There are several steps involved in creating an effective sales process. They are separate pieces that build upon one another. One of these steps is finding who you want to sell to. As a sales person you have to fully understand your product or service’s features and benefits. This will allow you to match them with a current need in the marketplace. Anyone who can benefit by having this need fulfilled becomes a potential customer. If you are selling to a specific industry, your prospect list may be small and highly defined. If your product has wider appeal, your prospect list can be extremely large and thus harder to manage. This is why taking the time initially to identify the best prospects for what you have to sell will pay dividends in the long run.
Your “time to sell”, the actual time in front of a potential customer is the most important part of your job. Developing a properly targeted call list will provide the best use of this time. Before you ever step foot into the door, you will have the confidence that you truly are able to fulfill a need. Once you are in front of a properly targeted prospect, you greatly increase your probability of closing the sale.
Having a targeted call list will also increase your ability to gain quality referrals. If you can relay to other business associates exactly who you are looking to meet, right down to the company name and key contact person, you are much more likely to get a positive response. This is especially important when your other efforts to engage this prospect have not been successful.
Knowing who you want to call on and why will keep you organized as you schedule your time. This allows you to properly plan your selling strategy so your energy is spent on being productive rather than being busy. You can make all the sales calls in the world, but at the end of the day you will still be measured on actual sales.
There are many tools available when trying to define your target accounts. Proper research can identify prospects by such variables as specific industry, number of employees, annual revenue, locations etc… You need to determine what variables define your ideal customer. Sorting your prospects accordingly enables you to create your target list.
Properly developing a target call list can be somewhat time consuming at first. However, once it is in place it will keep you on track in your selling efforts. It can continually evolve as you add new prospects and remove ones that no longer fit. It provides you the best chance to stay focused and remain one step ahead of your competition.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Making your Website an Effective Marketing Tool
The Internet is rapidly becoming the primary source for the way most people obtain information. Studies have shown that the volume of content on the World Wide Web has tripled since 2003. Future generations will look back on newspapers, magazines, phone books and numerous other printed materials as the dinosaurs of the information industry. The central piece of any company's online presence is their website. This marketing tool has become one of the most effective ways for a company to promote their business. It allows them to reach out to new markets and attract new customers in ways traditional advertising can no longer supply. Like any tool, when used properly it will yield excellent results, but when used improperly it is likely to do more harm than good. The following are some basic concepts that must be taken into consideration in order to gain the maximum benefit from your website.
The first question you need to ask is, how do you envision using your site to grow your business? It needs to be more than just an online brochure that provides a pretty snapshot of your business. It not only has to be designed to attract visitors, it has to engage them as well. You need to give people a reason to stay on your site, as the average attention span is rather short. The longer someone stays on your site, the more information they will absorb. Your ultimate goal is to create a "call to action" that brings a visitor one step closer to becoming a customer. With today's technology, there is very little a website cannot do, so take the time to explore all the options that are available to accomplish this.
The next step is to find someone to build your website. Resist the temptation to be a "do it yourselfer" when it comes to website design as trust me, it as not as simple as it appears. Also avoid the urge to go cheap by using a novice designer. What you save upfront will end up costing you much more in the long run. You need to view your website as a major marketing investment in your company. Designate the proper resources to create a first class website that includes professional design and content. With so much information already on the Internet, your site needs to be able to cut through the clutter and grab someone's attention.
Finally you need to determine how you will maintain your website. Most companies fail to take this step and end up letting their site become stagnate. This is like investing in a brand new piece of equipment that you never plug in. Constantly adding, changing, and updating content keeps your website fresh and alive. When done properly, it will naturally keep you high in the search rankings attracting new visitors on a regular basis. This is another area where a trained professional can be extremely beneficial in making sure your website remains up to date and relevant to potential and existing customers. Even if you do decide to maintain the site yourself, make sure you do it on a consistent basis and never let it become dated.
For more information on the entire process please visit VBWebsites at VBWebsites.com This is a professional website design firm I have worked with in the past, that has numerous examples of first class websites that were designed specifically for one purpose, to be a growth engine for the company.
The first question you need to ask is, how do you envision using your site to grow your business? It needs to be more than just an online brochure that provides a pretty snapshot of your business. It not only has to be designed to attract visitors, it has to engage them as well. You need to give people a reason to stay on your site, as the average attention span is rather short. The longer someone stays on your site, the more information they will absorb. Your ultimate goal is to create a "call to action" that brings a visitor one step closer to becoming a customer. With today's technology, there is very little a website cannot do, so take the time to explore all the options that are available to accomplish this.
