Gästebuch » The "Little Tommy

Salespeople know that they're supposed to sell to the customer's needs. Here is the classic?and tragically wrong?way they usually learn to do it: Uncover the first need. Begin a product presentation Cheap Hollis Thompson Jersey , covering features and benefits, and then attempt to uncover another need and then give more product talk, etc.


Research shows that presentations like this are 25 percent less effective than those in which a thorough needs assessment is followed by a summary of all of the customer's needs. You will be far more successful if you begin by uncovering and agreeing on at least three relevant needs that the customer perceives as important. Only then should you begin a product presentation tailored to address those needs.


Never present your product until you have agreed on at least three important and relevant needs.


Here's how to do that:


? Ask questions designed to draw out the customer's needs'specifically, problems or opportunities that can be best addressed by the unique capabilities of your company or your products.


? Take notes while the customer talks. This shows that you're a good listener and that you actually care.


? Summarize and reach agreement on needs. When you believe you have uncovered at least three strong and relevant needs Cheap Donatas Motiejunas Jersey , summarize them and check your understanding with the customer. In this way, you reach agreement on the customer's needs. Use this format to gain agreement:


?As I understand it, you are looking for a way to ?_____, ______ Cheap Jarrett Jack Jersey , and ______. Is that correct? If the customer says no, ask more questions and do more listening. Only after the customer agrees that you correctly understand those three important needs should you begin to present the capabilities of your company and your product. You are now prepared to make that presentation in a far more powerful way by focusing directly on issues the customer already has agreed upon as vital problems or opportunities.


In The Field:


Financial consultant Brad Martin describes his experience with the Action Selling approach to needs identification as a revelation and a radical departure from the way he was originally trained.


Martin works for a large financial services company. Like many salespeople, he was taught to respond to each customer need as quickly as he was able to uncover it. So he would spot a need, present a product feature and benefit to address it Cheap Anthony Davis Jersey , and then fish for another need. ?That worked all right,? Martin said, ?but sometimes I ran into trouble by presenting capabilities that didn't quite match the prospect's needs when they were considered as a whole. This meant I later had to deal with many more objections than necessary.?


The problem is that customer needs do not exist individually, in a vacuum. They are interrelated.


Martin learned in Act 4 of the Action Selling sales training program to uncover and agree on at least three needs before presenting his solutions. ?Now my sales presentations are much better focused Cheap Jrue Holiday Jersey , and fewer objections surface,? he said. ?I am closing a significantly higher percentage of my prospects.?

The rejection letter says: "Your story, on the surface, appears to be well-told and has appealing characters. However Cheap Rajon Rondo Jersey , the writing is episodic; the story lacks direction."

You frown. Huh? The story lacks direction? How could it? Your main character is on a quest; how much more of a direction could you have than that?

Clearly, this editor doesn't know what she's talking about. Oh well. It takes all types... you bundle up your manuscript and send it out to the next publisher.

Six rejections later, you feel more than a bit miffed. This is a good story; everyone in your writing group says so. Your writing style is smooth and accomplished (even a few editors have said that).

So why the heck do they keep rejecting it? It's something to do with the plot; that much is clear. But what?

If you're lucky enough to get feedback, look for clues in the comments that have been made. The moment you see the word 'episodic' Cheap Omer Asik Jersey , that is the biggest and best clue you could have. Not all editors will use this term. They might say things like 'what is the story question?' or 'the character has no clear-cut goal' or 'there is no character growth'. All of these things can point to your story being episodic.

1. What Does "Episodic" Mean?

If someone tells you that your story is 'episodic', they mean that your story is a series of episodes, or events, that are very loosely tied together. The "events" crop up one after the other as a way of entertaining the reader Cheap DeMarcus Cousins Jersey , but there is little character growth between one episode and the next. Nor can we easily see how one event grows out of the one before.

Some examples of how a story may be episodic:

(a) The "Little Tommy had never had such an exciting day!" theme: FIRST: A child starts out in a normalboring situation. Then something happens to change things. (A child might find a doorway into a magic kingdom, go on a balloon ride, go to stay on the grandparents' farm etc etc)

SECOND: The child sees a series of amazing sightstakes part in various fun activitiesexperiences several hair-raising incidents.

THIRD: The child says "What a lovely day I've had. I'll keep this fairy land a secret, but I'll keep going back to have more fun with my new friends!" (Or: "Phew. I'm glad that's over. I'm so happy to be back home!") What's wrong with this? There is no plot. Just a bunch of 'stuff' that happens to fill in time.

(b) The "Fantasy Trap" FIRST: The main character is drawn into a different world or discovers that heshe is 'the chosen one'.

SECOND: This character is presented with a 'quest' to prove his worthiness to take up the mantle of the Chosen One. (He might have to free a characterbeing from enchantment or imprisonment Wholesale New Orleans Pelicans Jerseys , OR to learn to use the magic that is buried deep within, . Wholesale College Jerseys Wholesale NCAA Hoodies Wholesale NBA Shirts Wholesale NBA Shirts Wholesale Baseball Hats Cheap NBA Hats Wholesale College Jerseys Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Baseball Jerseys Wholeasale NBA Jerseys