Comments: Seems like there is some truth to the comic character"WONDER WOMAN". Women are probably world class jugglers and we leave men wondering how do we do it all. Better find ways to do things more productively to turbo charge our lives!
Read on..
Where women outnumber men -- Govt bid to boost their role in society
05:55 AM Mar 03, 2010
SEOUL - When Ms Kim Hyo Eun joined the South Korean Foreign Ministry in 1992, its personal data form listed "wife" but not "husband" in the section where new diplomats provided information about their spouses.That was hardly surprising: At the time, few women had taken, let alone passed, the foreign service examination.Fast forward to this year andMs Kim is now director of the ministry's climate change team. There has also been a change in the face of South Korean diplomacy.
Over the past five years, 55 per cent of the 151 people who passed the highly competitive test - the main passageway into the country's diplomatic corps - were women.The situation at the Foreign Ministry is emblematic of what is happening in other government departments.Last year, 47 per cent of those who passed the state examination that selects mid-level officials to be groomed for senior posts in agencies other than the Foreign Ministry were women.
In 1992, it was 3.2 per cent.So many women have entered public service in recent years that, in 2003, the government revised its quota system.In 1996 it had begun mandating that at least 30 per cent of new hires in all government departments, except the police and military, be women. Now, because so many women have succeeded in competing for these jobs, it is applying the minimum 30 per cent quota for men as well.The recent surge of women in the public sector is an outcome of government efforts to expand democracy after decades of military rule.It also seeks to combat economic stagnation by bringing more well-educated women into the paid work force and to check the country's plummeting birthrate, which has been attributed in part to the difficulties South Korean women face trying to combine careers and motherhood.
But it also reflects the obstacles women continue to face in the private sector.In South Korea, the four largest conglomerates - Samsung, Hyundai, LG and SK - dominate the economy. Women hold less than 2 per cent of seats on their boards. There are almost no female executives in South Korean banks.Despite having the world's 13th-largest economy, South Korea ranked 115th out of 134 countries in last year's World Economic Forum index of gender equality.
Highly-educated women are poorly represented in the paid work force, where tradition continues to give married women overriding responsibility for managing the household and raising children."The biggest merit of government jobs for women is that we don't face discrimination there," said Ms Park Ja Hye, a graduate who has been preparing for the foreign service exam. "Private companies don't have great expectations from their female employees. They seem to hire them just for display, to show that they care about gender equality."
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Women Here Doing Better in Workforce
Women here doing better in workforce
by Pamela Chow(MyPaper March 3,2010)
MANAGING director Joni Ong, 49, is feeling upbeat about her finances, her independence and, indeed, about her place as a woman in Singapore's working world.As a young graduate, she had ambitions of climbing the corporate ladder but, at 27, her plans took a back seat after she and her husband started their family.Eight months after giving birth, she went on to take her master's degree in Education and continued to make progress in the field of human resource.
"Women are very much a presence to be reckoned with... We've always been able to make decisions for ourselves," she said.She continues to feels positive about the economy, even in the wake of the financial crisis, and recently started a training consultancy."This is the year to start... It's time to move forward," she said.Ms Ong is just one example of a Singapore woman who feels she's on solid ground, just a year after the global economic meltdown.The MasterCard Worldwide Index of Women's Advancement 2010, a biannual survey that measures consumer confidence amid prevailing market expectations, studied a total of 3,306 women and 3,316 men in the region.The survey compiles an index to compare whether expectations of economic performance favour men or women.A figure of 100 indicates equality between the sexes.Numbers less than that mean that expectations favour men, while numbers higher than 100 indicate that expectations favour women.
The index, which surveyed 200 women and 200 men in Singapore, shows that:
by Pamela Chow(MyPaper March 3,2010)
MANAGING director Joni Ong, 49, is feeling upbeat about her finances, her independence and, indeed, about her place as a woman in Singapore's working world.As a young graduate, she had ambitions of climbing the corporate ladder but, at 27, her plans took a back seat after she and her husband started their family.Eight months after giving birth, she went on to take her master's degree in Education and continued to make progress in the field of human resource.
"Women are very much a presence to be reckoned with... We've always been able to make decisions for ourselves," she said.She continues to feels positive about the economy, even in the wake of the financial crisis, and recently started a training consultancy."This is the year to start... It's time to move forward," she said.Ms Ong is just one example of a Singapore woman who feels she's on solid ground, just a year after the global economic meltdown.The MasterCard Worldwide Index of Women's Advancement 2010, a biannual survey that measures consumer confidence amid prevailing market expectations, studied a total of 3,306 women and 3,316 men in the region.The survey compiles an index to compare whether expectations of economic performance favour men or women.A figure of 100 indicates equality between the sexes.Numbers less than that mean that expectations favour men, while numbers higher than 100 indicate that expectations favour women.
