Blue Wrench

“I can’t sell”, I hear you say. Rubbish, everybody can sell. If you ever got hired, sold your car or sold yourself to another person (ie. got married or formed a relationship), you have proven your ability to sell. We sell ideas to others all the time, we just don’t view it as selling.

The role of a sales person is to find out what the prospective client wants rather than whether the customer wants something at all. Once this is done, a sales person should then help the customer satisfy that need to the customers’ satisfaction. The principle skills a winning salesperson needs are:

* Putting your customers in a acceptance state of mind, making them feel at ease and unpressured.

• Showing interest in their requests or problems.
• Using opinions as selling points (both yours and theirs).
• Supplying facts and helpful information.
• Answering objections in a positive way and never becoming defensive or aggressive.
• Agreeing with customers.
• Suggesting additional products or services.(Value adding)
• Building repeat business.

It’s important that you learn to apply these techniques, although if you apply tact, friendliness, honesty and you know what you’re talking about, you’re 90% there. Not very hard when you think about it.

I know of quite a few owners of small businesses that would never consider themselves sales people but have remarkable success at selling their offers by just being themselves. Is this being a good sales person? Probably.

An old friend of mine, John, owns a applicance business in one of Melbourne’s trendier suburbs. He spent many years of his life working for Australia Post. It never ceases to amaze me, and his business partner, how this “untrained” person can sell products by just being himself. He is a natural salesman.

On the days he looks after the shop instead of his partner, the results are always up compared to when he’s not there. If you were to ask him if he thought he was a good salesman he would probably say no, but the sales figures speak for themselves.

He does it by being a friendly, nice person that loves a joke and a talk with his customers. Most of his clients would never go elsewhere because they like him. I’m sure even if he put his prices up, he would still attract the same clients because they have a relationship with him. They feel good about shopping at his shop; he makes sure they do. Everybody can sell, simply use your own personality and be friendly and courteous. Treat customers the way you would like to be treated.

Top sales people make a point of remembering regular customers’ names, ensuring each time they come to the store they receive a small discount or offering other little extras like helping them to the car with their parcels. As I mentioned before with my friend, he fosters friendships with his regular customers. This fosters loyalty to the business by the customer, quite often regardless of price, because they get preferential treatment. You’ve probably had the feeling yourself when you constantly use a particular business and each time you walk in the people don’t just ask for the order.

Generally, sales people feel awkward about asking the customer for the order. These sales people will never be really successful in sales. A lot of sales are lost simply because the sales person doesn’t put the onus back on the customer to make a decision, they simply leave the whole matter up in the air which allows the potential customer to quietly move out the door without having to commit themselves to a buying decision. How many times do you do this? I do it all the time and think to myself, “I’m glad nobody put me under pressure, I probably would have spent money”.

This article supplied by forex trading, sales course and web designer brisbane.

Gold, Oil and the foreign currency exchange market are three different markets that have a lot in common. If you are into Forex trading, knowing what one does may give you an insight where the other markets may be heading. It would be useful to become familiar with those different markets as a trader and have some Forex education.

Let’s have a look at those markets and how they are all connected.

GOLD

There is an inverse correlation for markets such as gold or oil that are priced in U.S. dollars in the commodities markets. When the U.S. dollar loses value, not only do foreign currencies rise, but gold prices also increase. Studies have shown a negative correlation between gold and the dollar that is, they almost never move in in-step, but almost always move in different directions.

The value of EUR/USD versus gold, on the other hand, shows a very high positive correlation, this means that the value of the euro and gold prices often go hand-in-hand, suggesting these markets are both beneficiaries when funds are flowing away from the U.S. dollar.

Gold prices may be considered as an important indicator in looking at the forex market. A trend change in gold price may give a good indication to where the US dollar may be heading in the foreign exchange market.

OIL

A rise in oil prices directly relates to a weakness in the USD. Foreign oil producers view the increase in oil prices as a way to maintain their buying power in U.S. dollar terms. Forex brokers will tell you to counter the impact of higher oil prices a weaker dollar could ultimately give rise to inflation.

