James Nellis speaking with a Top Real Estate Brokerage

Learning how to identify the target market and keep up with the accessibility of today’s consumer takes a new type of savvy business owner. It must be done through a holistic approach as you leverage your dominance in the local marketplace with a genuine “you” online.

It is fun for me as a speaker when the audience really “gets it”. They start embracing the new concepts and ways of doing marketing so they can better serve their clients and make wise decisions with their marketing dollars.

Spoken Word recently launched their in-house studios in order to provide graphic design, copy writing and print pieces for all businesses. Contact Spoken Word Seminars for more details.

Listen to what some of the Top Brokers & Agents that attended this recent event had to say about James Nellis and Social Fusion:

The Modern Day Approach to Selling

You must begin with the consumer in mind. How do you take the focus off of your company? Your Brand? What makes you money? This can be difficult for many companies. You need to start assessing what consumers are saying about your industry and gain the consensus from your target market. Most companies are not big enough to hire an outside marketing firm to do polling and research. The average cost for one project could be $20,000.00 to a research firm.

Where does this leave the small business or a larger company looking to reduce their marketing & research budget? It leaves you with an answer we found in doing our own sales. You have the opportunity to use 3 strategies to understand the mind of your consumer: Songbirds, National Research & Success Stories.

Songbirds: A songbird is a past client that “sings” your praises. They had a great experience with your sales team and are interested in seeing your company succeed. A typical songbird will have referred you other friends and coworkers because they believe in your service, company and product.

You will need to gather 5-7 Songbirds and ask them to commit to meeting 3 or 4 times a year. Your songbirds know what is important to the consumer as they were and are a consumer. They are outside of your profession so they have great outside perspective. They are your informal survey, your opportunity to poll them for your marketing campaigns, branding and your current engagement with consumers.

National Research: Many businesses fall under a larger professional group or national organization. It is crucial to “know your numbers.” By reviewing the research conducted by your national organization you gain an understanding of the trends. It is true that all companies are different and function at different levels but by seeing national trends you gain a national perspective. Many of the reports will show you where the consumers are coming from, their buying choices and buying intervals. This can be used as a basic road map for next year.

Compare your sales and consumers with the national research. Do you see the same trends? Are your consumers different? Is there a new segment of consumers you can now go after for sales?

Success Stories: The need to reinvent the wheel. When I was young in the sales arena I had the need to impress others. I wanted to show that I could create all my own systems. I could develop the best scripts. I could make the most sales doing it my way. Why? What a waste of time!!

Thankfully I finally learned it is much more simple to win in sales. The simplicity is to find the “winners” in your industry. Who is a success story? What do they do that works? What makes them different than their competition?

Now not all of your local success stories will be willing to share because you are their competition. Your best resource will be success stories in other parts of the Country that have a similar buying cycle, similar demographics and a similar niche consumer.

Find 3 top companies, 3 success stories this week. Make it your goal to get in contact with the owners and set up a phone conference call. You may not have direct access to the company owner or president so start with whoever you can talk with and begin asking questions.

Many of the successful companies will have been called/asked by others before. Some may give you the opportunity to “shadow” them for a day or come to their office and watch their sales machine in action. I have seen these companies do it for free and others that charge 5,000.00 or more a day. If your current resources do not allow for that type of expense find the 4^th success story. One principle I have learned over the years is that many of the successful people at the top love to share and give to others. No one was a complete success on their own. We as people always enjoy the ability to help others. Put yourself and your company in the position to be helped by these successful companies.

*** Stay tuned for more details on the E-BOOK entitled “Social Fusion: The Modern Day Approach to Selling”by James Nellis

The Modern Day Approach to Selling

The Modern Day Approach to Selling

INTRODUCTION:

I was raised in a family of sales. From an early age I had the opportunity to watch and see the natural sales cycle. My formal education in psychology gave me the insight to look past the basic interactions with a consumer. It instilled within me the desire to seek to understand their behavioral environment, the art of listening and to focus on how to connect with each consumer. This real connection within sales is missing from many companies.

After 15 years of dedicated sales I have learned the advantage of a holistic approach to selling. The answer is to not focus on just one segment or marketing approach but to combine it with the primary goal. I have watched the web and online tools transform the sales industry over the last 10 years and I was forced into adapting a new way of interacting with leads and the consumer. This new philosophy is Social Fusion. It is my hope that by you implementing Social Fusion in your business you will find success beyond your wildest dreams.

