Why is it that some sales reps consistently earn a six-figure annual income while other reps, putting in the same hours, selling the same products, and trained by the same sales manager struggle each month financially to make ends meet? The answer to this question is painfully simple; the six-figure sales reps understand the importance of business development and never forget to ask for referrals.

 

Top producing sales reps set high standards for themselves and spend the majority of their time either actively prospecting for new business or closing sales. Successful sales reps set productivity goals, establish priorities, and don’t waste their precious time hanging out in the break room or taking two-hour lunch breaks.

Top producers don't need to be reminded to ask for referrals on a daily basis or follow-up on hot leads, because they understand that prospecting for new business is a necessity and not just an activity. The good news is that prospecting for new business, like any other learned skill set, can be trained and developed into a habit.

Six Powerful Prospecting Tips to Build Your Business

Tip One: Don't Forget to Ask for Referrals. 

When it comes to asking for referrals, timing is everything. Research indicates that the most effective time to ask for referrals is right after you've made the sale or provided a valuable service for your customer. Asking for referrals prior to closing the sale is a big mistake and may even jeopardize the sale itself. Once the sale has been completed, your customer will be on an "emotional high" and far more receptive to the idea of providing you referrals. When you ask for referrals, your goal is to get as many names written down as you can. Just keep asking... Who else?  Once your advocate has given you all of his or her referrals, then go back over the list of names to get details on each prospect.

Tip Two: Train and Reward Your Advocates.
An advocate is a person who's willing to go out of his or her way to recommend you to a friend or associate. Most customers are initially reluctant to provide referrals without some basic training and motivation.

Once you're given a prospect, it's a good idea to take the time to role-play with your advocate to demonstrate how to approach and talk to their referral. A brief role-playing exercise will build your advocate's confidence and keep them from overeducating their referrals. During your role-play session, be sure to prepare your advocate to expect some initial resistance. This training will pay big dividends by making your advocate more effective and less likely to become discouraged when faced with rejection. Always take the time to thank your advocates and give them feedback on the status of their referrals. I recommend that you call them and then follow up by sending a thank you card and or gift.

Tip Three: Strike While the Iron is HOT.

Prospects, like food in your refrigerator, are perishable and therefore need to be contacted quickly. Each day you let slip by without making initial contact with your referral dramatically reduces the probability of you making the sale. Develop the habit of contacting your referrals within two-business days or sooner. Have a system to keep track of your referrals so they don't end up falling through the cracks. It's critical to have a computerized client contact management system to record your remarks and track future contacts and appointments. Relying on your memory alone is a very poor business decision that will cost you dearly.

Tip Four: Schedule a Minimum of Two-Hours a Day for Phone Calling.

Make your phone calls in the morning while you and your referrals are both fresh and alert. Treat your prospecting time with the same respect you would give to any other important appointment. This is not the time to check your e-mails, play solitaire on the computer, make personal phone calls or chat with your associates.

Avoid the temptation to try and sell your product or service over the phone. Your objective for every phone call is to create interest, gather information and make an appointment. If your prospect asks you a question, get in the habit of going for an appointment rather than giving a quick response.

Don't shoot from the hip use a script. It's important to use a phone script when you contact your prospect so you don't leave out any key information. It's a good idea to role-play your script over the phone with your sales manager until he or she feels you sound confident and professional.

Tip Five: Qualify Your Prospect at Maximum Range.

Unfortunately, not every prospect will be interested or qualified financially to purchase your products or services. Successful sales reps don't waste time chasing after low-probability prospects and know when it's time to cut their losses and move on.

Tip Six: Don't Take Rejection Personally.

Selling, like baseball, is a numbers game pure and simple. Rejection is to be anticipated as a natural aspect of the qualification process, so don't take it personally. Learn from rejection by using it as a valuable feedback mechanism. Salespeople who take rejection personally lack perseverance and seldom make the sale.

For the majority of salespeople, prospecting for new business is without a doubt the most challenging and stressful aspect of the selling process. Selling is a contact sport and daily prospecting for new business is the key to every salesperson's long-term financial success. By integrating these six powerful prospecting tips into your daily business routine, you'll be able to keep your appointment calendar packed with qualified prospects!                                                       

“Sales are contingent upon the attitude of the salesman, not the attitude of the prospect.”  

In my post 5 Secrets to Selling at Full Price, I promised I would expand on each of the secrets.
Here is the first one:
1. Find better customers.
Selling to the wrong group is always going to create pricing pressure.  Just because a customer shows interest doesn’t make them a customer.
I realize that goes in the face of conventional thinking, but I’m serious when I say this.
Too many times salespeople wind up staring at price cuts as what they see as the only viable option to close a sale, and it’s all because they’re dealing with bad customers.
What is the profile of your customer?  Not the profile of your prospect — the profile of your customer.
One of the big problems salespeople deal with is they spend time with people who will give them time or people who they are comfortable with.  Often, these people are the people who don’t fit the profile of  a customer.
Key is targeting the prospecting process against those who meet the profile.   It’s far better to target 10 than trying to target 100.
When I share this with a lot of salespeople, they have a hard time understanding and accepting it.  Reason I firmly believe this is because the most valuable asset in the sales process is your time.
When a salesperson is spending time with somebody who can’t buy, then it’s wasted time.  It doesn’t matter how engaging the prospect is. If they don’t fit the profile, don’t spend time on them.
Focus the message on a tight market and it allows the resources to have greater impact.  Greater impact equals more awareness. More awareness equals opportunity.
In the end, to be successful you have to be able to recognize the value of the opportunity and the ability to focus your time against it.
Yes, this runs counter to what the media has told us to believe, but after having worked with thousands of salespeople and hundreds of companies, I say with conviction having a tight focus will generate higher profits.

When you wake up in the morning, what are your first thoughts? Are they positive thoughts, or do you start the day consumed by dread, fear, stress, or worry? Even if you're not a morning person and have trouble formulating distinct thoughts before a shower and coffee, you're already tapping into the feelings and emotions that can shape the rest of the day. Pay attention to what you're thinking right at the very start of each morning, and take steps to make sure those thoughts are positive and free from negative influences.

"Freedom lies in being bold."

"You'll always miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

Salespeople should not forget that they're highly connected to other people. In other professions, it's possible to work and operate by thinking in terms of "me," but if salespeople want to succeed, they'll think in terms of "we." The days of the lone sales wolf are over; social networks have put the ball in the customer's court. Your personal address book could never have as wide a reach as the multiplied factor of friends, fans, and followers.

