Think about the last time you bought a product or service online, that had a substantial positive impact on your work or life in some way. If you were spending a good chunk of change (and perhaps investing a good bit of your time) on that purchase, chances are you did some research first: reading online forums and reviews to see what others had to say about them; contacting them directly with questions and observing how quick and helpful (and polite) their response was; maybe even buying a smaller product or service from them first. All to determine if you could trust this online business to deliver what they promise.

Your potential online clients are no different! They are going to want to know if they can trust you to deliver, too. Here are three specific ways you can work on building trust relationships online, and how each will help your business:

1.     Get to know your customers. 

This helps you more deeply understand what it is they need – making it a lot easier to tell them how what you are selling is going to meet their needs. Find out where they “hang” out, on discussion forums, social networks, etc., and get involved. Don’t just schmooze or try to sell your product right then and there — instead, add value to the conversation. If you are doing it right, you’ll be doing a whole lot more listening than talking.

2.     Connect with your customer on a personal level. 

Let them see you as a person, one who has some things in common with them. People will trust you, and ultimately buy from you, if they feel you are like them. This means being sincere and transparent – not pretending or making something up. If you can’t make that trust connection with one particular person, don’t force it – move on to someone else.

3.     Keep up the trust relationship. 

The relationship doesn’t stop after the sale! Clients who know and like you, and have benefited from what you have sold them, will tell others about you! It will be easy for them to recommend you because they are recommending a trusted vendor, not an impersonal business or product. If you’ve done a good job of providing them with something that makes their job or life easier, they won’t be able to wait to tell someone else!

Article Contributed by Laura Moisei

We all like to be prompted with the right questions. Showed that our opinion matters. Involved in other people’s lives.

Questions are effective means to find valuable insights and to engage people by your side. As Dorothy Leeds points out, knowing how to ask helps you mend things even before they are broken. The right question at the right time may boost your carrier as an entrepreneur and transform your business for the very best.

In your early years of childhood, this is what you did: ask questions all the time and evolve by doing this. It’s exactly the same for a first time entrepreneur. You are in a special stage of your business life, when you should try to deeply understand your existing customers and start a long term commitment to show courtesy towards everyone.

So what questions do people like to hear?

“How satisfied are you with our service?”

There are countless variations for this one, as well as an infinite number of possible answers. A well-known retailer in my area has its checkout employees ask every customer “Was everything ok in the store?” when handing them the receipt. They seize an opportunity of obtaining feedback that would otherwise slip away as each customer passes by.

Think of the all times customer question: “What am I getting from this?” A wise business representative would reframe it into something like: “Look, this is what’s in there for you. Did you actually get what you wanted?” This means you are presenting your offer and the Unique Selling Proposition in a comprehensive manner while asking the customer for feedback.

“What can I do to make you happy?”

Of course, a more common alternative is the typical support question “How may I help you?”. This is more than just etiquette. It should reflect openness and real concern to fulfilling people’s needs. It’s very important to use “what” or “how” instead of “Is there anything I can do for you?”. The last one is already a closed question, with yes/no type of answer and you risk to get a direct “no” with no further nuances. Generally speaking, it’s best to ask precise questions that prompt for direct answers, but not closed ones.

“What can we bring around that wasn’t possible before?”

This means asking for people’s suggestion on new areas of improvement for your business. Customers will really appreciate your proactive attitude and your willing to involve them in important changes.

You may argue that research and planning are already part of your core missions as a manager. Indeed it is your part, but haven’t you ever experienced a gap of inspiration? There are moments when you get such gaps out of too much involvement. This is when you can very much use some ideas from outside, so ask for them!

“Do my actions show respect for you and your time?”

With so many things to do in one day’s time, it’s actually a little miracle when someone stops to talk to you, so be thankful for that. Check whether you didn’t exceed the unspoken limits. Of course, this may depend on people’s momentarily mood, but it’s always good to ask.

This kind of question is particularly useful in customer surveys. Place it as a self-evaluating question at the end of the questionnaire. It can be something like “How much time did this take you to fill in?” and a likert scale asking “How comfortable this was to you?”. It tells people that you value their effort and consequently allows you to tweak your communication strategy.

What are the best questions I’m not even considering?

We are only humans and we sometimes skip the essence while trying to stick to a plan. As you exchange viewpoints with your customers, show openness towards unplanned topics too. People like to speak their minds without having the feeling they are undergoing a fixed interview. It’s always instructive to hear their own points of interest around your business.

