7 Rules for Asking Great Sales Questions

Here are the 7 rules for asking great sales questions, with some quick examples:

Rule #1: They flatter the prospect’s ego without seeming smarmy.

Bad: “Where you did you buy that elegant suit?”

Better: “How did you learn so much about this industry so quickly?”

Rule #2: They show respect for the prospect’s unique knowledge.

Bad: “What’s the reporting structure of your department?”

Better: “What was the thinking behind your organizational structure?”

Rule #3: They don’t sound like a question from a job interview.

Bad: “Where did you work before you came here?”

Better: “How have you been able to use your experience here?”

Rule #4: They provide an opportunity for the prospect to expound.

Bad: “Do you have a budget?”

Better: “What’s the process for securing a budget for this type of product?”

Rule #5: They provide a change of pace from the prospect’s day-to-day routine.

Bad: “What are your responsibilities in the organization.”

Better: “What do you enjoy most about working here?”

Rule #6: They provide a smooth launch pad into the next topic.

Bad: “Are my competitors calling on you?”

Better: “Can you step me through your decision-making process?”

Rule #7: They build on something the contact just said.

Bad: “Not to change the subject, but are you interested?”

Better: “Based on what you’ve said, how can we best work together?”

Post on BNET by Geoffrey James

The Money Rules for Married People

Set a Monthly Budget

You’ve heard it before, but it’s worth repeating. Every healthy relationship should start with a budget. As a couple, you should figure out how much you need to spend on necessities, such as your mortgage payments and 401(k) contributions, and how much you can afford to put toward discretionary items, including entertainment and shopping. If you’re having trouble agreeing on how much you need to set aside for certain goals, including retirement and your kids’ education, consider hiring a financial planner.

In the context of financial infidelity, couples also need to decide how much each spouse can spend without telling the other person. (Not having a formal limit is what gets so many of us get into trouble.) Rather than saying any purchase under $100 is acceptable, it’s better to come up with a monthly amount so each of you can choose if you want one expensive item or if you’d prefer to spread out your expenditures in smaller increments during the same time period.

End the Power Struggles

One way to end any sort of power struggle over money is to have separate bank accounts. My husband and I have three. There’s one for him, another for me, and a third for our joint household expenses. Welpton likes this arrangement and suggests couples put an equal percentage of their income into the joint account and then fund their own accounts with what’s left over. If one person isn’t working, he thinks the one who is should fund the non-working spouse’s account.

Disclose all Secrets

If one spouse has a spending problem and has accumulated debt, now is the time to speak up. Once the problem is out in the open, the two of you can work together to figure out a way for the bills to get paid off. If the credit card balances are very high and one person feels terribly wronged, Welpton believes you may benefit from seeing a marriage counselor to discuss the issue. If there’s an addiction problem at the heart of the matter, help your partner get the help he needs.

Monthly Meetings

Finally, agree to sit down and meet monthly to discuss your finances so everything stays out in the open. It’s also a good idea for the two of you to check in with each other and make sure the bills are getting paid and that you’re sticking to your savings goals. As difficult as these meeting may initially feel, try to approach them with an open mind. Just remember that the two of you are partners and one person should not control the family finances or your relationship could feel out of balance. And that, sadly, could lead to another other types of infidelity

Original Post on BNET by Stacey Bradford

10 Dirty Little Secrets That You Can Use On Any Social Networking Site That Are Pure Lead Generation Gold

Belonging to a bunch of social networks simply because you know that you need to be on them for business isn’t enough to get results.

Twitter is the latest craze that is all the rage right now, and just like all the others, everyone is flocking to it without really understanding how to harness its power. So, I’m going to share with you 10 dirty little secrets that work for ALL social networks alike that will pull in leads like a big game fisherman casting a wide net in the ocean.

1. Tell your personal story on your profile page – avoid putting up a bunch of content about your business or your products. Open up and let people see that you’re a real person. People will stop by to learn about you, so give them something they can relate to.

2. Join specific groups that are targeted for your business – this is where you can begin to identify your target audience. Do a keyword search in the groups to find the ones that are relevant and JOIN THEM ALL. More on that in a moment.

