Face it. People don’t want to be sold. They’re tired of being one of the “suckers” who are supposedly born every minute. They’re suspicious; they don’t like parting with their money, and to many people, ALL sales people are the same. They know you are after their money. They know you do not have their best interests at heart. They think you are pushy and arrogant… somebody who might sell their own grandmother if it meant a bonus!

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How is it that your competitors seem to offer an inferior product or service to you yet they seem to be selling just as much or even more? Well the fact is that we have all come across companies that weight their company on sales.

These companies have more salespeople than people that actually provide the service or make the product that they sell. So how can you compete with these companies? Well the truth is that if you know your product is better than your competitors then you need to make sure the people you sell to know that is the case. This is easy if you have the truth on your side. The second major thing you need to improve is making sure that you value your service or company properly.

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I am the manager of a tanning salon franchise but am relatively new to the industry (I was promoted after 2 months in the corporation). My owner has sort of lost interest in his store and has pretty much left me and my two girls on our own. Being a franchised store off of a corporation we’re separated from all the other stores and my resources are limited.
We walked into this knowing business was slow so we’re fighting to get the store back to it’s glory days. I was wondering if anyone had an resources for sales training and/or simple small business marketing techniques or tips.
I would greatly appreciate help of ANY level!
Thanks!

Negotiating skills in sales are vital if you are to succeed in today’s cut-throat economic environment. If you own and operate a business, you really need to represent what was once known as a “renaissance man (or woman)” – someone like Leonardo DaVinci, who knew it all and could do it all; in a single day, there are numerous fires that need to be put out and a thousand details that must be attended to. Negotiation skills are the most important ones to have, not only when it comes to dealing with those outside your company, but within it as well. Of these, sales negotiation may be the most important.

In fact, an unwillingness or inability to engage in business negotiations indicates inflexibility, weakness and in some cultures, a lack of respect. In North Africa and the Middle East for example, street merchants and shop keepers expect a customer to haggle over the price of an item, and can be greatly offended when this does not occur. An investment in negotiation training is an investment not only in your business, but in your image as well.

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I am putting together a program for a professional speaker that has over 40 years experience in the industry of customer service and sales training. I have a great respect for learning from the accomplishments of others. I am curious if anyone else has the curiosity of what he learned in all that time working with hundreds of companies in numerous industries? If you could sit down with him for 30 or 60 minutes, what would you ask and what would it be worth to you?

A sales manager determines that one of his sales representatives lacks key product information. He will most likely do which of the following?

a. Decrease the size of her territory
b. Terminate her
c. Ignore this problem
d. Recommend a training program

When deciding which types of sales promotion methods to employ, marketers take several factors into consideration. Which factor is least likely to affect decisions regarding sales promotion methods?

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Sales Training is one of the most effective ways of maintaining a motivated and results oriented team of sales professionals. However, sales professional training is also known to have an impact for only up to 90 days, or for one quarter of the year.

For sales training to be effective, measurable against results, in today’s economy, it has to be ongoing and consistently re-enforced. The more ongoing and consistent it is, the better the results and the better the return on training investment (R.O.T.I.).

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Sales programs and sales training courses can prepare a sales professional for advancement, and keep a sales manager prepared to manage, train, and motivate their sales staff for continuous improvement and a continuous increase in sales.

Sales courses from sales training courses and sales programs will give the new sales manager the background needed to fluently handle the transition from a staff sales professional to a respected sales manager. For a sales manager to be respected, and thus effective, the sales staff must be able to look up to the sales manager for insight, fresh ideas, consultation, management and motivation. Sales programs for sales managers supply the sales training needed to develop a well-respected sales manager that continuously develops and improves with his staff.

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My husband and I purchased a correction collar for my dog yesterday and we were told by the sales person to put the collar on her and leave it there for a week so she becomes accustomed to it and knows that when she is corrected, the correction is coming from us, and not the collar. Is this true? Or can we begin correction sooner?

Before lecturing me, we have exhausted other training methods and several times she has gotten loose and just runs for it, we are scared for her safety, which is why we decided to get a correction collar, our vet also recommended we get one for her.
Gosh guys, I’m sorry. I mean a shock collar, I just don’t like calling them that, it sounds too harsh
Yes the electric collar that emits a shock or tone when a button is pressed.
Grace: you know nothing about my situation. I would rather give the dog a tiny jolt than have her lying dead on the side of the road.