How Sellers Can Take Control

For centuries – at least since the serpent convinced Eve to eat the apple – sellers have assumed that getting the right information about a product into the right hands would offer a good chance of a sale.

But if you look at the numbers over the years, the success rate from prospecting to close has remained the same: in general, you close approximately 7% of your identified buyer population.

One would think that with the latest technology and techniques, with what you've learned about buyers over the years, with everything from predictors to salesforce.com to technology to new sales methods, the odds would change. But, if they change at all, the differential is minimal. You're still looking at a 90% failure rate, no matter what sales method, what predictive technology, what demographic study.

What's the deal? Why is this happening? I have a theory (You knew I would, right?): sellers believe that by doing all the right things, the prospect will know how to buy.

Let me say that a different way: the basic belief is that if you give the right people the right information at the right time, presented in just the right way, and you ask the right questions to learn just the right data about them and then pitch the product data accordingly, they will know how to buy. Right?

Why have you believed that? Because you haven't known how to get into the secret world of buyers. Because you've based your sales strategies on product sale. Because you've determined that information exchange (pitching and presenting, gathering client data) gets prospects to buy. Because as a breed (and I'm one so I can say this), sellers are arrogant, and assume we can somehow manipulate the situation in just the right way to close the deal (It's a power and control thing.).

But it doesn't work, or you'd close all of the deals that you think you should close. And you don't. And there doesn't seem to be a parallel equation between how well you sell, how great your product is, how appropriate your buyer is, how much your buyer needs the product, how much money your buyer has – and how soon they come back, if indeed they do.

I train clients in many industries, from banking to technology, from consulting to cosmetics, from 8 figure deals with highly complex sales to $15 sales. It all ends up the same: the buyer buy only when they align their internal systems (beliefs, values, relationships issues, management issues, initiatives, historic events, etc.) to address the relevent decision elements, so there will be no internal disruption when they take an action.

POWER AND CONTROL

Folks learning Buying Facilitation recognize that facilitating buying decisions has a much shorter time cycle, broader prospect reach, and greater success factor than pushing/pitching/presenting product, by a factor of at least 200%. Yet I hear them say: ‘But I'm used to being in control. If I'm going to help them make their own decision I'm out of control and I have to give the client too much power.'

What power and control do sellers actually have? When you're using product/information-based sales methods, you actually have control only over your product data; you have no control over the buyer's internal, hidden, buying decisions.

When using product-based sales methods – pitching, gathering problem-based data, designing ‘solutions' you believe they need - you're merely guessing at all of the internal variables that need to be managed before a decision gets made: you don't live within the buyer's culture and truly have no idea how to effect change within it.

That's right. I know you hate to hear this, but you are merely guessing.

* Do you know how your product would fit into their problem space? Probably.

* Do you know how your product would take care of the problem appropriately to give them what they say they want/need? Probably.

* Do you know how the buyer's historic system created and maintain the problem that your product solves? Probably not.

* Do you know exactly how the buying decision will get made, or how the internal systems variables (people, interventions, policies, relationships) need to be managed so a decision can get made congruently, that will address all hidden, unique issues? Probably not.

* Do you know how historic decisioning procedures help prejudice current decision behaviors? Probably not.

* Do you know how relationships with current vendors or partners need to be managed so they will congruently become part of the change? Probably not.

Yet until these are all managed, buyers won't buy. In fact, when your selling patterns only deal with solving what appears to be the identified problem, you actually giving up power and control because the power in the sales relationship lies with the buyer. Sales, as it is now, is an inappropriate model to support the buying decision process.

The decision is much bigger than choosing the right product.

INFORMATION

Let me give you an axiom: Information does not teach people how to make a decision.

While you're shaking your head in agreement, note that information is exactly what you use to get a closed deal. And that is the exact problem with the sales process. Information is being pushed in or pulled out. All, ALL, current sales methods use information as the main focus.

But if information doesn't teach people how to decide, then what does?

And, if you don't give them product information, how will you sell your product?

First of all, let me allay your fears. Buyers need product information, but they need it in Phase 2 of the sales cycle, when they've already determined how to manage, align, and address all internal elements that need to be managed before they can make a decision. Then they absolutely need information and then you can use some of your current sales techniques (although big pitch or complex presentation will be moot).

But, before a buyer can get to the point where they'll make a purchasing decision they run around making sure they handle all of the people and policies that created and maintain the problem. They will not – they will NOT – make a purchasing decision that will annoy anyone, or change anything someone deems sacred, or disrupt anything. This system discovery and alignment is Phase 1 of the sales cycle.

Information does NOT give you power or control. You want control? Lead buyers through their decision criteria with Facilitative Questions. I'm going to pose a Facilitative Question to give you some understanding of its power:

How do you know when it's time to change your hairstyle?

Let's look at this question:

1. given the wording, you cannot give me an answer about your furniture. This question, directs you to where I want you to think so you can uncover your values and decisions that ended up as a current behavior and ask you to make conscious your decision factors. Facilitative Questions, based on recognizing and managing values and unique criteria, lead the brain to the exact place it can recognize what went into a decision, and makes the subconscious conscious (and this is where decisions get made).

2. this question is criteria-based, not information-based. Otherwise it would be: Why do you wear your hair that way? Or Who gives you your haircuts? External information does not teach the listener how to begin to understand or manage their current decisions, nor get them to (re)consider their decision. The question above is based on the values that were affected when the decision got made – values and criteria an outsider would never understand (Face shape? Internal desire? Self image? Fashion? Historic data? Husband/Mother/Friend influence?).

3. the answer can only come from the listener, making the questioner the person leading the listener to a brain search. Offering information or asking a content-based question (Why do you wear that style?)does not teach you how to make a new decision, but gets you to recount decisions you've already made.

So – you want control? There you have it. Lead your buyers through their decision-making process by helping them understand all of the elements that went into helping them get where they are. And not just the people problems and initiatives that sit around the identified problem, and are plainly visible: all of the systems elements that are somehow entwined around the problem that must be managed for change to occur. Use your position as an external ‘other' to help people look into places they might not have looked into on their own. In this way, you can support a new decision, while placing yourself on the buyer's decision team at the same time. Then you can become a true trusted advisor, while using true control to help others make their best decisions. The product sale will happen when buyers decide how to buy. After all, do you want to sell? Or have someone buy?

Lead Companies, Eight Features To Consider

So now the time has come to invest in Lead companies, but how do you know which one is the right one for you?

When I was a new loan officer, finding a lead company was not easy, I can remember logging onto Yahoo, typing in the key word “mortgage leads” and being bombarded with links leading me in the direction of lead companies all claiming to have the best leads and the best deal for me!

But what was the best deal for me? That all depended on what I was looking for, so taking my time, I began to right down exactly what it was I was looking for, did I want refi’s, purchases, or both. Did I want leads from several states or just one, how much could I afford? Etc., etc.

Before I invested any money, I decided I was really going to do my home work, I went to sites of the companies I was considering to read their terms and conditions, I spoke with reps in their customer service department and asked many questions, I went to lead site reviews posted on the web to see what kind of experience other loan officers had with the companies I was considering.

One thing to keep in mind, No lead company can guarantee you a 100% closure ratio, and they are very up front about that, if that is what you are looking for, you can end your search now.

Still with me? Good!

Here are a few things to consider before committing

1) Pricing

If you are on a tight budget, and have, lets say, $100.00 to spend, you will have to narrow your search to the lead companies that accept a $100.00 or lower minimum or will meet whatever spending limit you have set for yourself. Some companies have deposit requirements, not allowing you to deposit less than $500.00, so this would not be the company for you.

2) Lead Generation

Find out where the company is generating their leads from. Some companies recycle their leads and sell them many time over. They also buy their leads in bulk off of other companies and resell them, so make sure you ask this very important question up front.

3) Return Policy

Look for a company with a liberal return policy, the best way to find out this information is through lead site reviews. If you receive a lead with bogus contact information, there is no reason why you should not get your money back.

4) Quantity vs. Quality

Be careful when you buy in bulk, when you can spend $100.00 and receive 50 leads, chances are the leads are old and are being recycled, and the closing ratio isn’t so good. If you can spend $100.00 and receive five to ten fresh leads, you may be better off, and also have a much better closure ratio.

