BlogBarefoot.com

No, I don’t like to wear shoes.

It’s a preference.

But really – that isn’t what being a ‘Barefoot Executive’ is all about.

It’s a statement. A choice. A suggestion that YOU can live on YOUR terms (like I do mine) when you embrace the lifestyle of working for yourself, to benefit your family and your life.

This might be part-time or full-time. Again, that’s up to you!

My goal is to give you hope. Resources. Ideas. Encouragement.  So that You can be barefoot (if you choose) or in heels (again, if you choose)..it’s about designing your life to fit your dreams, goals, and desires for the benefit of your family and community.

Merry Christmas from my gang to yours!! (and thanks to Barefoot Executive site member Linda Bingham for the precious ‘family foot’ photo of my gang!!)

(FOOTNOTE: how can you use the next 10 days to gear up for 2009 in a powerful way?)

Tags: Uncategorized by Carrie The Barefoot Executive
No Comments »

By Bernadette Doyle

It’s true what they say about first impressions. Because they have called YOU, they already know something about you and what you’re offering. The fact that the prospect has bothered to pick up the phone to call you and find out more is a huge sign that they’re interested in buying. The downside is that you may not be the only company they’re calling.

So what do you need to do in this phone conversation to help things progress easily to the next step? The secret is to gauge what the caller really wants, and then give it to them. But you can’t do that unless you first get them to open up and tell you what they really want. The most important thing to do in the first few seconds is establish rapport with the enquirer, and then….

…Get permission to ask questions. When you build trust and ask the right questions, your prospects will give you all the information you need to solve their problems, give them what they really want and ultimately win their business. At the same time, some callers may be reluctant to open up on the telephone and discuss their real needs.

If callers are reluctant to give you information it’s either because they don’t trust you, or because you aren’t asking the right questions. You can earn their trust by demonstrating in your attitude and manner that your primary aim is to help them make an informed decision. You can’t fake this. Customers are smart and they can sense who’s genuinely interested and trying to help, and who’s just after a quick sale.

Ask about the prospect’s needs, find out how they plan to use the product or service that they’re enquiring about, and what results they hope to achieve through using it. It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling coaching, financial services or training, there are key questions that you can formulate to find out what they want to achieve, what they want to avoid, and how they plan to use the product or service that you can supply.

Spend twice as much time listening than talking. Many years ago, I conducted some research into top sales performers. One of my findings was that the most successful sales performers spent 70% of their time asking questions and listening to the answers, and only 30% of the time talking about the solution they could offer. Aim for a similar ratio in your conversations with prospects. This means preparing lists of questions to use in your calls.

That said, it’s not the Spanish Inquisition! If the caller feels you are mindlessly working through list of questions without fully paying attention to them or that the questions are for your benefit rather than theirs, you’ll lose rapport and credibility. It’s a paradox that when you set aside your own needs to focus fully on what the customer really wants – even at the risk that you may not be able to provide it for them – you create an environment of trust that can ultimately lead to more sales than if you were focused on your own goals throughout the call.

What’s the next step? Depending on what you are selling, the next step might be to book a treatment, book a trial session, arrange a face-to-face meeting, send information, or you might even take an order there and then. As the seller, it’s your responsibility to make clear what the next step is, but involve the prospect in determining what they are comfortable with.

(c) Bernadette Doyle, 2008

About The Author:

Bernadette Doyle publishes her weekly Client Magnets newsletter for trainers, speakers, coaches, consultants, complementary therapists and solo professionals. If you want to get clients calling you instead of you calling them.

Tags: Marketing, Tips by Carrie The Barefoot Executive
2 Comments »

By Bernadette Doyle

One of the main principles of the Client Magnets approach is that it’s easier to close a sale when a prospect has sought YOU out, rather than when you approach them. One of the reasons for this is that when a prospect approaches you, the business relationship starts out on a more equal footing. Contrast the situation where a prospect approaches YOU with the built in resistance and or skepticism you encounter when the first contact is made via a cold call or unsolicited mailing.

When people feel that they’ve discovered YOU, you don’t encounter the resistance that can occur when YOU approach them. Defenses are down, the buyer feels more in control of the communication. Instead of YOU saying, ‘Here’s how I think I can help you’ and then having to prove your claim with lots of convincing and persuading, the prospect is saying, ‘I think YOU’RE the person who can help me. Tell me how this works.’ They are much more motivated to listen to your answers!

