The Fundamentals Of Making The Sale – The First Rule Of Sales

Were you ever in a scout group as a child?  If you were, do you remember selling cookies or candy as an annual fundraiser?  I do, and I remember that people had many reasons for not buying.  Some were diabetic, or had other medical reasons for not consuming candy, while others didn’t consume candy because they felt it was unhealthy.  Some claimed they couldn’t spare the few dollars it took to make a purchase, and others gave no reason at all.

Why trying to sell to everyone is a bad idea

The scouts who sell their cookies and candies are like the door to door salesman.  They ask everyone they come into contact with if they will buy a box of their candy or cookies.  The problem with this method of selling is that most people will say no.  There is no specific target market to sell to.  Everyone is asked.

Every product has only a small segment of the general population that will be interested in purchasing that product.  Even products that everyone uses, such as shoes, are broken down by category and each category has it’s own specific market.  In the case of shoes you have three main categories – men’s, women’s, and children’s.  And then each of those categories has sub-categories: sports, casual, dress, and so on.  A 65 year old man probably is not going to be convinced to buy a pair of toddler girl’s dress shoes, unless he is buying for his granddaughter.

The Exception To The Rule

Sometimes people do buy something outside of their specific market, as in the case of the 65 year old man above.  When they do, they are usually making the purchase as a gift.  There were times in my childhood as a scout, when I was selling candy and cookies door to door, someone would tell me that they didn’t eat candy, but that someone dear to them did and they would make the purchase for them.  But, this is the exception in sales, not the rule.

Getting people to buy your product is difficult when you are approaching everyone.  Someone once said that you have to go through alot of “no’s” to get to one “yes.”  If you are approaching your sales this way, and offering your booklet to everyone, this is true.  But, if you do your homework, you can get far more yes’s than no’s.

The First Rule Of Sales

The first rule of sales is to know your market.  If you don’t know your market, you’ll end up trying to sell to everyone and the majority will not be interested.  The world may be small, but the world of sales is a very large place.  Only a small percentage of people will be interested in your booklet, and it’s far more efficient for you to find the ones who are likely to make a purchase than it is to waste time asking every one who crosses your path whether they would like to buy.

To do this you need to know who your booklet is for.  You need to create a profile of your most likely buyers.  How old are they?  Are they men or women?  Are they blue collar or white collar?  College grads?  Professionals?  Homemakers?  Married?  Do they have a family?  And the list goes on.  The goal is to have an idea of who your buyers are so that you don’t approach the people who don’t qualify as potential buyers.

Know your market, and you’ll know who your buyers are so you can offer them your booklet.  When you do, you’ll get far more takers.

To your riches!

Kim Hillman

PS:  Are you ready to write your first booklet?  Click here!

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The Fundamentals Of Making The Sale – Is Your Refund Policy A Deal Maker Or A Deal Breaker?

When most people think about what it takes to make a sale, they think about what they are going to say to their prospective buyer to convince them to make a purchase.  They think about what they will say about their product – how wonderful it is and how it can help the prospective buyer.  They might also think about how they will close the deal and how much money they will make.  But, rarely does anyone consider whether or how they will give a refund – should it be necessary – as part of making the sale.

Why You Need A Refund Policy

Every company should have a refund policy.  You might have a no refund policy, or you might allow a store credit as refund, or you might give a full refund in certain circumstances or all the time.  But, you should have a refund policy and your prospective buyers should know about it before they make a purchase from you.

One thing that is always in the back of the customer’s mind is what will happen if they are not happy with their purchase.  Your customers need to feel safe doing business with you, and in order for them to feel safe you need to reassure them that their satisfaction is your goal.  This is why having a no refund policy is usually a bad idea.  It makes the customer feel like they are taking a risk.  When you remove that risk the customer is more likely to buy.

Refunds For Digital Products

There are many online and offline companies selling digital products today, and the majority of them have a no refund policy.  The common fear seems to be that the customer received the product and there is no way that product can be returned or resold the way a physical product can be, and therefore a no return policy is created for that product.  Sellers fear being taken advantage of.