5) Cherry Picking vs. Filters

Cherry picking is a nice feature, and a very popular one, it allows you to go into a site and view a lead before you purchase it, some sites even let you know how many times it has been sold. Filters are also very nice features, they allow you to predetermine what kind of lead you want, and when a lead comes in matching your filter criteria, it is sent directly to you via e-mail or fax.

6) Customer service

As in all business’, customer service is key, and the way they handle themselves on the phone can be perceived as a good indication as to how their company is run. If you are struggling to get a hold of someone, or your phone calls are not being returned, they are most likely not worth doing business with.

7) Referral

One of the best ways to find a mortgage lead company, is to have one referred to you by a co-worker, or by someone within you organization who has had success with a lead company. Ask around and see what you can come up with.

8) Exclusive vs. Nonexclusive

If you want to receive leads exclusively, you will pay a steeper price, however this lead will be sold to you only, doing away with your competition. Non exclusives leads are sold on average three to five times, it usually will cut the cost of the lead in half, but keep in mind, you are now competing with other loan officers. Remember, you get what you pay for.

One last thing..

By considering these eight features of mortgage lead companies, you are well on your way to choosing the best lead company for you, and at the right price. But don’t stop here, continue to gather as much information as you can before you invest, I can’t stress enough just how valuable the lead review sites are, check them out, it will be worth your time.

How to Acquire More Leads

The most effective prospecting techniques were revealed in the August 1st, 2002, issue of TIP (URL at end of article) that resulted from a survey of financial advisors earning over $200,000 annually.

Here's how they rated the following techniques:

1. 100.0% for Referrals from clients, and non-clients
2. 69.6% for Contacting clients by phone, or in person
3. 60.9% for Seminars, teaching classes
4. 60.9% for Speeches, talks to civic, trade, and select audiences
5. 56.5% for Participation in organizations composed of clients
6. 47.8% for Printed newsletter, mailed or hand-delivered
7. 43.5% for Electronic newsletter, faxed, e-mailed, or on website
8. 43.5% for Writing articles for newspapers, magazines, or books
9. 34.8% for Professional public relations
10. 26.1% for Cold e-mailing, faxing, or mailing brochures, etc.
11. 21.7% for Working with the media
12. 17.4% for Cold calling, by phone, or in person
13. 17.4% for Website focusing on you, and your business
14. 8.7% for Directory listings
15. 4.3% for Advertising in newspapers, magazines

To improve your prospecting reallocate time or money that you’ve been spending on techniques in the lower part of the list to those you have yet to try in the upper part.

The easiest one to add is a newsletter. Start by buying one where you can print or email it to clients, and prospects.

Then ask clients you’ve been sending it to for referrals. In the first issue to these referrals include a note that says “Bill Smith told me you’d find my newsletter useful”.

To maximize referrals work in a niche market. If you deal mainly with dentists, for example, they know other dentists to whom they can refer you as someone who specializes in advising dentists.

Your seminars, speeches, newsletters, etc. can also target their needs.

Successful prospecting is an ongoing regular process. It’s the raw material, the ore, from which sales are made.

So make prospecting your primary daily activity.

Breaking Through The Comfort Zone Barrier

After completing a workshop on personal productivity or time management, we usually find participants react to the instruction on goal-setting in one of three ways:

1. Some workshop attendees really don’t want their lives to change nor does a greater level of achievement appeal that much to them. Therefore, they do nothing as a result of the training and their number of sales remains the same as they were before attending the training session.

2. Other trainees get excited about the techniques for improving their lives and begin setting goals that get them fired up for short periods of time. They don’t place enough importance on the procedures, however. Without the daily discipline of reinforcing the ideas and methods they have learned, they quickly fall back into a more comfortable routine and soon, like the first group, are doing nothing more to achieve their sales goals.

3. The third group of workshop participants open up their minds to the concepts taught and carefully set new sales goals. They then commit to follow through on them and systematically work through the comfort zone barrier to obtain their objectives. These are the participants who ultimately achieve much higher numbers of sales and improved closing ratios.

Whenever you try to change your attitudes or your habit patterns, you run smack into a personal comfort zone. These are the natural barriers or roadblocks of your mind. It’s the part in each of us that silently says, “I like things just the way they are—comfortable thanks!” Once you’ve settled down for the night in a big easy chair with your shoes off to watch television or read a book, it’s difficult to put your shoes back on, get dressed up to go out again.

Selling used to be a whole lot more comfortable. But the marketplace changed all the rules on us. Now you have to sell rather than take orders. You have to set goals and track your progress. You have to get out of that easy chair, put your shoes back on, turn off the television and get going all over again.

If you look closely at why change makes you uncomfortable, you can begin to overcome your natural resistance to it. When you have to change how you do things—learn new behaviors—it will take a lot of practice (spaced repetition) before you feel competent in the new activity. When you feel less confident about your actions, you have a high degree of discomfort—it’s only natural. It’s the fear of looking foolish.

Think about how employees felt when the company installed a new computer system, or when the government required another form to complicate reporting, or when you first learned about the internet or when PDA’s were first introduced. PDAs, the internet and computers still make, some people extremely uncomfortable, even fearful.

Change is a fact of life. How you react to it is a matter of personal choice—a matter of attitude. Unfortunately, fear of looking foolish is not the only comfort zone barrier you face when trying to achieve specific goals. Another obstacle occurs with well-meaning friends, co-workers and relatives. They’re the people who often, unintentionally, discourage you from trying to attain our goals. Motivational professionals call them “dream stealers.” They’re the ones who find the flaws in your character or in your plans. They point out to you all the reasons why something you want to try won’t succeed. The barrier they create is one of criticism or fear and it’s a tough one to break through. It’s a lot easier and more comfortable to go along with the crowd. When dealing with nay-sayers, you must remember that they don’t want you to become more successful than they are. The way to get through their barrier is to affirm to yourself that change is possible and that you will allow no one but yourself to control your personal success.

The fear of failing is yet another barrier. This barrier occurs when you think about what you don’t want to happen in the future or dwell on what may have happened in the past. To allow this barrier to creep into our thoughts is to misuse your imagination. Your attitude about failure should be that it is merely a stepping-stone to success. If you never fail, it means you have never taken any action.

Your comfort zone barriers—the fear of looking foolish, the fear of criticism, the fear of being successful and the fear of failure—are quite simply attitudes. They are the negative mindsets you allow yourself to have. You can become as successful as you allow yourself to be. So start today to break through your individual barriers. Set your goals and program your mind for success through positive affirmations and positive attitudes.

"What lies behind us and what lies in front of us, pales in significance when compared to what lies within us."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson –

Writing Effective Sales Messages

A sales letter is a document designed to generate sales. It is a distinctive type of persuasive letter. It persuades the reader to place an order, to request additional information, or to lend support to the product or service or cause being offered. For most sectors other than retail, a sales letter is the first and most important way of reaching new customers. The purpose in writing a sales message is to sell a product. It influences the reader to take a specific action by making an offer-not an announcement-to him. Sales letter attempts to persuade readers to spend their time and money on the value being offered. To sell, the sales letter must be specific, go to the right audience, appeal to the readers needs, and it must be informative.

Before writing the sales letter you need to plan about the type of sale campaign that you will conduct. Whether you will send a letter only or will you include brochures, reply forms, special inserts, samples, response cards etc.? How do you plan to market the product or service? Through the Internet, direct mail, email, direct sales, print advertising, etc.? Do you need other advertising or literature to support the sales letter? Who is your competition? How are they marketing this product or service? What is your advertising budget? Are your marketing hopes realistic? Another important decision is to determine the specific purpose of your letter. Whether you want your reader to call for a free video, presentation or demonstration? Or you want your reader to fill out an order form? For these you need to know and analyze your audience and the purpose for writing. Try to form a mental image of the typical buyer for the product you wish to sell. Ask yourself:

• Who is your prospective buyer?

• What motivates a person to buy this item?

• What might the reader want to know about this product?

• What does the product or service do for the one who needs it?

• What can the reader gain from buying it?

• What is unique selling point of the product or service?

• Does your offer appeal to the reader?

• Can you transform him from prospect to buyer?

A sales letter is one of the important instruments of sales promotion. The principles of effective sales letter depends on your communication skill and your ability to convince your reader to accept or act on your recommendations. You may be promoting a product, a service or an idea; your sales letter should catch the reader’s attention, build interest, and motivate him to buy the product or service offered. A good sales letter should possess the following qualities:

Emphasize good looks

Design your document for visual impact. Make it easy to navigate so your reader reaches for it first-ahead of the competition's. You can create professional-looking templates for your sales letter that use your company logo, branding and colors.

