"It's better to give than to lend and it costs about the same." - Philip Gibbs
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Be different, remember the guy in all blue at the Heat vs. Spurs game, everyone else had on white, he stood out. Be creative and stand out.
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Getting the Right Landmarks on Your Success Roadmap
Picture this: you’re heading off on a road trip to exciting – but unfamiliar – territory. Do you just set off on the open road and hope you eventually somehow reach your destination?�
While some adventurers might take this approach, most people start out a journey with a roadmap, complete with landmarks that help them identify they’re on the right track, whether it be roadside attractions or cities that are along the way from Point A to Point B. �
The same principle applies in life – and especially in sales, where success is determined by our ability to bring together skills, business processes, resources, and natural talents in order to help customers and contacts buy into our vision of value within whatever product or service we’re selling. �
Here are some benchmarking landmarks to include on your roadmap to the destination of success:
- The essentials – Your trip won’t go too far if you don’t include some gas stations and pit stops along the path, right? Similarly, it’s critical to focus on the essentials from the get-go. These would include any metrics and benchmarks that are reasonable to expect when looking at one’s skills and effectiveness. While the specifics will vary by industry and objective, they generally will include a strategy for growth, basic sales processes and systems, personal competencies, management practices, and skills development.
- Goals and objectives – If you think you’re driving to California and your passenger thinks you’re off to Calgary, there’s a problem. Sharing common goals and objectives helps everyone involved understand how to get to your overarching organizational vision. These goals and objectives should be specific and measurable, with intermediary expectations set along the way (i.e. quarterly performance goals of a certain dollar amount or number of sales conversions that will show progress toward the annual goal).
- Values and principles – What’s the purpose behind your journey? Undertaking a long trip to see a close friend or ailing relative will drive you with more meaning than traveling for an obligatory appointment. Likewise, these values and principles breathe life and heart into your sales journey. How do the two differ? Values are broad fundamental beliefs– things like acting with integrity, exceeding expectations, or serving the community. Principles are more a part of the everyday tactical business execution, like nurturing client relationships, knowing the competition, or proactively managing risks and promoting awards.
- Reward systems – Remember asking “are we there yet?!” on childhood road trips? The promise of a cookie or some other tangible reward at the next gas station can work wonders for encouraging patient behavior for a child. The same idea applies to adults in a sales environment. Acknowledgement for reaching a certain goal, exceeding performance expectations, or winning a competition gives team members an added boost that helps them drive on in their sales efforts. The best rewards are those that are outlined in advance, giving all team members something to work toward, and align closely with your overall business strategy.
�
Happy travels along your sales journey!�
http://socl.tk/HL
“The Tipping Point” of Networking
In his famed work The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell discusses what he terms “The Law of the Few”: “The success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts.” Gladwell breaks these socially adept individuals into three personality types – connectors, mavens, and salesmen. How does each of these personality types propel social epidemics – and how can you improve your networking by taking a page from each profile’s playbook?�
- Connectors – Have you ever met someone who seems to “collect” people? Six degrees are more than they need to determine their separation from everyone on the planet – with connectors, it’s more like three. According to Gladwell, Connectors have a gift for bringing the world together by spanning different worlds with “curiosity, self-confidence, sociability, and energy.” To increase your connectivity, be aware of others’ needs and how you can fill them. It can be as simple as connecting two acquaintances with complementing needs and abilities (i.e. a contact needs a good graphic designer and you happen to know one in the area). When your focus is not on what you can take from others but rather what you can offer, you build “social capital” and cultivate a genuine bond of trust and respect that will pay dividends down the road. Generosity gets noticed.
- Mavens – Where connectors gather contacts, mavens gather information. They’re the type to find a great hole-in-the-wall restaurant and then broadcast this knowledge to everyone in their network (even via fax, according to one anecdote Gladwell shares in his book). Mavens want to solve other people’s problems, almost to the point of being “pathologically helpful,” and enthusiastically share newfound knowledge. Thanks to this, Mavens start “word-of-mouth epidemics” by sharing and trading their information capital, making them an invaluable contact. Make yourself an asset to the networks of those with whom you come in contact by adding value to their day. If you have a great tip, don’t be afraid to share it – but be judicious in quality and quantity. As you build a reputation for being in the know, others will listen up when you have a message that needs sharing.
