Month: September 2010

3 Biz/Marketing Lessons to Learn From Attending an NFL Game

Post author By
Post date September 29, 2010

Over the years I’ve attended my share of live sporting events, but I must say there’s a lot to like about live NFL games. In fact, I’d like to share 3 of those lessons below that you too can use to build your business.

1. Know what business you’re REALLY in. Think the NFL is just about football? Think again. The NFL is in the entertainment business and yes the NFL is well aware of that.

At least for the Arizona Cardinals (it might be different at other stadiums) but along with the cheerleaders and a big red bird running around, they also have lots of scheduled little skits throughout the game. Considering how many commercial breaks you sit through when you watch a game on TV, it’s remarkable how little downtime there is during a live game.

So, what business are YOU really in? And chances are, you’re NOT in the business you think you’re in. For instance, you may think you’re a coach and you’re in the coaching business, but truly, do your clients really want a coach? No. They want the results they’re getting from your coaching. (Think about it, people are busy enough, do you think they really want to carve out the time each week or month to talk to you? They’re doing it because they see the value and are getting the results. They’re certainly not doing it because they have an extra hour laying around they don’t know what to do with.)

Focus on what business you’re really in, and you’ll have a much easier time attracting clients.

2. You can’t bore anyone into buying your products or services. Now, I agree the NFL has it a little easier since they’re in the entertainment business. But what about you?

I’m not saying you need to dress up in a red bird costume and run around acting silly. But you do need to be at the very least interesting to your ideal clients so they want to stick around and listen to what you have to say. If you bore them, they won’t be sticking around.

What can you do to more interesting (or, better yet, entertaining) in your marketing?

3. Pay attention to the little things. Again, this just might be Phoenix, but I must say this city has it together when it comes to moving large numbers of people around. (I also experienced this during my marathon participations.) I’m amazed at how fast you get in and out of the games and the parking lots. (They even set up a row of additional bathrooms next to the parking lot in case you didn’t want to wait in line inside the stadium.)

While that may seem like a small thing — after all, you’re not going to a game because it’s easy to park — it really does add to the whole experience. How nice it is to know you can attend a game without being stuck in traffic for hours having to go to the bathroom.

So what “little” things can you offer your clients? What intangibles can you give them that seem small but make a big difference? Maybe you have some great forms or templates you can gift them. Or maybe you attract a wonderful community and you allow your clients to network with each other.

Think about some things you can offer your clients that don’t cost you much in time or money but can really make a difference in how they feel about working with you.

Tags business success strategy, Business success tips, online marketing strategies, small business marketing strategy, strategic internet marketing

Sales & Marketing

Success in Sales: 5 Success Factors that Matter

Post author By Ethan Theo
Post date September 28, 2010
1 Comment on Success in Sales: 5 Success Factors that Matter

Article Contributed by Sharpenz

What does it take to be successful in sales? There’s no easy answer because the list is long. It’s one of the great debates in the sales community – WHAT does it take to be successful in sales?

One indication of the debate is the response to a recent question posted on LinkedIn. The question asked:

What is more important in sales, great selling skills or expertise on the product?

The more than 250 respondents – sales managers and sales professionals – were split with their answers. Many couldn’t choose one over the other.

Why? Because both are equally important. However, to truly be successful more is needed! With our work with thousands of sales professionals over the last 12 years, we have found that the top performing sales professionals we know all have 5 Success Factors in common. They are:

1. Goal Transparency – Goals are written, specific and measurable. They are easily seen and detected by self and others.

2. Focused Energy – Personal energy that is exhibited each day. The energy is focused toward proactive and productive activities and is not diffused or scattered.

3. Human Connection – The understanding of, and ability to connect with, others in communication, actions and ideas – in the way that person prefers or needs.

4. Emotional Intelligence – The awareness of, and ability to manage, one’s emotions in a healthy and productive manner. Being able to roll with the ups and downs of sales.

5. Expertise – Skill and knowledge of industry, product, customer and sales process. This is more than just having the information; it’s knowing the value of what the offer does for your customers and the ability to tie WHAT (the features) into the WiifT (What’s in it for Them – the benefits to that person.)