So usually in these articles I share ideas on what you can do to make the telephone ring, but once they’ve called you, how you handle that all important first phone call can make the difference between you landing a client – or losing them forever.

When I was selling training to corporations, I found that the first phone conversation played a critical part in the overall sales process. Handled correctly, the prospect was ‘pre-sold’ even before our first meeting, the progression from initial enquiry to signed contract was smooth and in some cases the phone conversation went so well that the caller made the decision to buy without us having to meet.

So the first phone conversation is a crucial moment in the overall sales process and sadly many opportunities are lost forever by mishandling this critical stage.

It’s not your job to ‘convert’ every caller. The purpose of this first phone conversation is to find out more about each other, and if appropriate, progress to the next step. But that doesn’t mean that every phone conversation will or should result in a sale.

For a multitude of reasons, you may not be a good match for each other. I’ve witnessed many sellers put themselves – and their prospects – under unnecessary pressure because they were ‘going for the order’ before it had been established whether that was the appropriate next step.

Shift your goal for the call to ‘let’s find out more about whether we’re right for each other’ instead of ‘must get the sale at any cost’. You’ll be more relaxed, and when the prospect doesn’t feel pressured, they are more likely to lower their defenses and tell you what they really want and need.

Result? When appropriate the sales will flow naturally, without you having to push. And, if it’s not appropriate to progress to the next stage right now, you have left the door open for future business and/or referrals.

(Don’t Miss Part 2 of the Series Coming Soon!)

(c) Bernadette Doyle, 2008

About The Author:

Bernadette Doyle publishes her weekly Client Magnets newsletter for trainers, speakers, coaches, consultants, complementary therapists and solo professionals.

Tags: Communication by Carrie The Barefoot Executive
No Comments »

By Felicia J. Slattery

When I began my communication coaching and consulting for small home-based business owners, the first thing I did was ask my target audience what they wanted right now. The number one overwhelming response: persuasive communication. A full 83% of all those who responded said they wanted to know more about the sales process and communicating effectively to get people to buy their products and services.

That’s because smart business people know persuasion isn’t scary or somehow manipulative. Persuasion is simply the act of motivating someone to do something. In this case, to buy or try our products and services. Of course persuasion is a process and you need to build up to the moment of the purchase decision. Here are the building blocks you need for your clients to reach the point of “Yes!”

Building Block #1: Build Credibility
In order for people to even want to consider building a relationship with you, you have to be credible from the moment they first see you or anything about your business. That means you must maintain a level of professionalism in everything you do. You never know how or where people will come across you or information about you, so make sure it all leads to one cohesive, common, believable message about who you are.

In a free e-course available on my website called Credibility and Cash Flow, I talk about how credibility is the important first step. If people don’t see you as credible they will never consider buying anything from you. According to authors Adler and Rodman in the book, Understanding Human Communication, you need to develop three C’s of credibility. They are: competence, character and charisma and you can learn more about how to develop each in depth during my free e-course.

Building Block #2: Build Relationships
Once you are credible to people, now you will be ready to begin building a relationship with them. How do you build relationships that last? Simple. Be authentic to who you really are. Most folks can see through an act or insincerity a mile away. Also, treat others with respect. When you respect others for who they are as well as their ideas and viewpoints, you don’t always have to agree but you can still maintain a relationship. Keep in touch in a friendly way. Care. Be more interested than interesting. Listen. Pay attention. Help when you can, even when it has nothing to do with you or your business.

Building Block #3: Build a Compelling Offer
Now that you are credible, and you have a relationship with someone, you can now add the final building block: creating a compelling offer that you know your prospects want. How do you know they want it? If you have built a relationship with them, they will tell you in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, too! When you build your offer keep in mind the 4 P’s of marketing: product, price, place and promotion. Further, give people a reason to buy now. When we are given a choice of now or later, unless there is a reason to act now, its human nature to put things off for later. Examples of reasons to act now would be offering a limited time discount, having a limited quantity, or imposing some deadline on the offer.

Felicia J. Slattery, M.A., M.Ad.Ed., is a Communication Consultant, Speaker and Coach with more than a decade of experience teaching people effective and powerful communication skills in order to achieve their happiest and most successful lives. Felicia offers a free e-course for small business owners called Increase Business by Communicating Your Credibility.

Tags: Communication by Carrie The Barefoot Executive
1 Comment »