Can you remember a time when you bought from a sales person that you didn’t trust? I frequently ask this question when I give talks on sales techniques. Quite often I can find people within the group who are prepared to buy from a salesperson they don’t like, but I can’t remember a single time someone put up their hand and said that they would buy from someone they didn’t trust.
And that makes sense doesn’t it? Because if we don’t trust the person we are buying from, how do we know what it is that we are buying? Trust then is a pre-requisite for winning a customer. So, how do we generate trust in a new prospect that we hope we can turn into a customer? The secret of generating trust is really quite straightforward. There are essentially four steps that we need to take, and they are as follows
If we are to win more customers we simply have to focus completely on solving their problems. Now, when we do that well we will find that we generate something that is beyond trust; at Precept we call that Congruence. Congruence exists when the customer truly believes we are totally focused on achieving the same thing that they are. When we achieve Congruence a strange thing happens; the customer stops thinking about whom else they can buy from, they even stop thinking about getting the best possible price. In fact their only thought is how to get our help as quickly as possible. The next time you are dealing with a new prospect try putting the four principles into practice and see how quickly you can win your next new customer. If you’d like more tips and ideas to improve your selling please have a look at our website http://www.precept.uk.com/tips-and-advice-main/
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We're in full wedding season now and I attended another wedding fair over the weekend. It was apparent that while most brides to be want to buy their dress and get the full shopping experience, they don't neccessarily want to spend the thousand or so this usally requires.
Options include secondhand, there are some fabulous dresses to be found in charity shops and for sale privately, alternatively the bride to be can go online and will find hundreds of cheaper dresses for sale there, usually made in the Far East. These online suppliers advertise that they make to measure and you do supply your measurments, of course the fit of the dress relies on accurate measurments and a standard body shape!! This is where I come in. I have on a number of occassions 'rescued' a dress that arrived from China. It didn't fit well, the shape was just wrong, it was too long, the beadwork was falling off or seams were loosely stitched. All of this I have solved in the past and am currently solving for two brides to be. So the moral of this tale is, cheap wedding dresses can be found but will invariably need some attention. Fashion Revived has the skills to give that attention and for a very reasonable price will give that attention to make the dress a perfect fit for the big day. Could 4G be an issue? During 2013, some of the frequencies that were used for television before the Digital Switchover will be auctioned off and used to provide 4th generation (4G) mobile broadband. Knowing in advance who will be affected is a complicated matter. Until we know where the 4G masts will be, there is no way of knowing who will be affected. 4g is estimated to start in May/June and so the best advice is to wait and see if you get any problems. People who are most likely to be a affected are: If you live near a mobile phone/4G mast If the mast is in the direct line of sight of the aerial If poor quality amplifiers or cable has been used in your aerial installation The good news is that because we do not live in an overly populated area (Royal Forest of Dean we shouldn't be too affected. Recent tests by at800 have shown that there may be "Fewer problems than forecast with TV reception". To read the article go to https://at800.tv/press-releases/fewer-problems-than-forecast-with-tv-reception-during-4g-test. at800 are working closely with all involved to make sure that as few people as possible are affected and that those who are receive the help that they need. If anyone is worried they can always contact me, my advice is honest and free International Sourcing
A simple enough concept of finding things people wish to buy from outside the UK. Usually of course this is from countries such as China where labour rates are very low, so provided the product has man hours used in the manufacture, they can be cheaper than if they were made in Europe. So, simple enough you may think. It would be except countries like China have a totally different culture to that we are used to. Chinese businesses think and act in very different ways to how we do in the west so if you are not aware of the cultural and business differences and how they may impact on even simple transactions, you may not end up with what you wanted or production may not be quite like the samples. This is where Tradetech Solutions Ltd can help. When you are specifying your requirements you talk it through in the UK with local representatives who make sure they understand everything you need. We then transfer all your requirements to our offices in The East so they deal with the local