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Thomas Young Articles
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Taglines - Click To Read Article During the selling process, prospects may express concerns or hesitations about buying. These are called objections and are a natural part of selling and communicating. Following are a few tips regarding dealing with objections. Mission Statement and Goal Setting for Sales and Marketing Professionals - Click To Read Article A Road Map: Your Personal Mission Statement. The first step on your road to success is to outline and define where you want to go and the kind of sales and marketing professional you want to become. This is accomplished by writing a professional mission statement. This should be a brief statement (about four sentences) that describes the person you are or the one you want to be. This is the rudder on the ship that will determine your direction. It is your road map to success. Everything you do in your sales or marketing role should be in line with your mission statement. Living your mission statement is the true meaning of success. How to Bring Visitors to Your Web Site - Click To Read Article Now that you have developed a great looking web site that meets the needs of your customers, it's time to get the word out and bring visitors to your site. It's terrific to have a web site loaded with benefits for potential customers, but if no one visits, then no one benefits. This includes the site's owner and developer! Conversions, Part Two - Click To Read Article How to get a conversion from your Website. Competitive Advantage - Click To Read Article Customers buy from you because of a distinct advantage you bring to the table over your competition. It is important that you identify this advantage and build on it to grow your business. What do you do better than your competitors or peers? What is your unique selling proposition that will bring customers to you? If you can properly identify and develop your competitive advantage, you are almost assured sales and marketing success. Let's take a closer look at the fundamentals of competitive advantage. The Right Questions Lead to Sales Success - Click To Read Article The best salespeople are like expert detectives searching to find the exact needs of their customers and prospects. These needs are not exactly clear, so the detective looks for clues and puts the pieces together to better uncover the potential customer's hot buttons and close the sale. The best method for uncovering clues and needs is to ask the right questions. Here are a few ideas to help you understand how questions can separate great sales people from those that are average. Why is User Testing Important - Click To Read Article If you expect your Website to be a critical part of your market efforts then read on. If you see your site as a nice addition to your marketing efforts, but not important to your business, than ignore this advice. Time Management and Focus - Click To Read Article There is a path that will provide you with success, goal fulfillment and many other rewards. It is your challenge, as a sales professional, to find the right path and set a clear direction. The key is proper time-management. How you spend your time determines your rewards in sales. Choosing correctly is difficult and may be your greatest challenge, however the rewards can be tremendous. Here are a few tips on keeping the proper focus and putting your time into activities that will lead to success. Sales Tips for Technical Professionals - Click To Read Article In today's competitive high tech markets it is very common for technical professionals to find themselves in a selling role. If you are a high tech professional, it may not be enough to be skilled in technical areas. You may be required to become involved in marketing and sales arenas. If this is the case, it becomes essential to develop proficient selling and relationship skills. This article will explain why high tech pros are actually well suited for sales. The challenge is learning how to sell and believing you can do it. Here are a few tips to help your transition into sales and marketing Building Trust Results in Customer Loyalty - Click To Read Article Dr. Chris Hart recently spoke at the Better Business Bureau’s Excellence in Customer Service Award Dinner. Dr. Hart gave an excellent presentation that clearly expressed how building trust results in customer loyalty, which results in more profitable customers and a greater chance for marketing and sales success. Most businesses struggle because trust is not yet present in a loyal customer base. Their customers range from merely satisfied to unhappy. Your challenge is to move people into the loyal customer category. This means building trust Search Engines Forget the Quick Fix - Click To Read Article A common misconception in Internet marketing is that search engines are the most efficient way to drive traffic to your site. Though a solid search engine strategy can help facilitate your presence on the Internet, search engines are only part of a bigger picture. Here are a few things to take into account when considering search engines. Increase Rewards From Personal Development - Click To Read Article In sales as in life, there is a definite relationship between personal development and success. The rewards you gain in sales are a direct result of the value you bring to your customers. In other words, the more you give, the greater your rewards. The best way to increase your value and give more is to develop yourself to the best of your abilities. This will add value to customers and increase your rewards A New Trend in Web Marketing Capturing the Attention of the Novice Web User - Click To Read Article In our work as usability consultants we have seen an interesting trend on the Web. This trend has to do with the increase in novice users learning to get their needs met via the Internet. These users have decided they finally need to go online to get information or buy products and services. The novice user has found that there is now enough benefit to the Internet that they should take the time and energy to