Overcoming Obstacles   Water Quality Products August 2003   Wendi Hope King, WQP Staff
During the course of a year, this industry sees many changes in standards and regulations. Some of them create quite a challenge for water treatment dealers, but still there are others that offer great opportunity to the dealer who knows how to use them correctly.
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If You Don't Ask, You Don't Get   Water Quality Products November 2002   Carl Davidson
If we ask everyone we meet if they are doing anything to improve their water, we will be overrun with prospects and sales.
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What Could Be Better Than Selling Water Equipment?   Water Quality Products September 2002   Carl Davidson
The good news for us all is that everyone needs pure water, and they need it every day. We have the biggest population of people who need our product--everyone on earth. Couple this with the fact that only about 10 percent of U.S. homes have water improvement equipment and you have an unparalleled opportunity to sell.
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The Critical Step   Water Quality Products July 2002   Carl Davidson
I am always shocked to see how few salespeople use a value justification. In my view, this is a critical step in the selling process. Let’s take a look at some of the advantages this technique gives you and then we will look at the actual script for a justification.
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Recipe to Outside Sales Success   Water Quality Products June 2002   Jason B. Schell and Peter Strain, Water Depot University
There are 10 ingredients to a successful sales team. Read the following 10 items to see if your sales force measures up.
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Cold or Gold?   Water Quality Products June 2002   By Carl Davidson
Remember that opportunity is calling your company every day. Take a moment to ask who is answering and are they turning those calls into cold or gold?
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Are You Sold Enough to Sell?   Water Quality Products April 2002   Carl Davidson
The truth is that enthusiasm is what you need to sell but some of us are sorely lacking in this precious commodity ... and it’s no wonder. How can you stay up and enthusiastic enough to sell?
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Getting Paid to Listen   Water Quality Products March 2002   Carl Davidson
Is there a job out there where you get paid big bucks to listen? I mean sitting with someone over a coffee and just listening? You may guess a psychiatrist or lawyer and that would be correct. The truth is, all of us in the sales profession get paid big bucks to listen.

The Need For Marketing   Water Quality Products March 2002    Walt Denny
Starting and running a business without a marketing plan can be like trying to fly an airplane without radar—you might know what your destination is, but you haven’t a “road map” to get you there. Every company, whether it is established or still in the idea phase, needs a marketing plan that serves as an integral part of its overall business plan for company operations. A good marketing plan supports a company’s broader business goals by formulating a sound marketing strategy and an action plan (i.e., specific marketing activities such as web promotions, direct mail, etc.) that can carve a direct path to bolstered product sales, market share and long-term profitability and success.

Boost POE Sales by Leveraging the New Arsenic Standard   Water Quality Products February 2002   Craig Winter, CWS-III, EnviroInvestigations &Remediation
Recent market research showed that more than 73 percent of consumers prefer to consult with a water treatment professional when dealing with arsenic. Combining this inclination with the preference for the POE approach, the treatment professional has a unique opportunity to generate significant new revenue from POE sales with minimal upfront effort.
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If You Sell Just Water Softeners, You Could Be Making a Lot More Money   Water Quality Products February 2002   Carl Davidson
Have you ever done a great demonstration only to find that the customer just isn’t interested? We all have that happen occasionally, but sometimes we cause their apathy by emphasizing the wrong things. What I mean is that people do not buy steel tanks, resin and valves, they buy emotions, dreams and love. Let me explain.
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How Many Demos is a Full Day's Night?   Water Quality Products January 2002   Carl Davidson
Recently, several salespeople and managers told me they don't believe a reasonable person can average a minimum of two demos per day as we recommend on our recorded training videos. Are we leaving out important practical considerations? This article will take a look at this issue and help you make this important decision. Your financial success is determined by the decisions you make, so choose wisely.
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I've Never Met a Rich Sharecropper   Water Quality Products March 2001   Carl Davidson
Sharecroppers are poor tenant farmers. They farm the land for the owner in exchange for a share of or percentage of the crops they produce for the owner. They do what they are told and have no land to farm themselves.
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We Ought to Be Committed   Water Quality Products February 2001   Carl Davidson
We ought to be committed. No, that isn’t a comment on our mental stability but rather a comment addressing the fact that we ought to be totally committed to success if we intend to achieve it.
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The One Sales Secret I Hate to Reveal   Water Quality Products October 2000   Carl Davidson
As someone who makes a living teaching people to sell, there is one sales secret I hate to reveal.

Cooking at the Boiling Point   Water Quality Products September 2000   Carl Davidson
If you go for the close before or after the boiling point, you are much less likely to get a sale.

Scare Tactics or Excitement: Can You Tell the Difference?   Water Quality Products December 1999   Carl Davidson
We are one of the only industries I know of that spends so much time and effort talking about scare tactics, high pressure tactics and ethics. I, too, am concerned about using the truth about water, but I realized that truthful water concerns and excitement about products often get confused with scare tactics, and it costs many sales as well as the public an important information resource.

Justifying the Value of an RO   Water Quality Products November 1999   Carl Davidson
There are solutions that work when a customer says "no" such as justifying the value and showing the customer he’ll be dollars ahead. What follows is a list of questions for the customer and then various scenerios that will refer you back to them.

More Thoughts on Cashing Objections   Water Quality Products July 1999   Carl Davidson
Previously, we discussed the basics of overcoming objections. The techniques discussed included bypassing the objection, releasing the pressure and asking if there was anything else. If you can get that far, you are ready to actually solve the objection. This article will take a look at some common objections and ways to overcome them.