Small Business Lead Generation: How It Works?by Anup Karadiya 5/11/2012 Essentially, it has been observed that effective small business lead generation has the potential to shorten the cycle and also lead to better quality of leads. The most important aspect of ensuring this is to understand that the first contact is not sufficient to ensure sales. Hence, one needs to continuously keep at it. However, this depends on whether the lead in question is hot or cold. Quite obviously, one needs to pursue hot leads more fervently, and filter out cold leads completely from the system. This can either be executed by experienced professionals, or by maintaining a log of the feedback received from the different kinds of prospects, which can then be monitored either by an experienced team leader, or by the team together. One more aspect that organizations are particularly wary of in terms of small business lead generation is that getting quality leads is often an expensive proposition, whether one tries to procure the same from an external party or pushes the sales team to accomplish the objective. Compared to getting a cold or ... |
Effectively Managing Services and Sales!by Richard B Lim 5/11/2012 In providing a good working environment in a business, it is important to manage sales and sales people efficiently. It is crucial to have an excellent leader who can facilitate the performance of the members and at the same time inspire them to work harder. Since it is the leader’s reputation which is on the line, he/she must ensure the unity and proper performance of his/her members so that the sales, and the organization as a whole, will not be jeopardized. In a business, it is important to be organized and have managed services sales. To be organized, a sales person should have a concrete plan. This plan should be properly executed in steps to ensure quality performance and productivity of the team. The task on hand should be the main focus of the members of the team. However, this is not as easy as it seems. The sales people have to balance their time and produce good reports. Not only that, they should also be able to manage the pressure especially during unexpected changes. ... |
How to Win The Potential Client You Just Lostby Craig G Deister 5/11/2012 Before your pitch meeting, you meticulously completed all of your potential company research. You knew your competition. You prepped for the meeting and presented your company’s services thoroughly and professionally. Dale Carnegie would be proud. Here’s what you do to win that Customer: First, congratulations! You were successful enough to get a first meeting to present your company’s services! Now, second, you’re going to have to be twice as good and go back in for "the follow-up" information. This isn’t something to be intimidated by, or pass off and ignore. YOU MUST GET INFORMATION, AND YOU MUST GET BACK IN FRONT OF THIS COMPANY YOU JUST LOST. It’s extremely important to communicate with the top decision maker again and rather quickly. This shows the potential client that you were serious about the opportunity presented to you and that your company is committed to ... |
Ten Tasks A Mobile Sales Rep Can Improve With the New iPadby Max Stewart 5/11/2012 Apple is dominating the tablet market, although Android is gaining a little bit of ground. Many consumers have moved on to their second or third iPad while very few are on their second Playbook or Xoom. Widespread acceptance of the iPad means that it is becoming an integral part of the way we work, read, play, share, browse and learn. The device is making a big impact on the sales marketplace as well. Here are ten ways an outside salesperson can use an iPad to improve the toughest parts of their job. 1. Fast access to presentation materials. Pitching a product or service with images and video will wow a prospect in a way that paper simply can’t. 2. Position yourself as an innovator and present a polished, modern appearance to customers new and established. Your company isn’t stuck in the past - don’t look like it. 3. The Google Maps and Google Earth functionality lets you search nearby for businesses that are in your target market: tap, find and head out for a cold call when you’re nearby. 4. Use the iPad’s video capability to shoot and edit a customer testimonial suitable for your website or YouTube. Take a photo of a retail display or a finished project to send back to the home office. 5. Connect with your customer shoulder-to-shoulder as you move through your presentation. Laptops can ... |
4 Ways to Reduce Your Cold Callingby Sean Elrington 5/11/2012 Many sales books and training courses promise to help you reduce or eliminate the need for you to make any cold calls. They usually recommend that you try doing four things: Do lots of research and call it something besides a ’cold call’. Some sales gurus believe that if you do a lot of research and create a strong value proposition before calling a prospect then it is no longer a ’cold’ call, it is a ’warm’ call or a ’prepared’ call. It is generally good advice to research your calls; however, if you have lots of people to call it may not be practical to do a lot of digging before calling every prospect. Most salespeople will check out a company’s website to see what they do and how many employees they have and to see if there is any recent news about the firm. Doing more research than that can actually be counterproductive because the internet is infinite and you can waste a lot of time learning about firms that will never return your calls. You need to be careful that doing pre-call research does not become your favorite excuse for not picking up the phone and trying to reach strangers. Become famous. Every salesperson dreams of the day when their prospects call them instead of the other way around. One way to get to this point is to become known as an expert in your field by writing articles, giving speeches, creating a blog and by making ... |
