Pony Of Prey Blog

Over the years, I have been amazed at the “blinding” greed and reckless approach to commerce that some business owners have employed. Lying to customers, selling inferior merchandise, and not offering refunds, left a firestorm of irate customers in their wake. Without fail, all of this “ill will” led most businesses to bankruptcy, and in some cases, Federal Prison.

I realize that not everyone engages in “business criminality” that rises to the level of fraud and incarceration. Most people try to be good stewards, and approach their enterprise in an honest and forthright manner. For those of you who own thriving business concerns you already know that in most cases the customer is always right. You make sure that you communicate effectively, refund monies if the buyer is truly unhappy, and try to meet the needs of the people who buy your goods or services.

However, there are more than a handful of Ebay sellers that are of the mind that customer service and effective communication is not something that they need not participate in. Take the case of a woman named Barbara, (Nickname: BobAnn) who recently posted her disappointment on the Ryze Business Network:

Barbara Cerda wrote:
Greetings Everyone,

“When will sellers on Ebay understand that customer service is key? And when will Ebay sellers learn using customer friendly approaches can only make their business grow?” Again today I’ve bought from a less than friendly seller.

Thought I was placing a bid and instead bought the item at the buy now price. Of course the seller refused to allow the retraction, nor was I allowed to place a bid. I always pay for my winning bids immediately upon email confirmation.

And did so in this case. But it would have been customer friendlier for this seller to accept my retraction to be replaced with a bid. He would have gotten repeat business from me and my friends. His “Buy Now” price is 30% over the retail price for this item. Lesson learned by me again - that there are way too many sellers on Ebay out to grab a buck and the hell with fair practice.

Lesson learned yet again.”

BobAnn

End quote…

The operative phrase here is “repeat business from me and my friends”. There is no better endorsement of your product or service than word of mouth advertising. Lack of flexibility on the part of the seller, not only cost them one customer, but also destroyed the possibility for future business. Good news travels fast, but bad news travels faster!

As an auction seller, (Ebay auction ID: LevelBest77) I would have accommodated her request right away. And while I have never had anyone use “Buy It Now” by accident, I have had several people over the years ask me to retract bids. The number of people who have made that request can be counted on one hand! Some, did not even understand the process, (bid retracting) and I was more than willing to guide them through it.

People make honest mistakes, and you should never “abuse” a buyer for doing so. If you plan to get into Ebay auction selling for the long haul, always practice good will toward your customers. Unless someone is totally unreasonable, and you have done everything in your power to accommodate their request, never deny people the ability to change their mind, return an item, or retract a bid! Developing good will also requires that you anticipate customer needs…..

For instance, I had a few overseas customers bid on a wireless router. This particular item needed to be powered with a Universal Adapter, since voltage requirements in France and Australia are obviously different from those here in the United States.

I made this abundantly clear to both bidders before they sent me any payment. The purchase of such an adapter, not to mention the shipping price, would have doubled the US retail cost. I told them that they could probably get the product cheaper at their local electronics stores. Without hesitation, I let them out of their obligation to pay for the item. I then contacted the next highest bidder and offered that person the chance to make the purchase.

Both bidders thanked me for my honesty. They had forgotten about the electrical differences. I could have ignored that little detail, and sold them the item anyway. I just had to put myself in their situation. Think of how frustrated they would have been if I did not reveal that information. Buyer’s remorse would have set in quickly, once they realized that they could have purchased the same item for a lot less in their native countries.

While the benefits of these actions may not have an immediate effect, you can be sure that should I ever have another “item of interest!” these two gentlemen would not hesitate to purchase from me. They can count on me to accommodate their needs, instead of catering to my wants. Creating this type of good will instills trust, and the knowledge that you have the customers best interest in mind.

“Me thinketh thou doth protest too much!

Do you accentuate the positive? Or, do you run on negativity? Negative Ebay feedback is a tool that everyone should use with restraint, or not at all. As a rule, I never leave negative feedback. Unless someone has blatantly lied about your product, or attacked you personally without merit, then I would not leave any feedback in the “minus” side of the isle!

“Flame” wars are not pretty. I have seen a lot of unnecessary back and forth “banter” that could have been avoided, if they (the seller) just resisted the urge to make their “two cents” known. Sometimes it gives customers the impression that you are more concerned about arguing, then conducting your business.

I have also witnessed seller feedback that has included some pretty foul language. Engaging in this type of verbal sparring is not much of a confidence builder either. It is more telling of what you are, then about revealing the sins of your customers. Don’t go out of your way to register a negative response if you can help it. Heed the sage advice that our Mother’s use to tell us: “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all!”

