Tweet

What Aggressive, Sweat and Benefits have in common?

Guest post by: Bob Janet

Article Overview: When I wanted to increase my truck tire business I asked my competitions customers what they liked least about doing business with my competition. They all told me the same thing. My competition was only open to fix their tires and sell them new tires from 9am-5pm. The hours the truckers should be on the road driving their trucks. So to solve their problem of lost trucking time we opened at 7am to fix their tires and sell them new tires and stayed open until 9pm. It took us less than 3 months to own the truck tire business.

What Aggressive, Sweat and Benefits have in common?

I get telephoned a few times each week by owners, and managers of businesses of all sizes asking, "What can we do to generate some profitable businesses"? What can I do to increase sales"?

I always answer, "There is a lot of things you can do. But if you want a fast answer here are 3 things.

What Aggressive, Sweat and Benefits have in common?

They combine to increase your sales

1. Become more aggressive in marketing your business in non-costly ways.

All you need to do is use the MAGIC WORDS...Who do you know? Every customer you have knows someone who needs and wants your products and services. All you have to do is be aggressive and ask,

"Who do you know?"... It does not cost a cent to ask and you will get great leads. Then call the lead using the referring customer's name. Here is what I say, "Jim, your friend Bill Smith asked me to contact you. I just finished a sales growth program for his company and his sales and profits are already increasing. He thinks I can help you increase your sales and profits also. Which would be better for you, if we meet Monday or Tuesday for a few minutes. Then you can decide whether the sales growth program that helped Jim will work for you or whether we need to design and customize a different program."

1. Sweat Equity

Spend more productive time working on your business. The days of the 30-40 or even 50 to 60 hour week for owner and managers is over. Look back at the beginning of your business. I bet the people who started your business, it may have been you, never had very many weeks that were less than 70 hours. When you work aggressively twice as much as your competition you will be more productive and make more sales.

For over 40 years my retail / wholesale businesses were open from 7am-9pm - 6 days a week. I always marveled at the businesses we did on Saturday afternoons and evenings in every store. Tire, Furniture, Electronics, Appliance and Jewelry. But there was no secret, all of our competition closed at noon or 3pm. We were the only ones open to take the customers money. And my competition never figured it out. In fact I still have trouble believing they gave me even more business when they decided to close early at noon, on Wednesdays in the summer time.

And then of course I had the only sales staff that did not dash out the door at closing time. You see it all the time, sales people shutting down a half hour before closing time so they can get out the door with the customers, at the strike of the hour.

1. Sell your Benefits

Sell your product Benefits:

Feature: The product or service and the components the product or service is made up of.

Benefits: What the customer gains from the features.

When you sell a different product that will solve your prospects problems, needs and wants of course sell the benefits of that product. But even when you are selling the same product as your competition sell the product benefits because in most cases your competition is not selling benefits.

Sell your company Benefits and your Personal benefits:

This is where you really can differentiate your business and yourself from your competition.

And if your company benefits and/or personal benefits are unique to you, you really have an advantage over your competition.

Exercises:

To determine your Business and Personal benefits make a list as long as you can of all the things you do for your customer. Try and write down at least 20 different things. Then go back and cross off the ones that are really not important and will not impress your prospects. The ones you have left are the ones you want to talk about.

Now take the next step and create some unique benefits. Make a list of all the problems needs and wants your prospects have. Then write down how your competition solves them and then figure out different, unique and better ways you can solve them.

Examples:

When I wanted to increase my truck tire business I asked my competitions customers what they liked least about doing business with my competition. They all told me the same thing. My competition was only open to fix their tires and sell them new tires from 9am-5pm. The hours the truckers should be on the road driving their trucks. So to solve their problem of lost trucking time we opened at 7am to fix their tires and sell them new tires and stayed open until 9pm. It took us less than 3 months to own the truck tire business.

In my television business I realized televisions break down when they are being used. And when they break down customers want them fixed right away. So instead of operating my television service business from 9am-5pm like my competition did, and making the customer be home when my competition wanted them home to get their televisions repaired, we operated our service business from 7am to 9pm.

All you have to do to win the benefit battles with your competition is out service them with unique benefits they cannot do or are not willing to do.

