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Add You - Antiquated Sales Techniques to STOP Using Now! #2
A professional online marketer never knows quit. Its what separates the novice online marketer from the master. A master online marketer is constantly promoting him/herself and constantly working on introducing new people to his/her product or service. There is no quit in this mentality, and these individuals keep working, through thick and thin torwards their goals.A master marketer constantly researches, and learns the new tricks and tools of the trade. They don’t cower from new ideas or methods . They are constantly on the cutting edge, looking for that advantage that they can use against their competition, and ultimately, getting people to turn to them in their particular marketing niche.The master marketer constantly reviews current efforts and techniques, and quickly throws out what does not work. Knowing that time is money, these marketing p
"I'm flexible ... how about later this week?" "I can clear some time the day after tomorrow." "Our committee meets every Monday morning ... how about then? "Let's talk again next week."
Hearing your prospect respond with something like these reveal that they're DownGrid about their situation — even if they agree to an appointment, they're very likely to reschedule, cancel or just stand you up. Unless you want to waste your time, be leary of:
"I'll be off on vacation all of next week, so ..." "Perhaps you could just email me some information." "Why don't you just call me after the first of the month?" "Let me get back with you later."
Another reason why the Urgency Close is so effectiv
The Web is an open scene for a Global audience. You buy online, communicate, socialize, study, and have fun. You search for information, you compare, you think and you make a decision. You have access to that book you need faster than offline, you can make better purchasing decisions, and you can even become famous in a matter of days: all you need is a good story, a “digg” and… that’s it!Online branding is indeed a challenging process, because, guess what: you are not the only one doing it. At the same time, as you “consolidate and communicate” your brand in a creative manner, another online entrepreneur employs the same online tools to reach the same goals: gain customers’ awareness, capture their interest, breed desire and induce them to take a desired action.There are many Internet users that don’t make a purchasing decision unless they “googl
"Mr. Prospect, I have time in my schedule next Tuesday afternoon about 2PM or Thursday morning before 10AM. Which would be better for you?"
Now what could possibly be wrong with that?
Several things, actually — but fundamentally, it violates MasterStream's cardinal rule: "Pay Attention to Tension."
So what's the actual damage in using an Alternative Close?
First, it doesn't reveal anything useful about your prospect's level of productive tension.
Second, it suggests to the prospect that their situation can actually wait until next Tuesday.
Third, it doesn't optimize productive tension by following the "72 HOUR" directive.
Fourth, it doesn't fill the holes you already have in your schedule today and tomorrow.
Fifth, it fosters a false sense of security about the future effectiveness of your sales efforts.
Sixth, it has a very strong chance of damaging your relationship with your prospect.
Seventh, ... well, I can certainly identify even more problems the Alternative Close routinely causes, but I think you get the idea:
Using an Alternative Close is NOT a smart way to schedule an appointment.
The key to understanding and preventing all of this damage is best presented by telling you the right way to ask for an appointment in the first place, so ...
What's the BEST WAY to close for an appointment?
A far more powerful closing statement would focus on communicating a strong sense of urgency...
"Mr. Prospect, when is the soonest that you could be able to meet with me?"
There's a LOT more happening in that question — the "Urgency Close" — than meets the eye!
First, how your prospect responds reveals EXACTLY what is happening with their level of productive tension — and that alone will give you a great deal of important information about your chances of actually getting the appointment ... having the appointment stick ... and whether you'll close the deal. Obviously, if they say, "Can you be here in an hour!", you know they're pretty serious — but what about if they say something LESS SPECIFIC:
Responses like the following tell you that your prospect is UpGrid and ready to take things seriously — and so should you! Whatever it takes to make time for these prospects is a smart investment:
"I've got some time this afternoon." "Would tomorrow morning be a possibility?" "I'd like to meet ASAP." "How soon would work for you?"
The responses shown below indicate your prospect's level of productive tension is more MidGrid and will take action sometime in the reasonable future. While they don't have the urgency offered by the first group of responses, they still offer you the assurance that your time would be well spent:
"I'm flexible ... how about later this week?" "I can clear some time the day after tomorrow." "Our committee meets every Monday morning ... how about then? "Let's talk again next week."
Hearing your prospect respond with something like these reveal that they're DownGrid about their situation — even if they agree to an appointment, they're very likely to reschedule, cancel or just stand you up. Unless you want to waste your time, be leary of:
"I'll be off on vacation all of next week, so ..." "Perhaps you could just email me some information." "Why don't you just call me after the first of the month?" "Let me get back with you later."