get out of their comfort zone and get online. Tips for Better Site Design - Click To Read Article Follow these pointers for excellent site design How to Avoid the Web Site Usability Gap - Click To Read Article One of the most important components of a successful Web site is how it makes the transition from what a user is trying to accomplish and what the site is actually providing. Many times there is a gap between the usability of a Web site and the intended results of the company, or individuals, that developed the site. Here are a few suggestions on how to avoid the "usability gap" that is present in so many Internet sites Price The Direct Link to Your Bottom Line - Click To Read Article Setting the correct pricing strategy for your products and services is a great challenge. Pricing has tremendous impact on your profits, because pricing not only determines the quantity sold, but also the direct contribution to your bottom line. Following are a few key points to consider when setting prices. Holistic Internet Marketing - Click To Read Article At its most fundamental level, effective Internet marketing is not so different from traditional marketing. In fact, there is one fundamental law of nature at the root of all great strategies in life, and it can be stated in a word: holistic Create a Web Site that Gets Sales Results - Click To Read Article We are in the middle of a sales and marketing revolution, and it is still in the early stages. The Internet has quickly become a powerful sales channel. However, the majority of businesses have not tapped into this opportunity. Even with the tremendous potential of the web, most companies are falling short of their web site sales potential. Many business owners fear the new technology or do not access the Internet. It is invisible to many, yet millions of people are buying and selling via the Internet. Communication and Sales Part One - Click To Read Article Proper communication is a study worthy of many PhDs. At the center of the sales process is how well we communicate. Communication is a two-way street, involving a sender and receiver. The best sales people are excellent receivers, or listeners. They also need to be excellent senders, or presenters, even though they should spend most of their time listening. Becoming an excellent communicator is hard work and should not be taken lightly. Here are a few communication tips that will strengthen your sales process, help you understand customers and close more sales. Time Equals Success - Click To Read Article As a sales and marketing professional, it is important to understand a basic fundamental of success in the field. Where you spend your sales and marketing time determines your rewards. There is no more appropriate phrase to sales and marketing then Òtime is money.Ó How you spend your time determines if you reach your sales goals and the amount of money you and your company earns. The problem comes in choosing wisely those activities that are the best use of your time and energies. Here are a few suggestions that can help you determine where to invest time and maximize the return on your time. Communication and Sales Part Three - Click To Read Article Proper communication is critical to sales success. To become an excellent communicator it is important to remember certain phrases and words should be avoided. Most of the time we use them out of habit and that is OK because habits can be changed. Here are a few pointers on things you should not say and why. Everything Starts with Attitude - Click To Read Article The most important decision we make in our lives is the attitude we choose to express each day when dealing with people or circumstances. This critical choice determines success or failure in sales and in life. The key is the realization that we choose. That’s right. You purposefully choose your attitude. Choosing a positive state of mind will lead to virtually unlimited success in your career and your life. A negative attitude will lead to unhappiness, poor relationships, difficulty at work and ultimately, poor health. In fact, the most common causes of death in the United States are heart disease and cancer, which are related to stress. Stress is a result of a negative attitude, carried out via perceptions, choices and behaviors. The Internet Junkyard - Click To Read Article If you have ever visited a large junkyard, then you will remember the seemingly endless amount of rusted metal, tin cans, long-forgotten car parts, tires and heaps of useless items that at one time where part of something. People go to junkyards looking for a replacement part or something that might just work for a project. They are looking for stuff at a good value, yet most of what they see remains junk and never leaves the yard. What to Look for In a Web Site Developer - Click To Read Article There are over one billion registered Web sites on the Internet. The Internet explosion has touched just about everyone and it is amazing how many people have ideas for Web sites. In the near future, business and personal Internet addresses will be as common as telephone numbers. How to Avoid the Website Usability Gap - Click To Read Article One of the most important components of a successful Website is how it makes the transition from what a user is trying to accomplish and what the site is actually providing. Many times there is a gap between the usability of a Website and the intended results of the company, or individuals, that developed the site. Here are a few suggestions on how to avoid the "usability gap" that is present in so many Internet sites. To Gain Mindshare Design with the User in Mind - Click To Read Article Usability is a term most often referred to when analyzing the user interface of software applications and the design of Websites. However, the same principles of usability can be applied to almost anything where there is a customer "using" a product or service. That said, take a few moments to consider the following usability tips and how you can improve the user and/or customer experience for your organization. Communication and Sales Part Two - Click To Read Article Communication in sales serves two