Oil is a key commodity driving global economic growth, and oil prices and the foreign exchange have a key relationship in the global economy.

Now lets have a look at the impact an increase in the oil price may have on the different major currencies around the world.

Japan: Economy suffers as it relies on imports for most of its energy needs, therefore the Yen weakens.

UK: Benefit the economy as UK produces oil. British pound strengthens.

Oil in world business has a heavy impact on the Forex market. Thus any disturbance in supply is likely to affect the foreign exchange market.

Some of these factors may be terrorist attacks, natural disasters and political instability. In such times a shift from the dollar to the euro as the designated currency in crude oil could occur thus causing an immediate decline in the value of the U.S. dollar.

Gold and oil are not the only commodities affected by changes in forex values. Exports of agricultural commodities account for a large share of U.S. farm income.

When the value of the dollar rises, it tends to limit buying interest from an importing nation as the commodity becomes less affordable in terms of that nation’s domestic currency.

When the value of the dollar declines, it reduces the price to an importing nation in terms of its currency and encourages it to buy more U.S. agricultural products. The influence that one market has on another market naturally shifts over time so these relationships are not static but should be the subject of ongoing study.

You as a Forex trader should be aware of the influence that those different markets have on the Forex. Though the changes may not happen quickly, it may however give you an insight on any possible trend changes in the near future. Happy trading. BSFT220409

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Some people have a different perspective on stockmarket slumps. They see the low stock prices as a chance to get a good deal.

During times of market change, it is our natural instinct to guard our assets and distance ourselves from risk. While this reaction is unsurprising, it can also mean missing out on growth opportunities created during uncertain times.

Warren Buffet, one of the world’s wealthiest professional investors, believes market slumps from another perspective, saying “Look at market fluctuations as your friend rather than your foe; profit from folly rather than participate in it.”

Generally when we see a cheaper price for something we want we rush in for a bargain, however it can be quite the opposite with shares. Why is it that we treat stocks that have dropped in price with dread? Stock prices of a company can fall for a multitude of reasons.

Lately we have seen the stock prices of a number of good companies with sound balance sheets be negatively affected due to a rush to sell as a result of the economic crisis.

Despite the difficult trading environment, fund managers are always checking the market for investment opportunities. Many superannuation managers are searching to find shares in sound companies with strong balance sheets and dividends. For example Australian companies such as household names like David Jones have delivered strong profits after tax and dividends in 2008. However during 2008, David Jones’ share price fell by more than 30%.

Identifying opportunities
Not all businesses will be affected by the global economic crisis in the same way. Some sectors are more susceptible to the business cycle than others.

Companies who deal in of basic goods and services continue on almost unabated, for example we all need to eat – so supermarkets aren’t as affected as much as tourism, retail or luxury goods.

Australia’s population growth is at a 19 year peak and growing at 1.7% per year. Australia’s growing population provides increasing demand for goods and services as people need food, housing, cars, and other staples. Unlike many overseas countries, Australia benefits from two key factors: a high population growth rate and a high demand for accommodation.

Population growth is nearly double that of the US while Germany has negative population growth. In America there is an over-supply of housing while Australia suffers from a lack of supply. The combination of limited accommodation and a rising population will create growing demand for housing which will support further construction and provide opportunities for the construction industry.

The value of companies
Many people view businesses with falling share prices with fear, but we need to take a look under the bonnet of these companies to find out why. Have they borrowed heavily?

What industry are they in? Are they competitive against their peers? Only by answering these questions, can we know if their share value has fallen for valid reasons or if the company is indeed on sale.

When investing, many fund managers look for companies with high and maintainable dividends, strong balance sheets and ongoing cash flow. These companies are more likely to outlast the volatility storm and may give you a greater return when the market moves into the next phase of recovery and

beyond.

Before you consider changing your strategy, you should see a professional. Having a financial planner and a long-term financial plan can give you confidence to manage the effects of market cycles. With the right advice you can ensure your investments are structured to your risk profile and time horizon, giving you the certainty of knowing you’re doing what’s right for you. This article brought to you by a Brisbane business coach who offers sales training courses and a web site design brisbane. BS1004