The battle for success can be long and painful.
In the middle of the fight you can feel like you’re losing. Like you’re never going to get to where you want to be.
You feel bruised and bloodied, battered by the grind.
That’s when you start asking questions that you think you need the answers to.
How long is it going to take? How do I know if this is working? When does it get any easier? What if this doesn’t work?
Instead of focusing on the task at hand and fighting for that next inch of dominance, answering these ridiculous questions becomes all consuming.
A swirling cloud of confusion and misery.
Think about the other challenges in your life and how you respond. You don’t ask yourself each morning: Do I still need to invest all the effort I’m spending to keep breathing? And when can I stop drinking all this water? Why do I need to keep fueling my body with food?
These are silly questions. You don’t waste one second asking yourself why you need to stay fueled or fed or why you should keep moving.
You accept air and fuel and and fire as part of life.
Part of the battle to keep going.
So it is with your inspiration. So it is with managing the daily grind.
There are an endless number of ridiculous questions you can keep asking yourself each day. You can question your sanity and challenge the reasons you have to keep doing.
But just like you don’t need to question the need to keep breathing, you shouldn’t need to question the need to keep going.
Or trying. Or fighting. Or moving a little bit closer towards where you want to be.

In sales, attitude is king. Do you have a winning attitude? If you don't truly believe that there are sales out there waiting to be made, then making 100 phone calls, having the perfect script, and doing loads of research won't help. You may, for example, find yourself prefacing your conversations with self-defeating statements. But don't dwell on what won't work or what's not going right. Be confident that you can find the win-win in any situation, and you'll learn what a positive impact attitude can have.

"Kind words do not cost much. They never blister the tongue or lips. They make other people good-natured. They also produce their own image on men's souls, and a beautiful image it is."

Stop whatever you're doing and delight in being alive! Sense the physical processes inside you, the good in people around you, and the beauty of the world you live in. Keep everything in context; smile and laugh (especially at yourself). Accept and embrace change. No matter what you want, whatever happens is going to happen. Be fit for success. Exercise and take care of yourself. Speed up your body action by moving to music, stretching, or jogging. Movement helps eliminate pent-up stress by aiding the removal of stress-produced chemicals that make you feel bad.

"High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation."

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

To improve any day immediately, say and feel "Thank you" seven times in a row.

When we receive positive testimonials from clients, it might seem difficult to ever find fault with them.
After all, if they’re saying something positive, it has to be a good thing, right?
The truth is, there are three vital components that make an effective testimonial. Without all three of these important elements, the testimonial may actually repel potential clients from working with you.
Curious to know what these three important keys are? Your testimonial must be credible, current and compelling. When all three of these elements are present, the testimonial is most likely to convince prospective clients that you’re the real deal.
Current
Testimonials aren’t persuasive if they don’t contain current information. Make sure the testimonials reflect your current products and services and that they represent current clients who are still in business!
Also make sure that the testimonial is fresh, recent and pervasive. If you’re still flashing around a 10 year old testimonial from a business that shut down years ago, it does very little in solidifying your own abilities. Review your testimonials annually to check for current information and make changes.
There will be times when you will have to stop using some testimonials (even some of your favorites!) and gather new ones. A good habit to develop is to ask for a testimonial from each client. Doing so will ensure you always have a batch of the most current success to share with new prospects.
Credible
Ensure your source is relevant, and from an industry that is similar to your core client base. If your testimonial comes from an irrelevant or less than credible source, it damages your credibility as well.
For your testimonials to be credible they need to be from respected people and businesses, real (never fake a testimonial or endorsement), and in alignment with the products and services that you are selling.
Only when testimonials credible are they a powerful selling tool. Credibility is decreased when the testimonial is attributed to a vague name such as “Bob” or to simply a title. Even worse are testimonials with no attribution.
Credibility is increased when you use your client’s name, business, title and picture. You can also increase the credibility of your testimonial by using a video or audio clip of your client sharing their success.
Compelling
A testimonial does little good if it doesn’t outline a specific gain that the client obtained by working with you.  Compelling testimonials are objective testimonials.
A tangible and measurable benefit should be outlined in the testimonial for maximum effectiveness. These benefits can include:

• Revenue increases. For example, “our sales increased 50% when using Colleen’s referral scripts”
• Time savings “ABC’s online ordering system saved us 40 hours a week in data processing”
• Productivity increases “The ABC product increased our machine’s output by 20% in one week”
• Cost reductions “This new oil reduced our annual costs by 15% because it lasts longer than other products we used in the past”

Your testimonials must be specific to speak to and persuade your market.
Here is another example. A testimonial that simply states: “Company ABC is great to work with!” Doesn’t capture a buyer’s attention, create emotion or encourage anyone to work with you. Instead, use a testimonial that is more detailed information.
Made over, the ineffective testimonial above would be: “Working with Company ABC has saved us time and money. Our teams work one hour less a day because we have reduced duplication and all corporate files are in one central location that everyone has access to.”
This testimonial is compelling because it fully describes the benefit the client received as well as objectively showcasing the tangible value.
How to secure the best testimonials
Businesses of all sizes can produce high-quality testimonials in text, audio or video format. Here are four ways to secure more of the best testimonials for your business.
Contact your passionate newer clients. Get on the phone and call your newest clients. No matter which industry you serve, the most passionate praise you'll find for your work and the service tends to come from clients with whom you have only recently started doing business. Follow the lead of Audi. Less than 30 days after a new car purchase an Audi representative will call to confirm you are happy with your purchase and ask for feedback on the dealership. If that feedback is positive the surveyor asks if that information can be shared.
Contact your wise and insightful repeat clients. Your repeat clients provide prospects with important insight about what makes your product or service worth buying. Make a point of calling up those that you have been doing business with for a long time and ask them why it is that they call on you. The answers you get will often include a great sentence or two that can be added to your testimonial collection. Again, all you have to do is ask.
Make it easy for people. One of the most common comments you'll hear from clients when asking for testimonials is "Well I'm really not much of a writer, so it's hard for me to put it in words." The real power of testimonials comes from the fact that they're not polished...they're authentic and from the heart. Show the client other client testimonials as an example. That should set the table for them. Next, ask your client the following: 'Finish this sentence in 25 words or less: I really like (product/service/person) because…' This really works because it gets right to the point about the feelings people have for you, for what you do and for what you're selling."
Do unto others. Write testimonials for others in your client community and whose services have impressed you. This creates reciprocity, and sends an important message to everyone about the high standards you have not only as a supplier, but as a buyer, too. You will find that they will return the favour with glowing references for you too.
If a client is prepared to present a testimonial to you, chances are you’ve done something well! Leverage that success by ensuring the endorsement is current, credible and compelling and you will grow your sales faster and with less effort.

"Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success. "

This will give you a sense of tremendous accomplishment and provide momentum for finishing your tasks: 1) Make your final hours at work enjoyable by saving for last the tasks you find pleasant. 2) Remember to go task by task. If you finish one task at a time, you will avoid feeling fragmented and overburdened. It is also easier to see where you're going with a job when you give it your full concentration. 3) Leave some time between activities to minimize overlapping.

"What lies behind us, and what lies before us, are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

"Skill to do comes of doing."

fiverr.com/ginochimienti

I would like to invite to LIKE MY PAGE !https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gino-Chimienti/197675123614922

To combat daily tension, concentrate on one task at a time. The habit of thinking about too many things at the same time is extremely fatiguing and stress producing. Try making a list of other things you must do, and then put it aside so that you don't have to think about them but won't worry about forgetting them, either. Stop throughout the day to see if you are relaxed. Are your hands clenched? Is your jaw tight? Such tension will begin to spread throughout your body, so catch it early. Let your arms hang loosely, unwrinkle your brow, relax your mouth, and breathe deeply.

"Comfort, that stealthy thing that enters the house a guest, and then becomes a host, then a master. And then it becomes a tamer, and with a hook and whip it makes puppets of your larger desires."

"The wisest mind has something yet to learn."

I would like to invite to LIKE MY PAGE !https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gino-Chimienti/197675123614922

"Three billion people on the face of the earth go to bed hungry every night, but four billion people go to bed every night hungry for a simple word of encouragement and recognition."

Wisdom is the correct use of the truth in the knowledge we have.  Wisdom enables us to take information and knowledge and use it to make good decisions. 

"Go out on a limb - that's where the fruit is"

I would like to invite to LIKE MY PAGE !https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gino-Chimienti/197675123614922

There is no excuse not to give two minutes today to intend your tomorrow.

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

"We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort."

I would like to invite to LIKE MY PAGE !https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gino-Chimienti/197675123614922

"No matter how good an idea sounds, test it first. "

Sales

 

In the quest for the right attitude you can’t discount the importance of your physical health. Incidentally, it is impossible to separate the physical, mental, and emotional (spiritual) aspects of attitude. I’ll spend more time on the physical because most salespeople neglect this area. A number of superb books give you a considerable amount of information on the subject.
As a physical fitness devotee since the early 1970s, I can tell you that taking care of your health will pay you enormous dividends in increased energy and fewer days spent in sickness. Your extra energy will produce increased revenue for your family. We will never be able to accurately calculate the billions of dollars in lost income American salespeople suffer every year. Think about what happens because the salesperson is simply too tired to get an early start in the morning, ran out of gas before the day was over, or had that “inevitable energy drop” after eating a heavy noon meal.  For these salespeople the idea of making “one more presentation” before they call it a day becomes a physical impossibility. Their energy bucket is drained.
So what are some keys to taking care of physical health? Let’s begin with discipline, which is critical but often neglected. One hundred and seventy-five CEOs of the Fortune 500 companies are former United States Marines. Six of our last seven presidents served in the military. Obviously, our armed services teach discipline, loyalty, commitment, and personal responsibility, along with a host of other positive qualities. As I said before, “When you discipline yourself to do the things you need to do when you need to do them, the day will come when you can do the things you want to do when you want to do them.”
The discipline starts with an early morning wake-up call. For you and your mate to arise together would be ideal. A few minutes spent together planning the day’s activities, just being with each other and relaxing, will do wonders for the relationship, and this procedure will also do wonders for starting the day in the proper frame of mind. If there are no children, husband and wife could take a walk, jog, or enjoy a cup of coffee together. This will vary with individuals because some are morning people while others are night people. I share some specific ideas on the importance of this time together and how it can best be spent, but the key is this: If you start your day in the proper manner, it sets the “tone” for the entire day. You are accepting responsibility for your health—mentally, physically, and spiritually.
Establishing the tone for your day will make it much easier to follow through on the most important aspect of your physical health program. The key to a healthy heart (which is where the healthy body is centered) is this: Several times each week you need to choose an activity that causes your heartbeat to be accelerated into the “target range” recommended by your physician and keep your heart working in that range for a certain number of minutes. Now, I know that sounds somewhat vague, but please read on—your life (and your success) depends upon your attentiveness!
Let me urge you not to accept the tables in any of the books on the subject that show heart “target ranges” based on age, body frame, and level of fitness. We are not good personal diagnosticians, so ask your doctor to tell you what your “target range” for exercise should be. Your physician can also help you choose an activity that will fit your personality and your life-style—an activity that accelerates your heart in a healthy manner.
Once this is determined, you will work toward keeping your heart rate within that certain range for the period of time your physician recommends. The few dollars and few minutes you invest in discussing this with a physician will benefit you in many ways. Dr. Ken Cooper is the expert I believe in strongly, and he says that to maintain our fitness level, we need to work out three times per week; for minimal changes over time, we need to work out four times per week; for maximum changes in fitness, we need to work toward (not begin with) working out five times per week.
Dr. Cooper has me keeping my heart rate up for twenty minutes, and my activity is walking. I walk for thirty to sixty minutes (never for distance, always for time) using the first four to eight minutes to accelerate my heartbeat into the target range, the next block of time to maintain, and the last four to eight minutes as a “warm-down” (a time for my heart to gradually return to the normal rate). I do my best to arrange my schedule to walk three consecutive days, take a day off, then walk for two consecutive days, and take another day off. At my age and with my habits (including a special fondness for sweets, which I limit to one major dessert once each week with a few little nibbles in between), working out five days is best for me.
This schedule does remarkable things for controlling weight, reducing stress, and lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, not to mention what it does for maintaining my energy level. The late afternoon or early evening walk works best for me.
When it is too cold or rainy to walk outside, I walk inside the ballroom of the hotel, up and down the corridors of the hotel, or go to the exercise room and work out on the rowing machine, stair steps, or whatever is available. In short, once you’ve made the commitment and started disciplining yourself to do these things, it gets to be a habit, and what a wonderful habit exercising becomes.
Many sales executives choose the first part of their lunch hour for a brisk walk or jog and feel dramatically energized for the rest of the afternoon as a result. In my case, the energy surge after exercise extends from two to four hours, and my creativity goes up. My energy level is higher and my endurance is greater. Exercise is not something you spend time doing; it’s something you invest time in—with enormous immediate and long-range rewards!

