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21 Ways To Close More Sales

Introduction......................................................................................................................... 2
1. Create a Testimonial Book.............................................................................................. 3
2. Go Back to Existing Customers...................................................................................... 4
3. Invigorate Your Selling Habits ....................................................................................... 5
4. Hire an Assistant ............................................................................................................. 5
5. Model a Top Producer .................................................................................................... 6
6. Write Down Your Goals ................................................................................................. 7
7. Create a Written Plan for Each Selling Day ................................................................... 8
8. Learn from Books, Audiotapes, and Seminars ............................................................... 8
9. Use Technology .............................................................................................................. 9
10. Referrals........................................................................................................................ 9
11. Achieve Mastery......................................................................................................... 10
12. Discover Where the Money Is .................................................................................... 11
13. Use the Law of Averages............................................................................................ 12
14. Practice Your Close .................................................................................................... 13
15. Master Objections ....................................................................................................... 13
16. Define Your Outcome Before Each Sales Call........................................................... 14
17. Act as If You Will Achieve Your Sales Goals ........................................................... 14
18. Sell the Benefits .......................................................................................................... 15
19. Do What You Know................................................................................................... 16
20. Use a Script ................................................................................................................. 17
21. Take Action................................................................................................................. 17
A Final Note from the Author........................................................................................... 18
Special Resources ............................................................................................................. 19

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Introduction

Professional selling is one of the most interesting professions in the world, unique because it
offers all of us the opportunity to earn what we're worth. Because of this fact, getting good at
sales is vital because our skill sets directly affect our income.

Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, said, "One good idea is all one needs to achieve
great success." This idea is true in sales when restated in this way, "One good idea is all one
needs to greatly increase sales results."

For example, a few years ago I averaged two referrals per sales appointment. Then I learned of a
way to increase my referrals-per-meeting average. I implemented this single idea and my
referrals-per-meeting average went up to ten a 500 percent increase from just one idea!

In one appointment I got a whopping 67 referrals. I estimate that I earned more than $100,000 in
commissions from the extra referrals I got using that one idea.

Right now in this moment you are just one good idea away from significantly increasing your
income. That's what this book is for to generate sales ideas that will help you create the results
you want.

The first idea I'll share with you is a way of thinking. The thought process I am going to now teach
you I use every day. Once you learn this thought process, you will have it for the rest of your
selling career. The thought process is called the baseline strategy. Your sales baseline is a
combination of all of your selling skills and selling actions right now. It is your goal setting, your
time management skill, your ability to handle objections, your sales presentation skill, and your
phone skill. Everything you bring to the table as a sales professional right now is your baseline.

The baseline strategy is to keep doing whatever you are doing to create results as a sales
professional and add one new idea or one new strategy. For example, let's say that at the end
your sales presentation you are not currently asking for referrals. If you added that to your
presentation, you would continue to create the results you already are achieving, plus whatever
referrals you get.

In 21 Ways to Close More Sales Now you will be introduced to twenty-one different ideas to add
to your baseline. Some of the strategies in this book you may already be doing. Let's say you are
already doing twelve of the twenty-one ideas in this book. Focus on the nine strategies you aren't
doing. You are just one good idea away from starting to create the results you desire.

To get the most out of this book, buy a journal. Have the journal with you while you read. This will
allow you to capture the good ideas that you learn. Write down in your journal how you will use
the strategy in your selling.

My vision is to have more than one million sales professionals, network marketers, sales
managers, and executives download 21 Ways to Close More Sales Now. I can only achieve this
vision with your help. The best advertising is word of mouth advertising.

As you get value from this book, encourage others to go the www.ericlofholm.com and pick up a
copy for themselves. A great way to let others know about the book is to email my web site's
URL, www.ericlofholm.com, to your sales friends and encourage them to download their FREE
copy of the book. Also, it's a great idea to tell your sales team or network marketing team about
21 Ways to Close More Sales Now at your next meeting.
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A final request from the author:
The second edition of 21 Ways to Close More Sales Now will include testimonials of salespeople
just like you who have taken the ideas and strategies in this book and translated them into more
sales. When you implement the ideas in the book and close more sales, please email me your
success at [email protected]. I will post the best stories on the web site.

