target market

target market

More Sales Made Easy! 5 Steps to Boost your Impact

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Sales increase is the buzz in the air this year. Tactics, opportunities, belief, excitement! As a business strategist I find myself dissecting this activity, yet again, to find it is the little things that make a big difference

 

The act of selling is comprised of so many components (not to mention the changing markets) it is an activity that requires continuous attention. Here are some tips to tune up and make the process your own.

 

  1. Map the sales cycle. i.e. lead generation, first contact, second contact, proposal, review, close. Make sure you identify all the steps. (My technique is to get out a chart pad and make a flow chart.) After you have identified the steps, check yourself. Where do you lose prospects? What can you adjust to better connect with the client?
     

  2. Review your sales conversation. Are you using a presentation style, discovery approach or combination of both? Identify the key conversation components and review your vocabulary. i.e. opening questions, developing questions, qualifying questions, closing questions, power statements, follow up questions, sales presentation. Ask a peer for feedback on your process.
     

  3. Check your belief system. What is going on in your head as you work through the steps of the sales process? i.e. Do you find yourself thinking, “Sales is hard”, “Nobody is buying”, “I need sales”, etc? This is an area that can kill your sales results! If you find you are suffering from “stinking thinking”, call a coach, get some training, ask your peers…do something! Until you fix this all the others will not create lasting change.
     

  4. Re-define your target market. Are you talking to the right prospects? If you have been selling, review your best customers. Create a profile of your ideal target market. Focus on their demographics, geographics, and psychographics*. *values, character qualities, and motivators Make sure you are working with the right people!
     

  5. Assess your frequency. Are you performing your highest payoff sales tasks consistently? Why not? Implement systems, block time, and find a way to hold yourself accountable.

 

When you need more sales, whether your sales cycle is short or long, fine tuning any one of these areas will create impact.

 

Need more sales training? Check out Jeff Schneider at Sandler Sales System. Click on the calendar to find out more about his Cold Calling Clinics and Sales Boot Camps.

 

Another great sales resource is the book by Ron Willingham, “Integrity Based Selling for the 21st Century: How to Sell How People Want to Buy”.

 

We are looking for more sales tips! Let us your favorite.so! 

The Busy People Networking Philosophy

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I was commenting on a conversation stream on Biznik about increasing networking effectiveness when I discovered I had documented the “Busy People” philosophy of networking. Here is our take on networking along with framework to focus your activities and get better results. Let us know what you think! We’d love to hear from you.

 

Networking takes time. Time is money. Those using networking to build new business can’t afford to misuse time. It costs in dollars and lost opportunities when done haphazardly. Hence, I promote planning.

 

Your networking is truly part of your marketing mix. With that in mind, network strategically to gain exposure, build your credibility, and do your own market research in addition to lead generation.

 

Great networking conversations are built around discovery. Not selling! If you get around a lot the conversations do become second nature. If you don’t, it pays to plan.After doing your homework (know who you are, what you do, how you can serve others) you can show up, ask good questions, and learn far more about another person in a very natural conversation than you would by talking about yourself.

 

Here are a couple of things I teach and practice to increase my payoff and leverage time when networking.

 

I choose events by the following criteria:

 

  1. Target market rich (potential business development)

  2. Target strategic partner rich (potential opportunities, cross marketing, and resources)

  3. Fun (we are whole people, not just our work)

  4. Contribution (attending events to give back to the community, people group, or individuals makes me feel good)

  5. Professional Development (I always want to be increasing my knowledge base)

 

Here is another quick list. Develop key questions to discern the following:

 

  • Is this a prospect? (not so I can sell them on the spot but I can know how best to follow up)

  • Is this a potential partner? (I am always looking for people who do exceptional work)

  • Is this a connection to opportunity, resources, or information? (We can learn alot from from other people’s experiences)

  • Is this a great person to know. (Sometimes the person you are speaking with is just “cool”. (I like to know cool people.)

I have to tell you, when I hear the phrase “elevator speech” I cringe. I think it is overrated in most business networking environments. You can have a killer elevator speech and bomb on the follow up conversation. Good questions overcome many a botched opening introduction. I know. It still happens to me.

 

Do you have a networking philosophy? If so, please share!