Close More Sales: Psychology of Sales – Tip #2

September 29th, 2010

In this second segment of our ongoing series on the psychology of sales, we’ll cover a core characteristic that most successful sales people share: authenticity. Learn what it is, how to use it, and why it works.

In a nutshell, authenticity can be defined as “undisputed credibility.” When we’re speaking of people and conversations, authenticity refers to that appealing characteristic that truly honest people of integrity possess. Authenticity allows you to speak the truth, not from a place of righteousness, rudeness or ego, but from a place of truly intending to improve the situation for everyone concerned.

Authenticity is even more powerful when combined with positivity (see our prior segment on this).

Take client testimonials, for example.

Real, authentic expressions of praise from an actual client are always more powerful than solicited, contrived testimonials. It’s almost as though the energy behind the words is more powerful than the words themselves.

Here’s an example from famed marketer Joe Sugarman:

“Have you ever wondered why companies such as Procter & Gamble and General Foods have been running those contests asking people to write down ‘Why I like (product)’ in 25-, 50-, 100 words or less?”

“Because, for the chance of winning valuable prizes, droves of people are willing to go on record as liking the product. This, in and of itself, is extraordinary because it creates countless glowing testimonials. But what’s even more amazing is that the hundreds of thousands of people who testify in writing to the product’s benefits consequently believe what they have written – and this curious phenomenon fuels unprecedented sales of the product!”

“When you use psychological devices like the one used in the above example, you glide ever so smoothly over people’s natural predispositions that it’s practically effortless for you to generate sales. This spells the greatest difference between the ethical form of mind control used in marketing, versus its evil stepbrother – the kind involving covert behavior modification techniques.”

Getting testimonials for your product or service is easy – rather than directly asking your existing clients for a testimonial, just ask them what they like most about the product or service, or have them explain why they love using it. Once they’ve explained, ask if they would be willing to allow you to share their comments with other potential clients, and you can even offer to keep their names and businesses confidential (for example, list the statement as made by “Marcus P.” as opposed to “Marcus Peterson of Dynamix International”).

To take this authenticity even further, ask your existing clients if they would be willing to refer some friends or colleagues to you. It’s completely up to you (or perhaps, your company) whether you offer any kind of incentive or reward for such referrals.

Besides gathering powerful testimonials, you can harness authenticity by practicing honesty and integrity in your everyday communication.

Stay tuned to this blog for more psychology of sales tips, designed to help you close more sales.

In the meantime, be sure to rent a projector from Projector123.com for your next sales presentation, sales meeting, or sales training event. A professional grade rental projector from Projector123.com will help ensure that you make the most polished presentation possible, and that you take advantage of using pictures worth 1,000 words each! Click here to learn more or reserve your projector today.

How to Set Up and Use an LCD Rental Projector

September 27th, 2010

Here’s a great article we came across recently that explains in simple terms how to use an LCD projector. Remember – when you rent a projector from Projector123.com, you’ll receive a quick start setup guide, and you’ll be set up in a jiffy. Plus, our technical expert staff is always available to you 24/7 by phone throughout your entire rental period.

We found this article at ehow.com. Click to access the original article. Enjoy!

How to Use an LCD Projector

By an eHow Contributor

LCD projectors have revolutionized the audiovisual industry. With a few clicks of the mouse and strokes of the keyboard, whatever you type on your computer appears instantly on a projection screen in real time. If you have never experimented with an LCD projector, however, do not worry. You can learn how to use an LCD projector.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Plug the LCD projector in to a power outlet. Completely plug the power cord in to the back of the LCD projector.

2. Use a VGA cable (usually a 15-pin male to male) to connect your computer to the LCD projector. Insert one end of the cable into the VGA connector (sometimes this connector is blue) in the back of your computer and do the same in the back of your LCD projector. If the LCD projector has more than one VGA connector, choose the one that says something like “line in” or “in from computer.”

3. Power on your laptop. Turn on the LCD projector. It may take a couple of minutes to warm up. Open the computer file or document you wish to display. When you are ready to project your image, press “Function” (Fn) plus “F8.” This combination of keys sends your computer’s display to the LCD projector.

4. Use sound to enhance your presentation. Often LCD projectors have built-in speakers. If this is the case, you may need to run an RGB cable from the LCD projector to the back of your computer. If you wish to use external speakers instead of those that are part of the LCD projector (the built-in speakers are generally of poor quality), plug the speakers directly into the headphone jack of your laptop.