major functions. One function is the actual business at hand, negotiation or sales transaction. The second more important function is how the communication is meeting the emotional needs of your customer or prospect. Sales and Marketing Trends 2000 - Click To Read Article The problems we face today cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them." - Albert Einstein Motivate Yourself to Success - Click To Read Article Motivation is direction or focus toward a goal or mission that is fueled by energy and enthusiasm. It is the key to success in any venture. Motivation is like the motor in a car. The car is not moving unless the motor is running. Unless, of course, the car is coasting or being towed! True motivation comes when your own internal motor is driving you toward your goals, not when you are coasting or being pulled along by another’s direction. Let’s take a closer look at the key aspects of personal motivation. Three Steps to an Intuitive Website - Click To Read Article A Website becomes intuitive by effortlessly giving the user what they want. If you have done your homework and you have a solid Web strategy in place, then the user benefits and you have an effective site that achieves your objectives. This is easier said then done. Here are the three key steps to developing an intuitive Website Listening Your Best Sales Tool - Click To Read Article If you are a sales and marketing professional and there is only one article you ever read and take action on, let it be this one. The most important skill you can develop is the ability to listen and understand customers. This may appear to be common sense, but if so, why is it lacking so much in today's business world? Here are a few tips on the importance of becoming a great listener. The Sales Presentation - Click To Read Article An effective sales process is comprised of prospecting, qualifying, presenting and closing. Prospecting is the task of finding new customers. Qualifying narrows your search to those most likely to buy. The sales presentation is your opportunity to present the key benefits of your product and service. It is how you communicate to the customer the value they will receive from moving forward with the sale. Do You Have What it Takes to be Successful in Sales - Click To Read Article So you are looking for work and you think, why not sales. You like people, you tend to be outgoing, and your uncle Ted is in sales and he makes a ton of money, how hard can it be? The answer may surprise you. As many as 30% of people who enter the sales field leave in their first year and only 20% earn 80% of the total compensation paid to sales reps across the country. Getting a sales job is easy, being successful is very difficult. If you are willing to learn and develop the following traits, abilities and skills, then you may have the potential to be a successful in sales. Marketing Partnerships A Cost Effective Selling Strategy - Click To Read Article Partnerships and alliances have long been used as an effective means to market products and services. Customers generally require a variety of services, and no one company can provide it all. Some make the attempt and frequently find it to be a difficult proposition. Customers understand this and are open to working with more than one company because they understand they are getting experts in each area. Here are a few ideas on how to partner effectively with other companies and grow your sales in the process. Prospecting The Most Important Part of Selling - Click To Read Article Selling is defined as a transaction that adds value to the buyer by meeting his or her needs and results in mutual benefit for both the seller and buyer. Prospecting is the focused, persistent and systematic method of developing sales leads and beginning relationships that lead to sales. An Intutive Website A Key to Increasing Online Sales - Click To Read Article Does your Website help or hinder your online sales? Effective e-commerce is more than just putting up a shopping cart and hoping for the best. In our usability research, there are two primary reasons users do not complete purchases online: 1) there is a disconnect between what they thought they were paying for the product and what the final total is, which is usually impacted by shipping; and 2) the user gets frustrated because the shopping process is too complex, time-consuming, or confusing. Review the following usability checklist to make sure you are creating an e-commerce experience that is intuitive and results in visitors becoming customers Website Users Hold the Secrets to Increased Sales - Click To Read Article There are two ways to increase sales to your Website: The first is to bring more visitors, and the second is to improve the site by making it easier to use or more enticing to buy from. This article will focus on how to make your site a stronger selling tool and how to get help from users Getting Inside the Head of the Web User - Click To Read Article The most important skill in effective user testing is getting inside the head of the Web user and understanding their thoughts. It is only from this perspective that we can understand how to build intuitive Websites that get results. We have developed a list of the most common questions running through the mind of the Web user. These questions do not usually surface unless the user is asked to comment on what they are thinking. Take a look at our list and find ways to determine if your Web visitors have the same thoughts. Site Design Usability and Navigation - Click To Read Article Over the past 50 years, a great science has developed for effective design and layout of a retail store. The result has been increased traffic and sales for properly designed stores. It should come to no surprise that effective layout is just as crucial for a Website if you want to maximize a visitor's positive experience and avoid missed sales. Selling in Difficult Times - Click To Read Article There is no question there has been turbulence in business recently. Just pick up a business paper or listen to business news broadcasts to get the facts. Many companies are struggling and their sales are down