If you are an insurance agent that is looking for insurance leads, more than likely you are looking for policies in the area of auto, home owners, or life insurance. It makes the most sense because this is where the higher commission is.
Due to the fact that most business insurance customers are seeking insurance policies for start up businesses where the premiums are not all that high, the business insurance lead is not highly sought after by insurance professionals.
Also, for these same reasons the customer in need of business insurance has trouble finding someone to fill their business insurance policy for them.
Here is something for Insurance agents to consider when it comes to working with business insurance leads.
If you take the time to help a customer out with their business insurance needs and take the time to build a relationship with them, in no small way will they be overly appreciative of the fact that you took the time to help them.
Remember, you are with them in the beginning and you are a major component for helping them get their fledgling business off the ground. The trust and loyalty they will have in you is second to none.
Because of the relationship and the trust you have built with this customer they will be more than likely, and more than happy to do all of their personal insurance business with you. Which of course leads to life insurance, car insurance, home owners insurance, etc.
Or, at the very least you will have their ear when it comes time to explaining your products and services and the savings that you can offer them.
Also important is finding the right insurance lead company to work with.
Look for the insurance lead companies that sell fresh, real time business insurance leads, and one with which you can start out with a low minimum deposit.
This concept has been tested and has worked for many insurance agents so it may be something you want to consider.
So the next time you find a break in your day or an opening on your calendar, invest in a handful of business insurance leads and see if you can build a relationship with a small business customer.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Bankruptcy and Gift Cards – 4 reasons why retailers should honor gift cards during bankruptcy reorganization
What happens to gift cards when a company files for bankruptcy? The recent bankruptcies of Linens 'n Things, The Sharper Image, and Bombay Company have brought the issue of gift card redemption during bankruptcy to the forefront. With the economic situation expected to worsen in 2008, more retailers are likely to file for bankruptcy, and as expected, consumers with gift cards will be affected.
When you buy a gift card, you become an unsecured creditor to the gift card issuer until you redeem the full value of your gift card (unless it expires or is eaten-up by fees). If the gift card issuer files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, federal law allows the company to stop honoring gift cards. However, the company may petition the bankruptcy court to allow the continued redemption of gift cards.
A company planning to continue in business should make every effort to honor gift cards while under bankruptcy protection. Refusing to accept gift cards is a bad move and could ultimately work against the company since it will only infuriate the very customers it really needs during bankruptcy reorganization. Below are four (4) reasons why continuing the redemption of gift cards under bankruptcy reorganization is a smart move for a retailer:
Maintain Customer Loyalty: If the company plans to stay in business, refusing to accept gift cards will only anger customers, who will feel cheated. This will not only turn away current customers but also drive potential customers to the competition. This is because some aggrieved customers will share their horrible experiences with family members, friends, and coworkers who will likely stay away from the company since they would not like to go through a similar experience. In today’s world where emails spread like viruses, the last thing a company needs is for an email to be circulating about the horrible experience gift card holders went through with the company.
Minimize Competitor Actions: When a company suspends the redemption of gift cards during bankruptcy, it opens the door for the competition to steal its customers. A good example was seen during the recent bankruptcy of The Sharper Image. At the onset of the bankruptcy, the company announced the suspension of gift card redemption. As expected, affected customers reacted negatively to the decision. Brookstone and ThePurePro.com, both competitors to the Sharper Image saw an opportunity to gain more customers so they announced special discounts targeted at The Sharper Image gift card holders. It appears The Sharper Image began to feel the impact of these actions and it later reversed its decision and began accepting gift cards from customers.
Project Business as Usual Image: When a company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it typically proposes a plan of reorganization to keep its business alive. This plan may include selling, closing, or consolidating some store locations. For the stores locations that remain open, it is important to project an image of business as usual.
When you buy a gift card, you become an unsecured creditor to the gift card issuer until you redeem the full value of your gift card (unless it expires or is eaten-up by fees). If the gift card issuer files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, federal law allows the company to stop honoring gift cards. However, the company may petition the bankruptcy court to allow the continued redemption of gift cards.
A company planning to continue in business should make every effort to honor gift cards while under bankruptcy protection. Refusing to accept gift cards is a bad move and could ultimately work against the company since it will only infuriate the very customers it really needs during bankruptcy reorganization. Below are four (4) reasons why continuing the redemption of gift cards under bankruptcy reorganization is a smart move for a retailer:
Maintain Customer Loyalty: If the company plans to stay in business, refusing to accept gift cards will only anger customers, who will feel cheated. This will not only turn away current customers but also drive potential customers to the competition. This is because some aggrieved customers will share their horrible experiences with family members, friends, and coworkers who will likely stay away from the company since they would not like to go through a similar experience. In today’s world where emails spread like viruses, the last thing a company needs is for an email to be circulating about the horrible experience gift card holders went through with the company.
Minimize Competitor Actions: When a company suspends the redemption of gift cards during bankruptcy, it opens the door for the competition to steal its customers. A good example was seen during the recent bankruptcy of The Sharper Image. At the onset of the bankruptcy, the company announced the suspension of gift card redemption. As expected, affected customers reacted negatively to the decision. Brookstone and ThePurePro.com, both competitors to the Sharper Image saw an opportunity to gain more customers so they announced special discounts targeted at The Sharper Image gift card holders. It appears The Sharper Image began to feel the impact of these actions and it later reversed its decision and began accepting gift cards from customers.
Project Business as Usual Image: When a company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it typically proposes a plan of reorganization to keep its business alive. This plan may include selling, closing, or consolidating some store locations. For the stores locations that remain open, it is important to project an image of business as usual.
Stop Selling! Build Relationships and They Will Buy.
Let's face it, people buy from people, particularly people they trust and like - people who remind them of themselves. This is the foundation of a relationship. Therefore it is important for you, as a sales professional, to learn how to quickly build rapport and gain that trust.
In order to build a relationship, there are a number of factors to consider - one must be to first establish trust. Trust can be established in a number of ways but the quickest way is through building rapport.
Once rapport is established, and the prospect trusts you, you can proceed to ask questions and get information. Without trust, the prospect will not answer any questions. This is the most important first step in the selling process you are about to discover, the ABC, 123 Sales Results System.
In contemporary use, "building rapport" refers to achieving a sense of relationship, agreement, and harmony. However, the word "rapport" actually derives from Old French and means "to bring back". In sales, the concept of "bringing back" is key to what is meant by "building rapport."
Building rapport is an ongoing process that is only beginning early in the sales effort. Therefore, you will have both short-range and longer-range objectives for building rapport.
Short-Range Objectives
These are some typical short-range objectives for building rapport.
* Make the prospect comfortable in the sales situation.
* Begin to find out why the prospect is there — gain a sense of the prospect's need and how you can learn more about that need.
* Ensure that you will be able to continue the sales effort beyond its opening moments.
Objectives such as these must be met if you expect the prospect to be around long enough for you to earn the right to proceed.
Longer-Range Objectives
Here are some typical longer-range objectives for building rapport.
* Gain attention so that you are able to begin a dialogue with the prospect.
* Begin building a foundation of rapport between yourself and the prospect — the sense of "harmony, affinity, and agreement" that is key to your success.
* Earn the right to proceed — ensuring that the prospect will stay with you (and return if necessary), thus positioning yourself to learn about the prospect's need and complete the sale.
A key point about building rapport is that it is an ongoing process that is only beginning early in the sales effort. But it is by far the most important first step to building long term relationships.
Keep in mind that people by people first - if they buy you, they trust you, a relationship begins. You job as a sales professional is then to maintain that relationship and start to create a secondary sales force through word of mouth - the greatest referral program going. So, stop selling and start building relationships.
In order to build a relationship, there are a number of factors to consider - one must be to first establish trust. Trust can be established in a number of ways but the quickest way is through building rapport.
Once rapport is established, and the prospect trusts you, you can proceed to ask questions and get information. Without trust, the prospect will not answer any questions. This is the most important first step in the selling process you are about to discover, the ABC, 123 Sales Results System.
In contemporary use, "building rapport" refers to achieving a sense of relationship, agreement, and harmony. However, the word "rapport" actually derives from Old French and means "to bring back". In sales, the concept of "bringing back" is key to what is meant by "building rapport."
Building rapport is an ongoing process that is only beginning early in the sales effort. Therefore, you will have both short-range and longer-range objectives for building rapport.
Short-Range Objectives
These are some typical short-range objectives for building rapport.
* Make the prospect comfortable in the sales situation.
* Begin to find out why the prospect is there — gain a sense of the prospect's need and how you can learn more about that need.
* Ensure that you will be able to continue the sales effort beyond its opening moments.
Objectives such as these must be met if you expect the prospect to be around long enough for you to earn the right to proceed.
Longer-Range Objectives
Here are some typical longer-range objectives for building rapport.
* Gain attention so that you are able to begin a dialogue with the prospect.
* Begin building a foundation of rapport between yourself and the prospect — the sense of "harmony, affinity, and agreement" that is key to your success.
* Earn the right to proceed — ensuring that the prospect will stay with you (and return if necessary), thus positioning yourself to learn about the prospect's need and complete the sale.
A key point about building rapport is that it is an ongoing process that is only beginning early in the sales effort. But it is by far the most important first step to building long term relationships.
Keep in mind that people by people first - if they buy you, they trust you, a relationship begins. You job as a sales professional is then to maintain that relationship and start to create a secondary sales force through word of mouth - the greatest referral program going. So, stop selling and start building relationships.
One reason to choose Rainforest holdings is "Customers Service"
Rainforest Holdings is the name that will help you in order to get your dream home in India. Getting a home of your own might be the biggest wish of your life and you might be looking to fulfill this desire as soon as possible. If you are one of those persons, then you must come to Rainforest Holdings as they can provide you some of the very best options that you can get yourself benefited from.
The first and the foremost thing that makes it essential to go to Rainforest holdings is their customer service. This company has really given the new direction to the concept of customer service and has taken it to another level. It is the level of service that has enabled them to cope with the bulging pressure and competition of the market. They have really surpassed all of their competitors, especially when it comes to customer service. However, customer service is not the only thing that you will be getting at Rainforest holdings; rather it is the one thing among the many others.
When you will go to this company, they will treat you in best of manner and will provide you all necessary help to start with. The best thing that they do is that they pay utmost attention to the requirements that a person might be having. By harking on what they have in mind, they try their level best to come up with the solution. These people can really help you in all regards, especially when there is customer who is not sure about what should be the best option for him to go for.
They can console all of their customers and let them choose among different available choices. If a customer has some specific requirements about the location, it’s well and good as they will proceed with that and will inform you about the different housing options at that place. However, if you are not quite sue as where should you go for your new house, then they will give you proper time and will elaborate as what are the available places and what are the pros and cons in living there? You can be a judge by yourself as the final decision will be yours.
Once these formalities are done, you can go for a visit to the place to see as what in reality are you going to buy? Here, they will stay in your close proximity and will let you know about the reason as why this place is best for you. When you will finalize that they will also provide you a great help with the transfer of ownership.
As there are quite some technicalities that are need to be considered when going for a house or property in India, so, they will provide you with their own solicitors which will help you through rest of the process until you gets the documental evidence of your ownership. Now, you can imagine that why these guys are the best in business.
The first and the foremost thing that makes it essential to go to Rainforest holdings is their customer service. This company has really given the new direction to the concept of customer service and has taken it to another level. It is the level of service that has enabled them to cope with the bulging pressure and competition of the market. They have really surpassed all of their competitors, especially when it comes to customer service. However, customer service is not the only thing that you will be getting at Rainforest holdings; rather it is the one thing among the many others.
When you will go to this company, they will treat you in best of manner and will provide you all necessary help to start with. The best thing that they do is that they pay utmost attention to the requirements that a person might be having. By harking on what they have in mind, they try their level best to come up with the solution. These people can really help you in all regards, especially when there is customer who is not sure about what should be the best option for him to go for.
They can console all of their customers and let them choose among different available choices. If a customer has some specific requirements about the location, it’s well and good as they will proceed with that and will inform you about the different housing options at that place. However, if you are not quite sue as where should you go for your new house, then they will give you proper time and will elaborate as what are the available places and what are the pros and cons in living there? You can be a judge by yourself as the final decision will be yours.
Once these formalities are done, you can go for a visit to the place to see as what in reality are you going to buy? Here, they will stay in your close proximity and will let you know about the reason as why this place is best for you. When you will finalize that they will also provide you a great help with the transfer of ownership.
As there are quite some technicalities that are need to be considered when going for a house or property in India, so, they will provide you with their own solicitors which will help you through rest of the process until you gets the documental evidence of your ownership. Now, you can imagine that why these guys are the best in business.
The Second Two Steps to Success in any Field
In this articles I am revealing what years of research has proven to be true: there are six areas that virtually all top producers excel in. These isolated traits or areas of excellence, as I like to call them, are statistically sound and exist in nearly all successful people. Here are numbers three and four:
3. ATTITUDE & MIND-SET. In my experiences as a trainer and coach (and former counselor and hypnotist), I would venture to say that the vast majority of folks with unfulfilled dreams (unmet goals) are suffering in this area. Jeez, I could spend hours talking about this…oh wait, I actually DO! With the exception of one text-like book, all of my other books focus hugely on this enormously important facet of success (and life, for that matter). You see, if your attitude is not right, nothing else will be either. I happen to be a big proponent of the idea that what you focus on expands: what you think about all the time is sure to pass. It’s quantum physics and beyond debate. Here’s the problem I see with people who fail most miserably: they refuse to take responsibility for their lot in life. Sure, maybe you had a mean mom who favored your sister or maybe you got hurt badly in another way—no matter. In this lifetime it’s important to understand that ALL OF US have suffered some injustice or another, and so what?
Who cares if your injury was worse than mine? What IS important is how each of us DEALT with what our lives had delivered to us. We all have the same choice: deal with things and move on, or sit and sulk and reminisce about how terrible our life has been. In all the clients I have had the pleasure to coach in various industries and walks of life, I could always tell which ones would succeed and which ones would fail. The ones who were willing to take responsibility for their lives up until that point had potentially promising futures, whereas, those who insisted they were victims of someone else’s action were likely going to remain in failure mode.
The road to success has no room for the blame game or the pity parade. Your thoughts are alive with energy constantly pulling more of the same quality back into your life. If you think toxic thoughts, you’ll get toxic results. If, on the other hand, you fill your mind with the infinite possibilities available to you this very moment in time…you will begin to attract a myriad of people, circumstances and ideas that will serve you beyond your wildest dreams!
Well there you have the first three areas of excellence for successful people. In the follow up article (Part II), I’ll cover the last three. For now, focus on these first three and you will be well on your way to a life of joy, success and prosperity.
4. EXCELLENT ORGANIZATION is next. Recently I read where a very rich money-making diva said, "Money doesn’t come to chaos." And I immediately cleaned my desk. The funny thing is that once I organized my office, I noticed my efforts being streamlined; I could easily find what I was looking for and the neatness of my desk and office somehow seemed to make me feel more grounded and in charge of my day. Top producers understand that organization is key to success. And, if they tend to hate paperwork, cleaning or filing, they delegate it to someone else. It makes perfect sense that in order to work effectively and efficiently, we’ve got to start with a clean palate (or desk or car or calendar). Only then can we identify how we spend our time, schedule in more money-making activities and delegate out the things that bore us to tears.
Obviously, there is more to organization then can possibly be explained and described in this short articles, but there are, after all, numerous books and programs on this very topic. Automation and effective systems are key to organization, but ultimately, a clear mind with a solid intent is the first step.
3. ATTITUDE & MIND-SET. In my experiences as a trainer and coach (and former counselor and hypnotist), I would venture to say that the vast majority of folks with unfulfilled dreams (unmet goals) are suffering in this area. Jeez, I could spend hours talking about this…oh wait, I actually DO! With the exception of one text-like book, all of my other books focus hugely on this enormously important facet of success (and life, for that matter). You see, if your attitude is not right, nothing else will be either. I happen to be a big proponent of the idea that what you focus on expands: what you think about all the time is sure to pass. It’s quantum physics and beyond debate. Here’s the problem I see with people who fail most miserably: they refuse to take responsibility for their lot in life. Sure, maybe you had a mean mom who favored your sister or maybe you got hurt badly in another way—no matter. In this lifetime it’s important to understand that ALL OF US have suffered some injustice or another, and so what?
Who cares if your injury was worse than mine? What IS important is how each of us DEALT with what our lives had delivered to us. We all have the same choice: deal with things and move on, or sit and sulk and reminisce about how terrible our life has been. In all the clients I have had the pleasure to coach in various industries and walks of life, I could always tell which ones would succeed and which ones would fail. The ones who were willing to take responsibility for their lives up until that point had potentially promising futures, whereas, those who insisted they were victims of someone else’s action were likely going to remain in failure mode.
The road to success has no room for the blame game or the pity parade. Your thoughts are alive with energy constantly pulling more of the same quality back into your life. If you think toxic thoughts, you’ll get toxic results. If, on the other hand, you fill your mind with the infinite possibilities available to you this very moment in time…you will begin to attract a myriad of people, circumstances and ideas that will serve you beyond your wildest dreams!
