by Kelley Robertson
Author, Professional Speaker & Trainer
Robertson Training Group
“Get the sale at any cost.”
“Make more calls.”
“Tell them what they want to hear.”
Sales professionals in virtually every industry are under tremendous pressure to close sales. It is not uncommon for them to hear comments similar to ones above from their sales manager, supervisor, or boss. But this approach does not create trust with customers and does not encourage repeat business or a lasting relationship.
A more effective approach is to develop a partnering relationship with your clients. This means working with them to help them achieve their goals and objectives. Simple in theory, this strategy requires a completely different approach. Here’s what I mean.
In the majority of sales meetings, the sales person looks for ways to position his or her product/service so that the prospect will buy it. However, a partnering approach means putting your goals and objective aside. It means focusing 100% of your attention on your customer. It requires a self-less mindset because there are situations when the best solution is not yours.
In fact, it may mean telling your customer to contact a competitor. I experienced this just a few days before writing this article. A subscriber to my e-zine contacted me about delivering a particular service. Although I may have been able to help her, I knew someone who could better meet her requirements. It was mentally difficult, but I made the decision to refer her to my competition.
Partnering also means that you provide exceptional follow-up to ensure that your customer is completely satisfied with their purchase. This does not mean you make just the obligatory follow-up call. It means you explore their actual use of your product and/or service and help them maximize its full potential.
A client of mine was experiencing less than favorable results after implementing a new program into their business. We scheduled a follow-up meeting with the management team, because as the vendor, I knew that the answers lay in the execution of the program. During the meeting we explored several ways to improve their results and one of the solutions required me to provide additional follow-up.
Although I could have charged this client for my time, I knew that it made good business sense to absorb the cost of this follow-up because my primary objective was to help my client achieve the best results possible. Subsequent meetings indicated that this investment was worth it as my client began discussing how we could take this initiative to the next level.
The challenge with this concept is that most sales people want some form of instant gratification. But this approach does not offer a direct or immediate payoff for the sales person. However, from a business perspective, it makes good sense.
It is also important to note that you don’t necessarily have to give away this additional service. A few sales trainers I know (including myself) incorporate telephone coaching into their proposals. They charge for this service but they position it as a way for the company to improve their results. They demonstrate how this additional investment will drive more dollars to their clients’ bottom line. Ultimately, your goal should be helping your customers and clients improve their business results. Here are a few points to consider.
Focus on their goals and objective instead of your personal agenda (closing the sale). If necessary, recommend another supplier or vendor who offers the exact product/service your client needs.
Follow-up. Contact your customer and talk to them after they have made their purchase. Ask them if they are getting the desired results. If they aren’t, look for ways to help them maximize their results. Offer additional support. Give them extra resources. Help them get the best results possible.
Incorporate a systemized process into your sales pitch or proposals. People will pay for extras providing they see that value that is brought to their organization. Send information to your customers on a regular basis without being asked. I like to send articles that are relevant to my clients on a regular basis. This demonstrates that I am looking out for their interests, rather than my own. I prefer to send articles written by other people, not just the ones I write.
Zig Ziglar once stated, “You can get anything you want in life if you just help enough other people get what they want.” When you help your customers achieve their goals and objectives you become more than a supplier or vendor. You become a preferred partner. And this will prevent your competition from overtaking you in the marketplace.
Create a checklist of the additional services you can offer to your clients to help them achieve their goals. Helping your customers reach their objectives will help you increase your profits.
One word of caution…this is a process, not a quick fix. This strategy does take time to generate a return. However, it is well worth the investment.
Copyright: Kelley Robertson
6 Effective Ways to Generate PR for You and Your Business
Posted by The Team of Spirit Labels: Public RelationsAre you interested in successfully growing your business while not breaking the bank? Public relations is exposure that you get for your company, product or service that you do not pay for. The best ways to get the most bang out of your PR strategy is to:
*Appearing as a guest on tv or radio
OR
*Being featured in a newspaper or magazine
The only costs that you encounter when using PR is the ones that result from using a firm (please check out our 2 Part Series 'How to Choose the Right PR Firm for You' for some top tips on how to pick an effective firm to fit your needs). But if you choose the most skilled and experienced firm, or just decide to do the work with your own team , PR can help you meet your targets without costing you lots of money.
Now here ae 6 effective ways as to how you can begin to immediately generate valuable PR for your business, products or services!
1. What About a Book? Writing books is not just for Donald Trump and Steven King anymore! If you are an expert business and write a book you will be able to use it as a vehicle with the media . " If you write a book you will have a fantastic vehicle and calling card ", says Marsha Friedman. " A book gives you instant credibility as an expert in your field: to your customers , prospective customers and amongst your industry peers. Most importantly, it opens the door for you to the media."
If you watch TV, listen to the radio or read newspapers and magazines, then you are being exposed to numerous authors who have used this PR trick to their advantage!
2. Position Yourself as an Experts. TV, Radio and Print are all mediums that are hungry for news worthy content. Obviously, this is why people stay interested in listening, watching and reading. Marsha Friedman says, "The media is constantly following the media. " Want to use the media? W
ell then start paying attention to it. Friedman adds, " Stay abreast with all of the latest news by watching TV news, talk radio and reading your local or national newspapers. Search for issues or news stories that tie in with your business or message." By doing this you will be ahead of the pack when it comes to your successes with the media.
3. Appear as a Guest on Radio. " A great public relations vehicle for your company is to be interviewed on a talk radio show. This way you can have a conversation about your company, product or service with thousands, if not millions, of consumers nationwide ", says Marsha Friedman. "
If you are small firm or large multinational corporation, you should do as many talk radio interviews that is humanly possible. " Talk radio is very attractive from a PR perspective because:
*It appeals to an affluent, educated and attentive target audience
*It is much cheaper than advertising
*It is a great opportunity to sell your product
*The host (who has a dedicated listening audience) provides a solid "Third Party Endorsement" to your product or services
*As you will be presented as an expert in your field, talk radio lends further credibility to your message
*Appearing on a talk radio show enables you to really tell your story
4. Be a Guest on a TV Show. Television really builds on all of the positive effects that radio can have. Marsha Friedman says, " As viewers expect to see celebrities on TV, when you appear as a guest on a TV show your credibility goes sky high."
5. Be Featured in Print. Ever looked at a newspaper article and have the desire to get your company some print exposure. You can absolutely get this sort of coverage! The power of the print media is phenomenal. "Print is a goldmine for PR ". Here's why :
*Anything written is perceived to be true.
*Newspapers and magazines represent a huge portion of the buying audience .
*A plethora of niche publications - there's truly a long list of publications to target. If you are adequately prepared with quality materials, your print PR campaign will be a successful one !
6. Become a Public Speaker. Want to try a pretty different way to get some excellent public relations for your company, product or service? Try becoming a pubic speaker! " Speak to community groups, Chambers of Commerce, events and trade associations to 'create a buzz' about you and your company," says Marsha Friedman. "The more opportunities you get to speak publicly, the more word of mouth that you will generate .
Just make sure you have a media kit to give them about your company, product or service in case they show up!"
Hopefully these methods will not only get your excited about an upcoming public relations campaign, but also give you an idea as to other ways to let people know about your product.
If you are struggling to get the media interested in your press release, you are not alone. Many people believe that you write a release, send it over to the producer at a radio station and wait for the avalanche of phone calls. Then, when you get no response, you call up the station who promptly tells you that they never read it!
If you want your radio press releases to grab the attention of producers...here are two quick tips to crafting an effective press release!
1. Topic Overview
Once you have gained attention with your eye-catching headline, topic summary, and talking points, it is time to present your full show idea. This is when to position yourself as an expert on the topic.
Do not write a sales piece here. Write the show. Work the author's name, personal quotes, and book title into the overview. Use the following liberally to build your topic and profile: statistics, testimonials, current facts, specifics from relevant news stories, and professional credentials. Use anything that will interest the producer, the host, and their audience. Try to limit this section to no more than a page; the ideal range is four to six paragraphs with no more than four sentences in each one.
A Topic Overview for a show on pets would read as follows:
For some people, "cute" is the only criterion they follow when choosing a new pet. But deciding which pet to adopt based solely on the animal's appearance can set new "pet parents" up for disaster. After all, puppies don't look quite so cute when they're chewing your furniture! Lack of foresight is one of the top reasons an estimated 6 to 8 million unwanted pets end up at local animal shelters each year.
Enter pet expert Jane Doe, author of the new book about pets.
As a bonafide animal lover, she wants to help prospective pet owners understand how to make the best decision when choosing a new pet and to recognize that adopting a pet is a lifetime commitment and responsibility that requires much thought and planning.
"There's no denying the attraction to a cute puppy or kitten," says Jane. "But people need to be fully prepared for what's truly involved in caring for that animal. Realistically speaking, they are bringing a child into their home. If you don't have the temperament, the schedule, or the space requirements to meet those needs, you should consider a pet that does fit your lifestyle."