considerably. Yet, business must go on regardless so sales and marketing efforts become critical. How does one approach these tasks during difficult times? Here are a few ideas that can help Knowledge Marketing Use what you know to sell and market more effectively - Click To Read Article There is no question that it is becoming more difficult to gain a competitive edge in marketing services and products. Market forces push marketing and sales professionals to find new ways to differentiate themselves from competitors and add value to their customers. One often over-looked method for doing this is through “knowledge marketing.” Internet Business Strategy - Click To Read Article Technology has long played a factor in business operations. The Internet is the latest advent of technology supporting strategic initiatives. Yet, many companies are under the impression that the Internet in itself is a business strategy. This has proven not to be the case. Just as the telephone, the PC, the fax machine and other ground breaking technologies do not stand on their own as a business strategy, neither does the Internet. However, the Internet is a powerful compliment to a winning business strategy that helps companies compete more effectively in business and better satisfy customers. Can Your Business Make Money on the Web - Click To Read Article The Internet has been around long enough for companies to see phenomenal success and others to crash and burn. Many business owners and marketing professionals are wondering if they can make money and grow their business on-line, or has the Web turned into a risky marketing venture. Despite what you may have heard about dot com companies failing, there are great opportunities to use the Web as a powerful promotional tool for your business. This article will ask the questions that can help you determine if there are opportunities for your business on the Internet and give you a few pointers on getting results The Differences Between Marketing and Sales - Click To Read Article It is very interesting, in my work as a consultant, to hear how people interchange the terms sales and marketing. It is very common for sales people to refer to themselves as marketing representatives and for marketing managers to have no idea about the sales process and how it fits into their marketing efforts. Here is a basic summary of the very different roles of marketing and sales. 12 Ways to Increase Word of Mouth Referrals - Click To Read Article The most powerful form of marketing is word-of-mouth referrals. This is true regardless of the size of your company or marketing budget. When generating referrals, your customers become your sales force! Who better to promote your products than loyal customers? Following are 12 things you can do to help develop word-of-mouth referrals for your business. Connect with Your Customers Vision - Click To Read Article This may be the most important sales and marketing article you read this year. This simple, common sense sales tip can turn around a business career. To increase your sales, get in line with your customer’s vision. If only this powerful concept were easy to put into practice! Let’s take a look at how you might find ways to align with your customer’s vision and close more sales. Selling on the Telephone Part 2 - Click To Read Article As reviewed in part one, telephone selling is in a boom. It is very common to find sales and marketing managers growing their telephone sales team. Telephone selling has proven to be a very effective sales channel, if used properly. Here are a few more tips on becoming successful at telephone sales. Customer Relationships The Key to Sales Prosperity - Click To Read Article Selling is the process of building a trusting relationship with people. This is not a passing trend or sales technique, but a way of life. The relationships you develop with customers determine your level of sales success. Following are a few suggestions regarding how to make this happen. The Path to Selling Success - Click To Read Article A Road Map: The Mission Statement The first step on your road to success is to define success. This is accomplished by writing a professional mission statement. A mission statement is like a rudder on a ship; it determines your direction. Without it your purpose can be unclear, vague or prone to change-based external influences. A mission statement is a way of accepting personal responsibility for your life. We choose who we are, or want to be. Conversions, Part One - Click To Read Article How to get a conversion or sales lead from your Website. Mistakes to Avoid on the Web - Click To Read Article From our experience, here are a few of the biggest Website mistakes. Usability testing and solid Internet marketing strategies can minimize these problems. Dealing with Time Wasters - Click To Read Article Time is money. One of a sales professional's worst nightmares is the time-waster. These are prospects, or customers, who do not say yes, or no, to your offer, but rather delay or drag-on the sales process and waste valuable time. Time spent with these individuals is like throwing money away. The difficulty is that many of these prospects seem to be seriously interested in buying and most sales reps realize they are time-wasters after it is too late. Here are a few tips on recognizing time-wasters and how to deal with them. Qualifying The Art and Science of Selling - Click To Read Article Selling may appear to be a simple process. However, it is actually very complex and extremely important. In fact, the sale of products and services is the driving factor in any economy. Five Steps to an Intuitive Website - Click To Read Article An intuitive Website gets results by meeting visitor needs. How can you make your Website intuitive? Mesuring how intuitive your Web site should be - Click To Read Article “I’m looking for usability – when it is tough, I just go the other direction. It just turns me off – because if you can’t navigate your way through, if there are too many clicks, there’s gotta be somebody else who has an easier way to do this.” Three Pillars of Internet Sales - Click To Read Article Whereas