The title of this post is very apt because these were the parting words I gave to a Sales Manager and his Order Taker sales person the other day as I left a FORD car dealership!

We were looking for a new car for my wife so we chose a garage to take a few models out on the road.

Our objective was to test drive some models and not to buy today.

We were never asked what our objectives were as we met the “sales person”

Anyhow, we went out in 2 cars. Afterwards…

“So, which one are you going to buy today?” said the “sales person”

“None” I replied with

“What?” he said in complete surprise “You came in to the dealership today with no intention of buying?”

“Correct” I added

“So all you wanted to do was test drive some models?”

“Yup” I replied

“Could you just wait here one moment please….” he then went into his Sales Manager’s office

10 minutes later both the “sales person” and his sales manager came out to see us

“Why aren’t you buying today?” said the Sales Manager in a very hard selling, forceful manner

“Because we don’t want to” I replied

What occured then was about 5 minutes of the most out dated, hard selling tactics I’ve seen in a long time.

Statements like this were commonplace ”It’s the best month to buy so I’d purchase today if I were you” and “The cars you drove will be sold this time next week, which one would you like to buy?”

Yawn, Yawn, Yawn

The approach had so much cheese that it was embarrassing!

Yes, these old outdated methods are still being used.

It’s a shame because my wife loved the Kuga that she test drove and would have purchased a model this time next month so the sales person actually lost a £22k sale simply because they wanted the sale THAT DAY.

Lesson – ask questions about what the objectives are of your buyer, how they buy and when they want to buy. Not today does not mean NOT EVER!

It really makes me angry because dinosaurs like that give proper sales professionals a bad name.

Sean

Sean McPheat

Sales Expert - Marketing Consultant - Motivational Speaker

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The amount of businesses and websites that I come across that do not have a strategy to capture the visitors email address is staggering.

It’s one of the most fundamental and essential things that YOU SIMPLY MUST HAVE.

Why?

Well, without it approx 95%+ of your visitors will most likely never return to your website and you need to build an ongoing relationship with your prospects in order to sell to them over time.

Back in 2002 when I started out on the internet I started to build an email list for my business coaching business. At the end of year one I had around 980 people on the list.

I had continued to provide lots of valuable information to them over the course of the year and had great feedback. I did not send them one sales letter or invitation to purchase a product all year so I decided to try it out!

I ran a seminar in London called “Make 2003 your best year yet”

It was all about setting goals, making action plans etc

So I sent out an email and at that time I knew nothing about effective sales copy either so it was a “Hey, I’m running this seminar in December etc” type of email.

I got 30 orders paying me £200 each!

£6,000 for just one email.

That proved to me that the value is not in the list. It’s with the relationship that you have with your list.

If you build up a relationship with your list you don’t need to be an ace crack pot copywriter although it does help!

So, start to build your email list right now!

And then set about to build a valuable relationship with your list. Don’t make it a pitch fest all of the time.

Instead, give give and give some more and you will be rewarded down the line.

Happy email list building!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Internet Marketing Consultant – Motivational Speaker - Internet Marketing Courses

I’ve just got back from a 2 week vacation in Disney World, Florida and we had a blast! 

And there were so many marketing and sales lessons to be had that I could write about 50 blogs on them. 

But the overall lesson that I’d like to bring to your attention was how they made me feel as a customer. 

I stand corrected, because they didn’t make me feel like a customer at all. They made me feel like a friend and that we were the only people in the resort. 

And that’s the lesson… 

Whatever you do, whether it’s your sales process, your customer service, no matter what it is, it should be geared around your client.

 As consumers we all want and more importantly have a deep down desire to feel special and important. And we ultimately rate our experiences on the feeling that it gives us and in turn that creates an emotion that we associate with that experience and then we want to feel that emotion again and again!

So what are you doing to make your clients feel important and special?

Imagine that they were your only client. What would you do? How would you treat them? How could you surprise them? 

How can you create the emotions associated with feeling like THEY ARE your only client? 

If you have this mindset with all of your clients then you’re not going to go far wrong. 

……..I’m booking Disney again next year by the way.

Happy selling

Sean

Sean McPheat

Internet Marketing Consultant – Motivational Speaker

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It’s the World Cup, England are playing Algeria tonight and the time is right for World Cup Marketing offers and slants on what you do.

Here’s an innovative, relative and unique piece of marketing that just dropped into my inbox.

It’s an email from a recruitment firm:

“Dear Sean

Let the England Team pay your invoices today!!

Place your permanent vacancies today (18.6.10) and however many goals England score tonight (England v Algeria) we will deduct £100.00 from your fees!

1 goal – deduct £100.00
2 goals – deduct £200.00
And so on…..

If you want to place temp bookings – we will knock £0.10p per hour per goal off the hourly charge rate for the duration of your booking!

Place your vacancies by calling David Stew or Dawn Lawson on 02476 230800 or email

david.stew@irweb.co.uk  or dawn.lawson@irweb.co.uk 

With the exception of the above deductions usual terms of business for fee structure and rebate period will apply.

Interaction Recruitment – supporting you and the England team!!

Regards
Dawn Lawson
Branch Manager”

I’ve left Dawn’s email address and contact details on there because I want to promote this to you guys too.

Well done Dawn, a very effective piece of marketing.

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant – Sales Expert - Motivational Speaker