Archive for the ‘Client Focused’ Category
During my workshops I frequently speak of the need for selling professionals to be prepared for every selling situation. With the lack of selling methodology and training amongst 92% of the selling population there are a number of gaffs during the sales day.
After a relaxing Independence Day weekend, I returned to several emails. One of the most striking included the following, “I realize that your company may be too big to have a need for our training materials, but I liked what I saw on your webpage and I thought it might be worth having a conversation.”
While I honor the selling representative for having the gumption to connect, their lack of knowledge for my firm is alarming. Worse yet, there exists the typical bromide of “what you can do for me approach”. Selling professionals must refrain from selling products and begin to realize the need to invest in and develop relationships. Consumers buy from those they know and trust and this begins with intellectual dialogue based on objectives and values.
If there is a desire to invest in a relationship then:
- Conduct fundamental research on the company and establish need.
- Get introduced to the economic buyer through a third party.
- If a cold call is required, ensure the focus is on objectives and measurements of success.
- Conduct research on the true economic buyer, blind messages to gatekeepers will only get lost.
- Stop thinking of input; consider how your product or service will benefit the customer. Think of external value end the selfishness and focus on the prospective client.
Before you pick up the phone or key a letter:
- Know the customer.
- Know the industry.
- Know the competition.
- Know your value.
- Know your differentiation.
- Know your value proposition.
- Know your output.
- Know your decision maker.
- Know your time frame.
Customers are too busy and not inclined to have their time wasted on the folly of sales commission. The only methods of competitively selling today include differentiation, value and output. Anything less is simply a waste of the selling professionals time. How much do you know?
© 2010. Drew Stevens PhD. All rights reserved.
Drew Stevens is one of the world’s leading authorities on Sales Marketing & Business Development Solutions . Drew is the author of the successful sales process book Split Second Selling. He is also the creator of the Sales Leadership Certificate one of only 14 programs in the United States offering an accredited degree in the profession of selling and has a top ranked podcast called Sales Acceleration. To discover how Dr. Drew can assist your organization visit his marketing and sales website.
Popularity: 60% [?]
ShareMy name is Francis Walsh and I want to tell you what my baseline is. My baseline is where you are right now. “Where are you anyways?” I know where you want to be, but right now you’re here. “Where is here?”
Generating relationships online can be summed up in three, easy, steps. They are create, create, and interact with said create, create. It’s easy, but it’s not easy for everyone. Stop what you’re doing, Drop down to the consumer level, and Roll out the information that benefits the company in a positive way.
The intent of internet marketing is to connect with new users who through their normal every day travel of the internet, find information about you. If you increase the amount of information about you by 30% then you have more information about you from which new users are able to find your news.
The intent of internet sales is to generate revenue through the interaction of a company user and a consumer interacting via their computers. Without an increase of content a company user could go out and increase sales by thirty percent through interactions with new consumers. The company user is creating new content and interacting at the same time. Driving sales into the company to generate a 30% increase in sales is different than increasing the amount of content by 30%.
I could take the 30% to the next level and say a goal of receiving 30% growth on investment would, in banker’s terms, mean a return of $4000 on a $3000 investment. Each baseline is a little different and in the end, has a different result.
Consider each baseline as you enter into a new partnership where a provider will be doing the work for you. The best rests come from proper planning and a mutual understanding of the baseline and the goal.
Francis Walsh
77375
“A baseline is a line that is a base for measurement or for construction; What are you trying to construct for your Internet Marketing?”
Popularity: 50% [?]
ShareMy name is Francis Walsh. I spend most of my time right here, typing words that get noticed. I know this is true because people come and ask me what I’m writing about and why.
“I like to think they are more interested in my words but they’re not.” “They are interested in what I talk about.”
Content is King
“No doubt about it, content IS king.”
Right now, our friends and colleagues are talking and writing too. The problem is much of what they’re doing online has nothing to do with me or you. They are interacting on a personal level with their friends and colleagues who keep them motivated. Motivation is the key to happiness. Happiness is motivated through interaction on a personal level.