Well there you have the first three areas of excellence for successful people. In the follow up article (Part II), I’ll cover the last three. For now, focus on these first three and you will be well on your way to a life of joy, success and prosperity.
4. EXCELLENT ORGANIZATION is next. Recently I read where a very rich money-making diva said, "Money doesn’t come to chaos." And I immediately cleaned my desk. The funny thing is that once I organized my office, I noticed my efforts being streamlined; I could easily find what I was looking for and the neatness of my desk and office somehow seemed to make me feel more grounded and in charge of my day. Top producers understand that organization is key to success. And, if they tend to hate paperwork, cleaning or filing, they delegate it to someone else. It makes perfect sense that in order to work effectively and efficiently, we’ve got to start with a clean palate (or desk or car or calendar). Only then can we identify how we spend our time, schedule in more money-making activities and delegate out the things that bore us to tears.
Obviously, there is more to organization then can possibly be explained and described in this short articles, but there are, after all, numerous books and programs on this very topic. Automation and effective systems are key to organization, but ultimately, a clear mind with a solid intent is the first step.
Stop Selling! Learn How To Ask For Sales Referrals.
Sales professionals work too hard. Stop selling! Let your customers sell for you through sales referrals. But first you need to learn how and when to ask.
With a referral, there is instant trust and your selling cycle time is reduced. The time it takes the referral to buy is usually much less than any other lead source. What this really means is less hassle and more sales.
You can ask anyone for a sales referral. In the Business to Business world, that usually means clients and prospects. Clients are the best referral source because they know you and they know your products or services. Never miss a chance to ask a happy client for a referral, and a testimonial letter while you are at it.
You can also ask prospects. Suppose you call a prospect only to discover that your product or service doesn't match a need. You can still ask for a sales referral at the end of your call. What's the worst that can happen? They say "no." No big deal. Move on. But sometimes, just sometimes, they provide you with a name. And that's a great start.
Ask for sales referrals at the end of your visit or contact. AFTER you have completed your primary objective. Sales referrals seem easy enough but there is a bit finesse required. Here's how NOT to ask for a referral: "Jim, do you know of anyone who might be interested in my services?"
This is NOT the recommended method because it is far too easy for your customer or prospect to say, "Ahh...no." The 'no' that they give you is often reflexive in nature; an automatic response to a closed ended question. In other words, they respond negatively out of habit. You could be missing tons of opportunities.
The BETTER way to ask for the sales referral is this: "Sandy, can you give me a name or two of someone you know who might be interested in these types of products?"
The difference is subtle but significant. By asking for a "name", your client has to THINK about names. It is not quite as easy to give you a dismissive "no." Usually, they tend to do a mental scan of friends and associates. This scanning pause helps reduce the automatic, reflexive 'no' response.
Of course, they can and sometimes will, say "no." But by asking for a name you increase your odds and improve the chance for success. It is as simple as the ABC, 123 Sales Results System found in the book Up Your Bottom Line.
Oh, one other point - sales referrals demonstrate good behaviour. Make sure that those giving you referrals also get rewarded. Remember, any behaviour that gets recognized or rewarded gets repeated. Ask about our referral reward program, and let me know what yours is so that I too can help you get more business.
With a referral, there is instant trust and your selling cycle time is reduced. The time it takes the referral to buy is usually much less than any other lead source. What this really means is less hassle and more sales.
You can ask anyone for a sales referral. In the Business to Business world, that usually means clients and prospects. Clients are the best referral source because they know you and they know your products or services. Never miss a chance to ask a happy client for a referral, and a testimonial letter while you are at it.
You can also ask prospects. Suppose you call a prospect only to discover that your product or service doesn't match a need. You can still ask for a sales referral at the end of your call. What's the worst that can happen? They say "no." No big deal. Move on. But sometimes, just sometimes, they provide you with a name. And that's a great start.
Ask for sales referrals at the end of your visit or contact. AFTER you have completed your primary objective. Sales referrals seem easy enough but there is a bit finesse required. Here's how NOT to ask for a referral: "Jim, do you know of anyone who might be interested in my services?"
This is NOT the recommended method because it is far too easy for your customer or prospect to say, "Ahh...no." The 'no' that they give you is often reflexive in nature; an automatic response to a closed ended question. In other words, they respond negatively out of habit. You could be missing tons of opportunities.
The BETTER way to ask for the sales referral is this: "Sandy, can you give me a name or two of someone you know who might be interested in these types of products?"
The difference is subtle but significant. By asking for a "name", your client has to THINK about names. It is not quite as easy to give you a dismissive "no." Usually, they tend to do a mental scan of friends and associates. This scanning pause helps reduce the automatic, reflexive 'no' response.
Of course, they can and sometimes will, say "no." But by asking for a name you increase your odds and improve the chance for success. It is as simple as the ABC, 123 Sales Results System found in the book Up Your Bottom Line.
Oh, one other point - sales referrals demonstrate good behaviour. Make sure that those giving you referrals also get rewarded. Remember, any behaviour that gets recognized or rewarded gets repeated. Ask about our referral reward program, and let me know what yours is so that I too can help you get more business.
Sales and marketing 12 Top Tips
1 - Business Blogging helps to communicate a business' brand message. Every business has a brand message and image in the eyes of consumers.
2 - The subscription must be for free of course because people like it that way.
3 - Pay per Click search engine advertising is perfect for almost any business. You can also test results for just 50 100 and get results within a week.
4 - One way of attracting prospects is by having a "marketing hook." A marketing hook is something to grab the attention and spark the interest of a casual browser.
5 - Link away. The more links you have, the higher your ranking will be. Linking to other websites will most definitely affect the way your website is ranked by search engines, but NOT always in a beneficial way.
6 - Email marketing enables you to proactively communicate with your existing customers and prospects instead of passively waiting for them to return to your Web site or storefront
7 - Conduct a SWOT analysis for your business so you know which strengths to focus on, weaknesses to improve and threats to foresee. Being aware of these will help you increase future sales as you are able to strategize your plans and marketing decisions more strategically.
8 - When delivering a pitch, be specific. Believe it or not, customers like statistics because it tells them your reputation and experience in the industry. They can't buy when they don't trust you or know your history.
9 - Make sure your products are easily accessible and available.
10 - In your networks or website, find a defined branding and build your credibility on that.
11 - For every query that you attend to and for every answer that you send out, be personal.
12 - It is very important to note, though, that submitting your website to be linked to other websites randomly could hurt your website's ranking. You should only submit your website to directories or listings that are connected or are relevant to what you are offering to be able to properly achieve off-page optimization.
2 - The subscription must be for free of course because people like it that way.
3 - Pay per Click search engine advertising is perfect for almost any business. You can also test results for just 50 100 and get results within a week.
4 - One way of attracting prospects is by having a "marketing hook." A marketing hook is something to grab the attention and spark the interest of a casual browser.
5 - Link away. The more links you have, the higher your ranking will be. Linking to other websites will most definitely affect the way your website is ranked by search engines, but NOT always in a beneficial way.
6 - Email marketing enables you to proactively communicate with your existing customers and prospects instead of passively waiting for them to return to your Web site or storefront
7 - Conduct a SWOT analysis for your business so you know which strengths to focus on, weaknesses to improve and threats to foresee. Being aware of these will help you increase future sales as you are able to strategize your plans and marketing decisions more strategically.
8 - When delivering a pitch, be specific. Believe it or not, customers like statistics because it tells them your reputation and experience in the industry. They can't buy when they don't trust you or know your history.
9 - Make sure your products are easily accessible and available.
10 - In your networks or website, find a defined branding and build your credibility on that.
11 - For every query that you attend to and for every answer that you send out, be personal.
12 - It is very important to note, though, that submitting your website to be linked to other websites randomly could hurt your website's ranking. You should only submit your website to directories or listings that are connected or are relevant to what you are offering to be able to properly achieve off-page optimization.
Unscrupulous Competitors
It seems the world is filled with unscrupulous competitors.
Last week, during my Sales Training Boot Camp, someone asked this question.
"The products we sell are made from petroleum based raw materials and our material costs have skyrocketed 40% this year - how do we pass this on to our customers?"
And then there was a part B to the question. "How do we pass this on to our customers when our major competitor is holding steady with their prices?"
Well there are all kinds of possibilities to consider. The competitor may be selling from excess inventory and can afford to hold prices for a while.
They can be deliberately low-balling their prices to gain market share.
They could be doing a salesamadazzle - I made that up - keeping prices low for the short term and then raising them, once they have the bsuiness, for the long term.
Have you been to a gas station lately?
Have you been to a supermarket lately.
Have you received your homeowners insurance bill lately?
Have you looked at the interest rates on your credit cards lately?
What they all have in common are rising prices. These higher prices are being passed on to you because the seller's costs are going up.
There are no quick and easy ways for salespeople to pass price increases to customers. But you have to make a profit and companies who don't make a profit can go out of business - have you been reading the newspapers lately?
So one option is to build a case for your customers. Offer evidence showing how much your raw material costs are going up. Offer more proof about how your company is decreasing and even eliminating some costs of manufacturing.
Your customers won't like it but you'll be in a much better position if your customers understand the reasons why.
What if you're dealing with unscrupulous competitors? These unscrupulous competitors are telling your customers they will not pass their higher cost of raw materials to their customers.
What are these unscrupulous competitors really saying?
Are they saying they won't be raising prices today?
Are they saying they won't be raising prices tomorrow?
Are they saying they won't be raising prices ever?
Your competitors aren't magicians. They can't keep swallowing rapidly rising raw material costs.
Sooner or later and it's probably closer to sooner than later - they'll have to raise their prices.
Let your customers know you're put in a Catch 22 position. If you raise your prices you may lose the business. If you don't raise your prices your company becomes unprofitable.
If you're competing against an unscrupulous competitor, it's possible they'll take your business and then raise their prices.
Ask your customer if he's getting a written commitment and a specific time frame for the lower pricing.
Ask your customer if he has included penalty clauses if terms of the contract are broken or changed.
Last week, during my Sales Training Boot Camp, someone asked this question.
"The products we sell are made from petroleum based raw materials and our material costs have skyrocketed 40% this year - how do we pass this on to our customers?"
And then there was a part B to the question. "How do we pass this on to our customers when our major competitor is holding steady with their prices?"
Well there are all kinds of possibilities to consider. The competitor may be selling from excess inventory and can afford to hold prices for a while.
They can be deliberately low-balling their prices to gain market share.
They could be doing a salesamadazzle - I made that up - keeping prices low for the short term and then raising them, once they have the bsuiness, for the long term.
Have you been to a gas station lately?
Have you been to a supermarket lately.
Have you received your homeowners insurance bill lately?
Have you looked at the interest rates on your credit cards lately?
What they all have in common are rising prices. These higher prices are being passed on to you because the seller's costs are going up.
There are no quick and easy ways for salespeople to pass price increases to customers. But you have to make a profit and companies who don't make a profit can go out of business - have you been reading the newspapers lately?
So one option is to build a case for your customers. Offer evidence showing how much your raw material costs are going up. Offer more proof about how your company is decreasing and even eliminating some costs of manufacturing.
Your customers won't like it but you'll be in a much better position if your customers understand the reasons why.
What if you're dealing with unscrupulous competitors? These unscrupulous competitors are telling your customers they will not pass their higher cost of raw materials to their customers.
What are these unscrupulous competitors really saying?
Are they saying they won't be raising prices today?
Are they saying they won't be raising prices tomorrow?
Are they saying they won't be raising prices ever?
Your competitors aren't magicians. They can't keep swallowing rapidly rising raw material costs.
Sooner or later and it's probably closer to sooner than later - they'll have to raise their prices.
Let your customers know you're put in a Catch 22 position. If you raise your prices you may lose the business. If you don't raise your prices your company becomes unprofitable.
If you're competing against an unscrupulous competitor, it's possible they'll take your business and then raise their prices.
Ask your customer if he's getting a written commitment and a specific time frame for the lower pricing.
Ask your customer if he has included penalty clauses if terms of the contract are broken or changed.
Sales Management Training: Protect Your Company from (Sales) Identity Theft in 3 Simple Steps…
Business Development Officer? Business Procurement Specialist? Did you know these types of titles for salespeople can ultimately rob your organization?
As a Sales Management Training Consultant, I often notice business cards from salespeople with titles that require some effort to decipher. As I inquire further about their role, eventually it pops out – "I’m in sales". It makes me wonder, when did "Sales" become a five letter word that can no longer show up on one’s business card? It gets deeper…
Building high performance sales organizations is my specialty. Much of my success is a result of a startling discovery made years ago – there is no proven correlation between Personality and Sales Productivity. This discovery enabled me to lead a team that transformed a $40B business unit into a $60B business unit in 18 months for a Fortune Global 500 company. How? We recognized anyone can succeed in sales despite personality. Sales is simple if you learn how to master sales behavior intelligence and develop your salespeople accordingly. Sales is about behavior and our proven sales system is built on the 25 behaviors that is proven to impact sales productivity – Sales Identity is one of the behaviors we measure.
What is Sales Identity?
Sales Identity measures a salesperson’s pride of the sales profession. If a person views selling as noble, they are considered to have a strong Sales Identity. The opposite is true for those who view a sales position as something to be ashamed of, they are considered to have a weak Sales Identity.
Selling is noble, we all sell everyday whether we realize it or not. However, selling is often perceived negatively because of bad experiences. To some degree, society tends to cast a negative light on people in the sales profession. Due to the strength of society’s misguided views, some sales professionals feel shame and are compelled to hide their sales position and adopt deflected titles such as, "Business Development Officers" or "Procurement Specialists". Such behavior is proven to be costly, read on...
Some people refuse to accept the notion of selling altogether, even though they are in fact trying to close a deal. A classic example…
Recently I was on a flight to a sales conference in Atlanta and I struck up a conversation with the gentleman next to me. Our idle chit chat led into a careers conversation. He shared with me how he worked for a major home improvement company in charge of the distribution centers in 4 states in the South and Southwest. After explaining my role as a Sales Management Training Consultant and how I help sales teams and salespeople. He immediately responded with "I could never be a salesperson!" We continued our conversation and he explained to me that he was preparing for a major presentation with the Executive Team of the company because he felt he needed an additional $3 Million allocated to his budget for the following year. He went on to demonstrate to me how the organization "would ultimately benefit from the additional spend with a better Return on Investment (ROI)…"
As he was explaining this to me, I began to smile and chuckle. Initially, he probably thought I was being rude. Then I asked him "So, you are trying to convince the Executive Team to give you an additional $3 million for your budget, correct?" "Yes." He replied. I then added "And you can support the benefits of doing so, correct?" "Yes" he replied again. "Are you sure you’re not a salesperson?" He sat back in his chair and smiled, I could see the light bulb turn on. My point dawned on him. I eventually gave him some coaching on how to think more like a salesperson and improve his sales presentation.
Why Measure Sales Identity?
Measuring Sales Identity can ultimately save your organization a substantial amount of money long term. How? Organizations all over the globe are challenged to hire high performance salespeople, not doing so can be costly in terms of sales results, hiring and training costs. Recent studies show, the average cost of hiring a poor performing salesperson has swelled to over $100,000/year. Think about it, how much are hiring mistakes costing you?
Research shows – salespeople with weak Sales Identity will under perform within 6 months of joining an organization and ultimately "self select" out of the sales profession within 18 - 24 months. In fact, we found people with weak Sales Identity prefer to apply for "sales" positions with deflected titles because they insinuate less sales accountability.
Unless detected, salespeople with weak Sales Identity will struggle and steal valuable resources from your organization via increased turnover, higher training costs and poor sales results. Here are 3 simple steps to protect your organization going forward:
Step 1: Remove the Identity Crisis A surefire way to jeopardize long term sales productivity is to have your organization struggle through a sales identity crisis. If the role is a sales role – title it as such. Top performing salespeople absolutely love sales and prefer to be called – Sales Representatives. Having deflected titles attracts weaker performers who will struggle to get out of the ranks of mediocrity long term.
Step 2: Monitor Your "Motivational" Costs with Sales Reps If you find your sales organization spending more time on motivating sales reps within the 6 – 24 month window of being hired, you may have a Sales Identity issue. Depending upon the severity, there may be hope.
Step 3: Know What You’re Hiring, Prior to Making the Offer Hiring mistakes pertaining to sales positions can be costly! Use an assessment tool that measures the Sales Identity of your candidates prior to hire.
As a Sales Management Training Consultant, I often notice business cards from salespeople with titles that require some effort to decipher. As I inquire further about their role, eventually it pops out – "I’m in sales". It makes me wonder, when did "Sales" become a five letter word that can no longer show up on one’s business card? It gets deeper…
Building high performance sales organizations is my specialty. Much of my success is a result of a startling discovery made years ago – there is no proven correlation between Personality and Sales Productivity. This discovery enabled me to lead a team that transformed a $40B business unit into a $60B business unit in 18 months for a Fortune Global 500 company. How? We recognized anyone can succeed in sales despite personality. Sales is simple if you learn how to master sales behavior intelligence and develop your salespeople accordingly. Sales is about behavior and our proven sales system is built on the 25 behaviors that is proven to impact sales productivity – Sales Identity is one of the behaviors we measure.
