Ice Cubes To Eskimos Not possible? We've got 35 pieces of advice that will change the way you think about selling.

Have you ever wished you could distill the teachings of thesales masters, so that in those nervous moments just before tryingto make a big deal you could pull out a cheat sheet that summed upall the key points you or your sales team had to know? Well, guesswhat: Your wish has been granted.

Following, you'll find essential tips and expert advice fromseven leading sales trainers: Barry Farber, Marc Diener, BrianTracy, Tom Hopkins, Jeffrey Gitomer, John Tschohl and Kevin Davis.Normally, clients pay thousands of dollars to pick theirbrains--but here before you (for free, no less) you'll find thebasic sales secrets necessary for success. Our complete guidecovers the situations you face every day, from closing deals andgetting repeat business to responding to a prospect's no andnegotiating great deals. You'll also find an insightful look atthe biggest mistakes you must avoid and the tactics and ideas yousimply can't live without.

So get cracking. Before you know it, your company will be makingmore sales--and having more fun doing it.

Top Five Sales Tips

Make every sale the one that didn't get away.

For more than 20 years, Barry Farber has been selling andteaching others everything he knows about sales. Author of Diamonds in the Rough (Berkley Books), ahandbook for maximizing personal achievement, Farber hosts a cableTV show, writes for Entrepreneur and still finds time tokeep selling and teaching.

Here, Farber provides five top sales tips. He agreed, but notwithout a disclaimer: "There's always another place I canimprove...I'm still learning," Farber says.

1. Persist. "Sales aremade by the tenacious. You have to stay in there, even whenyou're getting rejected," says Farber, who adds thatoften, multiple sales calls are necessary to sell to a customer.Many give up too early--and therefore miss the chance to make thesale.

2. Qualify. Don't rushin to give your pitch without first finding out if there's achance this person will buy from you. Customers won't buy ifthey're not qualified (interested in what you're selling).How to deal? "Ask questions," says Farber. "Listen.Learn about the customer and his business."

3. Move On. Congratulations,you made the sale...or maybe you didn't. Either way, thesuccessful salesperson knows when it's time to move on. Youcan't afford to waste time gloating over successful sales, norcan you waste time trying to sell prospect who will never buy.Farber's advice: "Learn as quickly as you can how to knowwhen it's time to move on."

4. Differentiate. How areyou and your product or service different? What makes you betterthan your competitors? "Don't try to copy others. Whatwill shape your success is how you deliver a personal touch,"says Farber, who adds: "Knowing what makes you unique lets yousell that much more effectively."

5. Form relationships."Build relationships with customers, then turn thoserelationships into partnerships," says Farber. "Provideenough value so that your customers really appreciate doingbusiness with you. That creates lasting sales success."

Making A Deal

Before waging your sales campaign, do your homework.

If you think haggling is the route to sales success, thinkagain. According to Marc Diener, Los Angeles attorney, speaker,columnist for Entrepreneur and author of Deal Power: 6Foolproof Steps to Making Deals of Any Size (Owl Books/HenryHolt), "Too much emphasis is put on haggling. Preparation isthe real key to making better deals."

Never fear, even the inexperienced can become savvy dealmakers.Diener offers this advice:

• Know what you want from thedeal. "People jump into deals too quickly--beforethey know what they want," says Diener. "Step back andask yourself what you're really going after."

• Get help and information."Dealmaking is a team sport," says Diener, who urgesentrepreneurs to involve professionals, such as accountants,lawyers and bankers, whenever a deal is important. "Or doself-help research. That's become very easy to do on theWeb."

• Check out the other side."Are you dealing with a crook? An incompetent? You don'twant their problems to become your problems," explains Diener,who insists entrepreneurs perform "due diligence"(meticulous research into the other side) before closing anydeal.

• Plan for the downside."Know what can go wrong," says Diener, "and seek tominimize your risks." Ask yourself: If the other sidedoesn't perform as agreed, what do you lose--and how could youcope? "Using tools such as insurance and peformance bonds canbe good policy," adds Diener.

• Get it in writing.Don't let the glow of the moment prompt you to close a deal ona handshake alone, stresses Diener. A written agreement "isevidence of what everybody agreed to," says Diener, "andputting it in writing forces us to flesh out ourthinking."

Sales Rules Not To Break

Dare to break these laws...and you'll fail in sales

If you had to name one of the world's top speakers onachievement, the first name to come to mind should be Brian Tracy,who has written several books, including Advanced SellingStrategies (Fireside Books) and the recently released The100 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Business Success(Berrett-Koehler Publishers). Based on his two decades ofexperience, he shares these five "absolutely unbreakable"laws for sales success:

• Thou shalt build credibility with thycustomer before attempting to sell. "The mostimportant ingredient in a long-term sales relationship istrust," says Tracy, who adds that the more a customer trustsyou, "the easier it is to sell and keep selling to thecustomer."

• Thou shalt learn the customer'sreal needs by asking questions and listening carefully to theanswers. "The better you understand acustomer's situation and what he or she needs to improve his orher work or life, the easier it will be for you to match thebenefits of your offering to the customer so the customer acceptsyour recommendation," says Tracy.