5. Turn off your LCD projector properly. Usually you must press the “off” button once, and a dialog box pops up asking if you are sure you want to turn it off. Press the “off” button again, and the machine powers down. Leave the machine plugged in until the cooling fan stops. Be careful when disconnecting VGA cables from the back of the LCD projector and laptop, as the pins at the end of the cable are delicate.

6. Know some other features of your LCD projector. Most have a focus knob to make the picture clearer. If your image appears distorted (wider on one side than the other or small at the top, big at the bottom) you must adjust the keystone setting, which helps to project a rectangular image. You can fix keystone distortion manually by moving the LCD projector to position it near the center of the screen at which it is aiming.

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Click here to rent an LCD projector now from Projector123.com.

Visual vs. Verbal Presentations: Why Projectors Are Necessary

September 24th, 2010

The difference between visual and verbal presentations may seem obvious, but there’s a lot more going on “under the surface.” Read on to learn more.

As a speaker, your natural tendency is probably to choose the delivery method you’re most comfortable with. If you prefer to explain things verbally (and likewise, prefer to learn in auditory fashion), then you may tend to overlook the need for visual stimulation in the presentations you deliver.

Similarly, if you prefer to learn with visuals, you may tend to rely more heavily on visuals in your own presentations, with less emphasis on verbal delivery.

However, the important thing to remember is that people tend to learn in different ways, and the more ways you can incorporate into your presentation, the more likely your audience will be to remain engaged, understand and retain the information you present, and ultimately, appreciate you and your presentation.

With a primarily verbal presentation, the visual learners in your audience have no visual reference with which to anchor your words. Therefore, they can easily become distracted with whatever visuals are available: your clothing, your mannerisms, or what the person sitting in front of them is doing. From your perspective, this is certainly not ideal, as you want them to focus primarily on your message itself.

/>Tactile learners in the audience are often looking for something to do with their hands. Supplying handouts (or passing out product samples or other related items) is an easy way to engage the tactile learner. On your handouts, be sure to provide plenty of white space, so the tactile learners in the room can doodle, draw, make notes, and otherwise find ways to anchor your message into their minds. Without related materials to support their tactile nature, these folks are likely to be distracted by a thread hanging from their garment, emails or texts on their cell phone, or other ways to keep their hands busy.

The majority of the population is comprised of visual learners, so it pays to have a rental projector in use during your presentation. Using pertinent images to support your verbal presentation is the ideal way to support the visual and auditory learners in your audience.

The combination of verbal presentation, still or moving images in a slide show or video display format, and relevant handouts will help to ensure that you are maximizing your time in front of the audience.

To rent an LCD projector from Projector123.com, click here to get started now.

Close More Sales: Psychology of Sales – Tip #1

September 22nd, 2010

For decades, the psychology of sales have been studied and scrutinized to decipher what makes people buy. By incorporating these simple tips into your sales meetings, telephone calls, and presentations, you can see for yourself and test some simple methods that have been proven to increase the number of closed sales.

From time to time, you’ll see a new “psychology of sales” tip posted on this blog. You can always share your own tips by leaving a comment here. We love hearing from you!

But first, a disclaimer.

These techniques are very powerful and have been proven to work. These are not manipulative strategies designed to coerce a person into buying something they don’t want or need – these methods work best when the sales person truly has the customer’s best interests at heart, and feels a genuine desire to solve the client’s problems with viable solutions in the form of quality products and services.

In other words, if you continue reading this post and begin using these techniques, please use them for good and not for evil!

Tip #1 – Always Keep It Positive

No, we’re not talking about “positive thinking” here, we’re talking about getting the prospect speaking about what they like about a particular product or service, and why they like it. This helps you to frame your pitch in such a way that it hits the key points and features that the customer is most interested in. While it may seem obvious not to belabor any negative aspects of what you’re selling, it’s worth mentioned here that it’s never appropriate to badmouth another company or their product or service. If one of your competitors should arise in conversation, it’s best to merely draw a contrast between what they’re offering and what you’re offering. Notice the difference:

Negative slant:

Customer: “I’ve used Company X’s widgets in the past, but I wasn’t particularly impressed with them.”

Salesperson: “Their quality is very poor, I can’t tell you how many clients I’ve had switch over to us because they were so dissatisfied with the complete lack of organization at that company.”