“What we have here is a failure to communicate!”

Communication with your customers should not amount to the sound one hand clapping! Bottom line, if someone e-mails you with a question–answer it! Here is an example of the type of feedback I obtained by doing just that……

“He was very Helpful and cooperative in answering questions. Follow-up: Will DEFINITELY use his services anytime he has items of interest! Great Seller!“

The gentlemen who left this positive review, wanted to know about some of the particulars of a “Mickey Mouse” clock I had up for auction. His wife is a collector of all things Disney, and thought it would be a nice surprise for her birthday. The clock, to say the least, was in sad shape. It was incapable of keeping time, and the only part of it in working order was the second hand. I thought for sure that he would be disappointed with the item despite full disclosure of all of it’s imperfections.

To my surprise, not only did I receive positive feedback, but he also told me that his wife absolutely loved it! In this instance, one man’s junk, truly, is another man’s treasure! I never thought this item was worthy of any praise! The time it took to answer his questionsall of five minutes!

I know that some of you will say that I am not being realistic. You just can’t answer e-mails all day; “I have a business to run!,” you might proclaim. If you plan on making a living on Ebay, then you better think about hiring someone to help you answer your daily inquires if it is just too overwhelming. If you specialize in a particular product, set up a Frequently Asked Questions page to any Auto-Responder.

If you use Ebay on an infrequent basis, and have less than thirty listings a month, then you really don’t have any excuse not to provide great customer service and e-mail communication. You shouldn’t be inundated with questions regarding that many items, unless the product you are selling is technical in nature.

If you ignore your customers, they will go away. Good customer service should be woven into the fabric of every good business. I cannot overemphasis the importance of this issue. I continue to be perplexed by the fact that it is last on the list of business priorities for some Ebay sellers!

Will good customer service and communication alone make you rich on Ebay? That would be a resounding “no”. You will have to understand your market, and provide products that the Ebay community will bid on consistently. There will be “bidders & buyers” out there that will make mistakes and commit some auction sins! Forgive all Ebay sins and you will be rewarded with happy, repeat customers!

Robert C. Potter is the author of “The Ultimate Guide To Products For Resale.” Over 300 Wholesale & Surplus Supply Sources, For Ebay Auction Sellers, E-Commerce Websites, Flea Market Vendors, and Retail Store Owners! You can find his ebook here: http://www.productsforresale.com

Nothing turns off a potential buyer faster than peeling paint, a
broken window, or a splintered front step. It’s wise to make
necessary repairs before you put your house on the market. A
house in good condition demonstrates pride of ownershipone of
your best sales tools. Start by covering these areas: Inside the
House Fix or replace damaged flooring, such as torn
linoleum or cracked tiles. If you can’t afford to replace
damaged or worn floors, consider offering the buyer an allowance
for renovation. Fix any drains, faucets, or plumbing
fixtures that aren’t operating. Fixes can range from replacing a
faucet washer to buying a new toilet. Paint the
interior. Fill and paint any cracks or holes in the walls. (You
may need to repaint entire walls to mask such repairs.)
Replace burned-out bulbs and broken electrical sockets.
Most agents will want you to turn on all the lights before a
showing. Replace or fix broken stairs. Fix any creaks as
well. Replace old locks and doorknobs. Make it easy for
a buyer to walk in. Fix any doors that don’t open
easily, including the garage door. If your garage door opener
doesn’t work, repair or replace it. Outside the House
Replace cracked windows and torn screens. Don’t let your
house be shown with the equivalent of a black eye. Fix
cracks in the driveway and entry walkway, and clean up stains.
If the driveway requires major repair, it may be preferable to
offer the buyer an allowance for the work. Paint the
exterior. Touch up peeling paint, window frames, porches, and
shutters. Repaint the entire exterior if it is drab or peeling.
Replace broken gutters or missing downspouts. Good
drainage is key to passing a home inspection. Replace or
fix broken stairs. It’s a matter of both safety and aesthetics.
Reseal the deck and repair broken boards. A new coat of
sealer can spruce up a fading deck. Repair the roof.
Replace shingles and tack down loose flashing. If the roof is
old, you may want to replace it and adjust your sales price
accordingly.

If you want motivation to last, you need to rely on inspiration. Inspiration is rooted in our emotions. The positive results of using inspiration as the motivator are obvious. Inspired people tend to be proactive, driven personality types. They don’t need a carrot dangling in front of them to get anything accomplished.

They are happier and enjoy greater fulfillment in life than those who are desperation-driven. If you just check the help-wanted section of your newspaper, these types of people are always in demand. To be most effective, inspiration needs to be internalized. Motivation becomes long-term when the goal taps into inner drive and emotion. The key to finding success is being emotionally motivated with a purpose.