Go ahead and use variations of these questions in your customer surveys to make them yield on useful data. Have those questions as part of your face to face interaction with customers. Post them on your Facebook wall as polls. Asking these proves you are a social wise entrepreneur with respect for your customer experience.

As for any business process, timing is crucial. Lose no time in asking the right questions. Typically, it’s good to ask for feedback in a reasonable time span from the relevant experience, when the impression is still strong, so that answers won’t be biased by the pressure of the moment but neither diluted by oblivion.

Ask the proper questions and people will love to interact with you. It even happens for the question itself to be the answer. You can win people over just by daring to ask. Go on!

About the Author

Laura Moisei writes for 123ContactForm online survey builder that helps small businesses get in touch with their customers. Laura is a dedicated blogger and small business consultant with a drive for technology.

Customers Lie!

We, as sales professionals, are constantly told that customers lie. They never address the reason customers lie nor do they tell what you can do about it.

Customers lie because they do not want to hear how stupid they are if they do not understand how your product or service will help them.

Customers lie because they feel you will take advantage of them if you learn some sensitive piece of knowledge.

Customer lie because they fear you will charge a higher price if you knew how painful the situation really is.

Ok, customers lie because they need to protect themselves. They lie because we, as sales professionals, have lied to them. I cannot tell you how much sales training I have received where the instructor would say something like, “tell them what they want to hear, even if it not true, to get the appointment. You can always fix it later.” We wonder why customers feel the need to protect themselves. I refuse to be party to this kind of mind-set.

As a sales professional, we need to change that. We need to act with the best intentions and the highest effort to do what is in the best interest of our customers. We need to understand their problems and help them solve it.

As a sales professional, we have to assume they are lying to protect themselves and it is our job to act with honesty, integrity, and while having the best interest of our customer in mind at all times so they do not have to (or feel the need to) protect themselves. They understand we are on the same team.

As a sales professional, we must understand how to build rapport quickly and effectively because building rapport is the first step in building trust.

As a sales professional, we must always treat the customers the way they want to be treated so they understand why your product or service is the right and safe choice for them.

If our customers are lying to us we need to stop blaming them and implement actions that allow them to trust us.

If our customers are lying to us we must look inside and see what we are doing they makes them want to lie to us. Then we need to fix it.

For self-employed professionals and small businesses, difficult clients are a fact of life. Even if you rarely make mistakes and treat all your clients with appropriate professionalism, sooner or later you’re going to make an error or a client’s expectations won’t be met. And of course, there are always going to be a few clients who are having a bad day, who have an unclear understanding of what you do, or who are simply hard to please. These can be difficult situations, but it’s important not to let it get you down. When you’re in the midst of an uncomfortable client interaction, always remember the vast majority of your clients who are happy with what you do.

Here are some things to keep in mind when dealing with difficult clients.

1. Listen: If your client is dissatisfied, listen to their concerns (do not interrupt them) if you need to take notes, do it. Your goal is to become clear on WHY they are upset. When it’s your turn to talk, start by recapping what they said. This lets the client know you have understood what they said and makes them feel heard. At the same time, however, keep in mind that you are not obligated to continue the interaction if a client becomes abusive in any way.

2. Take time: If you are communicating with the client primarily through email or another online platform, don’t respond immediately. Take some time to absorb what’s going on and to take the edge off your initial feelings. Give yourself at least an hour or two. If you can wait until the next day, even better.

3. De-escalate: If the client takes an angry, annoyed, or short tone with you, don’t respond in kind. Doing so will only make things worse. Be the level-headed one in the situation, and maintain an air of total professionalism throughout the interaction.

4. Find the kernel of truth: When a client responds to your work with harsh criticism, your natural impulse may be to deny that you did anything wrong and to dismiss the client’s concerns as unreasonable. Try to resist this impulse, and use this as an opportunity for a little reflection. Was there a breakdown in communication, and if so, where did it occur? Were you cutting corners or not working to your highest standards? What should you do in the future to prevent these situations? It could be that the client is indeed being unreasonable, but a little self-reflection never hurts.

5. Consider taking the loss: There’s no use getting into a drawn-out, tense situation over a relatively small amount of money. Dealing with difficult clients can be emotionally taxing, not to mention time-consuming. At some point, it’s just not worth it anymore. So if you can afford to give a refund and end the relationship, regardless of who is right and who is wrong, consider doing so.

