CarusoBlog

Linkedin's best-kept secret

Every social media platform has a secret weapon. 

The best feature on Facebook is the Notes page where you can promote your company in messages much longer than 140 characters.

Twitter has some amazing apps such as Tweetdeck that put the micro-blogger on steroids.

Even the relatively staid Linkedin has a piece of heavy artillery.  It's called "Recommendations." 

In the old days (the 80s, LOL) business people used to request a "letter of recommendation" from satisfied customers.  Now I ask people to post compliments on my Linkedin page.

These types of testimonials are what Robert Cialdini, author of Influence, refers to as "social proof."  Such recommendations, for example make me feel good, but they also make my prospects feel good.  Nothing brings in business like third-party testimonials. 

A client of mine recently posted this kind compliment on my Linkedin page for all to see:

"I had the opportunity to hear Michael speak at a Rotary function several years ago and was so impressed that I invited him to speak at an upcoming Zone meeting for seven Rotary Clubs in Southern Wisconsin.  He had 120 people totally involved while speaking and his ideas for improvement are something we actively use today. I highly recommend Michael Angelo Caruso."     

  -John Stensland, VP, Martin Business Group, Geneva, Wisconsin, via Linkedin

 

Thanks, John! 

If I had written this message about myself, people would think of it as advertising.  But when John posts this message, it's the truth.  That's the beauty of third-party testimonials, such as recommendations on Linkedin.

I'll be interviewing Linkedin expert Dean Delisle on Tuesday, December 1 at 4 PM ET.  He's the President of a company called Forward Progress and a real guru on Linkedin.   

Register at http://budurl.com/UseLinkedin4Biz.

Any salesperson can have this edge over the competition

I've developed a powerful and effective way to differentiate themselves from their selling competition by becoming published authors in their area of expertise.  (Actually, it helps a salesperson to be a published author of any stripe!) 

It doesn't matter what you sell or what industry you're in.  I've taught people in the heavily regulated financial services industry to author an e-book and still be within guidelines. 

Do this now.  Creating and marketing information products (seminars, webinars, teleseminars, e-books) will improve your closing ratios better than almost anything you've experienced.

Why is this true?  Because right or wrong, people will treat you better when you are perceived as an author. 

For examples of such info products, visit www.MichaelAngeloCaruso.com. 

Free selling tip; Good Attitude = More Sales

Here's a freebie from my popular 52 Selling Tips.  The tips will arrive via e-mail and you can use to instantly improve your sales.  Sign up today for less than a dollar a week.  

 

Tip #1:

A Good Attitude and Strong Self-Image Will Act As Sales Assistants

A good attitude is important in every job, but attitude is critical for people in the selling profession.  Prospects and customers have come to expect a certain quality of excitement and optimism from salespeople.  A damp personality won’t help you close a sale.

When you have a good attitude, other aspects of your personality seem to fall into place.  A good attitude can escort you through the challenging world of selling, which harbors psychological shadows such as negative self-image, rejection and complacency.  
  
A negative self-image is deadly when selling.  If you are nervous or desperate, you are likely to appear nervous and desperate.  If you think your product is overpriced, you will send that message to your

prospects and customers.  If, on the other hand, you feel confident and happy, you are more likely to appear confident and happy. 

Why would a plucky, well-adjusted salesperson ever fall victim to a poor self-image?  Well, selling is not held in high-esteem by society.  There are hundreds of jokes about us salespeople and most of them are pejorative in nature.  The stereotype is well defined and in many cases, well deserved.  Few schools offer courses in selling.  You could say selling is an “unapproved” curriculum. 

Sales managers, perhaps uncomfortable with the negative stereotype, try to disguise the identity of salespeople by giving them creative job titles such as Account Manager and Customer Care Specialist.  I rarely see the word “salesperson” on a business card.

Even salespeople are reluctant to admit to their livelihood. 

Many deny they are selling by telling prospects, “I’m not trying to sell you anything.”

You may not be able fix the image of the sales industry, but you can improve your self-image, which will help improve your sales. 

Self-image issues can usually be traced back to events that happened to you (or for you) early in life.  We can improve our self-concepts by reading self-help books, practicing self-affirmations and if necessary, talking to a professional therapist. 

 

Sign up now to receive weekly selling tips like this one.

 

Good selling!

Michael Angelo Caruso, creator of Role Model Selling

P.S.  I'd love to speak to your sales team.  You can also send them to see me at an upcoming seminar.  My speaking calendar is available at www.EdisonHouse.com/Calendar

 

What do you think about before sleep?

The last thing you think about before sleep is likely to determine the quality and quantity of your sleep.  This same thought can lead to teeth grinding (or not) and the content of your dreams.  Wow!   

The reticular activating system is a kind of filing system for the brain that tends to grab the first and last item from a set of critieria such as:

-  the first thing you think about in the morning and the last thing you think about at night

-  the first and last item of a list

-  the first and last thing a presenter says

This first/last consciousness has all kinds of interesting applications.  For example, a salesperson would do well to walk into a sales call thinking about a positive versus negative outcome and convey that postitivity throughout her presentation.  

My friend Fernando Garcia, a talented salesperson and excellent golfer, tells me of something golfers refer to as "the last swing thought."  Fern recommends approaching the ball with a specific positive thought because that thought or visualization is likely to influence the result of the swing.

This is something to think about before bed, eh?  What's the last thing you think about before going to sleep?

Harping on success; meet the talented Diane Dunn

It's fun watching people succeed.  This is especially rewarding if they've attended my events or purchased my info products.

