Sales & Marketing Authority, Bestselling Author & Business Motivational Speaker

Were you caught out?

7500 people were!

Answer this question honestly – do you read the small print when you order on the internet?

UK High Street retailing giant GameStation decided to put this to the test and inserted a new clause into their terms and conditions earlier this month that granted them legal rights to the immortal souls of thousands of their online customers.

Here is how they got away with it:

“By placing an order via this Web site on the first day of the fourth month of the year 2010 Anno Domini, you agree to grant Us a non transferable option to claim, for now and forever more, your immortal soul. Should We wish to exercise this option, you agree to surrender your immortal soul, and any claim you may have on it, within 5 (five) working days of receiving written notification from gamestation.co.uk or one of its duly authorised minions.”

GameStation’s fiendish clause specified that they might serve such notice in “six foot-high letters of fire” too, but also offered customers an option to opt out, rewarding them with a £5 money-off voucher if they did so.

Is it a surprise that hardly anyone noticed the clause, let alone the substantial bonus for spotting the joke smallprint. More to the point, the fact that it passed more or less unnoticed raises an important issue – too few people actually read the small print when they make online purchases.
According to GameStation, around 7,500 customers carelessly signed their souls away on the day. Were you one of them…?

Even if you weren’t, have you been duped by a message that you didn’t read thoroughly? Do you pay attention to everything you should? Is it possible you are missing things your customers are saying or not saying (i.e. insinuating through body language or ‘read-this-message-I’m-sending-between-the-lines)?

Although the joke by GameStation was an April Fool’s message, it just proves how gullible some of us may be. Sell my soul?

I certainly hope not!

Happy Marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultancy – Marketing Consultant – Motivational Speaker

Is your current sales team showing signs of fatigue? Are numbers down, despite their best efforts? If so, you may need to consider taking steps to motivate them just a bit more, encouraging them to get up from their desks and make contact with new prospects. Here are a few things you can to do help the process along.

• Start by including your team members in decisions that affect the development of the sales team itself. Believe it or not, your team members may have ideas that would help to develope sales. In many cases, they just feel unheard.
• Make sure the goals you set for your sales team are challenging enough. Goals that are too easy to accomplish won’t encourage them to strive for success. On the other hand, goals that are unreasonable will only end up discouraging them.
• Ensure your sales team has the tools necessary to actually make sales. Do they have access to marketing materials, presentation equipment, and actual inventory? If not, make it appear.
• Trust your sales team to do what they know is best. The average sales person wants to do well and be successful. Monitor their progress and make sure they remain ethical, but don’t monitor each breath they take. Give them room to be individuals.

The more a salesperson feels trusted, the more confident he’ll be when it comes to doing his job. Are you stifling your team members, or motivating them towards success?

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant - Internet Marketing Consultant - Sales Expert

We’ve spoken in the past about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and how using proper SEO techniques can really boost your web presence. Today I want to leave you with a few more tips to incorporate into your online marketing plan.

• When creating your sales website, try to avoid using Java script to create drop down menus or image links. If you do decide to use Java, make sure you put text links on the page in another area so that the search engines can find and follow them.
• There is a saying in the SEO industry – “Content is King.” The better the content on your website, the better your traffic will get. People are looking for good, quality content on a regular basis. Make sure what you’re dishing out is informative and helpful. People will begin to trust you, refer others to you, and revisit your site.
• When searching for keywords to use on your site, don’t forget to use not only single words but entire phrases as well.
• When building backlinks, remember that quality is always better than quantity. If a site with bad rankings or bad content links back to you, the search engines will not hold that link in high regard. A link from a site with lots of traffic, in a similar niche, on the other hand, will do you more good.
• Avoid keyword stuffing. Yes, keywords are what will get your site found, but if you use a keyword a zillion times within your content it will look unnatural and trashy – and, of course, people will notice and stop reading.

Keep the above in mind as you work to build your next sales page or website. SEO is huge – and if you follow the rules you’ll find your site flowing with free traffic on a regular basis.

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant - Internet Marketing Consultant - Sales Expert

When it comes to making a purchase, many potential clients believe that the only grounds on which they can successfully negotiate a better deal is price. The truth, however, is that if you want to remain successful – especially in this economy – you’ll need to learn how to negotiate along an entirely different set of terms.

Realistically speaking, people want to believe they are helping themselves. Throughout the course of your meetings and phone calls you should have been gaining a better understanding of the troubles your potential client is having in his business. When he attempts to negotiate price, you should be prepared with a better response – one that does not damage your bottom line but does increase the value of your product to your client.

What does this mean to you in the long run? It means you’ll have a happier client, a happier wallet, and you’ll be able to remain consistent when it comes to the way you price your products and services – the latter being the most important. Always remember that your products are priced properly at the start for a reason. Don’t let anyone fool you into thinking otherwise. Instead, help them to find added benefit.

Sean

Sales Expert - Marketing Consultant – Motivational Speaker