‘You’ Attitude

The most effective word in a sales letter is "you". Never begin a letter with "I" because chances are the reader won't get to the second word. It all comes down to selling benefits - your prospects are not interested in the features of your products services, but in what how your products or services can benefit them. Then it must build a reader's trust. It should make generous use of "you" and "your" - so it is clear the customer's needs come first, not your desire to sell something.

Use bullets

The body of your letter should contain key points, shown by bullets. Use bullets because it makes the letter easy to read. As the writer or seller, you benefit by immediately pointing your reader in the direction of the important points you want to make.

Keep your letter brief

It's rare that someone is going to read anything past the first page, so keep your letter to one page. Staying at one page will also force you to be to the point, since a wordy letter is an ineffective letter.

Use statistics

Using statistics shows that you understand the issues of their business, while demonstrating that your product or service can solve a problem. It also gives your prospect a reason to support your product or service within the company.

Show your prospect's needs

Your sales letter is a very brief sales proposal, so you need to show that you are thinking about your prospect's needs. You might be hesitant to put your best ideas in your letter, fearing that your prospect will use them but not hire your company. That's a mistake. By putting your ideas in your letter, you will make your prospects feel like they are getting something already, and that they will benefit from your products or services. More importantly, you will be demonstrating that you are creative and have your client's best interests in mind.

Use right tone

Use the right tone in your writing. Use active voice. Use the present tense. Be positive. Avoid negatives. Keep sentences and paragraphs short.

Proof read

Proof read your letter before you send it out. This will help you determine if your letter is clear and if you're getting your point across. Also, misspelled word or other careless mistake will give bad impression to the reader.

One of the most effective strategies to plan and write effective sales letter is to follow the four steps in your letter which are:

• Catch attention
• Build interest
• Establish credibility
• Motivate action

Catch attention

To be effective, a sales letter must catch reader’s attention. Design your document for visual impact to catch the reader’s attention by using graphics such as layout, colour scheme or illustrations. You can grab attention with an eye-catching headline or an interesting opening. This might be a question or statement. The opening should be short, honest, relevant, interesting and stimulating. Keep it quite general to appeal to as many people as possible. There are many possibilities for opening your sales letter that could persuade the reader to buy. Make a compelling promise for the reader, tell a story that the reader can identify with, make an announcement of a new product or service showcasing your unique selling point or ask a question.

The headline encourages your prospects and leads them to your next line. There you start to build their interest and ensure they read the next sentence and each subsequent one.

Build interest

Besides a powerful headline, your sales letter must have an immediate clear benefit for the intended audience. To build interest in your sales message you should highlight your product’s central selling point, the single point around which you will build your sales message. Be upfront and bold about promising a prize or a tangible reward in exchange for time and attention. Whatever product or service you are selling you need to position it so that its benefits provide one or more of the following common desires:

- To make or save money
- To be healthy
- To be popular or to maintain a social status
- To have security
- To have free time or save labour
- To get entertainment, comfort or amusement
- To take advantage of opportunities
- To be good looking
- To achieve inner peace

Show them how your product will benefit them in making their lives better, safer or easier. How will it save them time, trouble, worry or money? Look at their ultimate goal and relate it to that. Why should they buy from you? For example, state what makes you an expert in your chosen field. How can you prove what you are claiming is true? Once you have listed down the key benefits of the service or product and positioned yourself as the person to deliver it, the time is right to deliver your sales pitch. Persuade your reader to buy based on the grounds of what the product or service does for him or her (benefit), not what the product or service is (feature)!

A benefit is what the product or service does, and what the buyer gains from the feature. A benefit is the specific outcome of the feature. A feature is something the product or service already has. Benefits are what motivate people to buy. Bullet point each benefit to make it easier to read. Think about every possible benefit your reader may derive from your product or service. In many cases, people will buy a product or service based on only one of the benefits you list.

Besides the benefit stated at the letter's opening, you can bolster interest by adding high-profile testimonials from associates or former clients. Testimonials from happy customers are very useful for this purpose, as are quotes from established third parties such as industry leaders or reputable specialists. Opinions, figures and independent statistics are also likely to reinforce your message. Ultimate motivations are what people “really” want. The product or service is just a vehicle to providing these benefits so make sure your sales letter focuses on these motivational factors.

Establish credibility

You need to establish credibility and be believable by the second paragraph. You must anticipate the reader’s objections and doubts and offer counter arguments. There are several ways of overcoming reader’s doubts which must be used with good judgment and should be related with the main appeal of the letter. You can provide testimonials, money-back guarantees, trial offers, attractive warranties or free samples. Using too many points to establish credibility will not be effective. To gain credibility for you and your request, present just one fact, strengthened, if necessary, by an opinion or fact as a proof.

Motivate action

It’s important to remember that people are motivated to buy based on their emotions and justify their purchase based on logic only after the sale. This means that each step in the sales letter process must build on the reader’s emotions to a point where they are motivated to take action. Encourage the reader to act by an easy and clear method of responding. Close with summarizing the central selling point and clear instructions for an easy action to be taken. To motivate, you can offer a gift, limit the offer, guarantee satisfaction, or promise an incentive.

End with an action: What result do you want from your letter? Are you looking to get a face-to-face appointment? Are you answering questions raised at a previous meeting? Do you want to make your prospect better informed? Do you need to get a signed contract? You need to close your letter by requesting a specific, quantifiable action. For example: "I will call you on Thursday, May 18 at 10 a.m. to schedule meeting" or "Please return the enclosed contract by Friday, April 21, or call me if you have any other questions".

WRITING A SALES LETTER:

Like any other business letter, a sales letter has three parts – introduction, the body of the letter and the concluding paragraph. Let us examine in detail how to draft these three components of a sales letter. The important thing in a sales letter is the sequence which is as following:

Introduction
Body of the letter
Conclusion

Introduction

The introductory paragraph of a sales letter starts with an opening sentence which has a vital role to play. In many instances, the opening sentence is the only sentence that is read, so it must immediately appeal to reader’s interests. There are several ways of writing an opening sentence in a sales letter, some of them are listed here with the examples: A provocative question: What would the leaning tower fall for? The leaning tower of Pisa would only be put to shame by architectural splendor that outshines its own like the new range of luxury bathroom accessories. What can you get these days for Rs. 15? Enjoy the finest that life has to offer just for Rs. 15 every month!

A striking information: We are the Number 1! We are the number 1 in revenue, customer base and customer satisfaction.

A story or an anecdote: Mr. Bala went shopping with his saving with our VISA credit card. What will you do with yours? Our credit card offers 5% bonus savings on all purchases for first six months.

A significant fact: Hearing Loss – you may not be aware of… Only about 25% of people who need hearing aid use them.

Most people have a vocabulary of 2-3,000 words and even a scholar uses no more then 5-6,000 words in his daily life. But there are around 500,000 words in English language and you can use many of them to enrich your vocabulary by using our ‘Vocabulary Builder’.

Split opening: You know English, but are you quite fluent in it? It may sound incredible but classrooms can’t help you achieve fluency. No, they can’t. No! Nor can audio video sessions. Nor translation. But ‘Rapid English Fluency’ can help you.

A conditional sequence: If home is where the most number of accidents take place, think of Woodcoat Paint as insurance.

Special offers: Free gifts! Yours for giving the digest as a gift this Puja and Diwali – free diary for the year 2005 whether you order several subscriptions or just one will receive this big, handy year 2005 desk diary free.

Wings to give your children’s career a head start! Avail the special offer of financial assistance for spectrum of educational opportunities in India and abroad.

Body of the letter

You may have a lead paragraph in the body of the letter. This part of the sales letter can be used to expand the promise made in the headline or used to deliver a second major benefit of the product or service. A sub-headline can also be used as the second part, to answer a question posed in the headline. For example, Part 1 could say: "Want to learn Kannada in 30 days?” Part 2 could say: "Well, here's how to . . .”