Some companies will offer a store credit if their buyer is not happy and this is a move in the right direction.  But, in some instances you might want to offer a full refund.  You might give a full refund on a case by case basis – as in when a customer writes to you explaining their problem, an error was made and you feel they are truly sincere.  This is especially important if this customer has purchased from you before.  You’ve worked hard to create a feeling of trust with this customer and you don’t want to lose their future business over what is probably a low cost digital product.

Refunds For Physical Products

Just as giving a refund or store credit is important when you offer digital products, it is equally important for physical products.  Most companies require the customer to return a physical product in order to receive a refund.  A customer who returns a product to you has had to package it up and schlep it to the post office, where they had to wait in what probably seemed like a long line, and perhaps even pay for return shipping – unless you provided a return label with shipping included or you reimburse for return shipping.

When a customer is willing to go through that much trouble to return a product, you can be sure they are unhappy with that purchase and they are sincere.  They are not out to take advantage of you in any way.  Rather, it is they who have put their money on the line, and it is they who must now be inconvenienced by having to return that product.  These customers deserve a full refund, period.  Anything less means you risk losing their future business.

Be Up Front About Your Policy

Whatever refund policy or policies you decide to adopt, you need to make sure that these policies are provided in writing to your customers – whether online or off.  These policies need to be crystal clear and up front, NOT hidden.  First time customers are always suspicious, especially if you are online, and it’s important to gain their trust right from the start to ensure future sales.  And, customers who have purchased from you in the past will continue to trust you when you handle their refunds promptly.

Your refund policy can be a deal maker or a deal breaker.  Craft it with care.

To your riches!

Kim Hillman

PS:  Are you ready to create that first booklet?  Click here.

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Fundamentals Of Making The Sale – The Most Important Thing You Can Do To Build Trust With Your Customers

In a perfect world every customer would say yes on the spot, buy your booklet, and live happily ever after.  Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world.  People hesitate.  Often they hesitate because they need more information.  Or, they buy but, later, regret their decision because the product didn’t meet their needs.

How To Lose Your Credibility

When things go wrong, and no matter what business you’re in they sometimes do, your customers need to be able to contact you.  The single, most important thing you can do to build trust with your customers is to give them a way to contact you should they have a question or wish to make a return.

There is nothing more frustrating to a customer than not being able to get a simple question answered or find out how to return an unwanted product.  And frustrated customers don’t buy from you again.  It doesn’t matter who you are or how much credibility you have, you will lose credibility with a frustrated customer.

When Frustration Turns To Anger

Frustrated customers usually become angry customers, and angry customers will feel the need to blow off steam about your company and products to whoever is available.  They might blow off steam to people they know, or they might do it online.  Often they will do both.  This damages your reputation as an honest business person, and the effects can be farther reaching than you might think.

Turning Hesitation Into A Sale

All of this is avoided when your customer knows that they can reach you.  This is as simple as providing an email address – one that you actually monitor and will answer.  You can also provide a phone number for your customers to call, but if you’re running your booklet publishing company from home and you’re a one man operation, an email address will be fine.

With an email address, your hesitant buyer will be able to ask you their questions.  Now you have the opportunity to aleviate any fears that potential customer has, and turn that hesitation into a sale.

And your customers who decide that your product isn’t for them after all will not feel stuck with your product.  Rather, they will be able to contact you in order to make a return.  And if there is any other problem, such as the customer received the wrong item or extra items they didn’t order, they’ll be able to get in touch with you for an exchange or instructions on what to do.

Your customers need to know that you’re there for them and that you care.  Giving them a way to contact you if a problem should arise will help them to trust you and feel comfortable doing business with you.

To your riches!

Kim Hillman

PS:  Are you ready to write your first booklet?  Click here.

PPS:  Remember, it only takes ONE idea to start the riches flowing to you!  Subscribe to this blog now.  Click here!

Quick Tip: Don’t Ruminate, Motivate

No matter what you’re working on in your booklet adventure there’s one thing you need to remember. You need to motivate your audience to do something.  Information is a cheap commodity these days, but information that motivates people to action is rare.

When people buy information products, booklets or otherwise, they aren’t putting down their hard earned cash to learn about something.  They’re putting down their hard earned cash because they expect that information to change something for them, and the only way that change can take place is if they DO something to make that change happen.  But, it’s easier to read than it is to do. Your job is to motivate the reader to take action.

