Tag Archives | sales

How to Get Over Your Fear of Sales

By on May 10, 2012 in Grow Your Business, Q & A Interviews, SmallBizChat

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Amy Palmer @Fearbustinsales http://twitter.com/fearbustinsales. Amy is a nationally recognized salesperson who helps business owners find a selling style that fits their personality and values. As head of a worldwide online virtual coaching and consulting business, Amy has been featured in the Woman’s Advantage Calendar for 2008 – 2012, Washington Business Journal, Washington Woman Magazine, Success for Women magazine, and Success magazine. Access her free teleseries here: www.demolishyourdreadofselling.com

SmallBizLady: What is “Sales Sabotage?”

Amy Palmer: It is when you have great ideas, a great product or service, even a great plan, and yet SOMETHING keeps getting in the way of taking your business to the NEXT LEVEL of REVENUE SUCCESS! It is when we get in our own way when it comes to selling.  We set ourselves up for failure before we even begin.

SmallBizLady: What causes “Sales Sabotage”?

Amy Palmer: Fear, reluctance, insecurity.  Past experiences (either as a consumer or as a salesperson).  Preconceived notions.  Fear of rejection.  The desire to be liked, and the fear of not being liked.

SmallBizLady: Why is it important to overcome sales sabotage?

Amy Palmer: If you don’t face your fear and reluctance, and find a way to become comfortable with selling, it will prevent you from achieving the goals you set for yourself, and it will prevent you from helping all those people are you meant to serve.  Also, look at it this way- by overcoming sales sabotage, you will generate more revenue and continue to grow to the point where you can afford to hire a sales team to sell FOR you!  Then you can spend even more of your time doing the things you love most.

SmallBizLady Can you share the steps to your “Fear-Bustin’ Process” to help overcome sales fear?

Amy Palmer: Step 1: Identify Roadblocks- what is REALLY getting in your way.

Step 2: Reconnect with Your Passion- why do you do what you do, how does it benefit others.

Step Three: Reprogram Your Thinking- don’t think of it as selling, think of it as “Promoting Your Passion.”

Step Four: Determine Your Personal Style- what are your strengths when it comes to communication, incorporate that into your process.

Step Five: Customize a Process- the more control you have over the process, the more comfortable you will feel.

Step Six: Put your Process In Action! It’s all about implementation- get an accountability partner or coach to assist you.

SmallBizLady: If someone is really uncomfortable with the sales role, how can they be successful in owning a business?

Amy Palmer: The BAD NEWS is, they can’t. The GOOD NEWS is that it isn’t difficult to become comfortable with selling. You don’t have to love it, you don’t have to become a super-expert or master sales guru. To develop a level of comfort, you simply must find a way to connect with your audience in a way that fits you, your personality, and your strengths. Once you combine this with the passion you have for what you do/what you offer, there will be no stopping you. And here’s even BETTER news- once you figure this piece out, develop a successful sales plan, and learn how to implement it, someday you will generate enough money to hire someone to do some of the sales activities for you!

SmallBizLady: How long does it take to truly overcome sales sabotage?

Amy Palmer: The process I designed uses the steps I followed myself early in my career.  It took me years to figure it out.  Sharing the steps with my clients saves them a lot of time.  However- fear and reluctance does come back.  Each time you reach a new height or you are in a new situation, it can resurface.  The key is having strategies in your toolbox to release the fear in a timely manner.

SmallBizLady: What sales effectiveness tips do you have for those who are doing well and/or already enjoy selling?

Amy Palmer: My number #1 tip in these circumstances is TRACK YOUR PROGRESS. Keep track of each opportunity, each sales conversation, phone calls, etc. along with results. This is the way to go from “good” to “great”. You can hone in on where you can tweak to get even better. Number #2 tip is DOCUMENT YOUR PROCESS. Someday you may hit a sales slump and be clueless as to why. You need to go back to your exact step-by-step process and find out if you have been taking short cuts or have gone off on tangents in your sales process. Another reason to document your sales process is because by having continued great results, you will one day want to scale your business and bring on salespeople. Having a proven process in place will accelerate the results of your team.