Diane Dunn showed up to one of my seminars a few years ago.  She had already written a children's book and sold a few copies, but wanted to sell more. 

I gave her a few ideas to sharpen her marketing plan.  She took my advice and really racked up some good sales.  It's the kind of advice I offer in my e-book, Selling More, Better, Faster.  Since then, I've seen Diane at many of my Michigan events and she's always reports great success.  

The talented Ms. Dunn has written and released a second book that sold much faster than the first.  And even better things are to come!

Diane, a talented harpist, has even applied some of these marketing ideas to her entertainment business.  Now she has a double revenue stream that comes in very handy during a recession.

What a great success story, she is!

52 Weekly Selling Tips--Tip #7: Sympathy Costs Your Company Money

One of my clients says that sympathy costs his company money and he's right.  When salespeople feel sorry for customers, they tend to give price concessions, acquiesce on terms and bend protocol. 

This usually subtracts from sales commissions as well as the bottom line.

It's better to practice empathy than sympathy.  When you have sympathy for a customer, you understand their pain, whereas when you have sympathy for someone, you actually feel their pain.  Pain is a negative emotion that will not serve you when selling.

If you sympathize with a customer who is having cash flow problems, you might feel sorry enough to give him a discount--and then you will have cash flow  problems.  Listen for a few minutes and then say things like, "I hear what you're saying" and "It sounds like you've been giving this some thought." 

There are probably dozens of ways to handle a give situation that don't involve a price discount.  Only agree to a price concesssion as a final strategy. 

If you're in sales, sympathy costs you money, but empathy earns you money.

This is Tip #7 from Michael Angelo Caruso's 52 Weekly Selling Tips.

Some Folks Are Still Interested in Quality Over Price

Posted from Royal Oak, Michigan-

I was e-chatting recently with Richard Rosa, garment guru for the Steve Harvey line.  His company did a fashion photo shoot at my home earlier this year. 

Richard commented how buyers are enchanted with low prices and I'm sure this is true.  Books like The Wal-Mart Effect helped me understand the importance of price, even when times are good. 

That's why I have to tell you what happened to me this week.  I made a first-time visit to an out-of-the-way Orvis store a couple days ago.  It was eye-opening, to say the least. 

As an author and speaker for sales teams, I constantly encounter sellers who want to know how to deal with price objections.  The key, of course, is to offer so much value that price becomes a non-issue.  Value can be the quality of the product/service, surround-stuff such as warranties and customer service or even information. 

My Orvis clerk was very friendly without being smarmy.  I commented on how hard it must be for his out-of-the-way store to get foot traffic.  He said, "Not at all.  We're a destination store."

He explained that the Orvis brand is so strong, people will find a way to get there.  Hmmm . . .

The clothing was very well made including "green" clothing and a special outdoor fabric that repels mosquitoes.  The prices were reasonable, but definitely not low.  The matter-of-factly explained that well-made clothing lasts up to 70 washings. 

I celebrated my 50th birthday in August and expect to live another 30 years, but never knew the life expectancy of a shirt. 

They had a few summer items on sale, but didn't have my size in a shirt I wanted to buy.  The clerk said, "Let's make a phone call," and put me on the phone with a very polite Orvis service rep who filled my order in my size at the sale price and no charge for shipping.  A confirmation e-mail was waiting for me when I got home.  Wow!

Price is important, but it's refreshing to run into retailers and consumers who still believe in quality. 

You can bet this lesson will find its way into a video clip for my new Role-Model Selling information product. 

Put a Shine on Your Product or Service

Composed in Grapevine, Texas-

Almost every product and service can be presented with more value.  Why bother?  Value is what distinguishes you from the competition.  Value keeps keeps customers coming back, even as your price point stays higher than the competition's.

I recently returned to speak at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, just outside the Dallas-Fort Worth airport.  The hotel is a top-notch facility.  It's modeled after another fabulous Gaylord property, the Opryland Hotel in Nashville.  The designers took all the good things about Opryland and added value.

The resident shoeshine at the Gaylord Texan is an impressive gentleman by the name of Dr. Irvin.  He says he's a "Doctor of Shinology" and he certainly did a good job on my shoes.  But, it was the extra value that caused me to pay more and vow to return. 

Dr. Irvin's menu of services had a range of price points from a good $7 shine to a deluxe shine package that included a glass of wine.  The man was dressed in a tuxedo and as charming as a sommelier.  While I sat in his chair, he could've talked about anything, but he chose to discuss one of my favorite topics--me!

Even the most basic product or service can be shined up.

Pretexting As A Selling Strategy

Composed in Peachtree City, Georgia--

     The buzz is subsiding about the ugly happenings at Hewlett Packard.  HP leadership allegedly conducted some covert spying on its board members and employees by using a technique known as pretexting.

     According to Wikipedia, pretexting is a form of fraud used to establish legitimacy in the mind of the victim.  Pretexting  is usually done over the telephone and involves lying or deception.  An example of pretexting would be if your boss called you on your "sick day" and pretended to be a representative from the gas company, while he tried to find out if you were really sick. 

     Yet, sales people have used a form of pretexting for a long time.  Have you ever received a call from an unfamiliar voice who sounded like she was a good friend?  She probably called you by your first name as you tried to recognize the voice.  Then, the caller turned out to be a salesperson who was pretending to be familiar to you. 

     Acting friendly with strangers is a basic and proven selling strategy, which could be one of the reasons sales people have such a snarky reputation.