Why Youre Afraid to Ask for the Sale

Why Youre Afraid to Ask for the SaleWhy Youre Afraid to Ask for the SaleProspects almost never come out and say, OK, I want to buy this product right now. No matter how interested they are, they will be inclined to let you just walk out the door unless you specifically ask for the sale. But asking someone to buy from you in so many words can be a scary experience, especially for someone who is relatively new to ausverkauf. The trick to overcoming this fear is pinning it down and understand it. Fear of Poor Perception One common cause of closing fear is a perception issue. Salespeople are afraid of being seen as pushy, greedy, or otherwise unlikeable. Many salespeople dont like being closed themselves and fear that their prospects will have a similar attitude. Yes, you will run into the occasional prospect (usually someone who has been in sales himself or knows the standard sales approaches) who will pull back if you ask for the sale. But these prospects are extremely rare, and if theyre familiar with the sales process, they will know perfectly well that youre just doing your job. Its really notlage necessary to be pushy or aggressive to close someone. If youve done a good job in the rest of the presentation, the close will follow naturally and will seem like the next logical step. Ideally, by the time your presentation is done, youll have piqued the prospects interest and responded to any objections she has. If the prospect is already convinced, asking for the sale can be as simple as saying, Great, lets start filling out the paperwork. Fear of Making a Mistake Another very common fear, especially among new salespeople, is fear of making a mistake. Closing feels very awkward at first, and new salespeople often arent sure exactly how or when to start closing. So they tend to hesitate and hesitate until they think its too late altogether and just give up on it altogether. The best way to feel more comfortable with closing technique is by practicing it. Yo u may blow a few sales along the way, but if you dont make an effort to ask for the sale, youll almost certainly lose that prospect anyway. By making an attempt, youll move yourself a step closer to becoming a natural closer. And even if your practice close is awkward, theres a good chance youll get that sale anyway Odds are, you sound a lot better to the prospect then you do to yourself. Fear of Rejection Finally, salespeople dont ask for the sale because theyre afraid of getting a no back. Fear of rejection is a major stumbling block for any salesperson, and its something that youll have to overcome if you want to succeed in sales. Getting turned down is an inevitable part of sales. The important thing to remember is that when a prospect declines to buy from you, its not a personal rejection. Prospects decide not to buy for a wide variety of reasons, many of which have nothing to do with you. The best way to get over the fear of rejection is to grit your teeth and face it. Lik e all fears, once youve confronted it a few times, it will start to lose its power over you. After a while, the nos that you hear will seem less important especially once you start getting yes instead and realize how good it feels When youre getting ready to ask for the sale and start to feel that creeping dread, remind yourself that this feeling is strictly temporary and the more you close, the faster it will fade.

Best Resume Place Posts of 2017

Best Resume Place Posts of 2017Best Resume Place Posts of 2017Best Resume Place Posts of 2017 Heres a look back at the most popular Federal Resume Columns by Resume Place according to Google AnalyticsBy Kathryn Troutman, President, Resume Place, Inc.January 10, 2018Avoid These 10 Common Pitfalls in Your Resume in 2012The new top 10 includes the most common problems we have seen in working with our clients this past year with writing a federal resume that will get an applicant Best Qualified, Referred, and Interviewed. These tips are based on federal resume writing classes taught at mora than 30 federal agencies in 2011 with varied occupational series specializations, missions, and grade levels.Click to read moreThe Art of Writing a KSA Your Best Accomplishment Record (AR) StoriesAfter the federal resume is written and you have reviewed the announcement further, your writing isnt finished yet It is highly likely that you will have to address the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA) required for the position. The KSAs are critical to your entire application and your score.Click to read moreHow to Prepare a Federal Resume For a GS-14 PositionOur adviceA successful Federal Resume for a GS-14 position is all about leadership Jims resume was falling far short of meeting that goal.Click to read moreTough Love USAJOBS Resume Builder Can Yield Big Results With A Federal JobFirst, set up your account and copy and paste your resume into the USAJOBS Builder and fill out all the required fields. Then I can review the resume for improving the duties and responsibilities descriptions and talk about the keywords and accomplishments.Click to read more7 HOT TIPS FOR GETTING PROMOTED IN THE GOVERNMENT1. DEVELOP A GAME PLAN. Rather than applying for every new Announcement at the next highest grade, step back and assess your own strengths, where the opportunities are to best utilize those skills, and where you will enjoy working. Focus on those Job Announcements first and int egrate the next 6 TIPS in your analysis.Click to read moreStop Using Your Private Industry Resume to Apply for Government Jobs on USAJobs.govIf you want to get Best Qualified for a federal position and hopefully get referred to a supervisor, you have to write a very specific style, content and format federal resume.Click to read moreFive Tips to Landing a US Government Job OverseasThe federal government has quite a footprint in overseas locations throughout the world. Primarily these jobs are with the DoD, though many components and agencies within the Department are representedClick to read moreResume Place, Inc. is a GSA Schedule Holder, Certified Small, woman-owned business. We provide federal resume writing trainings in more than 50 federal agencies each year.Thank you, Kathryn Troutman, Author

