Do You Tap Your Brakes?

On my way to drop the kids off at school today I saw a police car parked on the shoulder and automatically tapped my brakes. I almost always involuntarily tap my brakes when I see a police car on the road. This made me think - do I tap my brakes because I assume I must be speeding? Do I assume I must be doing something wrong just because I see a police car? Or does the police car just raise my awareness of my driving speed?

This happens in sales, too. We may be talking to a customer and just because they mention our competitor or make an objection we assume they don't want to buy from us. We assume we must have said something wrong in our sales presentation just because the competitor's name or product was mentioned. Actually, it should simply raise our awareness of why our product or service is better and how we can best help our customers.

One quick side note about my driving this morning. If I was speeding I wouldn't drive up to the police car and tell the policeman. Instead, I would casually slow down and hope he doesn't see me. Same thing with your customers. If they bring up your competition don't let the conversation be about what the competition can do. Instead, casually turn the conversation to what you and your product can do.

Would you Rather be Lucky than Good?

I'll never forget one of the biggest surprises of my sales career. I drove 2 hours to give a potential customer a 1-hour presentation in hopes of gaining his business. As soon as I walked into his office he pulled out his pen and said, "Where do I sign?" WHAT? I almost didn't know what to do. Thankfully I had been in sales long enough to know to keep my mouth shut, show him where to sign and then high-tail it out of his office. Less than 5 minutes later I was in my car headed home. How lucky can you get?!

If you've worked in sales then you know people who try to take the easy way out by not preparing as much as they should for a call, by leaning on their personal relationships more than their ability or by not putting in the time it takes to develop their skills.

Being good at sales is hard work. It's not just using a formula that you plug in. I believe we create our own luck by being over prepared, knowing our product and service, and learning and understanding what our customers really need.

But I have to confess - sometimes I'd rather be lucky than good!

How to Trust Your Customers

Sam Moon is a retail store in Dallas. When I was growing up it was a great place to go for good deals on accessories like earrings, purses, belts, etc. (It's still a great place to go). Every time we shopped there my friends and I would joke about how the sales people followed you around the store because they were afraid you would steal something. The sales staff didn't try to hide their suspicion of customers. I felt like I wasn't trusted and consequently it made me not trust the store. When the sales person told me the necklace looked good on me I didn't trust her. When the sales person told me the purse was real leather I didn't trust her.

Today I called to make a reservation at the restaurant Medieval Times in Dallas. The reservationist told me I must pay 100% up front for all parties, there were no refunds of any kind and I was only allowed to change my reservation once. It felt like a "gotcha" situation - like they didn't trust me to show up.

I understand that businesses must have policies in place to protect themselves from theft, piracy and fraud. There will always be customers who take unfair advantage of every situation. When Costco and Home Depot allow returns with no questions asked - you know someone is going to show up with a worn out "something" and ask for a refund. And we've all heard the story of customer service giant Nordstrom allowing a customer to return a used tire (they don't even sell tires!).

Trust your customers to jazz up your sales. Here's how:

1. Don't use the term "company policy" to hide behind rules. The Medieval Times reservationist used this line when explaining why I had to pay 100% up front.


2. Offer a free trial with few restrictions (the test drive theory).


3. Listen first. Don't just listen - do it first. In his book The Speed of Trust Stephen M.R. Covey lists this as one of the 13 Behaviors of trust. When you are trying to make a sale it is natural to "pretend listen" while waiting to jump in when your customer is finished talking. Covey calls this "counterfeit listening." Listen first and it will tell you how to build trust.


4. Spell out your guarantee. By doing this you are showing customers you trust them to hold you accountable for your claims. Know that you will need to stand behind your guarantee even when it hurts.


5. Allow your customers to complain. Make it easy for them. Tom Egelhoff says to provide phone numbers (answered by real people), feedback email access and any other ways you can think of for customers to notify you when there is a problem. The longer it takes to resolve a problem the more potential customers will hear about this particular customer's dissatisfaction with your company.


6. Give away something for free. In his book FREE: The Future of a Radical Price Chris Anderson says that the enemy of free is waste. When you give something away people feel compelled to use it. And the law or reciprocity will bring them back to you for other business.


7. What seems to be a people problem is sometimes a situation problem. This concept is presented in Chip and Dan Heath's book SWITCH: How to Change Things When Change is Hard. Your customer may trust you but not your company, product or industry. Several years ago I experienced a home remodeling job with a contractor who performed shoddy work and then skipped town with my money. Since then I have not trusted any person doing work in my home. It has nothing to do with the people - I have blanket mistrust of home building contractors. Figure out ways to create a situation where you are able to trust your customers.