The index, which surveyed 200 women and 200 men in Singapore, shows that:
- Women here form 51.3 per cent of the labour force, up from 51.1 per cent last year.
- Women's regular income has also improved against men's, doubling from 34.9 to 68.9 index points, from the first to second half of last year.
- Singapore women's expectations of future economic performance have also gone up, from 31.4 index points to 86.5 over the same period.
- More women are also taking charge in the household.
- Throughout the region, an estimated 66.5 per cent of women are taking on the role of decision-makers, up from 45.6 per cent last year.
Women continue to make strides in labour-force participation and tertiary- education enrolment, and we are glad to see this translating into a greater sense of self-worth," Ms Georgette Tan, MasterCard's vice-president of communications for the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, said in a statement.
The survey also received responses from people in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
The 3 “C’s” to Make Your Articles Better
We are often bombarded with tips on how to write better. However, I have decided to organize these tips in an old but simple memory device: Alliteration and repetition, thus this blog entry is titled, “The 3 “C’s” to Make Your Articles Better”. I hope this makes my thought easier to follow and hopefully, harder to forget. This is what good writers and speakers do continually.
Effective use of the 3 “C’s” will help you to have a distinct flavour in your articles and enable your readers to remember it more vividly.
1. Contrast and comparison
Contrast and comparison brings life to your article. They flow subtly but effectively through the best creative articles. Examples include comparing ourselves with others or society norm, comparing the present and the past or differences in personalities and backgrounds.
Comparison and contrast weave the various arguments and facets of the piece together. This helps to establish ground with your reader as you acknowledge the opposition or have given thought to their common concerns.
2. Characterisation
Opportunities for characterisation are aplenty in humorous articles. The ability to draw vivid characters is also important to personal experience articles.
This may play on stereotypes and is pretty fun as how little descriptions insinuate and plant images into a reader’s mind. Take for example, what kind of a mental picture is evoked with the following description, “As she flashes her new Tiffany & Co. bracelet to her friends”. Perhaps a materialistic and flamboyant young lady comes to mind. Nothing much has been said except for the key words, “flashes”, “new Tiffany & Co. bracelet” and “friends”, indicating she probably does this frequently and seeks external validation.
Thus give your characters some thought and make them come to life. This gives your work that extra quality that sets it apart from the ordinary.
3. Catchphrase
A catchphrase may make a lively title or it can be what your article is remembered for. It could be a single sentence or a bit of dialogue taken even from the movies. Do you remember Jerry Maguire starring Tom Cruise back in 1996? “Show me the money!” became an unavoidable catchphrase for a long time and emotions or images associated with crisis of conscience or life will be evoked with a simple use of that catchphrase.
Catchphrase is especially effective in nostalgia pieces or in the personal essays as it catches your attention. However, do remember to use it sparingly for maximum effect.
Effective use of the 3 “C’s” will help you to have a distinct flavour in your articles and enable your readers to remember it more vividly.
1. Contrast and comparison
Contrast and comparison brings life to your article. They flow subtly but effectively through the best creative articles. Examples include comparing ourselves with others or society norm, comparing the present and the past or differences in personalities and backgrounds.
Comparison and contrast weave the various arguments and facets of the piece together. This helps to establish ground with your reader as you acknowledge the opposition or have given thought to their common concerns.
2. Characterisation
Opportunities for characterisation are aplenty in humorous articles. The ability to draw vivid characters is also important to personal experience articles.
This may play on stereotypes and is pretty fun as how little descriptions insinuate and plant images into a reader’s mind. Take for example, what kind of a mental picture is evoked with the following description, “As she flashes her new Tiffany & Co. bracelet to her friends”. Perhaps a materialistic and flamboyant young lady comes to mind. Nothing much has been said except for the key words, “flashes”, “new Tiffany & Co. bracelet” and “friends”, indicating she probably does this frequently and seeks external validation.
Thus give your characters some thought and make them come to life. This gives your work that extra quality that sets it apart from the ordinary.
3. Catchphrase
A catchphrase may make a lively title or it can be what your article is remembered for. It could be a single sentence or a bit of dialogue taken even from the movies. Do you remember Jerry Maguire starring Tom Cruise back in 1996? “Show me the money!” became an unavoidable catchphrase for a long time and emotions or images associated with crisis of conscience or life will be evoked with a simple use of that catchphrase.
Catchphrase is especially effective in nostalgia pieces or in the personal essays as it catches your attention. However, do remember to use it sparingly for maximum effect.