Of course, you may also run into situations where the client is not necessarily angry but perhaps difficult in other ways. For example, dealing with scope creep (the phenomenon where a project that has already been agreed to continues to grow little by little) requires a special type of tact, especially when it becomes necessary to ask for more money. And then there are difficult situations such as when you need to extend a deadline or turn down a project from a regular client.

In each case, try to see things from the client’s perspective, and meet your client’s needs as best you can while looking out for yourself and your business. Be as honest as you can without getting too personal. Make sure your clients know that you value their business even if you cannot fully meet their needs at this time. Keep all your interactions professional and polite, and your clients will usually understand.

A fisherman who casts a wide net may catch more fish, but the one who throws out a single line with a special lure will catch the prized barracuda.

Potential Clients are constantly searching for experts to solve their problems. When a rash breaks out you go to a dermatologist. When the car needs an oil change you head to Jiffy Lube. When the New York Yankees are leading by 1 run in the last inning they call out their “closer.” Expertise sells because expertise works.

Becoming an expert in a specific niche will accelerate your business in several areas. It allows you to focus on specific clientele and not waste energy in the search for consumers. Specific expertise gives the opportunity for name recognition within that community. A niche also permits you to expand your knowledge with ease.

Now it’s time to convey your expertise to the marketplace.

Put yourself into the public eye as an expert. There are several ways to do this through website marketing, business cards, and stationery. People believe what they see. Make it easier for them by putting it on your correspondence.

Always hone your ability. New technology, teachings, and techniques are a constant in today’s world. Be current on your knowledge and be able to offer new solutions to clients. Make sure to let everyone know your past and present education. Customers want to know their “expert” is current on things. They’ll even brag about it to their friends.

Put your thoughts down on paper. With today’s technology it’s easy to get ideas out. Write a blog, newsletter, or ebook to spread thoughts and cement your reputation as an expert.

Take a personal interest in every client. Everyone has differing needs. What works for one person may not work for another. Take the time to get familiar with clients so you can explain why your service is the best choice for them.

Make your past work accessible with a portfolio. People buy based on past work. A good piece of work speaks louder than any sales pitch. Make sure to use past client testimonials with your portfolio. This is a double whammy that will show quality of work and client service.

Companies the world over spend countless dollars on print ads, commercials, social media and other promotional endeavors to expand their market-base and ultimately gain new customers. But in all this marketing frenzy, investment in loyalty-building strategies can sometimes fall by the wayside.

Even of those businesses owners who understand the importance of customer retention, many surprisingly never go beyond offering discounts to their repeat customers. Not only may this strategy on its own be ineffective in bringing customers back, but it may cut deeply into profit margins that are already taking a beating from rising costs on everything from gas to health care.

If you are running a small business within a defined niche and are facing limited resources then investing in customer retention could be vital to your business’ health and long-term success. Here are a few points to consider:

Stay in touch with your current customers. When was the last time you attempted to contact your prior customers- whether as a follow-up on a completed sale or to offer future promotions or services? Depending on the kind of product or services you provide, these customers may forget about your business and the next time they are need of that same product or service, they could just as easily look for a different vendor.

I had my house painted almost five years back and now it needs another coating. Though I was very happy with the painter’s job and could have used his services again, he never contacted me since the job was completed. This time around, I got an attractive bid from a different contractor and moved on.

Whether you send newsletters, emails, or promotional coupons, make follow-up phone calls, or maintain an active social media presence, just making an extra effort to stay in touch with your customers can increase retention. But make sure that you don’t cross that fine line where “communications” become spam. Just because a customer “opted in” to receive emails or a newsletter, etc, doesn’t mean that you now have free reign to flood them with “helpful” suggestions, information, or promotions.

Focus on the customer experience. Common business sense dictates that if you consistently strive to offer your customers a great service and deliver value for the money they spend in your business then they will be more likely to return in the future. Sounds good, except these days it’s not enough. Today, the “customer experience” is getting a lot of sound bytes.

Though a customer’s experience may be hard to tangibly measure and define, the thoughts and feelings your customers attach to doing with doing business with your company can affect who returns and who doesn’t.