Another important factor that often goes overlooked is how children in a family will interact with a new pet. Pets make wonderful companions for children and can help teach them compassion, responsibility, and respect for all living creatures, as well as boost their self-esteem. But it's important to determine ahead of time what type of animal best suits the household and what role each family
If you are struggling to get the media interested in your press release, you are not alone. Many people believe that you write a release, send it over to the producer at a radio station and wait for the avalanche of phone calls. Then, when you get no response, you call up the station who promptly tells you that they never read it!
If you want your radio press releases to grab the attention of producers...here are two quick tips to crafting an effective press release!
1. Topic Overview
Once you have gained attention with your eye-catching headline, topic summary, and talking points, it is time to present your full show idea. This is when to position yourself as an expert on the topic.
Do not write a sales piece here. Write the show. Work the author's name, personal quotes, and book title into the overview. Use the following liberally to build your topic and profile: statistics, testimonials, current facts, specifics from relevant news stories, and professional credentials. Use anything that will interest the producer, the host, and their audience. Try to limit this section to no more than a page; the ideal range is four to six paragraphs with no more than four sentences in each one.
A Topic Overview for a show on pets would read as follows:
For some people, "cute" is the only criterion they follow when choosing a new pet. But deciding which pet to adopt based solely on the animal's appearance can set new "pet parents" up for disaster. After all, puppies don't look quite so cute when they're chewing your furniture! Lack of foresight is one of the top reasons an estimated 6 to 8 million unwanted pets end up at local animal shelters each year.
Enter pet expert Jane Doe, author of the new book about pets.
As a bonafide animal lover, she wants to help prospective pet owners understand how to make the best decision when choosing a new pet and to recognize that adopting a pet is a lifetime commitment and responsibility that requires much thought and planning.
"There's no denying the attraction to a cute puppy or kitten," says Jane. "But people need to be fully prepared for what's truly involved in caring for that animal. Realistically speaking, they are bringing a child into their home. If you don't have the temperament, the schedule, or the space requirements to meet those needs, you should consider a pet that does fit your lifestyle."
Another important factor that often goes overlooked is how children in a family will interact with a new pet. Pets make wonderful companions for children and can help teach them compassion, responsibility, and respect for all living creatures, as well as boost their self-esteem. But it's important to determine ahead of time what type of animal best suits the household and what role each family
Broadcast Your Message with Self Promotional Products
Posted by The Team of Spirit Labels: MarketingWho needs self promotional products? Anyone that is selling or promoting anything.
What most self-promoters need is a way to keep their name and contact info in front of their prospects or "suspects"; in short they need a message that keeps on messaging.
We all have received promotions in the mail, by visiting salesfolk or at trade shows. At most trade shows, some businesses even give out custom bags so attendees have a place to put all their promo stuff; a promo bag to hold all those promo handouts.
Why do businesses bother with promotional materials? The simple reason is they work by spreading messages, themes and images and keeping those messages in front of those that have been targeted.
Let's say you are a plumber that gives out magnetic business cards so folks can stick them on their refrigerators. Most plumbers have their business name and contact info on their trucks.
A self promotional plumber may also have his magnetic business cards stuck on his truck with a sign "Please Take One".
Sure it's a silly idea and you may laugh. But plumbers that use this strategy report they usually replace all their magnetic cards every day.
Magnetic cards are cheaper than mass media, almost as cheap as some standard business cards, and have a lot more 'staying' power.
And it makes sense if you have ever needed a plumber.
The key is to look at your sales process and sales cycle and determine where promotional products can be leveraged to deliver your message. Most promotional product campaigns fail because they fail to focus first and foremost on the desired results.
Before purchasing your promotional products determine how and to whom you will deliver them. This will help you narrow down your choices for appropriate products.
"And don't forget to track your results so you can improve" adds Wilcox.
Not only is there an endless array of self promotional products but also a seemingly endless way to "package" or merchandise your self promotional messages.
Take promotional caps. There are caps of all colors and styles. Some can have custom logos embroidered with a 3-D effect and even messages printed on the edge of the bill.
Given the right strategy many people could be wearing your self promotional caps. Strategy is why it is important to think through your desired results first.
Self promoters are strategic, not reactive. For instance, farmers in the Salinas Valley give their farmworkers company logo caps at the end of the growing season.
The idea isn't that the farmworkers will return to Mexico for the winter and wear their caps everywhere spreading the company message; the cap logo is simply a promotional reminder of the farm's name and where to go for work at the start of spring season.
Self promotional products can take many forms. There are pens, HiLiters, letter openers, staplers, badge holders and dog tags. There are memo pads, PDA holders, calculators, clocks, radios, mugs, coasters and water bottles.
You can try backpacks, tote bags, coolers, velour pouches, tape measures, knives and flash lights. And key chains, pill cases, first aid kits, luggage tags, combs, fans and pedometers.
And candles, shampoo, hand lotion, hand sanitizers, lip balm, sunscreen and bug repellant. And golf tees, balls, towels and totes. And more.
It is helpful to remember that not all promotional items need to be useful like calendars or pens. You can also try fun items like stress balls, yo-yos and piggy banks. My favorite are those clear balls that flash when bounced. Next to food and chocolate.
Food and candy are always popular. How about gum, mints, gourmet food, cookies, coffee, hot chocolate, ice tea and bottled water. Customers, prospects and suspects love to eat and drink! But then again, don't we all?
And what if your promotional targets are chocolate lovers like many of us? You can try chocolate wrapped in foil, coins, sports balls, squares, gift sets, bars, truffles or custom molds.
And of course the more traditional magnetic business cards, notepads, calendars and even custom business cards. That's a lot to think about so where to begin?
Start with your sales and promotional cycle and see where your customer and prospect "touchpoints" or points of contact are. Your message's desired result may be a phone call, an appointment or an e-mail inquiry.
Use your self-promotional products to leverage or "convert" to the next step toward your desired promotional results.
With focus and attention to results, self promotional products can add power and zip into your promotional campaigns.
Custom T-shirts can be useful for promoting people, ideas, or events. A shirt can not only display any of these things; it can also get people talking about them. It only takes a little time to figure out the best way to use the shirts to create a buzz.
You may want to promote just about anything. If you are in a band, you may want to get people out to hear you the next time you play. You could use custom T-shirts to bring people into the club. If you are supporting a local politician, you can use a shirt to get their name into the public eye.
Your school or local children's sports team may be headed for a championship in another city. By selling custom T-shirts, you can make people aware of the event. The more people that know, the more people might come to cheer on your team. Even a store grand opening is an event that can be promoted with custom T-shirts.
The key to a good response is to make the custom T-shirts unique and desirable. By naming and dating the event, they become a collector's item. Get them in colors that are appropriate to the subject. Put unusual images and snappy sayings on them. Leave a little to the imagination. Then people will take notice of the topics of the custom T-shirts and ask questions.
There are several ways you can distribute your custom T-shirts. One way is to get them out to places that people will be walking and mingling. This gives people a chance to talk up the shirt to each other. Outdoor markets or street fairs are good places to go with your merchandise.
You can also make your shirts more sought after if you limit how many people get them. You could give them out in only a few venues. Perhaps you could give away a few on a radio show. The ninth caller gets a shirt if they answer a trivia question about your candidate or band, for instance. You can make the questions easy, yet it brings up the subject for everyone and gets the custom T-shirts out to a select few.
Marketers have long known that colleges are places ripe for new ideas. If your environmental campaign needs a boost, get your custom T-shirts onto a college campus and people will soon be hearing about it. Your political candidate will be discussed. Your band will have a larger audience.
The idea is to get people interested in your people or ideas. Once you have them on the hook, it is up to you to keep them. Your band will have to play well, your candidate will have to have good ideas, and your environmental campaign will have to make a difference in the world. If you are up to the task, you can use custom T-shirts to bring the people to you.
Social Entrepreneurship is about Innovation and Impact, Not Income
Posted by The Team of Spirit Labels: entrepreneurby J. Gregory Dees
-- Joseph A. Schumpeter, Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy
Having worked in this field for a while, I am always delighted to find that people are increasingly familiar with the term "social entrepreneur." Too often, however, they identify social entrepreneurship with nonprofits generating earned income. When the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship named Linda and Millard Fuller of Habitat for Humanity and Wendy Kopp of Teach for America, among others, as outstanding social entrepreneurs, it must have confused many people. Both organizations are well known, but neither of them is known for its earned income strategies. They rely heavily on grants and donations. In fact, these social entrepreneurs are masterful at attracting philanthropic donations. What makes them entrepreneurial is that each of them has pioneered creative ways of addressing social problems and marshaled the resources to support their work. Habitat mobilizes volunteers to build affordable houses for the poor. Teach for America recruits talented college graduates to teach in economically distressed schools. Schwab was following a view long endorsed by Bill Drayton at Ashoka that social entrepreneurship is about innovation and impact, not income. This view is well grounded in entrepreneurship theory (click here for details), but not sufficiently appreciated in the U.S.