What is Sales Identity?
Sales Identity measures a salesperson’s pride of the sales profession. If a person views selling as noble, they are considered to have a strong Sales Identity. The opposite is true for those who view a sales position as something to be ashamed of, they are considered to have a weak Sales Identity.
Selling is noble, we all sell everyday whether we realize it or not. However, selling is often perceived negatively because of bad experiences. To some degree, society tends to cast a negative light on people in the sales profession. Due to the strength of society’s misguided views, some sales professionals feel shame and are compelled to hide their sales position and adopt deflected titles such as, "Business Development Officers" or "Procurement Specialists". Such behavior is proven to be costly, read on...
Some people refuse to accept the notion of selling altogether, even though they are in fact trying to close a deal. A classic example…
Recently I was on a flight to a sales conference in Atlanta and I struck up a conversation with the gentleman next to me. Our idle chit chat led into a careers conversation. He shared with me how he worked for a major home improvement company in charge of the distribution centers in 4 states in the South and Southwest. After explaining my role as a Sales Management Training Consultant and how I help sales teams and salespeople. He immediately responded with "I could never be a salesperson!" We continued our conversation and he explained to me that he was preparing for a major presentation with the Executive Team of the company because he felt he needed an additional $3 Million allocated to his budget for the following year. He went on to demonstrate to me how the organization "would ultimately benefit from the additional spend with a better Return on Investment (ROI)…"
As he was explaining this to me, I began to smile and chuckle. Initially, he probably thought I was being rude. Then I asked him "So, you are trying to convince the Executive Team to give you an additional $3 million for your budget, correct?" "Yes." He replied. I then added "And you can support the benefits of doing so, correct?" "Yes" he replied again. "Are you sure you’re not a salesperson?" He sat back in his chair and smiled, I could see the light bulb turn on. My point dawned on him. I eventually gave him some coaching on how to think more like a salesperson and improve his sales presentation.
Why Measure Sales Identity?
Measuring Sales Identity can ultimately save your organization a substantial amount of money long term. How? Organizations all over the globe are challenged to hire high performance salespeople, not doing so can be costly in terms of sales results, hiring and training costs. Recent studies show, the average cost of hiring a poor performing salesperson has swelled to over $100,000/year. Think about it, how much are hiring mistakes costing you?
Research shows – salespeople with weak Sales Identity will under perform within 6 months of joining an organization and ultimately "self select" out of the sales profession within 18 - 24 months. In fact, we found people with weak Sales Identity prefer to apply for "sales" positions with deflected titles because they insinuate less sales accountability.
Unless detected, salespeople with weak Sales Identity will struggle and steal valuable resources from your organization via increased turnover, higher training costs and poor sales results. Here are 3 simple steps to protect your organization going forward:
Step 1: Remove the Identity Crisis A surefire way to jeopardize long term sales productivity is to have your organization struggle through a sales identity crisis. If the role is a sales role – title it as such. Top performing salespeople absolutely love sales and prefer to be called – Sales Representatives. Having deflected titles attracts weaker performers who will struggle to get out of the ranks of mediocrity long term.
Step 2: Monitor Your "Motivational" Costs with Sales Reps If you find your sales organization spending more time on motivating sales reps within the 6 – 24 month window of being hired, you may have a Sales Identity issue. Depending upon the severity, there may be hope.
Step 3: Know What You’re Hiring, Prior to Making the Offer Hiring mistakes pertaining to sales positions can be costly! Use an assessment tool that measures the Sales Identity of your candidates prior to hire.
The Key to High Sales Productivity
One of the issues most often raised by my clients is better time management. People have tried prioritizing tasks, blocking out parts of their day for certain tasks, implementing new systems and getting better at delegation. While all of those things can make a difference, there is something else that will have an even greater impact on your sales productivity. The key to high sales productivity is energy management more so than time management.
Let me start to explain this concept by way of an example. A couple of years ago, a client was frustrated with his productivity. He had just come back from vacation and wondered to me why he couldn’t be as productive on his return as he had been on the day before he left. On the day before he left, he was a whirlwind of activity - plowing through the important phone calls that had to be made, responding to all the important emails on his computer, and clearing his desk of all the paperwork that needed his attention. By the end of the day, everything important had been attended to. He had had one of his most productive days. But upon his return, he had fallen back into his routine – productive, but not highly productive. He wanted to know how, or if, he could be highly productive on a daily basis. The answer is yes and no…
The reason for each answer has to do with energy management. Good energy management can allow you to be highly productive on a regular basis and poor energy management can keep you at average productivity or worse. Everything we do – from making sales calls to conducting meetings and presentations to attending little league games – requires energy. Most of us fail to take into account the importance that energy plays in our lives. Without the right amount of energy, properly focused and applied, we simply can’t be as productive as we could be. Certainly, even with a poor level of energy, we can be productive – most everyone is. We’re just not highly productive. Think about your day. Do you get up feeling tired? Do you put yourself on "cruise control" with a steady flow of caffeine throughout the day? Is your mental capacity diminished by mid-afternoon? Are you too tired to be active with family or outside interests in the evening?
Energy management has even greater impact than just physically getting through the day. I don’t know about you, but when most people get tired their creativity drops, their persistence abandons them, and they get a bit edgy and less tolerant of people and challenges. A drop of energy impacts virtually every area of our lives.
Another critical key to effective energy management is to understand the many positive implications of stretching our abilities and then taking time to recover and rejuvenate. Regular recovery and rejuvenation are essential to becoming highly productive. I can’t stress enough the impact that regular - often daily - rejuvenation can have on your energy, attitude, creativity, enthusiasm, and spirit.
Let’s get back to the client example I started this article with. My client wanted to know how, or if, he could be as highly productive on a daily basis as he was on the day before his vacation, and my answer was yes and no. The yes part of the answer is that you can be highly productive on a regular basis, day after day, by managing your energy and the things that influence it. On the other hand (the no part of the answer) it’s impossible to be highly productive without allowing your body, mind, emotions and spirit to recover and rejuvenate regularly. Remember, when we’re tired we tend to slow down, make more mistakes and have a harder time being creative. After all, the main reason vacations exist is to allow us to recover and rejuvenate. You can accomplish more, with less effort and more creativity by backing off from time to time to recharge. Choosing how and when to recharge throughout the week is another story…
To recap what we’ve discussed in this article, the key to being highly productive in sales (or in any endeavor for that matter) is to manage your energy. By attending to your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs you can accomplish more with more enthusiasm, more creative and more enjoyment than you ever have before.
Let me start to explain this concept by way of an example. A couple of years ago, a client was frustrated with his productivity. He had just come back from vacation and wondered to me why he couldn’t be as productive on his return as he had been on the day before he left. On the day before he left, he was a whirlwind of activity - plowing through the important phone calls that had to be made, responding to all the important emails on his computer, and clearing his desk of all the paperwork that needed his attention. By the end of the day, everything important had been attended to. He had had one of his most productive days. But upon his return, he had fallen back into his routine – productive, but not highly productive. He wanted to know how, or if, he could be highly productive on a daily basis. The answer is yes and no…
The reason for each answer has to do with energy management. Good energy management can allow you to be highly productive on a regular basis and poor energy management can keep you at average productivity or worse. Everything we do – from making sales calls to conducting meetings and presentations to attending little league games – requires energy. Most of us fail to take into account the importance that energy plays in our lives. Without the right amount of energy, properly focused and applied, we simply can’t be as productive as we could be. Certainly, even with a poor level of energy, we can be productive – most everyone is. We’re just not highly productive. Think about your day. Do you get up feeling tired? Do you put yourself on "cruise control" with a steady flow of caffeine throughout the day? Is your mental capacity diminished by mid-afternoon? Are you too tired to be active with family or outside interests in the evening?
Energy management has even greater impact than just physically getting through the day. I don’t know about you, but when most people get tired their creativity drops, their persistence abandons them, and they get a bit edgy and less tolerant of people and challenges. A drop of energy impacts virtually every area of our lives.
Another critical key to effective energy management is to understand the many positive implications of stretching our abilities and then taking time to recover and rejuvenate. Regular recovery and rejuvenation are essential to becoming highly productive. I can’t stress enough the impact that regular - often daily - rejuvenation can have on your energy, attitude, creativity, enthusiasm, and spirit.
Let’s get back to the client example I started this article with. My client wanted to know how, or if, he could be as highly productive on a daily basis as he was on the day before his vacation, and my answer was yes and no. The yes part of the answer is that you can be highly productive on a regular basis, day after day, by managing your energy and the things that influence it. On the other hand (the no part of the answer) it’s impossible to be highly productive without allowing your body, mind, emotions and spirit to recover and rejuvenate regularly. Remember, when we’re tired we tend to slow down, make more mistakes and have a harder time being creative. After all, the main reason vacations exist is to allow us to recover and rejuvenate. You can accomplish more, with less effort and more creativity by backing off from time to time to recharge. Choosing how and when to recharge throughout the week is another story…
To recap what we’ve discussed in this article, the key to being highly productive in sales (or in any endeavor for that matter) is to manage your energy. By attending to your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs you can accomplish more with more enthusiasm, more creative and more enjoyment than you ever have before.
Business Insurance Leads, What to Look For
For agents in the Insurance industry that are considering buying business insurance leads it is very important to research the Insurance lead company before you do business with them.
Here are a few things to consider when buying business insurance leads.
For starters. Where are the leads coming from? You want to make absolutely sure that the Insurance lead provider that you are considering is obtaining their business insurance leads on their own through lead generation web sites that they own and operate and can deliver them to you fresh.
Otherwise, you run the risk of purchasing recycled leads.
Also, look for the lead companies that do not require you to purchase contracts in order to do business with them.
If their leads are of good quality you will no doubt continue to buy so their would be no need for a contract.
If the company you are considering does require a contract you should either move on or continue to gather more information.
Look for low minimum deposits. Anything that is $300 or below would be considered acceptable. For instance, say you make a large deposit and find out that the leads are not any good. Is there any guarantee that you will get your money back?
Lastly, speak with someone in sales or the customer service department. Ask as many questions as you feel is necessary to find your comfort level.
If the company does not have a number for you to call than move on to the next one.
Who are you going to call when you need a refund?
If at any time you are not happy with the customer service you are receiving while doing your research than it is more than likely you will not be happy with the leads. So again, move on.
Remember, you work hard for your money, so make sure it is being spent in a way that will make you more money. Good luck!
Here are a few things to consider when buying business insurance leads.
For starters. Where are the leads coming from? You want to make absolutely sure that the Insurance lead provider that you are considering is obtaining their business insurance leads on their own through lead generation web sites that they own and operate and can deliver them to you fresh.
Otherwise, you run the risk of purchasing recycled leads.
Also, look for the lead companies that do not require you to purchase contracts in order to do business with them.
If their leads are of good quality you will no doubt continue to buy so their would be no need for a contract.
If the company you are considering does require a contract you should either move on or continue to gather more information.
Look for low minimum deposits. Anything that is $300 or below would be considered acceptable. For instance, say you make a large deposit and find out that the leads are not any good. Is there any guarantee that you will get your money back?
Lastly, speak with someone in sales or the customer service department. Ask as many questions as you feel is necessary to find your comfort level.
If the company does not have a number for you to call than move on to the next one.
Who are you going to call when you need a refund?
If at any time you are not happy with the customer service you are receiving while doing your research than it is more than likely you will not be happy with the leads. So again, move on.
Remember, you work hard for your money, so make sure it is being spent in a way that will make you more money. Good luck!
Serviced Offices - Perfect Instant Office Solution
Serviced Offices Facilities
Following facilities can be found in most of the Serviced Offices across the world:
Your Office comes with everything you need
Your daily essentials The offices are equipped and furnished with the utmost in quality, all just waiting for your arrival. From the professional common areas, to the sleek, high-quality furniture, it makes sure you have everything you need to make a comfortable and productive environment from the world go.
Surround yourself with complete style and comfort.
It also take care of all the utility bills including electricity, water, heating and air conditioning so you save money and don't have to worry about these bills every month.
Everything is included in one monthly bill.
Your comfort areas
The common areas that they maintain for your use, include an equipped kitchen, a canteen and lounge with a news room, restrooms and a welcome reception area. All at no additional cost to you! You literally only pay for the office space you use. You'll have some things in common with the others.
Your managed facilities
From security to cleaning, there are hundred of vendors service the average office. As they take care them for you, so you can focus on the important things. More importantly, they work with vendors directly to negotiate lowest price so it can pass the cost saving on to you. To make life easier, they also sort and deliver your mail to you daily, free of charge.
With all things running smoothly you can focus on just your work.
Your Support Team
They generally recruit, train and manage only the best people, so your office is staffed with a team of business professionals. Travel Services such as booking of Air/Rail Travel, Hotel reservations/booking business and leisure tours/facilitation of your travel documentation is available onsite at competitive terms.
An Operations Manager will coordinate everything for you to ensure smooth clockwork like efficiency. Help is always at hand.
Your Meeting Venue
You can conduct interviews, hold client presentations, or pitch for new business all from the state-of-the-art meeting room facilities in the same location. You can also use its Video and Audio conferencing studio on site, to save on travel costs for long distance meeting. Prices may vary according to your choice of location and comfort level.
Following facilities can be found in most of the Serviced Offices across the world:
Your Office comes with everything you need
Your daily essentials The offices are equipped and furnished with the utmost in quality, all just waiting for your arrival. From the professional common areas, to the sleek, high-quality furniture, it makes sure you have everything you need to make a comfortable and productive environment from the world go.
Surround yourself with complete style and comfort.
It also take care of all the utility bills including electricity, water, heating and air conditioning so you save money and don't have to worry about these bills every month.
Everything is included in one monthly bill.
Your comfort areas
The common areas that they maintain for your use, include an equipped kitchen, a canteen and lounge with a news room, restrooms and a welcome reception area. All at no additional cost to you! You literally only pay for the office space you use. You'll have some things in common with the others.
Your managed facilities
From security to cleaning, there are hundred of vendors service the average office. As they take care them for you, so you can focus on the important things. More importantly, they work with vendors directly to negotiate lowest price so it can pass the cost saving on to you. To make life easier, they also sort and deliver your mail to you daily, free of charge.
With all things running smoothly you can focus on just your work.
Your Support Team
They generally recruit, train and manage only the best people, so your office is staffed with a team of business professionals. Travel Services such as booking of Air/Rail Travel, Hotel reservations/booking business and leisure tours/facilitation of your travel documentation is available onsite at competitive terms.
An Operations Manager will coordinate everything for you to ensure smooth clockwork like efficiency. Help is always at hand.
Your Meeting Venue
You can conduct interviews, hold client presentations, or pitch for new business all from the state-of-the-art meeting room facilities in the same location. You can also use its Video and Audio conferencing studio on site, to save on travel costs for long distance meeting. Prices may vary according to your choice of location and comfort level.
State Trading and International Trade Negotiations
State trading is a topic which evokes radically different reactions from different people. Some see state trading as inconsistent with a liberalized trading environment. For example, Sir Leon Brittan commented:
"I should at this point raise a related issue concerning state, in other words, where a government has a special right to a designated corporation to import or export or to distribute certain goods . . . I think that, if we are to look at international competition rules seriously, the time is ripe to consider whether this antiquated form of monopoly trading can be phased out altogether."
At the other end of the spectrum are those who feel that such institutions are essential for producers in markets dominated by a small number of multi-national traders. Representative of these views are two Australian wheat producers who writing in The Land, an Australian periodical claimed:
"If the export market were deregulated, we would lose a great deal of our clout. The world market is not a level playing field and without a single desk we would be depowering a valuable marketing arm . . . export market deregulation would give a dangerous amount of market influence to large multi-national traders. They could force down the market price to suit their own mean."
HISTORIC CONTEXT
With the advent of another round of multilateral trade negotiations, there is a renewed interest in state trading. The issue has existed as long as the GATT itself. The Havana Conference on Trade and Employment on March 24, 1948 was to have established the International Trade Organization (ITO). At that time state trading had expanded as a result of the war and there were efforts in the drafting of the Havana Charter to include provisions relating to state trading enterprises (STEs). Those drafting the GATT-ITO also recognized that a private firm may have significant market power and that power may be abused.
Therefore, they put into the ITO Draft Charter a whole chapter on "restrictive trade practices". However by 1950, U.S. President Truman withdrew the Havana Charter from congressional consideration and the ITO died as a result. The GATT which had been adopted as a temporary interim agreement in 1947 survived. Although the chapter on restrictive trade practices died with the ITO, most of the provisions on state trading survived as Article XVII (paragraphs I and II) and Article II:4 of the GATT. In 1957, Article XVII was amended to introduce requirements for reporting specified activities and a provision that the
contracting parties "recognize" the importance of negotiations aimed toward lessening the level of protection provided by state trading.