A friend of mine recently purchased a pair of boots from an online supplier. The company’s customer service staff was courteous and helpful throughout the buying process. Moreover, when my friend received his boots he saw that they were sent along with a whole bunch of “extras” like shoe polish and an additional set of laces. The company also had someone call shortly after the shipment arrived to make sure my friend was satisfied with his purchase. All these little actions created a satisfied customer who will no doubt seek the same address the next time he needs footwear.

Invest in your employees. Your employees are your best marketers, and this goes for the back-end employees as well as those working on the “front lines,” such as sales representatives and technicians. When employees feel valued, when they feel that their input is being properly appreciated and compensated, then they will be more likely to give it their best on the job. Moreover, employee satisfaction can be so infectious that it can lead to satisfied customers as well, and those satisfied customers are the ones who will be more likely to return.

In short, in the drive to improve sales in your business don’t forget those you are already serving. You want to keep your customers coming back for more, not kicking them out the door.

About the Author:

Article Provided by Scott Hersh, business author for http://bcablog.com – the official blog of Business Cash Advance .COM providers of fast working capital financing.

As more and more businesses find themselves fighting against the tide of commoditization, it is becoming increasing difficult, (if not impossible, depending on the product and services) and significantly more expensive, to differentiate from the competition.

I believe the least expensive way to do it is developing true differentiation in customer service. But it has to be truly, exceptionally, noticeably unique and different. How can a company with limited resources and with its products and services continually fighting commoditization differentiate itself with “world class” customer service?

By creating an initiative that among other strategies combines customer service training and employee engagement. But neither in the way companies traditionally try to do those 2 things.

I thought of this approach after being reminded recently about a former client whose company leadership preached to employees about providing “world class” customer service.

Yet, when I asked many of those same employees to define “world class” customer service and how they were expected to deliver it, I received mostly blank stares.

The great thing about employees is that they are also customers. Every single one of them has experiences organizational leaders should be tapping into. Most do not.

Instead of bringing in a “customer service expert” to take employees through a training on customer service, there is an alternate solution.

Imagine if you were holding an internal customer service symposium that would tap into the collective genius and life-long experience of the people in your organization. Doing a program like that would:

1. Allow you to engage your best advocates in solutions to improve your company from the bottom up;
2. Make every one of your employees feel valued because their input was requested and the ideas they provided or contributed to were actually seen to be implemented;
3. Improve motivation and morale;
4. Give employees ownership of the ideas and strategies making it easier to hold themselves and their teammates accountable for the implementation;
5. Improve customer service, customer relationships and customer retention.

Here’s how it would work:

1. Get as many company leaders and employees together in one room as possible.
2. Pair up people at different levels, President-Receptionist, Board Chairman-janitor, etc.
3. Give each group 30-minutes to share one story of the BEST example of customer service experience they’ve ever experienced; a time when someone truly exceeded their expectations.
4. Create a forum/format for capturing the best ideas from each of those experiences.
5. Brainstorm additional ideas that your company can add or build on the ideas captured from the stories.
6. Vote on the 10 best ideas that are a fit for your company that you are not already doing.

Now you have a list of 10 hot ideas for improving your customer relationships, but you are not finished as 2 key steps remain:

1. Identify and list all past, present and future obstacles (excuses) to implementing these ideas
2. Commit to strategies for eliminating those excuses that are the highest priority items so you can begin implementation of the ideas within 30-days.

These final two steps are what a colleague of mine calls “the secret sauce.”

Without attacking those final two steps, the entire effort will not just be wasted, but it will undermine and sabotage morale and motivation moving forward and you can forget about people contributing their ideas again in the future.

One final note is that you don’t have to necessarily be able to eliminate all the obstacles identified to implement a particular strategy, but you do need to give people reasons for why it’s not possible, or not possible at this time. The feedback and loop closing is key so people feel heard and valued.

But if the item is on your top 10 of “Customer Service Strategies we should implement” I’d jump through a fiery hoop to eliminate those obstacles to make it happen and set yourself apart from your competition to create a killer gap between yourself and your competition.

Often, because of emotional connection to the topics and situations, certain relationships in the room and unintended positional intimidation, it is difficult and less than effective to have an internal person facilitate these types of sessions and it can be more effective to have an external facilitator experienced in bringing groups to consensus on ideas such as these.