In the body of the sales letter you will begin to offer proof. You expand the theme, fill in details, offer proof, and show how you plan to fulfill the promise you made in the headline. Here, you give details of your unique selling point. You continue talking about the benefits and offer proof of the claim you made early. You share the details of the benefits. Prove your claim or statements by facts, logic or testimony. There are several ways of doing so, choose one that suits your products best. Following are some examples:

Trial offers: Get on the fitness trail! Enjoy our free offer to use our machine in comfort of your house for a week. If you are not satisfied we will take it back, no questions asked.

Guarantees: Guarantee of satisfaction

You always come first with us and your complete satisfaction is our prime concern. If you are not delighted with our product you may return it anytime for 100 % refund.

Free samples: To enable you to see for yourself how convenient it is to handle closet organizers, we are sending you a free sample.

Testimonials: Ritu Sharma, Bangalore: “How the web changed my world! It can change yours too. The Sify internet connectivity provided me the ability to communicate with people all over the planet and gave me access to information all around the world.”

You need to explain the qualities of your product and its special features and convince your reader that your claims are true. Remember, by the end of the body, the goal is to create an emotional response that will cause the reader to do what you are now going to tell him to do.

Closing:

In the closing part of your sales letter your goal is to motivate action. Recapitulate your points and make a final appeal. You may give a limited time offer, or limited quantity offer or special bargain etc. Use a Post Script. For example, "If you order before March 1, we will include a free . . ." Or "Money back guaranteed . . ." Or "Discount is good until . . ." If you ask the reader to order, support, or to contact you for the specified reason you must make it easy for him to reply. Support the sales letter with a post card or an order form. If appropriate, supply a toll free telephone number, an Email link, and or your URL. Always close with a thank you and use a signature at the end of the letter. Save one of the best points for last.

15 Ways To Get Really Motivated

First, recognize that motivation is an inside job. The word motivate means to impel, inspire, hope, stimulate, incite, propel, spur, goad, move, induce, prompt, instigate, fire, provoke, actuate, cause, egg on, drive, excite, and to trigger. Don’t wait for someone to motivate you, here are 15 ways you can motivate yourself.

1. Set daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and lifetime goals. A goal is a goal if it’s writing. Goals get you going in the direction that’s right for you.

2. Listen to a motivational tape. Record into a tape recorder your favorite quotes, anecdotes and personal success stories. Play back your tape frequently. Nothing is more motivating than the sound of your own voice. Try it!

3. Get motivated to make better telephone calls by buying Art Sobczak’s new book, “How To Sell More In Less Time With No Rejection.” To order call Art at 402-895-9399.

4. To overachieve every quota you are given take this advice. First write yourself a check dated for 12/31/05 payable to yourself and write how much you want to earn on the amount line. Make three laminated copies and put one in your briefcase, auto console, and home office. Second, always aim higher than the quota you are given. If you adjust your aim, the results will follow.

5. Buy an inspirational book of quotations and keep it in your car. Read three quotes daily. Remember - inspirational words usually inspire us.

6. Invest 15 minutes daily to read books and articles about the selling profession. This is gourmet food for your brain. Don’t skip a day.

7. Get a mentor, preferably one outside of your company. The truly successful people never go it alone.

8. To jack-up your sales performance, prepare your own laminated cue cards. Create cue cards for making appointments, your 12 best questions, for handling the price objection, and for asking for the order. Each cue card should be prepared word-for-word. Your performances will sky-rocket.

9. Buy a composition notebook for your car. Record your successes, failures, and daily observations about your selling environment.

10. Read the “The Ancient Scrolls” an inspiring book by Tim Connor. To order call 800-222-9070.

11. To get motivated about improving your personal financial situation, set a personal net worth goal and write it on a spread sheet, then review it monthly. Self worth increases proportionately with net worth.

12. Tell your family if you achieve 110% or more of your annual sales quota - you’ll take them anywhere they want to go on vacation.

13. Tell your family when you reach a new monthly sales record milestone, you’ll take them out to celebrate.

14. Select one song that really gets you moving and play it every morning as you back out of your driveway.

15. Make a dinner date with your spouse tonight then go some place special.

Every day is a great day, especially if you don’t see your name in the obituary section of the paper.

It's easy to make every day a masterpiece when you're motivated.

Paramus, New Jersey: Retailing Paradise!

Situated in the heart of Bergen County, New Jersey at the crossroads of state highways 4 and 17 is the town of Paramus, home to some 30,000 residents, but also home to one of the largest retail meccas in the world. Let’s take a look at Paramus and what has made this town such a popular destination for shoppers.

Convenience – Nearly one million people live in Bergen County, but draw a 75 mile radius with Paramus at the center of it and the figure mushrooms to over 20 million people! Yes, all of northern and central New Jersey, New York City, southern New York State and parts of Long Island and Connecticut fall within this circle. That makes for a lot of potential shoppers in such a compact area.

Malls – Four big malls plus several free standing retail establishments are located within the town. The largest is the Garden State Plaza, a beautifully enclosed mall with over two million square feet of retail space. The Garden State Plaza features 280 establishments including Nordstrom, JC Penney, Lord and Taylor, Macy’s, and Nieman Marcus. Other nearby malls include the Bergen Mall,, Paramus Park, and the Fashion Center. Smaller malls include The Mall at IV and Thirty Five Plaza plus free standing retail establishments like home furnishing giant, IKEA.

Tax Free – In New Jersey, there is no tax assessed on clothing purchases. For nearby New Yorkers, this is an attractive reason why a trip to one of Paramus’ many retail destinations is so desirable. New Yorkers pay 8.25% tax on clothing, so the savings can be significant especially when purchasing back to school clothing, a uniform, a fur coat, etc. New Jersey’s sales tax rate is 6% for most other items.

Closed on Sundays – Perhaps the biggest reason why Paramus is such a success is that most retail establishments must remain closed on Sundays. Blue laws are still in effect and the trade off that residents have made over the years was to allow all the stores in, but with one caveat: your business must be done in six days.

Paramus isn’t for everyone, indeed Saturday traffic can be stifling and the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas can bring regular and constant traffic jams. Still, zip code 07652 – Paramus, New Jersey – is the second highest performing retail district in the nation, wedged between two popular New York City zips: 10022 and 10001. Visit the U.S. Census Bureau’s site at www.census.gov for their Economic Census Report by Zip Code report for more information.

Closing Sales Is Not A Problem, It's A Process

In my opinion, the most overrated topic in sales training is the subject of closing. In year’s past, it seems the object of most sales training courses was to fill the heads of participants with as many closing techniques as possible. The logic was simple, if the “Ben Franklin” close didn’t work, you could rummage around in your head for the the “secondary question” technique, the “order-blank” method or the “forced choice” close to tie off your sale. Selling in the old school of training was basically learning 54 or 84 ways to close.

Today, most successful sales professionals know that if you use a consultative sales process, one with a series of selling steps like those listed below, the close (asking for the business) will literally take care of itself. Closing is an integral part of the following; a solid sales process--not a specific stand alone technique:

- Building rapport and trust;

- Obtaining your prospect's attention;

- Probing for problems, opportunities, needs and values;

- Demonstrating products based on the specific needs you have discovered,

- Asking trial closing questions and answering objections, then

- Asking for the business.

By first building rapport with a prospective customer or client, a sales or service industry professional can create the trust that our research shows is vital to consistently obtaining sales success. Through using an attention getting provocative question and then taking away your offer, you can open your prospect's mind to answering your questions and later accept the suggestions that you make in your sales presentation. By asking open-ended, probing questions, you can learn about hidden needs and problems that can be solved by your products and/or services. Through effectively demonstrating your products and/or services, answering objections and asking trial closing questions, you then set the stage for closing the sale. All that is left in this process is to ask for the business.

In my self-directed learning manual entitled Sales Success Strategies, (see www.TheSellingEdge.com/manual1.htm) I explore the steps that must precede a successful close. This unique learning guide won't give you a dozen closing techniques to memorize, nor a list of power words that will impel your prospect, client or customer to sign on the dotted line, because these words and closes simply don't work with today's sophisticated consumers. If you take time to review them and apply them to your daily sales activities, the ideas discussed can make a significant difference in your ability to regularly generate business for your company or professional firm.

VIRDEN THORNTON is the founder and President of The $elling Edge®, Inc. a firm specializing in sales, customer relations, and management training and development. Clients have included Sears Optical, Eastman Kodak, IBM, Deloitte & Touché, Bank One, Jefferson Pilot, and Wal-Mart to name a few. Virden is the author of Prospecting: The Key To Sales Success and the best selling Building & Closing the Sale, Fifty-Minute series books and Close That Sale, a video/audio tape series published by Crisp Publications, Inc. Menlo Park, California. He has also authored a Self-Directed Learning series of sales, coaching & team development, telemarketing, and personal productivity training guides.