8. Recognize when people don't feel trusted. As long as a person is communicating with high emotion, he or she doesn't feel understood. And a person will not trust another until he feels understood.
   

I don't believe the average customer says to himself, "Wow, that business doesn't trust me so I won't buy from them." But I do believe customers pick up on the vibe of mistrust. And if they don't feel trusted they won't trust you. And even worse, they won't buy from you.

Find the Bright Spots

I just finished Chip and Dan Heath's new book SWITCH: How to Change Things When Change is Hard. You may remember their book Made to Stick that came out a few years ago. In SWITCH they use the phrase "Find the Bright Spots." If you want to know how to find the bright spots in your business ask yourself, "What are we doing that's working and how can we do more of it."

In business we don't tend to focus on the bright spots. Instead we tend to ask, "What's broken and how do we fix it?" When we have an unhappy customer we tend to throw resources at making them happy. When we don't close a big sale we focus on what went wrong. When the sales force isn't selling as much we focus on how to get the worst producers to sell more. Parents even do it with their kids. When your child brings home three A's, two B's and one F which grade do you talk to your child about?

Psychologists call this phenomenon the "predilection for the negative." In other words, bad stuff is more memorable than good stuff. I lost a sale last week that I had been working on for 2 years. It bummed me out and I have thought about it constantly to figure out what caused this deal to slip away. However, I also closed a sale last week. But my success didn't get even half the attention as my failure. Just call me a "predilection for the negative."

Moving forward I am going to find the bright spots. I am going to find ways to duplicate my successes instead of undoing my failures.

What Kind of Salesperson are You?

In Tom Hopkins' new book Selling in Tough Times he identifies 2 types of salespeople:

1. The interesting extrovert


2. The interested introvert

The stereotypical salesperson is #1 - the outgoing, funny, entertaining extrovert who has a story for everything and enjoys the "gift of gab." But many times the most successful salesperson is #2, the interested introvert, who listens to his buyer, offers solutions and has the patience to hang in there over time and continue providing valuable insights.

I've heard small business owners say, "I'm not a salesperson" and "I don't like sales." Maybe this is because you are the interested introvert.

Playing to Win

I really like to win. (And I was really pulling for TCU and UT in their bowl games this week, even though I went to Texas A&M). Notice I didn't say, "I hate to lose."

Recently I read the phrase, "Play to win. Don't play NOT to lose." According to Robert Caldini in his book INFLUENCE: The Psychology of Persuasion, people seem to be more motivated by the thought of losing something rather than gaining something of equal value. For example, homeowners are more likely to insulate their homes when they are told how much money they could lose from inadequate insulation vs. being told how much money they can save from adding insulation. This got me to thinking that there 2 types of sales people.

"Playing NOT to lose" sales people look like this:

• Doing things that hurt your company just so you won't lose a customer.


• According to Brad Isaac in his Persistence Unlimited blog if you say to yourself “I have to do ____ or else____ will happen,” then you are playing not to lose & subsequently focusing on losing.


• Playing it safe and letting fear guide you.


• Hoping your competitor will mess up instead of planning for every angle in the sales process.
  

"Playing to win" sales people look like this:

• Agreements benefit both parties.


• You trust your skills, talents and knowledge and use them confidently to win the business.


• You are not afraid of losing, you are afraid of not being able to provide your customer with the solution they need."


• You think of ways to thrill your customers rather than satisfy them.

In other words, you can play NOT to lose by playing it safe, doing what is expected and hoping for your competitors to mess up. Or you can play to win by using your arsenal of skills and talents to win customers and impress your competitors.

Use Coupons to Increase Your Sales

Last year my New Year's resolution was to cut coupons and actually USE the coupons on a regular basis. I have been cutting coupons off and on for years, leaving them stashed in a drawer at home and mostly forgetting about them until I'm standing at the check out line. So last year I kept my resolution. And I rang in 2010 by saving $6 on breakfast!

Here is proof. It's my coupon organizer that fits in my purse and accompanies me everywhere. (I bought it at Staples and have seen them in office supply sections in Wal-Mart and Target).