You can’t control whether people will take action or not.  But, if you get them fired up about it they’ll believe in you and your products and they’ll continue to buy them.

To your riches!

Kim

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How To Make Your Fans Love You

As a booklet author, you will have fans.  Fans are not just for athletes, movies stars and book publishers.  Fans are for booklet authors too!  Here’s how to make your fans love you!

Follow Through

In everything you do, be consistent and follow through.  Consistency builds trust, and trust builds more business for you.  People do business with people they know, like and trust.  If people know they can trust you, they are more likely to do business with you or buy from you.

This means you can’t be like the average Joe. You know him well.  He’s the guy who promises, but never delivers.  He promises to call you, BUT HE DOESN’T.  He promises to show up, BUT HE DOESN’T.  He never follows through.  You can’t afford to be like him when it comes to your business.  If you say you will do it, then you MUST do it.  You must follow through – every single time.

Be Careful, Not Careless

Doing what you promise is important, but so is doing it right. There’s a right way and a wrong way to do just about everything, including writing booklets and running a booklet publishing company.

Companies that are careless about their products and services, or their customers, don’t stay in business.  For example, imagine that you hire a maid service to clean your home, and the maid shows up an hour late, and she looks tired and worn out from her last job.  She also doesn’t have all the supplies she promised to bring.  She ran out of cleaner for the sinks and bathtub, and her vacuum cleaner is broken.  On top of that, the entire time she is in your home she does nothing but complain to you about her job and her personal life.  As if that weren’t enough, she doesn’t do a thorough job cleaning your home.  When she leaves, the furniture is still dusty, and the floors haven’t been mopped.  Would you want her to return?

The maid in the example above was completely careless about both her job and her new client.  She did nothing to endear her new client to her. In fact, she did everything wrong.  But what if you hired her, and things were just the opposite?  What if she showed up ten minutes early, and stayed 20 minutes longer than she should have just to make sure everything sparkled? What if she not only had the cleaning supplies she promised to bring, but it was organic so that it would not adversely affect any pets or children you might have in the home?  What if she kept the conversation to a minimum, but she was friendly and polite and smiled while she worked?  And what if, long after she left that day, when it was time for you to retire for the evening, you found your sheets not only clean, but turned down, and a mint on your pillow with a little hand written thank you note, thanking you for your business?

While the first maid was careless, the second maid was careful in every way.  You want to write your booklets and run your booklet publishing company with the same kind of care.

Make A Connection

Finally, in order to make your fans love you, you need to make a connection with them. You do this in many ways – by writing booklets that meet their needs and answer their questions, by giving them what they want in the form of new titles and other products, and by being a human being who understands where they are in life or what they’re going through.  You make a connection by reaching out to them and showing them that you care, and that they are not just another dollar bill in your pocket.

Connection is something that is often downplayed in business, or never discussed or given any thought at all.  But, it’s vitally important that as a writer you connect with your audience. That connection will come from a place inside you that tells your audience you understand them because you’ve been in their shoes before.

Follow through on your promises, care about your business and your audience, and connect with that audience.  Do these things and you will have fans who not only love you, but who will want to buy from you again and again!

To your riches!

Kim

PS: Are you ready to make it happen?  Click here!

PPS: Don’t forget to click on one of the links at the top right of this page to subscribe so you never miss a single, important post!  Remember, it only takes ONE idea to start the riches flowing to you!  Also, if you like this post, please share it on your favorite social network.  Thanks!

The Easiest Way To Influence Your Customers To Buy And Win Their Repeat Business

Have you ever tried to order something from a website and had a difficult time getting your order to go through?  Maybe you couldn’t find the order button, or maybe you kept getting an error message.  Or, have you ever tried to order something by phone and been sent off to one of those lovely answering services and found yourself confused as to which button to push?  If you have, you probably remember the frustration you felt and you probably did not do business with that company again.  Don’t repeat those companies mistakes.  Make it easy for your customers to do business with you!

Make It Easy For Your Customer To Find You

Before your customers can do business with you, they need to be able to find you.  They may be looking for you or your company specifically, or they may be looking for any company that does what you do or offers what you offer. Sometimes, the customer isn’t sure what they’re looking for, but they will know when they find it.