The Structure of the Book
Each of the 21 ways to close more sales now consists of a section including one of the 21 ways,
a question, a rating, a Success Tip, and an exercise.

The Power of Questions
Your brain works like a computer. If you ask yourself a question your brain will answer it. For
example ask yourself "What is my favorite beverage when I wake up in the morning?" You most
likely got an answer such as coffee, orange juice, milk, tea, soda, and so on. The key point is that
your brain answered the question. I have enclosed a sales question in each chapter to stimulate
thinking on your part.

The Benefit of Rating Yourself
The first step towards improving is to take an inventory of where you are now and decide where
you want to go. The difference between where you are and where you want to go is the gap.
Once you have established where you are, where you want to go, and the gap, you can create an
action plan to achieve your goals. Each section has a rating question to assist you in identifying
where you are now.

One idea is all one needs to achieve success.
Each section contains a Success Tip an especially useful idea.
Action is the key ingredient of success.

Each section contains an exercise. The measure of your determination to increase your success
and income is how thoroughly you complete the exercises. They are designed to help you
implement the idea. I have met many salespeople who read a lot of books and learn many great
ideas, but they have not acted on the knowledge learned. This book is not entertainment; its
purpose is to provide specific strategies to increase your sales results, and then to inspire you to
action.



1. Create a Testimonial Book

I have closed hundreds of sales with the help of my testimonial book. It works because one of the
most powerful ways to influence someone is with a testimonial from a third party. This is why
major advertisers pay millions of dollars to celebrities and athletes to endorse their products and
services. However, you don't have to pay anyone to endorse you. Simply go to your satisfied
clients and ask them for a written endorsement. Once you have the letters, display them nicely in
plastic pages in a binder. You can purchase the plastic pages at your local office supply store.

Ralph Roberts is America's number one real estate salesperson. Ralph calls his book his
presentation folder. Here is what Ralph has to say about his presentation folder in his book 52
Weeks of Sales Success.

"My presentation folder is a large-format zippered leather binder in which I have mounted photos
of my family, a picture of my "U WIN" license plate, copies of awards or honors that I've received,
even photos of my Corvette and of my wife and me in our hot tub at home. When I meet new
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clients I tell them my personal story, flipping through the pages of my folder to illustrateToday
I'm training all my assistants to develop their own presentation folders." Ralph Roberts, 52 Weeks
of Sales Success

I taught Bill Mayer the strategy of creating a testimonial book. Bill implemented this one idea. He
shared with me that he closed a sale with the help of his book. He told me he didn't believe the
sale would have closed if he didn't have the book. His commission was over $20,000 on this sale
alone!

Some hints on how to create a book able to boost your sales:

1. Put a cover on the testimonial book and call it your Raving Fans Book.
2. Put pictures in your book showing that you are successful.
3. Purchase a quality binder. The nicer the binder the more impressed your prospect will be.

Some ways you can use your testimonial book:
1. Incorporate the book into your sales presentation
2. Whenever you interview for a job, bring the book with you. You will almost certainly get the job.
3. Let clients look at the book while you are filling out paperwork.



Question
What are some ways I could use a testimonial book to increase my sales?

Rating
On a scale of 1-10 how effectively do I use third-party endorsements in my sales presentations?

Success Tip
An easy way to get a written endorsement is to provide your clients with a fill-in-the-blanks
customer service survey. People are conditioned to filling out forms. After you complete the sale
ask your client to complete the fill-in-the-blank customer service survey. Select the best ones and
put them in your book.