If you think about the most successful sales professionals, you’ll realize these Factors are part of who they are.

The great debate on WHAT it takes to be successful in sales does not have ONE answer. Five Success Factors do form the foundation of long-term sales success. And the great news is that you don’t have to be born a natural salesperson – these Success Factors can be developed over time.

So, don’t just read the list. Print it out, gauge your strength in each factor then identify how you can strengthen each one. Being successful takes more than just selling skills and ‘who you know’. YOU matter.

About the Author:

Sharpenz is dedicated to providing sales managers the resources and tools they need to motivate and equip their sales team to sell each week. Our 30-minute power sales booster programs help companies increase sales by providing the right tools and training – fast. Designed with the busy manager in mind, Sharpenz’ ready-to-go sales training kits will give your sales team the opportunity to grow and earn more – all in a half hour of power. To learn more, visit www.Sharpenz.com and sign up for your free sales training kit today!

Tags better sales meetings, sales booster, sales managers training, sales meeting ideas, sales professionals training, sales team training, sales training, sales workshops

Newsletter

BIZNESS! Newsletter Issue 107

Post author By Pamela Swift
Post date September 26, 2010

Cover Story
Fatepod For Chance Encounters
Fatepod allows users to upload an ‘encounter’ or search listed ‘encounters’ – something along the lines of “Were you the guy with the red tie that cast me a look outside Starbucks?” Founder Louise explains that if the other person then logs on to the site and sees the post, the two individuals can start to exchange messages…

Continued in BIZNESS! Newsletter Issue 107 >>>

Driven to Distraction: How Latest Trends Will Hurt You

Post author By Ethan Theo
Post date September 26, 2010

Article Contributed by Mark Hunter

Now more than ever, you need to stay tightly focused on your goal if you expect to keep your level of sales motivation up. It becomes far too tempting to start chasing after the latest trend when things are not happening at the rate you expect them.

We’ve all done this at one time or another. Sales slow down and suddenly, a new customer appears, a new product comes out or a new sales technique emerges, and you start to think it is the “cure all” for ALL your sales struggles. You begin chasing after the new trend instead of sticking to tried-and-true sales techniques. Ultimately, the only thing that happens when you chase the trend is you waste time and effort on something that ends up de-motivating you.

Our problem begins when we start doubting our current sales strategy, our prospects or some other element in our approach. This opens the door to us becoming distracted. It also makes us more susceptible to being swayed by the new trend or new customer we believe will turn our sales slump into a huge new level. We begin grasping, desperately bouncing around for the “magic” solution that will “fix” our dilemma.

Don’t get me wrong – it is good to be open to new ideas and new customers. Obviously, that’s part of the sales industry. You have to have discernment though. You have to be able to quickly assess what are valid opportunities worth pursuing and valid techniques worth incorporating.

I have always believed it is far better to slightly alter the course than it is to dramatically change the course altogether. Sales are driven by momentum and awareness from both the salesperson and the customer. When you change course dramatically, you no longer have the ability to leverage the momentum and awareness that you have built with current customers and prospects. Sure, you may see a burst of momentum from the thrill of running in a new direction, but this momentum will be lost quickly if sales don’t materialize immediately.

So what does it look like to slightly alter your course? You start to incorporate slight modifications to your selling process. This may include developing new questions to ask prospects, creating a new customer referral program, and/or increasing the number of sales calls you make. All of these changes enhance and build upon what you’ve already done. In other words, you work with the momentum and awareness you have already created.

There is just no substitute for tweaking well-established sales techniques, rather than scrapping them altogether. And this is true no matter what industry you work in. For example, a real momentum killer is when a salesperson will fail to close a sale because they fail to make that one last follow-up call or visit to the client. To use a football analogy, this is like a team’s inability to score from the “red zone” – the last 20 yards on the field just before the end zone.

If a team drives the ball consistently down to the red zone but then fails to score, there has been so much wasted effort. It’s no different in sales. Instead of abandoning the sales strategies that get you “down the field” (so that you can jump on some bandwagon of a slick trend), you would be wiser to simply alter your approach slightly so that you will actually score more. If your current sales techniques are getting you down the field, then maybe all you need to do is add a few more follow-up calls and visits in order to incrementally close more sales.