The Truth About Sales Presentingby Milly R Sonneman 8/20/2011 Far too often a generic sales presentation is the be-all and end-all for a busy sales team. A single presentation is supposed to work in any situation for any audience. But, let’s face it... does this really work? How can one sales presentation do the heavy lifting for every situation and every customer? It must work for a creative, equally to a numbers focused decision maker. It must work in 5 minutes and in an hour time slot. It must be highly effective despite variances in presenter style. That’s a highly demanding standard. One presentation must be the ultimate solution to do it all. Attract. Interest. Engage. Customize. Overcome Objections. Close. In many organizations, legal approval and the slow wheels of corporate decision-making make it next to impossible to change a single word. While this is a common practice in sales, it doesn’t make much sense. Showing the same thing to everyone at every stage of their interest is foolish. It’s a recipe for disaster. After all, would you propose marriage to someone you just met? Would you write a formal request to have dinner with your sweetheart? Not likely. Different forms of communication are suited to different situations. If you are locked in to a formal script and not able to add, change or delete-use these quick tips to add some individuality to your delivery. 1. Arrive Early Meet and greet participants before you start. Share ideas in informal conversation-even if you must be extremely formal in your on-stage delivery. 2. Get Introduced Ask your host or hostess ... |
Recruit Sales People: Build The Desire In Themby Alan J Watson 8/20/2011 Many organisations still use the paper media to advertise vacant positions or employment agencies who are driven by placement targets. While both of these solutions have a place in the market, they do tend to attract individuals who are not in total control of their careers, hence their need to access a marketing service for their skills or fill out application forms in order to get noticed. The individuals that should be applying for key roles are generally "not seeking a move". They are busy carving out their career with a competitor and are happy with their lot. So how can we access these top performers with our sales opportunities? Well, let’s take a look at one of the 8 success factors for a salesperson - Building Desire - engaging the customer (replace with potential candidate) emotionally, creating a preference to buy and a feeling of fondness about the product or service (replace with job opportunity) If we were to use this technique to recruit sales people, then we would be trying to develop a relationship with the potential candidates. The Executive Search model has this approach to the candidates as its central magnet to generating interest in a vacated position. The personal 1: 1 approach is one which fosters trust and openness to discuss aspirations and expectations. The success of wooing a happy, well paid candidate out of their status quo to look at an exciting and new opportunity results from a pro-active approach to ... |
4 Rules For Ultimate Sales Successby Milly R Sonneman 8/20/2011 What’s the one word sales professionals try to never, ever say? This single word unlocks all of the 4 cardinal rules to achieve ultimate sales success. Find out here... In my sales presentation trainings, a lot of people want a script. The reason? They want to know what really works in the field. They rely on a script to avoid having the embarrassment or suffering through the pain of saying the wrong thing. This is smart thinking...in a way. It’s very smart to rely on experienced sales trainers to know what works. After all, when learning a new skill, it is critical to understand the basics. It’s very smart to rely on a script to help memorize product benefits, features and overcome common objections. And it’s also very smart to learn from masters how to close a sale. But it’s also not so smart. If you rely on a script to give you common sense...if you lean on a script so that you can’t remember how to speak off the cuff...if you only speak in generic scripted language...well, it’s easy to see how you could lose opportunities. What is that one single word sales professionals hate to say? Simply... "no." Like a script, not saying ’no’ is a smart move...in a way. It’s very smart to encourage positive thinking, look for opportunities, and adapt your message to your customer. If you’re always saying, "No...we can’t do that" it is possible that people will get turned off and stop listening. However, there’s a downside to not saying ’no’ ... |
Sales - How To ’Close’ A Saleby Philip Ashforth 8/20/2011 Sales is an area of business that often drives forward every other facet of the business. For without good sales there is not enough cash coming into the business to pay for all the overheads and support functions that make the business run smoothly and profitably. So sales is important and vital to support healthy cash flow. And good sales people are therefore in high demand, as companies require skilled and effective people to make their business visions a success. When I first got interested in sales in my early twenties, I couldn’t get a sales role of any kind as I was told I didn’t have the necessary experience. So I knocked on lots of doors until I got my first role appointment making for a local design agency, who hedged their bets by just employing me for a short time several afternoons a week. Now I knew I could sell, I started making appointments immediately and I think I achieved six on my first day alone! So I rose through the ranks very quickly. It is true to say, I had a natural sales talent, but it really came from a fear of failure and wanting to give a good account of myself. What I had was determination, and a belief that failure was definitely not an option. Under those circumstances making sales was a lot easier, and getting decisions from customers, commonly known as ’closing’ is what I did and it seemed to come naturally, as I was so dedicated to ... |
5 Mistakes That Can Stop You From Making The Saleby Annemarie Cross 3/15/2011 You’re in the process of introducing a new program to your database and everything is prepared. Your sales page is up; your shopping cart/payment gateway is ready to accept participants; and you’re sending out emails to prospective clients who you know could benefit from your support. Launching a new program (or product/service) is certainly an exciting and busy time. However excitement can soon turn into concern, and concern to panic if you’re nearing the start date with hardly anyone booked in? Can you relate? Help! Where did you go wrong? While there can be multiple reasons why you haven’t got clients flocking to your door, here are five common mistakes that can result in minimum signups to your programs. See if you recognise any. Mistake 1: You haven’t created the ’irresistible’ factor As a service provider it’s vital to build a strong signature brand that instantly captures the spirit, personality and passion of YOU and what you do. A strong brand will enable you to stand out in a crowded marketplace as an expert and leader in your field. And, building a reputation as the expert and leader in your field who delivers amazing results will make you irresistible to your ideal client. It’s also important to have a uniquely branded Signature System. What’s a Signature System? It’s the step-by-step process you’ll take clients through in your program. People prefer order and structure and will place more value on a well-defined system than an unstructured and vaguely laid out program. They’ll be far more likely to invest in your program ... |
