Category: Sales & Marketing

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Sales & Marketing

Resultse21 3 Keys to Enjoying Summer AND Growing Your Biz

Who says you can’t do it at all?

Now that summer is here, the lure of playing hokey is warring with the responsibility of getting something done in your business.

But what if it didn’t have to be that way? What if you could do it ALL — make money, grow your business AND have time to play?

Here are 3 keys to having your cake and eating it t/o:

1. Plan your time off.

Now I’m sure you already have your vacations blocked off, but what about afternoons off? Long weekends? Go ahead and plan those as well and get them on the calendar (because you know if you don’t plan your time off it’s not going to happen). Plus if you have time blocked off in your calendar then you can relax and focus during work time because you know you have your “play” dates already accounted for.

Not sure how much time off to block off? Well, there are a couple of things you can do. Do you have a big launch coming up this summer? You may not be able to take as much time off as you’d like, but schedule what you can and see what happens. Have you decided you’re going to “coast” this summer? Then definitely block off more time.

Or just ask your gut. How much time is your gut telling you to take off? That might be the easiest and more reliable way to figure it out.

2. Plan to WORK on your work days.

No screwing around here. You have your time off planned, so on the days where you’re scheduled to get things done, get things done. Because if you don’t, you’re going to be tempted to not take your time off, which means you’ve in effect “lied” to yourself, the Universe, etc. And how much time off are you really going to end up with if the message you’re sending is you’re not honoring your time off?

3. Change up your energy if you’re really feeling stuck or sluggish.

I get it. Just because the calendar says you must work doesn’t mean you’ll actually feel like working. So what do you do on those days where you find that pure willpower isn’t enough?

On those days take a break. Go for a walk. Visit a Starbucks. Blast a song on your iPod and dance around the house. Go outside and lay in the sun for 10 minutes.

The best thing you can do is move your energy around, either by exercising or a change of location or both. It doesn’t have to last long — even 10 minutes is enough. Just do SOMETHING. Chances are when you sit back down you’ll be able to focus on your work.

Above all, keep in mind why you have a business in the first place. Yes there will be times you have to put in long hours but you also need to balance that with time off. Chances are you didn’t start a business so you could work all the time but so you could work when you CHOSE to. Summer is a great time to remind yourself you have the power to arrange your work schedule to suit yourself, your family and your life.

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Sales & Marketing

3 Powerful Ways To Increase Your Sales

Article Contributed by David Lynch

Everyone in sales goes through difficult moments, even those who are very experienced and highly skilled. The great news is that it’s much easier to get out of the negative zone and back into the positive one if you use the right methods:

1. Elevate Yourself

One of the main problems of going through a bad period in sales is the change of mental state that occurs. It doesn’t matter how strong you are mentally, you will find it difficult to escape this drop in confidence. Well, the only way out is to elevate your state of belief and get yourself back into the perfect frame of mind for selling. You need to trick your subconscious mind into believing that things are going fantastically well, and the good news is that our brain is sufficiently stupid to accept it as the truth. Take a sheet of paper and start writing a series of positive affirmations about your capabilities in selling. Make sure they are always in the present! Do this for about 10 minutes, anything less will not be enough. The positive affirmations will be translated into “truth” and “reality” by your subconscious and this should get you back on track in no time.

2. Get Yourself a Mentor

I discovered this one in recent years because previously I had always thought that I could solve my own problems. This is a common mistake among sales people who love to take responsibility on their own shoulders and just ride the storm alone. Well I now realise that this is not really the smartest way of giving yourself a boost. Find someone such as a motivational coach and listen to their audio or video training. If you like this person and admire their approach, it cannot fail to influence your state. Try this one because it really works. I like Tony Robbins because he has energy levels that I could only dream of. If I can take 20 per cent of his drive, it can carry me for the rest of the day.

3. Be Grateful For What you Already Have

This is a problem that we all face in western civilisation today. People have got so much they have forgotten what it was like for our ancestors. If you sit in silence for a few minutes and think of how people in third world countries need to walk for miles to carry fresh water in heavy containers to keep their children alive. Millions of people work for less than a dollar a day and they still manage to survive. Then we look at our problems in selling. Okay a few people told you to go away and stop annoying them. This is nothing compared to the difficulties that others face in the world. Get up off your chair, take some fresh air and go back to selling and enjoy it like it’s a privilege.

About the Author

David Lynch is a Sales Training Designer & Accomplished Author. He has more than 20 years’ experience in a variety of industries including software, insurance & hospitality. If you would like to learn more sales skills from David you can download a Free Copy of his E-book “25 Mistakes To Avoid When Selling” at http://www.saleswillgrow.com/freesalestraining2.html

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Sales & Marketing

Can Being in Sales be a True Spiritual Approach to Business and Life?

Can being in sales be a true spiritual approach to business and life?

Jim Cartcart was recently on our radio program (WELW.com every Wednesday from 4:30 to 5:30 PM EST) and he gave a definition of selling that transformed my view on sales, how I sell and the contribution I make on the lives of others.

Jim Carthcart’s definition of sales is “Changing the lives of others – profitably.”

When I sell the Business Growth Experience Sales Rainmaker program I no longer feel as if I am selling. I know the material I teach will change their lives of people who participate and I am proud to call myself a sales professional. I feel good asking to be paid because of the value I am providing.

But is sales a spiritual approach to life?

Why would I say that?

Most people don’t get into sales because they want to be in sales. They get into sales to help solve a problem and being in sales is a byproduct of accomplishing a larger goal, a higher purpose.

I started looking at doctors, teachers, priests, and other helping professions and I realized I am doing the same things they do: solving a problem to make a persons’ life better.