- Salesmen – Some people are born with the charisma and persuasive personalities that make them powerful negotiators. Salesmen often have some indefinable trait beyond their words that makes them successful persuaders. While that may not be learned easily, you can learn to show integrity and trustworthiness in every business interaction. As you conduct yourself with honor and teach others about who you are and what you do at every opportunity, you’ll build relationships that will engender trust (and referrals). This will help you build a salesforce with a wider reach than your own network.
�
Whether you’re a connector, maven, or salesman, don’t forget to follow up with your contacts. Marketing statistics say it takes 7-12 impressions before a consumer makes a purchasing decision. Don’t stop building your network after an impression or two. Take that extra step – a phone call, email, lunch date, etc. – to continue feeding those relationships that will tip the scales toward success.
http://socl.tk/HL
Monday, August 19, 2013
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Friday, August 16, 2013
Building a Championship Team
As sports seasons shift, it’s tough to escape the buzz about how various teams are doing, whether they’re starting the season or bringing it to a close. Like sports teams with legacies for winning, businesses can create an environment compelling enough to attract –�and keep –�the top talent in their industry. While that culture gets set from the top down, it is the talent of the team –�not any individual player –�that drives the group to success.�
Retaining your top talent benefits your company through both leadership and a lasting institutional memory, and especially in today’s economy, a stable job benefits your star employees. But how do you get them to stay? Here are a few ways Harvard Business Review recommends to keep your top talent:
- Trust the team – Each member of your group brings a unique set of strengths to the table. Give them opportunities to put these to work and do what they do best.
- Make connections – Take the time each day to build that one-on-one relationship with each employee, checking in personally and professionally (avoiding private or sensitive topics unless the employee brings them up, of course).
- Respect individuality – Remember that each employee’s needs vary from his or her peers. Assignments, benefits and praise should be tailored to the individual’s needs and personality.
�
By creating a positive workplace atmosphere, you’ll be able to build a lasting team not unlike those sports teams that dominate from year to year by attracting and retaining top talent. The investment you make in catering to each employee will pay off with championship-like success down the road.�
http://socl.tk/HL
“The Tipping Point” of Networking
In his famed work The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell discusses what he terms “The Law of the Few”: “The success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts.” Gladwell breaks these socially adept individuals into three personality types – connectors, mavens, and salesmen. How does each of these personality types propel social epidemics – and how can you improve your networking by taking a page from each profile’s playbook?�
- Connectors – Have you ever met someone who seems to “collect” people? Six degrees are more than they need to determine their separation from everyone on the planet – with connectors, it’s more like three. According to Gladwell, Connectors have a gift for bringing the world together by spanning different worlds with “curiosity, self-confidence, sociability, and energy.” To increase your connectivity, be aware of others’ needs and how you can fill them. It can be as simple as connecting two acquaintances with complementing needs and abilities (i.e. a contact needs a good graphic designer and you happen to know one in the area). When your focus is not on what you can take from others but rather what you can offer, you build “social capital” and cultivate a genuine bond of trust and respect that will pay dividends down the road. Generosity gets noticed.
- Mavens – Where connectors gather contacts, mavens gather information. They’re the type to find a great hole-in-the-wall restaurant and then broadcast this knowledge to everyone in their network (even via fax, according to one anecdote Gladwell shares in his book). Mavens want to solve other people’s problems, almost to the point of being “pathologically helpful,” and enthusiastically share newfound knowledge. Thanks to this, Mavens start “word-of-mouth epidemics” by sharing and trading their information capital, making them an invaluable contact. Make yourself an asset to the networks of those with whom you come in contact by adding value to their day. If you have a great tip, don’t be afraid to share it – but be judicious in quality and quantity. As you build a reputation for being in the know, others will listen up when you have a message that needs sharing.
- Salesmen – Some people are born with the charisma and persuasive personalities that make them powerful negotiators. Salesmen often have some indefinable trait beyond their words that makes them successful persuaders. While that may not be learned easily, you can learn to show integrity and trustworthiness in every business interaction. As you conduct yourself with honor and teach others about who you are and what you do at every opportunity, you’ll build relationships that will engender trust (and referrals). This will help you build a salesforce with a wider reach than your own network.