The next step is to find someone to build your website. Resist the temptation to be a "do it yourselfer" when it comes to website design as trust me, it as not as simple as it appears. Also avoid the urge to go cheap by using a novice designer. What you save upfront will end up costing you much more in the long run. You need to view your website as a major marketing investment in your company. Designate the proper resources to create a first class website that includes professional design and content. With so much information already on the Internet, your site needs to be able to cut through the clutter and grab someone's attention.
Finally you need to determine how you will maintain your website. Most companies fail to take this step and end up letting their site become stagnate. This is like investing in a brand new piece of equipment that you never plug in. Constantly adding, changing, and updating content keeps your website fresh and alive. When done properly, it will naturally keep you high in the search rankings attracting new visitors on a regular basis. This is another area where a trained professional can be extremely beneficial in making sure your website remains up to date and relevant to potential and existing customers. Even if you do decide to maintain the site yourself, make sure you do it on a consistent basis and never let it become dated.
For more information on the entire process please visit VBWebsites at VBWebsites.com This is a professional website design firm I have worked with in the past, that has numerous examples of first class websites that were designed specifically for one purpose, to be a growth engine for the company.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Capitalizing on "Word of Mouth Marketing"
As a service provider you understand the value of “word of mouth” marketing, but are you taking full advantage of this powerful sales tool in your everyday business? Think about some of the best jobs you have received, I would bet they came through some kind of referral from a previous customer. In today’s economy people are certainly concerned about price, but the primary motivating factor in choosing a service contractor is getting the job done and done right.
If you are good at what you do, no matter whether it is plumbing, roofing, electrical work or any other trade your services are in high demand. There is always an abundant amount of work to be found as things are always breaking down, wearing out, or in need of an upgrade. You need to put yourself and your business in a position to take advantage of these opportunities by making the most of your current network of customers. If someone is satisfied with the work you provided, they are more likely to recommend you to their family, friends, and business associates. They can actually become a mini sales force; helping to open doors you never would have access to on your own. The following is a referral generating idea you can incorporate into your current marketing efforts to provide additional customers and revenue to your company.
The idea is to target specific areas where you have already completed some work or currently working. If they are residential projects, then start with the immediate neighborhood where the work was or is being done. If the work is commercial, then look at a ten mile radius from the job’s location as your target area. A fairly easy and very cost effective marketing technique is to create a printed flyer that can be easily distributed. This flyer should contain specific details of the services that you can provide as well as some details of the work you completed in the area. If you can, add a picture or two of the job as this adds tremendous credibility to your cause. Make sure you have your customer’s permission to include any details or pictures of the work before you create the piece. Finally, add as much contact information as possible including your full name, business address, cell phone number, and e-mail / website address if you have one. Do not rely on your business phone number as your only point of contact as this limits how people are able to reach you.
Once you have you created your marketing piece, spend the extra money and have it professionally printed. This will not be as expensive as you think and it will provide a first class presentation piece that sets you apart from your competition. The easiest and most effective way to distribute your flyer is the old fashioned door to door approach. This ensures it has been delivered to your target and has the best chance to get directly in their hands. One word of caution, do not put your information directly into someone’s mailbox as that is against the law. One of the best places to put it would be in the front door handle, rolled not folded. An equally effective but substantially more expensive method would be to contact a direct mail company who can work with you to reach specific neighborhoods by mailing the piece to every household or business in your target area.
No matter how you decide to distribute your marketing piece, the key takeaway is to utilize your past work to help you gain additional work. As I mentioned, if people are happy with the service you provided they will more than willing to help spread the word to those around them who may need your help as well.
If you are good at what you do, no matter whether it is plumbing, roofing, electrical work or any other trade your services are in high demand. There is always an abundant amount of work to be found as things are always breaking down, wearing out, or in need of an upgrade. You need to put yourself and your business in a position to take advantage of these opportunities by making the most of your current network of customers. If someone is satisfied with the work you provided, they are more likely to recommend you to their family, friends, and business associates. They can actually become a mini sales force; helping to open doors you never would have access to on your own. The following is a referral generating idea you can incorporate into your current marketing efforts to provide additional customers and revenue to your company.
