Do you sell to clients the way they buy, or the way you want to sell? We know that people like to do business with people that they like, trust and feel comfortable with. People like to buy from people similar to themselves. One of the most powerful courses I attended many years ago was one about dealing with different personalities and being able to adapt your selling style to suit the client?s way of buying.

It made me realise that everyone is different; there is no wrong or right personality style, people are just different and as great salespeople we have to have great versatility to recognise their style immediately and adapt ourselves to make it easy for the clients to want to do business with us.

There are many styles and sub styles, but I am just going to highlight the four major styles over the next for issues of the newsletter, see if you can recognise your clients that fit the profile or indeed which style you are. This month we take a look at the task focused buyer:

Task Focussed buyers

STRENGTHS

• Determined
• Assertive
• Efficient
• Decisive
• Thorough

WEAKNESSES

• Pushy
• Severe
• Tough-minded
• Dominating
• Harsh

BUSINESS ATMOSPHERE

• Wants to reach a decision quickly
• No small talk
• No time wasting

WHERE YOU FIND THEM

• Decision Makers
• Directors
• Management
• Politicians
• Self-employed business owners

OFFICE

• Efficient
• Picture to fit office, Awards (no posters or slogans)
• Desk may be packed with work materials
• Desk used as a barrier

ATMOSPHERE

• Businesslike

PRIORITIES

• Disciplined - Wants effectiveness and efficiency

YOUR PRODUCT

• What your product can do

PROBLEM SOLVING

• Support their ideas

How to win them over

• Impress them by: Getting to the point
• Ask questions that: Are relevant
• Support their: Actions
• Demonstrate your: Experience
• Make benefits: Tangible & concrete
• Show commitment by: Getting things done
• Be impressed by their: Strength
• Best close: Be direct

More in the next issues on how to deal with other types of buyers.

We all know how difficult it is to find new clients. When we have them as clients we have to do everything we can to keep them and provide them with great customer service.

What we need to do is develop a 10 touch plan so that we can be in contact with them at least ten times a year. Often we think that we have sold them our product or service and they won?t need us again. There is always going to be staff turnover, executives leaving the organisation and joining other companies and as long as we stay in touch, more business will follow. I recently returned from speaking in Sydney and this was as a result of a CEO selling his company in the UK and taking a senior position in Australia. By staying in touch he hired me to speak at the company in Australia.

So we either have to be with them face to face, on the telephone, by email, or the easiest way to keep in contact is by newsletter. I like to produce the electronic newsletter as the costs are minimal and I can see all the statistics of how many people open the newsletter, unsubscribe or link through to the website. (I?ve always been driven by ratios; I feel they are so important in selling).

Publishing a newsletter is a cost effective way to build your loyal customer base. You keep your clients updated about your business, latest offerings, as well as new products and services. It keeps you and your business visible.

Good information gets distributed. So, a newsletter is a means of viral marketing, your clients will pass it on to their clients and before you know it the telephone will be ringing from new clients that you never even knew existed. When I sent out my first newsletter, I received a call the next day from someone who had been forwarded my newsletter and this resulted in a number of talks and training days with that company.

Here are some tips for producing your newsletter:

• Always ensure that you have a main article that provides information that your readers will find valuable. Your articles form the body of your newsletter. They should be informative and arouse the interests of your readers. Articles should be well written, and checked for spelling and grammatical errors. Your readers will be appreciative of the fact that you have given much thought and preparation to your articles. I always try to add value with good practical information.
• Keep abreast with the current developments of your field. Your readers want to know what is new and what is hot.
• Within your Ezine, throw in links to related articles that you have written or been featured in when appropriate.
• Offer testimonials from satisfied clients.
• Give real life examples and show how you?ve helped clients.
• Case studies always position you as the expert in your readers? minds more than you coming out and saying so.
• Jot down eight questions your clients have asked you in the past
• Answer each one in a short article, as there may be many other clients who have the same questions in mind.
• If you have been to any industry conference workshops or seminars where you?ve picked up some helpful hints, share these with your readers.
• Recommend books or resources and offer reviews on some of these books. By the way, take a look at my new list of recommended books at http://tinyurl.com/s6j 67

I have produced a short video to demonstrate how I develop my newsletter each month, take a look at http://tinyurl.com/fz wr6

As you can see, I use constant Contact for my electronic newsletter and find them to be terrific, take a look at their site and try them for free at http://tinyurl.com/on msy

As speakers we should always be marketing. On my recent trip to Dubai I spoke five times and each day after my talks attended three marketing appointments to set up my next trip. Here are the strategies I used and you can apply there to yourself wherever you are speaking:

1 - Prior to the trip, I contacted all my existing clients and associates in Dubai and set up breakfast or dinner meetings, one of these meetings could result in a joint venture in Dubai and another a long term consulting contract in ten countries ? TIP ? whenever you speak in a city or country, always meet with current and past organisations who have used you in the past. Circumstances change, staff change and you will always create new opportunities.