Bye, Bernie

Bye, Bernie Bye, Bernie About 5 minutes ago, the sentencing hearing for Bernie Madoff was slated to begin. One of the two sentencing requests that have been submitted to Judge Denny Chin is certain to prove to be wildly at odds with the actual term meted out. The defense requested 12 years, the government has asked for the statutory max of 150. The WSJ Law Blog has a handy summary of all the issues connected with the sentencing. Judge Chin has an interesting hobbyone that may even inform his decision-making process when, as this morning, he is faced with an historic judicial question. Judge Chin is a member of the Inn of Court, a group of lawyers and judges who reenact historic trials. Judge Chin even distilled the original transcripts of the trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg into a one-hour play. Listen to this excellent Radio360 segment on the judge, his play, and whether in a time of national crisis, the arc of justice bends.. -posted by brianUPDATE: Chin throws book: it's 150. Details here.

Education Advice for a Successful Tech Career

Education Advice for a Successful Tech Career Education Advice for a Successful Tech Career

How to Create an Outstanding Grant Application

How to Create an Outstanding Grant Application How to Create an Outstanding Grant Application How to Create an Outstanding Grant Application Are you considering applying for a grant to support a project that isn't in your or your employer's budget? Engineers often seek funds to pursue a new program, technique or deviceand results of successful projects surround us every day. The biggest factor in a funder's decision is the value and importance of the work being proposed. But another crucial element is far more subtle: the way the proposal presents all the details to the funding source. Grant-writing is a very specific type of communication. Here are some guidelines to help you prepare a strong grant submission. Use simple, clear language. Most decision-makers are reading a lot of grant applications. Yours will stand out if it's easy to understand. You will probably include some technical terms, but all the wording around them should be in plain language. Try to minimize your use of engineering jargon. Keep a strong, sharp focus on your project's goals. Practice describing it out loud until you can explain it briefly, but vividly, to a non-engineer. Once you reach that level of clarity, your proposal already has an advantage. Remember who your readers will be. Grantmakers are not familiar with your idea until you explain it to them in your proposal. Make it easy to follow not only the work you'll be doing, but why they should award you the funds. Describe the potential benefits of your project so that funders see its value, whether that's within the science area, or for consumers, or both. Be unique. Talk about how your project is different from others, and how your distinctive experience and qualifications make you and your team the most appropriate engineers to fulfill the goals of the project you propose. Give Yourself Lead Time Writing is the final step of a long process for developing a winning grant proposal. Before you start writing, do your homework. Thorough, thoughtful preparation will increase your chances for securing the funding. Give yourself plenty of lead time, urges Beth Schachter, PhD, who trains scientists in proposal-writing. Many people assume they can write a proposal in a few weeks. If you want to write a successful one, though, Start thinking about your proposal nine to twelve months before the deadline, says Schachter, president of Beth Schachter Consulting in New York City. Make sure that your proposal matches the goals of the specific grantmaker. If your project doesn't further the mission of that funding agency, the organization has no reason to give you money, says Schachter. To learn about what this funder has supported, study the mission statement on their website. Get Early Feedback Study the criteria the funding agency uses to assess a proposal, Schachter advises. Then, shape your proposal so readers can see that you've addressed their criteria. NSF reviewers look for two general criteria: scientific merit and broader impact. Try to talk to one or more previous grant-winners about how they addressed the review criteria of the organization that funded their work. Once you've gathered all the basic information about the funding source, make a detailed outline of the facts you want to include, before you start writing. That will help you organize the material so you can choose the most effective information to include, or omit. Many funders have a specific format that grant applicants need to follow, so be sure to check for any guidelines on their website. Don't let the reviewers be the first people to read your proposal, Schachter stresses. Allow time for feedback from colleagues and mentors, and additional time for you to follow their suggestions to strengthen your proposal. Ideally, ask someone who's had success with this funding source to review your proposal. Approach at least one professional who's in a somewhat different field, because all the decision-makers may not be mechanical engineers. If you plan your strategy as carefully as you plan your project, your proposal has the greatest possible chance for success. Good luck! Carol Milano is an independent writer. .disc{margin-bottom:30px;} .disc li{padding-bottom:10px;}Make sure that your proposal matches the goals of the specific grantmaker.