Exercise
Go to an office supply store such as Staples or Office Depot in the next 7 days and purchase a
binder and 25 clear plastic pages. The binder will become your testimonial book. The plastic
pages will allow you to display your testimonials.
2. Go Back to Existing Customers

One of the first steps in any sales process is to create rapport with the customer. It has been
often said that people do business with people they like and trust. It is very difficult to make a sale
to someone who doesn't trust you. Because of this fact, one of the best opportunities for most
salespeople is to go back to their existing customers and make another offer to them. Common
strategies to contact your customers are direct mail, telemarketing, and email. I make hundreds of
sales each year going back to my existing customers. If you have heard this idea before ask
yourself "How effectively am I contacting my existing customers for repeat sales?"


Question
What would it mean to me if I consistently contact my existing customers for additional sales?

Rating
On a scale of 1-10 how effective am I at going back to my existing customers for additional sales?
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Success Tip
When people hear an idea or strategy they're already familiar with, they often immediately
dismiss the idea by saying "I already know that." Don't allow yourself to make this critical mistake.
When you read or hear an idea you have heard before, ask yourself this question: "How
effectively am I actually using this idea in my business now?"

Exercise
Identify your top ten customers. Contact them in the next seven days. Ask them for additional
business and referrals.



3. Invigorate Your Selling Habits

The quality of their habits separates super sales professionals from average sales professionals.
As much as 90% of our behavior is determined by our habits.

If you were to change a couple of bad sales habits into good sales habits, you could possibly
double your sales, for example, the habit of not asking for referrals on sales calls. If you
developed the habit of asking for referrals, the number of referrals you will generate will
skyrocket. This is a very simple idea. Do not be fooled by its simplicity. For most sales
professionals changing just a couple of bad habits will result in thousands of dollars in increased
income.



Questions
What are my best selling habits?
What are my worst selling habits?

Rating
On a scale of 1-10 how would I rate at having good selling habits?

Success Tip
Talk to successful sales professionals and ask them what their best selling habits are.

Exercises
Make a list of your five worst selling habits.
Make a list of your five best selling habits.



4. Hire an Assistant

One of the most effective ways to leverage your time is to hire assistants. In most cases you can
hire an assistant for $8 to $25 per hour. I have two assistants, an administrative assistant and a
telemarketing assistant. Another type of assistant is a consultant. Consultants are hired on an as
needed basis. Typically they charge $25-$300 per hour. The benefit consultants provide to you is
you get highly specialized help but you don't have to put them on the payroll. I use a consultant to
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do my web site work and my accounting. It would not be cost effective for me to hire a web
person or an accountant full time so I hire consultants.

"How do I know when I'm ready to hire an assistant?" you might be asking yourself.

This is a very common question that has a simple answer. Hiring an assistant is a financial
decision. Determine how many hours you would have your assistant work. Decide how much you
are going to pay your assistant. Let's say you were going to hire an assistant to work 20 hours
per week at $10.00 per hour-- $200 per week. Ask yourself if I had an assistant right now working
20 hours per week could I increase my income more than $200 per week? If the answer is yes
then you should strongly consider hiring an assistant.

A question to think about: What if you hired an assistant at a cost of $1,000 per month and as a
result you increased your income by $4,000 per month? Perhaps you could take the extra $3,000
and invest it into advertising and boost your business again.



Question
For those who don't have an assistant
If I had an assistant right now what would that allow me to do?
If you have an assistant ask this question. Do I need a second assistant?

Rating (if you have an assistant)
On a scale of 1-10 how effectively do I use my assistant/s?

Success Tip
Do what you do best and hire others to do the rest. A great way to increase your sales is to hire
others to help your sales effort.

Exercise
Write in your journal how you would use an assistant if you were to hire one.
If you already have one assistant, write down how you would use a second assistant




5. Model a Top Producer

Success leaves clues. In many cases becoming a top producer can be achieved by modeling
other top producers. By modeling, I mean emulating their actions and adapting their methods to
your own personality.

Excellence and achievement have a structure. When you model someone else focus on their
beliefs and their strategies. You can model others by reading their books, listening to their tapes,
attending their seminars, or taking them out to lunch.
People often ask me to share with them techniques on how they can become a better "closer".
The most powerful strategy I have ever learned to improve closing is to go on live sales calls with
master closers. Watch everything they do.

