Why do salespeople forget…

…that they are also buyers?

A strange transformation takes place when a person takes on a sales role.  It doesn’t matter whether it’s a ‘sales professional,’ a solo entrepreneur, business owner or CEO of a major corporation, when we go into that sales call we forget everything we know about being a buyer.

We forget that as buyers we want to be:

• Treated with kindness and respect.
• Educated so that we can make an informed decision.
• Allowed to shop around before making a decision.
• Contacted after the sale to assure that we’re happy with our purchases without an attendant sales pitch.

What we, as buyers, don’t want is:

• To be sold; we’re intelligent people quite capable of making our own decisions.
• Someone who is so hungry for a sale that they aren’t listening to us.
• A salesperson who has a one-size fits all mentality.
• A salesperson who views their job as selling instead of educating.
• To be forgotten as soon as the deal is done.

How can we overcome this natural tendency?  Print out the list of what buyers want above.  Just prior to entering a prospect’s office or handling a retail customer’s transaction, glance at the list to remind yourself of how you’d like to be treated.  Extend the same treatment to them.

It’s counter-intuitive, but the few seconds that this takes can dramatically increase the number of customers you acquire, your customer retention rate and the price that you’ll get for your offerings.  Now that’s a low-cost, high ROI approach to selling.

P.S. Marketers, in their desire to be ‘creative,’ often fall victim to the same trap.  We forget who our audience is.

This article is an original contribution by Dale Furtwengler.

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Article source: http://www.business2community.com/strategy/the-forgotten-realm-0236960

IMFO

By Lourdes Santos Tancinco
Philippine Daily Inquirer

With an election coming up, President Obama touts his policy of encouraging “in sourcing” and discouraging “outsourcing” of services and manufacture of goods. In an effort to accelerate job creation, the Obama administration has reiterated its full support to entrepreneurs. Policies and regulations relating to applications for immigrant and nonimmigrant investor visas have been revisited since last year to encourage investment.

Types of investor visas

There are various types of foreign investor visas. The most known is the “one million dollar” investment visa that will give the investor the status of a green card holder.

There is also the “exceptional ability visa” under the second employment-based category. This type of visa focuses on the exceptional abilities and qualifications of the entrepreneur and how it benefits the US economy rather than the amount of investment.

In the nonimmigrant or temporary visa category, an entrepreneur may apply for the E1 or E2 investors’ visas. The E1 visa is the treaty trader visa for those who conduct substantial trade of goods or services with the US. The E2 investor visa, on the other hand, is issued to an individual entrepreneur who invests “substantially” in a US enterprise.

How much investment

For the immigrant investor visa, the amount of investment may either be $1 million or $500,000 depending on the location of the investment enterprise.

For designated regional centers, the investor must be able to show at least half a million dollars for the immigrant visa to be approvable. In addition, the immigrant investor must be able to show that the investment enterprise will create at least 10 jobs for US citizens or permanent residents.

For the nonimmigrant E2 investors’ visa, no specific amount is required. What is required is for the investor to show a “substantial” amount of investment as distinguished from a relatively small amount of capital. To determine whether the investment is substantial, a proportionality test is used. This test considers the proportion between the amount of the funds actually invested and the value of the business. The investment that equals or exceeds the value of the business is usually considered substantial.

For E2 investors, even if no set amount is required, a marginal enterprise is not likely to get the nod for an investor’s visa. A marginal investment is when the investment does not have the present or future capacity to generate more than enough income to provide a minimal living income for the investor and his family.

Exceptional ability visa

There is also the EB2 or the employment-based second preference category. Individuals with exceptional ability in the field of science, arts or business may qualify for this visa. The expertise of the entrepreneur must be shown to substantially benefit the US economy aside from showing that the skill is significantly above what is ordinarily encountered in the sciences, arts or business.