Coupons serve a few marketing purposes:

• Draw you to a place of business
• Encourage you to buy a certain product
• Encourage you to buy within a certain time frame
• Encourage you to buy more goods or services in advance of needing them
• Simply serve as an advertisement for the product or service

Keeping the above in mind, I've noticed shortcomings in the past year in how companies and businesses use and honor coupons which has led me to develop a few tips for jazzing up your sales with coupons:

• In addition to standard coupon offerings and terms, include your company logo and picture of the product (if applicable) on the coupon. I have a coupon for Kellogg's breakfast cereals that doesn't include a picture of any of their cereals. Keep in mind that your coupon can be used as an advertisement. Don't miss the opportunity for your customers to see your product.
• Use your coupon as an advertisement. If you are a service business then a coupon offering a free consultation or service can pull people in the door. Make sure this coupon lists other services or products you provide.
• Don't forget to include your business address and phone number on the coupon. My daughter recently brought home a coupon for a free burrito from Planet Burrito for receiving good grades. The address for Planet Burrito was no where on the coupon - and neither was the phone number. This makes it too hard for me to figure out where to go.
• Never turn away business because the coupon is expired or not for the exact item or service. Give customers a little slack. There are experts who disagree with me on this and feel that you should never extend a coupon offering or make exceptions. Keep in mind that the goal of a coupon is to increase foot traffic and sales. Here's an example: On January 2nd I went to use a coupon for a free bowling game that expired on January 1st. Imagine how frustrated that made me feel! The bowling alley went ahead and honored the coupon - and that made me feel great! I bought 2 additional games for everyone. Mission accomplished for the bowling alley.

Remember that part of your coupon strategy is to monitor the effectiveness of a coupon campaign. You will want to know what product or service offerings got the most response, which publications best reached your target audience and the ROI of the campaign.

Generation "Text Message"

Have you ever noticed the sense of urgency a teenager feels to check and return text messages? I think it defies the laws of human decency at times. They could be in the middle of a deep conversation or eating out at a fancy restaurant and your teenager will realize a text message has been received and pull out their phone to read and respond.

There's a similar sense of urgency that comes with being a good salesperson. Successful sales people understand that timing is important and that customers like to be responded to quickly. They understand that the customer can go elsewhere and so the sooner and better they respond to a customer need, the higher the odds of closing the sale.

Wonder if the the "Text Message" generation will make good sales people? If this sense of urgency to respond to people quickly is carried over into the business world then I bet so. It's an interesting thought.

Jazz Up Your Sales with Gratitude

Gratitude is powerful.

I had a wonderful Christmas shopping experience this weekend and noticed something significant. Everywhere I went people were helpful and gracious. When people are grateful they are more generous. When times are tough we assume people will only focus on taking care of their own needs. But throw in gratitude - being grateful for having a job, being grateful you have someone to shop for, being grateful for having money to shop with, being grateful your business has customers - and the dynamic changes. All of a sudden businesses connect with their customers on a new level.

Gratitude is powerful.

Jazz Up Your Sales When Working from Home

Last year when we moved to a new house I remember the woman who answered the phone for the moving company. I could hear kids and the TV in the background. It was so unprofessional.

Immediately I knew the person was working from home and taking my call in the midst of other responsibilities. As a busy mom myself I felt like I was sort of "bothering" her - even though she was perfectly cordial.

Then I wondered if the information she gave me was correct because I know how preoccupied I am when I am at home with my kids.

So within 30 seconds of my call to hire the moving company, I felt like the company was unprofessional, annoyed by my call and I didn't have confidence in what I was told.

Confession Time! I have worked from home and am guilty of running to a bedroom closet to take a phone call because my kids are yelling in the other room. I've also had my toddler answer my business phone when I wasn't watching. When that happened I picked up the phone just in time to hear my long time customer (thankfully!) say, "Is your Mommy there?" So I know how easy it can be for these breaches in professionalism to occur when working from home.

Working from home is ideal in today's world and a great way to minimize costs, be more productive and lead a more balanced life. Here are a few tips to jazz up your sales when you work from a home office:

• Answer the phone professionally like you would in a business office. Never just say, "Hello."


• Be totally professional on the phone. Easier said than done, especially when the doorbell rings or one of your children walks into your office. If you think you may be disturbed by your kids let calls go to voicemail until you can return them in a quiet, uninterrupted manner.


• Keep a separate business and home phone number. You don't want family members answering your business calls. Consider using your cell phone number if you don't want another phone line at your home. If you use your cell phone for business, be cautious of answering calls when you are in places where you can't talk professionally - like the grocery store, the gym, or carpool line just before the kids jump in the car.


• Maintain a designated work space or office. You don't want to walk through the house to locate information while talking to a client.


