Dear There,

To grow your business, you need to increase sales. I found an easy way to improve your sales skills -- simply by listening to an Internet radio show that just talks about selling.

Also, run your Web page or sales brochure text through the "WeWe" monitor to see how customer-focused your marketing material really is.

All this and more in this issue.

Mary Johnson

Call me:  937-974-5539
Email me:  mary@websitehelper.com
Web me:  www.websitehelper.com

• Radio Program Makes Learning Sales Skills Easy
• How Customer-Focused Is Your Web Site? Take the "WeWe" Test
• Panache Event Planners: Easy-to-Use & Effective Web Site

"Education is not a problem. Education is an opportunity."

-- Lyndon B. Johnson

Radio Program Makes Learning Sales Skills Easy

We can all benefit from better sales skills. The good news is that sales techniques can be learned.

Tony Parinello, best-selling author and radio personality, has an Internet radio program "Selling Across America" that makes it easy and fun.

Benefits Apply to Business Owners & Girl Scouts Selling Cookies

We are all in sales -- business owners, soccer moms, even Girl Scouts selling cookies.

If you are ever in a situation where you need to convince someone to "buy" into your idea, then you can benefit from listening to this entertaining, jam-packed-full-of-ideas Internet radio program.

Some Tips That I Have Learned Since Listening

• Take Notes.  During a sales meeting, ask "Is it OK to take notes?" 

This sends a powerful message that you are interested in what they are saying and want to remember it and use later for finding the perfect solution for them.

• Overcome Obstacles.  If a potential client says they are happy with who they are currently doing business with, then you ask them "What do they like about them?"  followed by "Are you getting everything you want from them?"

  This may give you insight on how you may be able to fill a void in their current service.

If you are serious about being better than your competition, then this is a serious business tool for you. One good idea alone will be worth the price of admission.

How Customer-Focused Is Your Web Site? Take the "WeWe" Test

The "WeWe" test is an easy, insightful test to determine how customer-focused your Web site pages and/or the text of your current marketing literature are.

It checks for the use of customer-focused words such as "you", instead of self-centered words such as "I, we, etc.")

You may be surprised in your results. For example, not even the "big guys" do it right all the time. I ran this against the Dell site and they scored low.

What do you do if your score is low? Put yourself in your customer's shoes and ask yourself if you would buy the product based on just what your marketing text says?

If it is not convincing enough then ask current customers why they bought and show those benefits instead of just listing out what it is that your product does.

The goal.  Make it as easy as possible for potential customers to see how your product/service can help them solve their problems or reach their goals.

Panache Event Planners: Easy-to-Use & Effective Web Site

Did you know that we have a top-notch event planner right here in Dayton? Cher Bell, of Panache Event Planners, whose Web site I did, just completed some events for Monster.Com in Chicago that went off without a hitch.

Since the Web site was launched in May of 2003, the unique visitors have steadily increased each month to her Web site.

Why? Well, I have been told by her clients that the Web site is easy to use, so when they come to register using the online shopping cart, for the next public event, they get the job done quickly and effectively.

Having visibility in the search engines doesn't hurt either. www.PanacheEvents.com shows up on page one of the free search results in the biggest search engine, Google, for keywords such as "dayton women and networking" and "midwest event planners".

If you would like similar results, give me a call to find out what options make sense for your business.

Call me:  937-974-5539
Email me:  mary@websitehelper.com
Web me:  www.websitehelper.com
Mail me: 533 Rustic Trail, Beavercreek, OH 45434