"I should at this point raise a related issue concerning state, in other words, where a government has a special right to a designated corporation to import or export or to distribute certain goods . . . I think that, if we are to look at international competition rules seriously, the time is ripe to consider whether this antiquated form of monopoly trading can be phased out altogether."
At the other end of the spectrum are those who feel that such institutions are essential for producers in markets dominated by a small number of multi-national traders. Representative of these views are two Australian wheat producers who writing in The Land, an Australian periodical claimed:
"If the export market were deregulated, we would lose a great deal of our clout. The world market is not a level playing field and without a single desk we would be depowering a valuable marketing arm . . . export market deregulation would give a dangerous amount of market influence to large multi-national traders. They could force down the market price to suit their own mean."
HISTORIC CONTEXT
With the advent of another round of multilateral trade negotiations, there is a renewed interest in state trading. The issue has existed as long as the GATT itself. The Havana Conference on Trade and Employment on March 24, 1948 was to have established the International Trade Organization (ITO). At that time state trading had expanded as a result of the war and there were efforts in the drafting of the Havana Charter to include provisions relating to state trading enterprises (STEs). Those drafting the GATT-ITO also recognized that a private firm may have significant market power and that power may be abused.
Therefore, they put into the ITO Draft Charter a whole chapter on "restrictive trade practices". However by 1950, U.S. President Truman withdrew the Havana Charter from congressional consideration and the ITO died as a result. The GATT which had been adopted as a temporary interim agreement in 1947 survived. Although the chapter on restrictive trade practices died with the ITO, most of the provisions on state trading survived as Article XVII (paragraphs I and II) and Article II:4 of the GATT. In 1957, Article XVII was amended to introduce requirements for reporting specified activities and a provision that the
contracting parties "recognize" the importance of negotiations aimed toward lessening the level of protection provided by state trading.
Top Tips for Good Client Relations
Want to have the best relationships with your clients? Here are ten fun tips to help you establish a great working relationship:
Tip #1 - Come Again? It's important to establish right from the start how to handle communication with clients. If e-mailing, what is the standard turnaround time that you respond back to emails. If phoning, what are your hours? Once a client knows when they will hear from you, then they can plan their day and work accordingly.
Tip #2 - No Surprises - Nothing is worse for a client than to discover four hours before you leave that you are heading out on a week-long vacation. That's stretching it a bit and you probably wouldn't do that, but think about other ways you might be surprising your client and not giving them the advance notice they need. Keep in mind that they are probably under pressure too to get their work done. Always give as much advance notice as you can when things will disrupt the business flow.
Tip #3 - Where'd She Go? For building good client relationships, try not to disappear off the radar screen. Check in with your clients often. When a client writes and they don't hear back from you for days (or weeks), they fear the worst. Even if you are working on a large project and the deadline is weeks away, e-mail them and let them know "All is going well." That builds confidence and security.
Tip #4 - OOPS, Where Did That Come From? We've all been there. You get the email from the client saying they found a typo or typos. Ouch. We can't be perfect, but try and be as close as you can. Proof and reproof your work. Also, if possible wait until the material is fresh and reread it again. Determine the time when you are at your best, and use that time to do your proofing.
Tip #5 - Super Size It Please - Always give your clients more than they ask for. You will be rewarded with not only more work, but lots of word of mouth referrals too. And there are so many ways to do it. For example, 1) Set up an Autoresponder for them so they can sell more products; 2) Set up Google Alerts under their topic or target audience so you can find websites or blogs that will help them spread their message; 3) Help them produce a newsletter or blog; 4) Send them more clients or referrals; 5) Ask them directly what you can do to better the relationship; and 6) Most importantly, listen to what they say. It's so easy to get busy and listen with half an ear, or try and talk too much about your business. Being a good listener is a valuable asset.
Tip #6 - Short and Sweet - Make sure that all e-mail correspondence is typed accurately and is short and to the point. With everyone having busy schedules, this helps your clients save valuable time. One thing you'll discover is if you write a long email your points are often missed. This isn't to say that you shouldn't strive to get the answers you need, but keep in mind that their time is valuable and to use it wisely.
Tip #7 - You Need it WHEN? - Determine exactly when work is to be completed or when the order is to go out. This will save a tremendous amount of problems down the road if everyone is in agreement. It's also good to have a written contract. Be specific. Once everyone knows what is expected, things run so much more smoothly.
Tip #8 - My Dog Ate It - One thing you want to do is always try and make your deadlines and avoid excuses. We all know that things come up and that's okay if it happens occasionally. However, if you make it a habit of needing additional time or not finishing projects, that client will fear sending you more work. Not a good thing.
Tip #9 - Saved by the Bell -- Make it a point to back up your work. And test those backups. Can you imagine even losing a week's worth of work? Your clients are counting on you to protect their work so you want to make sure it is.
Tip #10 - Howdy Partner - Remember that you are establishing a partnership relationship with your clients. You want to help their business grow because as you do, your business grows too. Let them know you value them as a client and are glad that they have entrusted you with their work. In other words, you appreciate what they do. Also, let them know that you appreciate referrals so that they can help in your success. It can be a two-way street with this partnership.
And finally, enjoy. Start a friendship with your clients and let them know that you care about them. Most of my clients today are good friends. This isn't to say that I'm not professional and don't conduct myself professionally, as I do. However, I let them know that I'm also interested in them personally and how they are doing. I take time to know their birthdays, their kid's names, etc. Think how you feel when something lets you know they care about you.
Hope you enjoyed these 'fun" tips. As our Industry continues to thrive, it's important to earn the respect and trust of our clients and also fellow Virtual Assistants. When you set up your business with the goal of doing a fabulous job, you'll end up with fabulous clients, and fabulous friends. It's a win/win for all.
Tip #1 - Come Again? It's important to establish right from the start how to handle communication with clients. If e-mailing, what is the standard turnaround time that you respond back to emails. If phoning, what are your hours? Once a client knows when they will hear from you, then they can plan their day and work accordingly.
Tip #2 - No Surprises - Nothing is worse for a client than to discover four hours before you leave that you are heading out on a week-long vacation. That's stretching it a bit and you probably wouldn't do that, but think about other ways you might be surprising your client and not giving them the advance notice they need. Keep in mind that they are probably under pressure too to get their work done. Always give as much advance notice as you can when things will disrupt the business flow.
Tip #3 - Where'd She Go? For building good client relationships, try not to disappear off the radar screen. Check in with your clients often. When a client writes and they don't hear back from you for days (or weeks), they fear the worst. Even if you are working on a large project and the deadline is weeks away, e-mail them and let them know "All is going well." That builds confidence and security.
Tip #4 - OOPS, Where Did That Come From? We've all been there. You get the email from the client saying they found a typo or typos. Ouch. We can't be perfect, but try and be as close as you can. Proof and reproof your work. Also, if possible wait until the material is fresh and reread it again. Determine the time when you are at your best, and use that time to do your proofing.
Tip #5 - Super Size It Please - Always give your clients more than they ask for. You will be rewarded with not only more work, but lots of word of mouth referrals too. And there are so many ways to do it. For example, 1) Set up an Autoresponder for them so they can sell more products; 2) Set up Google Alerts under their topic or target audience so you can find websites or blogs that will help them spread their message; 3) Help them produce a newsletter or blog; 4) Send them more clients or referrals; 5) Ask them directly what you can do to better the relationship; and 6) Most importantly, listen to what they say. It's so easy to get busy and listen with half an ear, or try and talk too much about your business. Being a good listener is a valuable asset.
Tip #6 - Short and Sweet - Make sure that all e-mail correspondence is typed accurately and is short and to the point. With everyone having busy schedules, this helps your clients save valuable time. One thing you'll discover is if you write a long email your points are often missed. This isn't to say that you shouldn't strive to get the answers you need, but keep in mind that their time is valuable and to use it wisely.
Tip #7 - You Need it WHEN? - Determine exactly when work is to be completed or when the order is to go out. This will save a tremendous amount of problems down the road if everyone is in agreement. It's also good to have a written contract. Be specific. Once everyone knows what is expected, things run so much more smoothly.
Tip #8 - My Dog Ate It - One thing you want to do is always try and make your deadlines and avoid excuses. We all know that things come up and that's okay if it happens occasionally. However, if you make it a habit of needing additional time or not finishing projects, that client will fear sending you more work. Not a good thing.
Tip #9 - Saved by the Bell -- Make it a point to back up your work. And test those backups. Can you imagine even losing a week's worth of work? Your clients are counting on you to protect their work so you want to make sure it is.
Tip #10 - Howdy Partner - Remember that you are establishing a partnership relationship with your clients. You want to help their business grow because as you do, your business grows too. Let them know you value them as a client and are glad that they have entrusted you with their work. In other words, you appreciate what they do. Also, let them know that you appreciate referrals so that they can help in your success. It can be a two-way street with this partnership.
And finally, enjoy. Start a friendship with your clients and let them know that you care about them. Most of my clients today are good friends. This isn't to say that I'm not professional and don't conduct myself professionally, as I do. However, I let them know that I'm also interested in them personally and how they are doing. I take time to know their birthdays, their kid's names, etc. Think how you feel when something lets you know they care about you.
Hope you enjoyed these 'fun" tips. As our Industry continues to thrive, it's important to earn the respect and trust of our clients and also fellow Virtual Assistants. When you set up your business with the goal of doing a fabulous job, you'll end up with fabulous clients, and fabulous friends. It's a win/win for all.
5 Ways to Build Customer Lists.
Starting out on the web is a challenge for the newcomer affiliate marketer, not to mention the frustration and confusion that result from all the smoke and mirrors you have to overcome.
One concept that comes up time and again is the idea of list building. My first reaction to list building when I started out was, what do you mean List? List of what? I was figuring out customer demographics, market segment, advertising; list building was not on the top of the list. Well, I had it wrong. Customer list building is one of the first things to figure out if you are going to build your online business because the list, or more exactly, targeted lists, will be the life blood of your revenue streams.
One thing to remember is there is not one list to develop but a group of lists that will break down by product, demographic or whatever variable that defines the product or service you are promoting.
So how do you develop a customer list? Many are the ways, but here are five for your consideration.
Blog or Website
One place to start is your blog or Website. If you don’t already have one, start one. A blog is by far the easiest to get up and running; there are lots of blog services, social sites from which to choose. When you get established, a Website is a must and that will be one of the most important sources for building a list. What you want to have on the blog or web site, are sign up forms prominently placed asking for a name and email in exchange for a bonus or free information. You’ll have to offer something your visitor wants and needs and make it easy to find the form to sign up. Strategically placed sign up forms on each page will be important sources feeding your list building.
Article Writing
Another way of building a list is to write and place articles on the Web with internal links to your blog or Website. This is a great way of offering information in exchange for names and email addresses. You can either link to a sign up form from the body of the article or include a link in the resource file that describes your biography that is included with your article. Contributing a weekly article to a variety of article directories is a great way to link back to your blog or Website and get a consistent stream of leads for your product or service.
Email Opt in Lists
Opt-in email is the practice of sending business email to recipients who have approved receiving commercial email. This is done through services, also known as "Safe lists", that you join. As a member, you agree to receive emails from other business owners/service providers in exchange for having your email sent to targeted recipients for your product or service. The typical opt-in email service allows one post per week so set up a schedule and send out your emails on a regular basis.
Co-registration
Co-registration is the practice of referring leads, subscriptions, or memberships in connection with a partner’s registration process. In other words, you find someone who has a product or service related to yours and you ask to place your sign up box on their web site, preferably in their thank you page. You do the same for them and place their sign up form on your web site or blog. You can even enter into an agreement with a list of related vendors and design a sign up page on which you all appear and you place on your respective Websites or blogs. This is a very effective way of capitalizing on the multiple needs of a targeted audience.
There are co-registration services that offer lists of leads on a fee basis. Nitro List Builder, Buy Work at Home Leads, List Hero, List Builder Pro, ListOpt, Traffic Oasis, PermissionDIRECT are just some of the co-registration services that are available. You have to do your own due diligence to see if any of these can work for you.
Newsletters, Ezines and Reports
Newsletters, ezines and reports are great vehicles for providing useful information while building a following. They offer the perfect means for the placement of sign up forms to build a customer list. These customers will be strong leads for the product or service you are offering and should be perfect candidates with whom to build long term relationships. Writing a newsletter, ezine or report is a perfect way to link to your web site or blog. They represent a very important lead generation tool for your list building.
These are some of the ways you can start to build a customer list as you develop your online home business. They have proven to be consistent means of finding the targeted audience for a product or service and will serve you well in your business development plans.
One concept that comes up time and again is the idea of list building. My first reaction to list building when I started out was, what do you mean List? List of what? I was figuring out customer demographics, market segment, advertising; list building was not on the top of the list. Well, I had it wrong. Customer list building is one of the first things to figure out if you are going to build your online business because the list, or more exactly, targeted lists, will be the life blood of your revenue streams.
One thing to remember is there is not one list to develop but a group of lists that will break down by product, demographic or whatever variable that defines the product or service you are promoting.
So how do you develop a customer list? Many are the ways, but here are five for your consideration.
Blog or Website
One place to start is your blog or Website. If you don’t already have one, start one. A blog is by far the easiest to get up and running; there are lots of blog services, social sites from which to choose. When you get established, a Website is a must and that will be one of the most important sources for building a list. What you want to have on the blog or web site, are sign up forms prominently placed asking for a name and email in exchange for a bonus or free information. You’ll have to offer something your visitor wants and needs and make it easy to find the form to sign up. Strategically placed sign up forms on each page will be important sources feeding your list building.
Article Writing
Another way of building a list is to write and place articles on the Web with internal links to your blog or Website. This is a great way of offering information in exchange for names and email addresses. You can either link to a sign up form from the body of the article or include a link in the resource file that describes your biography that is included with your article. Contributing a weekly article to a variety of article directories is a great way to link back to your blog or Website and get a consistent stream of leads for your product or service.
Email Opt in Lists
Opt-in email is the practice of sending business email to recipients who have approved receiving commercial email. This is done through services, also known as "Safe lists", that you join. As a member, you agree to receive emails from other business owners/service providers in exchange for having your email sent to targeted recipients for your product or service. The typical opt-in email service allows one post per week so set up a schedule and send out your emails on a regular basis.
Co-registration
Co-registration is the practice of referring leads, subscriptions, or memberships in connection with a partner’s registration process. In other words, you find someone who has a product or service related to yours and you ask to place your sign up box on their web site, preferably in their thank you page. You do the same for them and place their sign up form on your web site or blog. You can even enter into an agreement with a list of related vendors and design a sign up page on which you all appear and you place on your respective Websites or blogs. This is a very effective way of capitalizing on the multiple needs of a targeted audience.
There are co-registration services that offer lists of leads on a fee basis. Nitro List Builder, Buy Work at Home Leads, List Hero, List Builder Pro, ListOpt, Traffic Oasis, PermissionDIRECT are just some of the co-registration services that are available. You have to do your own due diligence to see if any of these can work for you.
Newsletters, Ezines and Reports
Newsletters, ezines and reports are great vehicles for providing useful information while building a following. They offer the perfect means for the placement of sign up forms to build a customer list. These customers will be strong leads for the product or service you are offering and should be perfect candidates with whom to build long term relationships. Writing a newsletter, ezine or report is a perfect way to link to your web site or blog. They represent a very important lead generation tool for your list building.
These are some of the ways you can start to build a customer list as you develop your online home business. They have proven to be consistent means of finding the targeted audience for a product or service and will serve you well in your business development plans.
Turning visitors into customers
The world has changed. Today 70% of all companies and services are originally found by way of the Internet. Tomorrow is will be closer to 95%. Will they yours be found?
And when yours is found it had better be good. As mother said, you only get one chance to make a first impression - and that's the one that sticks. What she didn't say was that when it comes to web sites, not only must it create a good impression, it must be effective.
Your web site has two choices. It can choose to sit quietly in the corner like a wimp, or it can engage with visitors, make contact, and do business. Not much different to a real world encounter when you think about it. If you have something to offer, you either go out and tell people about or sit home and get ignored. And guess which web site does more business - the inactive wimp or the pro-active web?
But there's a problem. To interact online, you have to have some way of establishing contact with your visitor. Most importantly, finding out who they are, what they need and when they need it.
Let's get one very common misconception out of the way. However good it is, don't expect your web site to sell your organization, your product or your service immediately; it won't.
Using the Web is called browsing for a reason. Visitors are browsing, not shopping. But be it on the Net or in the local shopping mall, people do see things that catch their eye while browsing [aka window shopping]. They do 'come in' and 'look around'. They may not need what you have at the moment. They may not even be able to afford it right now. But they are interested or they would not have 'come in' and browsed around. Your web site's critical task is to ensure that when they can afford it or when they do need it; they know exactly where to find your web site - easily and quickly. How do we achieve that?
A long time ago bookmarking came along to help visitors who needed to remember interesting sites. Although now modernised as online bookmarking sites, apart from a few more bells and whistles, things are much the same. Not a lot has changed. But let's pause a moment and ask ourselves a question.