The idea is to target specific areas where you have already completed some work or currently working. If they are residential projects, then start with the immediate neighborhood where the work was or is being done. If the work is commercial, then look at a ten mile radius from the job’s location as your target area. A fairly easy and very cost effective marketing technique is to create a printed flyer that can be easily distributed. This flyer should contain specific details of the services that you can provide as well as some details of the work you completed in the area. If you can, add a picture or two of the job as this adds tremendous credibility to your cause. Make sure you have your customer’s permission to include any details or pictures of the work before you create the piece. Finally, add as much contact information as possible including your full name, business address, cell phone number, and e-mail / website address if you have one. Do not rely on your business phone number as your only point of contact as this limits how people are able to reach you.
Once you have you created your marketing piece, spend the extra money and have it professionally printed. This will not be as expensive as you think and it will provide a first class presentation piece that sets you apart from your competition. The easiest and most effective way to distribute your flyer is the old fashioned door to door approach. This ensures it has been delivered to your target and has the best chance to get directly in their hands. One word of caution, do not put your information directly into someone’s mailbox as that is against the law. One of the best places to put it would be in the front door handle, rolled not folded. An equally effective but substantially more expensive method would be to contact a direct mail company who can work with you to reach specific neighborhoods by mailing the piece to every household or business in your target area.
No matter how you decide to distribute your marketing piece, the key takeaway is to utilize your past work to help you gain additional work. As I mentioned, if people are happy with the service you provided they will more than willing to help spread the word to those around them who may need your help as well.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Key Elements of an Effective Sales Incentive
The purpose of any sales incentive, or what I like to call a "pay for performance" plan is to generate an increase in sales while also increasing profit and revenue for the company. There are many different ways you can try to motivate your sales staff to improve results, but there are a few key elements that should be a part of any incentive plan you put together.
One common mistake of sales incentive plans is making the goals too general. An example of a general goal would be, "if sales are up 5% this month you will earn $500." While this sounds simple and clear cut, in reality it is actually very vague, in that it does not set the parameters on how are we going to obtain this 5% increase. By creating specific goals, preferable on an individual basis, you then define what actions are needed to obtain your desired end result. An example of this may be, "you will receive $25 for every new account that buys product ABC this month." This is still simple and clear cut, but is also very specific and easy to track.
The second element of an effective incentive is setting a reasonable time frame. If you make it too short, there will not be enough time to achieve any substantial results. If it goes on to long, you run the risk of losing people's interest. From past experience, the shortest time frame should be a month, and the longest should be a quarter(three months). Every sales person is different and will tend to obtain results at their own pace. Citing the tortoise and the hair theory, your incentive has to be long enough to generate positive results from everyone on your team. My personal preference is a quarterly incentive that includes monthly rewards.
The third element is to make sure the reward equals the task. Too little an amount will fail to motivate your staff, while too much will end up costing you more than it is worth. Think of any incentive as a mini "profit sharing plan." Simply determine what amount of any increased profit you can afford to give back, and that becomes the budget for your incentive. This will provide a payout cap that ensures your employees receive a fair reward for their efforts, and the company still obtains additional revenue as a result.
There will always be a certain amount of trial and error in setting up an effective incentive, but by incorporating these elements you have a much better chance at creating a win-win situation for everyone involved.
One common mistake of sales incentive plans is making the goals too general. An example of a general goal would be, "if sales are up 5% this month you will earn $500." While this sounds simple and clear cut, in reality it is actually very vague, in that it does not set the parameters on how are we going to obtain this 5% increase. By creating specific goals, preferable on an individual basis, you then define what actions are needed to obtain your desired end result. An example of this may be, "you will receive $25 for every new account that buys product ABC this month." This is still simple and clear cut, but is also very specific and easy to track.
The second element of an effective incentive is setting a reasonable time frame. If you make it too short, there will not be enough time to achieve any substantial results. If it goes on to long, you run the risk of losing people's interest. From past experience, the shortest time frame should be a month, and the longest should be a quarter(three months). Every sales person is different and will tend to obtain results at their own pace. Citing the tortoise and the hair theory, your incentive has to be long enough to generate positive results from everyone on your team. My personal preference is a quarterly incentive that includes monthly rewards.
The third element is to make sure the reward equals the task. Too little an amount will fail to motivate your staff, while too much will end up costing you more than it is worth. Think of any incentive as a mini "profit sharing plan." Simply determine what amount of any increased profit you can afford to give back, and that becomes the budget for your incentive. This will provide a payout cap that ensures your employees receive a fair reward for their efforts, and the company still obtains additional revenue as a result.
