Category: Sales & Marketing

Yes, the economy is lagging and budgets are cut. Yes, we have competition. Yes, clients are postponing buying decisions.
So what?
If you focus on building relationships and implement the sales strategies I reveal here, you’ll be able to close more deals and get more sales now. People will buy from you even in a lagging economy — no matter what your price point.
3 Ways to Get In, Get Started, and Close More Deals
Sales Closing Tip 1: Recommend New Approaches
Good salespeople have always talked about creating value. Now we need to put ourselves in our clients’ shoes and be creative. We must get in and get started. Think smart, not big. It’s always smarter to have a smaller piece of something, than a big piece of nothing. Begin with a smaller project, a reduced order, or a regional, rather than global, implementation. Get in, and get to know the client. Let them get to know you. Get to know their business.
Sales Closing Tip 2: Create Metrics
Sit on the same side of the table as your client. Work together to determine the best way to get started. Always, always, create metrics with your client. How do you, together, define success? Get agreement that once this project is successful—according to the metrics you’ve agreed upon—that the client will work with you to identify other sales opportunities within their organization. A successful project breeds a successful relationship, which leads to successful referrals. This means more sales leads and more money for you!
Sales Closing Tip 3: Negotiate or Walk
Yes, the client will want to negotiate on price. That’s their job—to build business while watching the bottom line. How many times have you submitted a sales proposal to a client, and had them say, right off the bat, “Great! Where do I sign?” It doesn’t happen. We always want to get the best deal, so why wouldn’t our clients?
If you must adjust your price, then adjust the scale of your project or the deliverables as well. Always get something in return and write it into your agreement. Maybe the client agrees to write a testimonial or promises to refer you to another business unit in their organization, or to someone they know at a different company. Maybe you barter some of your services. Bartering is an age-old way of doing business, and it makes sense in many cases if you want what they have and they need what you have. Perhaps the client has software that your company needs, or a consulting methodology that could propel your business. You get the picture. Work it out.
If you can’t work things out, be willing to walk away. It’s a tough decision, but it may be your best strategic sales decision. You’ll be off to the next client who values what you offer and is willing to pay for it.
If you follow my advice in this article and in my book, No More Cold Calling™, you will build lifetime customer relationships with clients who want to buy from you over and over again even in a lagging economy. You will get more referrals. And, you will close more sales.
So, what are you waiting for? Get in and get started now!
About the Author:
America’s leading authority on referral selling and founder of No More Cold Calling®, Joanne Black helps salespeople, sales teams, and business owners get more referrals and attract business fast without increasing the cost of sales. Discover how to turn prospects into clients more than 50 percent of the time even in a lagging economy with her No More Cold Calling sales programs at http://www.nomorecoldcalling.com.

Young Entrepreneur: Word-of-mouth is certainly the best form of marketing available. In a recent study by the authority site emarketer.com, it was shown that fully 53% of online traffic comes from word-of-mouth – recommendations and referrals made by others.
The growth of the Internet has certainly enhanced the potential for positive results from word-of-mouth referrals. News used to take a lot longer to spread when the telephone was the most effective means of communication. News can now travel at lightning speeds through the many forms of e-mail, instant messaging, SMS text messaging and the Web 2.0 children – Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, etc.
Nowadays, in Internet marketing terms, it is relatively easy to prompt people for a recommendation. “Tell a friend” scripts are easy to promote and these messages stand a great chance of reaching their proposed recipients, due to the fact that they are coming from a trusted friend or acquaintance. Recognizable e-mail addresses normally sail past those pesky spam filters.
There are many ways to generate valuable online publicity through the use of press release services. You should have a clear strategy, defined and regular, and strive to incorporate different tactics. A series of written press releases should aim to show your product or service as relevant and “hot”. Create a buzz around your product. Inject some controversy and color and always aim to establish yourself as a credible expert in your niche.
One of the beauties of the Internet as we know it today is its ability to provide viral exposure. Whilst aiming to brand yourself as the credible expert, consider giving something of value away for free. Make sure that you research this well, however, so that your intended audience feels that you truly are giving away something of value and that this is not just your opinion!
Find out what value and what kind of information your target audience is looking for. Are they looking for inspiration, or simply a lighthearted message of some kind? Use the many Internet distribution channels to provide something of perceived value at little or no cost. Never employ the hard sell – but do make sure that you include subtle links so that interested people can find you.
Why word of mouth is still the best form of marketing [Young Entrepreneur]

Marketing to Women Online: You want to reach moms? You want word-of-mouth advertising? You want moms to get on board with your brand or product and to tap into the influence they have with their friends and family?
Meet the mommy blogger.
Companies small and large are trying to climb on to the mommy blogger bandwagon. Advertising Age recently did a story about the phenomenon – Inside the Mommy Blogger Business.
Despite their lightweight moniker, mommy bloggers have become marketing business heavyweights. Now said to number in the millions, these online women have cobbled together content networks that rival some mainstream media companies. And they’re clearly a force that retailers underestimate at their own peril. In this “About Digital” report, we talk to a retail giant, an analyst, major publisher and a PR agency to better understand how various segments of the industry are adjusting to this phenomenon.
There’s a reason why mommy bloggers are gaining the attention and respect of advertisers.
eMarketer just published the results from the 2009 Social Media study from BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners. The study found that:
Of the female social media participants, 75% took part in social networking and 55% used blogs. Nearly 23 million of the social media users read blogs.
But many women went beyond merely reading: 12 million posted to blogs and 8 million published them.
In fact, women who used blogs were more than twice as likely to do so when they were seeking information, advice and recommendations than were women who participated in social networking.
When providing advice or contributing to a community, more women also turned to blogs than social networks.
“The scale of social media usage among US women continues to grow, and blogs remain the go-to resource for those who want to gather information, share ideas and get reliable advice,” said Elisa Camahort Page, COO of BlogHer.
There’s another reason why advertisers are reaching out to mommy bloggers.
In her book Too Busy To Shop, Kelley Skoloda talks about the importance of the “messenger.” Women listen to messages from trusted sources. An advertising message in a commercial is one thing. But that message delivered by a trusted credible source carries a lot more weight.
With the bombardment of consumer information, a more transient society, and significant time constraints, more women are turning to less conventional sources, such as blogs, social networking sites, and Web sites, to get trusted information and recommendations.
In fact, these interactive sites are becoming extended networks of friends and family. These virtual neighborhoods give women access to many other women who are in the same life stage as they are, making the topics and discussions very relevant to what they want to know and where they are in life.
The bottom line for advertisers and brands is this – women, especially moms are reading and interacting with blogs in record numbers. It’s where they are at.
Mommy Bloggers – Why Advertisers Want Them [Marketing to Women Online]