Spin Doctors Put a positive spin on sales with these image-building tips.

There's so much talk about "image" nowadays. Inaddition to marketers and managers, there are now spin doctors, whopolish their clients' images by putting the best spin on whatthe public hears and sees. As a new business owner, it'simportant to be your own spin doctor, molding and honing yourbusiness image to successfully appeal to your prospects andcustomers.

I got an e-mail the other day from an entrepreneur who worriesthat potential customers see his new business as merely a hobby andwants to know how he can get them to take him seriously. Thousandsof entrepreneurs nationwide are faced with the same dilemma. Thekey is to create an image that communicates professionalism rightfrom the start . . . beginning when customerscall your company for the first time.

Every time your phone rings, what your prospects hear makes abig difference in the way they perceive your business. Here arefour steps you can take to make your business soundprofessional:

• Choose a great company name. Your company needs a namethat's descriptive and easily recognizable, such as "JonesPublic Relations." If the name you've started out withisn't working, change it.

• Answer professionally. Answer the phone clearly anddistinctly with the company name, followed by your own name, tohelp the caller remember it, such as "Jones Public Relations.This is Sally Jones."

• Record a professional-sounding message. The way yourphone is answered when you're unavailable says a lot about yourconcern for customer satisfaction. One simple solution is usingvoice mail from your local phone company. For less than $10 permonth, voice mail allows your callers to leave you a message evenwhen you're on the line. Whether you use voice mail or ananswering machine, make sure your outgoing message is upbeat,short, crisp and professional.

• Become an expert at describing what you do. Write down asingle, clear sentence that describes what your company does. Thenmemorize it and repeat it in every contact with prospects, fromnetworking to cold calls. Being able to describe your business in aconsistent, memorable fashion is a great way to position yourcompany in your prospects' minds.

When it comes to creating an image for your business, what yourprospects see is as important as what they hear. To convey an imageof professionalism and stability, you'll need a family oftop-quality tools that work together.

• Start with a stationery package. To stand out,coordinate two-color business cards (black ink plus a second color)with letterhead and matching envelopes. Add a distinctive logo withhelp from your printer or a graphic designer. Then use your logo onall your printed materials to maintain a consistent visualimage.

• Create a company brochure. This single tool must conveythat your company is solid and stable, communicate the benefits ofselecting your company and create a distinct visual image. Examineyour principal competitors' brochures to assess the formatsthey use and their key selling points. When developing your ownbrochure, production quality is critical to the success of thepiece--and to your professional image. So be certain your companybrochure can stand up to those of your largest competitors in termsof design, readability and paper quality.

• Polish your forms. Print invoices, contracts andestimates on letterhead or pre-printed forms, so everycommunication your prospects and customers receive from yourbusiness conveys a consistent, professional image.

• Tie in presentation tools. If you need presentationfolders or proposal covers, have them printed at the same time youprint your brochure. A large portion of printers' charges arefor "inking" the press. If your materials use the samekind of paper and ink colors, printing them together will savemoney.

Phone Pro

The telephone is a powerful and effective selling tool--you canget feedback from one prospect and adjust your approach to the next20. But unless you are conveying a positive company image over thephone, your cold calls aren't as effective as they couldbe.

The first step is to develop the right attitude. "You needto be calm, collected, focused and confident," says JaySchlossberg, whose North Potomac, Maryland, business, MediaCentral, provides film and video production and post-productionservices worldwide. Effective use of the telephone has played avital role in the growth of Schlossberg's business: "WhenI started my company, I made about a hundred cold calls amonth," he says. Four years later, Schlossberg still makes upto 100 calls per month--but now 90 percent of those calls are toexisting clients.

To get into a selling frame of mind, ask yourself "Whatdoes my prospect need from me?" Then write down a missionstatement that focuses on all the positive things you can help yourprospect achieve. For example, "My purpose is to help myprospect obtain better-quality goods at lower prices." Whenyou offer something that helps prospects in an important way,people will stop and listen.

As you think about how what you offer will benefit yourprospect, you can't help but get excited about what you'regoing to say. Think about each person you're going to call asif they were a friend coming to you for advice, and use the samerelaxed tone.

Believe it or not, smiling makes a difference in your voice,creating an upbeat tone your listeners can hear. Put a small mirrornext to your phone, if necessary, as a reminder that putting asmile on your face helps put sales in your pocket.

Contact Source

Media Central, (800) 520-0049, (301) 217-0049, jaysvideo@aol.com