“People are online looking for the answer to their next big question and they know where to go for their answer, but they don’t yet know who the answer is going to come from.”
Even you have questions that need to be answered. They may change as your day goes along or as the need for an answer arises. What we all hope to have when questioning the things we need to know more about, is a rapid response.
“We like to get a quick response.” “Don’t you?”
Content is the answer. Or better yet, “Content about your product has the answers about your product.” Your business can quantify an actual benefit from having more answers about your product online. “Not just on YOUR blog or website, but anywhere there is a forum of similar minded individuals or subjects to leave an answer behind. This is the PERFECT place to introduce your position and the benefits of your product.”
“You have to spread yourself around if you want to really begin to see the benefit of marketing to the online community.”
Rapid Response Initiative
“I like to think that I can answer a question from anyone online before they actually sign off from that session of computer use.”
If you begin to initiate a rapid response to each and every request for an answer that comes in from anywhere online, you will dramatically increase your bottom line by “I would say 15% to start.” “And it doesn’t matter how big your company is right now!”
Small companies therefore have to consider that a 15% increase to their offline business from online activity would be a great boost, and big companies can see that taking back or acquiring more market share is possible. “Even companies that think they already have a presence online.”
“Some businesses don’t know what they’re doing really, and have no idea of the commitment it takes to drive business from the online marketplace.”
Being prepared to respond to that user before he or she signs off the internet is how you can expect these kinds of results.
Matt Geier has the platform to push a company forward quickly. Not just a man with a plan, but a team with a dream. “The dream is about building equity from internet sources using content placement and rapid response initiatives that not only boost productivity of what already exists online, but generates its own business away from the one location certified to be The Product Source.”
The investment is sound. The people are experienced and motivated. More businesses are getting results that they cannot get from anyone else. Other companies run around with a product’s old content, putting one thing everywhere. “One little thing” (and then they pray.)
“I expect everything I do to be successful and it is.” “I expect that every company that I work with will see tremendous growth, and they do.” “I can only say that I know what The Sales Corner will do, and it will be well worth it if you put your business on a fast track with us.”
“I can say more but then I think I said enough already.”
Sincerely,
Francis Walsh
77375
Popularity: 54% [?]
ShareWhat nonsense is that? You’re the one that conceptualized, designed, and built your business from the ground up. You’re the one that has 100% control over everything in your company; right? Or do you?
Do you build any of your “business model” on “what ifs” — because “what if” you lost a limb, an ear, a finger, an arm, a leg, or god forbid, your head? Could you continue to operate in whatever way you needed to without a hiccup in your service to clients, customers, and other business relationships?
“I doubt that I could continue operating at full capacity in the event of a catastrophic time.”
Knowing our own limits, only helps us understand yours. Were all different, but, similar. Business can be looked at in the same light;
Business models are at a core, the template for all business models. Having a different business then the next person only makes you “similar” in the fact of processes, and things to do to keep your business active and going. (finding new partners, getting new suppliers, having someone do collections, finding new customers, seeing into new markets, driving new sales etc..)
You’re business may not have the same struggles as mine, or Joe’s, or Bob’s but I can bet your “butt” that all three of our business’s will need help to stay going, either now, or in the future!
So if you’re reading this, then you may be like a lot of other people who ask us; “What can The Sales Corner help me with?”
This is our response, which simply put is EVERYTHING, “What do YOU NEED?”
Once you can establish the need or multiple needs that you have, it will be easy to find a way to fill the need using The Sales Corner. In fact there are several ways we can fill your needs with the offering of full service membership packages to look out in ALL the areas you might be looking for help!
See a complete list of package offerings here;
http://www.thesalescorner.us/blog/sales-corner-marketing-seo-sales-membership-packages/
ADDITIONALLY I can offer you some “REAL INSIGHT” into others similar needs and how they were able to utilize The Sales Corner to address those needs;
Question 1
My computer is running slow; My internet sites take longer to load and I wish there was a way I could get someone to help me without having to worry about the expensive price of the local “Squad” or wait from “someone in another country” to call me back or fix my issue.
