You Haven't Earned the Right to Sell to Me!

How often do people try to sell us something before we have expressed an interest, have a desire, or are in the market for what they have? It seems the standard for many salespeople is to try to sell to anyone and everyone regardless of the interest level.

When someone attempts to sell us something before we have expressed an interest, the initial thought may be, "Why would I buy from you? You haven't earned the right to sell to me!"

The fact of the matter is that selling, both online and off, is about determining if there is a need before ever attempting to match a buyer with a product or service. It is about providing enough information for the buyer to make the best decision based on their needs. And it is about gaining trust. The most successful sales professionals are those who are a resource before they are a vendor.

Having been in both brick-and-mortar and online sales and marketing for many years, it never ceases to amaze me how many people try to sell without determining the customer's needs. They don't seem to realize that the better the match, the more likelihood for return business. The better the match, the more trust gained. If you depend on repeat business or referrals, trust is absolutely a factor in your customer's decision to come back to you when they need your product or service.

Anyone who has been in business for an extended period of time (or plans to be) would be hard pressed to believe otherwise. Whatever you are selling, the buyer's experience from the initial visit and/or purchase will likely determine whether or not they will ever purchase from you again.

When a customer has a great experience from the beginning the chances of them turning into a repeat buyer is more likely. It is a proven fact: it is more cost effective to have repeat buyers than it is to constantly seek out new customers. That is not to say you shouldn't be adding new clients as part of your business model. Building trust with existing clients will add to your conversion rate more consistently.

What is often missed in the equation of sales and marketing is the lifetime value of a customer. Once the initial sale is made they are forgotten. With proper care, a one-time or occasional buyer can turn into a loyal buyer. And loyalty is more often than not based on trust.

We live in a "try before you buy" society. Because of this many buyers use what is referred to as the buying ladder. The buying ladder is very applicable to brick-and-mortar sales as well as Internet sales.

Before buying a high ticket item, buyers will "test the waters." This can be done in a number of ways: by test driving a car, taking a tour of a home, asking friends and associates for a recommendation. When purchasing on the Internet it can be downloading a free information item or buying an inexpensive product from a website to test out the level of service, quality of product, delivery time, quality of information (in the case of an information product), and response time. It may even depend on the buyer's "gut feeling." What are your own buying habits? What process do you go through before making the decision to buy?

When you gain trust people want to do business with you. And they want to tell others about the experience. Have you heard the expression that if someone has a bad experience they will tell more people about that experience than they do a good one? I can't say that I necessarily agree with this statement. There are occasions when I have heard people rave about a great experience over and over again.

Buying decisions are made for a number of reasons, but they ultimately depend upon whether or not the buyer trusts the process. And if they trust you. It is through the process of building trust that we have earned the right to sell.

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About Kathleen Gage

Kathleen Gage is an award winning entrepreneur, keynote speaker and corporate trainer. Get Gage's F*R*E*E eBook STREET SMARTS EMARKETING Tips Guaranteed to Jump Start Your Internet Presence to Put You Miles Ahead of the Competition! Click http://www.streetsmartsmarketing.com/free-ebook.htm.


And here is another random article you might be interested in...

How To Raise Your Credit Score In 24 Hours

If you are like lots of people these days, you are thinking of shopping for a new home or new vehicle loan. Why? Because interest rates are still the lowest they have been in 40 years, and now is a better time than any to get financing. I just bought an RV myself, and I remember the nervous feeling while they pulled my credit score at the dealer. 668 *whew*. Not bad as it turns out.

Many people don't plan ahead and pick up their credit score before shopping for a loan to get the best credit possible. A lower credit score (one below 620 or even 650) can mean the highest interest rate and highest monthly payments. A score of above 720 means the lowest rates possible. Having the best credit score you can have means saving thousands of dollars over the life of your loan. How can you raise your credit score in a quick period of time, and save?

There are several ways to improve your credit score in just a day, or even hours. One is called the "rapid rescore" process, offered through your mortgage officer only, by a company called Access. With this system, you must do legwork to change your credit report contents yourself.. So for instance, you might have to pay off certain collections or liens and call thecredit bureau to change your credit report contents. The rapid rescore process gives your credit score a second look within a day or two sothat any improvements will show on your second credit score. The drawbacks of this process if you can only do it through a mortgage broker, and also, you must have something that you can improve quickly on your report such as paying off a collection or a card balance.

Another way to improve your credit score quickly is to use techniques to temporarily "bump up" your credit score. I talk about these in my ebook "Improve Your Credit Score In 24 Hours". I also provide special phone and fax number info for credit bureaus. Depending on which creditors and credit bureaus you use you can many times cause your credit a temporary "boost". Techniques like this are a great "survival skill" in your credit career. I think they are the best because they work no matter what's on your credit report.

People are getting more financial savvy these days with gurus like Suze Orman telling folks about their FICO scores (another term for credit scores). I think it is good because having credit knowledge before you make large purchases for things like homes or cars can save you thousands of dollars and put more money where it belongs, your investment future.

Good luck with Improving your Credit Score!

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About L.K. Hughes

L. K. Hughes is a Credit Repair Specialist and the author of "Improve Your Credit Score in 24 Hours. For more information, see the website " target=new>http://www.thebestever.net/credit/creditscore.asp?ref=articlecity">.