1. Never expect your customers to be as excited about what you were selling as you are.
2. Give more value than people pay for and customers will keep paying you long after it seems reasonable.
3. A smile or remembering a customer’s name are better sales strategies than offering discounts or flash sales.
4. You exist because customers allow you to exist. Never forget that.
5. The best customer retention strategy is a great customer service plan.
6. Your employees need to believe that what they do is more important than just turning a profit.
7. Customers don’t always know what they want — even though they will tell you that they do.
8. Just because you have a good idea doesn’t mean that people will automatically buy it. They won’t.
9. Outrageous service is the best glue for building sticky customer relationships.
10. If you’re selling everything, your customers are buying nothing.
11. Trust is easy to lose and hard to build. Think about that before you try to “get rich quick”.
12. Customers don’t care about what you get out of the transaction. They just want to feel like they are winners.
13. Keep it simple. You don’t get bonus points for making your message complex and confusing.
14. It’s hard to go wrong when you stay focused on making sure your customers stay happy.
15. The best marketing you can create is another happy customer.
16. You’re not giving value if you’re giving digital goods and calling them gifts or rewards.
17. The best sales strategy is a great marketing plan and a delightful customer service process.
18. Customers only remember what you’ve done for them now. Not all the work you’ve done earning the relationship in the past.
19. There’s always a new company or product waiting to deliver happiness to your customers when you no longer think it is a priority.
20. No amount of free services or cocktail parties can fix a horrible customer experience with your company.
21. Despite an impossibly long list of legitimate excuses, when it comes to relationships: “It’s always your fault”.
22. Making customers feel awesome isn’t something that you do, it’s who you are.
23. Delivering delightful customer experiences isn’t just about who you hire. It’s about making sure that each encounter is memorable.
24. Nothing gets fixed or broken overnight. Things start to break when no one is watching to put them back together.

"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity."

"Successful people form the habit of doing what failures don't like to do. They like the results they get by doing what they don't necessarily enjoy. "

It's impossible to go anywhere these days without seeing people of all ages and job types without a mobile phone growing as another appendage. Yes, we even see ear buds as implants in people’s ears!
In today’s world, mobile devices have become a critical tool for companies of all sizes trying to get a competitive edge in today's marketplace. As a result, many organizations are making iPads, iPhones, Blackberrys and other smartphones a standard issue.
Historically, these devices are enablers to help sales professionals book new business and stay in touch with customers with instant access to e-mail and phone. We now find companies are leveraging these smartphone devices beyond just being a standard communication device. They are now using them as input devices and access tools for their CRM systems and reaching much higher levels of productivity.
We are seeing mobile devices helping sales professionals improving what we call the three V’s… value, velocity and volume.
There are several reasons why mobile devices are making dramatic enhancements to the three V’s.

1. Higher CRM Adoption Rates

One of the issues with any CRM system is getting high adoption rates within the sales organization. We’ve found mobile devices to significantly increase adoption rates. The freedom and flexibility of being able to use a mobile device to simply “work anywhere” results in stronger adoption. Sales reps today realize mobile devices are allowing them get their job done more efficiently, more productively… and they're making higher commissions. With higher commissions … comes higher adoption of the CRM!

2. Improved Forecasting

Accurate forecasts are the result of correct and timely information being input into the CRM system. The real-time updates from sales reps using mobile smartphones improve the accuracy of the reports for sales management. The simplicity of updating a sales process, deal value, etc. drives improved reporting and forecasting.

3. Higher Sales Productivity

Smartphones truly help keep sales people productive when they’re on the road or waiting in line at the airport. Mobile access allows them to easily access their CRM on a smartphone device that fits in their pocket. If you’ve ever watched what happens when a plane lands on the runway, you know what I mean. With smartphone devices salespeople no longer are tied to their office and can be productive no matter where they are.

Bottom-line, a mobile strategy has evolved from "nice to have" to "need to have” for all sales organizations. It’s now a competitive necessity!
But remember … don’t text while you’re driving!

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."

You will grow revenue more quickly and profitably by leveraging your current clients for referrals.
Let’s look at the facts:

1. A cold lead, or an inbound lead from a random source, has a closing rate of around 25% to 30%.
2. In contrast, you double your success with a referred lead, which traditionally has a closing rate of 50%.

With referrals you’re not taking any additional time with the sales process and probably less time to prospect, with results that are leaps and bounds better. Accordingly, by simply switching to a referral-based sales process, your team will see a dramatic increase in their sales numbers.
There are two sources of referrals: Internal referrals from a client to other buyers in their business such as to other buyers, divisions, or departments; and External referrals, introductions to friends, family, suppliers, vendors, and partners outside of their business.
In this article we will look at one effective way to gather internal referrals.
To find the best internal referrals start with identifying the key new contacts you want to meet:

1. Work from you client’s organizational chart. If you don’t have one ask for one, or find one online.
2. Sit down with the client to review the organizational chart with names and titles. Engage client, Mark, reports that, when faced with blank spaces on an organizational chart, his clients pick up the pen and start filling in spaces.
3. Decide whom you want to meet. You can either decide quickly in that meeting or take the organization chart away for more research. Either is fine as long as you eventually get to step four.
4. Ask for a specific introduction. “Bob, you mentioned Andy is the VP of sales for South America. Do you mind if I call him next week?” Or “Sarah, I will be calling Mark next week in your finance department. Can I tell him we do business together?"

Next, conduct a business review on site with your client to meet these new contacts in a non-threatening way. At a minimum you should be conducting them twice per year.
Business reviews are critical to internal referrals because they ensure you are in front of the client more often than the competition, building deeper relationships with increasing numbers of people and delivering them value beyond the expectations of the project.
A business review is NOT a sales meeting. And, this is precisely why it is such a great tool for referrals. Business reviews are your opportunity to have a value-based discussion focused on the client’s needs and interests in four areas:

1. The current levels of value that the client is receiving from you now and how that value compares to the expectations that were set at the start of the relationship. In other words are you performing below, at or above expectations?
2. What the future holds for your client. What are their strategic initiatives for the next year?
3. What your company is planning for the year that the client needs to be aware of. This is your chance to share product and service enhancements, expansion plans or other key initiative relevant to the client’s relationship with you.
4. The industry in general.  This will allow you to showcase your expertise in their business and industry by sharing insights from your unique vantage point. Specifically, what trends do you see coming that the client needs to either leverage or de-risk for?

Business reviews must be attended by your buyer, as well as any key stakeholders and project participants. This is also your opportunity to add new relationships by identifying people you have not met and inviting them to the business review. You will find that it’s easier to both get new contacts to meet with you the first time, and get your clients to refer you internally to other people, when you are requesting they attend a group meeting. Simply put, meeting in a group is less threatening than meeting one on one with a sales person!
Treat internal referrals as something you obtain from clients as a rule—not as an exception. They are vital to growth. Not only do they help attract new projects, but they also help you broaden your network and maintain customer loyalty.
Current clients who refer you consistently to new business tend to stay clients for a longer period of time. They want to stay because their entire network is in your community and/or because you have become a high trust and pervasive supplier to their organization.
I suspect over the next years we will see an even greater disparity in results between making cold calls with and without referrals. The perceived risks associated with buying from a stranger in the mind of buyers aren’t going to go away and as a result, people are going to be more prone to sticking with whom they know. Referrals keep you in the “know and trust” category in the minds of buyers.