Selling Your Salary in a Penny-Pinching Economy

Selling Your Salary in a Penny-Pinching Economy Selling Your Salary in a Penny-Pinching Economy It’s a buyer’s market out there. How can top-priced talent make its pitch? Is being cheaper really being smarter?Whether we are downsized or right-sized, unemployment in 2009 is not associated only with mid-level and lower-level jobs. It’s an egalitarian phenomenon.We all know someone who has been laid off, from the corner office to the cubicle. Maybe as you read this, you’re thinking about yourself or a loved one. Even my friends who hold American Express’ coveted Centurion Black Card should listen up: Membership may have its privileges, but apparently helping you keep your corner office isn’t among them.Executive-level jobs are twice as hard to find, often due to the age of the six-figure employee (those years of experience that justify a higher salary). Ironically, these are the very salaries that have either gotten them fired, landed them on thin ice or are preventing them from landing that new job.Think of it this way: Are you willing to buy a Rolex watch, a brand-ne w BMW or any expensive item right now, even if you can afford it? Not likely. You know the Rolex is better quality, just like you probably are as a high-priced executive. But guess what? The company you’re interviewing with or working for isn’t buying you for the same reason you’re not buying that BMW: We’re all price conscious right now.Come on, be honest:. Did you just cut back your cleaning person’s schedule to only once per week? Well, the boardroom’s no different; everyone’s cutting back.Back to the Centurion Black Card: Remember in the beginning, there was the American Express green card. Remember that? Then it became a status symbol to have the gold. Once that wore off, platinum was the most elite. Then, one day, I heard rumors of a new card American Express was developing: the Centurion card, a k a the “black card.”Suddenly, having a black card was the new status symbol. Like having a … Hmmm … iPhone today. (No, better! Like having a job today.)Then las t fall, the recession hit. Suddenly, many black-card holders may not want to spend as much. In fact, American Express just announced that even they were laying off workers. (Were they the black-card department, I wondered?)How to sell your product when it’s expensive and no one is buyingWhen that dreaded “R word” is used, I believe it is a blank check for bosses to fire anyone. You heard it here first: Bosses use a recession as an excuse to get rid of the highly paid black-carders who would ordinarily be hard to fire. In other words, a recession climate is used as an excuse to clean house.In my book “Bulletproof Your Job,” (HarperCollins) I share 50 trade secrets on how anybody can seduce their boss into helping them save their job. Yes, I said seduce. Like the idea of how the black card “seduced” you in to wanting one, even though it was expensive.Keeping a job today is hard enough â€" finding a new one is even more difficult.So here are some of my most cutthroat â€" but honest â€" tips on getting back to work fast. More are in the book.1. “Lowball” yourself to get back to work. Take the lower salary â€" don’t scare away a company with your past “Rolex” wages. Get your foot in the door, and when this economy turns around next year you will be in the driver’s seat to renegotiate or find a new job entirely. 2. Loose lips sink ships. Everyone is looking for a job today, so their ears are everywhere. Every networking group you go to, everyone you talk to â€" even the priest in your confessional â€" may be applying for the same jobs. You’d be shocked at who else has their eyes on your perfect job. Have you ever seen that show in which the actors steal auditions from one another? It’s no different in the executive suite, my friend. Keep it quiet. 3. Never act desperate. Always look like you deserve a six-figure job. If you’ve been making six figures, you’d better have a resume template that screams, “Hire me!” Then, don’t mess it up by dressing like you’re headed for an open casting call for the next “Real Housewives” (or ”Husbands”) series. You’re dressing for an interview, not for your 15 minutes of fame.So now think back to the American Express color codes. Do you think the status or color of our credit card much matters now? I don’t. You represent the upper echelon of the job seekers; you’re the black card, but it can be tough to sell your expertise when someone else will do the job for less. Consider these three tips and write me with your thoughts.

