Stanford University research suggests that it takes 9 to 12 positive impressions before the average decision-maker will make a purchasing decision. However, the high cost of in-person selling, makes it difficult to impossible to achieve the number of contacts needed to succeed by employing sales meetings alone. Therefore, sales and service industry professionals who are serious about consistently developing new business, must use a number of effective communications tools to achieve the impressions needed to produce consistent sales success.

Some of the methods sales professionals can use to create positive impressions, are emails, faxes, direct mail flyers, sales letters, telephone calls and trade shows. You see, dollar- for-dollar nothing provides a better return than a direct mail campaign correlated with in-person visits and teleselling activates. Think about it. A sales letter is the most powerful selling tool you can use to make a positive impression, with the exception of an in-person sales call. For a fraction of the cost of visiting a decision-maker, you can make several of the contacts that are needed to produce a buying decision.

For less than the price of a cup of coffee, well-written sales letters and flyers can deliver your sales massage perfectly every time. They will never call in sick. They will never complain. And they never quit on you. Simply put, a powerful sales letter or a well designed direct-mail flyer is like having a little automatic, money-making robot working for you, tirelessly...day and night. But, here’s the rub…very few sales or service industry professionals have the writing skills or design talent needed to produce the hard hitting and profit generating direct-mail impressions needed to assist in produce a steady stream of sales.

Since it could take you several years and cost a small fortune to figure out just the right combinations of words and graphics to make your direct-mail promotions work, I have an alternative that has proven successful for hundreds of our clients. Instead of knocking yourself out trying to come up with just the right words, you can purchase online a package of sales letters that only need minor modifications to give you. You can preview the program that we recommend along with a series of selling tools that can help you to easily produce the impressions required of a sales professional today. Check these tools out at: http://TheSellingEdge.com/tools2.htm

Virden Thornton

Serving Discriminating Clients Internationally Since 1983

Virden J. Thornton is the founder of The $elling Edge®, Inc., a training and development firm, specializing in sales, telemarketing, customer relations, and management training, coaching and marketing advisory services. He has trained, coached and advised literally hundreds of clients, including Sears Optical, Eastman Kodak, Northern Uniform Supply, The Texas Independent Banker's Association, Deloitte & Touché, Smith Barney, Jefferson Wells International, The Government of The U. S. Virgin Islands, First National Bank of Arizona, City Laundering, Co. and Wal«Mart to name a few.

Virden is the author of Prospecting: The Key To Sales Success, A Realtor's Success Formula, Organizing For Sales Success, and "best sellers" Building & Closing the Sale, 101 Sales Myths. His audio/video tape series entitled Close That Sale, is based on his 50 Minute Series manual Closing: A Process Not A Problem--published by a division of Thompson Learning. He has also authored a client acclaimed self-directed learning series of sales, coaching, customer service, telemarketing, and personal productivity training manuals, outlined in the Books & Manuals section of this site. Virden has a degree in communications (public address emphasis) from the University of Utah.

As a consultant and trainer, Virden has been retained by dozens of banks, savings and loans, and credit unions to help them move from operational, order taking cultures to proactive sales and cross-selling organizations. He has literally trained thousands of sales representatives and managers in businesses as diverse as distribution, auto sales, printing, eye care, uniform and linen rentals, manufacturing, and many others. Virden also specializes in training, coaching and advising service industry professionals (accountants, attorneys, engineers, architects, financial planners, stockbrokers, etc.) in the fine art of "business development."

Virden has taught small business courses at Lorain County Community College in Elyria, Ohio, a bank sales curriculum at the Center For Professional Development, Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas and a short course on selling at the School Of Entrepreneurship, J. Willard And Alice S. Marriott School off Management at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.

Virden and his wife Barbara reside in Avon Lake, Ohio and are the parents of ten children.