What to do when your customer says “NO!”

by Dr. Jeffrey Lant
It’s sad, but it’s going to happen to you today: a prospect
is going to say no to your offer. That, however, is NOT
important. What is, is knowing what to do when it
happens. That’s what separates the men from the
boys; the business people who will profit from those
who won’t!

1) Prepare for the decline

People who succeed in business do not expect
every single prospect to purchase what they’re
selling immediately, effortlessly.  No way!

Instead, they anticipate that while some will
buy, many will not. Their job is to anticipate those
declines and to prepare in advance what to do
when they get them.

2) Write down every potential objection you
will hear. Then answer them.

The worst possible way to handle an objection
is spontaneously, on the fly. To render the best
reply, you must consider the best reply, crafting,
improving it as you go.

Face it: some people are going to decline
your offer. You should be prepared to respond
immediately when it happens. This means
brainstorming all possible objections… and
coming up with the best, most telling responses.
Your use of these responses must be swift and
sure. There’s no time for improvisation when your
sale hangs in the balance!

3) Ask customers why they’ve declined your
offer.

Successful business people, people who get
rich from business, are never daunted by
hearing “No!” from a customer.  They see this
response, however adamant,  as nothing but a
milestone on the way to making that sale.

Successful marketers know that any “no” means
“tell me more”, not “go away, get lost.”

4) Ask why

The first step upon hearing the customer decline
your offer… is to ask why.

Treat “why” as an essential tool in making the sale.
The minute your prospect starts telling you why…
you are on your way to a certain sale because the
very act of answering this question means the prospect
is willing to work with  you to reverse the very answer
they’ve just given you! Thus asking “why” is essential
to getting to yes.

5) Listen carefully

While your customer is explaining why she declined
your offer, LISTEN. The natural tendency is to barge
ahead, overwhelming the customer. This is a mistake.
Instead, ask the customer why she declined; then give
her the time and courtesy to listen to her response
without any interruption whatsoever.

6) Make sure the customer understands your original
offer.
By asking the customer why she has declined  your
offer, you may discover that she doesn’t really understand
what you are offering. If she doesn’t, present the offer again,
making sure the customer understands absolutely
everything you are offering and its substantial value and
utility.

7) When  your initial offer is not enough

If you have presented your offer clearly… if you feel
the customer understands it but is still not willing to
bite, it’s time to IMPROVE YOUR OFFER!

Now hear this: before you ask a single customer for
a sale, you must brainstorm every single thing you
can offer prospects to induce them to buy.

You must NEVER try to improvise an offer when
you are speaking to a customer. Instead, you should
have at your finger tips the extra goodies you can offer
a customer, goodies that will make the sale without breaking
the bank!

“Ms. Prospect, I see you want to get our widget… and
I want you to have it. I’m going to improve my original
offer to make sure you get it! Let me show you what
you can get if you purchase today!”

 When money — or lack thereof –is the problem

Be prepared to hear from customers over and
over again that money is the problem. This may or
may not be true. Your job is to be prepared either way.

Ask your customers if they would purchase your
product if they had the money. If they say yes, then
your job becomes improving the offer until the
customer understands it would be foolish not to
buy. Improving the offer may well induce the customer
to ‘fess up and buy… or risk losing the terrific offer
you have made. Improve the offer and in a minute or
two people who have just told you they’re broke will
magically “find” the funds. With improved offers, this
happens time after time!

Note: make it clear to your prospect exactly what
this improved offer contains. Also, be sure the
customer understands that this is a limited-time
offer and that it cannot and will not be repeated.
Make sure the customers understands; this is
essential in ensuring acceptance of this offer!

9) When lack of money really is the problem

Of course, some people — particularly in our difficult
economic days — really are broke. They need a different
approach. For this situation, too, you should have
planned in advance. Can you offer

* improved payment terms
* readily available credit resources (like
those at www.paypal.com)
* details on how to secure a pre-paid credit
card, etc.

In short are you ready to be helpful when your
interested, but cash challenged, customer is
ready to act? That’s mandatory… if you want this
sale!

Turning a no into a yes is what determines your
business success!

Let me be blunt: you cannot achieve maximum
business success and the profits that go with it
unless and until  you can turn no into yes. Therefore,
mastering the steps in this article is essential to
your maximum well being.

Thus, start today. Never let a prospect go until
you have exhausted every approach to securing
his business. Treat this as a great game, a game
constantly testing your skills and ingenuity; one
with the greatest possible benefits to both your
customer and yourself. For you, hearing the word
no only focuses and concentrates your efforts.
After all, YOU are prepared for this moment. You
know what to do and when to it. You are more
determined to make this sale than the prospect is
to decline it.  As a result, this is not just a sale
you will wish for; it is a sale you will get!