In any of these cases, there is a good chance the customer will buy from you if they can find you – especially those who are looking for you specifically or who are looking for a company or product like yours.

There are many ways a customer can find you, but not every way will work with every type of customer. This is where it is important to do your homework and know your customers well.  If you know where your customers are looking, you can make sure you’re in the right place at the right time.

Make It Easy For Your Customer To Place An Order

Once your customer does find you, how easy will it be for them to place an order?  Is it as simple as a single phone call answered on the first ring by a live human being, or is it complicated with having to press the right button or worse, leave a message and hope for a return call?

What if your customers generally order online?  Are your products available for order this way?  If so, does it just require a couple clicks of the mouse and their mailing information and type of payment, or have you cluttered up the process with surveys and other unnecessary things?

When a customer is ready to place an order, they want to do it now and they want to do it fast.  People don’t have the patience today to sit on hold or click six times to get what they want.  You want to streamline your ordering process so that it is completely hassle free and easy enough for a five year old to understand and do.

Make It Easy For Your Customer To Get More Information

Not everyone will be ready to order from you the first time they find you.  Some people may need more information before they are willing to place an order – especially if that person is a potential large quantity buyer.

How easy it is for these people to get their questions answered will determine whether or not you make the sale. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes.  If you saw something that interested you, and you were considering making the purchase but you had a few questions, what would you do if you couldn’t get quick answers to your questions?

Most websites have FAQ’s.  But, many of them only deal with very basic questions and often, if a customer’s question isn’t on the list that customer will go elsewhere.   They leave because it becomes apparent that you or your company doesn’t care about their needs enough to find out ahead of time what their questions are (again, this has to do with doing your homework and knowing your customers well).  It leaves them with a feeling of being abandoned when they needed you most, so they don’t stick around.

This doesn’t just apply to websites, of course, but they do make a good example.  You should always make sure your customer can get the information they need to be able to come to the right decision about making the purchase.

The easiest way to influence your customers to buy from you and give you their repeat business is to make it easy for them to do business with you!

To your riches!

Kim

PS: If you’ve been considering investing in my product, “The Ultimate Get Rich Guide To Booklet Writing And Production…” it couldn’t be easier.  Click here now, and you won’t even have to pay the shipping!  The FREE shipping is, however, a temporary offer and is actually due to a glitch in my website’s ordering structure (yes, this is really true, and it WILL be corrected just as soon as I can get my coder to fix it!).  So, jump on this opportunity to save and grab yours now!  Click here!

PPS: Don’t forget to click on one of the links at the top right of this page to subscribe so you never miss a single important post!  Remember, it only takes ONE idea to start the riches flowing to you!  Also, if you like this post, please share it on your favorite social website.  Thanks!

Quick Tip: Why You Shouldn’t Try To Create Sales

Do you know what the single most important thing in your booklet business is?  It might surprise you.  It’s not your titles or how good your information is.  It’s not how many booklets or other products you have to offer.  In fact, the most important thing in your booklet business has little to do with your booklets.  The most important thing to your business is the relationship you have with your customers.

From the moment someone shows interest in one of your titles, you begin to build a relationship with them.  That relationship is forged in a variety of ways – in every contact you make with them – from your booklet and printed material to personal correspondence you may have with them.

Some would say that your customers are your most important business asset.  This is only partially true. It’s your relationship with those customers that gets them to buy and creates your riches.  It’s your relationship with them that cements the deal and devotes them to you as a business person and as an author.

Don’t try to create sales.  Instead, create relationship, and the sales will follow!

To your riches!

Kim

PS: Before you can create relationships with customers, you need to have a reason for doing so – something to base that relationship on.  In other words, you need a salable booklet that is ready for market.  Would you like to do it the easy way?  Click here!

PPS: Don’t forget to click on one of the links at the top right of this page to subscribe so you never miss a single, important post!  Remember, it only takes ONE idea to start the riches flowing to you!

How To Be An Author Worth Paying Attention To

When you start your booklet adventure, you’re doing more than just writing a booklet or starting a business.  You are creating your reputation with your audience.

Your Cover Creates A First Impression

When you put your first booklet on the market, that booklet will give an impression to anyone who sees it.  They will instantly form an opinion of your booklet just by seeing the cover. In that moment, they will decide whether they want to consider your booklet as something of interest to them, or move on to something else.

