Thoughtful Thursdays - On promotion before sales

The majority of the people I work with agree that referrals and word of mouth will play a very important role in the development of their business. If they are fortunate to have an established network, it is likely the business will achieve sales faster and once you have the mouths, the word of mouth will start happening.

It is a taller order to build a network from scratch, but is it really from scratch is the question I will ask. Here are a few tips to get you started on building or growing your network. It may be easier than you think.

1. Make a list of everyone you know - I mean everyone
2. Get in touch with each one to say hello and let them know that you are in business
3. Tell them how your business helps your target market - not what you do, but how you help
4. Ask them if they know anyone that may be interested in the benefits you are offering
5. Ask them if they would mind introducing you to these prospects - don't push it, ask politely for their help

You will get contact information and at this point it will be up to you to follow up. Each new prospect can be a source of another. Remember to ask everyone you talk to if they might know someone who might be interested. Prospects often come from the most unlikely sources.

You are not selling your products or services at this point so don't even try. You are beginning to build your network. Trust has to be established and the simplest way to loose trust is to sell prematurely. If you are selling anything it is yourself.

At the same time, research networking groups and start attending events. It is not a contest to see how many business cards you can collect. Your challenge is to develop mutually beneficial relationships with new people. This takes time, so be patient. Being patient does not mean taking days off, there are endless opportunities to network. Be discerning and consistent with your decisions. Follow your business plan focus on your target market.

Once your promotional activities begin to generate prospects then you can start thinking about your sales process,

Good selling,
Richard

Thoughtful Thursdays - Cold calling?

There are many views on the subject of cold calling. For me, a cold call involves attempting to talk to a person I do not know about a something I have no idea whether or not they will be interested in and in my mind this is a marketing activity as  it results in the generation of prospects. Today, this is often a telemarketing function.
At that point the prospect is handed over to the sales force for follow up. You may have marketing and sales responsibilities, but do not confuse the objectives.

When talking sales, I don't consider any call 'cold'. In the worst situation I will be calling someone I have not talked to previously, but with the belief that they may be interested in doing business with me due to research that has been conducted. It is not a call out of the blue sky.

Here are a few tips when making those qualifying calls:

1. Approach each call as an opportunity to help
2. Know the benefits you bring to the table
3. Know your competitive advantage
4. Be excited about the opportunity
5. Know that not every prospect will be interested
6. If the prospect is truly not interested, have a response to find out why - after all they have been previously identified as a business or person that might be interested

Interestingly, these are tips that apply to making all sales calls. There is no such thing as a cold sales call.

Get out there and start helping.

Good selling,
Richard

Thoughtful Thursdays - New to sales?

Ten sales tips for the the new and not so new:

1) You have two eyes, two ears and one mouth. Use them in the same proportions.
2) Stop selling and start helping.
3) Remember that you can not start helping until you fully understand the needs of the customer.
4) Return all customer calls in timely fashion. Acknowledge the call even if you do not have the answer and let them know you are working on it.
5) Don't put off facing the music when things are not going as expected.
6) Call in depth, get to know as many people at your customer as you can.
7) Make a habit of doing what your competitor does not like to do.
8) Set objectives for every call you make
9) Make call reports and confirm meeting minutes with your customer
10) Don't conclude a meeting without knowing when the next one is going to take place.

Good selling,
Richard

Thoughtful Thursdays - Singing the sales blues?

From time to time we experience times when not much seems to be going our way. What orders are coming in can't be filled on time or deliveries get screwed up through no fault of your own. Targets that were supposed to close move out or projects get cancelled, again through no fault of your own. Indeed, it can be very discouraging because it is never your fault.

What to do, what to do. It is not uncommon to start singing the blues, and rationalizing the run of bad luck to anyone unfortunate enough to be in your line of fire. That may make one feel better in the short term, but the issue will still be there. Whether you are the business owner or a part of a large sales team, the fact is that the business is depending on your contribution to succeed and no amount of complaining will fix the situation.

If you find yourself in this situation try talking to the mirror. It won't be long before the person in the mirror grows weary of listening to you and not surprisingly a new attitude will emerge. It will be one that is re-energized and ready to tackle the challenges head-on with the passion and commitment that got you to where to are, and will take you to where you want to go.

Good selling,
Richard