This book is dedicated to my family:

My Mother & Father whom continue to be true mentors and examples of selling with a foundation of faith in God. My sister & brother-in-law are inspirations of keeping the client first before the sale.  I am thankful most of all to God who has provided me this opportunity to share from a platform and honor Him. Below is a passage that has shaped my life and perspective on sales:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Every consumer that enters my office is viewed in respect to this passage. I will not sell anything to a consumer that I would not purchase if I was in their same situation. I have lost some sales as a result of this mission but it has preserved my company’s integrity and our foundation for doing business.

Chapter 1- Social Confusion:

Many companies focus only on one or two forms of media and miss the opportunity to engage with today’s consumer. In recent times we have seen the major companies begin hiring “Social Media Directors” and Brand Managers in hopes of capturing the new business. Small Business owners have also gotten involved themselves trying to utilize the online tools and networks. The issue for small business owners is time and money. Even though some of the larger organizations have the financial resources to hire positions they are still missing out on the true opportunity to engage. We have also seen many National Speakers and Trainers speak on social media and online selling. Unfortunately, the majority of them are missing the mark.

It is not the lack of resources that prevent companies from making money online it is their approach. They must begin today with a holistic philosophy for their company defined as Social Fusion.

Social Fusion is the layering of multiple forms of media to integrate with the accessibility of today’s consumer. Social Fusion begins with an emphasis on the “whole” or your overall goal as a company. How does your company mission statement correspond with your online brand? Are you marketing your company in a way to attract today’s consumer?

Each business owner or marketing department must understand how to interact with the consumer of today. Many companies are still frozen in the “Grand Marketing Era”… You remember- when big companies got bigger by throwing money at it and heavily marketing how good they were and how elite their product was that you as the consumer were lucky to purchase. During this Grand Marketing Era (GME) the focus was on the brand and on the company not the consumer. It did work, but it will no longer breed success in today’s business market. Perhaps a great example of the GME is Ford, a company that waited too long to adapt to the new consumer. Not only must you have a quality product for the consumer but you must anticipate the next generation buyer’s needs.

The consumer today has more choices. The consumer is more informed. The consumer demands more than ever before. So, what do you do? How do you become profitable and successful in today’s marketplace?

Each company must focus on the 3 basics of Social Fusion: Consumer, Brand & Marketing. All 3 are needed to interact with each other in a layered approach to selling. You must begin with the consumer in mind. Establish a Brand that communicates with the consumer. And market in a way to interact and engage the consumer.

Begin today. Implement Social Fusion & engage today’s consumer.

The consumer has more choices. The consumer is more informed. The consumer demands more today. So, what do you do? How do you become profitable and a success in today’s marketplace?

Each company must focus on their Consumer, Brand & Marketing. All 3 need to interact with each other in a layered marketing approach. You have to present a common theme and speak in the common vernacular in each “sphere”. Sphere is labeled as the online communities. Some examples of spheres would be Facebook, LinkedIN, Twitter… One of the most costly mistakes is taking 1 message to every audience with the same language. Each sphere speaks a different language and part of Social Fusion is learning how to master the language needed for the audience you want to interact with today. Below is a preview of an upcoming Seminar on Social Fusion… Click on the video to learn more and get 2 free tips on how to succeed with an online strategy using Social Fusion:

       Each buyer package must have the following 3 essentials: Presentation, Content & USP (Unique Selling Proposition).

Presentation: The buyer package needs to cater to your buying audience. Make it reflect your clients and their lifestyles. The main 4 Lifestyles from SRI (Stanford Research Institute): Belonger, Achiever, Societally Conscious & Emulator. There are different needs for each buyer but make the presentation visually appealing to your community’s largest audience (lifestyle).

Content:  What type of information is needed for a buyer to understand and appreciate your market? The information is accessible all over the internet and various types of media however this package allows for you to funnel what is necessary for your clients to make the right decision.

                    Include the following to separate yourself as the Top Realtor providing the most effective material:

• Unique items for your neighborhood/communities served
• Transportation Information
• School District Information
• Housing Stats- Trends
• Cashflow/Rental Opportunities
• Sample Package
• Agency Information: Sample at http://www.nellisgroup.com/Blog/Buyer-Representative
• History of Area
• Main Employers/Industry in Area

USP:  As a Top Realtor in your area you need to effectively communicate how you stand apart from the competition. The benefits that make your Team unique in your area.

              Focus on your experience, sales market knowledge and services. Many Realtors employ contractors, interior designers and discounted lending packages in order to provide their clients with the best experience.

               Many Realtors do not even have a buyer package… Start with one buyer package and then as you progress you can have multiple packages for the different types of buyers…

There were many new insights unveiled in Real Estate with the full 2 days of instruction.  The focus ranged from how to negotiate the best terms, find the right properties and help each client focus on what is best for resale. It is rare when a Realtor can gain so much information and selling strategies in under 48 hours.