About the Author
Skip Weisman is The Leadership & Workplace Communication Expert. He’s the author of the white paper report titled, “The 7 Deadliest Sins of Leadership & Workplace Communication: How Leaders and Their Employees Unknowingly Undermine Morale, Motivation and Trust in Work Environments.” The white paper is available as a free download for a limited time at www.HowToImproveLeadershipCommunication.com . If you’d like to learn how you can improve your work environment by improving communication contact him directly with any questions, or for a complimentary Strategy Session at 845-463-3838 or e-mail to Skip@WeismanSuccessResources.com

Article Contributed by Jennifer Couch

Social media has given companies a powerful tool – the ability to see real-time online conversations about their brands. To be successful, companies must remain proactive and constantly search for conversations; though someone may not be talking directly to the company, they may be talking about the company, which is just as important.

Finding the Conversations

First and foremost, companies must search for conversations. Google provides services that allow companies to search for keywords in real time. By utilizing Google’s “Discussions” tab, companies can search for their name and find conversations on forums relating to their company. Customer service representatives can then intervene and work to solve the problem.

Google also offers a search feature called “Realtime” which searches for keywords in micro blogs such as Twitter. This gives customer service representatives an opportunity to see what “Tweets” are being shared about the company.

Blogging is also another way customers express their frustrations online. Blogs also allow people to comment which can be another source of conversation about your brand. Using Google’s “Blog” tool allows companies to search for blogs and comments that include content about their company.

Video and photo sharing sites also need to be monitored as they allow comments that can include information about the company.

Being Accessible Online

Companies must make it possible for customers to find their social network contact information. Information on social networks should be displayed on the company website, company emails, and marketing materials; publicize that customer service representatives are available on all of your social networks.

When a problem arises:

When companies discover a negative conversation or comment, they must not be ignored. Facebook pages should be constantly monitored and comments of negative connotation or concern should be addressed immediately. Quick response time, a personal approach, and follow-up are imperative when handling customer service issues online.
Best practices state that a negative Facebook comment’s reply should say: “We are sorry to hear about your bad experience and would like to speak with you personally to get the problem resolved…”

Charter Communications does an excellent job of reaching out to customers and identifying problems through Twitter. Their customer service representatives monitor Twitter for any sign of conversation about Charter, and if a problem arises, they contact the person directly and work to get the problem resolved as quickly as possible.

Many businesses are becoming successful at using social media for customer service issues because they remain proactive in their search for queries, comments, complaints, and conversations relating to the company. In some cases, this can help diffuse a problem before it arises.

Monitoring conversations online will allow companies to gain useful first-hand knowledge and help to deliver a service that is more satisfying to customers in the future.

About the Author

Jennifer Couch writes for Auctori.com. At Auctori.com learn more about implementing a social media strategy in your company.

Does a leader need to be the smartest person in the company to achieve growth and customer satisfaction? No.

In fact, being the smartest person in the company can actually impede growth. Some leaders just can’t get over “themselves.” Yet unfortunately when you suggest that they could be the problem, it’s often met with one of the following responses:

• Confusion (i.e. you talking to me?)
• Dismissive (i.e. you have no idea what you’re talking about)
• Shock (i.e. how dare you talk to me that way)
• Anger (i.e. you’re out of here)

After all, they are the smartest person in the company. They know the problems, they know what needs to be done, and they will do it.

We have a (perhaps unwelcome) secret to share…

No one is that smart. No one can do it all exceptionally alone (at least for long.) And talented employees want to contribute and show their talent.

The greatest risk in this self-delusional thinking is that your brightest employees will actually be the ones that bring you out of the recession stronger. Limit their chance to do so– dim their opportunity– and your great employees will leave, with the remaining employees just doing just what they are told, and the replacement employees will be less talented.

Whom does this adversely affect outside of the leader and your employees? Your customer.  Who benefits? Your competition!

It is essential for leaders to understand that customer service is the lifeblood of their business. (Yes we are aware that cash is king and without positive cash flow the business ceases to exist. Without satisfied customers, however there is no cash. And without satisfied and engaged employees there are no customers – satisfied or not!) So let’s see take a critical look at what the most successful corporations, organizations

and companies are doing different.

Why Nordstrom, Zappos, Apple and Netflix Ranks High in Customer Satisfaction.