I have given success-oriented psychology and persuasion boot camps all over the country and I’ve met wonderful people at each one. People frequently come up to me afterward and tell me enthusiastically how they’re ready to take action and make changes in their lives. They seem so fired up that you could light a match with their energy. After talking to them, I feel convinced that nothing will stand in their way. But then an interesting thing happens. When I follow up a few weeks later, nothing has really changed for many of them. Their motivation seemed high, but just a brief passage of time found them totally unmotivated again. Several of these occasions made me begin to wonder why it is such a natural tendency that we lack the motivation to actually do the things we really want to do, even after we’ve made strong commitments to do them. Then I naturally began to wonder how one would take want and turn it into action. How could one become a Master Persuader and be able to motivate people to take action?

If you were to ask a group of people off the street if they want to be financially independent, to lose weight, or have better relationships, most everyone would say yes. But what are they doing about it? We know what we want, but what are we doing. Most of us start to generate sparks, but we just can’t seem to get the fire started. We want it, but we can’t motivate ourselves enough to actually do anything about it. Why? Because it involves work and energy and most of us don’t understand the science of motivation. We live in a world where we want everything now. We want a quick fix. We want instant gratification and quick results. Not only do we want instant gratification, but we also want it with minimal effort.

Gentle Motivation vs. Brutal Force - The First Step to Motivating Others

The first place to start mastering motivation is within you. If you can’t motivate yourself, how are you going to motivate others? As this chapter unfolds, you will learn ways to motivate those you are trying to persuade, but first you will learn how to apply these skills to yourself. Figure out what motivates you. You must first understand your own motives and desires before you can be motivated.

Motivation is based on the finding and fulfilling of unmet needs and wants. We all have universal human needs and wants that require being fulfilled in the same way. Of course, we all have different needs and wants as well. Two of the major keys to motivation are: knowing a person’s needs and wants. Then figure out how to fulfill them.

Many of us are familiar with Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. A renowned researcher and psychologist, Maslow proposed a “hierarchy of needs” demonstrating the human needs we are most motivated to satisfy. The base of the motivational order begins with the fundamentals of life. These fundamental, life-sustaining needs must be met before the higher needs can be targeted. When lower needs are not met, the higher needs are less urgent or persuaded.

•Self-actualization needs: realizing one’s own talents, gifts, and potential

•Ego needs: respect, status, and recognition

•Social needs: affection, companionship, and inclusion

•Safety needs: protection from physical harm

•Physiological needs: food, sleep, and safety

As the more basic needs are fulfilled, they lose their motivating power. We then have to work up the hierarchy and target needs in other areas. For example, if running water is something we take for granted then a glass of tap water is unlikely to spur us on to action. And conversely, if we can’t meet this month’s rent, then we most likely are not thinking too much about self-actualization. As Sigmund Freud said, “A man with a toothache cannot be in love.” To motivate, be sure you address the lowest unmet need in the hierarchy and then offer opportunities for those needs to be met.

Many think motivation is useless because it doesn’t ensure long-lasting results. This can be seen in what I call the Desperation Cycle. The Desperation Cycle shows how human nature influences us to take the easiest path instead of the best path. In persuasion, we need to pull people out of the Desperation Cycle and into permanent, long-term motivation. We all know we are creatures of habit. We are like water following the path of least resistance. As creatures of habit, we dwell in our comfort zones. This is a place where we don’t have to think or spend much energy analyzing our surroundings.

In this zone, we become complacent, comfortable, and resistant to change. We live by habit and routine. We don’t stretch or strive for excellence in the comfort zone. We consider change only when the pain of our current situation becomes too intense to ignore. Fear of the unknown and fear of making mistakes are also reasons why we stay in our comfort zone. We love our comfort zone because it is a safe place where we can reduce our mistakes and keep our failures to a minimum. Mark Twain said, “A cat that steps on a hot stove once will never step on a hot stove again but neither will it step on a cold one.” The comfort zone is safe and warm, but it keeps us paralyzed and unmotivated.

In the Desperation Cycle, we first feel safe in our comfort zone. Then fear even begins to creep in there. We realize we haven’t accomplished any of the things we need to do. Suddenly, we fear what we are becoming, where we are going. As we contemplate this destination, we panic and work frantically to save ourselves. This frantic rehabilitation lasts just long enough for us to see exactly how steep the hill is going to be, or how long the marathon really is, and then the excitement dies. We numb ourselves to these stark realizations and find ourselves lulled back into the comfort zone.