"Courage is like a muscle. We strengthen it with use."

Today, be grateful. Be grateful for your favorite music, for movies that make you feel good, for your phone that connects you with people, for your computer, and for the electricity that lights up your life. Be grateful for air travel that flies you everywhere. Be grateful for the roads and traffic lights that keep the traffic in order. Be grateful to those who built our bridges. Be grateful for your pet, for your child, for your loved ones, for your eyes that enable you to read this. Be grateful for your imagination. Be grateful that you can think. Be grateful that you can speak. Be grateful that you can laugh and smile. Be grateful that you can breathe. Be grateful that you are alive! Be grateful that you are You!
Be grateful that there are two words that can change your life.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

"Today I will do what others won't, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can't."

"Leaders are people who can discern the inevitable and act accordingly. When people talk about business acumen, discernment is a big part of it. It's a bit like gut instinct, but a little more developed."

"To be prepared is half the victory."

Need some sales inspiration? A new twist on an old sales idea you’d like to do again? A quick sales jump-start this week? We’re pulling from a post originally published in November of 2008 – the ideas still stand, and there are LOTS more. The idea is to get inspired to take action. Which one does it for you? What are you already doing that IS working for you every day to be excited about contacting potential buyers?
Remember the movie, Moonstruck, when Nicholas Cage’s character tells Cher’s character that he loves her, so she slaps him, and says, “Snap out of it!” – I love that slap – it represents to me a call to action.
What could you slap your business or even yourself for…. figuratively speaking, that is?
Here are the first 50 of a list of 101 ways to “snap out of it” and score more sales:

1. read a recommended sales book
2. bookmark a sales blog and read regularly
3. sign up for RSS feeds for sales sites, blogs, or podcasts
4. hire a prospecting coach
5. hire a presentation skills coach
6. subscribe to Selling Power or Sales & Marketing Management
7. attend a sales conference
8. attend a sales skills workshop
9. hire a sales activity coach
10. improve your time management
11. learn the basic tenets of successful selling
12. learn about your own style and traits
13. learn about others’ character traits
14. list out your selling “areas to work on”
15. set aside weekly prospecting time
16. keep track of all sales opportunities
17. update your sales opportunities daily
18. find a mentor you admire
19. review your physical image and style
20. hire an image coach
21. review your mental mountains and valleys
22. find 3 ways to make your more likable
23. read, Love is the Killer App
24. review Proficiencies for Masterful Sellers
25. read a book on creativity
26. go somewhere creative
27. block time in your calendar – weekly – for proactive selling
28. create a list of “biggest gain” to do’s
29. mentor someone else in sales
30. call 50 people or meet 50 people and hone your intro (or value proposition)
31. get feedback on your listening skills
32. make a list of 10 places to get new biz
33. work on your value proposition – it’s about others, not about you
34. re-invent yourself
35. find a new audience for your product or service
36. learn 20 new power phrases
37. analyze what you say that is negative
38. target 10 companies you want to work with
39. create a plan of action for those 10 companies
40. set an activity goal to book 20 meetings
41. think of stories that you can use to better connect with prospects
42. analyze what past customers or clients have bought from you
43. offer a new service which your market wants
44. attend a Toastmasters group or Dale Carnegie
45. learn more about your prospective clients’ business to help solve problems
46. say “yes, and” rather than “no, but” – in the spirit of improv
47. create urgency with an offer
48. become more proactive with customer service
49. ask for referrals
50. obtain letters of reference, on letterhead, showing measurable value, from 10 clients

What tips do YOU use? Post them as comments – top ones will win a coffee card (North American readers)

I would like to invite to LIKE MY PAGE !https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gino-Chimienti/197675123614922

"When I thought I couldn't go on, I forced myself to keep going. My success is based on persistence, not luck. "

When you arrive at a networking event, avoid gravitating to people you know.
You should initially thank the host and then immediately find someone new to whom to introduce yourself. This will help keep you in the right frame of mind as to why you came.  Your consultative selling skills and sales motivation will be strengthened — even if you won’t directly be selling.
(See point 1 below and work your way through the other 20 tips!)

1. Stop selling and start listening! When you meet someone for the first time, use it as an opportunity to get to know them. Don’t try to sell them anything. Rather, begin to establish a relationship.
2. Keep your business cards in the breast pocket of your coat, a shirt pocket, or in an outside pocket of your purse so they are easy to access and in good condition.
3. When giving a person your card, personalize it by hand writing your cell number on it. This will cause the recipient to feel they are receiving something special.
4. When giving or receiving a business card, be especially careful when dealing with people from outside the U.S., as many cultures treat business cards with very high regard.
5. When receiving a card from someone, take a moment to write yourself a note on it such as where you met or an interesting insight they gave you. If you do this while you’re still talking to the person, it will help convey your sense of personal connection.
6. During the course of a conversation, use the other person’s first name two or three times. People always like to hear their own name and it will help you to remember it when the discussion is over.
7. Rather than telling a new contact all about yourself, spend your time asking them questions. It’s amazing how much you’ll learn!
8. After you meet someone for the first time, use the back of their business card to jot a note about something you learned from the conversation and the date and place you met them. Recording the information will give you something to talk to them about the next time you see them.
9. Connect with the person to whom you are talking by tilting your head as you listen to them. It is an effective body language technique that communicates that you’re paying attention to what they’re saying.
10. When a person is talking to you, be sure to look directly at them. Giving a person full attention with your eyes will encourage them to share more.
11. Remember, however, that it’s not a “stare-down” contest. Give the person 3-5 seconds of eye contact and then look away briefly before returning your focus to them again.
12. The best location to network is by a high-traffic area such as a main door, the bar or near the food.
13. Never approach people if they’re walking towards the restroom. Wait until they have returned to the networking area.
14. After the person has shared something with you, ask them another question about what they just said. This shows that you’re paying attention and that you care about what they’re telling you.
15. Always keep one hand free to allow yourself to shake hands with people. This means that you shouldn’t eat and drink at the same time. Remember, this is a networking event, not a full-course meal.
16. As a way of demonstrating your networking skills, introduce each new person you meet to at least one other person.
17. Never try to barge into a group of 4 or more people. Come along side of the group, but do not attempt to enter into the discussion until you have made eye contact with everyone.
18. Do not approach two people who are talking, as you may be interrupting an important discussion.
19. It is best to initiate conversation with someone who is standing by themselves. They’ll be happy to have someone to talk to them and, as a result, will many times open up with valuable information.
20. When you meet someone for the first time, you have 72 hours to follow up with them before they will completely forget about meeting you.
21. A networking event is not a time to see how many business cards you can acquire. Rather, it is a time to develop a few relationships that have potential.