Observe
How they dress.
How they create rapport.
How they ask for the order.
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What time they show up for the sales call.
How they handle objections.
How they up sell.
The stories they tell in the sales presentation.



Question
What successful person in your industry can you model?

Rating
On a scale of 1-10 how effectively do you model others?

Success Tip
Take successful salespeople out to lunch. Ask them questions to identify the beliefs and
strategies that make them successful.

Exercise
Make of list of the top five salespeople you know. Call each of them in the next week and ask
them if you can go with them on a live sales call.



6. Write Down Your Goals

Strategy 6. is deceptively simple. I often ask the audience at my sales mastery seminars if they
believe goal setting is important in selling. They always answer yes. I then ask them to raise their
hand if they have written sales goals with a written action plan for each goal. Very few hands go
up. Almost everyone agrees that goal setting is important, yet few people do it. Do you have
written sales goals with a written action plan for each goal?

Ben Feldman was at one time the greatest insurance salesperson in the world. There were many
things that made Ben successful. Goal setting was one of them. Ben's first sales goal was to earn
$35 per week. He achieved that goal. His next sales goal was to earn $45 per week. He achieved
that goal. He continued to set higher and higher goals until he became the most successful
insurance salesperson in the world. Ben averaged $25,000,000 in sales for nearly 40 years!



Question
What is my major life goal?
What are my three most important goals right now?

Rating
On a scale of 1-10 how would I rate myself in the area of goal setting?

Two Success Tips
Have one place to record your goals like a writing journal or a computer file. Make it easy to find
your goals when you want to work on them.

Clearly define what you want. The most successful people in the world clearly define their goals.
It's not enough to say, "I want to make more money." Clearly define how much more you would
like to make, and precisely how you'll do it.
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Exercise
Spend 30 minutes today writing down your sales goals for the year, the month, and the
week.



7. Create a Written Plan for Each Selling Day

Imagine two salespeople, Arnie and Ben, who have similar abilities. Arnie has a written plan for
the day, Ben does not. Assuming all other factors are equal, will Arnie or Ben produce the best
results?

Obviously Arnie will. Do you consistently plan your sales day in writing? What would it mean to
your sales production if you did? Here is a simple yet powerful strategy for planning your day.

There are 1,440 minutes in every 24-hour day. Each 14 minutes is 1 percent of the day. Spend
14 minutes planning each day. Create a list of everything you need to accomplish. Once you
have created the list, identify the two most important outcomes on the list. Put an asterisk next to
the two most important outcomes.



Question
What would it mean to me if I consistently planned my day?

Rating
On a scale of 1-10 how would I rate myself at planning my day?

Success Tip
Write you plan down in a day planner or palm pilot each day.

Exercise
Spend 14 minutes each day for the next week planning. Identify your top two outcomes each day.


8. Learn from Books, Audiotapes, and Seminars

One of the fastest ways to get a raise in the business world is to be one of the professional
salespeople who are improving their skills. For example, by improving your closing skills you will
make more money. Once you learn how to be an effective closer, you will have those skills for the
rest of your life. A great way to improve your skills is to read books, listen to audiotapes, and
attend seminars





Question
What sales book will I read next?

Rating
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On a scale of 1-10 how would I rate myself at studying sales books and tapes?

Success Tip
If you do a lot of driving, turn your car into a university on wheels by using your drive time to listen
to sales and success audiotapes.

Exercise
Ask your manager what training materials the company provides. Also find out about your
company's policy on paying for you to go to sales-increasing seminars.




9. Use Technology

The advances in technology have improved the sales results of thousands of salespeople all over
the world. I use technology to plan my day (Palm Pilot), set goals (goal setting software),
generate leads (web site), keep in touch with clients (email), and countless other uses.



Questions
How can I use technology to increase my sales results?
What are some of the ways I can use technology more effectively?

