Author: Andy

NO MORE FENCE-SITTING

As many of you know, I am dead against ‘pressure selling’. There is no need for it.

It is counter-productive in that you may win the order, but you won’t win their loyalty, their referrals, or their repeat business, and pressure-selling probably makes them a bit cross!

It gives Sales a bad name. I still come across people who are are at least suspicious of sales and sometimes even anti-sales.

To counter this, I used to promote a more hand-holding approach to sales that generated more respect and credibility. it was more successful, but it was not infallible. One reason for this was the ‘fence-sitters’. We have all met them; they are those who know they need what you have to offer, but still dither and appear afraid of investing in their own business.

I now promote what I call ‘Challenging Sales’; nothing like pressure sales, but not totally customer-hugging either. It offers a diplomatic challenge to prospective customers that can wipe out all their objections.

This is still ethical selling, but it uses techniques in ethical influencing to ensure the best rate of sales conversion.

If you want to know how this can work for you, go-on, don’t sit on the fence; I challenge you to talk to Salient!

Tags Sales styles & techniques

Business management

ONLINE OR TRADITIONAL MARKETING?

Post author By Andy
Post date November 5, 2012
No Comments on ONLINE OR TRADITIONAL MARKETING?

Which is the best route-to-market?

Do we need both?

Often I find myself waxing lyrical about the marketing ‘balance’ as I call it. One thing that really frustrates me is when ‘media experts’ make claims such as:

“Traditional marketing is dead; online marketing is the only way forward”. While I cannot stand intolerance(!) they are able to show plenty of evidence that social media campaigns can bring significant new business.

Likewise there are others who shun online marketing, regarding it as an unnecessary evil where the ‘experts’ simply talked up the need and created the market by claiming it as the next version of sliced bread. Some ‘traditional marketeers’ believe themselves to be more in-touch with their market because they actually talk to them, as opposed to ‘engaging electronically’.

Me? I have a foot in both camps. Both sides have a valid point but neither sees the whole picture.

I go for a balanced approach! BOTH approaches are valuable and can be used to compliment each other in a well designed marketing plan.

Four essential points to consider:

1/ Your target market. If the decision maker is over 50, their use of the internet is likely to be somewhat less than that of a 20-25 year old. They may respond better to tactile or ‘traditional’ marketing than what appears on the screen…and vice versa.

2/ Internet marketing relies on avoiding spam filters. It can also have an engagement time of only a few seconds. It appears on the screen and then disappears as the reader has other things to do on their computer. Traditional marketing is often tactile and will stay on their desk for hours, if not days, until a decision is made to file, dump or action it.

3/ Online marketing requires knowledge of the systems needed to integrate the contact engagement into an effective marketing campaign or plan. This means you will either have to learn how to do it yourself, or pay others to do it for you.

4/ Many companies rely heavily on the internet to locate suppliers. If they cannot find you there, they will use another company. Sensible and planned internet marketing can be hugely effective in promoting your business and products.

IN SUMMARY;

Traditional AND online marketing are needed in a well balanced marketing plan.
Consider your target market and decide the best method of first contact, and then compliment every initiative with other forms of engagement.
Learn to use both approaches to greatest effect. This done, you will have a very powerful platform for attracting new business. But, don’t forget to make sure you have a really effective marketing message ready to transmit with your preferred route-to-market, AND the necessary sales skills to convert the interest generated into valuable sales!

Tags marketing

Business management

4 tips to gain continuity of income

Post author By Andy
Post date August 23, 2012
No Comments on 4 tips to gain continuity of income

BUSINESS UP AND DOWN AT THE MOMENT?

PEAKS AND TROUGHS; FEAST & FAMINE?

WANT TO FILL IN THE TROUGHS?

Some call it ‘seasonal’. To others it’s more unpredictable; some months are good, even excellent, but others are embarrassingly bad.

What can be done to smooth the graph?

How can a constant income be generated and maintained?

THERE ARE WAYS! Here are a few ideas that may work for you….

Consumables; are there products or services you can provide that are ‘time limited’ or repeatable? (Your business equivalent of printing ink!)

Support Services; would your customer find value in your offering regular support, help and advice related to the product or service they have purchased?

Marketing Campaign; if you can identify a likely dip coming up, then a well planned promotional campaign can result in new sales. These can coincide with the dip and even continue growing afterwards.

Referral requests or reminders; again, well timed, these will likely result in new sales during the anticipated ‘barren’ period.

