How To Sell More
 By Lee S. Shaffer

Quick! Name the most powerful selling tool for your small business.

If you answered products or services or prices or a turbo-charged sales rep, you’re wrong. Your best selling tool is a sterling reputation.

In his new book, “Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code” (Dearborn Trade Publishing, 2004), author and sales expert George Ludwig presents the tactics you need to sell more. The first strategy, developing a credible reputation, is the foundation for the remaining six. Get the first one right and you’re on your way to more sales.

So how can you develop a sterling reputation? Ludwig says that the building blocks of a credible identity include competence, confidence, commitment and character. Here’s how Ludwig defines each one:

• Competence
  Become an absolute expert in your chosen field; work every day to improve your performance and knowledge of your business. Know that your appearance and image play a huge role: Dress for who you want to become, not for who you are.

• Confidence
  Confidence builds on competence. It emanates from your conviction that your product or service is outstanding and well suited as a solution for your buyers.

• Commitment
  You must commit yourself to the selling profession, your products, your ongoing personal development, serving your customers at the highest level and maintaining excellence.

• Character
  Character traits such as honesty, integrity, a sense of fair play and respect for others are absolutely vital for long-term success. Realize that while buyers will tolerate occasional, honest mistakes, character slip-ups will violate their trust and make further sales virtually impossible.

Once you’ve established a credible reputation for yourself and your small business, the next step is to promote your reputation and identity. The goal is to get buyers to seek out you and your business, rather than you seeking them out.

Ludwig offers three ideas:

• Advance marketing
  This type of marketing, which involves no direct physical contact with the buyer, can include e-mail marketing, e-zine newsletters, direct mail promotions, faxes, etc.
  
  First, do your homework on your targeted audience. Make sure your list is well-defined and truly bona fide. Next, have a single, clear-cut objective for your fax, e-mail or sales letter. Then, make sure your communication is unique and will stand out. Finally, commit to frequent communications, not a one-time campaign.

• Personal contact marketing
  This type of marketing involves either in-person contact with your buyers or telephone contact. It includes referrals and testimonials, networking, customer site visits, customer seminars and association involvement.
  
  One suggestion: Begin building an advocate list. This is a list of 25 to 40 clients, contacts and friends who you believe will refer you to the most new sales opportunities. Stay in touch with your advocates at least once a month. When they provide a referral, send them a tangible reward such as a book, tickets to a game or at least a thank-you card.

• Headliner marketing
  This type of marketing includes public speaking, writing articles and obtaining publicity. Headliner marketing thrusts you into the limelight as the specialist.
  
  Ludwig writes, “During my medical sales days, I once had the opportunity to present an inspirational message to a national nursing association’s annual convention and got exposure to 4,000 nurse buyers at one time. That one talk opened a ton of doors for new business. The more people see you as the expert, the more they’ll trust you and want to buy from you.”

Want to know more?
If you want to learn about developing a credible reputation that will help you sell more, check out Ludwig’s free Power Selling Self-Assessment Questionnaire at www.georgeludwig.com. The 105-question quiz takes about 10 minutes to complete

(Posted December 2004)

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