Bizjournals.com reports that the worldwide sales of semiconductor-manufacturing equipment have posted a 6 percent increase compared to last year’s output. Manufacturing technology suppliers association SEMI (San Jose, California-based) views this as a good sign.

Asian markets such as China, Japan and North Korea are among the top sellers of semiconductor-manufacturing equipment, with Taiwan leading in sales at $10.65 billion and Japan coming next at $9.31 billion.

While some industries find it hard to rise above the struggling economy, other industries continue to experience favorable sales. This means there are still hope for business and trade in the international market, if not across the country.

The $40-billion boat industry is struggling to keep afloat amid the slowing US economy. In fact, some companies that manufacture sail boats and power boats have already closed shops. This is saddening and a great cause of concern.

Manufacturing.net reports that a poor consumer confidence, spiraling gas prices and the national economic downturn is testing the limits of the boating industry. “It’s a challenging time,” admitted Bill McGill, chairman and president of Clearwater, Florida-based MarineMax, Inc. The big boat and yacht retailer made some downsizing efforts that removed 10 percent of its work force because of poor profit.

Definitely, more and more industry are starting to feel the economic downturn. I think it is safe to assume that if the US economy worsens in the coming months, more companies will decide to lie low and worker lay offs will hit more headlines.

For the link to the article, click here.

Say you are about to sell assets, one of the things that you need to have is a bill of sale form. When you plan to sell a car or buy a used one, for instance, an auto bill of sale form should be prepared. You know you want everything fixed and the sale well-documented.

An auto bill of sale form is needed for the registration of your car. It should contain the basic information, from car descriptions to the name and address of both the buyer and the seller.

Definitely, an auto bill of sale form will go a long way in providing both the seller and the buyer with security. So make sure it is part of your sale transactions when it comes to big and highly-valuable commodities.

COLD TRUTH: Many sales companies do it the hard way. They “hard sell” so much that it makes the customers scream, ‘harassment!”. If you find yourself running away from sales agents in malls or public areas, or perhaps avoiding some phone calls at home because you’re afraid that the person on the other end is Mr. Salesman again, then I think it’s about time that you stop hiding, do something about it and act.

Some companies even go overboard—they call phone numbers ripped off from the directory or sometimes, unlisted phone number (how they get the numbers, I don’t know) just to sell their products. A lot of forums have been dedicated to these kinds of concerns and some even point out that this kind of aggressive selling is a qualified example of intrusion to privacy (calling unlisted numbers, “you were referred by…”, “your number was given by…” etc.).

Photo taken from http://www.cartoonstock.com

For sales professionals, timing and substance are very important when promoting a particular product of service to prospective clients. You know you don’t want to ruin your sale strategy by going unprepared. You need to have a good introduction so the communication continues. But one of the most critical things of all is asking the right questions.

Apparently, your question would elicit answers from clients. But for some reasons, a question can be way too general or personal which affects the response of your prospective client. The best indication that you have the right question is the client’s reaction. If he or she sounds interested and listens attentively to your talk, then that’s the time you can be assured that you have thrown the right questions.

Sales contracts are a part of every sale transactions. Before you close the deal or agree on a particular sale, make sure you have studied the legal aspects or at least aware of it.

Business transactions are complicated and careful considerations have to be made to avoid legal pitfalls. A binding agreement without a law backing up is useless and is can never be executed.

Hawksmere.co.uk has an insightful seminar on contract and sales law this September 2008. You may want to attend this to learn the basics on sales contracts and the laws that govern them. Here’s

http://www.hawksmere.co.uk/hawksmere/event.php?event=26605

the link to the seminar announcement for more pertinent details.

There are thousands of reasons why customers complain regarding certain products. If it is due to some factory defect (some companies are kind enough to accept goods that have defects caused by customers themselves), or customer dissatisfaction, always remember to listen to their concerns. Never ever argue with the customers or put up a fight with them. If you believe that they just wanted a rebate on their purchased item, yet they tell you otherwise (like, the product was defective, it didn’t meet their standards etc), then make sure you write their concerns and submit it to your boss afterwards. You have to follow up on their complaints to the management and make sure that you get results. The last thing that you would want to happen to you is being bad-mouthed (further?) by the person to his/her friends (future prospects, that is).

Photo taken from http://www.cartoonstock.com

Consumers nowadays are not only well-informed, but they are also aware of the current trends in the market. Most sales trends are welcomed with warm response by consumers.

The Green Christmas trend, however, is another story. According to an article from CNBC.Com, this is seen to be rejected by consumers and it poses a problem for US retailers that have started promoting their environmental-friendliness for the holiday season.

The consumers are pre-occupied with other things and have never fully embraced green endeavors such as buying eco-friendly products. This is the point raised by Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at research firm NPD Group.

For the link to the article, click here.

The sales industry is a very competitive market. To become successful, a salesperson has to go the extra mile to hone his selling skills to make big sales and gain regular clients at the same time. Here is a list of time-tested sales strategies for those who want to stay long in the sales industry:

1. Believe in your product. As clich� as it may sound, believing in your product is your most powerful tool in making sales.
2. Build trust and nurture your relationship with clients. Don� go for short-term goals, sell as sincerely as possible and earn regular clients.
3. Upgrade your selling skills. Improve your craft by attending sales seminars and trainings to get updated on the latest sales trends and opportunities.

To achieve success, a salesperson should have a strong passion for selling. By that, I mean the enthusiasm to learn new strategies and techniques that could lead to big sales.

Most salespersons often confuse quantity with quality, which should never be the case. Sales are not measured in terms of monetary figures alone but by the number of regular clients you gained. In due time, those salespersons who have sold big time in random transactions will be taken over by salespersons who are selling big on a regular basis. To be a stay competitive, a salesperson has to employ effective sales strategies. (to be concluded)