3 Simple Tips to Master the Art of Selling
3 Simple Tips to Master the Art of Selling
Selling is essentially an art of persuasion, which is based on relationships. In its simplest terms, success in selling is determined by your ability to form high- quality relationships with your customers. This can be established by listening to your customers, fulfilling their needs and increasing your credibility.
1. Listen to your customers
It has often been said that God gave you two ears and one mouth, and in a sales conversation, you should use them in that proportion. The best salespeople are superb listeners and are skilled at establishing relationships. Very often, customers who start off uninterested in your offering will warm up to you and decide to buy from you for the simple reason that you listen well and you seem to care about them and their situation. You understand their needs and seek to aid them. Similarly, this helps you by fine-tuning your sales pitch to fulfill their needs. It is important at this juncture, to emphasis on the sincerity involved when making the sale.
The truth of the matter is that people don’t care about you or what you sell. They care about themselves and their problems. Customers buy solutions, not products or services. When you make sales presentations, you are persuading your customers that the value in the product or service you offer in return is of greater value than the money they pay.
Start perceiving yourself as a professional problem solver rather than just a salesperson and your sales will increase tremendously.
2. Fulfill existing needs
If you have followed the 1st tip well, you will have uncovered a wealth of information about your perspective customer. Top salespeople are skilled at asking good questions and listening carefully to the answers. This essentially enables them to focus on satisfying the most important and pressing needs of the customers with their products or services. Show your customer how the benefits of your products is able to fulfill their existing needs.
Thus, in order to sell, your job is to uncover and satisfy the needs that already exist. Your job is not to create new ones, but to define clearly the real needs of your customers that your products or services can satisfy. By doing so, you create a connection with your customer, which helps you to get a foot in the door. If you want your product to stand out, make sure you beyond the obvious benefits and satisfactions. Your products must offer the subtler, but no less important needs.
3. Increase your credibility
In the world of sales and marketing, creating credibility and rapport with the masses is essential. Increase your credibility with the following methods: positive online ratings in auction sites, real- life testimonials, reputation in the field of expertise, quality of article contributions, pictures of products or yourself.
Do not be myopic and hanker after short term gains. Instead, focus on long term gains in the deliverance of true value to your customers and audience. The foundation of the successful sale is when the trust bonds between the salesperson and the customer.
Selling is essentially an art of persuasion, which is based on relationships. In its simplest terms, success in selling is determined by your ability to form high- quality relationships with your customers. This can be established by listening to your customers, fulfilling their needs and increasing your credibility.
1. Listen to your customers
It has often been said that God gave you two ears and one mouth, and in a sales conversation, you should use them in that proportion. The best salespeople are superb listeners and are skilled at establishing relationships. Very often, customers who start off uninterested in your offering will warm up to you and decide to buy from you for the simple reason that you listen well and you seem to care about them and their situation. You understand their needs and seek to aid them. Similarly, this helps you by fine-tuning your sales pitch to fulfill their needs. It is important at this juncture, to emphasis on the sincerity involved when making the sale.
The truth of the matter is that people don’t care about you or what you sell. They care about themselves and their problems. Customers buy solutions, not products or services. When you make sales presentations, you are persuading your customers that the value in the product or service you offer in return is of greater value than the money they pay.
Start perceiving yourself as a professional problem solver rather than just a salesperson and your sales will increase tremendously.
2. Fulfill existing needs
If you have followed the 1st tip well, you will have uncovered a wealth of information about your perspective customer. Top salespeople are skilled at asking good questions and listening carefully to the answers. This essentially enables them to focus on satisfying the most important and pressing needs of the customers with their products or services. Show your customer how the benefits of your products is able to fulfill their existing needs.
Thus, in order to sell, your job is to uncover and satisfy the needs that already exist. Your job is not to create new ones, but to define clearly the real needs of your customers that your products or services can satisfy. By doing so, you create a connection with your customer, which helps you to get a foot in the door. If you want your product to stand out, make sure you beyond the obvious benefits and satisfactions. Your products must offer the subtler, but no less important needs.
3. Increase your credibility
In the world of sales and marketing, creating credibility and rapport with the masses is essential. Increase your credibility with the following methods: positive online ratings in auction sites, real- life testimonials, reputation in the field of expertise, quality of article contributions, pictures of products or yourself.
Do not be myopic and hanker after short term gains. Instead, focus on long term gains in the deliverance of true value to your customers and audience. The foundation of the successful sale is when the trust bonds between the salesperson and the customer.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Qualifying your Prospects
The Secrets of Cold Calling for a Job
Have you ever read about a local company?s expansion and realized that it was moving into a field in which you?re a recognized expert? Or have you ever received a tip that a company is facing a problem that you are convinced that you can help them solve? How do you approach a company when they are currently not hiring ? or should you contact them?