�
Whether you’re a connector, maven, or salesman, don’t forget to follow up with your contacts. Marketing statistics say it takes 7-12 impressions before a consumer makes a purchasing decision. Don’t stop building your network after an impression or two. Take that extra step – a phone call, email, lunch date, etc. – to continue feeding those relationships that will tip the scales toward success.
http://socl.tk/HL
Thursday, August 15, 2013
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Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
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Friday, August 2, 2013
Hitting the Relevance Bull’s-eye
Recently I came across a post on Social Media Explorer� that showcased a bull’s-eye graphic to discuss exactly what it takes to provide relevant marketing communication. �
“Optimal communication takes place when a marketer can deliver a relevant message to a relevant audience in a relevant location at a relevant time,” wrote post author Mark Smiciklas.�
This concept meshes with a social media quote I’ve lived by for several years. Steve Rubel of Edelman PR once spelled out his recipe for social media success: “Create high-quality content in high-interest areas again and again.” None of these ingredients can stand alone from the other. What you create will depend on who you’re trying to reach and where they turn for information, not to mention when they will be looking.�
I’ll pose the same question Smiciklas asked: How can you become more relevant? Here are some thoughts on each of the categories needed to hit the relevance bull’s-eye with successful communication:
- Relevant Message – What is it that you’re trying to convey? Try to boil your unique selling proposition down to an elevator pitch, a 60-second explanation of why your product or service matters. From there, try to hone in on a story that can express the message in a way that will connect with your audience. Is there a case study or success story that you can relate? Focus on the pain points your customers face. How do you offer a solution to this pressing problem? Why is your solution superior to others out there?
- Relevant Audience – How defined is the audience you’re trying to reach? Targeting a specific group of people – or even multiple groups – will make all the difference in making your messaging effective. Speak to their unique needs and wants. If you have a product or service that benefits a general audience, then you may need to find a way to tell your story multiple times to multiple consumer profiles. Also think of how to tell the story – which medium is best. Will your audience watch a YouTube video, or are they more likely to benefit from a podcast or blogpost? One size does not fit all where effective marketing is concerned.
- Relevant Location – Where does your target audience turn for information? As Rubel said, it matters to place your message in high-interest areas. Think about the model used in traditional television advertising or film trailers. Would you want to advertise chainsaws during children’s programming? Conversely, would it be effective to show a trailer of the latest My Little Ponies film right before a testosterone-fueled slasher flick? You want to connect with your audience where they look for information, whether that be mommy blogs, traditional news vehicles, corporate websites, or social media outlets.
- Relevant Time – When will your target audience need the information you can provide? One of the top “news values” by which journalists judge a story’s importance is timeliness.� Even the best message will fall on deaf ears if it doesn’t matter to the audience at the time. Pay attention to current events. Is there a way to tie your story into a larger news item or story that has the public buzzing? Can you use the activities and emotions tied to the various seasons of the year to make your message hit home better? Tell stories that will resonate with what’s on people’s minds right now.
http://socl.tk/AZ
Four Ways to Forge Networking Connections
The heart and soul of networking is to connect with other human beings, creating sincere relationships that may “pay off” down the road with personal and professional opportunities. How do you create those relationships, though? Here are four ideas:
- Get involved – join groups supporting issues or causes that interest you. Be sure to expand beyond career-oriented groups. Open more than your checkbook – open your schedule and make time to be hands on. This will help you meet people with shared interests. Chances are, some of these new friends will also be influential and well connected.
- Find a mentor – A third-party perspective is invaluable, especially where your career is concerned. Seek out friends of a variety of ages and perspectives who can provide insight. No one person can provide the answers for everything, so be sure to find a few who can help with various facets of your career and life. Be sure to keep in touch with them; as you progress in your career, they, too will be progressing and gaining additional wisdom. Also, be sure to be a good mentee, asking questions about his or her life and providing your point of view where appropriate. The best mentor-mentee relationships provide learning opportunities for both sides.
- Create a personal “board of directors” – Speaking of mentors, it can be beneficial when transitioning between jobs or facing a major life decision to pull together mentors, colleagues, and professional contacts from a wide cross-section of your professional life, whether in person or via an email thread. Look for people who know you well and can speak to your values, goals, and next steps. Present this collection of trusted advisors with specific questions or insights you seek regarding your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. By hearing several voices that know different parts of your personality and career, you’ll be able to gain a more full-bodied understanding of what lies ahead and what decision would be best.