• Thou shalt position thyself as aproblem-solver, helper and teacher in the mind and heart of thycustomer. "The way the customer thinks about youwhen you're not there is the most important determinant of howthe customer responds to you when you are present," saysTracy. When you're viewed as a problem-solver, the customerwelcomes your input.

• Thou shalt commit thyself toexcellence in selling and never stop growing in skill.Like anything, good selling takes hard work. Tracy urgesentrepreneurs to "resolve to be the best at what you do. Readin your field. Listen to audio tapes. Take sales seminars. Neverstop improving."

• Thou shalt set goals for every area ofthy life and work on them every day. If you want tosucceed in selling, says Tracy, you must "have specific,written goals" and set daily schedules to achieve thosegoals.

Need moresales laws to keep you in check? Read "Focus Pocus" to learn howto center in and go for the sales kill.

Closing The Sale

Tips for perfecting "the close"

An undisputed master of selling, Tom Hopkins is one of thenation's top names in sales training. He spends much of theyear on the speaker's platform, but Hopkins is also a prolificauthor, whose titles include Selling for Dummies, SalesProspecting for Dummies, and Sales Closing for Dummies(all from IDG Books Worldwide). If you want to close more sales,take these tips to heart:

• Eliminate distractions."You need to be in control of potential clients'attention," says Hopkins. "Keep them focused on thematter at hand by moving to a quiet area."

• Be enthusiastic. "Ifyou're not enthusiastic about the wonderful benefits of yourproduct, why should potential clients be?" Hopkins asks.

• Emphasize the emotional aspects of thesale. According to Hopkins, people make decisionsemotionally, then defend those decisions with logic. "So, youmust be prepared with the logic, but sell with emotion," hesays. "Get them thinking about how they'll feel after theyown the product or service."

• Be direct. "You'dbe amazed at how many salespeople think they didn't make thesale because the client said no, when what really happened is thatthe salesperson didn't ask the client to say yes," warnsHopkins. "After doing a summary of the points you'vecovered, hand [the prospective client] the paperwork and pen and becertain to say, for example, 'With your approval right here,John, we'll welcome you to the family of XYZ clients andarrange delivery of your new widget.' Those words are soft andgentle, yet get the message across that it's time for adecision to be made."

• Stop talking. "Afteryou ask for the business, wait for the answer," says Hopkins."I've long taught that the first person who talks owns theproduct or service. Stay quiet until the client gives you ananswer. They'll either make the purchase or give you anobjection. Then you can talk."

Overcoming When A Customer Says No

A customer says no? It's not over.

As an entrepreneur, you will hear "no" no matter howthoroughly you follow the tips on these pages. In fact, if youhaven't heard some nos by now, you're not selling hardenough. But a no isn't necessarily the end of your hopes formaking a deal with a prospect, says Jeffrey Gitomer, a Charlotte,North Carolina, sales trainer and co-author of Knock Your SocksOff Selling (AMACOM Books). He offers tactics to use inovercoming initial nos:

1. Use humor. "Say tothe prospect, 'Thanks for telling me no. I usually have to hearfour nos before I hear yes. Do you know anybody else I can callwho'll say no?' " suggests Gitomer. Or: "Say'Is that your final answer?' " says Gitomer. Thesetactics can help to defuse the tension triggered by a no and moveconversation to the next level.

2. Ask why five times."Ask why and ask why again, and keep asking until you get tothe truth about why this prospect said no," says Gitomer. Forinstance, if the customer says, "I said no because I need avoice-actuated wireless telephone," start by asking: Why doyou need voice-actuation? Ask enough questions, and the customermay find that your product or service does what he or sheneeds.

3. List the things of value you offerprospects in addition to what you're selling."If you don't have anything to put on the list, youdon't deserve this sale," says Gitomer. He explains: Ifyou're selling long-distance telephone serv-ice for businesses,for instance, you might offer free sales training tapes tocustomers who sign up. To make any deal of value, "You need tooffer more than just what you're selling," he says.

4. Tell prospects you can't accepta no until they make two phone calls. "Ask them tocall two of your customers who initially said no, then decided tobuy," says Gitomer. "You may not be able to overcome aprospect's resistance, but he or she might listen to yourcustomers."

5. Find out whom your prospectseventually buy from and what the criteria were. Maybeyou won't get this sale, says Gitomer, but if you get thereasons you didn't, you'll be more likely to get the nextdeal.

Retaining Customers

How to get customers to buy again and again

If you're not getting repeat business--the same customersnever buy from you time and time again--you're working way toohard. As any smart salesperson knows, the real profits come whenpast customers return to make additional purchases.

To make sure your customers are return customers, hungry formore, try following these tips from John Tschohl, author ofAchieving Excellence Through Customer Service (Best SellersPublishing) and president of Minneapolis Service QualityInstitute:

• Love your customers."A customer knows within five seconds if you like and careabout them, and they want to do business with people who do,"explains Tschohl. "There's a tremendous amount ofindifference in today's wealthy economy, but customers stillwant to be cared for."

