| |
| |
|
Go Back | About | Contact | Web Design News | |
|
|
|
Packaging Maketh the Person
The multi million pound cosmetics industry is acutely awareof the value of packaging. You'll know this if you've everbought anything from those glamorous ladies whose countersare always just inside the front door of Department stores. However, from time to time we're presented with surveysabout the creams we rub on our bodies which take years offour age and make our skin as soft as a baby's bottie. Thesurveys tell us "Buy the cheap stuff or the own label onefrom the supermarket, 'cause they're all the same." But do we? Of course we don't. Human beings are driven byemotions not logic and never more so when spending theirmoney. People buy with their eyes, we love packaging. Themarketing and merchandising experts have it down to a fineart and know the colours and shapes that we're most likelyto buy. They then design their packaging accordingly andmake sure it grabs our attention.The product in the packaging has to do what it says it'lldo, however if it looks like it can do the business, thenwe're more likely to believe it can. It's just the same with people. Whether we like it or not,people are likely to make judgements about us by the waywe're packaged. They'll then decide whether they like us,whether they'll give us a job or even just believe what wesay. This seems to be so obvious. Yet I've seen professionalspeakers with scuffed shoes, business leaders with outdatedsuits and politicians wearing clothes that don't fit them orsuit their shape. A few months ago I attended a function where an accountantwas invited to speak about his business. He told theassembled audience how efficient his business was and abouttheir attention to detail. However his tie was undone andhis shirt looked like he was breaking it in for a smallerfriend. His suit, though probably expensive, wasn't theright colour for him and merely drew attention to the factthat its wearer liked his grub. All of the things he was saying were totally contradicted byhow he was packaged. Lawyers, accountants, plumbers or software engineers; itdoesn't matter what you do, other people are very liable tomake a judgement about your abilities by how you'repackaged. Your colleagues and your boss will all makedecisions about the quality of your work and your promotionprospects by your dress and image. There's the famous story about the 1960's pre-electiontelevision debates between John F. Kennedy and RichardNixon. These debates were also heard on radio, which wasmuch more popular at the time. After the debates a poll wastaken of how TV and radio audiences had reacted to the twoparticipants. The radio audience voted for Nixon, howeverthe TV audience voted overwhelmingly for Kennedy. The TVaudience liked the look of Kennedy better than Nixon - theyliked the packaging. We also tend to make decisions very quickly about people wecome into contact with. Psychologists have established thatwe subconsciously make around eleven decisions about otherpeople within the first six seconds of meeting them.Personnel managers have admitted in surveys to making adecision about a job applicant within the first thirtyseconds of an interview, these decisions being madeprimarily on how the people looked and carried themselves. How we look will confirm or contradict what we say. Imaginesomeone in a policeman's uniform at your door telling youhe's come to read the gas meter, I doubt if you'd believehim. First impressions are also lasting impressions andtake a lot of changing. Okay, so we can't all have the perfect looks or the perfectbody, what ever that is. It doesn't matter what shape youare but it does matter how you package that shape, if youwant to make an impact on other people. How you package yourself can also make a huge difference toyour self-confidence. Have you ever noticed how confidentand self-assured you feel when you dress in something youfeel good in? Particularly when someone genuinelycompliments you. How you dress can have a huge impact on howyou carry yourself and project to other people. The problem is that many of us don't have a clue as to whatreally suits us and compliments our shape. This is why somany business people are turning to an image consultant toimprove their personal impact. This may seem like a costlyluxury however consider the cost of restricting your careeror possibly not winning a new account. Dress down Friday is a particular challenge for men. Thetemptation for many guys is to pull on an old pair of chinosand a worn out polo shirt and hope for the best. The onlything is you end up looking scruffy and certainly don'timpress anyone. So what do you do? Well you could ask your nearest anddearest to be honest with you and tell you what they reallythink about what you wear. The thing is, you really need tolisten and take heed of what they say. Buy some of the fashion magazines and keep up to date on thelatest fashion. It can also help to find a good clothesstore where the sales assistants will give unbiased advice. It's also important to look after the details. Do yourspectacles suit your face? Are you in need of a more modernhaircut? What does that cheap plastic watch say about you?Men need to be careful about novelty ties and fancy sockswith a business suit. Women need to take care with make-up,colours and perfume. You may have a lot more to offer than a jar of anti wrinklecream or a packet of cornflakes; however no one is going topick you off the shelf if they don't like your packaging. Alan Fairweather is the author of four ebooks in the "Howto get More Sales" series. Lots of practical actions youcan take to build your business and motivate your team.-http://www.howtogetmoresales.