"When you have to make a choice and don't make it, that is in itself a choice."

"Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature's inexorable imperative."

SALES QUESTION:
"I watched a webinar on COLD CALL EMAILING - which suggests sales people should stop cold calling and start cold call emailing instead. What's your opinion on this?"
SalesBuzz Answer:
It's a great sales pitch with devastatingly harmful results for a lot of inside sales people. Any time an "expert" speaks out against cold calling, it's going to get attention and traction. But if cold calling doesn't work, how come it's been around so long? How does it always survive when other fads fade?
What sales people need to understand is, the only way for them to NEVER have to make cold calls again is to have a continuous flow of WARM LEADS (Hand Raisers), and if you or your marketing team can do that, I am totally on board with that and, in fact, I highly recommend it.
But if you are not able to have that happen right now, in this moment, and your livelihood depends on the numbers you put up as a result of making cold calls, sending emails first could cost you more than just lost commissions.
A Strong Case Against Cold Call Emailing
According to Return Path (A global leader in Email Intelligence) 14% of emails sent in the US never reach their recipient.
What's that you say? That doesn't sound so bad?
Well, you may want to consider this...
That "14%" was done on email lists where PROSPECTS actually subscribed / requested (opt-in) to be emailed! Since you are thinking about replacing your "cold calls" with "cold call emails", that suggests the prospects you are emailing did NOT request / approve of you to send them emails. Therefore, that 14% number is most likely much higher.
Just for fun, even though the list of prospects you are about to email most likely didn't request to hear from you (that is what makes them fall into the "cold" category), let's keep the number at 14% and do this:
Grab 100 new prospects (going to use small / round numbers to make the math easy) from your database.
How many of those 100 prospects in your database would possibly be an opportunity for you right now? (Not deals you are already working - you would not cold call a deal you are already working)
And by opportunity, I mean:
Opportunity = they have a problem that you can help solve and they are in the buying mood to solve it now.
I'm assuming it is far less than 100%, yes?
Most sales reps would answer maybe 2 or 3 out of 100 (so 2%-3%).
Let's up it to 5% and say 5. Five prospects out of 100 that you would randomly cold call right now could possibly be an "opportunity".
What happens if 3 out of those 5 fell into the 14% of emails that got caught up in the SPAM FILTER or company server reject filter, and never got your message? How would you hit your sales numbers for the month if half (or all!) of the only existing possible opportunities in your database, never got your cold call email?
Still think 14% isn't so bad?
VOICEMAIL DOESN'T HAVE A SPAM FILTER
I actually love it when I call a new prospect and get voicemail. It gives me the chance to leave a 15 to 30 second compelling reason for a call back, and I get to follow THAT UP with an email (So to be clear, I recommend to call first, and follow that call up - no matter if you got the prospect on the line or you got their voicemail - with an email).
I will be the first person to tell you that if what you are doing is working, don't change. If you are cold call emailing and you are at or above your sales quota, keep at it. I will also tell you that if what you are doing isn't working, you need to change something ASAP. Otherwise, you will continue to get the same failed results. Just consider all sides before making a change. Most sales people can't afford to try something new, only to get the same results.

"It's better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours, and you'll drift in that direction."

Stress management requires that you take complete control over the activities of your daily life. What does this mean for you? It means that you plan your day, set priorities and work on high value tasks.
The indispensable key to time management is concentration, the ability to focus single-mindedly on one thing, the most important thing, and to stay with it until it is 100% complete.

Create Chunks of Time

This is not only the hardest challenge that a manager faces, but the ability to concentrate single-mindedly is probably the rarest single ability in the workplace. Most of our important tasks take large chunks of time. We need to plan and organize our days in such a way that we allocate these chunks of time so that we can do the jobs upon which our success depends.

A Burst of Energy

The wonderful thing about setting priorities and concentrating single-mindedly is that, the very minute that you do these two things, you will begin to feel a tremendous sense of control and well-being.
As you work progressively toward the accomplishment of your most important tasks, you will feel a flow of energy and enthusiasm. As you finish something that is relevant and significant to your company and to yourself, you get a burst of energy. Your self-esteem improves. You feel good about yourself. You have a wonderful sense of making measurable progress toward greater successful in your career. You feel like you are making a difference.

Action Exercises

Now, here are two ideas you can use immediately to concentrate single mindedly on the highest value use of your time.
First, analyze your work before you begin and then ask yourself, "What one thing, if I did it quickly and well, would have the greatest impact on my work?" Whatever it is, go to work on that one item immediately.
Second, once you have begun on a high value task, discipline yourself by repeating over and over, "Back to work, back to work, back to work!" This will keep you focused and on track until you finish the job.

I would like to invite to LIKE MY PAGE !https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gino-Chimienti/197675123614922

You create your future with the power of your intention. Intention is simply the conscious act of determining your future now. Health, harmony in relationships, happiness, money, creativity, and love will come to you in the future, based on your intentions now.

Intend every day and create your future life.

Visualize this thing you want. See it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint & begin .

