record yourself on a few phone calls a day and listen to them later. Many people are surprised (usually disappointed) the first time they hear themselves. Another good exercise is to practice leaving messages. Chances are if you leave voicemails when cold calling you have a "standard" message you leave. Have you ever heard your own message? Probably not. Use the digital recorder to practice and perfect leaving messages and remember...people have short attention spans..just as with your pitch messages should be brief and to the point.

Just Ask - Some people get pleasure from wasting your time.  They ask for more information, pricing or even a contract when they are not really interested or an authorized decision maker.  Don't be afraid to ask questions like "Is this realistically something you would purchase?" ; "Are you ready to take the next step?" or "Is there anyone else who needs to give approval before we can move forward?"  Another mistake many sales reps make is failing to ask for referrals.  Your best customers can also be your best source of new business.  Depending on what you are selling, there is a good chance your current or past clients know other people or organization that use the same products and services as they do.  These can be sometimes be the warmest leads you will come across.  In sales, earning the trust of your prospects is half the battle.  When you are introduced as a trusted and reliable vendor half of your job is already done.  The door has been opened for you now you just need to walk in and close it.  

In most sales offices these days the major source of incoming leads is the company website. Depending on how the website is marketed, the quality of these leads can be extremely volatile. You will always get the occasional school kid writing a report or aimless web surfer who has no interest in what your selling but still submitted information. Despite the random wood, you must still treat every incoming request as though it is real. If you notice that all of your incoming leads are not qualified customers or that you are getting traffic to your site but no leads; then it is time to take a look at the content on your site and reevaluate. You may be scaring away potential customers instead of luring them in. 

Of course the product you are selling and nature of your business will ultimately determine what should and should not be on your website.  There is however one thing that should always be present. YOUR PHONE NUMBER!  I am always amazed how many websites out there fail to display a phone number where it is easily visible.  I remember a personal online shopping experience where i came across this.  I backed out of the site and went to the next search result.  Your phone number is the most important content on your website so it should be treated as such.  Give your phone number a Donald Trump ego and plaster it big, bright and everywhere you can. The sales department or main line should be on every page, in big letters and there should be a call to action.  "Call Now 1800 555 5555" or "For pricing or information call 1 800 555 5555".  

Pricing: To show? Or not to Show? That is the question.....

Depending on what you are in the business of selling, showing pricing on your website can make or break you. Before you decide whether or not to show pricing you must seriously evaluate your product and current market conditions and how you compare to your competitions pricing. If you are a bargain brand and low pricing is one of your main selling points then you probably want your website to show pricing. If the product you are selling is a high end luxury product and you are not a discount provider then it may be better to disclose the cost. This allows your sales representative the opportunity to convince prospects who are on the fence.

Let's say you decide that you are going to show pricing on your website. Do you give 100% accurate pricing or an estimate? Do you lowball the price as bait or do you list actual figures? Again, the answer to these questions requires a serious evaluation of your product, market and competition. If your product is extremely complex and has many optional features you may just want to offer a "starting" or "preliminary" price. If you decide to lowball your published pricing then how much lower than the actual should be shown? Don't forget, trust is a major factor in sales. If your website offers a price significantly lower than the actual it might create negative backlash later on. A shopper who thinks they are being given the old "bait and switch" is likely to go somewhere else.

www.jetpartners.aero has a feature which calculates the price of a private jet charter trip and gives a price instantly.  Jet Partners was smart in presenting it as a starter price and on the contact us page it clearly states "please call for the most accurate pricing".  This is an interesting tactic as they are boldly showing the pricing on a very dynamic and expensive product but they cover their back by admitting pricing may not be 100% accurate.

The internet can be the best friend or worst enemy of your sales force. It's important to publish the right amount of information on your website. If you think your website is not bringing you the new business that it should, change it. Try something new and ask you clients what they think.

The final thing to remember is that your website can be a major source of useful information. When used properly the information from your site analytics can help you determine many things about your branding and market presence. If you are not using this data when creating sales and marketing strategy then you are ignoring an extremely valuable resource.