Positive slant:

Customer: “I’ve used Company X’s widgets in the past, but I wasn’t particularly impressed with them.”

Salesperson: “I see. The thing that really sets our company apart from others is our commitment to quality. We actually triple check each widget for quality control before it ever leaves the factory, plus we offer a 100% money-back guarantee or hassle-free replacement for any part that might sneak past our tight quality standards.”

Can you see the difference? By keeping things positive, the sales rep in the second example stays focused on the main point: why his/her product is the best choice. In the first example, the sales rep takes a negative approach, making the other company look bad in the hopes that it will in turn make his company look better.

The bottom line is this: people almost always buy from someone they like. Staying focused on the positive rather than delving into negativity always creates a more attractive, likeable impression.

Likewise, if the prospect should mention something negative about your company, product or service, it is imperative that you keep things as positive as possible, without making excuses, and with complete integrity. For example:

Negative:

Customer: “I called to ask a technical question recently, and the person I spoke with wasn’t able to help me at all.”

Salesperson: “Oh, that was probably Suzy. She was horrible, and she’s been let go. Rebecca is our new technical expert, you’ll love her.”

(Notice how that doesn’t address the real concern the customer has – whether or not they will be able to get their questions answered when they call for assistance.)

Positive:

Customer: “I called to ask a technical question recently, and the person I spoke with wasn’t able to help me at all.”

Salesperson: “Really? What was your question? Perhaps I can answer it.”

Now the sales person can engage in a productive conversation, possibly answer the client’s question, or call someone who can answer it.

In the positive scenario, the sales rep might mention new initiatives that have been put in place (or will soon be put in place) to address any chronic issues. For example:

“We’ve just implemented a new training program for our technical staff. In fact, every technical rep we have must spend two weeks on the factory floor, training on every aspect of production, to help them better understand the process used to create our finished product. I think that the next time you call for assistance, you’ll find that the knowledgeability of our technical staff has improved dramatically. And, you can always call me, and if I don’t know the answer, I will find out from someone who does.”

See how the positive scenario actually addresses the customer’s true concern?

Look for more ways you can use positive language and the positive angle to win more sales (and get more repeat business from your existing clientele). Positivity can go a long way in closing more sales.

Know what else can help you close more sales? A sleek, professional grade rental projector from Projector123.com. To begin a hassle-free projector rental experience, click here to get started now.

How to Keep Your Audience on Its Toes

September 20th, 2010

If you do a lot of public speaking, you know that you’ve got to keep your audience engaged in order to win them over and hold their attention. One of the ways you can do that is by shaking things up a little bit and keeping your audience on their toes. Here are some easy, fast tips for doing just that.

1. Be unpredictable

For example, instead of opening with, “How’s everybody doing today?” open with a funny line that doesn’t start off sounding like a joke. For example, one of the funniest opening lines I ever heard from a speaker went like this:

“Hey did everyone see my jacket?”

(Audience answers “yes.”)

“Good, now I can take it off.” (And he removed his jacket.)

/>2. Alter your voice and intonation

Avoid a monotone voice – use a variety of inflection, emphasis and intonation to keep the audience engaged. A trick used by many grade school teachers is easy to adopt: when you suddenly lower your voice to a hushed tone, you immediately grab attention, and people listen more closely.

3. Inject humor

If you’re not a joke teller, don’t worry – you can relate a funny story, insert a cartoon into your slide show, or ask for volunteers from the audience to tell their best clean, funny joke.

4. Add surprises

If you’ve got a wild or outgoing personality, don’t be afraid to use props, funny hats, or whatever other surprises you can add to your presentation. Alternatively, you can bring some advertising specialties (note pads, pens, gadgets, toys, etc.) and give them to folks who participate, ask questions, jump out to share, volunteer, etc.

5. Audience participation

If you want your audience to participate, just ask them. Ask for volunteers, for assistants, for jokes, for feedback, for brainstorming, for questions, etc. The more you ask them to participate, the more participation you’ll get, and the more engaged your audience overall will be.

Keep your audience on its toes with a powerful visual presentation and a rental projector from Projector123.com. Click here to get started.

How to Organize a Photo Montage for a Class Reunion – Part 3 of 3

September 17th, 2010

Gearing up for a class reunion? Whether this is your 5^th reunion or your 50^th, everyone appreciates a photo montage to reminisce about days gone by. In this third and final installment, we’ll look at how to pull your slide show all together in the perfect balance.