This is why having a professional cover is so important.  Your cover creates that all important first impression, but you don’t want it to be the last impression.  You want those people who were interested enough to look at your booklet’s cover to continue to consider it as something they need, and then make a purchase.

A Professional Layout Is Important Too

If your cover is professional and grabs attention, the next thing a prospective buyer will do is open the booklet to see what’s inside. They will want to know the contents of the booklet before they buy.  But, they will also want to see  a professional layout.

If you’re selling to individuals, they may not consciously think about the layout, but they will be able to tell if the layout isn’t professional. It’s one of those things where if it looks good, nobody notices.  But, if it looks bad, everybody notices.

A quantity buyer will be particularly concerned with layout. If a potential quantity prospect sees anything less than a professional job, it will cost you that sale – a sale that you don’t want to lose!

Does Your Booklet Deliver On Its Promises?

When looking over the content of your booklet, your audience will be trying to figure out if your booklet delivers what it promises.  If it does, and they were interested enough to get past the front cover, you’ve probably made a sale.  But, if your booklet doesn’t deliver what it promised, you’ve not only lost the sale but you’ve lost the trust of your potential customers as well.

People only buy from people they know, like and trust.  If you’ve lost their trust, they won’t be willing to buy from you in the future.

It’s your name and your reputation on the line.  When your booklet is top notch and you’ve done your best to create a professional product that delivers what it promises, you won’t have any trouble making sales.  Your audience will come to trust you and see you as an author worth paying attention to.

To your riches!

Kim

PS: Are you ready to get started on your booklet adventure?  There is a right way and a wrong way to go about creating a booklet.  If  you want to avoid the pitfalls and come out a winner click here!

PPS: Don’t forget to click on one of the links at the top right of this page to subscribe so you never miss a single, important post!  Remember, it only takes ONE idea to start the riches flowing to you!  Also, if you like this post please share it on your favorite social website.  Thanks!

Quick Tip: Don’t Waste Your Time On People Who Don’t Get It

No matter how hard you try to explain the value of your booklet to people, some of them just won’t get it. They might be someone who could really benefit from your information personally, or they might be a potential quantity buyer whose customers would benefit – thereby benefiting the company as well.

In either of these cases, when you’ve done your best to present your booklet to them and they don’t get it, don’t waste another moment with them. It’s best to let it go and move on to bigger and better prospects.

Trying to convince someone to buy who isn’t genuinely interested is a waste of your precious time – time you could be using to present your booklet to a prospect who is interested.  The interested prospects are the ones who become customers and bring you the riches!

To your riches,

Kim

PS: Before you can look for prospects, you need something to offer them.  Are you ready to write your booklet?  Need help?  Click here!

PPS: Don’t forget to click on one of the links at the top right of this page to subscribe so you never miss a single, important post!  Remember, it only takes ONE idea to start the riches flowing to you!  Also, if you like this post please share it on your favorite social website.  Thanks!

10 Ways To Be Someone Your Audience Knows, Likes And Trusts

In the beginning of your booklet adventure, you ARE the business.  That means you need to be someone that your audience knows, likes and trusts so they will feel comfortable buying from you.  Here are 10 ways to get your audience to do just that!

1) Be honest in all you do.

2) Do what you say you will do.

3) Follow up with people.

4) Be Quick To Take Action.  Don’t just do what you say you will do, do it fast!  Speed impresses people!

5) Be genuine.  People can recognize a phony, and are looking for the real deal.

6) Be visible and accessible.  Otherwise people will think you’ve got something to hide.

7) Always offer your best in everything, from your writing to your customer service and shipping.

8) Put yourself in the customer’s shoes when there is a problem.  How would you feel?  Do the right thing.

9) LOVE your audience – take care of them, be good to them, appreciate them, care and they will do the same for you!

10) Communicate with your audience regularly.  This fosters a sense of relationship with you.

To your riches,

Kim

PS: For step-by-step help in creating your booklet, click here!

PPS: Don’t forget to click on one of the links at the top right of this page to subscribe so you never miss a single, important post.  Remember, it only takes ONE idea to start the riches flowing to you!  Also, if you like this post please share it on your favorite social website.  Thanks!