SmallBizLady: What is the role of a really good salesperson?

Amy Palmer: Your role as a salesperson is to INSPIRE that potential client to TAKE ACTION whether or not it includes doing business with you.

It all comes down to three necessary elements:
1. Letting go of your attachment to the results.
2. Stop focusing on yourself and truly focus on that other person.
3. The ability to step up and do what it takes to motivate another person.

SmallBizLady: How can you be an effective, top-performing salesperson without being perceived as “pushy” or aggressive?

Amy Palmer: Your relationship with that potential customer is a partnership- AND you are in the role of mentor.  Build Credibility, Empathy and Trust with the potential customer and they will see you as both a partner and advisor.  Sometimes you will have to tell them something they don’t want to hear. Sometimes you will need to be firm. Sometimes you will need to follow-up repeatedly. That’s your job. That’s what it takes to INSPRIRE someone to take ACTION. I never said it was easy- I only said it was authentic. And it truly follows the concept of selling = serving

SmallBizLady: What is the difference between “Attraction Marketing (Pull Marketing)” and having a sales plan?

Amy Palmer: Attraction Marketing will address those who are unaware of you and what you have to offer. By using your knowledge and content and offering it up freely to the mass public, you are providing value AND you are attracting those who are interested in your area of expertise.  The steps it takes between someone saying “I’m interested in your topic” and “I want to do business with you” are considered your SALES PLAN.

SmallBizLady: What does a Sales Process look like?

Amy Palmer: In a nutshell it is broken into the following steps:
1. Attraction Strategy- How do you bring people to you? How will your ideal client learn who you are and what you have to offer?
2. Connection Strategy- Once someone knows about you, what steps will you take to create a relationship? How does that relationship continuing in the form of follow up?
3. Conversation Strategy- How is your Sales Conversation structured? How do you present your product/service?
4. Service Strategy- How do you ensure happy customers? What is your process for asking for referrals?

SmallBizLady: How can you use attraction marketing in your sales plan?

Amy Palmer: Through social media and other online methods, it is now easier than ever to build a relationship with your audience. Attraction marketing is used heavily in your “Connection Strategy”- you need to have a campaign of value added items to share with your audience that enables them to get to know you and your offering. Blogging, ezines, teleclasses, webinars, livecasts, tweetchats, are all about building relationships. Where many people go wrong is that they fail to ever ask the audience to take the next step.  95% of your connection strategy is about giving and offering, 5% should include a request to take the next step if they are interested.

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9pm ET follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter.  Here’s how to participate in #Smallbizchat http://bit.ly/S797e 

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. As CEO of Quintessence Multimedia, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine named her #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also bestseller author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. 

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Are You Doing Your #1 Job as an Entrepreneur

By on April 23, 2012 in Business Inspiration, Grow Your Business, Melinda Emerson @SmallBizLady

Your skills as an entrepreneur can make the difference between a booming enterprise and closing your doors far too soon. Your #1 job as a small business owner is to sell. Your job is to motivate, inspire and convince customers, potential investors, and often family that your business idea is worthwhile. It typically requires passion for your project, a coherent message, and most importantly, a confident delivery of that message. This can be a tall order if you don’t have a sales mindset. Do you have discomfort speaking to strangers? Are you unable to convey enthusiasm about your business? If you have a tough time getting into the sales mode, your solution might be to hire or partner with someone and let them do the selling, but then you can get into a mine-field of issues around control of your message.

How do you build your sales confidence? First, you need to understand where you are today. If your venture is a side-hustle in addition to a main job, and your business passion is on “low” and you just want to keep working your flea market stand, or selling cosmetic products to friends, you probably are where you want to be from a sales energy standpoint. The stakes grow considerably, however, if your venture is a full-time effort. The pressure to generate enough revenue to support yourself and your family will make you become laser focused on selling. Not to mention, if you have goals to grow your enterprise, this means a stepped up selling effort, too.