Are you a DABBLER or a DOER? Your answer determines your success in your online business.

By Sandi Hunter

Every day I talk to people who are trying to earn an honest buck in an online business. These are average people who come from all walks of life, from all corners of the globe. The common goal they share is the desire to earn money online in any number of online affiliate or reseller type programs. Although the goal is the same, the approach to making this happen is always different and so too are the results. I have outlined here the marketing approaches that I observe everyday, the ones that are effective and the ones that aren’t. See if you recognize yourself in any of these examples.

The Dabbler.

The Dabbler’s marketing approach involves putting a little bit of effort into this and a little bit of effort into that. This type of marketer will post a few blogs, send a few tweets, join a safelist or two and participate in a handful of traffic exchanges. This person has a basic understanding of what is required to market their online business. The problem is they simply won’t commit to rolling up their sleeves, digging in and doing what is necessary to consistently promote and build results. They are too busy talking about it, planning it, and getting organized. The Dabbler sometimes doubles as an excuse-machine. They readily offer up reasons for not having completed the necessary tasks to build their business. Or, they easily assign blame to others for their lack of success. It has always puzzled me how it is so easy to find reasons for not being successful. What about all the reasons why you CAN be successful? The Internet offers burgeoning earning opportunities!

The Learner.

This type of marketer is a professional online student. They read continuously, watch videos, sign up for everything to get even more details and more help. They are so busy learning, and soaking up knowledge they never actually DO anything or apply what they learn. They are never ready to START applying what they have learned. They want to study more, take it all in, buy more books, take more courses. The Internet itself, and marketing strategies are constantly evolving. You will never know every last detail about marketing and when you think you are getting close, technology will change again. Stop with the learning and start with the doing! Everyday you focus ONLY on learning, is another day you have not made a dime. Dive in, get wet, start promoting your business, products and services – now – RIGHT NOW! Yes, there is much to learn about online marketing, never stop learning but be sure to never stop MARKETING.

The Sweat and Tears Syndrome

This marketer is the saddest one of all. They promote with a frenzied intensity in short bursts spending hours in all the wrong places, promoting all the wrong things. They furiously tap away for hours at their keyboard “working their business” late into the night for 2, 3 days, maybe a week or more. Their blog is bursting with good key word content, they’ve tweeted like a mad person, they’ve bought leads with great promises from a sketchy vendor that seemed to good to be true. Exhausted, they pause and wait for the results. When they don’t get instant results, the sweat turns to tears. Frustrated they swear, stomp, tantrum and move on to the next greatest online money-making program ever – that is in pre-launch! The insanity begins again. This type of marketer has no patience, and leaps from one program to another, with no loyalty or commitment.

The Doer

The DOER is the marketer that SUCCEEDS! The DOER is the one who doesn’t get caught up in all the details. The DOER is a courageous beast. They blunder, make mistakes, but carry on. They understand the sheer power of the web to market products to the world and to profit from their labour. They understand that with the right products and tools they can sell anything! The web is fat with buyers. DOERS understand that you MUST have patience, and MUST work a business constantly, knowing this means consistent promotion every day. DOERS accept that there will be frustrating times, failures, and obstacles on the path to success. The DOERS I know, aren’t always the people you might expect. Many of the DOERS I know are average people, with very little sales or technical background. Their gift is that they are not afraid to try, they don’t give up, they dig in and work hard. There are DOERS all over the world right now marketing their products, services, and affiliate programs in all corners of the web, turning a profit each and every day. This type of marketer has tapped into the right resources, training and tools, applies them consistently, setting realistic goals carrying a positive attitude.

Here is my advise to you as an online marketer on your way to success.

Every single day when you wake up, set a goal for yourself. Make your goal realistic and measurable. Post your goal on your computer, date it.

Initially your goal may be to simply find 5 great places to promote your business. Then your goal may evolve into actually posting your ads, product, service or opportunity to 5, then 10, 20+ sites each day. Once the promotion is is place, set goals for the number of sales each day.

As your business grows never lose your focus on that goal. Don’t get distracted. Remember, at the end of the day you want to actually have made money! Tweeting, face booking, article submissions, and blogging HELP your business grow but are not direct profits in your pocket. Yes, promotion, networking and Search Engine positioning is important and you should work at this but it takes time to do this. Do not let these activities overwhelm you to the point where you forget to make money! Keep your eye on the prize.

Set a goal for a minimum earnings per day. Start off realistic. If you don’t make that amount today, set a new goal for tomorrow. When you start making money, adjust your daily goals accordingly. For those of you who are new to online marketing you CAN make money every single day provided you have the proper tools and resources to do so and of course great products and services to promote. Just make sure you are the DOER described in this article.

I will close with a quote from one of my favourite DOERS, Ray Kroc, McDonald’s Corporation. “Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get.”