The Tulsa Board and the CRS State Chapter of Oklahoma did a wonderful job in providing a great learning format for all of the Realtors. Here is a video recap from the 2 day course:

Over the last 2 months Michael Maher and myself have been encouraging each other to the next level with Video Journaling. We have noticed a couple of things:

1. Accountability is Key

2. By posting videos on Facebook we have now committed to this program not only to each other but a larger audience

3. One reward has been seeing others catch a glimpse of what their life and bodies can become. Perhaps this is what drove Tony Horton to first create this program.

Below is a sample video from my video Journaling found on the home page for James Nellis in Facebook- you can view more at www.facebook.com/jamesnellis

We encourage you to look within and see if there are any changes you want to make either inside or out and begin today!

I can tell you from first hand experience that I do not answer BLOCKED callers. If you are running a business and attempting to call leads or prospects I would suggest you no longer block your calls. It can be viewed as a simple matter of trust. YOU are obviously calling them to request they answer your questions, buy your products or simply pick up their call on their dedicated line YET you do not have anough trust in them to open up your own line. Can you see the apparent break down of trust that you are conveying before you ever say a word?

There are some easy solutions to put you more in control of the next conversation between you and a possible client or lead. Technology has given us a gift to manage our time better… One is voicemail transcription services…

There are many services out there- the most important things for you to focus on when choosing a company is: Speed (how long from when the message is left till you get the email or text with the transcription), Cost (how much are they charging you- if you are running a business off that line- look for unlimited plans), Control (Hosting the data and messages on their server so you can listen online or download it to your computer at any time as an attachment. Most companies will email you the transcription with the wav. file attached so you can listen right away). My preferred vendor can be found under my resource icon or click here: PHONETAG By the way, once you join Phonetag, they encourage you to spread it virally and give you a free month of their service whenever someone signs up for the product. Many companies have cut down on their marketing expenses by offering free services based on referrals to their members or subscribers.

After you see the transcription on your smart phone and read the message or listen to the wav. file how do you find out more about the possible client? You should start with the area code… Look up the area code so that you can gather more data. A quick resource that is also free is: LincMad – they host free tables for you to see the counties related to the number. This week I received a call from a 707 area code. I did not know where it was but assumed the west coast. Here is the screen shot of what I found… Click on it to research your own:

So by reviewing this I realized that 707 is the Sonoma-California area. Now I know more about either their current location OR where they used to live. It will also make me more aware of what time to call the number back. If I am on East Coast time a call at 9 AM EST will not be well received in California. Start using both of these today when interacting with clients and “Happy Dialing”…

Trash in our lives can be a broad term. It can encompass negative attitudes, negative thoughts and things that impact our lives. Some is self-inflicted and other times trash can be dumped on us by others, co-workers, friends and even family.

There is a living land fill that we ourselves are responsible for everyday. Our Attitudes and Actions will ultimately shape who we become in our lifetimes. So how does this involve business? How do we begin to take out the Trash. Let’s start with 3 simple principles:

1. TRASH must be SEEN: We have the tendency to sweep issues “under the rug”… We avoid the trash that impacted us in a negative way. Harsh criticism of our job performance, negative comments about the way we dress or act. How many hurtful things can you think of right now?? Most of us could think of at least 3 things within the last month that occurred in either life or business. Start today by identifying what TRASH is weighing you down and accummulating under the rug or in a closet.

2. TRASH must be EMPTIED: Let’s use the 3 items you just thought of… Write them down on a piece of paper… Go ahead, I will wait…

Now that you have written them down… Do any involve comments from another person? FORGIVE them now… Email or call them and let them know what they said was hurtful to you and you wanted to forgive them for it.

Was it a negative event in your life or a task at work? Take that and get rid of it except for the lesson learned. In the sports arena it is said that the best quarterback never remembers… The quarterback ONLY lives in the present…

Take your 3 items that were written down and now put them in the trash can outside of the house. You have now emptied them from your mind, your body and your life. Today we will start living in the present.

3. TRASH must be REPLACED: Our lives must be lived in balance. Now you have just freed yourself. You now have more time to think of things that can positively impact you and others. You can now focus on the task at hand forgetting the last mistake on a business deal or with your boss. You are the quarterback of all your situations. Write down 3 things you will spend time on this week:

1. Spend 2 hours with my children. 2. Spend an hour each day working out. 3. 15 minutes of meditation before beginning each day.

It does not matter what your new items are… the BEST part is that you have SEEN the trash, EMPTIED the trash and now REPLACED it with things that will make a better you, a better day and a better life.