Of all the sites *you* bookmark, how many do *you* remember to go back to? Not too many, no doubt. And when was the last time you spent a few minutes clearing out the clutter that has inevitably occurred in that particular cupboard under your computer stairs? Quite a while, is my guess. Don't worry, you're healthy. That makes you much the same as the rest of the human race.
So apart from a few bookmarks that you *do* use regularly, the rest have gotten a little 'untidy'. Meaning you're not liable to do anything with them except one day throw them out and start again. You cannot remember what most of them were about anyway, can you?
If you are relying on other folks to bookmark your site [a minor-miracle in itself] and then come back and visit you later, then Alice may well have found yet another companion in Wonderland. Good luck to you and give our regards to the Red Queen.
Okay, if that doesn't work, what does?
We used the term pro-active. To us web sites that just sit there and wait for visitor requests or signs of interest are re-active [aka: wimps]. They do nothing until poked by the visitor. Pro-active web sites poke the visitor - in the nicest possible way, of course! It is vital your web site finds a way to engage your visitors again in the future. The simplest way to do this is by getting their email address. Then you can contact them. How you do get in touch later, to good effect and without being a nuisance, is a major science all in itself. But if you cannot do it because you do not have their address, all the science and subtlety in the world is worthless. First you must open the contact channel. How?
You must always give in order to receive. The better quality you give, the more you receive. It is a law of nature established long before the Internet or probably even the dinosaurs. Provide a *quality* 'something' to you visitors in exchange for the ability to contact them. Then treat this exchange with the care and respect it deserves and, sooner or later, that visitor will become your client. It may take days, maybe months, but sooner or later, when they have a real need of what you provide, they will come to you and ask for it - guaranteed. You won't have to sell it. They will want to buy it.
Complete the transaction with politeness and efficiency and they will come back again when they need something else you provide. Not only that, they'll tell others about you and your web site. When was the last time you bought something or joined a club and couldn't wait to tell your friends or show your folks what a great buy you just made
We're all pretty much the same in this respect. We love to show off a good deal or a great move. These happy satisfied customers are your most powerful advertising. They came to you and they cost you nothing - except a squeeze of effort, a pinch of thought and a twist good manners; an easy recipe.
Thousands of people may visit your site every day. This is totally futile unless you help them to help themselves. Help them remember you by offering emailed articles, newsletters, RSS feeds, Blogs or whatever does it for you. There are many avenues you can choose from. Whichever you choose, don't just have your web site sit there in the corner looking pretty - and doing nothing. Make it work for its living.
You invested time, effort and probably money in putting it there. Make it earn its keep – it owes you that. Ensure it greets the visitor [simple uncluttered home page - saying what you do], makes them feel comfortable by helping them find their way around [good navigation], has plenty of attractive and useful stock [content], but above all else, ensure you make all efforts to get your visitor's calling card [email address] before they leave your store [web site].
Without it, your web site wimped out. It failed.
Need some guidance in putting this into practice? Need a little help with the exact ways to do it on site? We will review your web and assess its pro-active score. We will make suggestions how it can be improved and show you how to do it. This is an entirely free service - there are no strings attached, no advertising and nothing to pay. If you haven't got your web published yet, we can help build in proactivity right from the start. Just contact us at: proactive [at] tcwwd [dot] com
And when yours is found it had better be good. As mother said, you only get one chance to make a first impression - and that's the one that sticks. What she didn't say was that when it comes to web sites, not only must it create a good impression, it must be effective.
Your web site has two choices. It can choose to sit quietly in the corner like a wimp, or it can engage with visitors, make contact, and do business. Not much different to a real world encounter when you think about it. If you have something to offer, you either go out and tell people about or sit home and get ignored. And guess which web site does more business - the inactive wimp or the pro-active web?
But there's a problem. To interact online, you have to have some way of establishing contact with your visitor. Most importantly, finding out who they are, what they need and when they need it.
Let's get one very common misconception out of the way. However good it is, don't expect your web site to sell your organization, your product or your service immediately; it won't.
Using the Web is called browsing for a reason. Visitors are browsing, not shopping. But be it on the Net or in the local shopping mall, people do see things that catch their eye while browsing [aka window shopping]. They do 'come in' and 'look around'. They may not need what you have at the moment. They may not even be able to afford it right now. But they are interested or they would not have 'come in' and browsed around. Your web site's critical task is to ensure that when they can afford it or when they do need it; they know exactly where to find your web site - easily and quickly. How do we achieve that?
A long time ago bookmarking came along to help visitors who needed to remember interesting sites. Although now modernised as online bookmarking sites, apart from a few more bells and whistles, things are much the same. Not a lot has changed. But let's pause a moment and ask ourselves a question.
Of all the sites *you* bookmark, how many do *you* remember to go back to? Not too many, no doubt. And when was the last time you spent a few minutes clearing out the clutter that has inevitably occurred in that particular cupboard under your computer stairs? Quite a while, is my guess. Don't worry, you're healthy. That makes you much the same as the rest of the human race.
So apart from a few bookmarks that you *do* use regularly, the rest have gotten a little 'untidy'. Meaning you're not liable to do anything with them except one day throw them out and start again. You cannot remember what most of them were about anyway, can you?
If you are relying on other folks to bookmark your site [a minor-miracle in itself] and then come back and visit you later, then Alice may well have found yet another companion in Wonderland. Good luck to you and give our regards to the Red Queen.
Okay, if that doesn't work, what does?
We used the term pro-active. To us web sites that just sit there and wait for visitor requests or signs of interest are re-active [aka: wimps]. They do nothing until poked by the visitor. Pro-active web sites poke the visitor - in the nicest possible way, of course! It is vital your web site finds a way to engage your visitors again in the future. The simplest way to do this is by getting their email address. Then you can contact them. How you do get in touch later, to good effect and without being a nuisance, is a major science all in itself. But if you cannot do it because you do not have their address, all the science and subtlety in the world is worthless. First you must open the contact channel. How?
You must always give in order to receive. The better quality you give, the more you receive. It is a law of nature established long before the Internet or probably even the dinosaurs. Provide a *quality* 'something' to you visitors in exchange for the ability to contact them. Then treat this exchange with the care and respect it deserves and, sooner or later, that visitor will become your client. It may take days, maybe months, but sooner or later, when they have a real need of what you provide, they will come to you and ask for it - guaranteed. You won't have to sell it. They will want to buy it.
Complete the transaction with politeness and efficiency and they will come back again when they need something else you provide. Not only that, they'll tell others about you and your web site. When was the last time you bought something or joined a club and couldn't wait to tell your friends or show your folks what a great buy you just made
We're all pretty much the same in this respect. We love to show off a good deal or a great move. These happy satisfied customers are your most powerful advertising. They came to you and they cost you nothing - except a squeeze of effort, a pinch of thought and a twist good manners; an easy recipe.
Thousands of people may visit your site every day. This is totally futile unless you help them to help themselves. Help them remember you by offering emailed articles, newsletters, RSS feeds, Blogs or whatever does it for you. There are many avenues you can choose from. Whichever you choose, don't just have your web site sit there in the corner looking pretty - and doing nothing. Make it work for its living.
You invested time, effort and probably money in putting it there. Make it earn its keep – it owes you that. Ensure it greets the visitor [simple uncluttered home page - saying what you do], makes them feel comfortable by helping them find their way around [good navigation], has plenty of attractive and useful stock [content], but above all else, ensure you make all efforts to get your visitor's calling card [email address] before they leave your store [web site].
Without it, your web site wimped out. It failed.
Need some guidance in putting this into practice? Need a little help with the exact ways to do it on site? We will review your web and assess its pro-active score. We will make suggestions how it can be improved and show you how to do it. This is an entirely free service - there are no strings attached, no advertising and nothing to pay. If you haven't got your web published yet, we can help build in proactivity right from the start. Just contact us at: proactive [at] tcwwd [dot] com
Two Basics of Success in Sales
Two Basics of Success in Sales
1. Self Confidence
Let me start by saying this, if you don't believe in yourself no one will believe in you! That is a fact! Think of this, have you ever noticed when a dog that can't even speak can tell when you are afraid of it? Well, if a dog can tell that, what do you think a person can tell? When I was single I wouldn't even date a girl that didn't believe in herself. If she didn't believe in herself, how would she ever believe in me? How would she believe in our children?
There is a big difference between confidence and cockiness. A lot of young men mistake the two. You see, everyone would like to have self-confidence, but unless they acquire it by chance, most have never been told the formula. Self-confidence is acquired with a two step formula.
First, is product knowledge. Think back to your very first date. The reason you were nervous was you had no product knowledge. You didn't know what you should do, shouldn't do, or better not do! Relate this to your job. The more you learn about your job the more confidence you get.
The second part of the formula is hard work. If you had never had another date after the first one you would be just as nervous on the next one because you didn't work hard at it. In our social lives working hard at it doesn't seem to be a problem. It shouldn't be in our profession either. When I was a young man I was always told everything I could not do, or what I would never achieve. Fortunately for me I was given this formula as a young salesperson and having this secret changed my life forever. No matter what task I undertook, I simply applied the formula.
Product knowledge and hard work. It has never failed me, quite the contrary, knowing this information has enriched my life. If you believe in yourself, you will be amazed how others will believe in you, and how easy it will transform into sales. I hope this information will enrich your lives as well.
2. Neat Appearance
You probably all have heard your mom or someone tell you that you can't judge a book by it's cover. Well that's true, but they left out a key part. That is that most people won't pick up the book if it doesn't have an attractive cover. You need to present a neat appearance wherever you go regardless of what you are doing. There is always someone watching you. For the sake of this post I have sat in many malls and watched the crowds go by and always the people that stand out are the ones with the neatest appearance.
You see if you stand out people will notice you...If people are noticing you among the thousands in the crowd you never know when an opportunity will come your way that will enhance your life. How many times have you left your house just to run up to 7/11 or something and you're hoping no one sees you? Well, we all know what happens. Of course, the one person you never wanted to see you in that condition pops up out of nowhere!
I always try and present a neat appearance. But neat appearance plays a much deeper role in sales and management. You would be amazed the young and seasoned alleged "sales professionals" I run into that are at work and their fingernails are dirty. Their clothes aren't pressed, or worst yet they have some kind of body odor. The funny thing is that in your social life you wouldn't think of meeting the opposite sex without taking care of all these things, yet in our professional life someone actually has to educate you about the very same things. It has gotten to the point that even people interviewing for jobs look like they just got out of bed! The law requires that you let them fill out an application...you do not have to grant an interview or even begin to hire them.
This next sentence will not win me a lot of friends, but those of you that have been my loyal readers know I show no bias. If you are completely out of shape to the point of obesity and it is not induced by medical reasons all you are demonstrating to your employer or employees is that you can't take care of yourself. If you cannot take care of yourself how are they supposed to believe you can take care of them or their customers?
Remember what I said in my earlier post, the difference between a successful person and one that is not, is the successful person is prepared when opportunity knocks. Try this one day. Go to your neighborhood mall and stand on the second level and just watch all the people go by...remember, this is one mall out of thousands in the country, not to mention thousands of other places where large crowds gather. Think about it ...no one would even know you were there and nothing would stop if you were gone. You must do everything to gain the edge so you can be noticed and get more opportunities in life.
Neat appearance will make you stand out in a crowd. I cannot tell you how many people I have seen miss opportunity after opportunity simply because they did not possess the easiest of the 8 Basics of Success, "neat appearance".
The Specialist
1. Self Confidence
Let me start by saying this, if you don't believe in yourself no one will believe in you! That is a fact! Think of this, have you ever noticed when a dog that can't even speak can tell when you are afraid of it? Well, if a dog can tell that, what do you think a person can tell? When I was single I wouldn't even date a girl that didn't believe in herself. If she didn't believe in herself, how would she ever believe in me? How would she believe in our children?
There is a big difference between confidence and cockiness. A lot of young men mistake the two. You see, everyone would like to have self-confidence, but unless they acquire it by chance, most have never been told the formula. Self-confidence is acquired with a two step formula.
First, is product knowledge. Think back to your very first date. The reason you were nervous was you had no product knowledge. You didn't know what you should do, shouldn't do, or better not do! Relate this to your job. The more you learn about your job the more confidence you get.
The second part of the formula is hard work. If you had never had another date after the first one you would be just as nervous on the next one because you didn't work hard at it. In our social lives working hard at it doesn't seem to be a problem. It shouldn't be in our profession either. When I was a young man I was always told everything I could not do, or what I would never achieve. Fortunately for me I was given this formula as a young salesperson and having this secret changed my life forever. No matter what task I undertook, I simply applied the formula.
Product knowledge and hard work. It has never failed me, quite the contrary, knowing this information has enriched my life. If you believe in yourself, you will be amazed how others will believe in you, and how easy it will transform into sales. I hope this information will enrich your lives as well.
2. Neat Appearance
You probably all have heard your mom or someone tell you that you can't judge a book by it's cover. Well that's true, but they left out a key part. That is that most people won't pick up the book if it doesn't have an attractive cover. You need to present a neat appearance wherever you go regardless of what you are doing. There is always someone watching you. For the sake of this post I have sat in many malls and watched the crowds go by and always the people that stand out are the ones with the neatest appearance.
You see if you stand out people will notice you...If people are noticing you among the thousands in the crowd you never know when an opportunity will come your way that will enhance your life. How many times have you left your house just to run up to 7/11 or something and you're hoping no one sees you? Well, we all know what happens. Of course, the one person you never wanted to see you in that condition pops up out of nowhere!
I always try and present a neat appearance. But neat appearance plays a much deeper role in sales and management. You would be amazed the young and seasoned alleged "sales professionals" I run into that are at work and their fingernails are dirty. Their clothes aren't pressed, or worst yet they have some kind of body odor. The funny thing is that in your social life you wouldn't think of meeting the opposite sex without taking care of all these things, yet in our professional life someone actually has to educate you about the very same things. It has gotten to the point that even people interviewing for jobs look like they just got out of bed! The law requires that you let them fill out an application...you do not have to grant an interview or even begin to hire them.
This next sentence will not win me a lot of friends, but those of you that have been my loyal readers know I show no bias. If you are completely out of shape to the point of obesity and it is not induced by medical reasons all you are demonstrating to your employer or employees is that you can't take care of yourself. If you cannot take care of yourself how are they supposed to believe you can take care of them or their customers?
Remember what I said in my earlier post, the difference between a successful person and one that is not, is the successful person is prepared when opportunity knocks. Try this one day. Go to your neighborhood mall and stand on the second level and just watch all the people go by...remember, this is one mall out of thousands in the country, not to mention thousands of other places where large crowds gather. Think about it ...no one would even know you were there and nothing would stop if you were gone. You must do everything to gain the edge so you can be noticed and get more opportunities in life.
Neat appearance will make you stand out in a crowd. I cannot tell you how many people I have seen miss opportunity after opportunity simply because they did not possess the easiest of the 8 Basics of Success, "neat appearance".
The Specialist
8 Steps to Designing a Newsletter for your Direct Sales Business
One of the many useful communication tools you can provide for your business is a newsletter. With the options of being able to communicate a brand image, connect with your customers and prospects on a different level, and provide value to your readers, you can also communicate any promotions and product deals you may be offering. With a monthly or weekly newsletter, your customers can be kept up to date with all of your business endeavors.
The following steps will help you create a newsletter to build your business presence:
1. Decide on the frequency. How often do you want to publish your newsletter? As each issue will involve a few hours of preparation including creating the content, you will want to make sure you establish a schedule you know you can keep up with. You can always add special editions or increase the frequency at a later date if you find you can afford the time. Most businesses choose between quarterly, weekly or monthly options.
2. Email/print? How are you going to distribute your newsletter? Sending a newsletter by email is cost effective and immediate. Some businesses prefer print due to the fact it allows something tangible for the customers to hold in their hands.
3. If you are going to email your newsletter, you should consider paying a professional service that will manage your list and distribute your email. These companies provide you with a pre-set newsletter template you can design to your own preference. These programs manage your list, provide unsubscribe options, and enable you to create many newsletters at once and schedule them in advance. Although prices vary, many companies base their pricing on the size of the list being emailed.
4. Add a signup form to your website. This is a good way to increase traffic and allows you to build a bigger list of contacts and customers.
5. Let people know about your newsletter. By adding your link to all out going email correspondence, signatures, on your business cards, brochures, and other marketing methods, more people will be able to subscribe as they would like.
6. What is your newsletter going to be about? By reviewing other business newsletters you will be able to decide whether you would like to have a single article and a promotion, or 3-5 articles and an equal amount of promotional content. Consider what kind of content will provide value to your readers. Will you be writing these newsletters or hiring someone else to do it? What types of problems or concerns do your readers have that you could address?
7. Advertising? As a general rule of thumb, you should provide 80% informational content and 20% promotional content. If you would like an additional source of revenue and have a pretty good sized subscriber base, many businesses may be willing to buy advertising space on your newsletter.
8. Graphics. Many readers enjoy reading a newsletter that is visually interesting with logos or a header, photos, and even charts.