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Sales - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Three Ways to Increase Mortgage Applications If you are in the mortgage business, the very first thing you need before you can get anywhere, is an application.I spent years working in the mortgage industry, and my goal was to close one loan per week. Selling Your Business - Step by Step Process So it's finally come time to sell the business. After investing years of your time and uncounted thousands of dollars, it has become successful, providing for your needs and wants, and it's time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. An Introduction to Store Fixtures Everybody is familiar with the old retail chant, "Location, location, location!" It speaks volumes about making the right decisions from the start to make your retail establishment a success. Once you've decided what it is your store is offering to the general public, the next step you'll take is finding the right location. Six Simple Steps for Getting More Applications When I first started out as a loan officer, one of the things I found to be the toughest, was taking an application over the phone. I just didn't seem to have the skills, nor did I have a plan. Building an Action Plan Going into your workday and waiting for things to happen, and then reacting to them is not a very productive way of doing things. You may as well be going into your workday blind. Selling For Keeps When you are in sales and you come across a customer, you don't want to think of that customer as someone you can only make one sale to, you want to think of them as someone you can make several sales to.I can remember not to long ago when I was in Banking working as a branch manager, when I would meet with my staff every Monday morning to go over their individual weekly goals. Sales 101: Handling The Angry Customer I am often reminded of the following true story whenever I encounter a hostile customer or prospect, witness a scene where someone is losing their cool or observe someone getting chewed out for something that they may or may not have done.No one enjoys being yelled out, cursed at, bullied or manhandled in any form, whether physically or verbally. 10 Amazing Product Selling Formulas 1. Sell your products at a wholesale price to retailweb sites. The Relationship Between Colour & Sales Make no mistake that emotions are the driving force behind sales, and customers making buying decisions can be influenced through visual elements towards a particular behaviour or emotion that will encourage more sales.Not convinced? Have you noticed that a lot of restaurants are decorated in/heavily feature reds and/or oranges? Still not convinced?Pizza HutFrankie & BennysBurger KingLittle ChefTGI FridayBella Pasta (one of the few to focus on Orange rather than red)These major players understand the psychology behind colour and its relationship to marketing which dictates that red and orange specifically encourage restaurant patrons to eat faster; thus yes you guessed it - increasing sales within the same period of time. The Best Day In The Week The best day of the week is TODAY, of course. Yesterday's are lost forever, and we know only too well that tomorrow isn't promised to anyone. Peak Performance - What You See Is What You Get! Would you like an easy way to track the performance of your sales SuperStars? Will a large sales activity board really make a difference? You bet! This article will give you three easy ways to improve the performance of your sales team because what you see is what you get!Setting up your sales activity board: Start by ordering a large erasable board from your local office supply store, the bigger the better (hint, a big board = assumed big results!) and mount this board on a wall easily seen by your sales team but not visible to your current or prospective clients. Use this sales activity board to track the performance of your company, highlighting the "critical" factors for your sales success. Going the Extra Mile and Getting Referrals Successful salespeople have the ability to turn the customers they serve into advocates. They don't directly ask for assistance, they do it by going the extra mile when providing service. Psychological Tricks in Selling ----------------------------------------------------------Permission is granted for the below article to forward,reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website,offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as longas no changes are made and the byline, copyright, and theresource box below is included. ---------------------------------------------------------- Psychological Tricks in Selling By Stephen Bucaro In this article, I'm revealing six powerful secretpsychological tricks that you can use to increase theeffectiveness of your advertising and marketing. A Stupid Question, but it has to be asked This is a stupid question but it has to be asked.Does your sales letter create as many sales as you would like?What proportion of them respond to your advert?What is just as important, how many of those that respondedactually purchased your product?How can you improve the response rate?How many new email addresses did you capture?Do you have an 'opt in' strategy so that you can mail them later with more offers without being accused of spamming?Let us look at the sales letter first. Selling Against Goliath Selling Against Goliath?How to Take on the Big Guys and WinBy Dave Stein, Author of How Winners SellIf you sell for a smaller company that competes against the big guys, the age-old story of David and Goliath might come to mind. In this story, the giant, Goliath, was beaten in a fight by the small boy, David (later to become King David), because of the boy's ability to outsmart the giant. How Leaky is Your Sales Pipeline? Does your Sales Pipeline leak? If you answered no, you don't even understand the question. Every business' Sales Pipeline leaks to some extent. Use Pain To Get Commitments Whenever I speak with new salesreps and entrepreneurs, I hear a similar frustration: "I call a lot of prospects each week, most of which are really hard to get a hold of. When I do get someone on the line, I am thrilled just to talk to them. Know What You Are Selling As If You Were Buying It Recently I wanted a new lawn mower as we have an acre of land and we have to keep it mowed pretty regular in the spring and summer and the riding lawn mower from Wally World had fallen apart and had to have something repaired every year for the short four years we limped it through. I called my Dad and asked him what he thought was the best lawnmower for the money as you lay out a hefty amount for almost any riding lawn mower these days with very little guarantee of longevity. Referrals: Getting Good Business By Doing Good Business Whether you're a conventional sales person, a professional - such as a dentist or lawyer or doctor - or a business owner, you've got to have clients to stay in business. There are several ways to do this: either continue to find new customers, keep all of the customers you've ever had, get old clients to return, or get customers to send in referrals. Sell More Products and Services with Testimonials Testimonials are all-important to sell anything. You may already have testimonials for your new book and service, but do you have testimonials for other promotional pieces? Next time you check out a Web site, notice the testimonials.
|
ChicagoAnimation's Acquisitions: Market Polls - 1pennyStock.com
Sponsors: Paving | VTL's | Religious Statues