How To Dramatically Improve Sales Closing Ratios

A closing question asks for a final decision. A trial-closing question is one that asks prospects for an opinion. Trial-closings should be non-threatening questions that ask how your prospective customer feels about what you have presented. Typical trial-closing questions can build in their directness as these examples illustrate:

• “How does this approach sound?”

• “Which of the two demonstrated packages do you like best?”

• “Do you see how this approach can save you money?”

• “What are your feelings about our guarantee program?”

• “Do you need additional information before making a decision these products and/or services?"

Ron Willingham, one of today’s top sales trainers has stated, “From the time you begin your demonstration to the point you feel a close is appropriate, your objective is to get opinions, reactions, feelings or feedback.” Without asking trial-closing questions you’ll never have enough information to effectively close a sale.

When a sales or service industry professional closes after a presentation, tying off a sale is made much easier when trial-closing questions are executed throughout the presentation phase of your discussion. For example:

“Paul, how do you feel about our program as it has been explained to you?”

- or -

“Paul, can you see how the cost savings in our plan will more than offset the cost of installation?”

When you close on an appointment, tying off an appointment (sale) is made much easier when you use trial closings throughout the conversation. For example:

“Bob, with your busy schedule, would an afternoon or early morning meeting time be best for you?”

- or -

“What this means to you, John, is that you can receive a free analysis on your present services with no obligation to purchase our services. Can you see how a 15, no more than 20 minute meeting might clarify some of your issues with your present vendor and give you the information you need to make a sound decision?”

As you receive a favorable response from your trial closings, it really makes it difficult for your prospects to give you an arbitrary “no,” when you later ask them to purchase your product or package of products that you have demonstrated. As you practice using trial-closing questions, you'll watch your closing ratios and profitability dramatically improve.

Finding a Used Mannequin

Many stores on a budget choose to buy a used mannequin. Used mannequins are a good deal for several reasons. Many stores do not see the purpose in buying new mannequins when used ones work just as well. While some used mannequins may have slight damage or need to be repainted, most of them look as good as new. Many places offer used mannequins for rent as well.

Buying a used mannequin can be a perfect solution for a store working with a budget. A used mannequin can cost hundreds of dollars less than a new one. Most used mannequins are in like new condition, with only minor problems. There are a wide variety of used mannequins available, including males, females, and children. Some used mannequins can even be posed, so they are not stuck in one position. Some people may be concerned that used mannequins will look too dated or have haircuts that are out of style. This is not much of a concern because used mannequins usually do not look much different than newer models. Any differences can be ignored or easily fixed. Used mannequins can be repainted or refurbished if they need to be updated.

Stores that only need a mannequin for a limited amount of time should consider renting a used mannequin. Most websites or stores that sell used mannequins have a wide selection of rental mannequins as well. Rental mannequins are reused over and over again, so the rental companies have a good incentive to constantly update and refurbish the mannequins so customers will continue to rent them.

Buying or renting a used mannequin is the perfect solution for stores operating on a budget. Most used mannequins look as good as new and can have the same stylish look of a new mannequin. Renting a mannequin is a great idea for stores that only need a mannequin temporarily.

Psychological Tricks in Selling

In this article, I'm revealing six powerful secret
psychological tricks that you can use to increase the
effectiveness of your advertising and marketing. What if
you don't sell anything? Should you ignore this information?

You ARE selling something. Whether you are a Real Estate
agent selling multi-million dollar homes, or a worker trying
to sell your boss on the idea that you are a valuable
employee, everybody is selling something. So it would be
wise to learn these secret tricks and use them to achieve
your own personal success.

The secret psychological tricks that I am going to reveal
are not really secret. They have been used by shrewed
salesman for millenium. Their existence was revealed back
in 1984 by Dr. Robert Cialdini in his book "Influence : The
Psychology of Persuasion".

You will recognize these tricks being used everywhere in
advertising today. Now you will be able to put them to use
to enhance your own personal success.

Psychological Selling Trick Number 1: Reciprocity

Reciprocity works like this: you give someone something of
value for free. That individual feels an obligation to
return the favor. Reciprocity is a very powerful principle.

To use reciprocity as a marketing tool, you give people
something of value for free, they reciprocate by purchasing
your product or service. But you would be surprised how
many advertisers totally blow it. Either they don't
understand the concept of "free", or they don't have total
faith in the principle of reciprocity.

For example, consider the offer "get a free camera when you
subscribe to our magazine for two years." That's not free.
Or, "free installation with a one year commitment." That's
not free. The customer is paying with an obligation. No sale.

Consider the offer,"receive the latest issue of our
magazine absolutely free. No bill will be sent." If the
prospective customer finds the magazine to be of value,
they feel an obligation to subscribe. Or, "one month of
free Internet service. No credit card required." If the
Internet service performs well, the prospective customer
feels an obligation to sign up.

The trick is to create something that has high perceived
value to a prospective customer, but costs you little or
nothing to produce. Free information is a good example.
Here again many advertisers totally blow it. The free
information turns out to be nothing more than blatant
advertising.

Free samples of your product or service is another good
example. Again, many businesses blow it. They either
produce a cheaper version of their product to use as free
samples, or they use the free sample campaign as a means
to dump reject product.

The largest Internet Service Provider is well known for
giving away hundreds of hours of service for free. No
credit card required. The largest cookie company is famous
for giving away free cookies. Reciprocity is a very powerful
marketing strategy.

Psychological Selling Trick Number 2: Scarcity

Scarcity works like this: There is a limited amount of the
item available. After those are gone, the item will not be
available. "urgency" implies Scarcity. For example, "this
offer will be honored only for a limited time".

The effectiveness of the scarcity principle is well
demonstrated by the large segment of the population involved
in pursuing antiques, collectibles, and memorabilia simply
because these items are scarce. Scarcity is often contrived,
as when a company produces a "limited edition".

For example, when Disney releases a limit edition of one of
its classic stories - yes, limited to a production of more
copies than they could ever possibly sell - then it goes in
the "vault". And how fortunate we'll be a few years from
now when they decide to do us the favor of taking it back
out of the vault.

Note: Manufactured items, especially DVDs and CD-ROMs,
cannot be "scarce". It's a simple matter to put the
manufacturing dies back into production. All scarcities of
manufactured items are contrived.

One popular incarnation of scarcity is the "going out of
business sale". Customers somehow don't pick up on the
fact that the mark-downs are not that great, or that the
store has new merchandise coming in the back door to take
advantage of the increase in traffic.

Scarcity is a very powerful marketing tool. There are many
ways to contrive scarcity. You can create a limited edition,
or for items like information products, scarcity can exist
in the form of urgency by creating a limited time offer.

Psychological Selling Trick Number 3: Commitment

Commitment involves getting a prospective customer to take
a tiny step towards a goal. For example, you might get them
to request free information, or fill out a survey. When the
prospective customer takes that first step, they have made
a commitment, however tentative, towards the goal you have
set out for them. They are likely to take another step.

One example of this process is the "two step" method used
in mail order. When a mail order marketer runs an
advertisement, they don't even try to sell the product.
Instead, the advertisement offers free information. A
prospective customer makes that first commitment towards
purchasing the product by requesting the free information.
The free information they receive is designed to entice
them to take the next step.

Another example of using commitment as a marketing tool is
a survey. By checking a few boxes and answering a few
questions, a prospective customer takes that first step
towards a commitment. The result they receive from the
survey is designed to entice them to take the next step.

Yet another example of using commitment as a marketing tool
is a lottery. For example, people enter their name and
address on a ticket for a chance to win a new car. A
salesman uses that information to contact them. By entering
their name and address on the lottery ticket, the individual
has made a commitment to own that new car.

The most common example of the principle of commitment are
those long-winded full page advertisements in magazines.
The prospective customer invests a great deal of time
reading through the entire advertisement. That investment
of time represents a commitment. They are likely to take
the next step, responding to the advertisement.

To use the psychological power of commitment in your
advertising, don't try to sell your product or service in
your ad. Instead, use a survey, contest, or free information
to get a prospective customer to make that first step
towards a commitment to purchase your product.