• Meet with clients at their office or at a public place like Starbucks. Unless your business is actually in your home - possibly a piano teacher or private tutor - then go to your clients. There is no need to bring to a client's attention that you work from home.
• If clients come to your home dress professionally. No house shoes or flannel pants!

Jazz Up Your Sales with Novelty, Surprise & Celebrity

I just lost my child in a weather balloon and he's flying over Colorado! A woman just delivered 8 babies! Someone just interrupted Taylor Swift receiving her VMA Award!

I've been reading an advanced copy of Own the Room: Business Presentations That Persuade, Engage and Get Results where I read that "our brains are hardwired to pay attention to novelty and surprise." I'd like to add that we pay attention to "celebrity" also.

What do you do in your business to surprise (and delight) your customers? Do you respond quickly? Provide free shipping? Call to check up on them? CareNow, the medical clinic near my house, called me the day after I was there with a sinus infection to see how I was feeling. I was shocked!

What tidbit will your customers tell others when talking about you? Do you have an unusual hobby? Are you a twin? Were you in a different profession and switched to your current business because of life changing event? My daughter's teacher used to work in a family business but always wanted to teach. When her family sold the business she became a teacher - a little later in life. She told us this story at Meet the Teacher Night. I've told a ton of people her story.

How are you a celebrity? Do you have a famous friend or family member? Did you work for someone before they became famous? Have you been on TV? Has your picture been in the paper? Were you quoted in a magazine? Do you advertise on TV or in the newspaper? Are you president of an association or group? Our local Chamber of Commerce has ribbon cuttings for new businesses. Photos from these events are frequently featured in the newspaper. I see my accountant in these pictures all the time and ask her for her autograph every time I see her.

Tips for an Un-Terrifying Sales Presentation

In my attempt to be an uber-cool Mom, I rode the Tower of Terror ride at Disneyland with my daughter a few weeks ago. You may have heard of it? It's a haunted elevator ride that takes you to the top floor and free falls at random intervals down a dark elevator shaft several times. I don't like scary rides - AT ALL. The anticipation of the ride led us to talk to others in line who had already ridden the Tower of Terror. We heard stories like, "it's not bad - just make sure you haven't eaten recently," and "it's not scary, it's fun."

Needless to say, once the ride got going I lost all sense of cool and proceeded to scream uncontrollably until the ride was over. Nevermind about my daughter - I was scared!

This scenario has played out in other areas of my sales career. I have gone to sales presentations where I am prepared but nervous. Once I start talking nerves get in the way I forget every thing I want to say and how I want to say it.

To jazz up your sales keep the following in mind when presenting a proposal to a potential client:

• Treat it like a dialog. One of my bosses told me, "Don't show up and throw up." When presenting a proposal involve the client in the presentation. Dumping a ton of information on someone will only confuse them. Plus, the conversation will ease your nerves.


• Be overprepared. Anticipate ANY question you could be asked PLUS how your client might respond to your answer.


• Dress nice - it will make you feel better.


• Don't overapologize if you left something out of your proposal. Simply say, "That is a good point and something I should have included. I will get this to you later today." And then use this as an opportunity to follow up.
  


• REALLY listen. I learned this from my boss, Grady Walters, at Otis Elevator. He would key in on what a customer said and bring it up later in the presentation - even if it meant getting off track for a moment. This made the customer feel like they were being heard.


• When in doubt, keep your mouth shut. You can't take back something you've said. Once you've said it - it's out there. When you are nervous it's easy to say things you normally wouldn't.


• Know how you want the presentation to end. Do you want to get a signed contract? Do you want to set up another meeting? Do you want to know the client's time frame and a good time to follow up?

Sales Tricks People Hate

Today I went shopping with a coupon I'd cut from the newspaper to a new store in town. The goal of the coupon was to get me in the store. Mission accomplished! Expecting to save 30% on my purchase, I was pretty excited.

At check out I was told I could NOT save 30% on my purchase. The sales clerk turned the coupon over to show me the teeny-tiny print listing all of the items that were excluded from this offer. It was a long list and excluded most of my items. Talk about having the wind taken out of my sails! I had been tricked.

Use the following practices so your customers won't feel tricked:

• Include the applicable sales tax amount with your quote.
• Include the shipping charge amount up front when quoting a price.
• Commit to a time frame that you know can be honored - even if it's not what your customer wants to hear.
• If you don't know the answer to a customer's question, say, "I don't know" and then find out the answer. Don't lie.
• Know your product/service well so that you don't unknowingly provide misinformation.
• Clearly explain special offers. Don't be vague to bait customers to call you. Better yet, make special offers simple. Avoid using the "teeny-tiny print."
• Don't oversell customers. They will eventually figure out that they've been oversold and resent you or your company.

