This is the way it is supposed to work!

Bill Kendy is a great friend who is also a writer and speaker who knows selling, inside and out. He called this week to share a personal experience. It was so neat as I could feel the excitement in his voice.

He was walking into an auto parts store to purchase a gallon of anti-freeze. He said the salesperson was friendly and polite. As he was at the register, the salesperson said, "You know, I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that we have wiper blades on sale this weekend. Regularly $8.95 each, you can get two for that price."

The salesman continued, "Now I know you are thinking, 'the last thing I need is a pair of wiper blades'. But wiper blades don't tell you when they are going to fail. $8.95 is a really cheap price to keep yourself safe in your car. Are you married? Does your wife drive her own car? I can help you select the right blades for your wife's car and you will have that same piece of mind for her and her safety."

Wow! What a way to take care of customers! Bill said he made a point to stay in the store and watch the salesman work his magic. The percentage of closing the sale on wiper blades was exceptionally high. Why? Because the salesman was selling peace of mind, not wiper blades. What do the people in your business sell?

Available for January 2007! We will have two postions opening in our coaching program as of January 1. This could be a great way to move your business to a new level. Take a look at our small business coaching program and download the PDF application form.

New Calculator: Gross Margin Discount

33! That's the new head count on the number of calculators on the Profits Plus website. We have always prided ourselves on listening to you - whether we see you at a trade show or conference, or when you correspond with us by e-mail or phone.

The first of the new calculators we want to introduce is designed to help you plan your seasonal markdowns. While it is not a common practice with small businesses, larger businesses use a tool just like this calculator. The idea for this calculator is that you are able to plan the markdowns for an item for the season.

You start with the initial amount of inventory and the gross margin. You have the option to take markdowns of an amount you determine for whatever quantity of inventory you choose. Do this several times over the season for that product and the calculator will show you how much gross margin you will have maintained for the entire season.

Click on this link to visit this page: Gross Margin Discount Page

Magic Santa Dust

This month's power promoting idea comes from one of the members of our staff. D. Wendal Attig has been with us since we first opened Profits Plus. He is responsible for the Profits Plus logo, and all of the artwork for all of our books and company images. This promotional idea is one that he learned by way of a store in New York state. Click on this link to read the letter that D. Wendal sent to us five years ago.

Magic Santa Dust Story

You will also want to take a look at this page on our website. It is where you can order the Profits Plus books and other great resources for your business.

Profits Plus Resource Center

Why can't she sell big?

With last month's issue we started a new feature in which we pose a question that is asked a reader. We then invite readers to submit their solutions. As a reminder, we will repeat the question from last month and provide a link to the page with your solutions. We have also added a new easy to get to link to these solutions. When you are on the front page of our site, move your mouse over "E-ret@iler newsletter". A pulldown menu will appear, and you will want to click on "E-ret@iler Question Solutions". Select the month you want, and see the question and submitted solutions.

Here is the November question: "I have a salesperson that is very good with one exception. As she sells, she never sells the highest quality. It is not that she always gets the cheapest customers, but she never tries to move people up in quality as they select merchandise. It is as if she has decided that they don't need to spend any more money than absolutely necessary. How do I solve this problem?"

Click here to see the solutions to the November question.

Here is the question for December from a business owner in Michigan: "I have a problem with my sales people. We carry a wide range of products with prices that range from a few dollars to several thousand dollars. As a salesperson is working with a customer, at the first sign of an objection from the customer, they begin to cave in on price and offer a 'special price' - even if the customer has not stated that the price is their objections. What would you suggest I do?"

Lend a hand here and help a fellow business owner solve this problem. Click on this, link and share your ideas of how to solve this. All of your responses will be posted on the Profits Plus web site.

We also are looking for your questions that we can pose each month. Have a problem in your business? Send us a note with your challenge and we will post a new one with each month's e-ret@iler.