Sales Information |
|
Open Your Introduction With A Firecracker Moment
The number one requirement, whether you are a business owner or an employee, is to be able to say what you do, and say it with influencing results. Through testing, I have seen, experienced, and received feedback that an elevator speech no longer works. My test results show that elevator speeches are too slow and too boring. People know what's coming and have mindfully tuned out it out before the first sentence. Elevator speeches don't stop the listener in their moment, which is exactly what you need to do. An introduction that starts with a firecracker impact does stop them in their moment. Pitching what you do needs energy -- energy in your voice and body language. The same energy you have if you're pitching your screenplay to an agent or getting a large crowd's attention. Elevator speeches have become over processed and passive. People only notice if you give a poor one and that is because they measured it against their own. A good introduction, without a firecracker beginning, doesn't stop them in their moment. You want them to remember you and your answer for a long time. Not just 10 minutes, the next day when they call you to pitch you, but next week, next month, when something happens and their pain appear. Better yet, when they are talking to someone else and see the pain-solution results. They see you as the answer. A firecracker stays with people for quite some time. Where were you the last time you saw fireworks? Once triggered, I'm sure you remember the day, the time, and whom you were with quite quickly. You will want to create a memorable firecracker introduction that you can use everywhere -- in any introduction, any situation, as the key point of every presentation, voice- mail message, e-mail signatures, slogan on a business card or even as a headliner on your website home page. Let's learn this process together by beginning with a few examples I created. These examples will also give you hints on how you can open your pitches with a firecracker moment. Pitches that change people's moments ? ignite a firecracker under their assets. Let's assume you are at a networking event and someone asks, "What do you do?" You can open in one of several ways depending on the function and what you thought would intrigue people attending this event. The introduction must always lead to getting them to act on only one call to action. If your call to action is to sell space in an upcoming workshop, you don't promote your consulting services. Multiple action calls will dilute your message. Even worse, they confuse your listener. Consider crafting several, still staying within the single call to action, by changing the wording ever so slightly so that it doesn't sound memorized just in case others are close enough to over hear you. This also works if you are testing to find the best language. Always make the first sentence a declarative statement: "I perform miracles. Not the religious type, of course, the business type. Entrepreneurs, like [current or past client] and [another current or past client], hire me to make their marketing more attractive and pull in clients. I help them become a human magnet, drawing new businesses to them like bees make honey." It is important for the very first sentence be short and declarative. Declarative doesn't ask, it asserts. Now stop for a few minutes and play with some ideas of your own. Be bold when playing; write with the energy of a firecracker. A second method would be to open with a declarative question. Actually there isn't any such thing as a declarative question in grammar, so bare with me as I stretch a declarative statement. A declarative question is when you ask them a question but not for them to answer but with a declarative prowess. "Have you ever seen a speaker so dynamic and engaging that you forget where you are? Someone who teaches with inspiration, hypnotizes their audience, empowers people to act, all the while filling the atmosphere in the room with love. Then you haven't experienced me." The first two sentences will determine whether they are listening. A firecracker intro guarantees that you will snap them out of their moment. If you find that these openers are too bold, you have my permission to continue to let people be in their own moment and keep trying to get a regular elevator speech to work. Marketing expert, Catherine Franz, is a columnist and author of thousands of articles on this and similar topics. Additional articles and newsletters are available at the Abundance Center or on Catherine's blog: http://www.abundancecenter.com blog: http://abundance.blogs.com
|
RELATED ARTICLES
What Not To Do With Your Leads Anyone that works in sales knows just how important it is to have lead sources to keep your pipeline filled. But it is not only how we obtain the leads that is important, it's what we do with them once we get them. 15 Ways To Get Really Motivated First, recognize that motivation is an inside job. The word motivate means to impel, inspire, hope, stimulate, incite, propel, spur, goad, move, induce, prompt, instigate, fire, provoke, actuate, cause, egg on, drive, excite, and to trigger. Don't wait for someone to motivate you, here are 15 ways you can motivate yourself. Two Mistakes That Will Cost You Money You've met a new prospect, accurately assessed their needs and determined that you can provide the product and service she is looking for. You've presented your information in an engaging manner and the prospective customer appears interested. Many salespeople now make one or two very fatal mistakes that cost them the sale. The Hands On Approach While living in the technology age where everything is computerized, digitized, and auto-responded, it is very easy to forget where we came from, and how all of this progress has almost