Most businesses have what I called a “sales prevention department.”

It’s not part of anyone’s business plan and no one starts their SP department intentionally, but we all have one. It�s the “department” that sends out the messages that prevent people from spending their money with you.

My personal favorite is a classic and one that you see all the time in front of grocery stores at bus stops…

�No Change Here�

Imagine you’re walking down the street in a new neighborhood and you see a sign that says:

�No Change Here�

The message is clear: we’re not very friendly here. And your reaction to that message will be just as clear: �I don�t want to go in there.�

If you see that sign every day while you’re waiting at the stop, the impression it leaves — that the shop is one that is uninviting and unhelpful — will linger. If you need to purchase a pack of gum or a magazine, you’ll take your business elsewhere.

Over the past two years, I’ve collected the following 24 sales-killing messages from lots of Sales Prevention Departments. Do you recognize any of them from YOUR business:

The “Just Say No” Sales Prevention Department

* We don�t allow ads like yours to placed in that section.
* We don’t accept VISA, MasterCard and American Express.
* We don�t sell to Canada/USA.

The “Catch Us If You Can” Sales Prevention Department

* We don’t have 800 numbers that work for both the U.S. and Canada
* Our telephone prospect/customer put on hold �forever�.
* Our telephone prospect/customer gets busy signal.
* The person who handles that is not here. Can you call back
* We don’t accept orders by fax or e-mail.
* We don’t orders in person.
* We can�t accept your order unless you have an account with us.

The “Pony Express” Sales Prevention Department

* We can�t ship over the border.
* I�m sorry, we only ship UPS � we don�t ship FedEx.
* We only order/ship on Wednesdays!

The “Don’t Quote Me” Sales Prevention Department

* Our price quotes arrive late… or not at all — please call again
* We don’t guarantee our quote
* We don’t guarantee our work, product, or service
* We don’t give demos to our customers/prospects.

The “We’re Not Listening” Sales Prevention Department

* We don’t have the product in stock
* We don’t offer a money-back guarantee
* We’re not offering a payment plan
* We’re not matching our competitor’s price, even though you want us to
* We’re not answering your concerns with our “irresistible offer”

The message from each of these departments is loud, clear and unmistakable:

No Change Here!

The bad news is that the SP Department can never be completely shut down. But don’t despair. With a little bit of attention, you can make your sales prevention departments as small and �ineffective� as possible.

It�s bizarre what people do in business to stop taking money. They find ways to prevent people from giving them money, yet they�re trying like crazy to get new customers. Just cleaning up the sales prevention department alone will mean almost an overnight profits for a lot of businesses.

The lesson: Fire your sales prevention department… or make sure you’re operating with a “bare bones” staff. The fewer SP workers, the better!

Until next time…

Dan Lok

Copyright � 2004, Dan Lok Quick Turn Marketing International, Ltd.
http://www.QuickTurnMarketing.com

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Dan Lok is the World�s First Quick-Turn Marketer, with a proven track record of selling over $17.3 million dollars of merchandise and services. He�s the rebel copywriter who�s created hundreds of money-making ads and sales letter for over 39 different industries. And now you can get inside the head of one of the world�s top copywriters without paying a dime at http://www.QuickTurnMarketing.com
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