cultures, negotiations and detail in their own language and methods. The customer is not involved at all with problems of language or cultural understanding. We make sure the specifications are understood and feasible. We make sure that samples and production are consistent. We construct a programme that is tailored to what the customer wants. The products we deal with can be “off the shelf” or manufactured to your specification. We even assist with design to enhance, personalise or adapt for manufacture. We deal with the complete solution including the product, the tooling, packaging, artwork and shipping. International sourcing does not have to be in massive volume. Shipping cost tends to dictate economical batch sizes but it is certain that small and medium enterprises can save money using International Sourcing if it is done well. We find what you want and make sure you get it. Contact john@tradetech-solutions.com Private Medical Insurance – Blogpost 1 – An Overview
I came into the world of Private Medical Insurance (PMI) after benefitting from my own personal cover that I had several years back when I was working in ‘Corporate World’ for Lloyds TSB. At that time, I was coaching children’s rugby and football and was impressed with how quickly I was fit again to return to coaching after I had developed a groin pain/strain which I later found out to be a ‘Gilmore’s Groin’ (or ‘Sportsman’s Hernia’) – I had anticipated several months’ absence (for a Consultation, Scan & Bi-Lateral Keyhole Surgery), but my PMI saw me diagnosed and operated upon pretty much inside a week or two maximum and I was back coaching very quickly, following a short recovery period. Indeed as it was at the back end of the summer, I didn’t really miss hardly any of the new season. Without this personal experience, I would not have even considered working in the field of Private Health Insurance (don’t be confused – an interchangeable term for PMI) when I left my role as a Senior Manager in Lloyds TSB on Voluntary Redundancy in June 2010 after 27 years in banking (TSB from ’83 to ‘95, then LTSB – and a whole host of roles, from Branch Manager to various Head Office positions). And this mirrors my experience since then – most of my Customers that are ex-Corporate have had PMI previously through their employment and, generally, understand the benefits – and have often experienced them first hand previously (or at least within their family). However, many people that haven’t had PMI previously do not have the same understanding (quite understandably) of ‘Why’ they should want to pay for something that, to a greater or lesser extent, they can enjoy for free on the National Health Service (NHS). Consequently, when asked to write an occasional article for CAP Business Club, I thought I would look to try to provide a series of brief articles that can help to inform on the general principles (and benefits) of PMI. These articles will not be written from a specific WPA perspective, but will look to inform more generally – although for legal/compliance purposes, I should point out that I am a Director of CHG Solutions Ltd, which is an Appointed Representative of WPA, and I can therefore only provide advice on WPA policies. So – to start – PMI is just that – Private Medical Insurance. It is an insurance policy whose main benefits are the ability to access Private Medical services (whether diagnosis or treatment) when needed for illness or, sometimes, injury. It is generally taken out either by an individual or family – or by a company to cover their employees (and maybe their employees’ families). These two sources of cover (private or company) will generally be broadly similar, but will typically differ a little in the way they are structured and accessed. One of the major positives of PMI though, from either source, is flexibility – i.e. the range of different cover levels available, designed to meet the needs of different Customers, along with variables such as types of treatment that are included, any financial limits, any limitations on where treatment can be provided and any contribution required from the Policyholder (whether by way of an ‘excess’ or some form of ‘co-payment’ – I’ll expand on these in a future post). These factors all ensure a very broad range of costs from ‘not very much’, to ‘blimey that’s a fair amount’. As with all insurance, as well as the summary (typically a brochure, or ‘Key Facts’ sheet) there will be a policy guide. This includes the full Terms & Conditions. These are not (generally) designed to catch Customers out, and so they should not be indecipherable. They are important as they aim, as far as possible, to give clarity on the exact scope of the cover in any given circumstances – to reduce the likelihood of dispute if circumstances arise where the extent of cover could be unclear. If/when you take out PMI it is definitely worth investing 30-60 minutes to become reasonably familiar with the Policy Guide. Well – that’s it for now (I have to collect my son from his friends) – but next time, I’ll try to go into a little more depth on the specifics of what PMI is designed to cover. In the meantime, don’t forget – ‘PMI – putting you in hospital quickly’. |
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