Providing a newsletter full of quality content on a regular basis is the key to a successful newsletter campaign. Newsletters are the perfect tool for both marketing and connecting with your customers and prospects on a regular basis.
The following steps will help you create a newsletter to build your business presence:
1. Decide on the frequency. How often do you want to publish your newsletter? As each issue will involve a few hours of preparation including creating the content, you will want to make sure you establish a schedule you know you can keep up with. You can always add special editions or increase the frequency at a later date if you find you can afford the time. Most businesses choose between quarterly, weekly or monthly options.
2. Email/print? How are you going to distribute your newsletter? Sending a newsletter by email is cost effective and immediate. Some businesses prefer print due to the fact it allows something tangible for the customers to hold in their hands.
3. If you are going to email your newsletter, you should consider paying a professional service that will manage your list and distribute your email. These companies provide you with a pre-set newsletter template you can design to your own preference. These programs manage your list, provide unsubscribe options, and enable you to create many newsletters at once and schedule them in advance. Although prices vary, many companies base their pricing on the size of the list being emailed.
4. Add a signup form to your website. This is a good way to increase traffic and allows you to build a bigger list of contacts and customers.
5. Let people know about your newsletter. By adding your link to all out going email correspondence, signatures, on your business cards, brochures, and other marketing methods, more people will be able to subscribe as they would like.
6. What is your newsletter going to be about? By reviewing other business newsletters you will be able to decide whether you would like to have a single article and a promotion, or 3-5 articles and an equal amount of promotional content. Consider what kind of content will provide value to your readers. Will you be writing these newsletters or hiring someone else to do it? What types of problems or concerns do your readers have that you could address?
7. Advertising? As a general rule of thumb, you should provide 80% informational content and 20% promotional content. If you would like an additional source of revenue and have a pretty good sized subscriber base, many businesses may be willing to buy advertising space on your newsletter.
8. Graphics. Many readers enjoy reading a newsletter that is visually interesting with logos or a header, photos, and even charts.
Providing a newsletter full of quality content on a regular basis is the key to a successful newsletter campaign. Newsletters are the perfect tool for both marketing and connecting with your customers and prospects on a regular basis.
Turnover is Not a Problem
"Ha!" you say. "For someone to make a statement like that, they obviously haven’t worked in the real world and certainly have never had to run a company." Well, let me assure you. In my past I’ve not only run companies, but spent many years in one of the most notorious industries for turnover – the restaurant industry.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand and appreciate the challenges that turnover creates. Turnover causes a drop in productivity, lower profits, inconsistent quality, and certainly creates work overload. In addition, turnover results in a lack of motivation, a lack of enthusiasm, apathy, and a lack of teamwork. But here’s the question…
Are the challenges I just raised problems or symptoms? In the context of our discussion of turnover, most people would agree that they’re all symptoms of our turnover challenge. Turnover caused each of these shortfalls, which leads us to the core question: Is turnover a problem or a symptom?
Turnover is a symptom. But what is turnover a symptom of? You may argue that turnover is a symptom of a weak workforce – unmotivated people, apathetic, too small of a labor pool, etc. I believe, however, that turnover is caused by other factors. Turnover is related to leadership. Turnover is a symptom of leadership problems. Some of these leadership-related problems are: lack of purpose, lack of integrity, absence of a plan for developing people, poor communications, and treating people as objects instead of people. Let’s discuss whether these factors really do cause turnover. I always suggest that clients use their own experience as their best example. Have you ever worked for a company just to earn a living? A job where you really didn’t care about the work or the company? I’d guess that virtually everyone has been in that situation at one time or another. You may even be in that situation right now. When you were in that job, were you on the lookout for a better opportunity? Did you leave the company to take a job just to make more money? (… and then repeat the whole scenario once more?) When a company and a job lack purpose, turnover occurs.
Have you ever worked for someone who lacked integrity? Someone who would say one thing and do another? Someone who promised to do something but never did? Someone who took the credit and placed the blame? Unfortunately, I’d have to guess that each of us has had that kind of boss at one time or another. When you were in that situation, did you continue to do your work? Of course you did. Was your work accurate and correct? Of course it was. Did you take the initiative on new projects for the benefit of the company? Maybe not. Go the extra mile to make a difference? Hmmm… Did you leave the company at the first opportunity? Point made. When an individual or company lacks integrity, turnover occurs.
Turnover isn’t a problem - it’s a symptom caused by leadership problems. Fortunately, the problems can be solved, and you have the power to make that difference. Strive to become the best leader you can be.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand and appreciate the challenges that turnover creates. Turnover causes a drop in productivity, lower profits, inconsistent quality, and certainly creates work overload. In addition, turnover results in a lack of motivation, a lack of enthusiasm, apathy, and a lack of teamwork. But here’s the question…
Are the challenges I just raised problems or symptoms? In the context of our discussion of turnover, most people would agree that they’re all symptoms of our turnover challenge. Turnover caused each of these shortfalls, which leads us to the core question: Is turnover a problem or a symptom?
Turnover is a symptom. But what is turnover a symptom of? You may argue that turnover is a symptom of a weak workforce – unmotivated people, apathetic, too small of a labor pool, etc. I believe, however, that turnover is caused by other factors. Turnover is related to leadership. Turnover is a symptom of leadership problems. Some of these leadership-related problems are: lack of purpose, lack of integrity, absence of a plan for developing people, poor communications, and treating people as objects instead of people. Let’s discuss whether these factors really do cause turnover. I always suggest that clients use their own experience as their best example. Have you ever worked for a company just to earn a living? A job where you really didn’t care about the work or the company? I’d guess that virtually everyone has been in that situation at one time or another. You may even be in that situation right now. When you were in that job, were you on the lookout for a better opportunity? Did you leave the company to take a job just to make more money? (… and then repeat the whole scenario once more?) When a company and a job lack purpose, turnover occurs.
Have you ever worked for someone who lacked integrity? Someone who would say one thing and do another? Someone who promised to do something but never did? Someone who took the credit and placed the blame? Unfortunately, I’d have to guess that each of us has had that kind of boss at one time or another. When you were in that situation, did you continue to do your work? Of course you did. Was your work accurate and correct? Of course it was. Did you take the initiative on new projects for the benefit of the company? Maybe not. Go the extra mile to make a difference? Hmmm… Did you leave the company at the first opportunity? Point made. When an individual or company lacks integrity, turnover occurs.
Turnover isn’t a problem - it’s a symptom caused by leadership problems. Fortunately, the problems can be solved, and you have the power to make that difference. Strive to become the best leader you can be.
How predictive dialers and progressive dialers ease the life of call center agents?
Predictive dialers are used extensively by telemarketing firms to increase outbound call efficiency. Earlier, call center agents has to make calls to users from the database, and wait for a person to attend the call. Sometimes or most of the time the call may be unanswered or end up with busy tone or receive reply from answering machine or fax machine. So valuable call centers resources were wasted.
With predictive dialing, the computerized predictive dialer routes only the calls answered by real persons, dropping busy tones, unanswered calls etc.
Predictive dialer actually dials contctact's numbers from database. If call centre agents available are say 50, then the system makes say 100 calls. It drops unanswered calls, busy lines, answering machine and fax machine replied lines etc and route the calls answered by real human to the call centre agent. By doing so, the call centre agents are kept busy with the customer.
If call centre agents are not available at a time, the system silently drops the call after a brief time of silence. This may be annoying to the customer. In UK and USA there is strict regulation as to how these systems to be used effectively to reduce dropped calls. Regulatory authorities charge hefty fine for companies indulging in more than 3% dropped calls.
There are software based and hardware based predictive dialers. Of these hardware based dialers are feature rich. They are faster in call switching, having higher capacity line handling etc. Hardware based predictive dialers are more expensive.
Progressive dialing is also an automated dialing system, where the call center agent is displayed with the contact information for a brief amount of time before making the call. So the agent can talk more personally.
These dedicated computer based dialers are costly and the software license fees are also prohibitive. As an alternative to these dedicated computerized telephony systems, web based or hosted platforms are launched by companies like mxdigital, centric etc in the United Kingdom.
Hosted predictive dialers are cost effective. They are known as virtual predictive dialer, VOIP predictive dialer or web enabled predictive dialer. In this setup, the company to use hosted predictive dialer, they need internet connections, a computer system and a telephone line for each agent. These setups reduce initial cost involved in computer or telephony equipments, and software licenses.
These methods rely on VOIP. So the performance may be slightly degraded depending on internet connection quality.
MX Digital is a leading supplier of automated dialing solutions, including predictive, preview, precision and progressive dialing equipments and services.
MX Digital's on-line hosted service offers a complete and robust set of contact centre systems such as Automatic Call Distribution (ACD), Predictive, Preview, and Progressive Dialler, Interactive Voice Response (IVR), Multimedia Recording & Quality Monitoring, Campaign Management & Interaction History, Web Chat & Web Collaboration, Email Management, Administration & Reporting, Video Conferencing etc.
With the advent of these call center hardware and software based telephony equipments, the call center agents and their time are most effectively utilized, increasing overall agent productivity.
MX Digital provide hosted IVR solution, multi-media contact centre solutions in UK.
With predictive dialing, the computerized predictive dialer routes only the calls answered by real persons, dropping busy tones, unanswered calls etc.
Predictive dialer actually dials contctact's numbers from database. If call centre agents available are say 50, then the system makes say 100 calls. It drops unanswered calls, busy lines, answering machine and fax machine replied lines etc and route the calls answered by real human to the call centre agent. By doing so, the call centre agents are kept busy with the customer.
If call centre agents are not available at a time, the system silently drops the call after a brief time of silence. This may be annoying to the customer. In UK and USA there is strict regulation as to how these systems to be used effectively to reduce dropped calls. Regulatory authorities charge hefty fine for companies indulging in more than 3% dropped calls.
There are software based and hardware based predictive dialers. Of these hardware based dialers are feature rich. They are faster in call switching, having higher capacity line handling etc. Hardware based predictive dialers are more expensive.
Progressive dialing is also an automated dialing system, where the call center agent is displayed with the contact information for a brief amount of time before making the call. So the agent can talk more personally.
These dedicated computer based dialers are costly and the software license fees are also prohibitive. As an alternative to these dedicated computerized telephony systems, web based or hosted platforms are launched by companies like mxdigital, centric etc in the United Kingdom.
Hosted predictive dialers are cost effective. They are known as virtual predictive dialer, VOIP predictive dialer or web enabled predictive dialer. In this setup, the company to use hosted predictive dialer, they need internet connections, a computer system and a telephone line for each agent. These setups reduce initial cost involved in computer or telephony equipments, and software licenses.
These methods rely on VOIP. So the performance may be slightly degraded depending on internet connection quality.
MX Digital is a leading supplier of automated dialing solutions, including predictive, preview, precision and progressive dialing equipments and services.
MX Digital's on-line hosted service offers a complete and robust set of contact centre systems such as Automatic Call Distribution (ACD), Predictive, Preview, and Progressive Dialler, Interactive Voice Response (IVR), Multimedia Recording & Quality Monitoring, Campaign Management & Interaction History, Web Chat & Web Collaboration, Email Management, Administration & Reporting, Video Conferencing etc.
With the advent of these call center hardware and software based telephony equipments, the call center agents and their time are most effectively utilized, increasing overall agent productivity.
MX Digital provide hosted IVR solution, multi-media contact centre solutions in UK.
Are you Experiencing Sales Growth Despite the Economic Times?
Sales as both a career choice and a personal skill-set requires the development of specific techniques, ongoing personal development, the expansion of our comfort zone, confidence, persistence, patience, gut-level instincts and unlike most other professions, a thick skin!
Superficially, it looks like selling is a breeze; but any experienced sales professional will tell you otherwise. However, mastery of the previously mentioned skills will afford you a profitable, fulfilling and rewarding sales career in any economy, if you are willing to do the required work.
Learning how to sell your ideas, to persuade others to your way of thinking, may be the most important interpersonal skill that one can develop. Many of our successes in life hinge upon our interactions with others. Those personal interactions depend upon the relationships we develop. Those relationships are built by trust and integrity expressed through effective communication between the people involved.
Effective communication hinges upon our ability to sell our ideas to others, to effectively convey our ideas in such a manner that gains critical acceptance from others, influencing their thinking and decision-making process. Are you effectively communicating to your market the benefits that only you provide?
The volatility of the present economic climate has left many professionals and businesses, including salespeople, in states of fear and uncertainty. We now have experienced the largest number lost jobs in five years as businesses are trimming people and shrinking their operations. How do you sell in this environment? You must learn to expertly and quickly qualify new prospects, seeking to offer the highest possible value both there and to your existing customers.
Selling is indeed a unique profession, combining one's personal chemistry with precise direction. Today's business climate demands greater focus and clarity from salespeople. We cannot afford to be congenial generalists as that mindset will not allow us access to key decision-makers. We must become the expert in our field, being perceived as a valuable resource, problem solvers and their go-to person. Salespeople must filter their offering of products and services, specializing with laser-like focus on one particular solution that will be of greatest interest and service to their marketplace.
Despite tighter credit, increasing unemployment, shrinking production and other economic woes, many businesses will remain a going-concern, requiring an ongoing influx of key products and services to operate effectively. Your focus must be at this level.
In the short term, selling almost anything will indeed be tougher. Prospects and customers are busier, perhaps doing the jobs of several people in prior times. It will become more difficult to reach decision-makers, as their ready availability declines. The "sales-men will be separated from the boys" as they say. Many salespeople may not weather the storm, yet wonderful opportunity remains for those willing to adjust their strategy and tactics in this ever-evolving economic situation.
Be strong. Be encouraged. Dig-in your heels and ride out this storm. Those that do will emerge in a superb position to prosper when the economy cycles back to growth mode. Will you be one of those salespeople?
Superficially, it looks like selling is a breeze; but any experienced sales professional will tell you otherwise. However, mastery of the previously mentioned skills will afford you a profitable, fulfilling and rewarding sales career in any economy, if you are willing to do the required work.
Learning how to sell your ideas, to persuade others to your way of thinking, may be the most important interpersonal skill that one can develop. Many of our successes in life hinge upon our interactions with others. Those personal interactions depend upon the relationships we develop. Those relationships are built by trust and integrity expressed through effective communication between the people involved.
Effective communication hinges upon our ability to sell our ideas to others, to effectively convey our ideas in such a manner that gains critical acceptance from others, influencing their thinking and decision-making process. Are you effectively communicating to your market the benefits that only you provide?
The volatility of the present economic climate has left many professionals and businesses, including salespeople, in states of fear and uncertainty. We now have experienced the largest number lost jobs in five years as businesses are trimming people and shrinking their operations. How do you sell in this environment? You must learn to expertly and quickly qualify new prospects, seeking to offer the highest possible value both there and to your existing customers.
Selling is indeed a unique profession, combining one's personal chemistry with precise direction. Today's business climate demands greater focus and clarity from salespeople. We cannot afford to be congenial generalists as that mindset will not allow us access to key decision-makers. We must become the expert in our field, being perceived as a valuable resource, problem solvers and their go-to person. Salespeople must filter their offering of products and services, specializing with laser-like focus on one particular solution that will be of greatest interest and service to their marketplace.
Despite tighter credit, increasing unemployment, shrinking production and other economic woes, many businesses will remain a going-concern, requiring an ongoing influx of key products and services to operate effectively. Your focus must be at this level.
In the short term, selling almost anything will indeed be tougher. Prospects and customers are busier, perhaps doing the jobs of several people in prior times. It will become more difficult to reach decision-makers, as their ready availability declines. The "sales-men will be separated from the boys" as they say. Many salespeople may not weather the storm, yet wonderful opportunity remains for those willing to adjust their strategy and tactics in this ever-evolving economic situation.
Be strong. Be encouraged. Dig-in your heels and ride out this storm. Those that do will emerge in a superb position to prosper when the economy cycles back to growth mode. Will you be one of those salespeople?
10 Explosive Headlines For Superior Sales Results.
When you go to the supermarket and stand in line at the checkout counter, do you glance over at the magazines and tabloids to entertain yourself while you wait? I do. I'm a sucker for the headlines because they command attention, make your point quickly across, and prep your prospect for your story.
Think of your headline as a two by four plank of wood. You want to get someone's attention with it. Do you casually say, "Hi, take a look at my two by four." or do you play like Babe Ruth and make a home run across the side of your head.
Now don't get me wrong, some headlines will have to be subtle, depending on the character of the product and the demographic of the market. But, I'll tell you now; if a headline doesn't get my attention, it's not much of a headline to me.
"Britney Marries Bat-Like Creature!" That's a headline. How about this one? "Is Your Family Prepared If You Died Today?" That's a headline with a serious tone but not a screamer. Your headline must tell your story in 3 seconds or less.
There are different styles for different purposes but the goal is still the same. Make your headline fit on one line. Remember the headline "Got Milk?"
Appeal to the reader's interests. Use your headline to point out a problem the reader has or something you know the reader feels strongly about. Headlines aren't a good place to list the features of your product or service. Instead, headline the benefit the feature provides.