Cold calling is one of the four basic ways to find a job. Although it is not for the feint of heart, it is surprisingly effective in creating jobs for qualified candidates. Even though the company may not have any immediate hiring plans, a professional who can prove his immediate benefit to the company in entering a new market or solving a particularly troublesome problem can find a job created specifically for him.
Success at cold calling is usually reserved for job candidates who have significant experience and a proven, tangible record of previous successes. Since you may be creating a position where none existed before, your goal is to quantitatively and qualitatively prove the value that you alone can provide for the company.
Although cold calling is usually avoided by job seekers, you can warm up the process by internalizing two fundamental beliefs: (1) a belief in yourself and your abilities and (2) an understanding and acceptance of the fact that your efforts may be rejected. Like cold calling in a sales situation, this job search strategy has a high rejection rate ? only 10% of cold calls result in an actual employment offer. However, unlike cold calling in a sales situation, all you as a job candidate need is one sale that leads to a job.
Despite its limitations, cold calling should be a part of your job search campaign. It continues to build and develop your network, leading you to other companies who may be hiring. By using a network referral, you will need to cold call to schedule important informational interviews; not only will you build your network, but you can also speak directly with practicing professionals to develop an insider?s perspective of your target market.
By overcoming your fears of cold calling, you may not only realize the potential of a job that is custom fit to your skills and experience, but also expand your network and increase your self-confidence. Use these 5 secrets to overcome your fears of cold calling.
Secret #1: Boost your confidence by knowing what you have to offer and what you are seeking.
Cold calling demands self-confidence and knowledge builds self-confidence. Although most beneficial to experienced professionals, cold calling can be effective for lower level workers by ?being in the right place at the right time? (i.e., contacting an employer before a formal hiring announcement is made). By understanding and illustrating specifically how you can benefit the targeted organization, you will automatically build your sense of self-worth and self-confidence automatically.
Secret #2: Research the target company?s history, needs and future goals or plans.
Cold calling to simply ask for a job severely undermines the likelihood of your success. The company is unaware of your potential benefit and dismiss your inquiries as unimportant or desperate. By understanding the historical and future challenges that the company faces, you are better able to identify specific areas of need and describe in detail how you can immediately assist them in their goal achievement.
Secret #3: Speak to the decision maker.
NEVER cold call the Human Resources Department. Depending on the progressiveness of the company, HR usually does not generate hiring decisions for any department other than HR; instead, they screen candidates for openings generated by other departments. Your resume may be filed for future reference or may not be considered unless a formal application is filed. Seek to speak directly with the manager or executive who has hiring authority for your targeted department. (Hint: you should have determined this in Secret #2.) Use your network to develop an introduction to warm the cold call. Then contact that person directly. If they have budgetary control, they can create positions for a worker who is qualified to solve a perplexing problem. If a fit exists, then they will initiate the application process with HR.
Secret #4: Arrange a private, informal meeting with the decision maker.
Your comfort level will determine the method by which you initially contact the decision maker. Whether by telephone, written letter or email, concentrate on focusing on the company?s goals rather than your needs. Since your goal is to arrange a meeting NOT an interview, don?t submit a resume with your request ? a busy executive who skims the contents will more than likely immediately forward it to HR (see Secret #3). Recognize the demands on the executive?s time, but follow-up by phone within 7 to 10 days. Cold calling is an aggressive tactic that demands initiative and perseverance. If further information is request, provided it immediately. Be fanatical about following up.
Secret #5: Have a back-up plan.
Realize that, although you may be an ideal fit with the company, a tight budget may undermine the manager?s ability to offer you a position at this time. Do not discontinue contact. Realize, too, that you may in fact NOT be a good fit with the company. Do not discontinue contact. Your back-up plan is to develop this new contact into a viable part of your network. Your research and planning in Secret #5 revealed ways in which you can be mutually beneficial, so do not discontinue contact. Market and employment conditions change rapidly ? today?s rejection could be tomorrow?s job offer.
A Final Reminder
Cold calling is not for the timid, but can be a highly successful strategic tool for the tenacious and self-confident. Although your initial attempts could necessitate a strong antacid to calm your jittery stomach, cold calling is simply an extension of networking. If you can network, you can cold call. Use these 5 secrets to help you prepare and warm up to cold calling ? you may just be at the right place at the right time.
It’s a brutal and harsh world out there. This requires you to channel your scarce resources into the potential customers, that truly matter. Don’t waste your time, don’t bother to waste the other party’s time. Should salespeople qualify the prospect before going on an appointment?
There are two schools of thoughts:
(1) In theory, qualifying a prospect is a great idea. The last thing you want to do is waste your time seeing people who will never be able to buy from you. However, what goes on in the real world, far too often has nothing to do with theory.As almost any sales manager or sales executive will tell you, in the real world the biggest problem with salespeople is: they don’t see enough people. If that’s the case, what the heck do they need to qualify for?