- Use social media – Nothing can take the place of face time, but online networking does have its place, especially as a springboard that leads to interpersonal experiences. While Facebook and LinkedIn are great places to begin networking with those you already know personally and professionally, don’t shy away from expanding into more niche networks. Some groups play to specific genders and ethnicities, like TheGlassHammer.com or 85 Broads for women. Jump into the fray of forums and conversations. Your expertise may win you favor and friends.
http://socl.tk/AZ
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
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Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Getting the Right Landmarks on Your Success Roadmap
Picture this: you’re heading off on a road trip to exciting – but unfamiliar – territory. Do you just set off on the open road and hope you eventually somehow reach your destination?�
While some adventurers might take this approach, most people start out a journey with a roadmap, complete with landmarks that help them identify they’re on the right track, whether it be roadside attractions or cities that are along the way from Point A to Point B. �
The same principle applies in life – and especially in sales, where success is determined by our ability to bring together skills, business processes, resources, and natural talents in order to help customers and contacts buy into our vision of value within whatever product or service we’re selling. �
Here are some benchmarking landmarks to include on your roadmap to the destination of success:
- The essentials – Your trip won’t go too far if you don’t include some gas stations and pit stops along the path, right? Similarly, it’s critical to focus on the essentials from the get-go. These would include any metrics and benchmarks that are reasonable to expect when looking at one’s skills and effectiveness. While the specifics will vary by industry and objective, they generally will include a strategy for growth, basic sales processes and systems, personal competencies, management practices, and skills development.
- Goals and objectives – If you think you’re driving to California and your passenger thinks you’re off to Calgary, there’s a problem. Sharing common goals and objectives helps everyone involved understand how to get to your overarching organizational vision. These goals and objectives should be specific and measurable, with intermediary expectations set along the way (i.e. quarterly performance goals of a certain dollar amount or number of sales conversions that will show progress toward the annual goal).
- Values and principles – What’s the purpose behind your journey? Undertaking a long trip to see a close friend or ailing relative will drive you with more meaning than traveling for an obligatory appointment. Likewise, these values and principles breathe life and heart into your sales journey. How do the two differ? Values are broad fundamental beliefs– things like acting with integrity, exceeding expectations, or serving the community. Principles are more a part of the everyday tactical business execution, like nurturing client relationships, knowing the competition, or proactively managing risks and promoting awards.
- Reward systems – Remember asking “are we there yet?!” on childhood road trips? The promise of a cookie or some other tangible reward at the next gas station can work wonders for encouraging patient behavior for a child. The same idea applies to adults in a sales environment. Acknowledgement for reaching a certain goal, exceeding performance expectations, or winning a competition gives team members an added boost that helps them drive on in their sales efforts. The best rewards are those that are outlined in advance, giving all team members something to work toward, and align closely with your overall business strategy.
�
Happy travels along your sales journey!�Learn more at www.yungentrepreneur.blogspot.com
http://socl.tk/AZ
Monday, July 15, 2013
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Friday, July 12, 2013
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
The Art of Creating Demand
How many times have you watched a late-night infomercial and had your initial skepticism turn into a desire to pick up the phone and call now? More often than not, demand is not sitting around, waiting for a supply to fill it – rather, demand is manufactured when a supply of a new product or service is created, and consumers are taught why they need this new thing. As sales pro Alen Majer put it, “There is no demand. Both the demand and the goods have to be manufactured. The public has always held fast to its old-fashioned discomforts, until the salesperson persuaded it to let go.”�
So how does a sales professional generate demand to accompany a new commodity? Here are some tips for interesting and convincing the public that your service or product is a must-have:�
- Know your customers – It’s vital to know your customers more than they know themselves – what drives them to action, what their needs are, what opportunities and threats they face. Remember that pain points often move people to action more than benefits, so be sure to articulate how your solution will alleviate a thorn in their side. This is especially true with new products, since their benefits may not be obvious to the customer (even though they are to you).
- Look through your customer’s eyes – Closely related to the previous point, it’s important to go one step further and think of what results your customer’s looking to achieve. How will your solution help them progress from Point A to Point B? Why would they use your field’s solution in the first place? Never assume that this is obvious – the real answer often goes beyond what’s on the surface.
- Create value by focusing on results – When you understand what it is your customer seeks, you can then speak to that end goal by explaining to them your unique value proposition – why it is that your commodity will help them achieve their goals, not only in the generic industry sense but also in the brand-specific sense. Focus on any indicators or symptoms that show there’s a problem needing your solution. Often it’s those symptoms that your customer will notice more than the root issue.