Psychological Selling Trick Number 4: Consensus

Consensus involves getting prospective customers to believe
that "everybody's doing it". Everybody is just waiting in
line to purchase your product. Everybody can't be wrong, so
the product must be fantastic!

Of course you're smart enough to know that everybody CAN be
wrong. Everybody thought that SUVs were safe vehicles (they
roll over). Everybody thought Enron was a great investment
(it went bankrupt). Everybody thought Iraq had weapons of
mass destruction (well maybe not everybody). You're an
independent thinker.

Here are some examples of headlines using the consensus
principle: "It's the new sensation crossing the country",
"People are signing up in droves", "People just can't get
enough of them", "Record sales", "Unbelievable response!"
and "Join millions of smart consumers". Combine this with
a stock photograph of a large group of people, a long line
of people, or a crowd of people, and you have a powerful
consensus message.

Note: Many people don't think they're having fun unless
they're in a large, noisy crowd. Unfortunately, every
large crowd contains a few lunatics. When things go wrong,
the crowd stampedes and people get hurt, or killed. When I
see a large crowd, I head the other way.

Fortuately, most people are not independent thinkers. They
act like a herd of cattle. Use the consensus principle in
your advertising, and people, like lemmings headed for the
sea, will come in waves to buy your product.

Psychological Selling Trick Number 5: Authority

Authority involves getting prospective customers to believe
that someone who is knowledgeable or famous uses your
product or service. If a knowledgeable or famous person uses
your product, then it must be fantastic!

The bigger the authority, the more powerful the advertising
message will be. For example, doctors are authorities. "Most
doctors prescribe Tylenol for arthritis pain". Large
organizations are authorities. "The National Heart
Association says - Quaker oatmeal is good for your heart."
The Federal Government is an authority. "The U.S. Food and
Drug Administration says whole wheat bread is part of a
complete diet". If only we could think of a way to use God
as an authority!

Here's how to use the principle of authority in advertising:
search the Internet for any references to your product or
service. Find an article that alludes to your product being
of value. For example, let's say you sell black T-shirts.
You find an article by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
that says "bees are attracted to bright colored clothing".
Your copy: "The U.S. Department of Agriculture that says my
T-shirts protect you from attack by stinging insects."

Most advertising using the authority principle is taken out
of context and exaggerated. Some advertising uses totally
fake authorities. "My dog biscuits are recommended by the
International Association of Dog Nutritionists" (an
organization I started last week). Some advertising uses a
"study" as an authority. "A recent study found that my
lemonade tastes better than any other brand" (my mother
liked it better).

I don't recommend that you use a fake organization, a fake
study, or take information out of context or exaggerate,
but if you can locate a legitimate authority or study
related in any way to your product and quote it without
exaggeration, you will have a powerful authority message.

Psychological Selling Trick Number 6: Greed

Greed involves taking advantage of many peoples belief that
there is a secret short cut to wealth. They believe that
wealthy people didn't earn their wealth, instead they know
a "secret".

Note: I am not recommending that you use the principle of
greed because it is used by unethical scammers. I'm simply
informing you of it's existence in order to make this series
of articles complete.

The simplest method of using the principle of greed is the
chain letter. You have no doubt received a chain letter at
some point. A chain letter contains a chart specifying the
massive amounts of money the recipient will get when they
follow the instructions. The first instruction is to send
money.

The multi-level or network marketing scheme works similar
to a chain letter. The prospective recruit gets a chart
showing the massive amounts of money they will receive when
they join the network. After parting with their money, the
victim is instructed to con their friends and relatives
into joining.

Another method of using the principle of greed is the
lottery or casino. The odds of winning most lotteries are
about the same whether you buy a ticket or not. A casino
allocates only a tiny portion of it's customers money to
winnings in order to create the illusion that the odds of
winning are good. Many people don't understand statistics.
In their mind, the phrase "win a million dollars" translates
into "get a million dollars".

Another example of the principle of greed is the business
opportunity scam. We know it works because successful
scammers invest millions to run business opportunity
infomercials, and they make hundreds of millions in profits.
They prey on people who believe there is a secret short cut
to wealth. The scammers think people who fall for their
scam are stupid, lazy, and greedy, so they deserve to get
ripped off.

The way to use the principle of greed is to contrive a
"secret plan". Run an ad describing how the plan requires
absolutely no work to make massive amounts of money. Include
a few bogus testimonials and a legitimate looking chart
that shows the massive amount of money the plan will bring.
Some scammers include pictures of fake checks or fake bank
statements.

Never divulge any details of the plan in the ad. The
prospective customer is required to send money to get the
plan. The typical plan instructs the purchaser to run the
same scam.

The principle of greed is very powerful. People who have
been ripped of by this scam a thousand times before will,
like hypnotized zombies, send you their money. They think
THIS TIME they will receive the REAL secret plan.

A Look at Mannequin Heads

A mannequin head is a life-size head that includes all of the features of a human face. Mannequin heads can be used in several different situations. They can be used to model hats, wigs, makeup, or be used as practice dummies by people learning to cut hair in beauty school. Mannequin heads can be made to look like all types of people and are built to scale, giving them a lifelike look that is almost eerie. Mannequin heads are usually made of foam, plastic, or vinyl.

Mannequin heads are often used in stores to model hats. It is much easier and more efficient to use a mannequin head rather than an entire life-size mannequin to display a hat. Stores can set up displays that include several mannequin heads on spaces as small as a table. Stores can use nearly any kind of mannequin head to display hats, they do not necessarily have to be colored or have hair, but they can to give shoppers a better look of how the hats will look on a real person.

Mannequin heads are good for displaying wigs as well. Mannequin heads made to resemble different common head and face shapes can give people a good idea of what the different wigs look like on different people. Since all people have unique faces, it is a good idea to get mannequin heads that look different from each other in order to let customers see how the different colors and hairstyles of the wigs will accent different people’s faces.

Mannequin heads with actual human hair are often used in beauty schools as training tools. Students can learn what it is like to cut a real person’s hair by practicing on realistic mannequin heads.

Mannequin heads are useful in many different situations. They can display headwear and wigs and be used as valuable training tools for beauty school students.

Wholesale Secrets Revealed: The Holy Grail Of Wholesale!

Like the legendary search for the Holy Grail, the cup that Jesus drank from at the Last Supper, the same "holy crusade" goes on today by veteran and newly anointed business owners for the perfect wholesale, surplus, and drop-shipping resource. They believe that divine intervention will lead them to suppliers that can defeat the economic laws of "supply and demand."

There are more than a few people who try to build an enterprise based on the weak premise that they will able to "score" in demand retail items for their new business, or auction, at either below wholesale prices, or "pennies on the wholesale dollar."

Trying to ride the wave of popular retail products brings out the greed monster in all of us. Pursuing the "deal of the century" has lead some aspiring business owners to risk their startup capital on fraudulent deals and offers.

In this article I want to discuss three of the more sought after sources of product supply, and the "Pros & Cons" of each. I also want to shed a little light on some of the misconceptions people might have about buying “products for resale.” The reality is that not every product will be available through wholesale, surplus, and drop-shipping venues.

Wholesalers: Typically, one of the better places to purchase products for your new found venture. Most true wholesalers will require that you have a "Certificate Of Resale" before you can purchase from them. A Certificate Of Resale, or "Tax & Use Certificate," is not hard to obtain, and costs anywhere from five to twenty dollars depending on the state you live in.

Some states do not require that you even have one. You can obtain the certificate from your State Department of Revenue. To see if your state requires you to obtain such a certificate, and for a complete listing of the Departments Of Revenue in all fifty states go to this website:

Roisyn.com/certificates.html
http://www.roisyn.com/certificates.html

Depending on your states procedure, once you fill out the paperwork you can get your "Certificate Of Resale" number the same day. You do not have to incorporate in order to obtain a certificate. You need to be a Sole Proprietor (at the very least) and have an address where you plan to conduct business. Once you have your number you will be able to open a business checking account at most local banks. Most do not require more than a few hundred dollars to get started. Wholesalers will require a minimum purchase price that can range anywhere from 100 to 1000 dollars.

