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Fast-Casual Brands Outpace Restaurant Industry Growth
Keywords: Restaurants
Sales and unit growth at the country's largest fast-casual chains continue to outpace that for the overall restaurant industry, according to the latest Fast-Casual Top 150 Chain Restaurant Report from Technomic.
The Chicago-based industry research firm found that the 150 largest fast-casual brands combined to grow their sales 8.4 percent to $21.5 billion in 2011, compared with a year earlier. That rate of growth increased from a 6.6-percent gain in 2010. |
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Memorial Day Becoming More of a Prime Shopping Occasion
Keywords: Consumer Behavior
According to findings in two America's Research Group surveys -- conducted in late March and in late April -- the number of Americans delaying their shopping to Memorial Day weekend is at an all-time high.
Based on the surveys, shoppers will approach Memorial Day in keeping with a growing trend towards holding off on shopping until "big" holiday weekends. |
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Hollywood Gets Ready for Summer
Keywords: Movie Theaters
Hollywood is hoping that Friday's opening of "Men In Black 3" will kick off a lucrative summer at the box office, a season that got going early with the tremendous success of the superhero action film "The Avengers."
Hollywood's releases have grossed more than $4 billion in the U.S. and Canada so far this year. That's a 15.7% increase over the same period last year. Theater attendance is also up 18.4% over last year. And the industry is on track to exceed the $4.4 billion earned at theaters last summer by at least $500 million, according to box-office analysts. |
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Research Quick Hits
Home Depot experienced a first-quarter sales increase of almost 6%, led by a long list of strong-performing categories, including mowers, lawn accessories, soils/mulches, exterior paint, windows, fencing and decking products. To read more
Banks are installing a raft of technological advances designed to make transactions more efficient for the declining number of consumers who still use brick-and-mortar branches, while cutting costs at the same time. To read more
Mobile shoppers make a purchase 59% more often than desktop PC shoppers and over a two-year cycle will bring in 32% more profit, according to a new study by Custora Inc., a web and mobile analytics firm that specializes in retail. To read more
Americans plan to travel in slightly higher numbers this summer, according to surveys, starting with the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. To read more
National Marina Day 2012 is set to launch June 9th and more than 105 marinas across 30 states have signed on to participate. The event, which began in the summer of 2001, encourages marinas to open their doors and introduce the community to the boating lifestyle while generating exposure for the marina industry. To read more
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Daily Sales Tip: Don't Try to 'Wing It'
A well-designed and properly rehearsed phone script is a powerful tool for projecting a confident and competent professional image. In addition, a script guarantees that every call is delivered in a consistent and concise manner.
Sales reps that prefer to "wing it" and shoot from the hip, tend to lose focus and are quickly sidetracked down numerous unproductive paths. It's been said that the only thing worse than listening to a salesperson using a phone script, is to listen to one without a script.
Here are some proven tips to help you create a phone script that will keep your appointment calendar full:
1. Write out your entire phone script from hello to goodbye.
2. State your name and organization at the beginning of the call.
3. Timing is everything. Be considerate by asking your prospect if they have a minute to speak with you. If your call is viewed as an interruption, you're dead in the water before you even begin.
If your prospect indicates that it's not a good time for your call, apologize for the interruption and ask them when it would be OK for you to call back.
4. Use a series of open-ended questions to draw your prospect out. Keep in mind when you design your script that your primary goal is not to sell anything, but rather to build rapport, gather information, and make an appointment.
5. People are more comfortable with salespeople who they feel are similar to them. Use your voice to build trust and rapport quickly by "matching and mirroring" your prospect's voice tone, pitch, and pace.
6. Never interrupt your prospect and allow them plenty of time to respond to your questions.
7. Look for opportunities to make an appointment, don't just answer questions. Avoid the temptation to answer all of your prospect's questions over the phone but instead, guide them toward scheduling a face-to-face meeting.
Source: Sales trainer/business motivational speaker John Boe
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