From time to time, use quotes to enclose your headline. This is more appropriate when the headline asks a question or allows the reader to imagine a distinctive voice. Studies have shown that headlines get better results if they're enclosed in quotation marks.
Here are Ten Explosive Headline Tips
1. The Question Technique. "Will Your Deodorant Pass The Stress Test?" The question headline speaks directly into the mind of the reader. The prospect becomes intimately involved in the dialog.
2. The Testimonial Technique. The more others tout your product or service, the better your credibility will be. "My Teeth have Never Been Whiter!"
3. The Commanding Technique. These are the classic quotes; such as "Just Do It." or "Fly the friendly Skies." They tell you to do something but sound very confident in their assertion that what they tell you is good for you.
4. The How-To Technique. If you were looking for the best way to fix an expensive vase and you ran across this headline, "How to fix an Expensive Vase-" would you stop and pay attention to the article or ad? The How-To Technique is geared to a narrow market.
5. Breaking News Technique. Hit your target market right between the eyes with this one. This is the headline that tells your prospect that something exciting is happening – or about to happen.
6. The Conspiracy Technique. This appeals the secret information that the ad will disclose to the reader. "The Hidden Meaning Behind Body Language." This technique is great for information products.
7. FREE offers Technique. Many people are interested are looking for a great deal. Make the offer eye catching and unbeatable. The offer should be almost too good to be true. "We deliver in 30 minutes or you don't pay."
8. Deadline Technique. This one appeals to the Scarcity principle. If the reader is in need of the product, they can only get it for a short time. For example; "For This Weekend Only!" Use this tactic when you really are offering a product or service for a limited time.
9. The Revenge Technique. You may have seen this one in a similar form; "They laughed when I told them I was ordering in French, But when the waiter came.." This one is the story of the underdog. The story usually garners interest in how it turns out.
10. The Declaration. This kind of headline that tells us something that is taken as fact. "Winston Tastes Good Like A Cigarette Should"; or "Virginia is For Lovers". We know that cigarettes don't taste good. They might have another appeal and who knows if Virginia really is for lovers or not? The sentence is very strong and authoritative; therefore commands attention.
People are busy and will find time to notice things that stand out from the crowded field of information vying for their attention. You will need to make the headline like a movie trailer to attract the right viewer.
Make the headline punchy and include subheads and bullets whenever possible. Keep your copy clean and to the point. Don't insult the intelligence of your reader; if you make a claim in your headline, back it up. There's nothing worse than getting someone's attention and then disappointing them. You can push the limits of credulity with headlines as long as you can justify it in the copy.
If you want more information on building ads that pull profits, contact me or go to my website for free coaching.
Think of your headline as a two by four plank of wood. You want to get someone's attention with it. Do you casually say, "Hi, take a look at my two by four." or do you play like Babe Ruth and make a home run across the side of your head.
Now don't get me wrong, some headlines will have to be subtle, depending on the character of the product and the demographic of the market. But, I'll tell you now; if a headline doesn't get my attention, it's not much of a headline to me.
"Britney Marries Bat-Like Creature!" That's a headline. How about this one? "Is Your Family Prepared If You Died Today?" That's a headline with a serious tone but not a screamer. Your headline must tell your story in 3 seconds or less.
There are different styles for different purposes but the goal is still the same. Make your headline fit on one line. Remember the headline "Got Milk?"
Appeal to the reader's interests. Use your headline to point out a problem the reader has or something you know the reader feels strongly about. Headlines aren't a good place to list the features of your product or service. Instead, headline the benefit the feature provides.
From time to time, use quotes to enclose your headline. This is more appropriate when the headline asks a question or allows the reader to imagine a distinctive voice. Studies have shown that headlines get better results if they're enclosed in quotation marks.
Here are Ten Explosive Headline Tips
1. The Question Technique. "Will Your Deodorant Pass The Stress Test?" The question headline speaks directly into the mind of the reader. The prospect becomes intimately involved in the dialog.
2. The Testimonial Technique. The more others tout your product or service, the better your credibility will be. "My Teeth have Never Been Whiter!"
3. The Commanding Technique. These are the classic quotes; such as "Just Do It." or "Fly the friendly Skies." They tell you to do something but sound very confident in their assertion that what they tell you is good for you.
4. The How-To Technique. If you were looking for the best way to fix an expensive vase and you ran across this headline, "How to fix an Expensive Vase-" would you stop and pay attention to the article or ad? The How-To Technique is geared to a narrow market.
5. Breaking News Technique. Hit your target market right between the eyes with this one. This is the headline that tells your prospect that something exciting is happening – or about to happen.
6. The Conspiracy Technique. This appeals the secret information that the ad will disclose to the reader. "The Hidden Meaning Behind Body Language." This technique is great for information products.
7. FREE offers Technique. Many people are interested are looking for a great deal. Make the offer eye catching and unbeatable. The offer should be almost too good to be true. "We deliver in 30 minutes or you don't pay."
8. Deadline Technique. This one appeals to the Scarcity principle. If the reader is in need of the product, they can only get it for a short time. For example; "For This Weekend Only!" Use this tactic when you really are offering a product or service for a limited time.
9. The Revenge Technique. You may have seen this one in a similar form; "They laughed when I told them I was ordering in French, But when the waiter came.." This one is the story of the underdog. The story usually garners interest in how it turns out.
10. The Declaration. This kind of headline that tells us something that is taken as fact. "Winston Tastes Good Like A Cigarette Should"; or "Virginia is For Lovers". We know that cigarettes don't taste good. They might have another appeal and who knows if Virginia really is for lovers or not? The sentence is very strong and authoritative; therefore commands attention.
People are busy and will find time to notice things that stand out from the crowded field of information vying for their attention. You will need to make the headline like a movie trailer to attract the right viewer.
Make the headline punchy and include subheads and bullets whenever possible. Keep your copy clean and to the point. Don't insult the intelligence of your reader; if you make a claim in your headline, back it up. There's nothing worse than getting someone's attention and then disappointing them. You can push the limits of credulity with headlines as long as you can justify it in the copy.
If you want more information on building ads that pull profits, contact me or go to my website for free coaching.
Offer An Ezine to Keep in Touch with Your Customers
Are you publishing an online newsletter (ezine)? It's an easy and effective way to stay in touch with your customers and leads. Your ezine can provide your readers with helpful tips and advice to help them succeed. You can also showcase your latest projects and include testimonials from happy customers.
Here are 5 great reasons to implement this as part of your marketing strategy:
1. An ezine regularly reinforces your expertise. Over time, a newsletter establishes trust with your readers. You begin to form a relationship, even if you've never met face to face. And because you are showcasing your expertise on a regular basis, your ezine builds your credibility.
2. It's a great marketing tool to keep in touch. When you regularly keep in touch with your prospects and customers, they remember you. And since people don't typically buy something the first time they are exposed to it, an ezine is a helpful way to stay on their radar screen until they are ready.
3. Your ezine adds a human touch. If you include personal updates and company news, an ezine is a great way to add a personality to your business. You can write as much as you want about your personal life and what is going on with your company and staff. Your readers will begin to look forward to your updates and stories.
4. You can promote your services and products. An ezine offers a venue to offer specials, highlight new services/products, and provide coupons and discounts. As long as the majority of your ezine is focused on helpful content, your readers will be delighted to find out more about your promotions.
5. An ezine is an inexpensive way to build your list of leads. Since there are no printing and mailing costs associated with an ezine, it is a very cheap way to reach lots of people. And you can easily grow your list be encouraging your subscribers to forward your ezine. Simply add a line at the top or bottom of each issue asking readers to pass it along to anyone who might find the information valuable.
To get started, pick out a system to manage your subscribers. There are many services that do this - a few popular ones include Constant Contact, MyEmma, and Mail Chimp. Use an opt-in list in which a person has to agree to become a subscriber and can unsubscribe if they no longer want to receive your ezine.
Maven Action Item: Start to think about how an ezine can help your business. Write down some ideas about how often your will publish it. What will it be called? What can you write about. Good luck on your first issue!
Here are 5 great reasons to implement this as part of your marketing strategy:
1. An ezine regularly reinforces your expertise. Over time, a newsletter establishes trust with your readers. You begin to form a relationship, even if you've never met face to face. And because you are showcasing your expertise on a regular basis, your ezine builds your credibility.
2. It's a great marketing tool to keep in touch. When you regularly keep in touch with your prospects and customers, they remember you. And since people don't typically buy something the first time they are exposed to it, an ezine is a helpful way to stay on their radar screen until they are ready.
3. Your ezine adds a human touch. If you include personal updates and company news, an ezine is a great way to add a personality to your business. You can write as much as you want about your personal life and what is going on with your company and staff. Your readers will begin to look forward to your updates and stories.
4. You can promote your services and products. An ezine offers a venue to offer specials, highlight new services/products, and provide coupons and discounts. As long as the majority of your ezine is focused on helpful content, your readers will be delighted to find out more about your promotions.
5. An ezine is an inexpensive way to build your list of leads. Since there are no printing and mailing costs associated with an ezine, it is a very cheap way to reach lots of people. And you can easily grow your list be encouraging your subscribers to forward your ezine. Simply add a line at the top or bottom of each issue asking readers to pass it along to anyone who might find the information valuable.
To get started, pick out a system to manage your subscribers. There are many services that do this - a few popular ones include Constant Contact, MyEmma, and Mail Chimp. Use an opt-in list in which a person has to agree to become a subscriber and can unsubscribe if they no longer want to receive your ezine.
Maven Action Item: Start to think about how an ezine can help your business. Write down some ideas about how often your will publish it. What will it be called? What can you write about. Good luck on your first issue!
Global Sales Center Offers Tremendous Advantages for Global Resorts Network Business Owners
Farmer passionately explains that he knows what kind of product he can put behind a sales center and what kind he can’t. He chose the Global Resorts Network (GRN) product because he felt it was a perfect match between what he had to offer and what GRN had to offer. He stated that GRN isn’t on trial, they have a track record of paying millions out on time to it’s affiliates, they offer a full customer service staff to help members book vacations right on line or over the phone and basically has the credibility and stability and customer service they were looking for. He would never risk his business on something if all the above criteria were not met.
Another point Farmer made is that My Global Sales system is very low cost and offers an outsourcing solution for GRN business owners. For example, the Reverse Funnel System is $335 a month between leasing the sales letter and having a contact manager verses the Global Sales Center which is $49.95 a month following a one time enrollment fee of $997 at the Platinum level. Farmer felt the business owner whose budget doesn’t support the RFS monthly outlay is better served saving the extra money and put it into advertising, and as an added benefit to the business owner, they have a full time staff to present the opportunity, answer questions, handle objections, close the sale and help the new business owner get enrolled. What a perfect outsource solution, both in leveraging the business owners time and budget.
Farmers Global Sales Center is the only tool/system offered to Global Resorts Network home business owners that offers all these services. Farmer said, "Of all the services we can offer to the home business owner, we feel what we do is critical because we address the biggest challenges they face. Anyone can place an ad, but not everyone can answer questions, handle objections and close the sale." Farmer said he is very proud of his sales staff and his company because what they do there at the Global Sales Center is elevate the business owner to not only looking like a true professional but it allows the prospect to see that they can have all the services too which then makes it duplicatable.
The nice thing about all the various systems that are offered to the Global Resorts Networks home business entrepreneur is that there are several ways to market. GRN doesn’t wave just one banner and tells its business owners to do things one way. There are several members in GRN having great success with the Reverse Funnel System and for them, the $335 a month is well worth it. It’s really a matter of personal preference and budget tolerance. All systems work, if you work the system.
Another point Farmer made is that My Global Sales system is very low cost and offers an outsourcing solution for GRN business owners. For example, the Reverse Funnel System is $335 a month between leasing the sales letter and having a contact manager verses the Global Sales Center which is $49.95 a month following a one time enrollment fee of $997 at the Platinum level. Farmer felt the business owner whose budget doesn’t support the RFS monthly outlay is better served saving the extra money and put it into advertising, and as an added benefit to the business owner, they have a full time staff to present the opportunity, answer questions, handle objections, close the sale and help the new business owner get enrolled. What a perfect outsource solution, both in leveraging the business owners time and budget.
Farmers Global Sales Center is the only tool/system offered to Global Resorts Network home business owners that offers all these services. Farmer said, "Of all the services we can offer to the home business owner, we feel what we do is critical because we address the biggest challenges they face. Anyone can place an ad, but not everyone can answer questions, handle objections and close the sale." Farmer said he is very proud of his sales staff and his company because what they do there at the Global Sales Center is elevate the business owner to not only looking like a true professional but it allows the prospect to see that they can have all the services too which then makes it duplicatable.
The nice thing about all the various systems that are offered to the Global Resorts Networks home business entrepreneur is that there are several ways to market. GRN doesn’t wave just one banner and tells its business owners to do things one way. There are several members in GRN having great success with the Reverse Funnel System and for them, the $335 a month is well worth it. It’s really a matter of personal preference and budget tolerance. All systems work, if you work the system.
Be an Expert in Your Field and Have Clients Coming to You
When it comes to marketing your services, two facts hold true. One is, when things are important to people, they buy -- or at least attempt to buy -- from a recognized expert. The other is, to be most profitable, you must differentiate yourself from your competition. One of the most effective ways to differentiate yourself is to be a recognized expert in your field. So why don't more people market themselves as experts? It's simple. It's only because they do not believe themselves to be worthy of the title.
Let's take a look at what an expert really is. It is not some mythical stature, achieved by a select few. The Oxford Dictionary defines an expert as "a person who is very knowledgeable about or skilful in a particular area." Nowhere does it state that you have to be the absolute best at what they do. Take Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, for example. Is he an expert hitter? You bet. Is he the best hitter to ever play the game? No, but that doesn't make him any less an expert. Is Dr. Arun Singh at Rhode Island Hospital an expert cardiothoracic surgeon. Definitely. Is he the best in the world? Most likely not, but he is one of the very best in the New England region.
How to be recognized as an expert
First and foremost, you have to decide that you are, or will be, an expert. If you need additional knowledge, skill, or experience, get it. Read, take courses, give free services ... do whatever it takes to overcome what it is that keeps you from being an expert. Perhaps all you have to overcome is your fear of sounding pretentious. Don't give this a second thought. By using the word judiciously, this isn't a problem.
Although considering yourself to be an expert is the first step, being considered an expert by your target audience requires consistent demonstration of your expertise. Following are some of the ways you can accomplish this.
Here's one caution. Do not try to become an expert at everything. I often here people say, "I specialize in all aspect of my profession." I highly doubt that's true. Even if it is, does it benefit them? Would you want to have brain surgery done by a doctor who told you he is a neurosurgeon, cardiologist, otolaryngologist, and proctologist? Probably not.
Speaking
Speaking is an excellent way to showcase your knowledge, accomplishments, and abilities. The opportunities are almost endless. They include being a keynote or breakout speaker at conferences. You can produce your own seminars or do so with the help of your local Chamber of Commerce or other organization. The same is true for workshops. You can serve on a panel at your industry's meetings -- local, regional, or national.
Because there are so many opportunities, you might not know where to begin. My suggestion is that you look at your industry or a related field. If there are monthly meetings, do they have speakers? Are there special events where speakers are featured? Do chambers in other areas of the country invite people in your profession to speak, and if so, on what topics? Once you begin investigating, you'll be surprised at the number of possibilities that exist.
Let's take a look at what an expert really is. It is not some mythical stature, achieved by a select few. The Oxford Dictionary defines an expert as "a person who is very knowledgeable about or skilful in a particular area." Nowhere does it state that you have to be the absolute best at what they do. Take Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, for example. Is he an expert hitter? You bet. Is he the best hitter to ever play the game? No, but that doesn't make him any less an expert. Is Dr. Arun Singh at Rhode Island Hospital an expert cardiothoracic surgeon. Definitely. Is he the best in the world? Most likely not, but he is one of the very best in the New England region.
How to be recognized as an expert
First and foremost, you have to decide that you are, or will be, an expert. If you need additional knowledge, skill, or experience, get it. Read, take courses, give free services ... do whatever it takes to overcome what it is that keeps you from being an expert. Perhaps all you have to overcome is your fear of sounding pretentious. Don't give this a second thought. By using the word judiciously, this isn't a problem.
Although considering yourself to be an expert is the first step, being considered an expert by your target audience requires consistent demonstration of your expertise. Following are some of the ways you can accomplish this.
Here's one caution. Do not try to become an expert at everything. I often here people say, "I specialize in all aspect of my profession." I highly doubt that's true. Even if it is, does it benefit them? Would you want to have brain surgery done by a doctor who told you he is a neurosurgeon, cardiologist, otolaryngologist, and proctologist? Probably not.
Speaking
Speaking is an excellent way to showcase your knowledge, accomplishments, and abilities. The opportunities are almost endless. They include being a keynote or breakout speaker at conferences. You can produce your own seminars or do so with the help of your local Chamber of Commerce or other organization. The same is true for workshops. You can serve on a panel at your industry's meetings -- local, regional, or national.