U.S. Military - ASVAB Sample Questions

U.S. Military - ASVAB Sample Questions U.S. Military - ASVAB Sample Questions Taking the ASVAB unprepared can jeopardize your initial goals of getting into or obtaining your dream job in the military - take it seriously. It is important to understand the tests formats, and the type of questions asked in each of the subtests. Currently, there two ways to take the ASVAB: a shorter, computerized version, and a common paper test version. The ASVAB contains nine separately timed subtests. Here are examples of questions found in each of the ASVAB subtest areas. The number of questions and time allotted below reflect that of the paper test version. 1. General Science (GS) - General principles of biological and physical sciences - includes 25 items that are to be completed in 11 minutes Example: Water is an example of a: A. CrystalB. SolidC. GasD. Liquid 2. Arithmetic Reasoning (AR) - Simple word problems that require simple calculations - includes 30 items that are to be completed in 36 minutes Example: If 12 men are needed to run four machines, how many men are needed to run 20 machines? A. 20B. 48C. 60D. 80 3. Word Knowledge (WK) - Correct meaning of a word (synonyms); occasionally antonyms (opposite meaning of a word) - includes 35 items that are to be completed in 11 minutes Example: Small most nearly means A. sturdy.B. round.C. cheap.D. little. Or: The wind is variable today. A. mild.B. steady.C. shifting.D. chilling. 4. Paragraph Comprehension (PC) - Questions based on the information of several paragraphs that you read - includes 15 items, which are to be completed in 13 minutes Example: From a building designers standpoint, three things that make a home livable are the client, the building site, and the amount of money the client has to spend. According to this statement, to make a home livable A. the prospective piece of land makes little difference.B. it can be built on any piece of land.C. design must fit the owners income and site.D. the design must fit the owners income. 5. Auto and Shop information (AS) - Knowledge of automobiles, shop terminology, and tool use - includes 25 items that are to be completed in 11 minutes Example: A chisel is used for A. prying.B. cutting.C. twisting.D. grinding. 6. Mathematical Knowledge (MK) - High school level math, including geometry, trigonometry, and algebra - includes 25 items that are to be completed in 24 minutes Example: If 50 percent of X 66, then X (D. is the correct answer) A. 33.B. 66.C. 99.D. 132. 7. Mechanical Comprehension (MC) - Basic mechanical and physical principles - includes 25 items to be completed in 19 minutes Example: Gear B is half of Gear A. If gear A makes 1 revolutions, gear B will make: A. 2B. 17C. 4D. 10 8. Electronics Information (EI) - Electronic principles, basic electronic circuitry, and electronic terminology - includes 20 items that are to be completed in 9 min and measure knowledge of electric principles and electronic terminology. What does the abbreviation A.C. stand for? A. additional charge.B. alternating coil.C. alternating current.D. ampere current. Answers: DCD, CCBDAC Assembling Objects (spatial orientation). With the exception of some Navy jobs, Assembling Objects has not yet been incorporated into any of the Line Score calculations for military jobs, nor is it used in determining the overall ASVAB Score. At some time in the future, Assembling Objects will be incorporated into various line scores for certain military jobs (mostly those which require knowledge of spatial relations). This fairly new sub-test has 16 questions, and you have 9 minutes to answer them. Basically, you get a picture with various disassembled parts and four drawings. You have to pick the drawing that shows what the parts would actually look like when assembled. Your Scores Matter If you do not meet the standard, you cannot join the military. Some jobs in the military require an even higher score on the ASVAB. The higher your score the better chance you have of not only enlisting in your chosen branch but also getting the MOS, Rating, or Specialty Code (aka job) you want. The minimum AFQT scores for entry into each branch, with a high school diploma, are as follows: Air Force â€" 36Army National Guard â€" 31Coast Guard â€" 40Marine Corps â€" 32Navy â€" 35 Without a high school diploma and holding a GED only you’ll need the following scores- Air Force â€" 65Coast Guard â€" 40Army National Guard â€" 31Marine Corps â€" 50Navy â€" 50 For complete information, you may wish to purchase a study guide with practice tests like the, ASVAB for Dummies. ASVAB Guides like this one gives you an upper hand at understanding exactly what to expect when taking the ASVAB. You are coached through the different subtests, and are given plenty of practice tests too! It has been proven time and time again that preparation is key, so do yourself a favor, and put some time in preparing yourself to ACE the ASVAB!