There will always be a certain amount of trial and error in setting up an effective incentive, but by incorporating these elements you have a much better chance at creating a win-win situation for everyone involved.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Effective Time Management: Myth or Reality
Several years ago I was on a trip with several co-workers to Toronto. Without a map or GPS we were having trouble finding our way around. After an hour of randomly making right and left turns, we finally declared we were lost. Just then one member of the group who had remained quiet throughout the whole ordeal proclaimed, “How can you be lost if you don’t know where your going.” This simple statement sums up the problem many people face as they try to accomplish all the tasks at hand. On any given day we will tend to work on a number of issues, but never fully complete any particular one. At the end of the day it is hard to see what progress you actually made.
Most everybody will create a to-do list to set their agenda. How we set this agenda is the first key to its success. First you need to set realistic goals. These goals should be based on what you want to accomplish that day. By limiting your time frame you won’t get overwhelmed with the magnitude of everything on your plate. In the beginning of the week the first thing you should do write down your top five priorities for that day. When writing them down, leave a space in between them so if you had to you could add additional tasks. By limiting yourself to five, once again you fight off the sense of being overwhelmed. Now in a perfect world you could go about completing your list and at the end of the day go home stress free with a true feeling of accomplishment. We all know the realities of business life will never allow this to happen. In fact most days will not let you even address any of the items on your list. While you have your agenda as your guide, how you handle all the other distractions around you is your key to success.
Everything in business life is not a crisis. This is why we set priorities. This is why we leave room on our to-do list. When a true issue arises that must be addressed, add it on to your list, but be sure to properly place it in light of your original five issues. You should always be working on the most important issue at hand. Your ultimate goal is to complete this task before moving onto the next. Everyone wants to be an expert at multitasking. In most cases you’re back to working on a multitude of tasks but never taking any one fully off your plate. It is extremely important that you are able to finish those original tasks you set. There is nothing more liberating than crossing off an item on a list. This will give both a sense of relief as well as a sense of accomplishment. There is nothing more demoralizing than working all day only to feel you haven’t made a dent in your workload.
There will always be more work than time. This is what keeps us employed. How effectively we use our time is still under our control. With proper planning and keeping our expectations within our grasp, we exert this control. Everyone and everything around you will try and derail your efforts. It is up to you to not let this happen. It is up to you to finish one task before your knee deep in another. Remember it is your sanity you are trying to protect, not everyone else’s.
Most everybody will create a to-do list to set their agenda. How we set this agenda is the first key to its success. First you need to set realistic goals. These goals should be based on what you want to accomplish that day. By limiting your time frame you won’t get overwhelmed with the magnitude of everything on your plate. In the beginning of the week the first thing you should do write down your top five priorities for that day. When writing them down, leave a space in between them so if you had to you could add additional tasks. By limiting yourself to five, once again you fight off the sense of being overwhelmed. Now in a perfect world you could go about completing your list and at the end of the day go home stress free with a true feeling of accomplishment. We all know the realities of business life will never allow this to happen. In fact most days will not let you even address any of the items on your list. While you have your agenda as your guide, how you handle all the other distractions around you is your key to success.
Everything in business life is not a crisis. This is why we set priorities. This is why we leave room on our to-do list. When a true issue arises that must be addressed, add it on to your list, but be sure to properly place it in light of your original five issues. You should always be working on the most important issue at hand. Your ultimate goal is to complete this task before moving onto the next. Everyone wants to be an expert at multitasking. In most cases you’re back to working on a multitude of tasks but never taking any one fully off your plate. It is extremely important that you are able to finish those original tasks you set. There is nothing more liberating than crossing off an item on a list. This will give both a sense of relief as well as a sense of accomplishment. There is nothing more demoralizing than working all day only to feel you haven’t made a dent in your workload.
There will always be more work than time. This is what keeps us employed. How effectively we use our time is still under our control. With proper planning and keeping our expectations within our grasp, we exert this control. Everyone and everything around you will try and derail your efforts. It is up to you to not let this happen. It is up to you to finish one task before your knee deep in another. Remember it is your sanity you are trying to protect, not everyone else’s.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Are You Linked In?
What does it mean to Linked In? As described on their website: "LinkedIn is an interconnected network of experienced professionals from around the world, representing 170 industries and 200 countries. You can find, be introduced to, and collaborate with qualified professionals that you need to work with to accomplish your goals."
Just as Facebook and Twitter are popular online social networks, LinkedIn is designed to be the ultimate online business network. By adding your experience, skills, and the services/products that you or your company can offer to an online profile, you create the opportunity to network with other people in business through the powers of the Internet.