Rating
On a scale of 1-10 how would I rate myself in using technology as a selling tool?


Success Tip
Some salespeople are experts at using technology to increase sales. Identify these individuals
and interview them to learn their secrets.

Exercise
Here is a list of different technology resources. Think of as many different ways you can use the
these technology resources to increase your sales
1. Software
2. Desktop computer
3. Lap top computer
4. Palm pilot
5. Database (ACT, Goldmine, Outlook)
6. Internet
7. Web site
8. Email




10. Referrals

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For many salespeople, improving in referrals provides a huge opportunity to increase results. In
general, salespeople are either really good at getting referrals or really bad. The ones who are
really bad tend to be bad because they don't have a systematic way to get referrals.
One of the best ways to improve results in the area of referrals is to have a referral system. A
great way to develop a referral system is to find out what others in your industry are doing and
model them.

The example that I gave in the beginning of the book of when I increased my referrals from twp
referrals per meeting to ten referrals per meeting was learned by modeling a top producer in my
industry.

Who is effective at getting referrals in your industry? If you don't already know, find out. How?
Ask everybody and anybody who might know. Find out what they do to get referrals.

One of the most powerful ideas for getting referrals is to have a referral outcome for your sales
calls. Many of my coaching clients want me to help them improve in the area of referrals. The first
question I always ask them is, "When you go on a sales call, what is your outcome?" The most
common answer is, "My outcome is to make a sales." I then ask them if they have any other
outcomes. They almost always say no.

This is why they are not getting referrals. You get what you focus on. If you have an outcome to
get three referrals on your sales call chances are you will. From now on, define your referral
outcome for each sales call. If you haven't been getting any referrals at all, set your original goal
at getting one per sales call. Raise your goal each time you establish a new high in your average
number of referrals per call.



Question
What are my best referral opportunities right now?

Rating
On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate yourself at getting referrals?

Success Tip
Develop a referral script. Here is one of my scripts. I have received over one thousand referrals
using this script.

As you probably know I work with referrals. A good referral for me is a sales manager or network
marketing leader that has a team of six or more salespeople in Southern California. When you
think of a good referral, think of where you have worked in the past, other offices that your
company has, where you clients work. Of everyone you know who would be the three best
referrals for you?

Exercise
Ask for referrals on every sales call for one week.



11. Achieve Mastery

I have trained thousands of salespeople. Most salespeople's selling skill sets are strong enough
to get by. They can close sales effectively enough to produce sales results. They are effective
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enough at on the phone to produce sales results. In general they are effective enough in the
various areas of selling to produce results yet they haven't mastered any one area.

The strategy of mastery is to look at the selling skills you use on a daily basis. Identify the one
selling skill set that if mastered would produce the greatest result. Once you have identified that
skill set create a written action plan to master that area.

One of my favorite stories about mastery is about Tiger Woods, the golfer. Tiger won
$60,000,000 in prize money and endorsements in his first year in golf. In Tiger's second year he
won the Masters by the largest margin of victory in the history of the tournament.
After winning the masters, Tiger watched footage of the tournament with his golf coach. Together
they decided that he had not yet mastered his swing. Tiger made the decision with the help of his
coach to reinvent his golf swing from scratch. He wanted to master his swing. Tiger's results went
down as he began to reinvent his swing. He only won one tournament over the next eighteen
months. He continued to work towards mastery.

One day it all came together. Tiger went on to win ten of his next fourteen tournaments. He won
seven straight tournaments in one stretch. He then went on to become the first golfer in history to
win the four majors in a row. I believe he accomplished this because of his commitment to
mastery.



Question
What is the one selling skill set that, if mastered, would produce the biggest result?

Rating
Take your answer from the mastery question above and apply that answer to the rating question.
On a scale of 1-10 how would I rate myself in ______________ (answer to mastery question)?
For example if you said prospecting was the skill that if you mastered would produce the biggest
result, then ask yourself, "On a scale of 1-10 how would I rate myself in prospecting?"