(2) A regional sales manager told me, he makes less cold calls now, but more sales. He exceeded his sales target by 140%. Now, if his recent sales are anything as a measure, then perhaps, qualifying sure works for him. He spends more time understanding and identifying his customer’s needs. Having such targeted efforts appear to pay off for some, but not for others.
Personally, I believe the first method works well for new- comers. There are way too many instances, where new joiners use qualifying questions to talk themselves out of appointments. It gives them an excuse to not have to sell. It’s almost as if they reject the prospect before the prospect rejects them.
My feeling has always been: If you’re one of those people who doesn’t have enough appointments; JUST GO! You’re better off being in front of a prospect than sitting in your office doing nothing. Besides, let’s say you get there and the prospect says, “I’m not the person you should be seeing.” What’s the next question out of your mouth? “Who is?” Then after getting the right name, you ask, “Would you mind calling that person for me?” If they say “No,” just say, “Then would you mind if I called and used your name?” They’ll probably say, “Yes,” because you just let them off the hook.
However, if you are a self- motivated and more experienced salesperson, perhaps the latter will work better for you. When you are so busy and your appointment book is loaded, then start qualifying. Before you do however, formulate a client profile that spells out very clearly exactly the kind of clients and prospects you’re looking for. This helps not only you, but makes it easy for other people to send hot prospects your way.
But, if you’re not that busy, JUST GO! You never know where your next big client is going to come from.
Have you ever read about a local company?s expansion and realized that it was moving into a field in which you?re a recognized expert? Or have you ever received a tip that a company is facing a problem that you are convinced that you can help them solve? How do you approach a company when they are currently not hiring ? or should you contact them?
Cold calling is one of the four basic ways to find a job. Although it is not for the feint of heart, it is surprisingly effective in creating jobs for qualified candidates. Even though the company may not have any immediate hiring plans, a professional who can prove his immediate benefit to the company in entering a new market or solving a particularly troublesome problem can find a job created specifically for him.
Success at cold calling is usually reserved for job candidates who have significant experience and a proven, tangible record of previous successes. Since you may be creating a position where none existed before, your goal is to quantitatively and qualitatively prove the value that you alone can provide for the company.
Although cold calling is usually avoided by job seekers, you can warm up the process by internalizing two fundamental beliefs: (1) a belief in yourself and your abilities and (2) an understanding and acceptance of the fact that your efforts may be rejected. Like cold calling in a sales situation, this job search strategy has a high rejection rate ? only 10% of cold calls result in an actual employment offer. However, unlike cold calling in a sales situation, all you as a job candidate need is one sale that leads to a job.
Despite its limitations, cold calling should be a part of your job search campaign. It continues to build and develop your network, leading you to other companies who may be hiring. By using a network referral, you will need to cold call to schedule important informational interviews; not only will you build your network, but you can also speak directly with practicing professionals to develop an insider?s perspective of your target market.
By overcoming your fears of cold calling, you may not only realize the potential of a job that is custom fit to your skills and experience, but also expand your network and increase your self-confidence. Use these 5 secrets to overcome your fears of cold calling.
Secret #1: Boost your confidence by knowing what you have to offer and what you are seeking.
Cold calling demands self-confidence and knowledge builds self-confidence. Although most beneficial to experienced professionals, cold calling can be effective for lower level workers by ?being in the right place at the right time? (i.e., contacting an employer before a formal hiring announcement is made). By understanding and illustrating specifically how you can benefit the targeted organization, you will automatically build your sense of self-worth and self-confidence automatically.
Secret #2: Research the target company?s history, needs and future goals or plans.
Cold calling to simply ask for a job severely undermines the likelihood of your success. The company is unaware of your potential benefit and dismiss your inquiries as unimportant or desperate. By understanding the historical and future challenges that the company faces, you are better able to identify specific areas of need and describe in detail how you can immediately assist them in their goal achievement.
Secret #3: Speak to the decision maker.
NEVER cold call the Human Resources Department. Depending on the progressiveness of the company, HR usually does not generate hiring decisions for any department other than HR; instead, they screen candidates for openings generated by other departments. Your resume may be filed for future reference or may not be considered unless a formal application is filed. Seek to speak directly with the manager or executive who has hiring authority for your targeted department. (Hint: you should have determined this in Secret #2.) Use your network to develop an introduction to warm the cold call. Then contact that person directly. If they have budgetary control, they can create positions for a worker who is qualified to solve a perplexing problem. If a fit exists, then they will initiate the application process with HR.