The best recommendation I can make to any salesperson is to stay focused on the opportunities you have at hand and work to enhance your current processes to ultimately close more sales. The more you stay focused on the prospects you have, the less you’ll be distracted by the latest trend. Let your competitor fall for the new trend. Let your competitor chase after the fleeting opportunity. When they do this, they leave you with more opportunities to actually make more sales.

About the Author:

Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter,” helps individuals and companies identify better prospects, close more sales and profitably build more long-term customer relationships. Since 1998, he has consulted nationally and internationally with thousands of salespeople and global companies. You can follow his Sales Motivation Blog at www.TheSalesHunter.com. You can also connect with him on Facebook www.facebook.com/TheSalesHunter, Twitter www.twitter.com/thesaleshunter, and Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/markhunter.

Networking

3 Lessons on the Reciprocity of Referrals

Post author By Ethan Theo
Post date September 24, 2010

Article Contributed by Sharpenz

Want to grow your business in a tough economy? Use the power of reciprocity when asking for referrals from existing customers to grow your sales.

Reciprocity is defined as a “mutual exchange” – the give and take of life. In a slow economy it can be your lifeline. Often, referrals can be one-sided which minimizes the benefits to everyone involved. Instead, when we focus on what we give as well as get, we are more successful.

Here are three lessons I’ve learned on the give, take and give of referrals:

Lesson 1. Give great value and your best referral sources will be loyal customers.

Who are your loyal customers? These are customers who will sing your praises given the opportunity. They know you provide great value to them and trust you. They stick by you in hard times because they know you will do the right thing for them.

To make the most of these relationships, GIVE your loyal customers the opportunity to share referrals. This looks/sounds very different depending on who you are asking.

For example: I did great work for a loyal customer and she valued our results and relationship. But this never led to referrals. In considering this person’s needs, I realized that she might be concerned that by giving me a referral I would be less available to her.

To help ease this concern, I approached it differently. First, I assured her how important our relationship was to me. Second, I identified that I had positioned my company for more growth through additional consultants and was looking to secure work for those consultants. And finally, I asked who she might know who would benefit from the work we do in strengthening customer loyalties.

She had two names for me within a week!

Lesson 2. Help them help YOU!

This is the ‘take’ part of the referral process. Answering these two questions will help make TAKING referrals easy:
1. What type of person/company makes a good referral for you? Help your contact identify opportunities that will be good business for you. What companies are you best positioned to serve with your product/service?

2. What is the value you provide? Explain the value in a sentence or less so your referrer can articulate it for you.

When the economy slowed after 9/11, I contacted our loyal customers to review updates and talk about how we might serve them in the future. THEN I asked, “As we look to the future of our business, we are positioned to help more people like you. Who else is in a position such as yours that might benefit from increasing sales 5-25% this next year?”

Notice I didn’t give them the, “Who can you introduce me to?” Or, “I’d like the names of everyone in your address book.” I specified the value we could provide to make it easier for them to refer specific people/companies.

Over 80% of these loyal customers provided at least one referral, giving me the opportunity to build more loyal customers.

Lesson 3: Follow-up and reciprocate!

Closing the loop is extremely important in the give, take and give of referrals.

When someone provides you a referral, keep them updated on the status. A quick message telling them you have initiated contact or you have a meeting scheduled is always a welcome surprise and closes that loop. A side benefit is that they might help you even more. For example, I couldn’t get in touch with a referral for months. When I followed up with the person who gave me the referral, he said, “Hang on, I’ll conference us all together and get this done.” Wow, in a minute’s time I was on a call “meeting” with the referral and scheduling an appointment!

It’s also very important to reciprocate generosity and give back value. The value can be a referral, a note, information or a heart felt THANK YOU.

Relationships have always been the foundation to long-term successful business. The value in relationships is even higher during a slow economy. Focusing on the give, take and give of referrals will show how you VALUE your most loyal relationships and give you opportunities to build new ones.

About the Author:

Tags better sales meetings, sales booster, sales managers training, sales meeting ideas, sales professionals training, sales team training, sales training, sales workshops