Does the competition drive you crazy? Are they relentless about taking your clients away? Are customer loyalties becoming a thing of the past?In our ever changing world, it seems securing business these days comes down to, who will provide the most services at the lowest possible price.To add insult to injury your previously served customers have taken on a new militant attitude about obtaining your services. They now believe they have a license to set the pricing, dangle it over... Read More
Imagine you run a pizza parlour. You have all these neighbourhood families that pop in at least once a week for some pizza, garlic bread and Coke. On an average, one customer spends about $30 per week. But let's assume they spend just $20. Imagine you did something that bugged this customer, but he or she never told you about it. What would you stand to lose if they left?Its simple math: You lose $20 x 50 weeks. That's equivalent... Read More
Imagine increasing your business earnings by 30, 40, or 50%. And this just by putting into use a fundamental truth of life. Many great men of history have used this truth in turning around their fortunes.You must understand that our world is governed with basic principles which if used right can produce amazing results. These are truths that have been since life began. You can also profit with them in anything you choose in life. In this article you'll discover... Read More
According to former Harvard Business School professor David Maister, typical marketing practices are not only inapplicable for professional service firms, but they may be dangerously wrong.Often professional service firm principals tell me they are frustrated with the quality of their marketing materials, they are concerned with their firm's low profile or they feel pressure because their efforts are not generating enough new client leads. Are any of these issues for you?Many professionals do not know there is a body of... Read More
A number of sales "Gurus" have promoted the theory that states, "concentrating strictly on your top level premier accounts (some even quantify that by stating your top twenty) will provide you with as much growth and profit as you can possibly handle." This is often stated regardless of individual and corporate strategic initiatives. This position is based on the following facts and assumptions.? Your top twenty accounts have tremendous growth potential that you have not taken advantage of fully. It... Read More
So everyone thought you were crazy when you announced 6 months ago that you were quitting your "real job" in hopes of chasing starting your own Private Label Clothing Line. Your house is a disaster, blank shirts and line sheets everywhere, your living room has been transformed into a makeshift production lab. You've bled and sweat, investing every last of ounce of time, effort and inevitably?your life savings. At last, you're first sample line is complete and your line sheets... Read More
The temptation to use straight (100%) commission plans never goes away: "Let's put our salespeople on 100 percent commission. Then, if they don't perform, we're not out any money." For small, start-up organizations, the lure is irresistible, especially when money is tight and the company or the products they sell have no track record in the market.Straight commission appeals to salespeople because of the freedom that comes with it. Because they receive no salary, these salespeople are unwilling to allow... Read More
Every dollar you discount is a dollar of pure profit you're giving away. Therefore, your efforts to remove discounts will be richly rewarded.When buyers see list price, they expect discounts to follow. By changing the way you address the relationship between pricing and discounts, you can stop giving away heavy discounts and escape the commodity pricing pressures in your business.Here are 4 simple techniques that you can use to wring every dollar you deserve out of your next sale.Amplify the... Read More
Business development is important for every business and refers to the action of bringing in customers or clients that are likely to make positive contributions to a company's bottom line. Business Development is all about establishing relevant and subsisting relationships in the market place.In this article Alex Margarit offers you an introduction into the world of business development and new business acquisition. Utilizing your existing client base to maximise your inbound sales revenue.Your existing client or customer... Read More
You're a small company with a good product. You are confident that the product can sell, but you don't have the financial resources to hire a team of fifty salespeople to market and sell the product for you. You also don't have the staff resources to support those that purchase the product. How do you make your good idea and good product create success for you?Distributors can help market, sell, and support your product. Understand that you'll give up a... Read More
Last week I got a call from Jose, who was looking for help improving his ads. He'd been running the same ad in four local papers for two months and only gotten one response. He was understandably frustrated. With more than a dozen very satisfied clients, he knows that the residential property management services he and his brother provide should interest more people, but he wasn't having any success getting attention or generating leads.Jose knew that to grow his business... Read More
Bill Borders stepped up onto the podium. He had just been introduced as the new Vice President of Sales for Kiechler Building Supplies. As he looked out at the fifty seven faces staring back at him, time seemed to stop and everyone was motionless. Bills mind wandered. This wasn't a nervous reaction; it was more of a reality check.Bill had already met most of the fifty seven faces that were now looking at him in anticipation of what he might... Read More
How high is your sales trust factor?Is it higher than the sales trust factor of your competition?It should be, if you want to increase your success in sales.Your trust factor represents the level of trust that buyers have in you as a seller. In the buy/sell relationship, perception is the reality under which sellers operate, and trust is based on the buyer's perception of you.You may be the most honest, trustworthy person in your field, but if buyers don't perceive... Read More
Of the many mistakes small business owners make, a big one is participating in trade shows and business expos without a strategy for turning those marketing opportunities into sales. Here are five tips to get you started.1. Have a goal. What do you want to get out of the event? Most small business owners think sponsoring an event will bring them a ton of business. Not necessarily. Follow up is critical.2. Make sure the audience is your market. If your... Read More
There's a new year beginning now - the school year. Whether you have children attending for the first time or finishing university, it's always hectic to get into the back-to-school routine. And, if you don't have school in your family, there might be your own remembrance of the excitement of starting afresh and learning something new.This is a great time to review your trade show program in the same way you prepare for school.Pick Your School = IndustryIt's a business... Read More
Here's the scene. You're at the trade show, having a discrete "Sales Call" conversation with a visitor. Things are going well until he says something like...* So who else uses this upgrade?* You mentioned Big Foot, Inc. as a client. Who can I contact there?* I'm not sure it's worth the extra money to us. Got any examples of real savings?* We're heavily invested in one of your competitors and I can't see junking everything we've already done even though... Read More
Targeting is the process of selecting high potential customer accounts to receive intense sales focus. Goal setting translates that high potential into achievable numeric objectives, i.e. revenue and margin growth.Each Territory Manager should select a predetermined number of Target Growth Accounts (TGA). Creating focus on this group of selected accounts doesn't mean a Territory Manager should ignore other accounts; he is always expected to service his entire territory. When making decisions regarding his or her time, however, he or she... Read More
Money is the only thing that motivates a salesperson, right? Well, maybe it is time to give your sales staff a little more credit.If you are like most sales managers, you were probably promoted to your current position because you were a great salesperson. But can you remember what motivated you to work so hard? Was it for the hope of advancement? Was it your loyal determination to help the company succeed? Or was it your fiery, competitive spirit that... Read More
Q. What's the single, biggest change exhibitors can make to move more prospects closer to a buying?A. Exhibiting firms can make their most credible, "main differentiating benefit" the most obvious, prominent (aka BIG) message in everything they display, give away, or discuss.Problem: Exhibiting staff rarely get to have a pivotal role in creating their exhibit, "uniform" clothing or collateral material.If you are reading this article, you may be facing this situation. Read on and you'll find some ways to overcome... Read More
Is lack of sales results, more sales training costs, months of unearned salary and damage to your company's image or reputation your company's method of NOT finding good salespeople? For most companies it is!The "trial and error" method of hiring salespeople is very costly to a business. Without a viable way to hire quality sales people everyone in the same organization is negatively affected. Without revenues there often are not adequate human and financial resources to best service customers or... Read More