- Begin sales conversions from the customer perspective – Remember the power of WIIFM: “What’s in it for me?” Lead with your customer’s problems, helping them understand what the problems are, what causes them, and then what consequences they’ll face if the problems go unsolved. When this is clear, then there’s no need to sell the benefits of your product or service – they’ll be obvious.
- Make your value concrete – Find a way to attach some sort of measurable benefit to your solution, whether it be a monetized value or a specific amount of time you’ll save your customer. Make clear the costs of changing as well as the costs of not changing – that provides a tangible perspective that will often motivate a customer to action. There’s a big difference between “This will save you time and money” and “Our customers finish the task 30% more quickly than with other solutions, reducing expenses by $3 million annually.”
Create a demand for you products and services here http://www.vitelmoney.com
http://socl.tk/AZ
The Art of Creating Demand
How many times have you watched a late-night infomercial and had your initial skepticism turn into a desire to pick up the phone and call now? More often than not, demand is not sitting around, waiting for a supply to fill it – rather, demand is manufactured when a supply of a new product or service is created, and consumers are taught why they need this new thing. As sales pro Alen Majer put it, “There is no demand. Both the demand and the goods have to be manufactured. The public has always held fast to its old-fashioned discomforts, until the salesperson persuaded it to let go.”�
So how does a sales professional generate demand to accompany a new commodity? Here are some tips for interesting and convincing the public that your service or product is a must-have:�
- Know your customers – It’s vital to know your customers more than they know themselves – what drives them to action, what their needs are, what opportunities and threats they face. Remember that pain points often move people to action more than benefits, so be sure to articulate how your solution will alleviate a thorn in their side. This is especially true with new products, since their benefits may not be obvious to the customer (even though they are to you).
- Look through your customer’s eyes – Closely related to the previous point, it’s important to go one step further and think of what results your customer’s looking to achieve. How will your solution help them progress from Point A to Point B? Why would they use your field’s solution in the first place? Never assume that this is obvious – the real answer often goes beyond what’s on the surface.
- Create value by focusing on results – When you understand what it is your customer seeks, you can then speak to that end goal by explaining to them your unique value proposition – why it is that your commodity will help them achieve their goals, not only in the generic industry sense but also in the brand-specific sense. Focus on any indicators or symptoms that show there’s a problem needing your solution. Often it’s those symptoms that your customer will notice more than the root issue.
- Begin sales conversions from the customer perspective – Remember the power of WIIFM: “What’s in it for me?” Lead with your customer’s problems, helping them understand what the problems are, what causes them, and then what consequences they’ll face if the problems go unsolved. When this is clear, then there’s no need to sell the benefits of your product or service – they’ll be obvious.
- Make your value concrete – Find a way to attach some sort of measurable benefit to your solution, whether it be a monetized value or a specific amount of time you’ll save your customer. Make clear the costs of changing as well as the costs of not changing – that provides a tangible perspective that will often motivate a customer to action. There’s a big difference between “This will save you time and money” and “Our customers finish the task 30% more quickly than with other solutions, reducing expenses by $3 million annually.”
Create a demand for you products and services here http://www.vitelmoney.com
http://socl.tk/AZ
The Scoop on Facebook Timelines
A lot of buzz has been generated in the social media sphere by Facebook’s announcement of its reimagined personal profiles: the Facebook Timeline. Facebook is touting Timeline as a way for its users to “tell your life story with a new kind of profile.”� It allows users to take the content they’ve added into Facebook over the years and present it in a highly personalized format, creating a mini-autobiography of sorts within the social networking sphere.�
Facebook Timelines sport a look that’s less social media and more scrapbook sentimentality, Facebook product chief Sam Lessin told VentureBeat.�
“We’d get out a big box of old pictures, flip through the photos and talk about them,” Lessin said. “We were watching test users reminisce over these things, and we tried to design with that in mind and create that experience.”�
The effort paid off. VentureBeat writer Jolie O’Dell summed up her first taste of Timeline thusly:�
Years-old memories flashed before me — old friends, old places, things I hadn’t thought about in ages. I got sucked back into the past the same way I would have in front of my mother’s old cedar chest, a trunk packed full of childhood tchotckes and pictures that holds our family’s history.�
This innocuous social web tool had just made a powerful and convincing bid for more than my information or my time. Facebook was grasping at my emotions by way of my memories, and it was doing a damn good job.�
With Timeline, Facebook is succeeding where so many other web companies have failed: It has created a technology with real emotional power.�
So what goes into the Timeline? Here’s an overview:
- Your Cover – Facebook Timelines are heavily visual, and that includes a dominant opening image. “Fill this wide, open space with a unique image that represents you best,” advises the Timeline About Page. “It’s the first thing people see when they visit your timeline.” The cover image does not replace the profile picture – rather, the profile picture sits in as a thumbnail in the foreground at the bottom of the cover image, tying together the concept that this image says something about the person in that profile pic.
