In May of this year, the CFA Management Committee brought you two opportunities for plugging in to inexpensive and highly motivational management seminars online and via teleconference. These presentations were made by nationally-renowned author and conference speaker, Maura Shreier-Flemming. Her books include the recent release of Monday Morning Sales Tips and other effective tools to stimulate improvements to your sales approach and client relationships.

The opportunity created with this seminar series was a first for the CFA and although marginally attended by our members, those present had nothing but great things to say about the content from these meetings. One such response was…

I have been implementing the strategies you have taught me. These strategies really work. I am learning to ask the right questions that put me in the “consultative” role not just the sales role. I really appreciate your assistance. I hope you can do more for the CFA in the near future.  – John Wilson, Cornerstone Foundations

The many CFA members that did not have the opportunity to attend these conferences can now benefit from them in a different way. CFA has both the presentation files and the audio recordings from these two events and is making them available to companies for download at the price of $25 per event.

Take a look at just some of the content from these sessions:

May 15, 2009 Best@Selling – The Secrets of Persuasion: Your shortcut to close more business

This presentation took participants through a discussion of the selling techniques used in one-on-one sales that dominate our industry. Ms. Schreier-Flemming asked you to consider how and why we can influence and persuade our clients. What techniques do you use to establish rapport and actually increase it? Observation is key in any one-on-one approach. Several exercises were used to improve the recognition of clues that customers frequently give, that when noticed and understood can substantially improve the percentage to which we close on sales.

May 29, 2009 Best@ Selling – Consultative Selling: Strategic Questions that Sell

After understanding the way that one-on-one sales can be influenced by approach, mannerisms and discernment of client visual and audible clues, the participants to this presentation were opened to the most frequent mistakes made in any sales approach. Additionally, Ms. Schreier-Flemming addressed new ways to think of the purpose of selling and provided a consultative selling methodology that is proven to close a higher percentage of the opportunities that are presented by your clients. Much of this surrounded a “pinball question” that most companies avoid but that is essential to really opening up the lines of understanding between your client’s needs and your services that are best for them.

These two great sessions were the first foray the CFA has made into the future of effective conferences that meet you where you are. In order to continue the development of meaningful and important content, we need to better understand your business needs and interests. That starts with your response to the information presented in these conferences and suggestions for future content.

To obtain your copy of either session, contact Jim Baty at jbaty@cfawalls.org or 866-232-9255. This offer is only available to CFA members with active memberships and we are looking into making this available to purchase online and direct download through your online membership account. The Secrets of Persuasion conference purchase will give you the audio recording, the presentation in PowerPoint and Adobe PDF as well as an electronic copy of Maura’s ebook on Persuasion and follow-up questions that you should be asking yourself. The Consultative Questions conference purchase will give you the audio recording and the presentation in both formats accompanied by follow-up questions to stimulate further change in your process.