Reinforcement Theory suggests that people are motivated to avoid pain and seek pleasure. Bradac, Bowers, and Courtright asserted that the same is true when people are being persuaded. If a person agrees with a particular position, they will find it inspiring and will likely evaluate the source positively. If a person disagrees with a particular position, they will find it offensive and typically evaluate the source negatively.

Basically, there are only two things that motivate us in life: inspiration and desperation. We either move toward that which inspires us, or we move away from something that fills us with despair or discomfort. The majority of the world uses desperation as a motivator. It is like a cattle prod forcing you to move and take action. I can motivate anyone in the world with desperation. The problem is that motivation spurred by desperation does not last. Do you know any lazy teenagers? I promise you, I can motivate them - guaranteed. I’ll take them for a boat ride, and while I am in the middle of the lake, I’ll throw them off and hold their heads under the water. What will I see - besides bubbles? They’ll fight and struggle until they get that breath of air. Once they can breathe easily, they’re back to being lazy. When desperation is the motivator, people are in an “away from” mentality. This temporary motivation won’t last; it won’t reappear until threat or fear becomes prominent again. Desperation is rooted in logic. People are often so preoccupied with what they’re trying to escape that they don’t know where they’re heading.

Conclusion
Persuasion is the missing puzzle piece that will crack the code to dramatically increase your income, improve your relationships, and help you get what you want, when you want, and win friends for life. Ask yourself how much money and income you have lost because of your inability to persuade and influence. Think about it. Sure you’ve seen some success, but think of the times you couldn’t get it done. Has there ever been a time when you did not get your point across? Were you unable to convince someone to do something? Have you reached your full potential? Are you able to motivate yourself and others to achieve more and accomplish their goals? What about your relationships? Imagine being able to overcome objections before they happen, know what your prospect is thinking and feeling, feel more confident in your ability to persuade. Professional success, personal happiness, leadership potential, and income depend on the ability to persuade, influence, and motivate others.

10 Ways To Maintain Profits In A Slow Economy by: William R.
Nabaza of http://www.Nabaza.com

1. Sell more back end products to your existing customer base.
You already created rapport, trust and proved your credibility
to them.

2. Make it a practice to up sell to new and existing customers.
After they decide to buy one product, offer them another product.

3. Cross promote your products and services with other
businesses that aren’t competition. You will reach a wider
audience at less cost.

4. Create joint venture deals with other businesses. You can
expand your product line and target other profitable markets at
a lower cost.

5. Start an affiliate program for your business. You will be
able to spend less profits on risk advertising and spend more
money on guaranteed sales.

6. Trade advertising with other businesses to save revenue. You
could trade e-zine ads, banners ads, links, print ads, etc.

7. Out source part of your workload. This can save on employee
costs, equipment costs, taxation costs, expansion costs, etc.

8. Add low cost bonuses to your offer that have a high perceived
value. It could be e-books, members only sites, consulting,
e-reports, etc.

9. Use viral marketing to promote your business on the internet.
Give away free stuff with your ad copy include on it so others
can give it away.

10. Follow up with all your prospects. You can use a free
e-zine, a follow-up auto responder, an update or reminder list,
etc.

—-

William Nabaza of http://www.Nabaza.com specializes in domains,
webhosting, webmaster’s tools, netpreneur’s articles and
resources. Stands out as a freebie provider, business
opportunity provider and the like. Visit his site at
http://www.nabaza.com or contact him directly at
william@nabaza.com

more free articles here: http://www.nabaza.com/resources.htm

What’s a Targeted Selection Process? As related to prospecting, it is a process or system of defining whom you want to call on and performing the due diligence of data procurement to understand who you are calling on and why you have chosen them.
It can be as simple as choosing an industry, picking a company name out of the yellow pages, understanding the appropriate level of contact to call on, and investigating a name that goes with the title.
Or it can be as complex as an expensive CRM (customer relationship management) system for existing customers, defining market share of your product portfolio and routinely touching the existing base to broaden the revenue pond.

But here’s what’s important to understand. Your Targeted Selection Process is a separate component of your sales strategy. It stands by itself.
But it is directly allied with your other Sales performance indicators. The degree of success you’ll have in the business of sales is proportional to raising and maintaining these success indicators to a level more proficient than the industry norm.
And the direction you decide to travel is strategic to the outcome. I call it the ‘Playing Field’. Because that’s where it all starts… it’s where the game begins.

Here’s what I mean. There are basically (2) strategies in picking your ‘Playing Field’; a ‘Bottom-up’ approach or a ‘Top-down’ approach.
The following is an example of a Bottom-up approach. A Telecommunications rep initiates a telephone call into a company and asks the question “Who handles your telecommunications needs?” Guess where they are sent? If you said ‘office manager’ you guessed right. If you said ‘Head Janitor’ you weren’t far off.

