Archive for the ‘Goal Setting’ 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:

1. Conduct fundamental research on the company and establish need.
2. Get introduced to the economic buyer through a third party.
3. If a cold call is required, ensure the focus is on objectives and measurements of success.
4. Conduct research on the true economic buyer, blind messages to gatekeepers will only get lost.
5. 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% [?]

We see it a lot here at The Sales Corner. Including the “decision makers” making the decision to put an exorbitant amount of money into a product or service to gain little to no attention from that service or provider. In this example below, we show you a common type of approach;

“Mr. Customer, you can pay $15,000 dollars to get you in the top 3 on Google in less then 6 months!” Doesn’t that sound great?! Oh, and by the way, can and will also offer you; Internet Marketing, SEO Services, additional Search Engine Placements, Revenue Ad ideas, ways to sell products, and other things that will appear to help your online growth…. and if you want to gain access to that stuff, you’ll need to pony up another $15,000 or more to take advantage of those things!” If you’d like can start right away as long as you can provide them a Credit Card, AND SURELY WILL GUARANTEE you top placement on Google for your money, and their hard work, and you’ll become famous! Doesn’t that sound great Mr. Customer?”

Ho Hum, but we here at The Sales Corner say “Sorry Mr Customer; You’ve just been screwed out of a nice chunk of change!” Change that you could have used to buy a new desk, computer, programs, or hell, maybe you wanted a vacation with your family while you left the business to someone else!!

Why are you screwed though? Here’s how, and we think you’ll find this a bit intriguing;

1) ANYONE can search Google for anything.

When they do, some of YOU will have success on the top pages and some will not. However, it’s true that the top 5 links mostly get the clicks, it’s not always true that just because you are in the top 5 you’ll stay there there based on what those optimized search terms were. No, you’re in the top 5 because Google put you there based on how they ranked your popularity. (among other criteria….)

(This information alone to the right service provider is worth about $10,000 dollars in their price book, and I’ve just provided it for
free.)

So how popular are you today?
Where do you fit in?
Is your provider KEEPING you in that top 5 with “good ethics” and “dynamic ways” to keep you in the top listings?

Frankly our “Kid and Pre-Teen Research Team” can do better then some of the “experts” out there. WHY? It’s because they are creatively changing and remain dynamic.

You’ll stay on top of the Google game if you are dynamic, changing, and doing doing doing something that Google likes. Do you know all the secrets? NO, and let us tell you, neither do we, nor does the next service provider.

What The Sales Corner does know is how to keep you in front of your customers in your market. We help you build on your relationships and open NEW doors!

The perks of some of these things are becoming “famous” on Google, or having “the source” be you when a potential party is looking for your solution, service, or similar product etc…

We hope you take the time to consider this the next time you are seeking a service provider with a very large amount of overhead needed to do a job that any smart 3rd or 4th grader can do. Please be different; be smarter then those people. HELP YOURSELF LEARN and GROW and ACHIEVE and perhaps best of all SAVE YOUR MONEY! (Or give it to us, to help your ROI…..)

The Sales Corner Memberships;

http://www.thesalescorner.us/blog/sales-corner-marketing-seo-sales-membership-packages/

Popularity: 34% [?]

My 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.

The Sales Corner

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

@awewriter

FACEBOOK

Popularity: 54% [?]

What 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% [?]

Why is it that individuals are so negligent to things that make a difference? As a business professional I find it vital to be attentive to nuances that aid relationships. These include graciousness, name recognition and simply being attentive.

Psychologists have studied the use of the Primary/Recency Effect, known for an individual’s ability to recall the first and last things they see or hear. If the cliché holds that people judge a book by its cover, then many will be ignored.

Business today requires being in the moment, and attentive to all things. Misspelling names, forgetting appointments, etc, do not gain accolades. If you want to leave a lasting impression and gain better relationships follow the simple suggestions:

1. Follow the Dale Carnegie Rule. In 1983, I read “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. The first rule, “a person’s first name is the sweetest sound they will ever hear. If you do not recall, write it down. If you cannot pronoun it ask the person. Stop being lazy and make a better first impression.
2. Cold Call Failure. Cold calling today is repulsive. Too many agents obtaining lists and calling prospects without preparation just provocation. If there is no want or need, there is no conceptual agreement. Stop calling people from a list and target a microcosm that might have a better need for your service.
3. Email Etiquette. As the Internet developed positive and negative rules of engagement developed to help with email use. However many today continually send emails without a subject message. Unless you desire a lack of a reply, be more attentive to the subject and actions you want your receiver to take.
4. Email Responsiveness. The purpose of email is to allow receivers to reply to email when they have a spare moment. However, what incites many is the general lack of a reply by receivers. People in all businesses are busy, yet this does not allow receivers to negate replies. Unresponsiveness to emails is as insulting as not saying “hello” to familiar faces on the street. No one is that busy.
5. Responsiveness to Voice Mail. Similar to emails, stop hiding behind procrastination and return calls.
6. Delegation without personalization. In the last few weeks I have sent correspondence to executives related to certain business matters. I realize the information will get read but delegated to a subordinate. However delegation might denote arrogance. Handwriting a simple note communicating the receipt of the letter, the importance of the query and the need for delegation is in the best interest of customer service. Arrogance and laziness trump customer service.
7. Follow Up. Return calls when you say you will, send emails when you say you will and offer feedback when promised.

©2010. Drew Stevens PhD. All Rights Reserved.

Drew Stevens is one of the world’s leading authorities on business development and sales thought leadership. 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 him at www.drewstevensconsulting.com.

Popularity: 38% [?]

How many times have you invested your time, your dollars, your energies and your emotions to improve your business results and realized far less than you expected? Or have you ever wanted to attend a particular seminar or workshop, but felt:

The entry price was way too much?

Unsure as to value of the information?

The Pay What You Can Afford™ is a unique approach to business improvement and development. This workshop focuses on increasing web traffic and profits using internet marketing specific to your website.

For more information, visit http://www.processspecialist.com/seminars.htm

To RSVP Please go to the following URL:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=110491368986738

Download Event PDF Document:
http://www.thesalescorner.us/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/2010-Marketing-Brochure.pdf

Popularity: 10% [?]

Winning the races at the NHRA is a TEAM EVENT. You do not enter without a team, and you do not go through the various challenges by yourself either!

Using this example gives us a great digression into deciding how to offer you advice to help grow your business. For many, running your business will take up all of your time. Some feel this is needed and some would rather free up time to focus on other things.

Unfortunately, if you entered a drag race on your own, you’d be left to complete every challenge and problem on your own also! What happens when your tire goes flat? What if you blow a head gasket? What if a high pressure hose breaks? Are you going to know all the “nuts and bolts” that need tweaked to make everything run pristine again?

At The Sales Corner, we don’t take information lightly. We like to provide something worth while, educative, and “real world” because this is the reality you live in. We are a part of your team in your corner, and we want to help you with all of your challenges and hurdles!

Consider that said while you watch this great promotional video brought to us from The Sales Corner’s one and Only “SEO Shaman” FD Walsh! We thank you and we hope you enjoy! Remember, be part of a team and get bigger results faster, and more targeted!

Popularity: 22% [?]

For over 27 years, I have worked with numerous organizations to improve their selling effectiveness. In the last several months stemming from the recessions, my phone rings frequently requesting help. At issue, the need to move more product as firms seeks higher margins during volatile times.

Contrary to popular opinion, sales managers and CEO’s do not need to increase goals, they need to increase communication and accountability with staff. There are two reasons why staff do not perform efficiently 1) poor employer and employee relationships and 2) unacceptable accountability.

First, sales managers today do not spend enough time in the field with representatives and do not take the time to create relationships with staff. A correlation exists between the relationship between employer/employee and the degree of satisfaction and morale at the job. Simply put, when employees are happy there is better work efficiency. Aiding this effort is the use of the MBWA principle (Management by Walking Around). Sitting in the office does little for relationships, knowing staff does. Invite staff for coffee, lunch or accompany them on account visits. Taking the time eliminates insubordination, tardiness and an array of other non work related excuses.

Second, accountability begins with developing metrics that staff understand and commit to. Qualitative and quantitative are the metrics used to evaluate staff. Determine those metrics by type and aligned with your sales process. Then create milestones so that individuals commit to dates and key performance measurements. Managers must meet with staff regularly to ensure progression. That requires constant communication and not waiting until performance time to review. Accountability also requires the emulation of the best practices of the best people and employing proper staff. Nothing else matters but measurements the denote account activity.

Goal revision does not alter behavior and poor business practices. Change the measurements and relationships and watch the alterations with observed behavior.

©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 marketing. 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 dramatically accelerate your business development and sales skills visit his sales and marketing website.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Some 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% [?]