successful selling in traditional brick-and-mortar stores is said to rely on "location, location, location," successful Web sales rely on the three pillars of effective Web sites: design, marketing, and hosting. And like a table with three legs, a Web site needs equal support from all three. Use the Internet and Your Web Site to Close Sales - Click To Read Article The Internet is currently the most dominant force in marketing. Yet, most companies are struggling to implement strategies needed to make their web sites pay-off and increase their business. The first step is to bring visitors to your site. The best method to increase a site's visibility is through old-fashioned sales and marketing; there is no quick fix. The sales professional makes use of their web site to increase sales and attract new customers. Here are a few tips on how to use the Internet to close sales. Selling on the Telephone Part 1 - Click To Read Article The telephone has become the sales professional's greatest tool. It meets customer needs, is cheaper and more effective than other forms of direct response marketing. Telemarketing is in a growth phase and is expanding as a sales outlet for small to giant companies. Yet, many consumers and businesses are very vocal in their dislike for telemarketing. However, they overlook the fact that every year millions of people are buying on the phone. Here are a few tips on how to effectively sell and market your products and services over the telephone How to Develop a Marketing Plan that Gets Results - Click To Read Article The marketing plan is the driving force behind the success of any organization. Your marketing efforts should be well-researched and planned in order to get results. The steps needed to hit sales goals are defined in the marketing plan. The following areas are key components of a successful marketing plan. The 7 Laws of Business Success - Click To Read Article Running a successful business operation may appear to be complex and difficult. However, once the basics are in place, the keys to success are actually common sense approaches known to all. They are, in fact, simple and easy-to-understand processes that involve relating with people. Yet, many organizations do not practice these important elements of business success. Many organizations function below their potential due to the fear and anxiety of leaders, managers and employees at all levels. Mistakes of the intellect, emotions or the ego block the fundamental laws of business success from being implemented. Otherwise, more companies would be the superstar organizations that are now so rare. Ten Secrets of Websites that Sell - Click To Read Article Ten excellent ideas for getting more sales from your Web marketing efforts. Top Ten Things About to Change on the Web - Click To Read Article Working with a variety of clients over the past few months and watching Internet trends has resulted in a few observations about what is changing on the Web and what is coming in the near future Eyetrack Study May Surprise You - Click To Read Article The Poynter Institute's decade-old "Eyetrack" study showed how consumers read a printed newspaper page. [In May 2000], results were released for the online equivalent. The results are remarkably different, confirming what we all know, but don't always practice - that the Web is a different medium where rules about user behavior have little to do with what works in the print medium. Can the Internet Grow My Business in a Slow Economy - Click To Read Article Whether or not your business is experiencing a slow down, new marketing ideas can always come in handy. Here are a few Web marketing ideas that might help improve your sale. In fact, the Internet may be the boost you need during a downturn in the economy Why People Buy - Click To Read Article Why do people buy? The answer may seem like common sense, but it is not. Most sales people have no idea why their customers buy. They assume that customers buy for their reasons, when in fact the opposite is true, and here is the common sense part: customers buy for their own reasons. Many companies still attempt to make customers buy for their reasons. You must understand why your customers buy your product or service Sales and Marketing Common Sense - Click To Read Article The most successful sales and marketing approaches are based on common sense. There is genius in their subtle simplicity. They may at first appear to be common knowledge and easy to implement, however, do not let this fool you because common sense is not so common. Here are a few basic marketing and sales principles often ignored by businesses. Make Your Web Site a Sales Tool - Click To Read Article The recent turbulence in the stock market has left many people questioning the real impact of the Internet on business. Internet stock prices, especially e-retailers, have dropped dramatically in the past few weeks and this is a good thing. Many of these over-valued e-companies were not following sound marketing and sales strategies. The businesses that survive this initial Internet craze will be those that know how to implement marketing strategies that work on, and off, the Internet. Here are a few key strategies for developing an Internet marketing strategy that leads to sales Future Sales Trends - Click To Read Article “The problems we face today cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.” - Albert Einstein Closing the Sale - Click To Read Article The final step in the sales process is the close. Despite what you might have read or heard about sales, this step should be easy and quick. It is the cumulative effect of all your hard work during the first three steps of prospecting, qualifying and presenting. If there is no sale at this point, then something was missed in your presentation or qualifying stages. The sale will happen only after you do your job effectively during the entire sales process. Following are the critical points to remember when closing a sale. Like this article? 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I found a great blog entry that explains technology marketing. Here are the first three elements of this top-ten list: 