I like to think of what we teach as using sales skills that you will use in every area of your life. These skills will work with friends, family, children and significant others and you will be a better person for it as I feel I am a better person for teaching it.

If you are a small business owner who is struggling with sales, give me a call. The first thing we will do is help you understand how you can use your product or service to change someone’s life for the better. This is a great first step in realizing the meaning and purpose in what you do.

When I wake up in the morning and I know I am having a positive impact on the lives of others, I am inspired, motivated and compelled to work harder because I know I am making life better for others.

In the business growth experience here is what we do: We tell people to stop selling and teach others to buy. We do that by combining sales and marketing so that our clients know more about their customer then the customers know about themselves. Then we teach them to sell the way the customer wants to buy. That way the product sells itself. When you master this process life gets easier, sales is fun and life is more rewarding.

To a more spiritual approach to selling!

Thanks Jim Cathcart. You changed another life!

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Sales & Marketing

Getting Clients With Facebook: A Step-By-Step Introduction

Services like Facebook and Twitter can seem complicated if you’re not familiar with them. And even if you use them in your personal life, this doesn’t necessarily prepare you to use them for marketing purposes. Facebook Pages-which most social-savvy businesses use-are different from personal profiles and have a whole different set of tools. So even though having some experience with Facebook is good, every small-business owner faces a learning curve when getting into Facebook marketing.

Instead of being intimidated, think of it this way: Facebook is free. Sure, you have to put some time into it if you want to use it well, but it’s definitely cheaper than many other types of marketing. Ready to get started? Here’s what to do.

Step 1: Set up your Page

Setting up your Facebook Page is easy. Just search “Facebook Page” on Google and click the official result from Facebook. This will take you through the step-by-step process. The initial setup only takes a few minutes, but you might want to take some more time to build your page before beginning to promote it. Upload photos, fill out all the information, and optimize the settings for your needs.

Step 2: Invite people to follow you

When it comes to Facebook Pages, people follow you by clicking either “like” on the left side of your Page or an off-site Like button (which we’ll get to in a moment). Once your Page is set up, invite people in your social and business circles to like you. You can also visit others’ Facebook pages and profiles and like or friend them, and leave it to them to decide whether they will like you back. If you have a blog on your website, send out a quick blog post inviting people to follow you on Facebook.

Step 3: Use like buttons

Place a Facebook Like button on all the pages of your website. But keep in mind that there are two types of Like buttons. First, there are Like buttons that cause people to like your Facebook Page and follow you. And second, there are Like buttons placed on individual content pages of your website. People use these to share interesting blog posts and articles with their Facebook friends. Both types of Likes can be set up through the official Facebook Like button setup page.

Step 4: Cross-link

Set up your site so that it posts a note to your Facebook page every time you upload a new blog post, and make sure it is clear to all your website users that they can find you on Facebook. And of course, your Facebook page should link back to your site, since that’s where your business actually happens.

Step 5: Promote and maintain your Page

Use Facebook to update your followers on new developments in your business, to inform them of new blog posts, to share coupons and special deals, or to fill people in on interesting news or anecdotes relating to your business. Be as creative as you want, and try different things. There’s no rush. Allow time for the Likes to build. And if they don’t come, consider Facebook advertising.

Step 6: Respond and Interact

You wouldn’t go to a networking event or a cocktail party and ignore the person standing next to you when they speak to you.  Don’t do it online either. Be sure to respond to every post and comment on your Facebook wall (and on your blog too).

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Sales & Marketing

To Attend or Not to Attend — 3 Keys to Determine the Right Event for You

In case you haven’t been paying attention, there are more events out there then you can shake a stick at. And every time you turn around, even more events pop up.

For the most part, I’m glad there are so many events because there are many good reasons to attend them. The networking, the learning, the “getting out of your rut and exploring new ideas” and more. But the problem is, how do you decide which events are worth you spending your hard-earned money (not to mention your time) attending and which are the ones you should skip?

Well, I’ve put together 3 keys to helping you determine the right event for you.

1. First — ask yourself why you want to attend this event (or any event for that matter) in the first place. What do you hope to get out of it? Are you looking for business? Joint venture opportunities? To learn a new skill or strategy? To brainstorm some new ideas for your business? To just get away from your office and talk to people who “get it?”

Be very clear and very specific on what you want. Don’t be vague — if you’re vague you’re not going to have enough information to actually make the right decision.

2. Now, take a look at the event. If you’re looking for clients or joint venture partners, are those the people who will be attending? Will it be too small (or too big) for you to be able to do they type of networking you enjoy? If you want brainstorming or masterminding, will the right folks be there for that?

If you’re looking for education, is the event promise a good fit? Do you think you’ll actually walk away with the information you’re looking for?

3. Okay, so if you’ve gotten this far and the event appears to be a good fit, now I want you to take one final look to make sure attending this event is absolutely the right way to go.

If you’re looking just for information and have no big interest in the networking (or you don’t much like to network) is there a simulcast option or a home study course you could get instead? (You can also do quite a bit of networking on simulcast as well.) If you are interested in the networking, is this the absolute best event you should attend or if there a better option? And if this is the best option, should you simply be an attendee or would it be worth your while to upgrade your visibility to a sponsor package?

I’m not trying to talk you out of your decision with this third step, but what I AM trying to do is make sure you’ve thought this through so you aren’t disappointed. There’s nothing worse then spending all that time and money to show up at an event and realize either it’s not what you were looking for OR you should have made a different choice (for instance — you should have chosen a sponsorship option or a simulcast option).

So take a few extra minutes and just make sure this is the right decision for you.

And lastly (but probably most importantly) once you DO decide this is the right event for you, go buy your ticket and make your travel arrangements NOW. Don’t wait — get it done and move on to your next decision.