Despite efforts to spread an innovation-based definition, far too many people still think of social entrepreneurship in terms of nonprofits generating earned income. This is a dangerously narrow view. It shifts attention away from the ultimate goal of any self-respecting social entrepreneur, namely social impact, and focuses it on one particular method of generating resources. Earned income is only a means to a social end, and it is not always the best means. It can even be detrimental-taking valuable talent and energy away from activities more central to delivering on the organization's social mission. Though it is very popular right now, it is just one funding strategy among many and must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. The key is finding a resource strategy that works.
Focusing on earned income leads people to embrace the problematic idea of a "double bottom line." Profits should not be treated with equal importance to social results. No amount of profit makes up for failure on the social impact side of the equation. Any social entrepreneur who generates profits, but then fails to convert them into meaningful social impact in a cost effective way has wasted valuable resources. From a management point of view, the financial "bottom line" is certainly important, but it is not on the same level as social impact. Social entrepreneurs have only one ultimate bottom line by which to measure their success. It is their intended social impact, whether that is housing for the homeless, a cleaner environment, improved access to health care, more effective education, reduced poverty, protection of abused children, deeper appreciation of the arts, or some other social improvement.
Many activities that generate earned income are not entrepreneurial at all. Earned income has become commonplace. In fact, if religious congregations are excluded, earned income has exceeded donations as a source of funds for public charities in the U. S. for many years now. Hospitals charge fees for medical services; private schools charge tuition; performing arts groups sell tickets; many museums charge admission and often have gift shops in their lobbies. No one thinks of these practices as examples of "social entrepreneurship" even though they all involve generating earned income. It would be absurd to give a social entrepreneurship award, for instance, to a major hospital simply because of its extremely high percentage of earned income from patient fees and the record profits at its gift shop and parking garage. Yet, this would be a logical implication of taking earned income as the yardstick of social entrepreneurship. High levels of earned income are often not innovative and may not be correlated with high levels of social impact.
Any form of social entrepreneurship that is worth promoting broadly must be about establishing new and better ways to improve the world. Social entrepreneurs implement innovative programs, organizational structures, or resource strategies that increase their chances of achieving deep, broad, lasting, and cost-effective social impact. To borrow from J.B. Say, the eighteenth century French economist who first popularized the term "entrepreneur," they shift resources into areas of higher productivity and yield. Habitat persuades volunteers to shift their time from recreational activities to building a house. Teach for America persuades bright college graduates who did not major in education to devote two years of their careers to teaching in schools that have a difficult time finding teachers. This resource-shifting function is essential to progress. As Peter Drucker has said, "What we need is an entrepreneurial society in which innovation and entrepreneurship are normal, steady, and continuous."
"No amount of profit makes up for failure on the social impact side of the equation. Any social entrepreneur who generates profits, but then fails to convert them into meaningful social impact in a cost effective way has wasted valuable resources..."
Of course, some exciting forms of social entrepreneurship use earned income strategies to achieve social impact. We should encourage social sector leaders to explore innovative financial strategies that make their organizations more effective in serving social needs while leveraging social assets. Creative efforts to harness business methods to serve social objectives are often entrepreneurial in the best sense of that term. Consider Grameen Bank that was built around an innovative approach of using peer-groups to improve the economics and effectiveness of micro-enterprise lending as a tool to fight poverty in Bangladesh. Or consider Delancey Street Foundation, a residential community of hardcore substance abusers in San Francisco that runs several businesses to provide productive employment to community members and generate funds for the organization. These are powerful examples of how social sector leaders can blend business methods with social objectives. What makes them entrepreneurial is not the source of income, but their innovations and their impact.
Earned income ventures are socially entrepreneurial only when they have a social purpose beyond simply making money. If social entrepreneurship is to be distinctive in any way, it must be because social objectives matter in how the venture is organized and managed. If the only way a venture serves your mission is by generating funds, it may be business entrepreneurship, but it is not social entrepreneurship. If I start a bakery to make money that will be used to support my sailing hobby, we do not call the bakery a "sailing venture." Likewise using the proceeds of the bakery for a social purpose does not make it into a "social" venture. It is a social venture only if social considerations are integrated into its objectives and management. A purely moneymaking venture can be managed using straight business principles. It makes no difference if the owner intends to use the cash generated by the venture to buy a bigger sailboat or to serve the homeless. True social ventures often require a more complex skill set than straight business ventures.
Only if we can embrace a definition of social entrepreneurship that focuses on innovation and impact, we can put funding strategies in their proper perspective. It is not surprising that people are drawn to the earned income definition of social entrepreneurship. Resources are scarce and social needs are great. Everyone wants to explore new avenues for generating resources and earned income seems promising. Unfortunately, some social sector leaders appear to be more concerned about attracting resources and sustaining their organizations than they are about assessing, sustaining, and improving their social impact. They assume they are doing a great job on the social side and that they deserve the additional funding, often without much systematic evidence. These are risky assumptions. Finding ways to sustain organizations that are not cost-effectively delivering social value is a terrible waste of energy and resources. Social sector leaders should look for creative resource strategies that enhance their impact, rather than simply sustain their organizations. By embracing a definition of social entrepreneurship that focuses on innovation and impact, we can assure that social objectives are taken seriously in the entrepreneurial process. In the end, social entrepreneurship must be about creating social value, not simply about making money.
by Jonathan Gray
Are you disappointed? Your ads drawing minimal results?
Well, I've got great news for you, because we're going to change that forever right here, and right now!
Let me show you which mistakes are killing your profits. And precisely how to correct them. And you'll soon have a powerful set of weapons to make sure all your efforts generate cash.
Mistake #1 – Marketing To The Wrong Audience: Even with the world’s best product, copy and price - if you try to sell it to the wrong people, you'll flop.
Mistake #2 – Assuming You Know What Your Customers Want: Listen to what your market has to say. Offer products based on your customers' answers.
Mistake #3 – Focusing Your Copy On You: Customers don't care about your product. So talk directly to their problems, needs and desires.
Mistake #4 – Assuming You Know What Your Customers Value Most: Poll your customers. Then adjust the benefits in your copy accordingly.
Mistake #5 – You Think Your Ad Or Your Product Are Important: Forget about your ad and its fancy layout. Concentrate on hitting your customers right between the eyes with the most potent benefit you have to offer.
Mistake #6 – Blindly Accepting Your Mail Will Reach Its Destination: Did you know that huge quantities of email are being dumped as spam? Remember, if your mail doesn't reach its destination, you can't sell!
Mistake #7 – Blindly Accepting That People Will Open Your Mail: How many of us run through our inbox with our finger on the delete button? So follow the rules that ensure your mail gets opened.
Mistake #8 – Assuming You Have Your Prospect's Undivided Attention: You're competing against everything that vies for your prospect's attention –other businesses, and their work, family, and hobbies.
So write hard-driving, persuasive pieces packed with so many benefits, your prospect can't help but be interested.
Mistake #9 – Being Deceitful Or "Standing Too Close To The Shade": Unfortunately, some get swept away by their own greed. Better to solve your customers' problems, help them, and deliver more than you promised. And you'll sleep well at night!
Mistake #10 – Failing To Track Your Results: You should key your ads, sales letters and news releases to track precisely what's working and what isn't - which marketing efforts to stick with and which to modify or abandon.
Mistake #11 – Not Having A Profitably Planned Follow-up Campaign: It's much easier and less costly to sell to someone who's already bought from you than it is to bring in new business.
Follow up from every sale. Strike while the iron is hot. Send follow-up mailings at least every quarter. Build on their trust in you.
Mistake #12 – You’re Trying To Sell Unrelated Products: You can't follow-up effectively with unrelated products. Pick an area to specialize in and offer the best group of related products that you can.
Mistake #13 – Changing Your Marketing Out Of Boredom: If the market continues to respond to your promotions, don't change it!
Motivational techniques to get you where you want to go
Posted by The Team of Spirit Labels: motivationBy: Ros Oliveira
Most of us want to be successful at something. Whether you wish for monetary success, or simply to lose weight, be a better parent or have a successful affiliate website, you have to be motivated and committed to succeed.
The power and ability to succeed is in all of us - all it takes is the motivation to get something happening. Because unless you take action, your dreams of success will remain just that - dreams. Jason Gracia in his well-known book The Motivated Mind gives you an instructional guide on how to turn your dreams into success.
Learning how to take action, get motivated and stay that way is the key that will drive you to succeed and these simple motivation techniques will help you get what you want out of life.
Plan to succeed
Successful people are goal oriented. They plan their goals, then work in incremental steps to achieve those goals. Your goals need to be specific, realistic and achievable. Visualize your goals so that they become real, then write them down and keep them somewhere as a daily reminder of what it is you're aiming for.