Buying with the heart, justifying with the mind

Emotions underlie every sale             

It’s no secret that people buy based on emotion and then justify with facts and logic. Regardless of what you sell—whether it is products, services or advice—people buy based on feelings.  No matter how much we think people are rational beings who occasionally act emotionally, the reality is, they are emotional beings who occasionally act rationally.
Buying decisions are always the result of a change in the customer’s emotional state. While information helps to change that emotional state, it’s the emotion that’s important, not the information. Never underestimate the importance and power of emotions in selling—feelings are the fuel that drives people to buy.
Logic makes people think. Emotions make people act. Put another way, logic makes people say, “I need to think about it.” Emotion makes people say, “Let’s get started.” It’s up to you to take them over the bridge from logic to emotion.
Are prospects and sales disappearing before your eyes?  You know they type. The sale you thought was guaranteed to close but slipped through your fingers at the last second. Or found yourself working diligently on a promising opportunity when suddenly, with no explanation, the sale spins into a downward spiral?
You’re certain you have successfully connected, communicated and engaged the customer. You clarified everything your prospect needs to know about your service or product, and they have a sufficient budget. You tell yourself it’s in the bag and start high-fiving your colleagues.
Then out of nowhere you hear something like this?
“We’re very impressed and will give it some thought!”
“Your presentation was great.  We’ll keep you in the loop.”
“What you say makes a lot of sense. Let me run it by the others”
“We need to think about it and I’ll get back to you.”
Why? You were most likely attempting to move, motivate and inspire someone to buy from you using logic not emotion.  Logic only gets people to think not act.
You may have the greatest products, services or solutions in the world. You may make every rational argument to demonstrate why it makes sense for someone to do business with you, but if you don’t appeal to your prospects on an emotional level, you’re just another person trying to sell them something.
You are missing a big part of what is driving their buying decision. Emotion! Emotion trumps logic, every time.
Some people will argue this point to death because they’re uncomfortable with the notion that in order to sell, they have to address people’s emotions. Like it or not, that’s the way it is. It’s reality.  Arguing with reality prevents people from earning a great living.
You may be thinking, “Emotions, I don’t do emotions.” “Feelings, yuk, I stopped feeling in the 70’s.” “That’s just too touchy feely for me.”  When I hear someone say they are uncomfortable with feeling and emotions I know what they are really saying is “I’m not comfortable with my own feelings and emotions, I sure as heck don’t want to deal with someone else’s.” With love and compassion, I say, get over it. Selling is not about you and how you feel. It is about how your prospects feel.
Buying and selling operate on the emotional level. Feelings trigger people to buy. Feelings trigger people say yes. Feelings trigger people take action. People are motivated and influenced to buy, or not to buy, through their feelings and emotions, just like you.  That is why the old school, agenda driven, manipulative sales conversations of the 70’s and 80’s no longer work. They are outdated and counter-productive. Today smart and savvy consumers are sick and tired of being on the receiving end of those types of conversations.
The quickest way to close more sales, grow your business and significantly increase your bottom line is to purposefully embark on the journey from logic to emotion.
If you keep hearing, “I need to think about it” and “We’re going to think it over,” it’s a sign that you are masterful in the wrong part of the sales process. You’ve mastered the art of keeping your prospects stuck in their head and thinking logically. How is that working for you?

Every sales organization, and every sales process, begins with identifying a group of suspects. Suspects are people and organizations you suspect may one day do business with you. They aren't yet prospects, because you don't know if they have a legitimate need for what you sell, or if they can make the decision and buy your product or service. That determination comes later.
But in order to get a group of prospects, you must begin with a list of suspects. Here are eight ways to acquire such a list.
1. Buy a list.
This is the information age, and lists are available for almost every conceivable set of characteristics. For example, I could, this afternoon, contact a list broker, ask for a list of names, addresses, phone numbers, size of business in numbers of employees, and email addresses for manufacturers (or any one of a couple of hundred classifications) within a set of telephone area codes. I could have that downloaded to my computer by the end of the day.
Information selling is now a major industry in this country and there are lots of providers. Just do a Google search on "list brokers" and find a couple with which to work. You'll be amazed at what information you can purchase.
2. Get referrals from your customers.
Probably the best way to meet a prospect for the first time is to be introduced by someone you both know and respect. Before that can happen, you need to get the name and details for the person who you want to meet. That means you must ask your current customers for referrals.
The best way to do this is to visit your customers face-to-face, have a conversation about your products/services and their satisfaction with them, and then ask them specific questions to generate lists of names. For example, don't ask, "Who do you know...", instead, ask, "Who is one of your vendors who could use our service?", Or, "Which one or two people in your committee would be possible candidates?" By asking a series of specific questions instead of general ones, you'll direct their thinking in more productive routes, and acquire more referrals.
3. Rub shoulders with groups of them.
If you have precisely defined your target markets, then you should spend some time thinking and researching this question, "Where do groups of them go?" The answers can vary from trade fairs, association meetings, to other suppliers. The most unusual answer to this was from a client who sold reference books to lawyers. In order to meet them, he discovered that many of them would frequent a local pub on Fridays. He then made it a practice to show up and rub shoulders them, meeting them in a social situation.
If you can identify where they go, then you can see about getting a list of them from someone who organizes or administers that event or meeting place. Or, you can just show up and collect business cards.
4. Advertise in publications and websites they view.
There is a reason why advertising has been around for so long. One way to collect lists of suspects is to advertise in the publications or websites they view, offer something free or inexpensive, and collect the names and details.
The people who respond to the ads move themselves one step closer to being prospects in that they, by responding, show they have an interest in what you offer, and are willing to take action.
5. Partner with someone else who sells something compatible to them.
The key here is "compatible." Again, if you have done a thorough job of describing what the ideal suspect looks like, you can then ask, "What else do they buy?" Or, "With who else do they do business?" That should lead you to some companies and eventually people who may have a vested interest in sharing their lists with you in exchange for something of value from you.
6. Take a survey or send a newsletter to a larger list.
If you want to find "sales managers of medium sized insurance agencies who supervise six or more sales people" for example, you could take a survey of all insurance agencies, or send them a newsletter, with an opportunity for the sales managers to respond to something that is suitable for them. Those who respond, if you do this well, identify themselves as being in the category you want.
7. Hold seminars for larger groups of them.
By holding a free or inexpensive seminar, you engage with people who are interested in your subject and show themselves as willing to invest time and money. This has the added benefit that you position yourself as a valuable source of information as well.
8. Use social media to unearth them.
LinkedIn, Facebook, and the slew of other similar sites offer opportunities to join groups of them, and to identify those who meet your criteria. You can use any or all of these means to collect a beginning list of suspects.
Keep in mind that a suspect list is never finished. It's not an event you take care of one time. Rather, it is an on-going process that never ends. You are constantly investing time and energy in assembling that list of suspects.
If you do a good job at this step, identifying suspects, it makes everything else that much easier.

http://www.ginochimienti.com

Contact:  Gino

Business Description: Directories and Maps We here to help your business grow by extending its reach across the vast online universe. With the focus of creating a complete web presence, a campaign will help your business compete for customers in its area. Once you submit your business information, will send it out to a variety of directories and online platforms, including: Google, Bing and Yahoo search platforms Mobile device submission (Blackberry, IPhone, Droid) Social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare) Online directories Mapping submission GPS submission and 411 directories OnStar and other Telematics platforms Newsletter with coaching and tutoring your own IT life line Completion and audit reports showing your progress online Mobile Websites 71% of smartphone users search because of an ad they’ve seen either online or offline 82% of smartphone users notice mobile ads 74% of smartphone shoppers make a purchase as a result of using their smartphones to help with shopping 88% of those who look for local information on their smartphones take action within a day As smartphones become an integral part of people’s lives, consumers use mobile search more and more as a source for action-oriented search queries. With a combination of keywords, ads and websites that are strategically created for the mobile-search environment,  mobile campaigns are designed to help local businesses connect with their local customers through this constantly growing search medium. Advantage Internet Marketing Millions of people use their computers to find information through search engines.  campaigns are designed to help people using laptop and desktop computers find your business through strategically-designed search campaigns that target local search users in your area. Whether your target audience is big or small, a  campaign will make it easy for them to find your business. When people enter search queries that are relevant to your products and services, an ad for your business will appear in their search results. Once search users click on the ad, they will be taken to your campaign’s website. This site, designed to be an engaging and intuitive experience for the user, will provide a mixture of informative and beneficial content about your business, with the focus of creating a conversion-oriented response. Your potential customers are searching for your business.  will create an effective online presence that will help them find you. Please contact me to set up an appointment !

