What a great Mothers Day!

How are we doing to Waking Up our businesses?

What a great Mothers Day!

My mother just happens to be one of the most successful business women I know. She has been managing a property since 1984. Within the property, she manages an antique co-op and every Wednesday from April through October she manages a Farmers Market/Flea Market. She has always been customer focused by caring about what items her vendors have up for sell. How does she do this? By always staying focused on what the customers are motivated to buy!

What an example…right under my nose! It doesn’t just happen and run by itself. Nothing ever does…let alone for 26 years!

Now that you’ve looked again at your markets and adjusted your offerings, we need to sell them and not cave into price objections. Of course the biggest issue is the belief that your sales team has that major objective…price! Remember, if this is the case, they are communicating the wrong story to your market. If you’re struggling, call me…

A more challenging problem comes when we negotiate. The challenge lies in that we are weak on negotiation skills and many of our customers are quite skilled.

Negotiations are necessary when both parties want to proceed; there are just a few aspects of our solution that need to be clarified. For example, this may include specific features of our services, goods, or products. This may include price, delivery, maintenance, warranty, and other issues. The goal is to find a mutually agreeable common ground that fulfills their needs and requirements and allows you to close the deal. This is defined as negotiation! The challenge is that most of us cave on price and then close the deal - but at lower margins - which make it challenging to stay in business.

Attitudes towards Negotiations:
1. This is good news; it is a buying signal
2. Great opportunity to build a more positive relationship in creating “win-win” negotiations

Five Human Relation Approaches in Negotiation
1. Begin in a friendly way
2. Listen attentively
3. Let the other person save face
4. Show respect for the others person’s opinion; never say, “You’re wrong.”
5. Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view

Seven Negotiation Guidelines
1. You do not have to be aggressive to be a good negotiator
2. Negotiating is not fighting
3. You do not have to compromise your ethics to get what you want through negotiation
4. Negotiating is not always a formal process
5. Expect customers to ask for a better deal
6. Learn to say no
7. Look for creative solutions to reach an agreement

Six Negotiation Strategies
1. Know your walk-away position
2. Silence
3. Delay or Inactivity
4. Time pressure
5. You go first
6. Throw ins

Key point: Do not negotiate when you should be selling. Do not be selling when you should be negotiating.

SAVE THE DATE: Wednesday, June 30, 2010

WHY: For a “Wake Up Your Business” Seminar!

WHERE: Pittsburgh, PA

PRESENTER: Kevin Crone, Dale Carnegie Strategic Coach and my mentor. Kevin has been in business for almost 40 years.

More details next week…..STAY TUNED

Make it a great week!
Coach Rodgers