To stay motivated, you need to feel inspired and excited about what you are aiming to achieve. If you can't get excited about your success goals, you'll never find the inspiration and motivation you need to take action to change your life.
If your goals don't excite you, then you've chosen the wrong goals. Go back to the drawing board and think about what it is that inspires and excites you, then you'll have a goal you can work towards.
The longest journey begins with a single step, so plan on adding one new positive step to your daily routine each day to move you towards your goal. Adding one positive step each day will help you take control of your future and rid you of past negative habits.
Set aside 15 minutes each day to review your goals and the progress you have made. Measuring your progress will keep you inspired to achieve the results you want and help you recognize problem areas that may need work. Acknowledging your achievements is a way of patting yourself on the back for a job well done.
Believe in the possibilities. Don't allow your fears to stand in the way of your future success. Acknowledge the fact that everyone feels fear when they step outside their comfort zone. As the old adage says, "Feel the fear, then do it anyway!"
10 Differences Between Advertising and Public Relations
Posted by The Team of Spirit Labels: Public RelationsBy Apryl Duncan, About.com
If you're searching for a career or trying to promote your company, you may have questions about advertising vs. public relations. These two industries are very different even though they're commonly confused as being one and the same. The following ten properties just scratch the surface of the many differences between advertising and public relations.
1. Paid Space or Free Coverage
Advertising:
The company pays for ad space. You know exactly when that ad will air or be published.
Public Relations:
Your job is to get free publicity for the company. From news conferences to press releases, you're focused on getting free media exposure for the company and its products/services.
2. Creative Control Vs. No Control
Advertising:
Since you're paying for the space, you have creative control on what goes into that ad.
Public Relations:
You have no control over how the media presents your information, if they decide to use your info at all. They're not obligated to cover your event or publish your press release just because you sent something to them.
3. Shelf Life
Advertising:
Since you pay for the space, you can run your ads over and over for as long as your budget allows. An ad generally has a longer shelf life than one press release.
Public Relations:
You only submit a press release about a new product once. You only submit a press release about a news conference once. The PR exposure you receive is only circulated once. An editor won't publish your same press release three or four times in their magazine.
4. Wise Consumers
Advertising:
Consumers know when they're reading an advertisement they're trying to be sold a product or service.
"The consumer understands that we have paid to present our selling message to him or her, and unfortunately, the consumer often views our selling message very guardedly," Paul Flowers, president of Dallas-based Flowers & Partners, Inc., said. "After all, they know we are trying to sell them."
Public Relations:
When someone reads a third-party article written about your product or views coverage of your event on TV, they're seeing something you didn't pay for with ad dollars and view it differently than they do paid advertising.
"Where we can generate some sort of third-party 'endorsement' by independent media sources, we can create great credibility for our clients' products or services," Flowers said.
5. Creativity or a Nose for News
Advertising:
In advertising, you get to exercise your creativity in creating new ad campaigns and materials.
Public Relations:
In public relations, you have to have a nose for news and be able to generate buzz through that news. You exercise your creativity, to an extent, in the way you search for new news to release to the media.
6. In-House or Out on the Town
Advertising:
If you're working at an ad agency, your main contacts are your co-workers and the agency's clients. If you buy and plan ad space on behalf of the client like Media Director Barry Lowenthal does, then you'll also interact with media sales people.
Public Relations:
You interact with the media and develop a relationship with them. Your contact is not limited to in-house communications. You're in constant touch with your contacts at the print publications and broadcast media.
7. Target Audience or Hooked Editor
Advertising:
You're looking for your target audience and advertising accordingly. You wouldn't advertise a women's TV network in a male-oriented sports magazine.
Public Relations:
You must have an angle and hook editors to get them to use info for an article, to run a press release or to cover your event.
8. Limited or Unlimited Contact
Advertising:
Some industry pros such as Account Executive Trey Sullivan have contact with the clients. Others like copywriters or graphic designers in the agency may not meet with the client at all.
Public Relations:
In public relations, you are very visible to the media. PR pros aren't always called on for the good news.
If there was an accident at your company, you may have to give a statement or on-camera interview to journalists. You may represent your company as a spokesperson at an event. Or you may work within community relations to show your company is actively involved in good work and is committed to the city and its citizens.
9. Special Events
Advertising:
If your company sponsors an event, you wouldn't want to take out an ad giving yourself a pat on the back for being such a great company. This is where your PR department steps in.
Public Relations:
If you're sponsoring an event, you can send out a press release and the media might pick it up. They may publish the information or cover the event.
10. Writing Style
Advertising:
Buy this product! Act now! Call today! These are all things you can say in an advertisement. You want to use those buzz words to motivate people to buy your product.
Public Relations:
You're strictly writing in a no-nonsense news format. Any blatant commercial messages in your communications are disregarded by the media.
Here we go again. The root cause of small business success or failure is not due to a lack of knowledge or capital, it is due to a poor fit between the owner and the chosen venture. The successful entrepreneur always enjoys a good relationship with the business.
Now, there are only two ways to achieve a "good fit" between an entrepreneur and a business. The first is pure luck (which is most often the case). The second comes from consciously exploring who we are and how we might connect to the world of self-employment. It's really no different than analyzing one's career options or choosing a mate. Oh boy, what an analogy; a true one. In reality, 75% of adults don't like their jobs, more than 50% of all marriages end in divorce, and three out of five businesses fail. All of which means we don't do a very good job of analyzing things that are important in our lives. Nevertheless, in business, if we spent half as much time getting ready personally to undertake a venture as we do writing business plans and visiting with attorneys and accountants, we would succeed far more often.
When you reduce anything to its essence, the concept of fit is what life is all about. Why do certain marriages last while others fail? Why do our true heroes linger long in years doing what they do best, and all the while being observed with vigor and enthusiasm? It's simple. There exists a good fit. Albert Einstein and Mother Teresa most likely were not daydreaming about blissful retirements in the Bahamas. They found their work, their mission, their purpose, and they stayed with it. Entrepreneurship is no different. You have to find out what you like to do, what you were born to do, and then do it. It is a simple, but overlooked notion that people do better with activities that utilize their natural skills and talents. Understanding who we are and what we are good at will direct us toward more logical life choices. When we take the time to travel the road of self-discovery and act on the things that we come to learn about ourselves, we simply live more productive, satisfying lives.
The very first step toward success as an entrepreneur is recognizing that we possess enough independence to leave the perceived safety of traditional employment. The second step is giving ourselves permission to reflect deeply on what we want out of life and out of a particular venture. As just stated, marriages, businesses and careers are failing all around us, and it is only in the "minority" of cases that we find success. Shame on us for being so stupid when all that is required is forethought and gut wrenching self-analysis that simply ends with one question. "Given all that I can find out about the business, career or mate I am considering, am I honestly excited about performing all the tasks associated with that relationship?" If the answer is "NO", there is NOT a good fit. Let's assume that you want to open a restaurant because you love to chop, trim, broil, bake and sauté. OK, apparently you are great in your kitchen, and all your friends insist that the world should have access to your culinary talents. But what happens if you are not blessed with people skills? Well, folks the restaurant business is first and foremost, a people business. If you don't enjoy interacting with them, you better take a hard look at catering. Get the idea?
Various members of my family have been involved with restaurants, manufacturing, real estate, insurance, building, printing, and consulting, among other businesses. To be sure, each one of these ventures that proved successful involved a loving relationship.
Playing ostrich when preparing for business ownership normally results in a death sentence. In order to achieve success as an entrepreneur we must first know ourselves. This is the first step. The Focus Program for Emerging Entrepreneurs was developed for just that purpose – helping prospective entrepreneurs know themselves better “before” leaping into business ownership.
copyright: Nicholas A. Bibby
By: Kristine Geimure
Being an entrepreneur is about more than just starting a business or two, it is about having attitude and the drive to succeed in business. All successful Entrepreneurs have a similar way of thinking and posses several key personal qualities that make them so successful in business. Successful entrepreneurs like the ambitious Richard Branson have an inner drive to succeed and grow their business, rather than having a Harvard Business degree or technical knowledge in a particular field.
All successful entrepreneurs have the following qualities:
1 Inner Drive to Succeed
Entrepreneurs are driven to succeed and expand their business. They see the bigger picture and are often very ambitious. Entrepreneurs set massive goals for themselves and stay committed to achieving them regardless of the obstacles that get in the way.
2 Strong Belief in themselves
Successful entrepreneurs have a healthy opinion of themselves and often have a strong and assertive personality. They are focused and determined to achieve their goals and believe completely in their ability to achieve them. Their self optimism can often been seen by others as flamboyance or arrogance but entrepreneurs are just too focused to spend too much time thinking about un-constructive criticism.
3 Search for New Ideas and Innovation
All entrepreneurs have a passionate desire to do things better and to improve their products or service. They are constantly looking for ways to improve. They're creative, innovative and resourceful.