Success Tip
Practice is one of the most important actions you can take when it comes to mastering anything

Exercise
Identify the one area of your business that if you mastered would produce the greatest result.



12. Discover Where the Money Is


Here's one of the most powerful sales ideas on the planet: "Where is the money? The strategy is
only sixteen words long. These sixteen words, when acted upon, have the ability to double your
sales or even more.
The strategy is simplistic and profound at the same time. Implementing the idea could catapult
you into your company's top producer rank within 90 days. Implementing the idea could change
the way you approach your sales day, every day for the rest of your selling career. Here are the
magical sixteen words.

Identify the sales activities that will produce the greatest sales results and focus on those
activities.

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Question
What are the activities that will produce the greatest sales results?

Rating
On a scale of 1-10, how would I rate myself at focusing on the activities that will produce the
greatest sales results?

Success Tip
Ask others in your industry what they feel are the sales activities that will produce the greatest
sales results. You can learn from their answers.

Exercise
Make a list of activities that will produce the greatest sales results in your business.




13. Use the Law of Averages


Sales is a numbers-driven industry. Your sales results can be broken down into ratios of results. If
you make 10,000 calls and you set 500 appointments then your close ratio on appointments is
1:20: you set one appointment every twenty calls.

Step one is to know the ratios in your business.
Step two is to run the numbers. For an example of running the numbers: suppose your goal is to
set five meetings this week and you close one of twenty calls. This means you need to make one
hundred calls to set five appointments. Your job then would be to make sure that you make 100
calls this week.

Prior to the beginning of each month, I identify my sales goals for the upcoming month. Based on
my goals and based on the numbers in my industry, I create an action plan to achieve my goals.
For example in my company we average $500 in revenue per sales call. If our goal is $30,000 in
revenue from these sales calls then we need to run 60 appointments. If I didn't know that we
average $500 per sales call I wouldn't know how many sales calls we would need to do to hit our
goal.

If you don't know the numbers in your industry it could be greatly affecting your overall results.



Question
What are the numbers in your business? If you don't know the answer find someone who does.

Rating
On a scale of 1-10 how would I rate myself at knowing the numbers (sales ratios) in my
business?
On a scale of 1-10 how would I rate myself at running the numbers in my business?

Success Tip
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Begin each month with written sales goals. Use your understanding of the law of averages to help
you create a written plan to achieve your sales goals. For example if you sell cars and your goal
is to sell 15 cars this month. If you sell 1 car out of every 3 test drives that you go on then you
need to do 45 test drives for the moth.

Exercise
Meet with you manager and ask your manager what they believe the numbers are in your
industry.




14. Practice Your Close


Closing the sale is an important part of selling because this is how we get paid. Most of us we get
a percentage of the revenue we generate by closing. Professional actors practice their lines.
Professional salespeople practice their closes. If you don't have your close written down, I urge
you to commit it to paper. Better yet to your computer screen so you can polish it. It's easier to
practice if you have your close written. You can practice your close by yourself or role-play with a
co-worker.



Question
What would it mean to me if I mastered my close?


Rating
On a scale of 1-10 how would I rate myself in closing?

Success Tip
Learn the close so well that you can recite it from memory.

Exercise
Go on a live sales call with a master closer in the next 30 days.



15. Master Objections

Typically, some of between seven and twelve common objections will come up during any given
sales presentation. Many sales presentations get stymied when this happens. Since getting
objections is inevitable in selling, you must be prepared to overcome them.

Because there usually are only a dozen of these common objections, it's easy to prepare
effective responses to them. The best way to start mastering objections is to write down the
common objections in your business. Next, write three to five responses you could use in different
situations. Then practice those responses.


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Question
What objection do I have the most difficulty with?

Rating
On a scale of 1-10 how would I rate myself at handling objections?

Success Tip
Create an audiocassette that has the common objections and your responses on it. Listen to the
tape while you drive.