Lessons from the Donut Shop

I love the donut shop near my house. (I know it's technically spelled "doughnut"). We've been going there since my girls were little. I remember thinking, "Who eats donuts? They are not healthy. And with the Atkins diet craze I bet no one goes there." But the place is always crowded. The same owners have been there for over 10 years and start preparing my order when they see me coming in the front door. They know what I'm going to order. On weekends I see little kids still in their pajamas eating at the small kid-sized tables. There are photos on the wall of customers enjoying their breakfast and my kids like to find the photos of themselves and their friends.

The owners don't ask me questions about myself. They aren't nosy. They just notice me. They remember what I like, what my husband likes and what my kids like. They notice when I get my hair cut. They notice that my kids are growing. They notice when my kids change their mind and order something new. And sometimes they throw in some extra donut holes just "because."

Somehow this donut shop has created a sense of family. So when another donut shop opened nearby I didn't even want to try it. And when I'm out of the area and go to other donut shops I compare it to the one where "my family" is.

The funny thing is: these aren't the best donuts I've ever eaten. They are just "okay." But I'd miss seeing my family if I didn't go there.

Be Human to Jazz Up Your Sales

A few weeks ago I blogged about words being powerful. And this week I read an article on Yahoo called 10 Boilerplate Phrases that Kill Resumes. It says that adding a human voice to your resume will help you stand out and is better than the stodgy boilerplate phrases seen on every resume. The same notion holds true for marketing your business.

The business world seems to be more human to me today. Companies align themselves with causes and charities to be socially responsible and also to boost sales. Business language has taken on a more casual tone as email has replaced the formal business letter. And business dress is more casual - even my bank has casual Fridays.

Take a look at these phrases businesses use on promotional materials and ideas for how to make the phrases more human:

"Maximize employee productivity" could be "Get the most out of your people."

"Increase sales" could be "Double your sales in 60 days."

"We are known for our high quality" could be "We are fanatical about being the best we can."

"We will help you be more successful" could be "We love it when you are a winner."

How are you making your business more human?

Chick-fil-A has MOOJo

What is up with Chick-fil-A? Every time I go there it is packed! Doesn't matter what time of day or what day (except Sunday because they are closed on Sundays). The drive-thru is constantly lined up all the way around the restaurant and people are piled up inside eating. Burger King and Wendy's next door don't have lines. Their parking lots aren't full. It would be easier to go to Burger King or Wendy's and not fight the Chick-fil-A crowd.

So what is it about Chick-fil-A?

I think it's because they've found their MooJo! Despite the struggling economy Chick-fil-A enjoyed unprecedented growth in 2008 - up 12% over 2007. Since its inception in 1967 Chick-fil-A has had 41 consecutive years of system wide sales gains. Amazing!

How did they find their MooJo? Here's what I think:

• Consistent message. I know that Chick-fil-A is family oriented. The restaurant has done a good job of staying true to their core values and the biblical principles of the founder, S. Truett Cathy. All Chick-fil-A restaurants are closed on Sundays, without exception. They have Tuesday family nights where kids meals are half price and child entertainers perform (my kids beg to go). The "toys" in their kids meals are educational books about people of character.


• Catchy tagline. Their "Eat Mor Chikin" cows are part of an award winning advertising campaign. I know you've seen the billboards with the 3 dimensional cows and misspelled words. And my kids yell out, "Eat more chicken," between each verse when singing Happy Birthday!


• Great local marketing. Getting children to pull their parents into the restaurant is clever. When my kids reach their reading goal at school they receive a Chick-fil-A coupon for a free kids meal. When my kids completed their week at Vacation Bible School they received a coupon for a free kids meal. When I joined the PTA at my kids' school I received a coupon for a free adult meal. When our PTA needed a fundraiser they agreed to a family night where a percentage of proceeds would be donated to our school.

I think Chick-fil-A puts their MOOney where their mouth is. (Sorry for that one - couldn't resist!). They spend money in a way that stays consistent with their brand and their community involvement aligns with their core values. So I say, "Eat more chicken!"

Thank You Inc. Magazine

Wow! I was excited to see my letter to the editor of Inc. Magazine was actually noticed! Jane Berentson, Inc.'s Senior Editor, used my comments in the first sentence of her article this month. Click here to read her comments.