4 Openness to Change
If something is not working for them they simply change. Entrepreneurs know the importance of keeping on top of their industry and the only way to being number one is to evolve and change with the times. They're up to date with the latest technology or service techniques and are always ready to change if they see a new opportunity arise.
5 Competitive by Nature
Successful entrepreneurs thrive on competition. The only way to reach their goals and live up to their self imposed high standards is to compete with other successful businesses.
6 Highly Motivated and Energetic
Entrepreneurs are always on the move, full of energy and highly motivated. They are driven to succeed and have an abundance of self motivation. The high standards and ambition of many entrepreneurs demand that they have to be motivated!
7 Accepting of Constructive Criticism and Rejection
Innovative entrepreneurs are often at the forefront of their industry so they hear the words "it can't be done" quite a bit. They readjust their path if the criticism is constructive and useful to their overall plan, otherwise they will simply disregard the comments as pessimism. Also, the best entrepreneurs know that rejection and obstacles are a part of any leading business and they deal with them appropriately.
True entrepreneurs are resourceful, passionate and driven to succeed and improve. They're pioneers and are comfortable fighting on the frontline The great ones are ready to be laughed at and criticized in the beginning because they can see their path ahead and are too busy working towards their dream.
You don’t have to allocate an enormous budget to get good results and recruit franchisees. But you do have to be clever and plan ahead, says marketing and PR specialist Sarah Dyer.
This is the most ideal time of year to start planning for the year ahead to take advantage of the peaks of the franchise industry. Below, I will briefly look at the main aspects of creating a campaign that maximises budget, measures return on investment and can create the most benefit. In the next few issues of the Select Your Franchise newsletter, I will go into more detail on each aspect.
Planning, planning and more planning
We can’t state enough how important it is to plan your campaigns in advance. Many magazines will offer an early booking or series discount with good free editorial space to those franchisors that can produce well written case studies or interesting, fresh stories. It is often the same for online advertising with deals of booking so many months and getting some free.
It is a well known fact that advertising is best done over a long period of time whether this is on or off line. It builds your brand in the public domain and exposes your key messages to your target audience who will find it increasingly harder to ignore you when they have seen you for the 10th time!
In the franchise industry we have magazines such as Making Money, What Franchise or Business Franchise which are most effective if used more than once. Yet be realistic about this: whether you have £2k or £10k to spend over the year on magazine advertising, then spread it out across several issues to gain regular exposure and always discuss editorial opportunities.
We feel that it is better to have an increased number of slightly smaller adverts with negotiated free editorial space booked in advance, than fewer larger adverts booked at late notice.
Measure your return on investment
A simple spreadsheet is better than nothing when measuring the return on your investment. You can calculate this in several ways. To calculate the worth of free editorial space achieved over any period, it is best to look at the space that you have achieved and work out how much that same space would have cost you if it were paid for advertising space.
Ongoing market research
Again, this doesn’t have to be made into a complicated procedure. We recommend speaking to 5 existing franchisees, 5 that went to interview stage and 5 that were just spoken to on the phone and received information. Ask them all where they looked for information about franchising, how they found your franchise and most importantly ALL the places that they found your franchise that influenced them. They may have finally enquired through your own website and therefore be labelled a ‘website enquiry’ but what you should be interested in is how they found your website. Did they read an article in a magazine? Did they visit an exhibition and collect some literature? Did they read about you online?
If you can continually refine the combination of marketing and communication channels that are used for your franchise recruitment campaign then you will become more and more successful.
Don’t forget…
• Plan your annual franchise recruitment cycle in advance
• Book any advertising in advance to make the most of early space and series discounts
• Offer good quality case studies which are current and interesting
• Track the return on your investment using a simple spreadsheet or system that you are comfortable with (something is better than nothing)
• Always, always ask prospects how they found out about you
By Greg Nathan
Most franchise relationship problems can be traced back to the selection stage. At some stage, someone – either the franchisee or franchisor – has gotten the wrong impression of what is required to make the franchise relationship work.
For instance, a franchisee may not have understood what he or she has to do to drive their business to success. (Perhaps they think their franchisor should be doing the driving.) Or the franchisor may be ignorant of certain attributes that are going to ultimately undermine a franchisee’s success. (These can range from personality characteristics such as a low tolerance for frustration through to financial problems.)
There are two common pitfalls in the field of selecting people:
1. We fail to clearly define what we are talking about.
2. We tend to make decisions based on invalid information.
Let’s look at these more closely.
Defining what we mean
When discussing human behavior, we often use or hear statements such as “She is a team player,” “He is passionate about his work,” “She has no integrity,” “He has a bad attitude,” and so on. The assumption is that everyone shares the same meaning of what we are talking about. However this is seldom the case.
One often-quoted management principle says, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” True enough. However, before you can measure something, you have to first know what you are measuring. So, when we are talking about human behavior, we need to be a specific as possible and define what we mean.
What do we mean by success, for example? I define a successful franchisee as someone who:
1. Runs a profitable business; i.e., they know how to control their costs and maximize their sales.
2. Builds a base of satisfied customers; i.e., they understand that building a business is about people feeling good about dealing with you.
3. Supports the franchise’s systems and brand. (A franchisee who makes a lot of money but is continually bad-mouthing or undermining your franchise system is not what I call a successful franchisee because they are not going to last long.)
What makes a successful franchisee?
A question on the minds of many franchisors is “What makes a successful franchisee?” After researching this question, I have found that successful franchisees consistently do a number of things that can be grouped into four key areas.
Firstly, they keep track of information and trends that tell them how their business is performing. This of course means they can use a computer, read figures and they spend time each week tracking their performance against set criteria.
Secondly, they set achievable goals because they are outcome focused and slightly competitive by nature. It is said that luck is where preparation meets opportunity. A successful franchisee takes advantage of opportunities to promote and grow their business because they have a vision for the future of their business.
Thirdly, they understand that all the analysis and visioning in the world won’t get them anywhere unless they are prepared to work hard and maintain high standards of service delivery. This means they keep organized and plan their life so they can sustain the long hours and family sacrifices necessary to launch and sustain a successful small business.
Finally, they understand that business is ultimately about people and that unless they gain the support of the people on whom their business depends, they have nothing. I am not just referring to customers but also their staff, their family, their suppliers, their franchisee peers, and even their franchisor.
The man who could not find his keys
The following story illustrates the other common trap in selection, (making decisions based on invalid information):
One night while taking his dog for a walk, a fellow came across a neighbor who was scrambling around on his hands and knees under a street light outside his house.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
The man on the ground explained that he had lost his car keys
Being a good neighbor, the fellow with the dog offered to help. After 10 minutes of crawling around the ground, the keys were still not to be found.
“Are you sure you dropped them here?”
“No. I dropped them in the garage,” was the casual response.
“So why have we been searching for them on the nature strip?”
“It’s dark in the garage stupid. The light’s much better out here!”
When it comes to selecting franchisees, it is not uncommon for franchisors to do the equivalent of looking under the street light for a sign that a person is suitable.
For instance, they look at attributes that have little relevance to success in the business and ignore attributes that really do hold the key to success or failure. The reason for this of course is that relevant information may not be readily visible or might require extra time, energy and inconvenience to uncover.
What are you looking for?
The point is this. When selecting franchisees, you need to be clear on what you are looking for and then have good systems in place to direct your mind to look for these things in the right places – and not just from your comfort zone.
Take for instance the phenomena known as “The Halo Effect.” This is where we make decisions about a person based on a generalization from an unrelated aspect of their personality, behavior or background. For instance, a candidate’s uncle might be the highest performing McDonald’s franchisee in the state. Impressive? Maybe. But what does this tell you about their suitability to your business? A candidate may be attractive and have a great smile. But what does this tell you about their ability to handle pressure, manage staff, use a computer, resolve conflict, keep organized, and so on? In a word – nothing.
By the way, here are a few tips on how to protect yourself from the Halo Effect.
Keep an open mind during initial interviews or discussions. Be slow to make generalizations based on first impressions or one piece of information.
Be prepared to change your opinion in the face of new information. Don’t treat the assessment as a test of your superior psychic or intuitive abilities.
And of course, have an objective and clearly defined attributes profile to compare people against. This is a specific list of qualities and characteristics you are looking for because these have been shown to correlate with success.
Franchisors that invest in thorough, systematic and professional selection processes and follow these up with good training and induction systems can be reassured that they have spent their time and money wisely. Because they will have gotten the two fundamentals right – being clear on what you are looking for and making judgments based on good information.
The real business of the franchisor
This brings us to understanding the real business of the franchisor. I define this as:
“Putting people into business and providing them with the systems and support that enables them to achieve their personal and financial aspirations.”
In other words, as a franchisor you are really in the systems, training and motivation business. Technical excellence and produce innovation may get you started but it is certainly not enough to sustain long-term growth and prosperity for you and your future franchisees.