Another reason why the Urgency Close is so effective
What do I mean by that question? Well you have heard the expression to think outside the BOX, well some individuals just are not there yet. They are comfortable inside the BOX. There is nothing wrong with that idea if that is where you want to stay ( few worries, no challenges, no advancement).If you want your business to succeed you will eventually need to gain knowledge about your targeted audience, your competition, how to get the best return on investment(ROI) on your advertising and marketing dollars, and how to develop those all important circles of friends, influences, and resources.As you gain this data you start to grow your business and the BOX you are in starts to get smaller. You start to bump into the sides, and keep ducking your head so not to pop out into the on coming traffic. Your business all of a sudden stops growing. I
Fourth, it doesn't fill the holes you already have in your schedule today and tomorrow.
Fifth, it fosters a false sense of security about the future effectiveness of your sales efforts.
Sixth, it has a very strong chance of damaging your relationship with your prospect.
Seventh, ... well, I can certainly identify even more problems the Alternative Close routinely causes, but I think you get the idea:
Using an Alternative Close is NOT a smart way to schedule an appointment.
The key to understanding and preventing all of this damage is best presented by telling you the right way to ask for an appointment in the first place, so ...
What's the BEST WAY to close for an appointment?
A far more powerful closing statement would focus on communicating a strong sense of urgency...
"Mr. Prospect, when is the soonest that you could be able to meet with me?"
There's a LOT more happening in that question — the "Urgency Close" — than meets the eye!
First, how your prospect responds reveals EXACTLY what is happening with their level of productive tension — and that alone will give you a great deal of important information about your chances of actually getting the appointment ... having the appointment stick ... and whether you'll close the deal. Obviously, if they say, "Can you be here in an hour!", you know they're pretty serious — but what about if they say something LESS SPECIFIC:
Responses like the following tell you that your prospect is UpGrid and ready to take things seriously — and so should you! Whatever it takes to make time for these prospects is a smart investment:
"I've got some time this afternoon." "Would tomorrow morning be a possibility?" "I'd like to meet ASAP." "How soon would work for you?"
The responses shown below indicate your prospect's level of productive tension is more MidGrid and will take action sometime in the reasonable future. While they don't have the urgency offered by the first group of responses, they still offer you the assurance that your time would be well spent:
"I'm flexible ... how about later this week?" "I can clear some time the day after tomorrow." "Our committee meets every Monday morning ... how about then? "Let's talk again next week."
Hearing your prospect respond with something like these reveal that they're DownGrid about their situation — even if they agree to an appointment, they're very likely to reschedule, cancel or just stand you up. Unless you want to waste your time, be leary of:
"I'll be off on vacation all of next week, so ..." "Perhaps you could just email me some information." "Why don't you just call me after the first of the month?" "Let me get back with you later."
Another reason why the Urgency Close is so effectiv
Great business ideas and bold marketing plans are useless if you do not budget carefully. In this article we explore some of the most common budgeting mistakes and how you can avoid them.Do not count taxable amounts as company holdingsIt is easy to forget that the balance in the company’s bank account does not represent the true holding value of the company. Remember that if you exceed the VAT threshold, a certain amount will be owed as VAT each quarter and that you will have to pay corporation tax at the end of the company’s financial year. By counting the entire amount of what is in the bank account as holdings, you risk making purchases that the business cannot afford.Do not ignore your cash flow situationCash flow problems are caused by a time lag between when you pay your suppliers and when you receive money from your custo
What's the BEST WAY to close for an appointment?
A far more powerful closing statement would focus on communicating a strong sense of urgency...
"Mr. Prospect, when is the soonest that you could be able to meet with me?"
There's a LOT more happening in that question — the "Urgency Close" — than meets the eye!
First, how your prospect responds reveals EXACTLY what is happening with their level of productive tension — and that alone will give you a great deal of important information about your chances of actually getting the appointment ... having the appointment stick ... and whether you'll close the deal. Obviously, if they say, "Can you be here in an hour!", you know they're pretty serious — but what about if they say something LESS SPECIFIC:
Responses like the following tell you that your prospect is UpGrid and ready to take things seriously — and so should you! Whatever it takes to make time for these prospects is a smart investment:
"I've got some time this afternoon." "Would tomorrow morning be a possibility?" "I'd like to meet ASAP." "How soon would work for you?"
The responses shown below indicate your prospect's level of productive tension is more MidGrid and will take action sometime in the reasonable future. While they don't have the urgency offered by the first group of responses, they still offer you the assurance that your time would be well spent:
"I'm flexible ... how about later this week?" "I can clear some time the day after tomorrow." "Our committee meets every Monday morning ... how about then? "Let's talk again next week."
Hearing your prospect respond with something like these reveal that they're DownGrid about their situation — even if they agree to an appointment, they're very likely to reschedule, cancel or just stand you up. Unless you want to waste your time, be leary of:
"I'll be off on vacation all of next week, so ..." "Perhaps you could just email me some information." "Why don't you just call me after the first of the month?" "Let me get back with you later."
