Better Business and Marketing

Better Business Tips Aug 2005

How time gets away. The year is already nearly
half over and business is progressing well.
There are always challenges we have to overcome,
as things don’t always go as smoothly as we would like.
We have to persevere, always be open to new and better
ways of doing things and not be afraid to step outside of
our comfort zone.
It is by overcoming challenges, stepping on new ground
and experiencing new things that we grow.

In the words of Mark Twain:

“ Twenty years from now you’ll be more disappointed by
the things you didn’t try than by the ones you did.
So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the harbor.
Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover”

Do these things and life can be most interesting and
rewarding, even if sometimes there are some hurdles
to overcome. Some of our ventures may even “fail”
Then we need to look at these failures not as “Failures”,
but as “Results” that didn’t go quite go as hoped. Whatever
we do, there is always a Result at the end and that, we can
learn from.

In marketing, as in other areas there are great people out
there, who have tested many strategies, had successes and
failures. I will share with you some successful ones, which are
part of a huge compilation put together by Peter Sun.

Following are some tested “Selling Sentences and Delivery
Techniques” you can use and adapt to your own situation,
product or service:

A shoe store assistant selling Indian moccasins would place
them in front of a little boy and say: ” These are the same
kind as the real Indians wear!” This actually sold 3 out of 13
people extra shoes

Another way to use this technique in selling high price sport
shoes would be to ask: “What sport do you like?” When they
tell you, you say “ These are the same ones xxxxxx
(famous athlete) wears in all his/her games”

In a department store an opening sentence increased the
sales of a men’s electric shaver by 300%. That sentence was:
“How would you like to cut your shaving time in half?” This
same sentence sold 58 out of 71 people who bought a
particular brand shaver over 4 other brands, even though
this brand was more expensive than the other ones.

If you’ve ever stopped at a food store or restaurant that
serves drinks in cups, here are 2 little words that guarantee
to increase sales: Instead of asking “Large or small?” – the
sales person should simply say: “ Large one?”

Tests on 5000 people showed, that seven out of 10 people
would say “Yes”!
If you own a shop that serves soft drinks, that means a lot
of extra profits each week.
McDonalds make over $200million a year with their
“would you like a drink or hot apple pie with that?”

These are some examples of how just changing the way you
say things to your customers can increase your profits
dramatically for little or no extra effort.

Of course it goes without saying, that you need be friendly,
exude a good energy and offer a great service to your
customers.
If you treat your customers well and make them feel happy
with you and your product and service, they will be back.
Not only that, but they will talk about you and your business
and recommend you to their friends. That’s great for you,
because it is FREE advertising for you.
Give a little extra! Something they didn’t expect and they
will love you for it.
Even if things are delayed or go wrong, keep in touch with
the customer. Explain. Don’t just leave them waiting and
wondering.
Keep them informed and they will usually understand and
forgive and still come back again.

I don’t know what type of business you are in, but I hope
these little gems help you to make your efforts more
rewarding.

If you want to learn more, there is a range of practical ideas
and strategies you can apply right away available by clicking
on the following link:

http://www.tkbetterbusiness.com/Zeroto1Million.html

Wishing you a great day and success in your ventures

Kind Regards

Tom Kress