So now we know the sort of person we are looking for – (someone who analyzes how their business is tracking, who is prepared to put in the hard yards, who sets goals, and who has good people skills) – how do we find such people?
Like most of the challenges we face in life, the answer to this question is usually staring us right in the face.
Let’s talk about customers
Just for a moment, let’s talk about customers
Anyone who has built a successful business understands that, in a sense, all customers are not equal. Some customers spend more with us, pay their bills on time and even recommend us enthusiastically to other customers. On the loyalty ladder, we call these latter people “advocates” and they are the most cost-efficient way of building a business you could ever find. It is estimated that if a business focused more on building advocates, it could easily double its profits.
The opportunity here for franchisors wanting to market their franchise is obvious. The most cost-efficient and powerful method of “selling more franchises” is to build advocates out of your existing franchisee base. People tend to mix with people who are similar to themselves so who could be better to find you new franchisees than your existing good franchisees?
Let’s pursue this line of thinking further and applying what I have called here, the seven laws of loyalty.
Law #1 – Deliver outstanding quality and value
If you don’t get this right, there is no way you can ever build advocates, because nobody wants to recommend a shoddy product to a friend or colleague.
How does your franchise system stack up in the product/service quality stakes? Do your support systems add value to your franchisees’ businesses? Do you return phone calls when you say you will? Does your franchise provide a good return on investment? Are your franchisor executives competent in their roles? Does your system deliver on its promise? Would your franchisees answer “yes” to the following questions?
“If I had my time over, Would I buy this franchise again?”
“Would I recommend this franchise to others?”
Law #2 – Be sensitive to moments of truth
I define a moment of truth as when a person is vulnerable in some way and you make an effort to assist them. This is the single most powerful way to build loyalty. Think of your own experience where someone has helped you when you were feeling exposed in some way. How did you feel? Grateful? Encouraged? And would you go out of your way to put in a good word for this person? You bet you would.
When a franchisee is vulnerable and needs a hand, do you go all out to support, reassure and motivate them and in doing so, build an advocate? Or do you use this as an opportunity to show them how tough you are and in doing so, alienate them for life?
Law #3 – Offer transformations
Any marketer will tell you that people are not interested in products or services – they are interested in having their needs met and transforming their lives in some positive way. For instance, they may want to be successful in the eyes of others, to belong to a group of like-minded people, to enjoy challenging work, to have a sense of independence, or to have a happier family life. Does your franchise system offer people the opportunity to experience such a transformation?
Remember – you are in the business of providing people with the systems and support that enable them to achieve their personal and financial aspirations. Or at least, that’s what you’re supposed to be doing.
Law #4 – Become an expert in your people
The more you know about a person, the more likely they are to be loyal to you – providing of course you do not abuse this knowledge. Do you treat your franchisees as individuals with unique interests, needs and goals? Do you keep track of their level of business development and give them appropriate support? Do you understand their behavioral style and treat them in a way that they like to be treated? Or are they all just a bunch of “franchisees” who have a job to do and obligations to fulfill?
Law #5 – Be a pleasure to deal with
How is it dealing with your organization compared to the numerous other franchise businesses that are available? When someone inquires about your franchise, are you straight-forward and easy to communicate with? Does your promotional literature provide comprehensive answers to their questions? Is your franchisee selection process a thorough, enlightening and pleasant experience? Or is it an unprofessional ordeal where potential franchisees feel they are always second guessing you or wondering what happened to their confidential application form in which they have disclosed their intimate financial details?
And what about your dealings with your existing franchisees? Do you genuinely want your franchisees to be successful and do you show this concern through your actions? A franchisee who thinks you genuinely care about their success is far more likely to recommend your franchise to others than someone who feels all you are interested in is your weekly royalty check.
Law #6 – Be Consistent
People want to know who they are dealing with. If you are a different person every time they meet you, and have different types of deals going with different people, you will leave them wondering. If you want to earn the loyalty of others, they must be able to see you as honest and fair. And for most people, consistency is equated with fairness.
Is your company consistent in its dealings with franchisees? Do you walk the talk with your company’s values? Do you stick to your agreements? Are you consistent in your behavior – or are you up one day and down the next?
It’s great to be innovative with your ideas, products and services providing you are consistent with your values, attitudes and behavior.
Law #7 – Grow from within
Here’s a thought for franchisors that have franchise systems requiring a reasonably high level of technical competence. You probably already have a pool of high caliber potential franchisees already working within your system.
I am of course referring to the staff of existing franchisees. Sure, it may take them a few years before they are ready financially or personally to take on the responsibilities of a franchise. But why look out when the answer is within? I would much rather find a way to finance good people who I know into my franchise than take a risk on a stranger.
Because some franchisees may be reluctant to lose their best employees, clever franchisors provide incentives for existing franchisees to act as mentors who will encourage their employees to become their franchisees of tomorrow. What better people to back into your system than those who know how your system works and who have a proven track record of performance.
What we are talking about here is a virtuous cycle because, by offering these people a powerful career opportunity, you are also building your advocates of tomorrow.
Water your own lawn
I guess my message is that if the grass seems greener on the other side of the fence, maybe you need to put more effort into watering your own lawn.
In other words, you want to attract strong inquiries from high caliber people; then you are best to focus your efforts on building advocates from within. Not only will these people be the most cost-effective form of advertising you could ever hope for, but in delighting them you are also laying the foundation for a truly awesome franchise system that will surely stand up to the inevitable strains and stresses of franchising life.
Stage One - Prospecting.
Prospecting is all about finding prospects, or potential new customers. Prospects should be 'qualified,' which means that they need to be assessed to see if there is business potential, otherwise you could be wasting your time. In order to qualify your prospects, one needs to:
Plan a sales approach focused upon the needs of the customer.
Determine which products or services best meet their needs.
In order to save time, rank the prospects and leave out those that are least likely to buy.
Stage Two - Making First Contact.
This is the preparation that a salesperson goes through before they meet with the client, for example via e-mail, telephone or letter. Preparation will make a call more focused.
Make sure that you are on time.
Before meeting with the client, set some objectives for the sales call. What is the purpose of the call? What outcome is desirable before you leave?
Make sure that you've done some homework before meeting your prospect. This will show that you are committed in the eyes of your customer.
To save time, send some information before you visit. This will wet the prospect's appetite.
Keep a set of samples at hand, and make sure that they are in very good condition.
Within the first minute or two, state the purpose of your call so that time with the client is maximised, and also to demonstrate to the client that your are not wasting his or her time.
Humour is fine, but try to be sincere and friendly.
Stage Three - The Sales Call (or Sales Presentation).
It is best to be enthusiastic about your product or service. If you are not excited about it, don't expect your prospect to be excited.
Focus on the real benefits of the product or service to the specific needs of your client, rather than listing endless lists of features.
Try to be relaxed during the call, and put your client at ease.
Let the client do at least 80% of the talking. This will give you invaluable information on your client's needs.
Remember to ask plenty of questions. Use open questions, e.g. TED's, and closed questions i.e. questions that will only give the answer 'yes' or the answer 'no.' This way you can dictate the direction of the conversation.
Never be too afraid to ask for the business straight off.
Stage Four - Objection Handling.
Objection handling is the way in which salespeople tackle obstacles put in their way by clients. Some objections may prove too difficult to handle, and sometimes the client may just take a dislike to you (aka the hidden objection). Here are some approaches for overcoming objections:
Firstly, try to anticipate them before they arise.
'Yes but' technique allows you to accept the objection and then to divert it. For example, a client may say that they do not like a particular colour, to which the salesperson counters 'Yes but X is also available in many other colours.'
Ask 'why' the client feels the way that they do.
'Restate' the objection, and put it back into the client's lap. For example, the client may say, 'I don't like the taste of X,' to which the salesperson responds, 'You don't like the taste of X,' generating the response 'since I do not like garlic' from the client. The salesperson could suggest that X is no longer made with garlic to meet the client's needs.
The sales person could also tactfully and respectfully contradict the client.
Stage Five - Closing the Sale.
This is a very important stage. Often salespeople will leave without ever successfully closing a deal. Therefore it is vital to learn the skills of closing.
Just ask for the business! - 'Please may I take an order?' This really works well.
Look for buying signals (i.e. body language or comments made by the client that they want to place an order). For example, asking about availability, asking for details such as discounts, or asking for you to go over something again to clarify.
Just stop talking, and let the client say 'yes.' Again, this really works.
The 'summary close' allows the salesperson to summarise everything that the client needs, based upon the discussions during the call. For example, 'You need product X in blue, by Friday, packaged accordingly, and delivered to your wife's office.' Then ask for the order.
The 'alternative close' does not give the client the opportunity to say no, but forces them towards a yes. For example 'Do you want product X in blue or red?' Cheeky, but effective.
So this is the Five Stage Personal Selling Process. Now have a go at it yourself by completing the lesson.