- Your Stories – The next element down on the timeline is a place to “share and highlight your most memorable posts, photos, and life events,” the About page reads. “This is where you can tell your story from beginning, to middle, to now.” Users have the option to place a star by their favorite moments to make them widescreen. They also have the option to remove the ones they’d prefer to hide. Components in this section include friends, photos, places, likes, and wall posts.
- Your Apps – This section gets interactive, tying together the various platforms and technologies people use elsewhere online into one information-sharing zone. As the website describes it, “The movies you quote. The songs you have on repeat. The activities you love. Now there’s a new class of social apps that let you express who you are through all the things you do.” What’s included is up to the user’s preferences, but options include music via Spotify that friends can actually play, lists of books recently read via bookshelf apps like Kobo, movies watched on Netflix or Hulu, or runs made using Nike+ GPS.
To learn how to use facebook as a cash cow visit here http://www.vitelmoney.com
�
http://socl.tk/AZ
Making time for the ideal sales week
If you were to outline the ideal sales week, what would it look like? That’s a question S. Anthony Iannarino, president and chief sales officer of Solutions Staffing, tackled on his sales blog, and his insights were wonderful. Iannarino’s suggestions all center around the idea of blocking out time for the various activities that makes for sales success. When you work these activities into your week is up to your priorities and unique business model, but the ideas apply universally.�
Here are eight activities to make time for in your ideal sales week, in order of priority:
- Prospecting – Opening relationships that open opportunities is the most important activity a salesperson can undertake. Consequently, it deserves a high priority and requires proactive planning and scheduling. Where will you turn to meet prospects? Be sure to go beyond the obvious, easy sources. Know your target audience and then think of where they would congregate – both online and in person.
- Face-to-Face Sales Calls – There is no substituting good old-fashioned face time, especially when it comes to developing a clientele. In-person interaction provides the greatest opportunity for value creation and advancing your sales opportunity. “The quality of your results is the quality of your calendar as it pertains to appointments with your dream clients and clients,” Iannarino said. Start scheduling these meetings in advance, and keep at least a few scheduled a week or two out at a time.
- Nurturing Activity – “The best opportunities for producing killer sales results lie with your coldest non-opportunities, your dream clients who are presently using a competitor,” Iannarino said. Place your focus on a dream client whose business would put you to the top of the leader board.
- Sales Call Preparation – Sales calls are not a time to “wing it” or play things by ear! Do your homework first, researching the client’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. What can you offer to them that will solve their problems? Remember, focusing on benefits is far more effective than drilling into your product’s features. Make solving their pain points your top pitch.
- Follow-up Activities – The trust that underlies all relationships (especially in business) is built on a foundation of commitments kept. Even the most effective sales calls may fall flat with results if no follow-up work is done, so be sure to do what you say you’ll do, from emailing along an article that would be a value-add for your client to checking the stock of their favorite product. As you’re drumming up new business, don’t neglect to reach out to current clients and contacts with phone calls or thank-you cards.
- Voicemail and Email Responses – In today’s always-connected communications climate, responding to emails and voicemails can be a never-ending task. Iannarino suggests blocking out a couple of set times (i.e. 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.) to respond to incoming communications, rather than breaking to do so constantly throughout the day.
- Update Sales Force Automation – Customer relationship management is critical, and a number of automation software options can make it a breeze – as long as you use it. Don’t let too much time pass between updates, or else important information can fall through the cracks. “The best time to do this is with the last half hour of the day, while the conversations and ideas are fresh in your mind,” Iannarino said. He recommends spending a half hour each day to input notes from sales calls, new contact information, action items, and pipeline progress.
- Personal Improvement – Of all the investments you can make, investing time in yourself pays off the most long-lasting dividends. Make an effort to always be honing your abilities and advancing education, whether it be listening to an audiobook while driving between sales calls or reading a chapter a night of a book that will help your professional development. Remember to expand beyond “sales” titles, too. That professional development can come most effectively in strengthening people skills, not just sales techniques.
To learn more about effective selling techniques visit http://www,vitelmoney.com
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