Answer 1
The Sales Corner is able to propose one of our Phone Service and Support membership packages which are designed as all inclusive to what was needed here for this client to get phone support for “general technical help, and product application support.” As this client had issues and needed a resource to contact with the assurance they would get a timely, and well educated response!
Question 2
What do I need to keep active, and reach my customers/clients?
I already know how to write my own content, publish my own articles, and get out into the Social Media scene to grow myself;
Answer 2
The Sales Corner is able to propose one of our Quarterly Website/Blog membership packages which is all inclusive to what this client needed to get a Website Built, Integrated, and Managed after Install! We think it’s great even when you don’t know what you need to in order to have a medium to communicate yourself on. This gives them ability to communicate directly and privately to their own user base!
Question 3
How can I get into new Sales and Marketing areas with my current projects?
I don’t know anything about how to use a blog, where I should be online or offline, or how to reach new people because my “old” approach isn’t working anymore;
Answer 3
The Sales Corner is able to propose one of our Quarterly Internet Marketing / Sales membership packages which are designed as all inclusive to what this client needed to get their products, their face, and “their business” out to people who wanted to know about them! This will keep them there where they need to be, in front of people online and off!
Question 4
Some folks out there have their own sites on a free host, or a host that charges them a monthly or annual fee; That’s okay, but sometimes people don’t always know what to do in these cases or how to get to their files etc. How can The Sales Corner help me get a place to host or store my files for my website, my blog, or FTP access?
Answer 4
The Sales Corner is able to propose one of our Quarterly Website/Blog Hosting membership packages which are designed as inclusive to what this client needed for their files to be stored, accessed, and managed on a regular basis as they saw fit! Now they can upload/download and so can their users (With or Without a Blog if they like since this is “file storage”).
As you can see, The Sales Corner and our network of members have very good methods of helping you get more information for free, save your business money, get more all while you can walk away and feel confident to know that you’re business isn’t going to fall under, because you couldn’t afford our monthly fee, or that yearly cost to keep it going!
“The Sales Corner is always willing to listen and work with all of our members to accommodate their needs and wants and desires, after all you help us keep going as much as we help you; We simply supply the magic powder to mix it all together which is then what we give you which is tangible and something you can count on for your business needs!”
Matt G
The Sales Corner
“The Shaman says only the best leaders use help to their advantage.” The Sales Corner Probing Question of the Day:
“When you find yourself without an answer to a problem….” “Where do you go to find the answer?”
Popularity: 88% [?]
ShareThat’s right you heard it correctly;
Do you have the desire for results?
Susan can help you accomplish that desire and prove what you’ve always known was inside of you the whole time!
Do you remember her from over at SusanShapesSuccess.com ?(link)
Susan is full of love and compassion to help you and me, and everyone bring their “brains” to a higher awareness. Why? Because having a higher awareness means you’ll be in more control of your own direction in life.
We encourage you to connect with Susan and understand her mission to help you achieve your goals!
We want to send our thank you to Susan, for taking the time she has to participate with The Sales Corner; Get ready for some exciting times to come and watch how we develop our own partnerships and agreements to help you grow even more!
We look forward to working with Susan on a deeper level and we are very excited to what she is able to offer our members here at The Sales Corner!
“My Mission is to translate desire into results by helping to increase my client’s level of awareness which will lead to a higher level of consciousness..” ~ Susan Yakima
@SuccessShaper (Twitter)
The Sales Corner: “The One-Stop where everyone is happy with the results we give!”
Popularity: 30% [?]
ShareYou heard right! Were on Digg!
Connect with us!
http://digg.com/users/thesalescorner
Popularity: 16% [?]
ShareSome days at The Sales Corner are like many others when we find ourselves hashing over the same issues that the last client had, or helping a new client grasp what they can do to help themselves be a better seller, be a better marketeer, or be an all around better business builder. We spend our time on the phone, helping educate people on what THEY can do to help themselves! Even if there is someone like TSC working in the background; even we agree that you need to do more more more!
