Getting To ‘Yes’ Is Where It Starts

Do you let your guard down after the prospect has said ‘Yes’?

Far too often sales people, particularly those new to sales, have a tendency to relax after they have received a verbal ‘Yes’ from the prospect and assume that the sale is nearing completion. BIG MISTAKE!

 

What many sales people fail to recognize is that an impending sale is most vulnerable after the prospect has said OK, and that getting to ‘yes’ is where it starts.  There is still a lot of work ahead to finalize the sale, and a few hurdles to overcome, before you break out the champagne.

Let’s talk about what’s headed your way, so you can address these challenges before they derail the sales celebration. Continue reading…

Networking: Building Intentional Relationships

Networking is an integral part of growing a profitable business for solo entrepreneurs and small business owners alike, particularly in the early stages. However, most small business owners put far too little forethought and planning into determining what is required to build ‘intentional’ relationships that can deliver positive returns to their businesses.

Now what is meant by building intentional relationships?

As its definition depicts, intentional is something that is done by conscious design or purpose, something planned. Likewise in networking, building intentional relationships should by design have an intended purpose that produces positive results. How should you develop intentional relationships that can help you achieve your business goals? Continue reading…

New 4Ps of Marketing: Part 3 of 4

Part 3 of the new 4Ps of Marketing focuses on Perception. Perception is the process by which people select, organize, and interpret information.  And therein lies the major obstacle for most companies when attempting to market to a broad, diverse audience.

What does your branding, advertising and marketing communicate about your company and your industry? The market perception of your brand or industry is extremely important, which is why industry leaders take extra steps to ensure that the general perception of them and their industry is positive.

To become a recognized leader in any industry you must develop a strong brand image, while building credibility and trust with consumers, particularly when faced with adversity. Example: Toyota and how they admirably responded to resolve the recent gas pedal recall problem and quickly restored consumer confidence.

Continue reading…

New 4Ps of Marketing: Part 2 of 4

Part 2 of the new 4Ps of Marketing focuses on Promotion, the only carry-over from the original 4Ps of Marketing, but with a twist. Promotion in today’s marketing emphasizes education and information much more to distinguish your brand and differentiate your product or service from competitive offers.

 

As you have experienced first hand, there numerous ways to advertise and promote your product or service depending on the media you select. Marketing companies, for example, rely heavily on Internet advertisement, special events, endorsements, and newspapers to advertise and promote their products and services.

The key question for any small business is where and how to cost effectively get across your marketing messages to your target market? For your small business, will you reach your target audience by TV, or radio, or on billboards? What about direct marketing, flyers, door hangers, or on the Internet? Those are a few of the more common advertising and media choices to consider to help you get the word out. Continue reading…

New 4Ps of Marketing: Part 1 of 4

In the past, the 4Ps of Marketing were most commonly defined in terms of Product, Price, Place (or Placement) and Promotion. However, a lot has changed since the original 4Ps were adopted, as a direct result of continued shifts in consumer buying habits, online shopping, social media, etc.

Randy Vaughn’s (Marketing Twins) definition for today’s marketing, “Getting people with a specific need or problem to know, like and trust you”, clearly reflects how much marketing and consumerism have changed over the years. Marketing in this new era has a lot less to do with product, price and place, and much more to do with people and other elements that influence buyer behavior to be covered in this 4-part article. Continue reading…

Are My Lips Moving … ?

Are my lips moving and no sounds coming out? That’s a question I am sure most of us have asked ourselves from time to time in attempting to communicate both verbally and in written form with our intended audience.

At times it can be hard to determine if your message is getting through all the noise, particularly when you consider that your prospects are flooded with more than 4,000 messages a day from various media sources.

So, how do you get your voice heard above the noise of the crowd? Continue reading…

Who Is Responsible for Sales?

If you are a solo entrepreneur the answer to this question is obvious – you are. However, if you’re a business owner or business leader with numerous employees and/or direct reports the answer may not be so straightforward. But it should be.

The short answer is EVERYBODY!!!

Whether you are a small business of one or a large corporation with 100,000+ employees, everybody is directly or indirectly responsible for either driving or supporting sales, regardless of their job title. Unfortunately, far too often this fact gets lost on many companies and employees alike. Continue reading…

Starting a Mastermind Group – Part 2

Part 1 of this two-part article focused primarily on the pre-launch planning and preparation necessary to develop a successful mastermind program.

Part 2 will provide you with additional tips, suggestions and strategies to consider for both your pre- and post-launch planning endeavors as you and your new mastermind group participants begin to focus on the major elements of the program that will ultimately deliver business value to its membership.

A sincere willingness by all members to provide open, honest and respectful communication is an absolute must to enrich the mastermind experience. An open platform for discussion enables business leaders to engage in an active dialogue and information exchange, without reservations.

As participants become more comfortable with each other, the group will begin to function as a peer-to-peer Executive Board, offering expert knowledge, guidance, inspiration and support to benefit each member’s particular business situation. Continue reading…

Starting a Mastermind Group – Part 1

In his book, Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill described his concept of a mastermind group as, “A friendly alliance with one or more persons who will encourage one another to follow through with both plan and purpose.”

Today, like-minded professionals regularly come together through a plethora of available mastermind programs and related support groups to help each other achieve success, thanks in part to Napoleon Hill’s original idea.

Note: This two-part article is intended to offer you some valuable tips, suggestions and observations for those readers who are planning to start a mastermind group, or seeking to become an active member of a mastermind group in the near future.

Before starting a mastermind group, do your homework. Carefully select the topic(s), and solicit the advice of others who have started similar mastermind programs, so you know what to expect. Attend several mastermind group meetings to assist you in determining the appropriate structure for your group before proceeding.

Continue reading…

Connect Your Message With Your Audience

Although it is widely stated that 93% of communication is non-verbal, getting the remaining 7% that is verbal right is essential in building credibility and trust with your target audience.

This year I have been speaking to various networking groups about “How to Improve Your 30-Second Elevator Pitch” as a part of our Back to Basics 2.0 business series. These presentations emphasize the importance of constructing the right message(s) in communicating your customer value proposition to a diverse audience, and building new alliances and business relationships. Continue reading…