Pulling It All Together

Striking a balance is key in any photo slide show. It’s wise to include a combination with variety – with images that are funny, sweet, cute, romantic, happy, etc., and featuring a variety of people as well (nobody appreciates when half of the images include the reunion planner.)

This should go without saying, but it’s still worth mentioning: use discretion when selecting photos for the class reunion slide show. In other words, keep it pretty clean. Certainly, you’ll want to include some funny or embarrassing photos that feature a mouthful of food, big crazy hair, or clothing that is now totally out of style, but some images are just not appropriate at all.

Photos to leave out would include anything with nudity, obscene gestures, drugs, etc. Likewise, images that include anything that would be downright hurtful are never welcome or appropriate at a class reunion.

Once you’ve selected all the images you plan to use, the next step is to choose music. Figure about 12 slides per minute of music (1 second each for fading in and fading out of each image, and about 3 seconds of viewing time per image), and this should give you an idea of how many songs you’ll need.

When it’s time to pull it all together, you can use a service like www.animoto.com or www.photoshow.com or you can simply use software on your computer such as iMovie for the Mac or PowerPoint for the PC. Once it’s all complete, burn it to CD or DVD (make a couple of copies) and test it in a DVD player or on another computer, just to be sure everything is working. You can either use a DVD or hook up a laptop to your rental projector to display your slide show at the appropriate time.

Speaking of rental projectors, it’s never been easier to rent a projector from Projector123.com. Just click here to get started and your classmates will be talking about your class reunion for years to come!

How to Organize a Photo Montage for a Class Reunion – Part 2 of 3

September 15th, 2010

Starting to gather photographs and memorabilia for your upcoming class reunion? In part 2 of this three-part series on how to organize a photo montage for a class reunion, we’ll provide you with some tips on how to get more photos from your classmates if you’re not receiving as many as you’d like.

The best way to encourage your classmates to submit their photos is to make the process as easy as possible. You might choose to offer different options – for example, people can mail their pictures with their name and address on the back, and you can scan the photos for them and return their pictures by mail (or have them pick up their photos at the event), or you can allow people to scan and email pictures to you, or you can encourage people to post their old high school photos on Facebook, and you can grab images from there. The easier you make it, the more likely folks will participate.

If you’ve made it as easy as possible, and you’re still lacking enough images for a decent slide show, you might consider offering a prize or incentive to the person who submits the most photos. Of course, this could possibly backfire, as you might wind up with 100 photos of Mary Alice and no one else, but it’s worth a shot.

In the next and final installment, we’ll look at ways to pull it all together to create the perfect photo montage for your class reunion.

No matter how many photos you ultimately collect, nothing showcases your photo montage better than a rental projector from Projector123.com. As the leading professionals in rental projectors, Projector123.com offers fast, easy, affordable projector rentals, shipped anywhere in the U.S. What’s more, our team of expert reps can answer any question you have about ordering or setting up a projector (although, with our easy quick-start guide that’s included in every rental, odds are you’ll never have to call!) Click here to learn more or to reserve your rental projector today.

How to Organize a Photo Montage for a Class Reunion – Part 1 of 3

September 13th, 2010

Class reunions – the gatherings some look forward to, and others dread (or avoid completely). But these reconnections can be fun, exciting and enlightening with careful planning and an open mind. If you’re planning a class reunion, here are some simple tips for pulling together a photo montage or digital slide show for the big event.

Part 1: Gathering Photos

It might sound obvious, but the first step is to gather some photos of your own. Do your best to include lots of different people, and scan your images to make them easy to work with.

Once you’ve collected some of your own photos, start reaching out to people you’ve stayed in communication with. (Another great place to start would be the reunion planning committee.)

Use social media to your advantage – as you’re finding old classmates on Facebook and other forms of social media, post some pictures and tag people in the photos. It’s amazing how even a short walk down memory lane is often enough to encourage people to break out their own favorite photos and memorabilia from school days gone by. You can even set up a Facebook group for your class (or your event) and let people post photos to that page.

As you ask people to share their photos, be specific and clear about what you want. If you want candid pictures of them with friends, ask for that. If you prefer a mix of candid shots and formal pictures (such as those taken at dances, or for the yearbook), then ask for it. Whatever you’re envisioning – pictures of teachers, pictures taken outside of school, groups of classmates, etc. – giving people examples helps them choose which pictures to include.