Often enough, our clients struggle from similar things as each other like you’ll see below in this discussion with Joe.
(Remember Bob the engineer who wanted to grow his website sales??)
Joe is a lot like Bob in the way of thinking. Joe doesn’t realize that he’s out of scope when it comes to how his customers perceive his store, his website, his “mission.” Joes very good at blowing glass, but he lacks in his ability to inform the customers about his products in a way that encourages them to buy it because they want to, not because he’s asking them too!
Joe says to me “I try every time they call me to ask them for their purchase. The problem is, they all end up asking me questions, then hanging up the phone. I never see their orders. I don’t know what I can do. Can TSC help me?”
“Yes Joe, we can. I’m glad you’ve asked. TSC likes it when people reach out for help!”
I explained to Joe that I recently spoke to Bob who was having a similar problem. Bob’s problem was that he was trying to fix symptoms of his problems, without address the problems head on. Joe on one hand, faces a similar dilema of not being able to identify WHY he cannot get more traffic or better traffic which will generate conversions. On another hand, Joe is very honest about being able to communicate to his audience effectively.
I asked Joe to explain to me his definition of “effective marketing” and he proceeded to explain. “I’m a marketing major and I graduated from Standford with a degree in the subject. It’s what I’ve done for myself for the last 20 years and I’ve helped a lot of brands build up also. This was back in 1990. My problem is that in the last decade, it’s not that I haven’t kept up with what’s going on, but I’ve not been able to reform my education that I had to create a NEW and FRESH message. Marketing to people of the 80′s and 90′s was not like these “new age” people like you, Matt, and the people at The Sales Corner.”
“I agree with you Joe. Times have changed. One reason I started The Sales Corner was to help people build their business with NEW and FRESH ideas that would result in growth, and visibility to their market. Again, I can help you.”
Joe was very happy with our conversation and was ready to purchase services from The Sales Corner but became a little confused about what would suit him best with regard to what we could do. I explained that since we do a lot of things here at TSC to help people build and grow their business, that we can focus on the strengths he has, and we will focus on the weak parts to, and improve them both!
“Here Joe, you need to look at these as they have been designed to give you a ton of visibility with a broad movement directly for you!” Full Internet Marketing Packages
Realizing he was a Marketing Major, he knew what a good message looked like, and even admitted he could write one. He wasn’t feeling like he wanted to pay for something he could do already himself.
Then I asked; “So Joe, you have 20 hours a week to write 100 messages for your business, and then market each of those 100 message out to researched content valid mediums?”
Joe replied, “No, I don’t have the time to do that. I just said I could” “Well then, you’ve come to The Sales Corner to help you right?” Joe pondering the question, then with a heartfelt “Yes” he responds.
I helped Joe understand that nobody doubted his ability to communicate and market to his customers.
What Joe lacks, is the ability to get his message, in 50 different ways, all saying the same thing “buy Joe’s glass blown products off his website” and take the time to market each of those 50 messages out to 50 different places.
Until Joe worked with The Sales Corner, he didn’t realize that we could take his current message, and market it in his local area, and his surrounding area, choosing mediums and places that WOULD CREATE HIS RESULTS, rather then HOPING they would.
If you’d like to find out how we can help you! Take a look at our pre-composed Full Service packages, or, registered members, can contact us directly and ask for customized packages to encompass even better or bigger growth!
Full Service / Support Packages!
Popularity: 17% [?]
ShareA common travesty that underpins sales success is fear. Selling professionals fear picking up the phone, they fear asking for referrals, they fear asking for the agreement. Sellers fear because they do not know what to do if something does not go their way. They have failed. Not true, failure is the best teacher in the world. Stop looking at failure as a negative. A terrific mentor, author and king of the consulting world Alan Weiss states, “If you are not failing you are not trying”.
First, selling professionals are constantly immersed in rejection. Yet it all begins with confidence. Sellers must believe in the products and services they represent. If you do not believe it you will not sell it! How do you expect buyers to believe you if you cannot believe it? Avoid failure with passion and conviction for the company you represent.