Is there anything ‘wrong’ with that? Not really; it’s legal and a lot of folks out there do it.
But let’s think through this option as a ‘Business person’ would. Let’s study it as it relates to our sales process and individual Key Performance Indicators (KPI); Conversation-to-appointment ratio, 1st appointment to Proposal ratio, Closing ratio, sales cycle and average revenue per sale. Because these success indicators are gateways that directly affect the outcome of a sales process.

Do your KPI’s go up or down with a bottom-up approach? Historically, a bottom-up approach promotes a:

1.	1st appointment to Proposal ratio to decrease
 2.	Closing ratio to decrease
 3.	Sales cycle to increase
 4.	Average revenue per sale to decrease

Bottom line, you’ll be leaving time and money on the table if you choose this Target strategy.
We’ll revisit the Conversation-to-appointment KPI in a minute.

At the other end of the Target spectrum is the ‘Top-down’ strategy for securing a new Targeted business appointment. Let’s say that same telecommunications rep chose this approach in prospecting for new business. The first step in this process is ‘Homework’; some due diligence prior to picking up the telephone.

Activities like:

•	Gathering a list of appropriate industries
 •	Assigning the highest appropriate level of contact to each account; by company size and industry
 •	Researching contact name for each appropriate title and account
 •	Researching what each business does to exist and prosper

That sounds like a bit of work. But what historically happens with a ‘Top-down’ approach in line with sales performance KPI’s?

1.	1st appointment to Proposal ratio increases
 2.	Closing ratio increases
 3.	Sales cycle decreases
 4.	Average revenue per sale increases

OK. We agree that’s a no-brainer. So it all comes down to the 1st and foremost sales performance indicator, your Conversation-to-appointment ratio.
That’s simply how many times you conduct a conversation with a target prospect versus how many times you achieve one. And the national average on that KPI is between 4% and 18%; Top-down or Bottom up approach. So it takes 10, 12 or 20 conversations to achieve 1 or 2 appointments. And that’s a lot of work. In fact, JDH Group studies show sales individuals spend an average of 50% of their time on prospecting activities, or about 22 hours per week.

That leads a sensible person to the conclusion that one needs to focus on efficiencies in Prospecting. And to secure those ‘Competencies’ one must develop a communication ’system’ in line with your business solutions, your ‘Top-down’ Prospect perceptions and your competitive influences.
Not from a product/service angle, that’s ’selling’ over the telephone. But a communications methodology that lends itself to ‘Business acumen’; insight into what is strategic to your target prospect’s business objectives, what pains they are facing due to recent events or what changes are on the horizon that may effect their current status quo.

Next is figuring out how to communicate to your ‘Top-down’ target the prospective benefits of your product/service in terms relevant to their financial Key Performance Indicators; line items like ROI, IRR and Payback Period. Those are success indicators that organizations rely on to measure progress toward their organizational goals. It’s their ‘Scorecard’.

So lesson number one. When you’re addressing a target level that has Budget authority; a President/Owner of a small company or a CFO/Controller of a medium size one, you’d better be talking terms in line with what they need to accomplish, not in a ’sales language’ creating a prospect perception that you’re (1) don’t understand their business and (2) are simply trying to make a living.
From a 10,000 foot altitude, understand and communicate what’s on your ‘Top-down’ target prospect’s ‘Front Burner’ business objectives…not clear over in the freezer!

You can choose not to accept the standard ’sales 101 playing field’.
Identify your individual performance components (KPI’s) that are essential to your success and develop or seek systems to raise your competency ratios and performance efficiencies.
And start your process by picking a ‘Top-down Playing Field’ and educating yourself to their world.

Jeff Hardesty is President of JDH Group, Inc. and the Developer of the X2 Sales System, a blended training system that teaches sales professionals the competency of setting C-level business appointments.

Jeff’s sales performance improvement articles has been featured in numerous National publications such as Business First, Dartnell’s SELL!NG, Chief Learning Officer and Training Magazine with reference to ROI Blended Learning Systems and improving sales teams Key Performance Indicators. He travels the country conducting live X2 Appointment setting ‘Boot Camps’ and Train-the-trainer sessions helping sales organizations get more reps to Quota in less time, shorten new-hire ‘Ramp-to-Quota’, accelerate new product roll-outs and eliminate Turnover costs due to low sales activity. Jeff can be reached at jeff@convertmoresales.com.

To view a complimentary suite of sales training ROI calculators and determine your sales team’s Key Performance Indicators in line with your sales objectives visit http://convertmoresales.com/roi_calculators.php