A true wholesaler is usually one step away from the original source of the product. For instance, a manufacturer produces blue widgets and wants to get their product into the marketplace. They will then employ a sales representative to get the product into the market, or they will assign a wholesale distributor the exclusive rights to carry and sell their product line. Some companies are import wholesalers. While they do not necessarily manufacture a product, they will import products from manufacturers in the United States, and from countries like China. A great example of such an importer/wholesaler is the Bnfusa.com:

Bnfusa.com http://www.bnfusa.com/

There are a few ways to find wholesale products. Just about every product that is in the distribution chain will usually have a dedicated trade association, organization, or trade publication attached to it. You can find such trade information with the help of the following directory information:

National Association Of Wholesale Distributors

http://www.naw.org/Content/NavigationMenu/About_NAW/Associa tions/About_Associations.htm

The above website address will lead your toward associations, ranging from Advertising to Woodworking. You should be able to solicit them for wholesalers within a particular industry. If you want to purchase their membership list (separate from the association listings), you will have to get in touch with them to check their current prices. Other good sources are:

Encyclopedia Of Associations By: The Gale Group

The Encyclopedia Of Associations lists over 100,000 different nonprofit American organizations. If you cannot find what you are looking for from the National Association Of Wholesale Distributors in terms of trade associations, then this is the directory for you. However, you will have to go to your library to find this research gem. You can usually find it in the reference section of any large University, or Public Library.

Publist.com http://www.publist.com/

In addition to trade associations, trade magazines are another good source. Publist.com allows you to: "Search our database of over 150,000 magazines, journals, newsletters, & other periodicals. Find FREE in-depth information on familiar and hard-to-find publications from around the world, representing thousands of topics."

Tradepub.com http://www.tradepub.com/

Tradepub.com allows you to subscribe to trade periodicals from their web site for FREE! No hidden trial offers to qualify.

ThomasRegional.com
http://www.thomasregional.com/

If you are looking for industrial product manufacturers, then this is the directory for you. The Thomas Regional directory will give you access to services from over "550,000 industrial distributors, manufacturers, and service companies."

The Thomas Regional will help you find suppliers in your own state or region. Registration is required, but you can use the directory for FREE! Other free online sources of wholesale information and offers are: Wholesale411.com, Wholesalecentral.com, Wholesalegopher.com, Bizbb.com, Wholesalegopher.com.

PROS AND CONS OF WHOLESALE SUPPLIERS:

Wholesale is the backbone of product supply for any type of new business venture. Large and small wholesalers are usually one step away from the manufacturer. They have the advantage of buying large quantities, and, depending on the type of merchandise, are able to pass along savings to those who are looking for "products for resale." With wholesalers (in most cases) you can be assured of purchasing new product. I can't think of too many "cons" when dealing with wholesalers--other than pricing. There might be items that could be too expensive to sell in the Ebay auction marketplace. Remember, true wholesalers will require that you have a Certificate Of Resale in order to purchase from them.

Surplus & Salvage Merchandise: Another sought after source of supply is retail surplus, closeout, overstock, liquidated, and salvage merchandise. Surplus dealers, and brokers, purchase shelf-pulled, returned, overstock, closeout, liquidated, and salvage merchandise from manufacturers, retail stores, reclamation centers, bankruptcy sales, and just about any business who has slow moving or salvage merchandise.

Surplus dealers buy these obsolete items in large quantities, and then resell them to just about anyone who wants them for their Ebay Auction, Flea Market, Dollar Store, or Retail Store outlet. One of the largest trade associations for the surplus industry is the International Marketing Association Of Surplus Dealers: http://www.surplus.net. You can find dealers throughout the United States.

Other sources of finding Surplus, Salvage, Closeout, and Liquidated merchandise include the following: Closeoutcentral.com, Liquidation.com, CWSMarketing.com, Commoditysurplus.com, and National Retail Equipment Liquidators (Nrel.com).

PROS AND CONS OF THE SURPLUS & SALVAGE SUPPLIERS:

The "Pros" of the Surplus & Salvage merchandise is that they can offer you a variety of products at below wholesale prices. However you "market your merchandise," you should be able to find a product, or price, that will fit into any business advertising model. In most cases, you do not need a "Certificate Of Resale" to buy products from Surplus & Salvage Dealers and brokers.

The downside is that you have to do some investigative work. Some dealers will want you to buy merchandise in quantity (a pallet minimum, truckload preferred) and you have to visit the company you are buying from to make sure that the product is, as advertised. Also, more than a few S&S dealers want payment in the form of wire transfer which can be very risky. Also, dealers and brokers will sometimes misrepresent the quality of the merchandise they are are selling. Before you consider doing any business with a surplus dealer, or broker, you must read "The Ten Tenets Of The Retail Surplus And Salvage Business." It can be found here:

The Ten Tenets Of The Retail Surplus And Salvage Business
http://productsforresale.com/articles/index.html

Drop-Shipping: Supposedly the perfect business model. No inventory, no trips to the post office or UPS. You just set up shop, take the order, pass it along to the wholesale drop-shipping company and they send it out for you. Some drop-ship distributors will even send you ad copy and pictures to help you advertise their products. They can even put your return address on the package! A lot of Retail Catalog companies use drop-shippers as their means of supply.

PROS AND CONS OF DROP-SHIPPING:

There is one obvious advantage to drop-shipping. It is basically a "product less" venture. No need to tie up your money in inventory. Drop-Shipping can fit into any business model, or advertising method you happen to use. However, if you are an Ebay Auction seller you might want to rethink that position.

Finding a drop-shipping company that can deliver on a consistent basis can be tough. Drop-Shipping companies have been known to run out of merchandise. If they happen to run out of the product you are auctioning, asking buyers to wait on their product because it is "backordered," does not inspire confidence.

Your negative feedback rating can pile up real quick. The other problem is expense. Some drop-shippers require a sign-up, or "entry fee" before you even start marketing their products. You might also have to pay for support materials, such as pictures and advertisement brochures for the product you choose to sell.

In addition, when you sell a product from a drop-shipping distributor there are processing fees that have to be paid, in order to get the product out the door and in the hands of your customer. That price can range anywhere from 5.00 to 10.00 dollars and up depending on the item. After Ebay and drop-shipping fees, you can wind up loosing money, or at best, breaking even. Bottom-line, drop-shipping and auction selling don't mix. The best bet for any auction venture is to "own what you sell."

EVERYTHING CAN BE HAD FOR A PRICE-BUT THERE IS A PRICE TO PAY FOR EVERYTHING!

Now that we have reviewed the "big three" let me put them into perspective. There are products that can be obtained through a few of featured supply chains, and then there are products that will never make it to the surplus, wholesale, or drop-shipping market. Example: To get Louis Vuitton handbags through a surplus dealer is almost impossible. Surplus dealers that are promoting LV Handbags are misleading you.

Same is true for people who are selling designer handbags on Ebay in mass quantities. The likely scenario is that they are Chinese knockoffs. Over 80 percent of popular retail products here in the United States are copied in the People's Republic Of China. Those products include Nike, Reebok, Puma, Adidas, Louis Vuitton, Calloway (Big Bertha) golf clubs, and just about any product that enjoys popular merchandising status.

There is no plan by the Chinese government to stop "knockoff" activity because it is a thriving industry that provides employment for the masses. Despite the pleas from American companies to "cease & desist," there is a tepid response from Chinese officials to do address the issue. When raids are conducted, they are "ceremonial" public relations stunts to appear as if they are actually taking action against the counterfeiters.

Another indicator of authenticity is price. You will not find any authentic Louis Vuitton handbags for 30, or even 100 dollars. Most are 500.00 and up. To illustrate this point even further, just think about the popular celebrities of today who are clothes and handbag aficionados. Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Jennifer Aniston, Angelina Jolie, all sport around town with "Louies" that can fetch up to 10,000 dollars for an exclusive style of handbag. Do you think you will ever have access to these items in the wholesale, surplus, or drop-shipping market?

Forget it! You might not even get these in some upscale boutiques! There are people so well connected that they buy up "hot items" like LV Handbags before they even hit the stores. They know who wants these items, and they will purchase whatever is available just so they can have an exclusive for their celebrity clients. Don't get me wrong. It's not that you can't get "designer duds" or handbags at wholesale prices. You will not get high end clothes and accessories that are featured in the latest issue of Vogue, Cosmo, as a "product for resale," in any wholesale environment, unless you spend thousands for the right to distribute such a product.