Second, regular readers of this column know my thoughts on cold calling- I abhor it. There are times when it is necessary. More importantly, there are times when friends, peers and colleagues might provide sellers with a referral. Research in this area illustrates that over 78% of individuals procrastinate making these calls because of rejection. Refrain from preconceptions and pick up the phone! What you are really saying is that you do not know what to say after hello! Rejections diminish with proper preparation, provocative questions and action steps.
It is important to remember that buyers do not reject you personally, they reject the offer simply because there is a lack of trust and value. Therefore, sellers must find methods that counteract these issues.
“Failure is not an option” originated from the issues of Apollo 13. Unfortunately many selling professionals use the cliché for all their efforts. With so many organizations lacking investment in their sales teams and with less individuals investing in themselves, failure is the best educational tool. Keep trying, continue failing, stop looking for short term results but long term strategies of self-mastery. Failure is the key to your economic selling future!
Additional Quote for the Day
“Why don’t you want to do what you know you should do? The reason you don’t is that you’re in conflict with yourself.” – Tom Hopkins (The Art of Selling)
©2010. Drew Stevens PhD. All Rights Reserved.
Limited beliefs also withhold your success, Click Here for a Free Report on Overcoming Limited Beliefs
Drew Stevens PhD is one of the world’s leading authorities on business development and practice management success. Dr. Drew is the author of the successful sales process book Split Second Selling and the upcoming book Ultimate Business Bible – 10 Strategies for Achieving Ultimate Business Success. Click to receive a free chapter of Ultimate Business Bible. Dr. Drew is one of the founders of the Sales Leadership Program at St. Louis University and operates Sales Fitness and Business Expert Radio one of the Internet’s highly successful podcasts and radio programs. To discover how Drew Stevens can dramatically accelerate your revenue contact him through his website.
Popularity: 12% [?]
ShareDuring a recent analysis of a selling organization, I conducted a mystery-shopping excursion to determine the best practices and limitations of the sales group. What I found is common in most organizations.
How often do you listen to your voice mail? How often do you change it? How often do you obtain specificity in the message?
Voice mail services two purposes: 1) to enable your caller to leave a specific message for you and 2) for you to leave specificity on your return call. However individuals will not leave specifics if you do not disclaim how. For example during my mystery excursion the following message was left [name changed to protect the guilty] “Hello this is Rhonda please leave a message at the tone.” The last time I heard this was 15 years ago when voice mail was introduced.
Proper business voice mail should stipulate your name, the firm name, what you want your caller to do and the actions you will take upon receipt of the message. I tell callers to leave a brief message, the best telephone number and time to ring them and that I return their call in 90 minutes. Action is required otherwise your message becomes driftwood in a sea of eternity.
Your voice message must depict your professionalism, your ethics and your responsibility.
The second common selling issue is the identity of the firm when calling a main switchboard. During recent client analysis I ring up the reception area only to have been immediately placed on hold or immediately transferred to another party. Emergency responders take more time to diagnose my issue!
Reception is the first line of organizational identity. Rushing parties off the line, placing them on hold, using mechanistic approaches are methods that destroy prospective client interactions. 45% of every customer interaction involves some level of customer service. Do not allow prospective customers to judge a book by its cover, make a good first impression and treat ‘em right!
©2010. Drew Stevens PhD. All Rights Reserved.
There are seven secrets for selling effectiveness. Click here For a Free Report 7 Secrets to Selling Success
Drew Stevens is one of the world’s leading authorities on business development and customer satisfaction. Drew is the author of the successful sales process book Split Second Selling. He is also the creator of the Sales Leadership Certificate one of only 14 programs in the United States offering an accredited degree in the profession of selling and has a top ranked podcast called Sales Fitness. To discover how Dr. Drew can assist your organization to increase their business development skills visit hime at www.stevensconsultinggroup.com
Popularity: 12% [?]
Share
 |
The Sales Corner Tip of the Day