Exercise
Make a list of the common objections in your industry. Develop three or more responses per
objection. Keep a book of the most powerful responses to each objection.




16. Define Your Outcome Before Each Sales Call

You get what you focus on. Because I have found that statement to be true, I define my outcomes
before each sales call. What I mean by outcome is the results you want to make happen from the
sales presentation. Here are some examples of outcomes you might have:

1. Make a sale.
2. Get a referral
3. Recruit the prospect into your organization (mlm presentation)
4. Get a purchase order signed
5. Sell a specific volume or quantity





Question
What is my outcome for this sales call?

Rating
On a scale of 1-10 how would I rate myself at defining my outcomes prior to my sales calls?

Success Tip
Look for ways you can maximize each sales call.

Exercise
Set a goal to define your outcome on every sales call that you make for the rest of your life.




17. Act as If You Will Achieve Your Sales Goals

The human mind has amazing power. One way to harness this astounding power is to act as if
your goals will be realized.
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Your mind operates in three quadrants, the past, the present, and the future. You have the ability
to imagine achieving your goals in the future Let's say your goal is to earn $100,000 in the next
twelve months. If you knew you were going to do that, what actions would you take to achieve
your goal? Begin now to take the actions consistent with earning $100,000 in the next twelve
months.
Jim Carrey, the comedian, used to act as if he was one of the wealthiest people in the world.
Years ago, he lived in a van, but now he is one of the world's wealthiest people. One success
technique that he used to achieve these results was the "as if principle."

When Jim Carrey was starting his career in comedy, he wrote himself a check for $10,000,000. In
the pay-to-the-order-of section he wrote in his name. In the memo section of the check he wrote,
"for action services rendered." He postdated the check to November 24, 1995. Jim carried the
check in his wallet everywhere he went. Jim began to "act as if" he was going to cash the check
on that date in 1995.

He began to take the actions of a comedian who would command a $10,000,000 payday. He
went to every audition he could. He spent hours every day looking at himself in the mirror
teaching himself how to make funny expressions. For several years, he acted "as if" he was going
to cash that check. Within thirty days of the due date he did cash the check for exactly
$10,000,000.

Here is the formula
1. Choose a goal.
2. Ask yourself, "If I knew I was going to achieve (your goal) by (achievement date) what actions
would I take?
3. Write down the action steps.
4. Begin to act as if you are going to accomplish your goal.



Question
What goal could I select today that I could begin to pursue by acting as if I was going to
accomplish it?

Success Tip
Use the as if principle to help you in all areas of goal setting not just sales.

Exercise
Make a list of the actions a sales person would need to take to become the top producer in your
industry.



18. Sell the Benefits

I often ask my audience in my sales mastery seminars, "In a hardware store, what do drill
salesmen sell?" The audience will usually say, "They sell drills."
Then I tell the audience that drill salesmen don't sell drills, they sell holes the drills will make.
People want benefits.

Because I am a sales trainer I will often sit through sales presentations to see how others try to
influence me. In many of the sales presentations I've sat through, the salesperson has made the
16
mistake of either not selling the benefits of the product or service, or they tried to sell me the
benefits that interested them.

This raises an interesting question. How do you know what benefits the customer is interested in?
The answer is, first you must ask them and second, you must listen to the answer. That is the
reason why we have two ears and only one mouth. Many salespeople can double their sales by
(a) listening better, and (b) by learning how to find out what benefits interest a given customer
and then selling him or her on those benefits.

There are two types of benefits, direct and indirect. Direct benefits are measurable and tangible.
When you purchase a car, one direct benefit could be a 10 disc CD- changer. An indirect benefit
is one that you receive as a result of having the car you might feel more confident in you new
convertible, for example.

Which is more important, the direct or indirect benefit? You're right; the more important benefit is
the one customers feel is more important to them.



Rating
On a scale of 1-10 how would I rate myself at selling the benefits?

Question
What are the most powerful benefit my product or service offers?