There are two ways to obtain this EB2 visa. One is through a petition by a US employer after the Department of Labor approves an application for labor certification. The other is through a self-petition if the entrepreneur meets the “national interest waiver” standards. If the entrepreneur’s business will create jobs for US workers there is a strong probability that an such a visa will be granted.

Spouses and minor children of the immigrant or nonimmigrant visa entrepreneurs will also be entitled to visas.

Open for business

With the need for the US to compete in the global economy and the support it gives to enterprises that stimulate job growth, Filipinos who are interested in diversifying their investments to the US have these entrepreneur visa options. Entering the US to develop and operate an enterprise is a serious commitment as it will require placing substantial capital at risk with the hope of generating profitable returns. With the severe backlog in employment-based immigrant visas, and professional working visas always reaching its annual maximum cap, investing in an enterprise may be an available alternative for some.

(Tancinco may be reached at law@tancinco.com or at 887 7177 or 721 1963)

Join us on

Recent Stories:

• What Filipinos can be proud of
• What you should know about the US entrepreneur visa
• The Wedding Ring
• 2 Chinese fall in ‘shabu’ bust
• Analysis: US dilemma in West Philippine Sea response
• Aussie envoy lauds pact with PH
• Pag-asa island municipal workers want to go out to stop Chinese
• US raps Chinese garrison plan
• Philippines should seek UN help in sea dispute with China
• China appoints officers to West Philippine Sea garrison

Tags:

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,

Investment
,

Migration
,

United Sites
,

US
,

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Article source: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/45871/what-you-should-know-about-the-us-entrepreneur-visa

IMFO

By Lourdes Santos Tancinco
Philippine Daily Inquirer

With an election coming up, President Obama touts his policy of encouraging “in sourcing” and discouraging “outsourcing” of services and manufacture of goods. In an effort to accelerate job creation, the Obama administration has reiterated its full support to entrepreneurs. Policies and regulations relating to applications for immigrant and nonimmigrant investor visas have been revisited since last year to encourage investment.

Types of investor visas

There are various types of foreign investor visas. The most known is the “one million dollar” investment visa that will give the investor the status of a green card holder.

There is also the “exceptional ability visa” under the second employment-based category. This type of visa focuses on the exceptional abilities and qualifications of the entrepreneur and how it benefits the US economy rather than the amount of investment.

In the nonimmigrant or temporary visa category, an entrepreneur may apply for the E1 or E2 investors’ visas. The E1 visa is the treaty trader visa for those who conduct substantial trade of goods or services with the US. The E2 investor visa, on the other hand, is issued to an individual entrepreneur who invests “substantially” in a US enterprise.

How much investment

For the immigrant investor visa, the amount of investment may either be $1 million or $500,000 depending on the location of the investment enterprise.

For designated regional centers, the investor must be able to show at least half a million dollars for the immigrant visa to be approvable. In addition, the immigrant investor must be able to show that the investment enterprise will create at least 10 jobs for US citizens or permanent residents.

For the nonimmigrant E2 investors’ visa, no specific amount is required. What is required is for the investor to show a “substantial” amount of investment as distinguished from a relatively small amount of capital. To determine whether the investment is substantial, a proportionality test is used. This test considers the proportion between the amount of the funds actually invested and the value of the business. The investment that equals or exceeds the value of the business is usually considered substantial.

For E2 investors, even if no set amount is required, a marginal enterprise is not likely to get the nod for an investor’s visa. A marginal investment is when the investment does not have the present or future capacity to generate more than enough income to provide a minimal living income for the investor and his family.

Exceptional ability visa

There is also the EB2 or the employment-based second preference category. Individuals with exceptional ability in the field of science, arts or business may qualify for this visa. The expertise of the entrepreneur must be shown to substantially benefit the US economy aside from showing that the skill is significantly above what is ordinarily encountered in the sciences, arts or business.

There are two ways to obtain this EB2 visa. One is through a petition by a US employer after the Department of Labor approves an application for labor certification. The other is through a self-petition if the entrepreneur meets the “national interest waiver” standards. If the entrepreneur’s business will create jobs for US workers there is a strong probability that an such a visa will be granted.