3. Start writing content that is valuable to the group – people are always looking for tips, tricks, tactics, techniques and other creative ideas to help their business, so be that creative source. Be consistent with your writing and make it compelling.

4. Post your content on all the groups that you belong to – not everyone that is part of one group belongs to all the others, so make sure to spread your knowledge around in mass.

5. Follow up on EVERY comment posted to your article – when someone takes the time to write feedback on your content, take a moment to thank them for their contribution. Hint: when you get up to about 10 comments, your readership DOUBLES. So, help those numbers rise by commenting behind everyone.

6. Make friend connections with those respondents – it doesn’t work to randomly go around soliciting for friend requests. It’s better to have added value to someone first which proves to them you are someone they should connect with. Send another private note thanking them for their feedback and requesting to become friends. 80% of the people will connect with you.

7. Only accept friend requests if it is relevant to your purpose on the site – you’ll get people trying to connect with you at random, but don’t accept it just to build up a friend list. Remember, you’re there to market your business to a targeted audience, and you want to keep your friend inventory as pure as possible.

8. Make comments on other group member’s discussion topics – this is a powerful way to keep you in front of people. Simply post a few lines in support of the content, praise the writer, and that’s it. When you sign your name, make sure to ONLY put your full name and website link. Don’t’ try to sell. Set a daily goal on how many responses you want to make and be consistent.

9. Survey your friends to find out what their needs are and meet them – once per week, send out information to your friends that are more targeted to their specific needs, and soft promote your site. Now you’re starting to drive traffic outside of your articles!

10. At least twice per month, send an invitation to participate in an event that’s not part of the community – you’ve been adding value to them so this is a comfortable and acceptable approach to promoting your business. If you were doing this step on the front end, it would not work.

Remember, it’s always about adding value up front, not about selling your business. Give enough of yourself in the right way, and people will attach themselves to you like groupies. I guess that makes you an internet rock star, right? Not bad!
Sourced from:

Carin Davis

Top Wealth Masters
http://www.linkedin.com/redirect?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2ETopWealthMasters%2Ecom&urlhash=btV3&_t=disc_detail_link

10 Rules for Business Meals: What Not to Do (Article by Kim Girard)

Call him the finger licker. While devouring a juicy burger during an interview in a trendy French restaurant last year, a candidate for a job with a Boston-based law firm sucked all five fingers after every bite. “This guy’s manners were atrocious,” says workplace etiquette expert Gretchen Neels, president of Neels & Co., whose client recounted the story. Manners may not have been the only reason the man never got an offer, but how he handled a messy sandwich certainly didn’t help.

In a job market as tough as this one, the business meal is one more ritual you can’t afford to get wrong. Table manners that have served you just fine around the table with your family or friends could cost you a coveted deal, a key promotion, or a new job. “People need every arrow in the quiver to excel today,” says Peter Post, director of the Emily Post Institute in Burlington, Vt. “Companies call us and say, ‘Times are tough. We have to make sure we have everything right now. We can’t afford to have people embarrass us or themselves.’”

Ordering properly, tackling the bread basket, manning utensils, staying sober, and surviving endless courses can be challenging. But becoming well-mannered isn’t as simple as reading Emily Post. It takes planning, some education, and plenty of self-awareness. Here are 10 things to avoid if you don’t want that crucial meal to be memorable for the wrong reasons.

1. Don’t go to a restaurant unprepared
Many restaurants today post their menus online, and for those that don’t, there’s always

Menu pages. If you’re going to a restaurant with a boss or prospective boss, check out the menu and make some selections beforehand so you don’t get thrown by the choices or appear indecisive. And if you hate the cuisine, get over it and find something on the menu you can eat, says Peggy Newfield, founder of the Atlanta-based American School of Protocol. After all, the meeting isn’t about the food.

2. Don’t sit down hungry
If you’re ravenous, you’ll be lightheaded and unable to focus on the conversation, and you’ll want to wolf down everything on your plate. That draws the wrong sort of attention your way. So before heading out, munch on a protein bar, some cheese and crackers, or a small meal. (If you have a drink at dinner, the snack will also help absorb the alcohol and ensure you don’t get drunk or lightheaded.)

