Effective Negotiating – The Key To Sales Success

On the other hand, a person’s urgency to get something done can work in your favor. If the other person is in a hurry to get things done, you can be assured that he will be more willing to bend than he would in a normal situation.

A word of caution – never exploit the other person’s urgency to such an extent that it makes the deal grossly one sided. You may get what you want one time, but such deals have a negative impact on your reputation and future business. A win-win situation is always desired.

Price Is Not Everything – Terms Matter Too:

Terms of service are as important as the price itself. An example could be the loans and mortgage industry. Companies are able to charge higher interests rates than competitors by allowing flexible repayment options. Companies offering freebies with their products are compensating a higher price with friendlier terms. Create a balance between the price and the terms – when price is your weak point, offset it with better terms.

“The Policy” Tactic:

Since childhood, people are taught that rules are not to be broken. At subconscious level most of the people carry a perception that it is their duty to follow all rules. You will be surprised how easily people give in when they are told that the terms which they expecting are against the company policy. Salespersons always keep a printed price list with themselves. Those few black words printed on a white paper add authority to the salesperson’s arguments and send the message that it is not within their power to alter the terms.

Keep Your Last Price For The Last:

Most buyers have a tendency to ask for a lower price than offered. If asked for “the last price”, quote something more than the actual “last price” which you are willing to give. It doesn’t matter if initially you offer a price 2% lower or 20% lower – buyers will ask for a further lower price in both cases.

The Final Gambit – Say “No”:

Risk taking is an essential ingredient of success.

Agreeing to customers’ terms all the time weakens your image in the market. Walk out of the deal if it doesn’t seem profitable. If the customer gives in to your terms, you win a profitable deal. If you lose the customer, why repent? He wasn’t a profitable customer anyway.

Improving Quality of Service with Retail Point of Sale Systems

As a business, you want the maximum return on your business investments. When thinking about implementing new technology to work with your retail point of sale system, the costs of start-up and training need to be low and the benefits high to make it a sound business decision. You want to be confident that the increased business will more than compensate for the initial outlay. Some suppliers seem to have forgotten this as they charge exorbitant prices for on-site servers and require expensive long-term commitments. They even charge extra fees for training and technical support. However, it is good to know that there are some retail point of sale system suppliers who have the medium to large business in mind. For businesses with anywhere from three to fifty locations, there are many options that will improve quality of service and profitability.

With the ability to manage your data on their servers at a secure location, costs associated with on-site servers and administrative overhead are eliminated. Upfront capital costs become monthly pay-as-you-go subscriptions that fit neatly into your business budget. Integrating your existing retail point of sale equipment, such as bar-code scanners and credit card swipes allows you to realize additional savings. The maintenance and upgrades for your retail point of sale software system are managed at the supplier’s state of the art data center. This ensures that each upgrade or new release will work seamlessly with your current equipment.

Your retail point of sale information can be accessed in real-time so that you can determine accurate stock on hand, in receiving or on order. Imagine the benefits of accurate, up-to-the minute information. Your sales will increase and your costs will be reduced. By having the information about merchandise at your fingertips, you will be able to better serve your customers. If an item is out of stock at one location, you will be able to determine immediately where a duplicate item is located and how quickly you can have it to your customer. A happy customer is a return customer, which leads to increased sales. Costs are reduced as the possibility for duplicate orders is eliminated. With each location knowing what the other is ordering and so forth, costs can be reduced.

Having retail point of sale software that you can connect to from anywhere the Internet goes allows you incredible freedom. You can access information directly whether you are at a trade show or from any of your locations. If a problem arises while you are at home or even on vacation, you will be able to get accurate real-time information and make informed decisions. You won’t have to worry about not having the retail point of sale information that you need because it will all be yours at the click of a mouse or even on your iphone.

Sophisticated retail point of sale system software that is reasonably priced and easy to use is not just wishful thinking. Suppliers have jumped on the bandwagon to supply businesses with the tools they need and want to make their companies grow. In less time than you might think possible you can be receiving real-time reports on your merchandise that will help improve your bottom line.

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Building Real Customer Relationships with Custom Social Network Sites

Many decry the loss of community, suggesting we’ve all lost touch with each other in a world of cell phones, video games, and other electronically based distractions; in reality, though, community is more important now than ever. People still seek the security and understanding inherent in close communities. What has changed is the appearance: instead of reaching out over the fence or sitting around a table, we reach out over continents and time zones. Our “neighbors” may be a world away, but the concept of community is still strong as evidenced by the rise of social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Instead of being connected by geography, millions are linked by interests, profession, and other defining factors.

Social Networks Are Less Confining Than Ever

The social networking site phenomenon also extends to businesses and marketing, specifically how businesses can build their brand without selling. These sites, which have been used with tremendous success, are based on a small business model. Small businesses typically cannot afford expensive television ads and aggressive marketing campaigns. Instead, they rely on word of mouth, repeat customers, customer referrals, and the like. Custom social networking sites do much the same thing for businesses of any size and have become one of the most effective brand marketing tools in the industry.

Why Custom Social Networking?

The goal of custom SNS is to build relationships. While it is true that the ultimate goal of any business is to sell a product or service, the objective of unique social networks is to establish a relationship between customers and the brand, and even between customer and customer. In other words, the goal here is not to sell. Through a custom social network, a company appeals to the sense of community that may tie their target audience together. By taking their interests to heart and by providing a resource through which consumers may communicate, a relationship – and trust – is founded. A by-product of that trust is sales. But again, the key to efficacy is focusing on community, not selling.

Existing social networks have been used by companies, especially nonprofits, to reach out to targeted consumer bases. A nonprofit, for instance, may have a profile on a popular SNS in order to encourage volunteers, raise support for a particular cause, or raise funds. The difference is that custom SNS are built by an organization specifically for the purpose of allowing their targeted audiences to communicate. These SNS are designed for a particular organization based on key factors, such as profession, age, or shared interests. Developing a successful unique social network is predicated upon knowing your audience, being willing to know them further, and motivating them to share their thoughts, feelings, and opinions.

What do custom social networking sites allow consumers to do? It, of course, depends on the site, but they should allow individuals to post text, images, audio, video, join existing communities on the site, and create their own. They should be designed around the organization’s particular niche, and above all, should be audience-based. To do this, various options are available, including wikis, blogs, RSS feeds, polls, ratings, forums, widgets, chat, message boards, friendly interface, and much more. To develop the most user-friendly, interactive, and effective SNS, it is crucial that consumers have access to the tools they want and need. They need to both be able to take from the site and to give back to it. This is the essence of community.

The advantages of developing a custom social networking site are myriad but the key benefit is that businesses can reach out the community in a way that allows the community to reach back. A relationship is developed, and the trust that we normally see with neighborhood mom and pops can be built by Fortune 500 companies or small start-ups.

The concept of community is fundamentally unchanged. We still search for connections – though those connections may be thousands of miles away. Building a brand through custom social networks benefits both the organization and the consumer because all are given a place and a voice. A faceless company can no longer expect to thrive in today’s business atmosphere; by creating a unique SNS, you give your organization – and your consumers – a face.