Other than trade magazines within your industry, a few magazines I recommend to help jazz up the sales of your business are Inc., Entrepreneur and People magazine. (Yes, People!).

In his book, Duct Tape Marketing, John Jantsch says, "...the one place I turn to keep myself rooted in how the world thinks and buys...is People magazine." For about 20 years more people turn to People than any other magazine. Jantsch goes on to list 3 reasons to read, or at least scan, People magazine.

1. Get a feel for what the majority of Americans want to fight, find, lose, gain, have, give or embrace.


2. See design copy that is easy to scan, read and digest.


3. Uncover story angles that could apply to your organization's PR.

Now when my weekly People magazine arrives in my mailbox I retreat to my office to read it because I'm doing marketing research!

Words are Powerful

I cringed this week when I witnessed 2 sales being snuffed out! In both cases, the sales could have been probable with a small change in words.

Here's what happened:

Snuff out #1. I was shopping for a Father's Day gift in a men's clothing store. After looking around for several minutes I had not found any medium sized shirts in the store. Puzzled, I asked the store clerk if they had any mediums.

• What she said: She looked up from writing and said very matter-of-factly, "EVERYTHING we have is OUT" and looked back down at what she was doing. I felt like I was in trouble for asking and left the store.
  


• What she should have said, "We have all of our merchandise out but let me show you where you can find the mediums."

Snuff out #2: I was sitting at the dance studio waiting on my daughter to finish her Hip-Hop class. I hear the phone ring and the dance studio receptionist answer the phone.

• What she said: "We don't have our Fall Schedule made up yet. If you call back in August we will have it and I can give you class times then."


• What she should have said: "We don't have our Fall Schedule made up yet. Give me your name and phone number (or email address) and we will notify you when the Fall Schedule is out so you can sign up."

In both cases, a small tweak of wording would have changed the outcome to be more favorable for the business involved. So, while I'm at it, here are a few other phrases that I try not to use because of the words:

• "No problem." Instead of using these words I say, "I will be glad to," or "Glad to do it." Or you can say, "It will be my pleasure," or "Glad to help." When we say, "No problem" all the listener hears is the word "problem" and the phrase insinuates the customer's request could be a problem.


• "Here's the problem..." Customers don't want to hear the problem (they know what it is). They want to hear the solution. Use words like "challenge" or "opportunity." These words imply action. You can say, "Our challenge here is ...blah, blah, blah, or "We have an opportunity to..."


• "To be honest with you." Sometimes this phrase pops out naturally, but I said this to a customer early in my career and his retort was, "Don't say that! Does that mean you aren't always being honest with me?"

If you want to read more about powerful words, read this article How Your Choice of Words or Phrases can Make or Break a Sale

Have you joined HARO?

A couple of months ago I blogged about jazzing up your sales with free publicity. If you are interested in getting connected with magazine writers, reporters, radio hosts and TV show hosts looking for expertise in different areas then I recommend HARO- Help a Reporter Out. You can sign up for free and every day you'll receive up to 3 emails, each with anywhere from 15-30 queries with reporters and writers looking for story ideas input. It's a great way for you to get free publicity.

Jazz Up Your Sales Using Social Networking

LinkedIn was the first social network I joined. I have had fun getting on Facebook and connecting with old friends. And I'm starting to get the hang of Twitter. Even Oprah is on Twitter!

You can't pick up a business magazine without reading articles about social networking. It's the "thing" right now and relatively uncharted territory with how it can be used for increasing business sales. Social networking gives you a chance to get to know someone passively. I'm getting to know Ashton Kutcher by following him on Twitter. We all know people want to do business with people they like and social networking provides a great forum to get to know people better.

So here are a few tips for jazzing up your sales using Facebook and Twitter:

• For starters - sign up! It's free.
• Complete your profile in a manner that reflects who you are, your business and what your business does.
• Include a link to your website.
• Include a photo that looks professional. It doesn't necessarily have to be a professionally taken photo.
• Update your Facebook status or "tweet" about activities that highlight your business or industry.
• Create your own group for your business that others can join. Use this group to communicate information to your customers.
• Join groups that your customers might join.
• Post photos of events your business participates in or sponsors.
• Respond to and post comments on other's Facebook pages.

Once you are all set up send me a friend request on Facebook! I'm Zan Whitehurst Jones. Or following me on Twitter http://twitter.com/ZanJones.