The 10 Sales Habits Of Highly Effective Salespeopleby Orson Dixon 3/15/2011 There are several traits and skills, which differentiate successful salesmen from the average ones. These are the habits that enable them to make sales irrespective of the type of products, competition and market conditions. What do Successful Sales Professionals have in Common? Here are 10 sales habits that can help a sales professional perform better: 1. Know Your Product and Customers: Know your products and services well. Learn in-depth about their features, strengths and drawbacks. Also, know your target audience. Collect information about their decision criteria, buying behavior, budgets and requirements. 2. Be Pro-Active: Do not wait for opportunities. Be proactive and start prospecting aggressively. 3. Develop a Sales Plan: Prepare a sales plan and set realistic goals. Start executing the plan in a logical and step by step manner. Measure the results and evaluate your performance. 4. Manage Your Time Wisely: Proper time management can largely increase your productivity. Prepare a ’To Do List’ on a regular basis and prioritize the important activities. Do not waste time on non-productive tasks. Eliminate distractions and try to stay focused. This will help you to become more organized, complete all the tasks as per schedule and manage multiple projects. 5. Apply Technology: Effective salesmen use high-end technological tools to gain and manage information. Moreover, they use advanced devices, such as projectors and laptops, to deliver impressive presentations. 6. Keep Yourself Updated: The dynamic market conditions demand continuous learning and growth. Polish your existing skills and develop new ones. Keep yourself updated about the latest industry trends to adapt to the ... |
Tips for Closing a Saleby Carlana Charles 3/15/2011 It is always a good feeling when you get that inquiry on your product or service and a conversation and or consultation follows. However, these talks can at times fall flat if the service provider does not know how to close the sale. Here are 6 tips you can use the next time you get that call or email from someone looking to do business with you. 1- Feature and value - Highlight the value of your product or service. Suppose you’re in a market where there are other providers that do what you do. You need to come up with something that sets you apart from the rest. This is where value and features come in. Cause the prospect to see that despite there being other places and other people he could chose to do business with or spend with, your service is so rich in features and full in value that he would be crazy to go elsewhere! 2- Talk in simple terms so the prospect can understand -Don’t get caught up in industry jargon or tech speak. Speak in a way that the prospect can understand. Get a feel of the prospect’s level of understanding and know how to break things down so that you don’t spend an entire consultation with someone who is more confused about what you do and what you can do for them by the time they get off the phone. You aim is to show your skills and abilities whilst being relatable and informative. ... |
Taking Your Time With Prospectsby Dave Donelson 3/15/2011 You’ve researched your prospect’s needs, estimated his potential spending, and written a proposal that’s worthy of a Pulitzer Prize. It’s time to make the sale! Right about here is where most new salespeople (and plenty of experienced ones, too), make a major mistake. They’re eager to get the process started, they’ve got a lot of things to do, and their sales manager has been bugging them about all the time they’ve been spending in the office working on proposals. So they rush out and drop in on the prospect, saying something like, "I was in your neighborhood, so I thought I’d stop by and see if you wanted to buy something today." This is not a great way to impress the prospect with the careful thought that went into your proposal. Or they try to make an appointment by calling ahead with a pitch like, "Hello, Mr. Big. I’d like to show you our newest line of widgets. When can you see me?" Then they wonder why Mr. Big is too busy to fit them in. And why they always seem to get his voice mail when they call back. At least the second salesperson made an attempt to demonstrate some professionalism by making an appointment. The first one apparently didn’t place enough value on the prospect’s time to reserve some of it in advance. When you just "drop in" on a prospect, you and your proposal are placed in the same category as the other salespeople who work without appointments. These include people like ... |
After the Call: How to Keep the Momentum Goingby Miller Heiman 3/15/2011 Doing an assessment after each sales call is valuable for two reasons: 1. Assessment helps you to measure the actual hard data of the call - that is, to understand what information has been successfully exchanged and what still needs to be exchanged. 2. Assessment helps you to judge the "soft" interpersonal data of the call - to evaluate how you interacted with the customer and how you should alter your interaction in the future. To use the assessment effectively, you need to sit down as soon as possible after the sales call and run through three distinct but interrelated processes. 1. Review If your manager asked you how it went, what do you say? "It went well, the client seems really interested?" Or "It’s hard to say what, but something’s wrong." Either way, what do those answers mean, really? The purpose of the review process is to look more closely at the specific elements that led you to feel okay or pretty good or not sure. Some of the questions you need to ask yourself may include: a. Did I clearly state the Valid Business Reason at the outset? b. Did I ask at least one good New Information question? c. Did I practice Golden Silence? d. Based on what the customer shared with me about what he wants to fix, accomplish or avoid, did the information I give him clearly highlight my Unique Strengths to help him resolve those issues? 2. Sort Let’s face it, there will be sales situations where you can’t achieve ... |
|
| |