Another reason why the Urgency Close is so effectiv
One of the first things a translator has to do is decide what kind of Spanish translation rates to set. This can be a difficult thing to do when first starting out because many other translators are reluctant to share their rates with fellow translators. Well, before you do set your Spanish translation rates, there are some things you should be aware of.First of all, translators set rates differently. Most translators charge by the word, but there are times when translators charge by the hour, or even by the page. The reason that translators charge by word is because the amount of words on a page can vary. It's not fair to translators to get paid by the page because the client could put more words on a single page in order for the cost of the job to be less.As I mentioned before, one of the hardest things for translators to do is to actually set their Engl
Responses like the following tell you that your prospect is UpGrid and ready to take things seriously — and so should you! Whatever it takes to make time for these prospects is a smart investment:
"I've got some time this afternoon." "Would tomorrow morning be a possibility?" "I'd like to meet ASAP." "How soon would work for you?"
The responses shown below indicate your prospect's level of productive tension is more MidGrid and will take action sometime in the reasonable future. While they don't have the urgency offered by the first group of responses, they still offer you the assurance that your time would be well spent:
"I'm flexible ... how about later this week?" "I can clear some time the day after tomorrow." "Our committee meets every Monday morning ... how about then? "Let's talk again next week."
Hearing your prospect respond with something like these reveal that they're DownGrid about their situation — even if they agree to an appointment, they're very likely to reschedule, cancel or just stand you up. Unless you want to waste your time, be leary of:
"I'll be off on vacation all of next week, so ..." "Perhaps you could just email me some information." "Why don't you just call me after the first of the month?" "Let me get back with you later."
Another reason why the Urgency Close is so effectiv
Every business that I have ever seen has meetings of some kind. Some are productive but the vast majority of meetings start late, rehash some old stuff, and end even later, rarely producing much in the way of progress. It seems that many meetings happen by inertia, existing because they always have existed and will always exist no matter if they produce anything of value. This is expensive in terms of wasted time and talent. If your business is in this endless loop of non-productive meetings I have one word to help you produce more from future meetings – “Agenda.”An agenda lists the order of the meeting and should be posted to all participants before the meeting. Begin the agenda by stating the purpose of the meeting, the anticipated outcome(s), and the time the meeting will end. When everyone meets to work on the stated issue(s), they will know why they ar
"I'm flexible ... how about later this week?" "I can clear some time the day after tomorrow." "Our committee meets every Monday morning ... how about then? "Let's talk again next week."
Hearing your prospect respond with something like these reveal that they're DownGrid about their situation — even if they agree to an appointment, they're very likely to reschedule, cancel or just stand you up. Unless you want to waste your time, be leary of:
"I'll be off on vacation all of next week, so ..." "Perhaps you could just email me some information." "Why don't you just call me after the first of the month?" "Let me get back with you later."
Another reason why the Urgency Close is so effective is that it conveys the message that the prospect faces a possiblity of dire consequences if they don’t act quickly. On the other hand, using the Alternative Close opens the sales professional to dire consequences themselves!
Think about it — If you ran a proper Path of Self-Discovery question series during Phase 2 of the MasterStream Protocol, you just helped your prospect identify a problem area they face and find disturbing enough to do something about. What do you think they'll be thinking about between now and next Tuesday? Maybe they'll ask for their friends' recommendations ... Maybe they'll make a few calls ... Maybe they'll meet with someone else ... Maybe that someone else will change their mind
... Maybe you don’t have an appointment next Tuesday!
The Urgency Close also obeys the "72 Hour" directive. Why is that important? Simply because tension goes down over time and as soon as your conversation with the prospect ends, another situation will demand their attention — another appointment, their kids, a business trip, car problems, whatever. You're looking at a 72-hour window of opportunity for you to seize before time and trouble take your prospect's tension elsewhere.
Because of this, it's critical to PULL every appointment into a more immediate slot whenever possible. If the prospect suggests a time beyond 72 hours, remind them how serious their situation is and see what happens:
"Mr. Prospect, is that really the soonest we can get together?"
From a purely selfish perspective, your primary goal is to continuously keep your next 72 hours jam-packed with qualified prospects. Don't let your attention be diverted from this task. It is tantamount to your success! Along the way to filling the next 72 hours, you'll talk to plenty of people who can’t meet with you until next week — but focus on the immediate future.
Moving appointments into a tighter schedule also shakes out the GREAT prospects from the GOOD ... and the GOOD prospects from the BAD. That may force you to confront something else about your business:
Are you filling your calendar with HOPE instead of with SUBSTANCE?
If you're pleased with yourself when you get a prospect to agree to meeting with you a MONTH from NOW, you could have a problem. If a tentative, "Ok, you can stop by next week" makes you feel like you've accomplished something, you could have a problem. If ANYTHING other than a solid appointment booked with a qualified and genuinely interested prospect puts a smile on your face, you could have a problem! The problem is: entertaining a false sense of hope that those appointments will actually transpire and that great things will happen when they do. There will always be the occasional exception, but my general rule is:
"If it doesn’t happen soon, it won’t happen at all."
Finally, the Alternative Close's his
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