Success Tip
Ask other sales people on your team what they feel are the benefits that your product or service
offers.

Exercise
Write down as many direct benefits and indirect benefits your product or service offers. This is a
great exercise to do with your sales or network marketing team.




19. Do What You Know

Strategy 19 is the most powerful idea I have thought of up until now. Students of sales, like you
often know things they could be doing that would make them a lot of money if they used them.

"What is one idea I can implement today that will immediately increase my sales?" Salespeople at
my seminars often ask.
"Do what you know," I answer.



Question
How could I get better at doing my homework on my customers?

Rating
On a scale of 1-10 how would I rate myself at doing homework on my clients?

Success Tip
17
Every 90 days ask yourself "What do I know


Exercise
Make a list of all of the actions you know you should be taking to produce better sales results.
20. Use a Script

Sales scripts are one of the most misunderstood areas of selling. I often ask in my sales mastery
seminars how many people use scripts. In most cases the answer is less than half.

The number one reason salespeople give for not wanting to use scripts is they don't want to
sound canned or scripted. If I believed that I sounded canned when I used a script I wouldn't use
one either. Here is the truth about scripts. The most successful sales professionals in the world
use script but you don't know it. They are so good at it that they become the script.

The largest benefit of using a script is that it allows you to produce consistent results. Think about
a script the way a great actor or actress does; they become the script. They are so good at it that
many people who meet them in real life expect the actor/actress to be like they are in the movie
or TV role they play.

What would happen to your sales if you become so good at your scripts that if they gave an
Oscar in selling, you would be the one to receive it?
Think about this. Radio and TV ads are scripted so they will produce consistent results. People
who place radio and TV ads want to maximize their advertising investment so they use the most
powerful words possible.



Question
What scripts do I need?

Rating
On a scale of 1-10 how would I rate myself at effectively using sales scripts?

Exercise
Make a list of all of the scripts you need in your business. Prioritize the list. Create the scripts one
by one.

Success Tip
Find the best script writer on your sales team. Ask them to help you create powerful scripts.




21. Take Action

Action is the most powerful idea in the entire book. Ideas by themselves are worthless; good
ideas put into action are priceless. They will help you create the life of your dreams. It is great to
learn new ideas but learning is not enough. You must take consistent action. You have learned
21 ways to close more sales now. Next, do the exercise below.


Exercise
18

Look at the 21 ways to close more sales now.

1. Create a Testimonial Book
2. Go Back to Existing Customers
3. Reform Your Selling Habits
4. Hire an Assistant
5. Model a Top Producer
6. Write Down Your Goals
7. Create a Written Plan for Each Selling Day
8. Learn from Books, Audiotapes, and Seminars
9. Use Technology
10. Get More Referrals
11. Achieve Mastery
12. Discover Where the Money Is
13. Use the Law of Averages
14. Practice Your Close
15. Master the Objections
16. Define Your Outcomes Before Each Sales Call
17. Act as If You Will Achieve Your Sales Goals
18. Sell the Benefits
19. Do What You Know
20. Use a Script
21. Take Action


Pick one of the ways and take action. Once you have implemented the idea come back to the list
and select another idea and take action.

Question
What is the one area of selling that if you took more action you would see an increase in your
sales results?

Rating
On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate at taking consistent action in your selling career?


A Final Note from the Author

Now that you have read 21 Ways to Close More Sales Now you are ready to begin reaping the
rewards of your new knowledge. The book was designed to teach you the baseline strategy, to
teach you 21 ways to improve your baseline, and to be a sales idea generator. Use the book as a
reference to help you generate great sales ideas for the rest of your selling career.

As I shared with you in the beginning of the book my vision is for one million salespeople, sales
managers, network markets, and executives to download 21 Ways to Close More Sales Now.
Help me achieve this goal while helping your friends and co-workers in sales by sharing with
them how they can get their own free copy of the book by going to www.ericlofholm.com

Also remember to share your success stories with me so I can include the testimonials in the next
update of the book as well as on my web site.

19





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