The Flawless Pitch – First you want to create a “flawless pitch”, telling your company’s story in one minute or less – what you do or sell, who you specialize doing it for and what makes your business special. For example “My name is Bob and I own Bob’s garage. We specialize in the repair and maintenance of luxury car transmissions at far less than dealer prices and all work is guaranteed”. You have a story to tell both potential customers and prospective investors which will get them to ask “Tell me more”.

Give it a Test Run – Practice is not just for baseball and dance class. You need to practice your pitch in the mirror, with your family and friends, and with anybody else who will listen. Ask for hard questions and honest feedback.  This will keep you from looking foolish later. If you open a dry cleaning store, and a customer asks you about the chemicals you use for cleaning, you should be informative and give that customer good reason to do business with you. In the restaurant business it is about tasty, quality food, well presented in a clean environment. As proprietor, you and your staff will be touting signature dishes, great service, and satisfying portions giving customers great reasons to return by delivering on what you promised. People need and want to be convinced to buy stuff. You must be able to tell them why they should buy from you.

People should be able to feel your passion – Your enthusiasm and positive spirit are absolutely essential to selling. Whether you are selling to customers, selling your business concept to potential investors or ­­­­trying to borrow money from your local bank, don’t minimize the excitement of your passion for your business and your absolute belief in its success. If you are short on enthusiasm for your enterprise, you need to take a hard look at whether being in that business is for you. Your ability to sell is key.  Introspection today should set your expectations for tomorrow.  Once you get the hang of power selling, closing a sale will be thrilling and more fun than work.

Do you have more ideas to get over the fear of selling?

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. As CEO of Quintessence Multimedia, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine named her #1 woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also bestseller author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works.

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How to Generate Revenue for Your Small Business

By on November 1, 2011 in Branding & Marketing, Cash Flow & Finance, Grow Your Business

Most people know they shouldn’t attempt to take on a mortgage without having some way to pay for it.  Yet small business owners do something quite similar every day.  How do they do this? Some small business owners focus on running the business before focusing on generating the leads that fund the business.  Sure, every business needs money to stay open, but without building a strategy to funnel the revenue into the business, the foundation is shaky at best.

Just like some new homeowners take on more mortgage than they can afford, eventually it catches up to them.  They are then forced to find more money or a smaller home.  After a few years, the initial rush of the business wears off leaving a gaping hole where lead generation would have been.  Small business owners may have quick sales in the beginning but without a long-term lead generation plan, they will go bankrupt.  The cash flow a business needs requires a sales funnel.  So how do you create that funnel?  Below are a few tips to make lead generation a priority in your business without taking away from your other activities.

  1. Create a list: Encourage people to opt in to your newsletter/free report or to a webinar/telesemiar.  Developing a list of people who have opted in to your communications is quite possibly one of the best lead generation tactics you can implement.  No, you shouldn’t buy lists or dump your contacts into your email newsletter program.  People need to sign up by themselves.  So incite them to do so.  Host a free webinar or offer a free special report.  Just offer them something.  Taking action is better than perfecting the freebie.
  2. Devote a set amount of time each week to lead generation.  Customer needs change.  Industries change.  Consumer expectations change.  Client budgets for your products and services may dwindle.  So you need an ongoing plan for lead generation. Set aside time each week purely for lead generation activities.  This could be list building activities social media marketing, warm calling, in-person networking, and many other activities. It’s easy to get caught up in your current client work, setting time aside for lead generation helps you bridge the gap between hunting for new business while producing the work you already have.
  3. Build leads offline.  Network, network, network. Have I mentioned networking? It’s a great way to build leads. Attend luncheons and business breakfasts to meet new people and expand your circle. Since your network of contacts will be in a constant state of flux, it’s important to keep adding to it. Some people will filter out, so replenishing is critical. Remember to tie your offline activities to your online activities, meaning connect to them on LinkedIn. Mention your e-report or other freebie on your business card.  Direct people to a squeeze page on your website where they can sign up for your webinar.
  4. Accepts “nos.” Getting a “no” is better than being stuck with a “maybe.” With a “no” you can move on to the next lead. Getting stuck with false hope maybes will, “bankrupt your business.”  Building in registration deadlines for webinars and teleseminars encourages action. Promoting your reports and newsletters with some mystery encourages people to sign up to find out the punch-line. Demonstrating scarcity, a limited number of copies of a book to hand out, for example, encourages people to take action now. These tactics also weed out anyone who simply isn’t interested.
  5. Make lead generation a priority.  It’s easy to stop spending time each week on sales activities.  But remember, quick cash creates a false sense of security.  Quick cash burns out fast too (if you don’t first!). Build your business the right way even if it means saying no to work that doesn’t fit your business model.  There are no shortcuts to success.