Likewise, if you want to include at least 1 per person but no more than 10 per person, then specify that as well.

In the next installment, we’ll cover how to get more pictures if you’re not receiving as many as you’d like. In the meantime, it’s never too early to reserve a rental projector from Projector123.com for your class reunion. It’s the best, most impactful way to showcase your class photo montage – and best of all, Projector123.com can ship to any location in the U.S., so ordering is fast, easy and hassle-free. Click here to learn more or reserve your rental projector today.

PowerPoint Tips: How Much Is too Much to Put on 1 Slide?

September 10th, 2010

Whether you’re a PowerPoint newbie or a seasoned pro, you’ve probably asked yourself this question at one point or another: how much is too much for one slide? Here’s the definitive answer.

It depends.

Oh, sorry, did you think there would be a clear, cut-and-dried answer, like “400 characters” or “800 pixels”? Unfortunately, there’s not one definitive answer.

Consider the following factors:

1 – how big is your audience?

2 – how big is the screen or viewing surface you’re projecting images on to?

3 – how detailed is the material you’re presenting?

4 – how is the room designed? How close are people sitting and does everyone have an equally good view of what’s being projected?

Generally speaking, a slide featuring a block of text should include no more than 1-2 sentences. A slide that uses bullet points should include no more than 5 or 6 bullet points, with no more than 2-3 words following each bullet.

Remember, your slides are designed to support your verbal presentation, not replace it.

Now, if images are the compelling factor in your presentation, then you would want to include less words on your slides and more images.

One image per slide is generally plenty, unless you are making a side-by-side comparison, in which two images would work. If this is the case, it’s best to make the images the same size (dimensions) as it provides the easiest comparison viewing.

/>Larger audiences will rely on your slides more, because they can’t all see you as easily. More detailed material requires more slides with small amounts of information on each slide. Highly detailed slides are not ideal for larger groups, smaller screens, or odd room layouts.

If you must provide detailed information in a less than ideal setting, consider creating handouts for participants to follow along and take with them. Post a recycle box or bin for folks to recycle papers they don’t intend to keep for future reference.

No matter how much you ultimately put on each slide, only a rental projector from Projector123.com can ensure that your images are as crisp, clean and visible as possible. Whether your event takes place in bright sunlight or in simply low, ambient lighting, rent a projector from Projector123.com and you’ll know that you’re making the best possible impression. Click here to get started now.

5 Speaker Tips for Creating Instant Rapport

September 8th, 2010

No matter what topic you’re speaking about, one of the easiest ways to win over your audience is to create rapport. Think this is tough in an unknown crowd? It’s easier than you think with these simple tips for “instant rapport.”

1. Eye Contact: Be Specific

It’s not enough to just “look up” as often as you can. Whenever possible, maintain eye contact for a full second or two with an individual person at a time – not the room in general. Hold that eye contact for a second longer when you’re in the middle of making a key point.

2. Make Individual Connections

If at all possible, meet at least a few of the group members before you begin your presentation. This might require arriving at the room or auditorium early to have some small talk, or perhaps getting to know folks at a luncheon or dinner prior to your presentation. It’s easy to say, “I was talking with Bob before I came up here, and I learned something interesting about this company…” It not only makes Bob feel important, but it invites other group members to connect with you after your presentation, or during Q&A.

3. Refer to Corporate (group) Culture Where Appropriate

Certainly you wouldn’t want to mention a nickname the employees call the boss behind his back, but you would want to mention quirky expressions or group traditions that everyone in the group can relate to. Group members appreciate that you took the time to get to know their culture when you integrate these expressions into your talk.

4. Be passionate and enthusiastic

When you demonstrate passion and enthusiasm in your speaking, your audience can’t help but become engaged. If you’re forced to present on a topic that you can’t get passionate about, relate it to something you can. For example, if you have to speak about tax codes, which doesn’t interest you, but you adore your children, then find a way to integrate personal stories that are either funny or interesting into your presentation.

5. Smile

There’s an expression that says “a smile is the shortest distance between two people” and it’s true. Never fake a smile – instead, simply find something worth smiling about and share your smile with others to create instant rapport.

Now that you’re ready to win your audience over, be sure to put forth your most professional presentation with an LCD rental projector from Projector123.com. Projector123.com now rents the Optoma TS526, a sleek and versatile professional grade rental projector. Click here to get started or learn more now.

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