Using any of these could help to remove the ‘lean months’ from your business year.

Using more than one could make a significant difference to your overall income.

Introducing consumables or support services will provide a good background income.

Campaigns and referral schemes can be timed to overcome expected troughs and can be repeated at regular intervals.

Salient is expert in advising and setting up such trough fillers.

EFFECTIVE ‘TROUGH-FILLERS’ MEAN NO MORE LEAN MONTHS

To discuss how you can achieve continuity of income, call Salient on 01793 843118 or 07941 041364.

Time management

KEEP IT SHORT – how to save time and money using a simple ‘rule of thumb’.

Post author By Andy
Post date August 20, 2012
No Comments on KEEP IT SHORT – how to save time and money using a simple ‘rule of thumb’.

Networking, contacting, following-up and generally communicating with customers and prospects are all important and sometimes essential activities when focussing on business growth. However, at some point, this can degenerate into a more social intercourse focussing more on weather, hobbies, food or gossip than on important aspects of business.

Some social chatter is good for building relationships, but where do you draw the line? How can we work more effectively and more efficiently? Some estimates suggest that more than 20% of the day is spent in non-business activities, and that by far the majority of this non-business is chatter. This can occur in face-to-face meetings (networking or meetings with customers/prospects), on the phone (have you ever timed your calls and worked out the proportion of that time spent on business?) or in emails (less so here, but then again, how succinct are you?)

Here are some Salient questions to see how you fare;

1. In any ‘phone call, what proportion of the time is spent talking about non-business issues?

2. In meeting people for the first time, how soon do you ‘get to the point’?

3. At subsequent meetings is this quicker or slower?!

4. If business is complete, how quickly can you ‘move-on’?

Are you happy with your answers?

THE RULE-OF-THUMB comprises two questions to ask yourself at any such encounter;

Is this meeting/contact going to add value to my business?
Is this helping to grow a good business relationship?

If your answer to the first is ‘yes’, then remain focussed on your objective and make sure you achieve it, or at least move closer to it.

If it is ‘no’, keep it polite, but keep it short!

If your answer to the second is ‘yes’, then try to be succinct and business-like.

If it is ‘no’, then it is probably no more than an opportunity to socialise at best, gossip at worst.

Remember, your time costs money. Some chatter can be helpful, but too much ‘chatter’ can prevent you from finding and taking new business opportunities. If you can reduce this by even 10%, then you are likely to have recouped hours every month! Those hours, used wisely, can mean more sales, more business.

KEEP IT SHORT, THIS IS YOUR BUSINESS!

Tags time management

Business management

Are you a Manager or an Operator?

Post author By Andy
Post date August 16, 2012
No Comments on Are you a Manager or an Operator?

Try this quick test to see which you are.

– a pattern emerges…..

I talk to many business owners and sales personnel every week. They experience a variety of obstacles to business growth during their working week. I find it rewarding to help them remove or overcome these obstacles.

The common theme or pattern emerging is the fact that too many of them are OPERATORS, rather than MANAGERS. For them their business is a day-to-day job, rather than a planned and managed activity focussed on business growth, development and success.

Here are some Salient questions to see how you fare:

Note: there are no right or wrong answers, every business is different.

1. How much time per week do you spend planning your business, your strategies and activities? 0-10%, 10-20%, 20-30%, more than 30%?

2. Is your email alert switched on all the time?

3. Can you switch off or ignore the ‘phone when engrossed in important business

4. If someone asks you to do something for them, how often do you…
…… do it, schedule it or decline it?

5. Do you fully understand the difference between ‘urgent’ and ‘important’?

6. Would you say you are pro-active or re-active in your work with customers?

7. Do you follow your own plan, or are you part of someone else’s?

Are you happy with your answers?

A further observation is that operators do not tend to revisit their business plan; they set few, if any targets or objectives; they seldom monitor or review progress; and they find they spend a lot of time ‘fire-fighting’.

Is this you…or at least partly you?

Salient designed the BUSINESS FOCUS SERVICE for just this situation. As a monthly mentoring package it is structured to provide face-to-face expert sales consultancy focussing on sales and business development, together with an on-call facility to cover any day-to-day issues. You’ll find more details here.

TO SEE THE LANDSCAPE AHEAD,

YOU NEED TO COME OUT OF THE TRENCH ON A REGULAR BASIS!

Get Started

Discover More

About Salient