"I've felt that dissatisfaction is the basis of progress. When we become satisfied in business, we become obsolete."

Gino Chimienti has helped with our campaign .We have had great success with our Google Places campaign. It has really increased our visibility and increased our ranking on places. Worth the investment." Please contact Gino and he will show you how is done .

http://www.ginochimienti.com

Contact:  Gino

Business Description: Directories and Maps We here to help your business grow by extending its reach across the vast online universe. With the focus of creating a complete web presence, a campaign will help your business compete for customers in its area. Once you submit your business information, will send it out to a variety of directories and online platforms, including: Google, Bing and Yahoo search platforms Mobile device submission (Blackberry, IPhone, Droid) Social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare) Online directories Mapping submission GPS submission and 411 directories OnStar and other Telematics platforms Newsletter with coaching and tutoring your own IT life line Completion and audit reports showing your progress online Mobile Websites 71% of smartphone users search because of an ad they’ve seen either online or offline 82% of smartphone users notice mobile ads 74% of smartphone shoppers make a purchase as a result of using their smartphones to help with shopping 88% of those who look for local information on their smartphones take action within a day As smartphones become an integral part of people’s lives, consumers use mobile search more and more as a source for action-oriented search queries. With a combination of keywords, ads and websites that are strategically created for the mobile-search environment,  mobile campaigns are designed to help local businesses connect with their local customers through this constantly growing search medium. Advantage Internet Marketing Millions of people use their computers to find information through search engines.  campaigns are designed to help people using laptop and desktop computers find your business through strategically-designed search campaigns that target local search users in your area. Whether your target audience is big or small, a  campaign will make it easy for them to find your business. When people enter search queries that are relevant to your products and services, an ad for your business will appear in their search results. Once search users click on the ad, they will be taken to your campaign’s website. This site, designed to be an engaging and intuitive experience for the user, will provide a mixture of informative and beneficial content about your business, with the focus of creating a conversion-oriented response. Your potential customers are searching for your business.  will create an effective online presence that will help them find you. Please contact me to set up an appointment !

"Winning is important to me, but what brings me real joy is the experience of being fully engaged in whatever I'm doing."

Sales

 

Now let’s cover one major objection that can be more effectively handled by properly using your voice. This objection is encountered by virtually every salesperson many times during the course of his sales career.  All of us encounter, on a regular basis, the prospect who suggests directly or indirectly that the price is a little out of line or that the product is ridiculously and unreasonably overpriced.
One prospect might belligerently and dogmatically say, “THAT PRICE IS RIDICULOUS!” Another prospect might gently, even smilingly, say, “Well, it seems to me that the price is a little [pause] out of line.”  I’ve even had folks put it in exquisite colloquial terms: “You folks kinda proud of that stuff you sell, ain’t cha?”
To the one who is dogmatic and says, “THAT PRICE IS RIDICULOUS!” you repeat, almost verbatim, what he said: “The price [pause] is ridiculous?” (Your voice inflection should make it sound like a question.) Inflection is important because in this example you are, as one of my mentors, the late Charlie Cullen, would have said, “audaciously” challenging the prospect. You’re creating a situation that forces him to defend his statement instead of you justifying the price. There’s quite a difference.  One puts you on the defense and the other puts you on the offense.  The difference in results is substantial.
It’s simple, but not easy.  I challenge you to get a recording device (your phone probably has a recording feature), use the same words, and carefully listen to what you’ve said.  Chances are excellent you’re going to have to repeat the process a dozen, maybe even twenty times, to get your voice inflection just right.  Trouble?  Yes.  Work?  Yes. Worth it? You betcha!
Suppose the prospect says, “It seems to me the price is a little out of line.”  The first thing you’ve got to determine is whether the price really is the problem, or is there another issue?  You make that determination by asking questions.  Sales trainer John Hammond has successfully handled thousands of objections by asking: “If there were a way I could show you that the price is more than fair and the product is worth every dime we’re asking, would you go ahead and take advantage of our offer today?”
This forces the prospect to make a commitment based on price when his real objection is color, size, style, neighborhood, or something else you could and should identify.  If this is the situation, his response is going to be, “Well, no, not really.”  Then the salesman can say, “Then there must be some other reason you are hesitating. Would you mind if I ask what that reason is?”  This is a superb procedure for smoking out the real objection.
If price is the objection you continue in this way. You: “Let me ask you, Mr. Prospect, do you like the product?”  Many times he’ll respond, “Yes, I like the product, but it seems to me that the price is a little out of line.” You (softly and gently): “Mr. Prospect, wouldn’t you agree that it’s difficult to pay too much for something you really like?”  (Now the ball is back in his court.)
Many times, if it’s a relatively inexpensive item, your prospect might go ahead and invest, since the question which forces him to think could also lead him to make a yes decision. In most cases, if it’s a high-ticket item, he will probably think for a moment and say, “Well, I do like it.  But yes, I think you can pay too much, regardless of how much you might like it.  I know I wouldn’t give you fifty thousand dollars for a Cadillac, even though I might really enjoy having one.”
Now you’re dealing with something which is very basic, so let me repeat. The fear of loss is greater than the desire for gain.  You need to establish in that prospect’s mind the fact that he’s safe in dealing with you, that he won’t lose (either money or face) by buying from you, but that he will lose (product or benefit) if he doesn’t buy from you.
One effective way to do this is to say to the prospect, “Mr. Prospect, you’re going to be concerned about price one time. That’s the day you buy. You’re going to be concerned with quality for the life of the product itself. With this in mind, let me urge you to think along these lines: Wouldn’t you agree that it’s better to pay a little more than you expected than a little less than you should?  (Wait for an answer.) The reason is simple.  If you pay a little more than expected, we are talking about pennies.  If you pay less than you should and the product won’t do the job you expected it to do, then you will lose everything.”

"Communication is a skill that you can learn. It's like riding a bicycle or typing. If you're willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of every part of your life."