Are the companies listed above perfect? Of course not. Are they serious competitors? Absolutely. How are they differentiating their customer service from others in their industry? They are using an employee-centric approach to heighten their customer service. The premise of “The Service-Profit Chain” (first developed at Harvard University by James L Heskett) speaks to this approach. It’s premise is simple: highly satisfied customers drive growth and profitability, and highly equipped and satisfied employees will better satisfy customers to drive that growth. Otherwise said, employees with the skills and power to really serve their customer have an increased employee satisfaction, productivity and loyalty which in turn leads directly to increased service to the customer, meaning greater customer satisfaction and loyalty, which of course, leads to greater revenue. Most simply stated, satisfied employees are a critical contributor to customer satisfaction!

We see this as an employee driven profit model – and it’s “people centric”, which to us is the heart of your business.

Results Our Clients Are Achieving Using A People-Centric Model

One healthcare software consulting company survived the recession relatively unscathed. Another grew over 38% percent during the heart of the recession. How? By providing personalized and highly focused customer service.

As small businesses re-surface post-recession and look to differentiate themselves and grow, improving customer service through a people-centric approach will be an important strategy to adopt.

So, when leaders start to think about growth- they should start first with their customers and how to provide value, and realize that it’s their employees that are the golden egg. Then the conclusion is inescapable: prepare and support your employees to provide outstanding service and your customers will reward your efforts.

About the Authors:

Sara LaForest and Tony Kubica are management consultants with more than 50+ years of combined experience in helping organizations improve their business performance. They say, failing to adopt a people-centic approach to increase customer satisfaction is just one way to sabotage your business growth. Get their complete “Self-Sabotage in Business White Paper” now at: http://www.kubicalaforestconsulting.com/report.php

Article Contributed By Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter”

Have you ever really considered how price affects your customer with regard to their perceived benefit? Too often, we use a simplistic approach to determining a price – figure the cost to produce a product or service, tack on some arbitrary percentage, and call it good, right?

Price, though, is consequential in ways we may not initially consider. The price a person pays for something goes a long way in determining the perceived benefit they expect to get from it. The perceived benefit cuts two ways. First, the expectation of service goes up the more a person pays for something. Second, the perception of what they’re gaining also goes up with the amount they pay. The two are not opposites; they work in tandem and in nearly all businesses, this tandem relationship can and does work to your advantage.

Many companies, hopefully including yours, are known for delivering incredible service. This quality service may be what your customers comment upon and why they are willing to refer you to other customers. This level of service comes at a price. One of the things you always should be doing is explaining to and showing your customers how your level of service helps them.

The more you share this type of information with your customers, the more comfortable you become in seeing the value of what you offer. Having confidence in your service allows you to increase your “Price Investment Ratio” (PIR). This all has to do with what you expect customers to pay.

For the customer, the PIR is revealed when you help frame their expectations. To help explain this best, let me refer to what I call the “IBM paradox.” This is the belief people have that although you will pay more for anything you buy from IBM, you will never be fired for using IBM. What this means is there are plenty of companies that sell the exact same items and services as IBM, but at a less expensive price. Although other vendors will be less money, there is a level of safety and confidence in using IBM – so much so that it translates to a premium price that customers will pay.

The “Price Investment Ratio” (PIR) is the amount over the minimum amount a person would have to pay for something. They are willing to pay it to feel confident in what they are buying. You might say the PIR should really be the CP – the “Confidence Premium.”

There are no two ways about it – when you have great service but do not reflect it in your PIR, then you are underselling. If you are underselling, you are not making the profits you could be making.

I can hear some of you at this point thinking, “What if we don’t have a solid sense of how good our customer service really is?” In other words, maybe your company receives very few complaints, but at the same time, you are not sure if your service is at a higher caliber than what your competitors bring to the table.

In order to find out your “Price Investment Ratio” (PIR), you must do a deep dive with your existing customers to get them to tell you what your service means to them. Once you do this, you can then match up what existing customers are telling you with what prospective customers are asking you to do. When you grasp this, you begin to understand what the PIR really should be. How much “investment” is the customer willing to make in going with you instead of your competitor?

As I have often said, in the B2B arena, companies don’t buy anything, they only invest. If your customer can’t see the return on investment, they won’t invest – they won’t pay the price you want to get. When they do see the value, though, then you can feel very confident in charging a price above what your competitors charge. Don’t settle for a lower price when doing so is detrimental to your bottom line.

About the Author
Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter,” is a sales expert who speaks to thousands each year on how to increase their sales profitability. For more information, to receive a free weekly email sales tip, or to read his Sales Motivation Blog, visit http://www.TheSalesHunter.com. You can also follow him on Twitter, on LinkedIn, and on Facebook