So there you are. The fast answer to, "What can we do to generate some profitable business?" is

#1. Become more aggressive in marketing your business in non-costly ways.

#2. Sweat Equity

#3. Sell Benefits



And one more

# 4. Ask for the sale. 80% - 90% of sales people in every industry are great at showing and talking about their products. 30% -40% of them are good at selling their benefits. But only about 10% of all sales people ASK FOR THE SALE.

Related Articles
  Dealing with Abrasive Personalities: Is it them or you or both?
  Hiring is tough!
  Do You Have to Be Aggressive to Make Sales?
  Agressive Marketing on the WEB
  ‘Aggressive’ is not a 4 letter word
  In Your Face Marketing
  So What
  Health Habits: Exercise Your Outside Options
  "Dealing with Recessionary Times"
  The More You Sweat, The Less You "Sweat"
  The More You Sweat... The Less!
  Aggression or Assertion
  How to Solve Problems the Right Way
  The Shadow Syndrome
  Why do we believe the Big Fat Lies about Internet Marketing?
  Throwing Caution to the Winds
  Assertiveness
  Passive-Aggressive Behavior Is Useless In A Startup
  Let’s talk about that dirty “R” word – R E T I R E M E N T
  Coaching Passive/Aggressive staff

Article Tags: profits, retail, sales, sales training, wholesale



Related Forum Posts
Re: Online frauds - [quote="OmnivoreInk":2kch3zq1]I am concerned that the younger generation doesn't have the common sense to figure this out, though... but then... a lot of things the younger generations do concern me![/quote:2kch3zq1] You know - that goes along with my firm belief that common sense and common courtesy just aren't that "common" anymore. Shri
Re: Is Google Search getting better or worse? - I haven´t noticed a worsening in Google search either, not in the sense that the search is hindered by the new algorithm. I will quote GT Bulmer though when he says that the results are getting way more personal and refined. Judging how a search engine works, you have to think about the common user, not the web-enthusiast, and the common user doesn´t have much time or knowledge to tweak the SE when he´s looking for something, or he just doesn´t want to - and why should he really?
other legal issues to consider at start-up - Merry Christmas I am a fairly new entrepreneur and my business is to help new low income businesses get a successful start. My back ground is group insurance, paralegal, accounting very eclectic. I noticed that we have discussion around financing, marketing etc., however, there is very little discussion around things like Wills, Divorces, Separations, the entitlements of a same sex partner or common-law partner. The rights of a common-law partner and same-sex partner are not always automatically the same as a husband and wife. The law provides for protection in a relationship whether you are married, in a common law relationship or a same sex relationship regarding health, dental, pension benefits. But that does not automatically include business or homes. For a CLP or SSR unless your name is clearly stated on the deed or business documents you may not be entitled to the home or business and to obtain your share you may have a lengthy legal battle. I am 100% on the side of prenuptial agreements or agreements before you enter a relationship especially if you plan to start a business or accumulate equity. This protects both parties and children if they are involved. It could also prevent the financial loss of a business because the settlements would have been already defined. It would be great to know if anyone thought about these things before they started their business and share what steps they took or if they lost a business because of a separation or death.
Re: Will Donald Trump Run For President? - Hi Zac, My immediate response would be why not but as I don’t know that much about the man other than that he has made his fortune twice and obviously has a great deal of business savvy as well as common sense. Here in the UK we have a system where most of our politicians come straight into it from college and have no real grasp of everyday life but should that go against them, I would say no. The background of a politician should not allow us to pre-judge them but up until the middle of the last century we seldom saw or heard our politicians and most of what we knew came from newspaper articles. Nowadays due to modern technology, we see and hear them every day and are able to judge them rightly or wrongly on first impressions so I would say that if Trump can display that likeability factor and display good old common sense as well as the global image required then he doesn’t have to have a degree in economics or business studies as he can surround himself with all the number crunchers and boffins that he needs. regards, Mal.
Re: Twitter account - This must be so common. We are being bombarded with messages about getting on twitter, and then when we do, we don't know how strategically it can help us. I've not abandoned mine, but I don't use it very often.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Five keys to business success

Ten Ways to Make Blogging Work for Your Business

Small Business Internet Marketing

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.