3. Don’t order the T-bone when your boss is having the Cobb salad
In these health-conscious times, you’ll often dine with bosses and managers who order lighter meals. So if the boss recommends the Cobb salad, don’t order the T-bone with five side dishes. It could signal that you lack discipline in other areas or that you wouldn’t fit in well at the company. By the same token, if the boss strongly recommends a certain dish or drink, don’t say no, even if you don’t really want it. “Maybe you don’t finish it,” says Sam Gordon, CIO practice director at executive search firm Harvey Nash. “But don’t spurn the hospitality.”

4. Don’t get drunk
After surviving multiple interviews and making it through HR negotiations, don’t blow it by getting too loose before the final offer’s signed. If you do order a drink, try to sip more slowly than your host, and don’t have more than one drink. Jonathan Pyle, vice president for consulting services at ThinkHR in Pleasanton, Calif., recalls a final candidate for a high-level job at a Silicon Valley company having several drinks during a dinner with the firm’s board of directors. The candidate, normally reserved, became incoherent and aggressive, slurring his words. The incident wound up costing him the job.

5. Don’t forget basic table manners
The table is a test. “I want to know if [a potential hire] can handle it if they are going to be dining with others,” says Clayton Hollis, vice president of public affairs at Publix Super Markets, based in Lake City, Fla., who always brings senior candidates to dinner before hiring them. Syndi Seid, an etiquette expert in San Francisco, says a man applying for a senior job with a Chicago-based financial firm lost the offer, in part, because he picked his nose throughout the entire meal.

6. Don’t make the most common table mistakes
Some of these include blowing your nose into your napkin, chewing with your mouth open, and putting your fingers in your mouth.
Other no-nos:
Don’t put your napkin on the table when excusing yourself during the meal. Place it on your chair. It goes on the table when you are leaving the restaurant.
Memorize the BMW rule: Bread plate to the left, meat in the middle, and water to the right.
Don’t put your utensils on the table. They belong on the plate.
Never, ever eat off another person’s plate.

7. Don’t eat like a kid
Slicing your meat into bite-size pieces before you start eating might inspire a recruiter to offer you a juice box instead of a job. Always cut food as you go. And how you eat your bread speaks volumes, says Neels. “Slicing a big roll, slapping on a slab of butter, and cramming it shut like a hoagie is the biggest sign that you just walked off the turnip truck,” she says. Instead, pull off a piece of bread and use your knife to spread a little butter on it.

8. Don’t order foods that stain, are hard to eat, or get stuck in teeth
Melted cheese sticks to facial hair. Greasy food smears lipstick and speckles ties. Avoid spaghetti, which might fly off your fork; cherry tomatoes, which risk popping; sloppy sandwiches; and anything with sauces. Broccoli and spinach can ruin your smile. The best bet is to order the blandest, easiest-to-eat dish on the menu, like a salad or a piece of meat or fish without sauce.

9. Don’t put a BlackBerry, iPhone, or other device on the table
It will tempt you to be rude. “Checking messages is disrespectful and sends a message that there’s somebody and something more important than your boss,” says Stephen Begley, president of Begley Consulting, who’s worked on business etiquette with Google and Jamba Juice execs. If you can’t resist checking your phone every five seconds, leave it at home. And if your phone accidentally rings during an interview, turn it off immediately and don’t check the number. “If they do that to me, they are going to disregard the client,” says Connie Thanasoulis, co-founder of career coaching firm SixFigureStart and a former recruiter at Merrill Lynch.

10. Don’t treat the help poorly
Don’t ever explode or take out frustration on the waitstaff, even if someone dumps a glass of wine on your new suit. How job candidates treat people and handle stress in eating situations indicates how they might perform under pressure at work. Your best bet is to keep your cool and laugh off any mishaps. And never send back your wine or food when you’re the guest. Not only does it create a potentially uncomfortable situation, but if your boss or interviewer chose the restaurant, they could feel insulted.

Source:http://moneywatch.bnet.com/career-advice/article/business-lunch10-things-not-to-do/316688/