Secret #4: Arrange a private, informal meeting with the decision maker.
Your comfort level will determine the method by which you initially contact the decision maker. Whether by telephone, written letter or email, concentrate on focusing on the company?s goals rather than your needs. Since your goal is to arrange a meeting NOT an interview, don?t submit a resume with your request ? a busy executive who skims the contents will more than likely immediately forward it to HR (see Secret #3). Recognize the demands on the executive?s time, but follow-up by phone within 7 to 10 days. Cold calling is an aggressive tactic that demands initiative and perseverance. If further information is request, provided it immediately. Be fanatical about following up.
Secret #5: Have a back-up plan.
Realize that, although you may be an ideal fit with the company, a tight budget may undermine the manager?s ability to offer you a position at this time. Do not discontinue contact. Realize, too, that you may in fact NOT be a good fit with the company. Do not discontinue contact. Your back-up plan is to develop this new contact into a viable part of your network. Your research and planning in Secret #5 revealed ways in which you can be mutually beneficial, so do not discontinue contact. Market and employment conditions change rapidly ? today?s rejection could be tomorrow?s job offer.
A Final Reminder
Cold calling is not for the timid, but can be a highly successful strategic tool for the tenacious and self-confident. Although your initial attempts could necessitate a strong antacid to calm your jittery stomach, cold calling is simply an extension of networking. If you can network, you can cold call. Use these 5 secrets to help you prepare and warm up to cold calling ? you may just be at the right place at the right time.
It’s a brutal and harsh world out there. This requires you to channel your scarce resources into the potential customers, that truly matter. Don’t waste your time, don’t bother to waste the other party’s time. Should salespeople qualify the prospect before going on an appointment?
There are two schools of thoughts:
(1) In theory, qualifying a prospect is a great idea. The last thing you want to do is waste your time seeing people who will never be able to buy from you. However, what goes on in the real world, far too often has nothing to do with theory.As almost any sales manager or sales executive will tell you, in the real world the biggest problem with salespeople is: they don’t see enough people. If that’s the case, what the heck do they need to qualify for?
(2) A regional sales manager told me, he makes less cold calls now, but more sales. He exceeded his sales target by 140%. Now, if his recent sales are anything as a measure, then perhaps, qualifying sure works for him. He spends more time understanding and identifying his customer’s needs. Having such targeted efforts appear to pay off for some, but not for others.
Personally, I believe the first method works well for new- comers. There are way too many instances, where new joiners use qualifying questions to talk themselves out of appointments. It gives them an excuse to not have to sell. It’s almost as if they reject the prospect before the prospect rejects them.
My feeling has always been: If you’re one of those people who doesn’t have enough appointments; JUST GO! You’re better off being in front of a prospect than sitting in your office doing nothing. Besides, let’s say you get there and the prospect says, “I’m not the person you should be seeing.” What’s the next question out of your mouth? “Who is?” Then after getting the right name, you ask, “Would you mind calling that person for me?” If they say “No,” just say, “Then would you mind if I called and used your name?” They’ll probably say, “Yes,” because you just let them off the hook.
However, if you are a self- motivated and more experienced salesperson, perhaps the latter will work better for you. When you are so busy and your appointment book is loaded, then start qualifying. Before you do however, formulate a client profile that spells out very clearly exactly the kind of clients and prospects you’re looking for. This helps not only you, but makes it easy for other people to send hot prospects your way.
But, if you’re not that busy, JUST GO! You never know where your next big client is going to come from.
11 Things Every Client Wants
“I like it when people say no, because that's when the sales process starts.”
A salesperson is a fighter. A salesperson is feisty.
No matter what it is you’re looking to buy, the customer of today has more choices than ever before. While choice and competition provide a huge benefit for consumers and clients in the form of lower prices (see airline tickets and phone service), it makes the buying decisions harder than ever.Who do you buy from? The first one who asks? The cheapest? The one that rises to the top of Google search? Yet, when you do compare you find that most companies are offering the same product at pretty much the same price. In fact, I usually find that whoever is the cheapest today is usually not the cheapest a month, six months or a year from now. So now we’re back at square one and the question once again is: Who do you buy from? Or, better yet, what do you buy and what should you be looking for whenever you do?
What every client wants: 1-11
Not a salesperson, but an expert, advisor and resource willing to be a single point of contact.
What do you think is easier to find: a salesperson that pushes price and product, or a salesperson willing to be an expert, advisor and resource? Naturally, the former is easier to find, so why compete with the multitudes when you can have the field to yourself.
Quality: Things that sound dumb, but are true; you get what you pay for.
Service: If you are truly a single point of contact, then this should be easy. It means, for example, when I call with a problem, you don’t give me the name and number of someone in customer service; you call them for me, straighten it out and get back to me.
