Archive for April, 2009
Go for the close!
I had a coaching session with a client yesterday and we were reviewing her sales funnel. She mentioned that she and her sales reps provide excellent service to clients, but admitted that they don’t always ask for the close. They will introduce new products or specials, but rather than asking: ”How many would you like to take?”, they often just wait for the customer to say how many they want. And most of the time, the customer just moves onto the next item on the sheet.
I pointed out by not closing or asking for the business in every sales call, she is leaving money on the table and missing opportunities to help customers out. Customers expect you to be the expert on your product and expect to be closed by you. Simply asking for the business does not force them to say yes if they don’t want it. But it does help them reach a buying decision faster, rather than retreating to the ‘Let me think about it’ position.
So, as of yesterday, the new rule at her company is: Ask for the business on every sales call. No exceptions.
And she just emailed me to say doing this simple thing brought in new business today!
Are you going for the close? And if you aren’t – stop making excuses and start doing it.
Selling is the New Saving
‘If saving is the new spending, then selling is the new saving.’ This is a quote from the latest Trend Watching briefing. This article tackles how entrepreneurs can be in control of their own destiny, secure some extra cash, and ofcourse gives examples of some entrepreneurs that have mastered the techniques. Read the briefing.
Fly with a little help from your friends
As an entrepreneur, you’re driven by the belief that you can do things better yourself. That’s why you decided to open your own business. You want to work for yourself, be the only boss you have, be responsible for the outcomes. You want to be more profitable. This focus on making things happen by yourself is a great strength. It gets you to accomplish things you would never have dreamed of.
But it can also be a great weakness. The death of any entrepreneur is solitude. I see too many business owners out there working their business solo, trying to do it all. You simply cannot build a sustainable business on your own. Read more…
Did you know the first franchise was created by a woman?
Her name was Martha Matilda Hooper and she created her franchise in 1888!
This is a great story about women in business. Read all the details of how she did it at Katryn Harris’s blog – Grow From Here.
For those with a dream
As adults, we so often have a big dream or goal, but give ourselves many reasons why we can’t accomplish it, why it won’t work, why it won’t be us. Check out Susan Boyle and see what happens when you stop doubting yourself and just go for it!
Want to be Fearless?
Times are tough. The economy is in the dumper … real estate values are in free fall …retail spending is way down … on and on it goes. There’s much to fear.
During April the SheTeam says, ENOUGH! Opportunities abound for entrepreneurs ready to stare down their fears and take action. While competitors stand paralyzed, we want to help you leverage your fear so you can embrace the rich potential hidden in this economic slump. Prepare to become fearless!
I’m all a-Twitter
- Do research: Monitor what people are saying about your brand right now. Try it: go to search.twitter.com and type in “Swiffer.” As I write this @d33ann is bragging about how she tidied her apartment and @adtothebone suggests they should rebrand it for men as the “dusterminator.” Try it with your own brand. Locked in those tweets are sentiment, volume and insight about your brand, your competitors, and your category.
- Talk to people: Just get a Twitter account for your company and start twittering. You’ll get more followers if you offer something useful. For example, Dell has sold more than a million dollars worth of overstock computers through its @DellOutlet Twitter feed, which has 137,000 followers.
- Energize your brand advocates: Zappos has a page that shows who’s tweeting about it. Unlike Skittles, this isn’t a stunt; Zappos is engaged with its customers on Twitter and they’re responding. Do you know who loves your brand?
- Support your customers. Comcast is digging itself out from under a poor service reputation one customer at a time;@comcastcares will respond if you tweet about challenges with your Comcast service and will solve your problem in 140 characters or refer you to people who can help.
- Embrace customer feedback. H&R block asks its Twitter followers about potential product upgrades, for example. Twitter users love it, and now companies are learning to love it, too.
Yes, his examples are big companies, but even small business owners can tap into this marketing opportunity.
Best read on leadership!
Just read the most amazing blog by Marshall Goldsmith at Harvard Business Publishing on how to become a more effective leader: Become A More Effective Leader By Asking One Tough Question. Probably the best article I have read in a long time on how to ‘quit dreaming’ and take action to turn yourself into a great leader. And it applies whether you are entrepreneur or work in a corporate setting. This is a must read for all of us!
Be Convincing
In one of my classes this week we had a moderated debate, where the class was split into four groups and each group was assigned different ‘beliefs’ to defend. Listening to my classmates present their views on issues, it wasn’t necessarily the students who knew the most facts or information about the topic who shone, but rather those who were confident in what they were saying, spoke slowly and clearly, and most of all were persuasive. I found this article in Entrepreneur Magazine that discusses the top 10 tips for making your voice powerful. No matter how much information you know, if you cannot present it in a convincing manner, very few people will every buy into your ideas.