2 - I spent some time on the internet looking for potential organisations that I could meet up with and contacted them prior to my trip. This resulted in some good meetings and as soon as I get home I will be following up to see how to turn these into relationships and speaking engagements. TIP ? before you travel to a new engagement, take the time to research the internet and set up meetings with potential bookers. Once you have met with someone face to face, developed a relationship and sold yourself (like only you can do), you stand an excellent chance of being booked. Someone would rather do business with a person that they have met rather than some information in emails being received without ever meeting the speaker. Remember, these bureaus/agents/ associations are receiving hundreds of marketing packs and emails from speakers each week (and binning most). The one that they will remember is the one who took the time to meet with them.

3 - I have a close relationship with a few speakers who I refer to my clients, and they refer me in return so we create two way traffic. I contacted some of these speakers and met with their contacts and I know business will follow. ? TIP ? Develop a few key relationships with other speakers who you feel confident to refer to your clients, but know that they will do the same in return.

4 - Research your target market ? prior to my trip I made some calls to find out who the key people were in Dubai in my niche markets and set up meetings. This resulted in immediate bookings after I met with them ? TIP ? build your exposure and brand in your specialist niche and let people know who you are and how you can help them.

5 - Talk to everyone ? On the aircraft from London to Dubai, I spoke to the lady sitting next to me and discovered that her husband is one of the top consultants in a large International Financial Services Company. By the time we reached Dubai she had given me the key contact people and after a couple of calls I will now be meeting with them on my next trip. ? TIP ? Speak to everybody

6- Ask for referrals ? I ask everyone that I meet with for referrals. When I met up with a large bureau/training organisation, I had a great appointment and by the end, discovered that this organisation is one of the largest in the world and I was referred to the head of the Singapore operation which looks after Asia who I will be contacting next week. ? TIP ? always ask for referrals if your appointment goes well and you can show them how you can contribute to their organisation.

So there it is, from this two week trip I am organising talks into the first quarter of next year and have secured numerous other speaking assignments this year. We always have to be marketing. If you are not a film star or have written a genuine best seller, the phone won?t be ringing unless you make it.

Right now many of you will be returning from vacation and looking for something to get you motivated and write business as soon as possible. I have the solution:

Having spent months working on my new programme ?Sales Strategies for Financial Advisors?, it is now finally completed and hopefully the most comprehensive package in the business. It is a complete training programme that will give new consultants the strategies to start writing business immediately and give existing consultants plenty of ideas, strategies and motivation

The programme consists of,

• 8 audio CDs on financial planning,
• 3 audio CDs on goal setting & motivation,
• 3 video CDs packed with video clips demonstrating everything from seminar selling to getting business on the internet and,
• An additional CD with an action planner. (15 CDs in total)

Please take a look at http://www.training-financial- advisor.com for all the details and take a listen to a few cuts. You will also be able to see exactly what is covered in the programme.

I have tried to incorporate everything I have learned over the past 23 years in Financial Services that helped me to qualify at Million Dollar Round Table 'Top of the Table', as well as everything I have learned working with successful financial advisors in 47 countries. I also have guest interviews with some incredibly successful people who share their strategies, including one financial advisor who wrote a $100 million dollar case at age 28.

For all my financial services subscribers, I gave a pre-release discount before I opened it to everyone on the 15 September at the normal price. After numerous requests this offer has now been extended to the 15th October. You save $100 per package if ordered within the next three weeks. It is incredible value, less than the cost of a Mont Blanc pen or equal to the cost of a cup of coffee per day for a month at a Starbucks in London .

The first 50 packs were sold out in hours.

So there it is, if you order right now, your investment is only $197 (£105 in the UK) & postage (& VAT for Europe). On the 15th October it increases to $297 and in January 2007 to the normal investment of $425

So don't wait, get moving as soon as possible with this great package and order it directly from the internet. Remember, you only need to pick up one idea that results in a sale and you investment will have paid for itself ten times over.