Spouses and minor children of the immigrant or nonimmigrant visa entrepreneurs will also be entitled to visas.

Open for business

With the need for the US to compete in the global economy and the support it gives to enterprises that stimulate job growth, Filipinos who are interested in diversifying their investments to the US have these entrepreneur visa options. Entering the US to develop and operate an enterprise is a serious commitment as it will require placing substantial capital at risk with the hope of generating profitable returns. With the severe backlog in employment-based immigrant visas, and professional working visas always reaching its annual maximum cap, investing in an enterprise may be an available alternative for some.

(Tancinco may be reached at law@tancinco.com or at 887 7177 or 721 1963)

Join us on

Recent Stories:

• What Filipinos can be proud of
• What you should know about the US entrepreneur visa
• The Wedding Ring
• 2 Chinese fall in ‘shabu’ bust
• Analysis: US dilemma in West Philippine Sea response
• Aussie envoy lauds pact with PH
• Pag-asa island municipal workers want to go out to stop Chinese
• US raps Chinese garrison plan
• Philippines should seek UN help in sea dispute with China
• China appoints officers to West Philippine Sea garrison

Tags:

entrepreneur
,

Investment
,

Migration
,

United Sites
,

US
,

visa

Article source: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/45871/what-you-should-know-about-the-us-entrepreneur-visa

Posted: Wednesday, July 25, 2012 10:00 am
|


Updated: 3:34 pm, Wed Jul 25, 2012.

Entrepreneurial Russian students look to Purdue to help their ideas

By SAM COSBY
Summer Reporter

Purdue Exponent

Passion drives entrepreneurs to get their ideas on the market, and ten Russian students brought to Purdue are trying to showcase their ideas and make them reality.

The Yegor Gaidar Summer Leadership Program is a pilot program which helped fund the ten students to learn better ways of expressing their ideas in the business world. Tim Peoples, director of Purdue technology centers and entrepreneurship academy, is helping run the three week program and is encouraging the students to think differently as to how they are going to commercialize their ideas.

“One of the tools we use helps them identify (as to) what are the current solutions to the problem,” Peoples said. “We will take that one more step and then identify the competitors in these categories and analyze those competitors.”

The students are gaining their knowledge to better their ideas. Peoples said they are gaining a better understanding as how to run a business.

“They are understanding, ‘I do have to worry about the customer. I do have to worry about the competitors,’” Peoples said. “It’s not a field of dreams product as to if you build it, they will come. You have to go find them and sell it to them.”

The students were hand selected based on their idea proposals by Peoples and Alfiya Mosalova, the U.S. Russia Foundation (U.S.R.F) junior program officer, who is the students mentor and translator during their time at Purdue. Mosalova said while many Russian universities give great theoretical knowledge, they don’t know how to apply it and make it more practical like Purdue does.

The students’ ideas had to relate back to where they are from to help benefit their local regions. With this program, the students gain knowledge on how to run a business venture and at the same time, learn how an American university compares to their own.

“We bring the students here to see how the U.S. universities function and how to familiarize international education to them,” Mosalova said.

While the program is intense and keeps the students working diligently, they also get a chance to see what American culture is like outside of the classroom. Peoples helps run “cultural trips” to places such as Chicago, Indianapolis and even his own backyard.

“It’s fun and it’s exciting,” Peoples said. “(The students) came out to my house and we had BBQ, baked beans and potato salad … After the trip to Chicago, they were all like ‘Wow, this is a dream to come to a city like (this) … Our view of America is (directed through watching) television, well what is it really like? What is it like to go to an Americans home and to simply sit on the couch and drink a glass of lemonade?’”

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Wednesday, July 25, 2012 10:00 am.

| Tags:


Russia,

Entrepreneur,

Business

Article source: http://www.purdueexponent.org/campus/article_c6d2ed1c-c8cb-5702-a1f2-6d4b64dc63ca.html