completely wiped out the personal touch. Selling To Women - Selling To Men - It Isnt the Same Selling To Women - Selling To Men - It Isn't the Same How Sellers Can Take Control For centuries ? at least since the serpent convinced Eve to eat the apple ? sellers have assumed that getting the right information about a product into the right hands would offer a good chance of a sale. How to Revive a Dead Lead It's easy to spend days, weeks, or months speaking with a prospect, working up to a decision to buy. This is especially true if your prospects are in larger companies. Revenue Growth Through Alliances Any company in today's global economy must eventually face the issue that if it is not growing, it will be expiring. For most companies, mergers and acquisitions are too risky to be a revenue growth option. Organic growth, though low risk, may have some considerable limitations. A third option - alliances - just may be the right blend of risk and reward to accelerate your company's revenue engine. Diverting the Flow of Customers to Your Business I was a lucky kid when I grew up. Lucky, because I had a big back yard for playing. It was about 28 acres big. My siblings, friends and I spent many days exploring, building, digging and hiding in the vast outback. Writing Effective Sales Messages A sales letter is a document designed to generate sales. It is a distinctive type of persuasive letter. It persuades the reader to place an order, to request additional information, or to lend support to the product or service or cause being offered. For most sectors other than retail, a sales letter is the first and most important way of reaching new customers. The purpose in writing a sales message is to sell a product. It influences the reader to take a specific action by making an offer-not an announcement-to him. Sales letter attempts to persuade readers to spend their time and money on the value being offered. To sell, the sales letter must be specific, go to the right audience, appeal to the readers needs, and it must be informative. Needs Based Selling I am sure you are familiar with the phrase, "I could sell ice cubes to an Eskimo." First, allow me to personally congratulate anyone out there who has sold ice cubes to an Eskimo, for I believe this to be quite a difficult task to accomplish. Sell With KISS, As In Keep It Simple, Stupid One of the most useful and fundamental communications lessons that has been repeated to me over the years, ever since my earliest days of formal business training, is the fabled, famous, and fabulous "KISS" formula. A Look at Child Mannequins Not all mannequins are made to look like full-grown adults. Child mannequins are also common in many clothing stores. A child mannequin is the same as an adult mannequin except that it is built to the scale of a child. These mannequins are made specifically for displaying children's clothes. A child mannequin is made of the same materials as an adult mannequin and has the same level of detail. Dr. Seuss?s 3-Step Selling Process Hello Everyone: Here's a unique look at learning how tosell: Sales Training from the Ghostbusters Picture this scene from the 1984 smash comedy movie from Columbia Pictures, Ghostbusters: Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray, aka? the Ghostbusters, are involved in a heated meeting with the Mayor and the Head of the local environmental agency. The city is in shambles because a legion of evil spirits has invaded and is currently wreaking havoc and chaos throughout the land. The perplexed Mayor feels that these Ghostbusters may be his only chance at saving the city, although he is not altogether convinced. Conversely, the Agency Head wants these Ghostbusters arrested and jailed for fraud. The Allure of Antique Store Fixtures They say if you wait long enough, a style you liked in almost any genre will come back. This is as true for retail store fixtures as it is for clothing or styles of music. The look of the 1960s came back strong in the early 90s and now it appears as if the 1970s are enjoying a renaissance. This rule of thumb applies not only to the style and type of merchandise being sold, but also to the look and feel of the retail establishments selling them. A good way for a new retail business to save money on start up expenses is to do some research and find vintage store fixtures which can often be purchased for a fraction of their original cost. You may find yourself in a bidding war, however, as vintage store fixtures maintained in good condition are few and far between. The Relationship Between Colour & Sales Make no mistake that emotions are the driving force behind sales, and customers making buying decisions can be influenced through visual elements towards a particular behaviour or emotion that will encourage more sales. Improve Your Sales Closing Ratio Occasionally EGOPOWER readers send me questions or topic suggestions that I feel would be of interest to you. In this issue I give some tips to improve your sales closing ratio in response to a question Rob Smith wrote me from the UK: Why Should I Buy From You? Virtually every business you contact has this question in their mind. To truly maximize your revenues you need give people a reason to buy from you versus a competitor. Here are a few strategies that will help you differentiate yourself from your competition. Complacency and Fear are Sales Busters Prospecting is the engine that propels anyone in sales. Without consistently initiating contact with prospective customers to talk with, your sales will plummet and everybody loses. Studies confirm that 80% of all salespeople fail in their first year because of the fears associated with prospecting. 40% of veteran producers with more than five years -- experience severe sales slumps due to fears associated with prospecting. |
home | site map |
© 2005 |