Personal selling occurs where an individual salesperson sells a product, service or solution to a client. Salespeople match the benefits of their offering to the specific needs of a client. Today, personal selling involves the development of longstanding client relationships. In comparison to other marketing communications tools such as advertising, personal selling tends to:
Use fewer resources, pricing is often negotiated.
Products tend to be fairly complex (e.g. financial services or new cars).
There is some contact between buyer and seller after the sale so that an ongoing relationship is built.
Client/prospects need specific information.
The purchase tends to involve large sums of money.
There are exceptions of course, but most personal selling takes place in this way. Personal selling involves a selling process that is summarised in the following Five Stage Personal Selling Process. The five stages are:
1. Prospecting.
2. Making first contact.
3. The sales call.
4. Objection handling.
5. Closing the sale.
Marketing communications is a subset of the overall subject area known as marketing. Marketing has a marketing mix that is made of price, place, promotion, product (know as the four P's), that includes people, processes and physical evidence, when marketing services (known as the seven P's).
How does marketing communications fit in? Marketing communications is 'promotion' from the marketing mix.
Why are marketing communications 'integrated?' Integrated means combine or amalgamate, or put simply the jigsaw pieces that together make a complete picture. This is so that a single message is conveyed by all marketing communications. Different messages confuse your customers and damage brands. So if a TV advert carries a particular logo, images and message, then all newspaper adverts and point-of-sale materials should carry the same logo, images or message, or one that fits the same theme. Coca-Cola uses its familiar red and white logos and retains themes of togetherness and enjoyment throughout its marketing communications.
Marketing communications has a mix. Elements of the mix are blended in different quantities in a campaign. The marketing communications mix includes many different elements, and the following list is by no means conclusive. It is recognised that there is some cross over between individual elements (e.g. Is donating computers to schools, by asking shoppers to collect vouchers, public relations or sales promotion?) Here are the key of the marketing communications mix.
The Marketing Communications Mix.
Personal Selling.
Sales Promotion.
Public Relations (and publicity).
Direct Marketing.
Trade Fairs and Exhibitions.
Advertising (above and below the line).
Sponsorship.
Packaging.
Merchandising (and point-of-sale).
EMarketing (and Internet promotions).
Brands.
Integrated marketing communications see the elements of the communications mix 'integrated' into a coherent whole. This is known as the marketing communications mix, and forms the basis of a marketing communications campaign.
Some basic definitions of marketing and the marketing concept.
There are many definitions of marketing. The better definitions are focused upon customer orientation and satisfaction of customer needs.
Marketing is the social process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others
Kotler.
Marketing is the management process that identifies, anticipates and satisfies customer requirements profitably -
The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).
The CIM definition (in common with Barwell's definition of the marketing concept) looks not only at identifying customer needs, but also satisfying them (short-term) and anticipating them in the future (long-term retention).
The right product, in the right place, at the right time, at the right price -
Adcock.
This is a snappy and realistic definition that uses McCarthy's Four Ps.
Marketing is essentially about marshalling the resources of an organization so that they meet the changing needs of the customer on whom the organization depends -
Palmer.
This is a more recent and very realistic definition that looks at matching capabilities with needs.
Marketing is the process whereby society, to supply its consumption needs, evolves distributive systems composed of participants, who, interacting under constraints - technical (economic) and ethical (social) - create the transactions or flows which resolve market separations and result in exchange and consumption.
Bartles.
This definition considers the economic and social aspects of marketing.
The Philosophy Marketing and the Marketing Concept.
The marketing concept is a philosophy. It makes the customer, and the satisfaction of his or her needs, the focal point of all business activities. It is driven by senior managers, passionate about delighting their customers.
Marketing is not only much broader than selling, it is not a specialized activity at all It encompasses the entire business. It is the whole business seen from the point of view of the final result, that is, from the customer's point of view. Concern and responsibility for marketing must therefore permeate all areas of the enterprise.
Drucker.
This customer focused philosophy is known as the 'marketing concept'. The marketing concept is a philosophy, not a system of marketing or an organizational structure. It is founded on the belief that profitable sales and satisfactory returns on investment can only be achieved by identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer needs and desires.
Barwell.
The achievement of corporate goals through meeting and exceeding customer needs better than the competition.
Jobber.
Implementation of the marketing concept [in the 1990's] requires attention to three basic elements of the marketing concept. These are: Customer orientation; An organization to implement a customer orientation; Long-range customer and societal welfare.
Cohen.
Now that you have been introduced to some definitions of marketing and the marketing concept, remember the important elements contained as follows:
Marketing focuses on the satisfaction of customer needs, wants and requirements.
The philosophy of marketing needs to be owned by everyone from within the organization.
Future needs have to be identified and anticipated.
There is normally a focus upon profitability, especially in the corporate sector. However, as public sector organizations and not-for-profit organizations adopt the concept of marketing, this need not always be the case.
More recent definitions recognize the influence of marketing upon society.
Basic Definitions: Advertising, Marketing, Promotion, Public Relations and Publicity, and Sales
Posted by The Team of Spirit Labels: Marketingby Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD
It's easy to become confused about these terms: advertising, marketing, promotion, public relations and publicity, and sales. The terms are often used interchangeably. However, they refer to different -- but similar activities. Some basic definitions are provided below. A short example is also provided hopefully to help make the terms more clear to the reader.
One Definition of Advertising
Advertising is bringing a product (or service) to the attention of potential and current customers. Advertising is focused on one particular product or service. Thus, an advertising plan for one product might be very different than that for another product. Advertising is typically done with signs, brochures, commercials, direct mailings or e-mail messages, personal contact, etc.
One Definition of Promotion
Promotion keeps the product in the minds of the customer and helps stimulate demand for the product. Promotion involves ongoing advertising and publicity (mention in the press). The ongoing activities of advertising, sales and public relations are often considered aspects of promotions.
One Definition of Marketing
Marketing is the wide range of activities involved in making sure that you're continuing to meet the needs of your customers and getting value in return. Marketing is usually focused on one product or service. Thus, a marketing plan for one product might be very different than that for another product. Marketing activities include "inbound marketing," such as market research to find out, for example, what groups of potential customers exist, what their needs are, which of those needs you can meet, how you should meet them, etc. Inbound marketing also includes analyzing the competition, positioning your new product or service (finding your market niche), and pricing your products and services. "Outbound marketing" includes promoting a product through continued advertising, promotions, public relations and sales.
One Definition of Public relations
Public relations includes ongoing activities to ensure the overall company has a strong public image. Public relations activities include helping the public to understand the company and its products. Often, public relations are conducted through the media, that is, newspapers, television, magazines, etc. As noted above, public relations is often considered as one of the primary activities included in promotions.
One Definition of Publicity
Publicity is mention in the media. Organizations usually have little control over the message in the media, at least, not as they do in advertising. Regarding publicity, reporters and writers decide what will be said.
One Definition of Sales
Sales involves most or many of the following activities, including cultivating prospective buyers (or leads) in a market segment; conveying the features, advantages and benefits of a product or service to the lead; and closing the sale (or coming to agreement on pricing and services). A sales plan for one product might be very different than that for another product.
By: Jim Clemmer
"A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." — Albert Einstein
Like leadership, love has many faces and forms. Both are states of being that defy easy definitions or how-to formulas. Pianist, Arthur Rubinstein, describes one face of love, "I'm passionately involved in life: I love its change, its color, its movement. To be alive, to be able to see, to walk, to have houses, music, paintings — it's all a miracle." Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia outlines another face of love when talking about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four-year-old child whose next-door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."
Highly effective leaders are in love with the organization, community, or team that they work or live in. Their love is expressed in a deep desire to see that organization, community, or team grow to its full potential. Leaders love the people they work with enough to contribute to their growth and development. That doesn't mean we always like or agree with everyone. As with relatives, we often don't get to pick and choose neighbors, teammates, bosses, and the like. Some of them aren't people we'd invite to dinner or choose as a friend. However, leaders love their organization's greater purpose and see its products or services contributing to a bigger world that they love. That love — and desire for growth and development — extends to everyone involved.
Love of others starts with love of self. The desire to see others grow and develop starts with our own personal growth and development. If we're not leading a meaningful life, it's hard to help others find meaning. If we don't feel a sense of connection to a bigger purpose or being, it's hard to unify others. Spirit and meaning are an inside job. Inner growth is part of our spiritual renewal process. Our soul craves it.
Since the beginning of civilization, humans have pursued growth. We've restlessly tried to do and have more and more. For most of the history of the western world, growth has been expressed in the outer, material world — possessions, territory, money, economies, etc. Our environmental awareness and shifting values are now showing us some of the limits to outer, material growth. We are now moving to a stage of inner, spiritual growth. This is new territory. But like those who were part of the industrial revolution, we are just getting an inkling of the awesome power and exciting new world the Inner Revolution will open up for us in the next few decades.