The big question is how can I make this work for me? I myself joined LinkedIn about six months ago after dragging my feet on exploring the whole concept of online networking. My experience with LinkedIn since then has taught me only one thing; I should have joined the day I started my company.
Like anything else in the world, the more you put into something, the more you will get out of it. Linked In is no different. In order for it to work for you, you have to take advantage of what it has to offer. By no means do I consider myself a Linked In expert, not even close. What I do know is that it can offer something for everyone, no matter what you do. If you need to develop connections across a wide array of industries, then LinkedIn can connect you with thousands of connections in over 170 industries. If you are looking for particular groups that share your common interests, you can find them here. If you do not find one, LinkedIn will help you start one. If you are just trying to get back in touch with past classmates or business associates, LinkedIn can help you reconnect. I'm probably missing some other key networking opportunities they can provide, but hopefully you get my point.
The best aspect of LinkedIn is that it is painfully easy to get started. Simply go to www.linkedin.com ,register for an account and start adding your information. You can build your profile over time and begin to add connections at your own pace. My advice would be to find someone who is already established on LinkedIn to help you with all the finer details. The main thing is to get started and go from there. There is no cost to join so your return on investment will be incredible.
Just as Facebook and Twitter are popular online social networks, LinkedIn is designed to be the ultimate online business network. By adding your experience, skills, and the services/products that you or your company can offer to an online profile, you create the opportunity to network with other people in business through the powers of the Internet.
The big question is how can I make this work for me? I myself joined LinkedIn about six months ago after dragging my feet on exploring the whole concept of online networking. My experience with LinkedIn since then has taught me only one thing; I should have joined the day I started my company.
Like anything else in the world, the more you put into something, the more you will get out of it. Linked In is no different. In order for it to work for you, you have to take advantage of what it has to offer. By no means do I consider myself a Linked In expert, not even close. What I do know is that it can offer something for everyone, no matter what you do. If you need to develop connections across a wide array of industries, then LinkedIn can connect you with thousands of connections in over 170 industries. If you are looking for particular groups that share your common interests, you can find them here. If you do not find one, LinkedIn will help you start one. If you are just trying to get back in touch with past classmates or business associates, LinkedIn can help you reconnect. I'm probably missing some other key networking opportunities they can provide, but hopefully you get my point.
The best aspect of LinkedIn is that it is painfully easy to get started. Simply go to www.linkedin.com ,register for an account and start adding your information. You can build your profile over time and begin to add connections at your own pace. My advice would be to find someone who is already established on LinkedIn to help you with all the finer details. The main thing is to get started and go from there. There is no cost to join so your return on investment will be incredible.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The Online Information Explosion
Have you ever sat back and thought about exactly how much information is now located on the Internet? I recently read that according to a study conducted by the University of California-Berkeley the volume of information online has tripled since 2003. While everything and anything is now located on the web, it is beginning to cause major headaches in terms of a company's ability to organize and effectively use this information on a day to day basis.
This issue has led to the start up a several companies whose main objective is designing tools that enable companies to harvest all the relevant information they require. One such company, www.mozenda.com located in Salt Lake City, Utah has developed Mozenda Web Agent Builder 3.0 software that makes this task extremely manageable. The software is designed to extract precise parts of a website's content and then sort and organize this information into useable formats.
According to information from www.mozenda.com , Web Builder 3.0 allows users to automatically schedule and run these harvesting tasks. It also provides notifications when the job is complete. Other features include the ability to organize and store large quantities of data directly through Mozenda's Web Management Console.
With the amount of online content that is constantly being generated, software such as Web Builder 3.0 will become a necessity for companies to keep pace with this information explosion. For more details on this and some of their other innovations please visit www.mozenda.com
This issue has led to the start up a several companies whose main objective is designing tools that enable companies to harvest all the relevant information they require. One such company, www.mozenda.com located in Salt Lake City, Utah has developed Mozenda Web Agent Builder 3.0 software that makes this task extremely manageable. The software is designed to extract precise parts of a website's content and then sort and organize this information into useable formats.
According to information from www.mozenda.com , Web Builder 3.0 allows users to automatically schedule and run these harvesting tasks. It also provides notifications when the job is complete. Other features include the ability to organize and store large quantities of data directly through Mozenda's Web Management Console.
With the amount of online content that is constantly being generated, software such as Web Builder 3.0 will become a necessity for companies to keep pace with this information explosion. For more details on this and some of their other innovations please visit www.mozenda.com
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