Even if some of these items made their way beyond the connected channels of purchasing, exclusive clothing and handbag items like Louis Vuitton will have limited distribution in "hand picked' boutiques, and well connected purchasing agents. In addition, there are people in the fashion industry, as well as other branded industries that would rather have their merchandise burned, or buried before it would reach the wholesale, surplus, or drop-shipping market! For more information on designer clothing, and to learn about designer "fakes," please refer to the following websites:

http://fashion.about.com/cs/tipsadvice/a/fakingit.htm

http://www.handbag.com/fashion/howtolookgood/spottingfakes/

http://www.fakediesel.com/

For a healthy does of honesty, and an eye opening perspective concerning the realities of purchasing designer clothes for resale, the Clothing Broker will definitely explode some popular myths about obtaining such items:

The Clothing Broker http://theclothingbroker.com/

THERE IS GOLD UP IN THEM THERE HILLS!

Now lets address the Surplus & Salvage Industry. When people first encounter some of the offers from Surplus dealers, or brokers, they tend to suffer from what I call the "I just found Gold" syndrome. A feverish excitement permeates their brain cells, and reduces them to a quivering pile of jelly, leaving their reasoning skills inoperable! A few thousand dollars later, and after coming to the conclusion that their "Golden Opportunity" turned out to be bars of lead, elation, then turns to anger.

It is a cliche, and I hate using it, but it is more than appropriate when it comes to surplus and salvage products. "If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is!" Some Surplus dealers will hone in one at least one of seven deadly sins--greed! As with wholesale, you will never get certain products for "pennies" on the dollar. One type of surplus product category that has some people loosing their minds is surplus and salvage electronics.

The problem with electronics is that they have a low profit margin even when they are brand new. Finding surplus dealers with working, undamaged, electronic products can be a daunting task. Most salvage electronics can be in pretty rough shape. See Techliquidators.com: http://techliquidators.com

What you are getting from most Surplus Dealers, or companies who specialize in electronic salvage is someone's customer returns, i.e., "junk!" Unless you are a electronics technician, or recycler, then I would stay away from "salvage" electronics.

Even product that is not damaged, and still in the box or retail blister pack, can have a pretty high surplus price. If you find that someone is offering you a electronics item, be it a DVD Player, or Xbox, for eight dollars a unit, then "buyer beware."

For a further explanation of the surplus industry, and how you can avoid "purchasing pitfalls," I would suggest that you read the: "The Ten Tenets Of The Surplus and Salvage Business" found here:

The Ten Tenets Of The Surplus & Salvage Business
http://www.productsforresale.com/articles/index.html

GETTING DROPPED BY DROP-SHIPPING!

My last critique, and word of caution is about drop-shipping. You might have access to information about drop-shipping companies that would prove me wrong. I will not argue with anyone who is dealing with a dropshipping company who is serving them well. However, I will tell you that dropshipping is a risk. I really can't recommend any type of guide, or information that would lead you to a reliable source of drop-shipping companies.

Unlike surplus and wholesale, where you physically own and control the product, that option has been taken out of your hands. You are entrusting a company to ship products directly to your customers. If you get involved with a company who cannot deliver, or who is back ordered, you can find yourself with some very irate customers. Sign up fees, shipping fees, and expenses for support materials can really affect the bottom line.

Also, most drop-shipping companies like to send out product in volume. If you are selling just a few items per week, or per month, it might not be worth if for a drop-shipping company to deal with you. Large retail catalog companies use drop-shipping or "fulfillment" houses, but these companies cater to large scale operations.

The bottom line is this. When it comes to finding product supply for your business it pays to do your homework. Visit the company facility when you can. Never wire any money into a company account. Use a credit card, or Escrow service to protect yourself should your supplier not deliver, or send you defective merchandise.

Understand that you will not be able to get the latest and greatest technology or fashions at surplus and below wholesale prices. If you follow all of these rules, and you use common sense as your "crusade" you just might be able to find your own "Holy Grail," of wholesale product supply!

Color Psychology Will Make Or Break Your Sales Success

Color psychology is the biggest question I receive on a regular basis. The reason being is its importance. Color is a trigger that is associated with traditions and used in marketing over the years so well that they must be honored or sales are lost. Color will also trigger reactions. It is a given. This is why you must know how to choose the right color for the right reaction at the right time. Because of a color's relevance to success in marketing, I always like to continue sharing and repeating in some cases, what colors to use and when. Here are eleven of the basic colors.

These colors work for triggers on Americans only. Every country, culture, has different representations for color. If you are even selling to the Asian culture in the United States, the colors will change. Learn the colors of whom you are selling too and sales will blossom just like a rainbow of tulips in your garden.

Quick List

Red

Red creates excitement, displays strength, is used to express s*e*x, passion, speed and danger. Use appropriately and it works extremely well.

Blue

This is the most popular color. Why? Because it builds trust, reminds people of sky gazing/dreaming. Thus, builds trust, conveys reliability, a sense of belonging, coolness (in the 1980's sense), refreshing and clean.

Yellow

We think of the sun and sunshine, its warmth, being cheerful and happy. Place it together with blue and thoughts of sitting on the beach or looking out over the ocean connect.

Orange

Orange isn't used much in marketing. On a computer screen it looses its hue. When it is clearly visible that it is orange, it conveys playfulness, triggers child-like behavior -- great in workshops if you want to take people to that place, it also conveys warmth and vibrancy.

Green

When we think of green we associate with trees and grass. This brings up associations with nature, freshness, coolness. It also means growth and abundance. Money is green and we are automatically associating green with prosperity.

Purple

Royal purple brings up pictures of royalty. Conveyed through the centuries from religion and palace decorations isn't going to change any of our associations today. Purple means spirituality and dignity as well.

Pink

Usually associated with femininity, it means soft, sweet, nurturing, and many times security. The security of motherhood and all that it represents. As females mature they sometimes lose their feminine side due to business stiffness. To bring it back in surround you with pink for a year. Pink blouse, suit, watch, and household items.

White

White and black aren't really called a color but we recognize them as such. White represents pure, purity, virgin, clean, youthful and mild. This is why white backgrounds work better than black backgrounds on a website.

Black

Black can trigger representation of the dark side of things in certain situations. Usually when black is the dominant color on the page. It can also represent sophistication, elegance, mystery. Black in clothing is seductive and thus will represent the same thing in many marketing materials -- even though it is only a mindful trigger and not a voiced one.

Gold

Gold is worth more than silver or copper but not diamonds. Since we've been taught to associate gold with value, which is exactly what is triggered when we see it in marketing materials. It can seldom be used in marketing materials though because the color usually isn't duplicated well. On the Net it gets confused with yellow a lot and what yellow represents.

Silver

Silver also represents prestige just like gold. It too, is a hard color to express on the Internet or in printed materials. It sends signals of cold or scientific. This is why silver kitchen appliances sell so well. It also represents cleanness in some instances, especially kitchens. This isn't all the colors of the rainbow; they are the most important ones in marketing. Use them wisely and they will make a difference in sales -- or the type of response you are looking for.

Where to Find Mannequins for Sale

Any time a clothing store opens or expands, they must buy mannequins. There are many different places to find a mannequin for sale, including the Internet, companies that mass produce mannequins, and businesses that make unique mannequins one at a time. Other mannequin sellers offer used mannequins at a discount.

There are numerous websites that sell mannequins. Some of them manufacture their own mannequins while others offer mannequins from well-known mannequin makers around the world. Other websites sell used and refurbished mannequins at low prices. Most Internet mannequin dealers have pictures and description of the mannequins they have in stock so that buyers know exactly what they are getting. Websites that sell used or unique mannequins have different inventories daily and do not always have the same models, so it is a good idea for consumers to act quickly when they see a mannequin they like on one of these websites. Some websites offer free shipping on large orders.

Some mannequin manufacturers mass-produce their products, creating hundreds or thousands of identical mannequins. They often have a mannequin designer that comes up with specific body shapes and facial features that are then made into molds in order to be produced on a large scale. These mannequins are often less expensive than one-of-a-kind mannequins. Mannequins produced in the same factory are usually of comparable quality, providing buyers with a consistent level of quality.

Other mannequin dealers specialize in making unique mannequins. These are often more expensive, but they are high-quality, one-of-a-kind mannequins unlike any others in the world. Some of these manufacturers design and make their mannequins one at a time in order to insure that they are of the highest quality possible.

There are many places to find mannequins for sale. People can buy them off the Internet or from mannequin stores that specialize in creating unique mannequins.