• Call them by name."This is simple, but it's a magical tool," saysTschohl. "People love it when you call them by name, and theywant to do business with people who know them." But just makesure to use the proper pronunciation. (His is pronounced"shoal.")

• Focus on speed."People want it now; they want immediate response," saysTschohl. "If you want to keep customers, you'll setstandards for response times and keep working to do itfaster."

• Keep your promises."Nothing turns off a customer faster than when you don'tkeep your promises, but nowadays few businesses do," saysTschohl. "If you say you'll handle it tomorrow, make sureit's done by then or sooner. Whatever you say you'll do, doit."

• Make sure everybody has been trainedin service. "It's not good enough when only thesalesperson knows customer service," stresses Tschohl."Everybody on your team has to know--and practice--servicebasics." A consistent commitment to serving the customer iskey to winning repeat business.

Keep themcoming back and begging for more-check out "SecondTime Round" for more advice on winningcustomers.

Five Sales Blunders

What not to do when selling

Ask Kevin Davis for a list of the five most frequent salesblunders, and his biggest problem becomes trying to narrow down thefield of countless common mistakes to a select few. That'sbecause this Danville, California, sales trainer and author ofGetting Into Your Customer's Head (Times Business/RandomHouse) has made a distinguished living studying such goofs . . .and, believe us, he's seen plenty of them.

If any of the following sound familiar, at least you can takesolace in the fact that you're not alone:

1. Thinking about the selling process,not the buying process. Make this big mistake, and"you're too focused on your own agenda, not thecustomer's. You're self-absorbed," says Davis. Worsestill, customers today can actually predict your next move--atleast when you concentrate too much on technique and not enough onwhat the customer needs. Says Davis, "Today's customersare sick and tired of self-focused product-pushers. Sell slower,and your customers will buy faster."

2. Failing to identifybehind-the-scenes decision-makers. Up to 90 percent ofthe buying decision occurs when the salesperson isn't evenaround, says Davis, who points out that many other parties oftenparticipate in making the decision to buy. Successful selling meansidentifying those behind-the-scenes decision-makers--and makingsure features and benefits resonate with them, too.

3. Neglecting to educate customersabout the costs of doing nothing. "For manysalespeople, the number-one competitor is the customer'sdecision to wait," says Davis. Savvy sellers know how to showa customer the real costs associated with delaying a purchase.Waiting might seem a safe choice to them now, but successfulsalespeople make a habit of popping that balloon.

4. Calling on prospects who don'tvalue your value. If your big selling strength is highquality, you're probably wasting time going after purchasingagents who are far more price-focused, says Davis. A key tosuccessful selling is identifying the right potential customers whoalready want, need and value the product or service you have tosell.

5. Failing to resolve a customer'sfears. What kills the deal in the eleventh hour, whenyou're sure you've landed a big one? What makes customersquake in their boots before they sign on the dotted line?What's the big reason why customers pull out of a deal in thoselast minutes? They're afraid that, somehow, their buyingdecision might be wrong and that they'll suffer in the eyes oftheir co-workers, boss, family and friends. We're all fearfulthat we just might be buying the next Edsel--the little productthat couldn't--and the smart salesperson "identifies thesources of a customer's fears and finds ways to alleviatethem," says Davis. So in every one of your potential sales, beprepared to fall back on a plan for resolving your customers'biggest fears.

Price Of Nice

Being agreeable only gets you so far

Do nice guys finish last? A recent study seems to support thatnotion.

Two professors at Vanderbilt University's Owen GraduateSchool of Management in Nashville, Tennessee, spent a couple yearsstudying behavior at the bargaining table. One key finding:Agreeable folks did worse in certain types of negotiations becausethey tend to value cooperation over protecting theirself-interests. That might not be surprising, but how about this:Intelligence had absolutely no impact on the outcome of win-losenegotiations (where one side comes out ahead), say professors BruceBarry and Raymond Friedman.

What does matter? Nerve and toughness, say the profs. Have themand, odds are, you'll come out on top.
If you're an agreeable person by nature, your best bet is to gointo the negotiation strongly focused on what you want out of thedeal--not on making nice with the other side--and you'llprobably do okay, say the researchers.

Incidentally, in negotiations where true win-win outcomes arepossible, intelligence does benefit a negotiator because he'llbe more adept at sniffing out what really matters to the otherside. In fact, in those kinds of negotiations, say Barry andFriedman, intelligence is a key factor in reaching a successfulconclusion.

Robert McGarvey is Entrepreneur's "WebSmarts" columnist.

Contact Sources

• Kevin Davis, www.customershead.com
  
• Jeffrey Gitomer, salesman@gitomer.com
  
• Tom Hopkins, (800) 528-0446, www.tomhopkins.com
  
• Brian Tracy, (858) 481-2977, www.briantracy.com
  
• John Tschohl, (800) 548-0538, www.customer-service.com.