Convenience: The single, biggest growth and profit item in supermarkets today is prepared meals. Do you think it's for the taste? Just think of making your client’s life a little easier and save their time.
Value: Nobody wants to overpay, but almost everyone is willing to pay a little more if they know they’re getting more.
Save me time. (Speed). I want what I want and I want it now. Even a commodity like gasoline is sold by advertising things like “Pump, pay and go.” Get me in, get me out and get me on my way. 84% of two parent households are also two paycheck households. They have money coming in from two different places but what is the one commodity they have the least of: time. They are stressed out at work and stressed out at home. The last person they’ll allow to stress them out is someone trying to sell them something.
Make my life easier. (Ease). Name me someone who doesn’t want this. While you’re getting it for me fast, make everything as easy as possible. Clients love to buy from companies that provide a hassle-free experience. Years ago, when people had more time to kill, if something was difficult to implement, they worked through it. But now, if you make something the least bit difficult for a client to implement, they’ll just run the other way.
I was puzzled over the lack of response.
That was when I finally realised, your client is not going to tell you how to make life easier for them. Sure, the nice clients probably would be willing to spend some time to feedback to you. However, most people, won’t even care! They will simply ignore the message if it is too much trouble for them.
Let’s just say, I’d rather make it tough for myself, easy for my customers.
Frankly, the best expert is not necessarily someone who has all the answers, but always knows someone who does. With more choices and information than ever, it's easy for clients to get confused. If you can take that information organize it, act upon it and deliver it to your clients in a way that they can understand and implement it quickly and easily you have made yourself indispensable.
Knowledge. Make me smart without having to go out and learn this on my own. Give me the knowledge that enables me to understand what constitutes value in your industry. The smarter you make me the less likely I am to buy from a price cutter.
Expertise. Not a single one of your clients has the time or inclination to be an expert on what it is that you do. That’s what we have you for. If a client or prospect has to take the time to know as much about products and services as you do, they should be entitled to split the commission with you.
Information. Clients want to be kept up to date on the latest developments, improvements, products and, on what’s working for your other clients, because maybe, it could work for them. Don’t throw information at us and expect us to wade through it. If that’s the case, I can replace you with my computer. You need to take the information for us, organize it, act upon it and deliver it in a way that we can understand and implement quickly and easily.
Education. An educated customer is someone who will only buy from an expert, advisor and resource. Now while a stupid customer will buy anything you ask them to, they’ll also buy anything the competition asks them to. By consistently delivering these eleven benefits to your clients and prospects you will not only be giving them everything they want; but with the time you’ll be saving them and the extra knowledge, information and education you’ll impart, you will be enabling your clients to be more successful at what it is they do. And that will make you indispensable to them, not to mention irreplaceable.
A salesperson is a fighter. A salesperson is feisty.
No matter what it is you’re looking to buy, the customer of today has more choices than ever before. While choice and competition provide a huge benefit for consumers and clients in the form of lower prices (see airline tickets and phone service), it makes the buying decisions harder than ever.Who do you buy from? The first one who asks? The cheapest? The one that rises to the top of Google search? Yet, when you do compare you find that most companies are offering the same product at pretty much the same price. In fact, I usually find that whoever is the cheapest today is usually not the cheapest a month, six months or a year from now. So now we’re back at square one and the question once again is: Who do you buy from? Or, better yet, what do you buy and what should you be looking for whenever you do?
What every client wants: 1-11
Not a salesperson, but an expert, advisor and resource willing to be a single point of contact.
What do you think is easier to find: a salesperson that pushes price and product, or a salesperson willing to be an expert, advisor and resource? Naturally, the former is easier to find, so why compete with the multitudes when you can have the field to yourself.
Quality: Things that sound dumb, but are true; you get what you pay for.
Service: If you are truly a single point of contact, then this should be easy. It means, for example, when I call with a problem, you don’t give me the name and number of someone in customer service; you call them for me, straighten it out and get back to me.
Convenience: The single, biggest growth and profit item in supermarkets today is prepared meals. Do you think it's for the taste? Just think of making your client’s life a little easier and save their time.
Value: Nobody wants to overpay, but almost everyone is willing to pay a little more if they know they’re getting more.
Save me time. (Speed). I want what I want and I want it now. Even a commodity like gasoline is sold by advertising things like “Pump, pay and go.” Get me in, get me out and get me on my way. 84% of two parent households are also two paycheck households. They have money coming in from two different places but what is the one commodity they have the least of: time. They are stressed out at work and stressed out at home. The last person they’ll allow to stress them out is someone trying to sell them something.
