The Leading Business | Myactionmap.org

Archive for the ‘Sales’ Category

There are several reasons why consultants ultimately lose deals they should have won. Unless your portfolio is poor, consultants lose contracts because they either didnt listen or they didnt speak effectively to convey what services they could offer, that would help the client reach their goals. Here are a few tips to help you sell your services.

Every consultant feels that if there is anything that they do well, its talking the talk. Effective speaking is more of an art than a science. If you cant effectively convey how your services are going to help the client, you wont get the contract.

Reflect Before You React
Its human nature to say the first thing that comes to our mind when we’re asked a question. Take a moment to think of what answer is best for the client. It will show that you put thought into your work and dont just plow ahead. Your clients will appreciate that. Your best reaction is not always your first reaction.

Keep It Simple Superstar
Just because you know the ins and outs of your business doesnt mean that your client will. Speak to them on their level, not yours. Keep the conversation simple and get straight to the point. If your client understands what you can do for them, they are more likely to hire you. If you try and dazzle them with industry speak, you’ll lose them, and lose the contract.

You may find that if you are speaking to a perspective client on the phone, stand up. For many people, standing makes them get straight to the point.

Let the Client Talk
If you want to learn how to best position yourself, find out exactly what the client wants and ask questions to home in on what their needs are. By asking questions, you gain a better understanding of how you can help the client, and the client feels that they are part of the solution. This gives you a chance to reflect on what you can offer your prospective client.
Read the rest of this entry »

The Internet has changed how people do their business. Even small business owners are able to reach global market inexpensively nowadays, selling anything from apparel, collectibles, to computer software, service and coaching.

The core of every business is sales. Many of the strategies to increase sales offline are applicable online, but not all of them. On the Internet, everybody can effort to fail fast and learn from it. Better still, after years of testing and tracking what works online, people can just learn from other people’s experience and cut the learning curve tremendously.

Here are 5 of the surefire ways to increase sales:

1. Establish a sound affiliate program

If it is just another affiliate program, then don’t expect to have different results. Focus on building a sound affiliate program, with the tools and materials to support affiliates to promote a program easily. After all, affiliates work like clockwork and should be seen as a team. Provide them with the right promotion tools and they will more likely promote the program.

Give the customers an option to join the affiliate program after purchase. Satisfied customers are one of the best marketing for any business. Spread the good words through word of mouth. Best of all, they are paid just for doing that.

2. Follow-up after first purchase

The hardest task in any business is acquiring the first sale. Make sure that capturing customers’ name and email addresses are the least information gathered from a sale. With that information in hand, follow-up with existing customers, probably through an automated mechanism like timely autoresponder.
Read the rest of this entry »

1) Identify Your Essential Competencies and Performance Metrics

If I asked you to list all the essential competencies that YOU are in control of – the ones that are absolutely critical for you to be successful in your sales position…could you do it?

For example…

Essential Competency or not?

” Converting conversations to appointments? (yes it is)
” What about filling out paperwork? No! (That’s a related task)
” What about closing ratio? (Sure it is.)
” Degree of success in turning a first appointment into an opportunity? (absolutely)

Get the picture?

Now, if you truly want to adopt a self-management system that will work FOR you – not against you, you first have to “access” what is an essential competency and what’s merely a related competency.

To do this, sit down and list any sales metrics and performance numbers inter-related to your competency numbers and your desired revenue results. (Hint: “Sales Cycle” and “Average Revenue” per sale are two.)

2) Diagnose Your Business on a Single Sheet of Paper

If I ran into you on a train or in an elevator, would you be prepared to tell me what you do (and how it benefits me or those I know) – in under 1 minute…

That’s called your 30-second commercial. Most people don’t have one, yet everybody needs one.

One way to understand more of the obvious benefits your products and services bring to the table is to start to view and diagnose your business more scientifically. You will also see how the numbers work and which areas are most important to your short and long-term success.

Ask yourself…What happens if your closing ratio reduces by 30% and your average revenue per sale increases by $2500? How does that affect your desired results?

Write your competency measurements and sales metrics on a sheet of paper. Calculate ratios in line with competencies and average numbers in line with your sales metrics. Assign your revenue object or quota. Play with the numbers and ratios to see how they are inter-related and how they affect each other.

3) Calculate your ‘Magic Number’

“Not setting enough new appointments on a routine basis” is like a malignant cancerous growth slowly eating away at the heart of most sales organizations – - Jeff Hardesty.
Read the rest of this entry »

Auto-responders, email systems which are built to deliver multi-step messages over time, will add value to your business in four ways: auto-responders can educate customers about your products and services, auto-responders can build rapport with your prospects, and auto-responders can carry much of your customer support and customer training load. These systems are always working for you delivering important and valuable information. Please see several ideas on how to do this below:

1. Communicate with Customers: Enter company data and product information into a series of auto-responders. Messages should be informative for your customers and should include an offer of value which the recipient can respond to. The auto-responder cycle can add value by making your company information more accessible to your clients.

2. Increase New Business Sales: Put a lead management system in place with auto-responder functionality. This will solve a common problem. Sales people will work a lead list, and burn a lead if it does not respond. The multi-step auto-responder system keep your company in your prospects’s mind. The AR system spark a low fire into the mind of your prospect and build mind-share touch by touch.
Read the rest of this entry »