Because there are so many opportunities, you might not know where to begin. My suggestion is that you look at your industry or a related field. If there are monthly meetings, do they have speakers? Are there special events where speakers are featured? Do chambers in other areas of the country invite people in your profession to speak, and if so, on what topics? Once you begin investigating, you'll be surprised at the number of possibilities that exist.
A CRM Solution for Small Businesses
Managing customers, conducting marketing campaigns and achieving timely follow-up on sales leads is a vital process that can overwhelm a small business. Keeping promises, storing correspondence, managing sales and being able to quickly determine the status of accounts is crucial to success. Having a single, integrated solution to accomplish all this makes the lives of small business people so much easier and more productive.
Internet-based customer relationship management (CRM) and contact management solutions offer significant advantages. Typically, they are more affordable for small businesses because there is no software to buy or maintain. Equally important, online CRM solutions are accessible from any Internet connection by authorized personnel, providing a good centralized answer for both far-flung sales forces and company management. Too, online CRM solutions circumvent the danger of viruses accessing or destroying vital company data. And most solutions do not require a long-term contract, so it’s easy to get started and companies are not locked into a solution that may not be right for them.
I recently helped a client modify his Website to communicate with AppShore’s online CRM and contact management solution. I was impressed by what I saw.
Why? First, AppShore is designed for small businesses, a market that my own consulting service targets. Having tried other online CRM solutions myself, I am familiar with their functionality. What struck me right away about AppShore is how simple it is to use. Things that seem complex in competitive Internet-based solutions like Salesforce.com or desktop packages such as Goldmine are straightforward and fairly easy to understand in AppShore. I believe this reflects the background of the AppShore team, which consists of seasoned software professionals experienced in start-ups and small businesses.
Speaking as a small business person myself, here are some things that I particularly like about AppShore:
• It has an intuitive design and offers functionality that is a good fit for small businesses rather than enterprise-level companies. I didn’t have to spend hours studying a manual to understand the function of each tab or how to use it.
• It employs "mouse over" technology to give you a quick overview of accounts and leads, as well as the ability to edit them.
• Accounts and leads can be imported using csv files. This means your Outlook Contacts and ACT! files, for example, can be easily imported to AppShore.
• Relevant documents, such as proposals, agreements and RFQ’s can be uploaded and stored for fast access and management.
• AppShore even offers a means to seamlessly transfer captured data from Website forms into the AppShore "new leads" database and then automatically notify you via email. This is a terrific time saver that ensures that Web-generated sales leads never fall through the crack!
• The ability to prioritize tasks by customer or prospect helps you to focus on activities that generate business.
• Opportunities are easy to track and (by assigning a probability and dollar amount to each) provide a basis for forecasting sales. Setting up a sales funnel with different stages is straightforward and beneficial.
• Versatile reporting capabilities facilitate management of marketing and sales functions, as well as providing fast looks at expected revenue.
• AppShore includes a convenient outbound Webmail function that allows you to send email using your domain name. Emails can be linked to customer and prospect accounts for easy retrieval and reference.
• The ability to set up and use templates with multiple "insert" fields for outbound email marketing campaigns and customer/lead follow-up is available with the premium plan. This is both convenient and effective, allowing small businesses to be responsive and conduct inexpensive marketing campaigns. Just be sure that emails are sent only to valid contacts to avoid violating CAN-SPAM laws and provide an "unsubscribe" capability if you use this feature to send email newsletters or promotions.
• A "dashboard" tab allows you to quickly review upcoming activities, your latest leads and top opportunities.
• Password-based access and a separate Administrator function provide adequate security. AppShore databases are also backed up on a regular basis. Having vital customer and sales information located offsite also facilitates disaster recovery.
Internet-based customer relationship management (CRM) and contact management solutions offer significant advantages. Typically, they are more affordable for small businesses because there is no software to buy or maintain. Equally important, online CRM solutions are accessible from any Internet connection by authorized personnel, providing a good centralized answer for both far-flung sales forces and company management. Too, online CRM solutions circumvent the danger of viruses accessing or destroying vital company data. And most solutions do not require a long-term contract, so it’s easy to get started and companies are not locked into a solution that may not be right for them.
I recently helped a client modify his Website to communicate with AppShore’s online CRM and contact management solution. I was impressed by what I saw.
Why? First, AppShore is designed for small businesses, a market that my own consulting service targets. Having tried other online CRM solutions myself, I am familiar with their functionality. What struck me right away about AppShore is how simple it is to use. Things that seem complex in competitive Internet-based solutions like Salesforce.com or desktop packages such as Goldmine are straightforward and fairly easy to understand in AppShore. I believe this reflects the background of the AppShore team, which consists of seasoned software professionals experienced in start-ups and small businesses.
Speaking as a small business person myself, here are some things that I particularly like about AppShore:
• It has an intuitive design and offers functionality that is a good fit for small businesses rather than enterprise-level companies. I didn’t have to spend hours studying a manual to understand the function of each tab or how to use it.
• It employs "mouse over" technology to give you a quick overview of accounts and leads, as well as the ability to edit them.
• Accounts and leads can be imported using csv files. This means your Outlook Contacts and ACT! files, for example, can be easily imported to AppShore.
• Relevant documents, such as proposals, agreements and RFQ’s can be uploaded and stored for fast access and management.
• AppShore even offers a means to seamlessly transfer captured data from Website forms into the AppShore "new leads" database and then automatically notify you via email. This is a terrific time saver that ensures that Web-generated sales leads never fall through the crack!
• The ability to prioritize tasks by customer or prospect helps you to focus on activities that generate business.
• Opportunities are easy to track and (by assigning a probability and dollar amount to each) provide a basis for forecasting sales. Setting up a sales funnel with different stages is straightforward and beneficial.
• Versatile reporting capabilities facilitate management of marketing and sales functions, as well as providing fast looks at expected revenue.
• AppShore includes a convenient outbound Webmail function that allows you to send email using your domain name. Emails can be linked to customer and prospect accounts for easy retrieval and reference.
• The ability to set up and use templates with multiple "insert" fields for outbound email marketing campaigns and customer/lead follow-up is available with the premium plan. This is both convenient and effective, allowing small businesses to be responsive and conduct inexpensive marketing campaigns. Just be sure that emails are sent only to valid contacts to avoid violating CAN-SPAM laws and provide an "unsubscribe" capability if you use this feature to send email newsletters or promotions.
• A "dashboard" tab allows you to quickly review upcoming activities, your latest leads and top opportunities.
• Password-based access and a separate Administrator function provide adequate security. AppShore databases are also backed up on a regular basis. Having vital customer and sales information located offsite also facilitates disaster recovery.
Asking for the Business & Closing the Sale
Spotting buying signals and asking for the business is a simple process but it is amazing how many people get it wrong.
Say you are with a potential client in the middle of presentation and he starts giving you buying signals like leaning forward, taking notes, agreeing with you or just really being interested in what you are saying then it is time to start asking closing questions like:
If you were to place the order today when would you need delivery?
This question gets the customer thinking about his requirements and can also reveal how desperate they are for your goods or services. If he indicates a date, you are definitely one step closer to closing the sale.
Do you prefer product A or product B?
What colour do you like?
Do you prefer the 5 spoke alloys or the 7?
Do you normally pay by cheque or credit card?
You are now starting to offer the buyer different choices regarding his purchase without doing any hard sell!
Ask the client if he has any further questions. If the answer is no take out the necessary paperwork and ask him:
Do you have an order number or should I use your name?
If he chooses either option then mark an X beside the signature area, hand it over to him and ask for his autograph.
If the client starts being awkward at this stage then you could look at offering him your standard discount.
If you were to buy X amount today I could knock 10% off.
Always ask for a higher amount than the customer requirements when you initially offer the discount. You never know you might get a bigger sale but if the customer objects saying that the quantity is too high, reluctantly offer the same discount for a lower amount to clinch the deal.
Asking for the business and closing the sale can be difficult but with a little bit of practice and by asking the right questions, it can become a lot easier. The minute you start seeing buying signals from your potential customers, you should be looking at ways of closing the sale. It is not always necessary to carry out the full presentation.
Say you are with a potential client in the middle of presentation and he starts giving you buying signals like leaning forward, taking notes, agreeing with you or just really being interested in what you are saying then it is time to start asking closing questions like:
If you were to place the order today when would you need delivery?
This question gets the customer thinking about his requirements and can also reveal how desperate they are for your goods or services. If he indicates a date, you are definitely one step closer to closing the sale.
Do you prefer product A or product B?
What colour do you like?
Do you prefer the 5 spoke alloys or the 7?
Do you normally pay by cheque or credit card?
You are now starting to offer the buyer different choices regarding his purchase without doing any hard sell!
Ask the client if he has any further questions. If the answer is no take out the necessary paperwork and ask him:
Do you have an order number or should I use your name?
If he chooses either option then mark an X beside the signature area, hand it over to him and ask for his autograph.
If the client starts being awkward at this stage then you could look at offering him your standard discount.
If you were to buy X amount today I could knock 10% off.
Always ask for a higher amount than the customer requirements when you initially offer the discount. You never know you might get a bigger sale but if the customer objects saying that the quantity is too high, reluctantly offer the same discount for a lower amount to clinch the deal.
Asking for the business and closing the sale can be difficult but with a little bit of practice and by asking the right questions, it can become a lot easier. The minute you start seeing buying signals from your potential customers, you should be looking at ways of closing the sale. It is not always necessary to carry out the full presentation.
Quick Business Valuation Methods
As a Business Broker one of the most common questions I receive from small business owners and entrepreneurs I meet is this the following: How do I get a quick idea what my business might be worth? More often that not, most of these individuals are just looking for a rough "street valuation" to determine if they should sell now or sometime in the future. Although there are many unique factors to consider when valuing any individual business, and there are generally no definitive or concrete rules on what any particular existing business maybe worth at any given time, below are a few widely used quick business valuation methods that should give most small business owners an adequate starting point to help determine what their business might be worth in today’s market place.
Multiple of Seller’s Adjusted Net Cash Flow:
The most widely used method to value and determine an asking price for a small business is based on the adjustment or recasting of a business's most recent annual profit and loss statement. The goal in this process is to determine the true earning power of the business by adding back to the net profit all the non-essential or discretionary expenses not necessary to run the business to demonstrate a more realistic net cash flow for the owner.
Once this number is determined, the next step is to multiply it by a business category related multiple (service, retail, manufacturing, etc) that are widely used as rules of thumb by the business valuation and business brokerage community. For instance, in general terms small service related businesses are generally valued at a multiple of somewhere 2 to 2.5 times the Sellers annual adjusted net cash flow. Small manufacturing businesses generally receive higher multiples that can be in the 3 to 3.5 times range.
There are a variety of resources available to the public to find and research cash flow multiples that may be relevant or specific to your business. This includes well known guides such as the Business Reference Guild by Tom West, and business for sale directories such as BizBuySell.com that provide a data base of recent business sales and the multiples achieved. You may also want to visit fastbusinessvaluations.com which provides a free online business valuation calculator based on widely used industry related valuation multiples.
I would also recommend if you are considering selling your business to contact a local professional business broker in your area. He or she may be able to provide you with valuable information about recent sales in your market of similar businesses like yours, and the net cash flow multiple that they eventually sold at.
Industry Rules Of Thumb:
Another commonly used quick business valuation method is to use a general rule of thumb. A rule of thumb valuation basically consists of using a simple formula that estimates the value of a business through a set of established and very general business pricing guidelines.
Multiple of Seller’s Adjusted Net Cash Flow:
The most widely used method to value and determine an asking price for a small business is based on the adjustment or recasting of a business's most recent annual profit and loss statement. The goal in this process is to determine the true earning power of the business by adding back to the net profit all the non-essential or discretionary expenses not necessary to run the business to demonstrate a more realistic net cash flow for the owner.
Once this number is determined, the next step is to multiply it by a business category related multiple (service, retail, manufacturing, etc) that are widely used as rules of thumb by the business valuation and business brokerage community. For instance, in general terms small service related businesses are generally valued at a multiple of somewhere 2 to 2.5 times the Sellers annual adjusted net cash flow. Small manufacturing businesses generally receive higher multiples that can be in the 3 to 3.5 times range.
There are a variety of resources available to the public to find and research cash flow multiples that may be relevant or specific to your business. This includes well known guides such as the Business Reference Guild by Tom West, and business for sale directories such as BizBuySell.com that provide a data base of recent business sales and the multiples achieved. You may also want to visit fastbusinessvaluations.com which provides a free online business valuation calculator based on widely used industry related valuation multiples.
I would also recommend if you are considering selling your business to contact a local professional business broker in your area. He or she may be able to provide you with valuable information about recent sales in your market of similar businesses like yours, and the net cash flow multiple that they eventually sold at.
Industry Rules Of Thumb:
Another commonly used quick business valuation method is to use a general rule of thumb. A rule of thumb valuation basically consists of using a simple formula that estimates the value of a business through a set of established and very general business pricing guidelines.
Locate High Potential Ideas to Create More Profitable Sales from Adjusting Prices
Most companies set prices to increase profits believing that selling volumes will change little. In either price-elastic markets or where marginal costs are low, that is a mistake.
Further, many companies look only at their own prices rather than what it costs a customer or end user to acquire and employ the offering. While not every offering can be vastly more attractive at a lower total cost to the customer or end user, many will. Companies need to vastly increase their testing to identify opportunities to expand volume profitably through changed pricing structures.
With a pen you can change your profits by adjusting your prices. That's a lot easier to do than finding and implementing a lot of subtle value improvements at the same price.
Do you know what price adjustments you should make? A spreadsheet can tell you the profit impact . . . if you know what the volume effects can be. But you know that most of your volume estimates will be way off the mark.
To overcome those potentially expensive errors, you need to test new prices first. But you already test prices. What's different from what you have been doing if you are to create an improved business model?
You now sell a product at one dollar a unit. You want use price to increase your profits from this product. Normally, you would test a slightly higher price in one geographic market to see how it goes. That price might be $1.05. Your average cost is $0.80 for the product.
If the sales stay about even with what you expect, you will probably make that price increase in all territories. That apparently profitable change in price could be a major missed opportunity, but you'll never know it.
Consider with me an example to help illustrate other ways to think about changing prices.
Let's consider an alternative that you probably didn't test. Because it would only cost you $0.25 (the marginal cost of the product) to sell more of this product, you decide to sell it at $0.80 instead. If the volume you sell increases by at least 50 percent, you make more money.
If you don't have to invest in more equipment or working capital and you are the low cost producer, this is a better deal because competitors will have a harder time making inroads against you in the future and you have just increased your relative cost advantage. If you are a high cost producer, all that may happen is that you will set off a price war that you will lose.
The competitors may ignore your test, which will make the test results misleading. But they will not ignore a full roll-out.
Now, consider a second alternative that you probably didn't test. The product's price stays at $1.00 for the volume levels purchased in the last year, but for increased purchases above that level the price is $0.70. If total volume increases by at least 15 percent, you make more money. Again, if you don't have to add assets to make this money and you are the low-cost producer, you are ahead. The price war risk is much less if you are not the low cost producer.
Further, many companies look only at their own prices rather than what it costs a customer or end user to acquire and employ the offering. While not every offering can be vastly more attractive at a lower total cost to the customer or end user, many will. Companies need to vastly increase their testing to identify opportunities to expand volume profitably through changed pricing structures.
With a pen you can change your profits by adjusting your prices. That's a lot easier to do than finding and implementing a lot of subtle value improvements at the same price.
Do you know what price adjustments you should make? A spreadsheet can tell you the profit impact . . . if you know what the volume effects can be. But you know that most of your volume estimates will be way off the mark.
To overcome those potentially expensive errors, you need to test new prices first. But you already test prices. What's different from what you have been doing if you are to create an improved business model?
You now sell a product at one dollar a unit. You want use price to increase your profits from this product. Normally, you would test a slightly higher price in one geographic market to see how it goes. That price might be $1.05. Your average cost is $0.80 for the product.
If the sales stay about even with what you expect, you will probably make that price increase in all territories. That apparently profitable change in price could be a major missed opportunity, but you'll never know it.
Consider with me an example to help illustrate other ways to think about changing prices.
Let's consider an alternative that you probably didn't test. Because it would only cost you $0.25 (the marginal cost of the product) to sell more of this product, you decide to sell it at $0.80 instead. If the volume you sell increases by at least 50 percent, you make more money.
If you don't have to invest in more equipment or working capital and you are the low cost producer, this is a better deal because competitors will have a harder time making inroads against you in the future and you have just increased your relative cost advantage. If you are a high cost producer, all that may happen is that you will set off a price war that you will lose.
The competitors may ignore your test, which will make the test results misleading. But they will not ignore a full roll-out.
Now, consider a second alternative that you probably didn't test. The product's price stays at $1.00 for the volume levels purchased in the last year, but for increased purchases above that level the price is $0.70. If total volume increases by at least 15 percent, you make more money. Again, if you don't have to add assets to make this money and you are the low-cost producer, you are ahead. The price war risk is much less if you are not the low cost producer.
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