Make my life easier. (Ease). Name me someone who doesn’t want this. While you’re getting it for me fast, make everything as easy as possible. Clients love to buy from companies that provide a hassle-free experience. Years ago, when people had more time to kill, if something was difficult to implement, they worked through it. But now, if you make something the least bit difficult for a client to implement, they’ll just run the other way.
I was puzzled over the lack of response.
That was when I finally realised, your client is not going to tell you how to make life easier for them. Sure, the nice clients probably would be willing to spend some time to feedback to you. However, most people, won’t even care! They will simply ignore the message if it is too much trouble for them.
Let’s just say, I’d rather make it tough for myself, easy for my customers.
Frankly, the best expert is not necessarily someone who has all the answers, but always knows someone who does. With more choices and information than ever, it's easy for clients to get confused. If you can take that information organize it, act upon it and deliver it to your clients in a way that they can understand and implement it quickly and easily you have made yourself indispensable.
Knowledge. Make me smart without having to go out and learn this on my own. Give me the knowledge that enables me to understand what constitutes value in your industry. The smarter you make me the less likely I am to buy from a price cutter.
Expertise. Not a single one of your clients has the time or inclination to be an expert on what it is that you do. That’s what we have you for. If a client or prospect has to take the time to know as much about products and services as you do, they should be entitled to split the commission with you.
Information. Clients want to be kept up to date on the latest developments, improvements, products and, on what’s working for your other clients, because maybe, it could work for them. Don’t throw information at us and expect us to wade through it. If that’s the case, I can replace you with my computer. You need to take the information for us, organize it, act upon it and deliver it in a way that we can understand and implement quickly and easily.
Education. An educated customer is someone who will only buy from an expert, advisor and resource. Now while a stupid customer will buy anything you ask them to, they’ll also buy anything the competition asks them to. By consistently delivering these eleven benefits to your clients and prospects you will not only be giving them everything they want; but with the time you’ll be saving them and the extra knowledge, information and education you’ll impart, you will be enabling your clients to be more successful at what it is they do. And that will make you indispensable to them, not to mention irreplaceable.
“I Want to be Sold”—Sell It to Me Well
Let me share with you an interesting fact: People like to be sold to. Before you give me a look of disbelief, let me add in the disclaimer, “Everyone likes to be sold well”.
Today's clients, just about had it with salespeople. The last thing they want to do is to deal with salespeople.
Before you tug out the tie around your neck, let me reiterate, “Client’s do not want to deal with salespeople, they want to deal with experts.” They want to work with someone who will be their expert, advisor and provide resource. They want someone who can save them time and make their life easier; because if there's one thing not a single one of your clients wants to do: they DO NOT want to be an expert on what it is that you do. That is the reason why you are hired to do the job.
Companies are finding it harder and harder to raise prices. More and more salespeople find themselves trying to compete on price. We have all learnt in our Marketing 101, companies either adopt a pricing or differentiation strategy. Yet, in today's competitive marketplace, what does differentiation mean to a salesperson? The best way to get off that “price- slashing” territory, is simply to create and deliver so much extra value to your clients, that you become indispensable to them, regardless of price.If you look forward to setting yourself up as an indispensable one- stop portal and expert, here are the two things you have to get cracking.
1. One- stop portal: Be the point person for your client
Rather than asking your clients to navigate their way through the customer service jungle or bureaucratic maze, you should be the only person a client should ever have to speak to. Put yourself in your client’s shoes and think through why will they ever engage your service or use your product? Usually, it is the benefit of convenience. Customers do not want to handle their problems alone. They do not want to speak to different people each time and repeat their story all over again. Be that one- stop portal for your client. Make sure your client calls you, tell you the problem, you get it solved and update him. Can someone put a price tag on this convenience? How much do you think it is worth? Answer: Priceless.2. Expert: Adapt your product or service to the client’s business.
A salesperson sells "stuffs" and “functions”. An expert has the knowledge of his product or service at his fingertip, while going a notch higher by selling “solutions” and “value”. Learn the client’s business well, run through your client’s processes and figure their purpose in using you. Too few salespersons go the extra mile to truly understand their client's needs. What is the result? They end up selling a product that is a force fit with the customer and that probably ends up as a once- off sale. Yet, a true salesman knows the lifeline of sales lies in referrals and repeat customers. Be a value- enhancing expert who adapts the content of your product or service, to your client’s business.
The next time you sell something, make sure the client has no choice but to keep coming back for more. Do you think it is harder to find someone who sells "stuff," or someone who will consistently fill your needs? Remember, your end- goal is not a transaction. Your end goal is to develop a long- term relationship with your client. Make sure you aid you clients' businesses to grow. The more profitable they are, the more money they have to buy your product or services! Imagine how much your clients will adore you if their businesses grow because of your advice and input.
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