Copyright: www.clemmer.net
by C.J. Hayden, MCC
Author/Master Certified Coach
Get Clients Now
I am not a sales and marketing guru. I've written two books on marketing and taught thousands of people how to sell themselves, but really, I don't know more about sales and marketing than most of you.
What I know how to do is talk to people, all kinds of people -- restaurant owners and waiters, CEO's and receptionists, entrepreneurs and kindergarten teachers. I don't try to sell these people anything; we just have a conversation. But sales happen as a result.
In my book "Get Clients Now!" I define marketing as telling people what you do over and over. That's part of the secret right there. I've seen too many business owners fail because they simply don't speak up about their business. Or else they tell someone once what they do for a living, and then think they never need to mention it again.
But there's another piece of the sales and marketing puzzle that often gets left out. When you talk to someone about your business, you need to be direct, authentic, and unattached to the outcome.
Clients and students often ask me questions like, "What do I say when I call Mr. Big to find out if he's ready to buy?" They're shocked when they hear my answer: "Hello, Mr. Big, have you decided to purchase our product?"
Or maybe the question is how to follow up with someone you met at last night's event who expressed some interest in your service. My suggestion is to say: "When we spoke last night, you seemed interested in my services, and I'd like to continue our conversation."
What do you do when you fear that the client doubts your qualifications? How about: "You seem a bit unsure of my qualifications to do the job, and I'd like to address that. What are your concerns?"
These are all conversations. You ask a question; they answer. They ask a question; you answer. It's like a friendly tennis match -- all you have to do is keep the ball in the air, and nothing is at stake.
But that's the catch, isn't it? You think there's a lot at stake. What if you don't get the contract, the client, the money? So you make the conversation overly significant, put on your marketing face and your selling voice, speak someone else's words... and the result is anything but direct and authentic.
What impact does this have on the person you're speaking with? The opposite of a direct approach is an indirect one: devious, underhanded, sneaky (check your thesaurus). The opposite of authentic is inauthentic: phony, fraudulent, insincere. Isn't this exactly what you have always been afraid of -- sounding like a used car salesman or telemarketer reading a script?
Scripts are for rehearsals. In a meeting or on the phone, keep some talking points in front of you, but don't read. Every word should be one you would use in normal conversation -- use instead of utilize; fix instead of rectify; help instead of facilitate. Get to the point quickly, and tell the truth about it. "I'm just calling to introduce myself," is not only an ineffective pproach, it's a lie.
Show a sincere interest in people by asking questions about their goals and problems. When you see a place where your business can help, don't hesitate to say so. Be respectful of people's time and really listen to what they say. Respond to what you heard instead of continuing to the next item on your agenda. Don't be afraid to toot your own horn while staying true to who you are.
But these are just tips for changing your behavior. The real key is in your attitude. If you can recognize that being indirect, inauthentic, or attached to the outcome is causing you to lose sales instead of make them, you'll have a powerful incentive to do things differently.
Bill Gates was born on October 28, 1955 in a family having rich business, political and community service background. His great-grandfather was a state legislator and a mayor, his grandfather was vice president of national bank and his father was a lawyer.
Bill strongly believes in hard work. He believes that if you are intelligent and know how to apply your intelligence, you can achieve anything. From childhood Bill was ambitious, intelligent and competitive. These qualities helped him to attain top position in the profession he chose. In school, he had an excellent record in mathematics and science. Still he was getting very bored in school and his parents knew it, so they always tried to feed him with more information to keep him busy. Bill’s parents came to know their son's intelligence and decided to enroll him in a private school, known for its intense academic environment. It was a very important decision in Bill Gate's life where he was first introduced to a computer. Bill Gates and his friends were very much interested in computer and formed "Programmers Group" in late 1968. Being in this group, they found a new way to apply their computer skill in university of Washington. In the next year, they got their first opportunity in Information Sciences Inc. in which they were selected as programmers. ISI (Information Sciences Inc.) agreed to give them royalties whenever it made money from any of the group’s program. As a result of the business deal signed with Information Sciences Inc., the group also became a legal business.
Bill Gates and his close friend Allen started new company of their own, Traf-O-Data. They developed a small computer to measure traffic flow. From this project they earned around $20,000. The era of Traf-O-Data came to an end when Gates left the college. In 1973, he left home for Harvard University. He didn’t know what to do, so he enrolled his name for pre-law. He took the standard freshman courses with the exception of signing up for one of Harvard's toughest mathematics courses. He did well over there, but he couldn’t find it interesting too. He spent many long nights in front of the school's computer and the next day asleep in class. After leaving school, he almost lost himself from the world of computers. Gates and his friend Paul Allen remained in close contact even though they were away from school. They would often discuss new ideas for future projects and the possibility of starting a business one fine day. At the end of Bill's first year, Allen came close to him so that they could follow some of their ideas. That summer they got job in Honeywell. Allen kept on pushing Bill for opening a new software company.
Within a year, Bill Gates dropped out from Harvard. Then he formed Microsoft. Microsoft's vision is "A computer on every desk and Microsoft software on every computer". Bill is a visionary person and works very hard to achieve his vision. His belief in high intelligence and hard work has put him where he is today. He does not believe in mere luck or God’s grace, but just hard work and competitiveness. Bill’s Microsoft is good competition for other software companies and he will continue to stomp out the competition until he dies. He likes to play the game of Risk and the game of world domination. His beliefs are so powerful, which have helped him increase his wealth and his monopoly in the industry.
Bill Gates is not a greedy person. In fact, he is quite giving person when it comes to computers, internet and any kind of funding. Some years back, he visited Chicago's Einstein Elementary School and announced grants benefiting Chicago's schools and museums where he donated a total of $110,000, a bunch of computers, and provided internet connectivity to number of schools. Secondly, Bill Gates donated 38 million dollars for the building of a computer institute at Stanford University. Gates plans to give away 95% of all his earnings when he is old and gray.
copyright: www.buzzle.com
The History of Yahoo! - How It All Started...
Yahoo! began as a student hobby and evolved into a global brand that has changed the way people communicate with each other, find and access information and purchase things. The two founders of Yahoo!, David Filo and Jerry Yang, Ph.D. candidates in Electrical Engineering at Stanford University, started their guide in a campus trailer in February 1994 as a way to keep track of their personal interests on the Internet. Before long they were spending more time on their home-brewed lists of favorite links than on their doctoral dissertations. Eventually, Jerry and David's lists became too long and unwieldy, and they broke them out into categories. When the categories became too full, they developed subcategories ... and the core concept behind Yahoo! was born.
The Web site started out as "Jerry and David's Guide to the World Wide Web" but eventually received a new moniker with the help of a dictionary. The name Yahoo! is an acronym for "Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle," but Filo and Yang insist they selected the name because they liked the general definition of a yahoo: "rude, unsophisticated, uncouth." Yahoo! itself first resided on Yang's student workstation, "Akebono," while the software was lodged on Filo's computer, "Konishiki" - both named after legendary sumo wrestlers.
Jerry and David soon found they were not alone in wanting a single place to find useful Web sites. Before long, hundreds of people were accessing their guide from well beyond the Stanford trailer. Word spread from friends to what quickly became a significant, loyal audience throughout the closely-knit Internet community. Yahoo! celebrated its first million-hit day in the fall of 1994, translating to almost 100 thousand unique visitors.
Due to the torrent of traffic and enthusiastic reception Yahoo! was receiving, the founders knew they had a potential business on their hands. In March 1995, the pair incorporated the business and met with dozens of Silicon Valley venture capitalists. They eventually came across Sequoia Capital, the well-regarded firm whose most successful investments included Apple Computer, Atari, Oracle and Cisco Systems. They agreed to fund Yahoo! in April 1995 with an initial investment of nearly $2 million.
Realizing their new company had the potential to grow quickly, Jerry and David began to shop for a management team. They hired Tim Koogle, a veteran of Motorola and an alumnus of the Stanford engineering department, as chief executive officer and Jeffrey Mallett, founder of Novell's WordPerfect consumer division, as chief operating officer. They secured a second round of funding in Fall 1995 from investors Reuters Ltd. and Softbank. Yahoo! launched a highly-successful IPO in April 1996 with a total of 49 employees.
Today, Yahoo! Inc. is a leading global Internet communications, commerce and media company that offers a comprehensive branded network of services to more than 345 million individuals each month worldwide. As the first online navigational guide to the Web, www.yahoo.com is the leading guide in terms of traffic, advertising, household and business user reach. Yahoo! is the No. 1 Internet brand globally and reaches the largest audience worldwide. The company also provides online business and enterprise services designed to enhance the productivity and Web presence of Yahoo!'s clients. These services include Corporate Yahoo!, a popular customized enterprise portal solution; audio and video streaming; store hosting and management; and Web site tools and services. The company's global Web network includes 25 World properties. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., Yahoo! has offices in Europe, Asia, Latin America, Australia, Canada and the United States.
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