Lead generation is one of the most important things you can do to build and sustain your business.  Focusing on working in your business instead of on your business will keep you from achieving the profit and longevity you seek. Focusing create quality content that will attract your target customer. Building quality leads into your sales funnel is what will make your business stand out and help you avoid sleepless nights. 

Do you have any more ideas to share about lead generation and building a sales funnel?

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

By day Morgan Leu Parkhurst helps individuals put the pieces of their marketing puzzles together.  By night she teaches
marketing communications to aspiring entrepreneurs. Reach her atwww.sharpmindmarketing.com or on Twitter at @Morgan_LP.

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How to Become a Successful Sales Person in this New Economic Environment

By on September 8, 2011 in Grow Your Business, Q & A Interviews, SmallBizChat

Every week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Brynne Tillman @BusDevU. Brynne is the President and COO of Business Development University and President of Linked User Group  on LinkedIn. She has over 20 years in business development and sales training.  She has created and taught lead generation and client acquisition programs for many companies, including Dun and Bradstreet, Progress Leasing, Kinko’s and Vantage Point Bank. Her primary focus is coaching sales teams, and working with non-selling professionals who are responsible for client acquisition. Her favorite thing is developing sales and networking plans, linkedin strategies, implementation and measuring the sales process. For more information http://www.businessdevelopmentuniversity.com/

 SMALLBIZLADY: How can a sales person really become a successful in today’s environment?

BRYNNE TILLMAN: Obviously that is a broad question with many answers, but there are a few things that you can do that can make an immediate impact on your performance as a sales person.  First, evaluate where your primary business has come from in the past, what activities have you done that has borne fruit and focus on doing more of that.  Sounds simple, but so many sale professionals spend too much time doing activity that brings them little business.  Next, be prepared, do your due diligence on everyone you meet with. Use LinkedIn to learn about their schools, previous jobs, shared groups or connections with you and so on. Building rapport is a big piece in getting the business.  If the prospect’s choice on who wins the deal is apples to apples, it comes down to whom they like more. And the next and most important piece in my mind is – leverage your warm market.  Cold calling just doesn’t work, no matter how many calls you make.  One way is networking with Strategic Alliances, folks that work with your prospect in a non competitive nature.  You can help them and they can help you with warm introductions into your respective warm markets. And the last piece I want to mention today is do a really good job at understanding your prospects wants and needs.  Don’t present prematurely, get a clear picture on their reason they want to work with you and when you do offer a solution – be sure to align your message with what they told you.

 

SMALLBIZLADY:  How do sales people overcome the “budget” objection?

BRYNNE TILLMAN: By far, in this environment, this is the objection our clients seem to be hearing the most.  Believe it or not, overcoming this objection has to come pretty early in the game.  When we are uncovering our client’s needs, it is critical that we understand the financial impact of the problem we are looking to solve.  Even if there are no clear metrics around the problem, build it out with them. For example if you are a website designer, talk about how much more traffic the new site would bring to their business and ask them – “If we could triple the number of qualified visitors to your website, and collect their contact information for follow up, how many of those new contacts could turn into clients?” Then ask, “Approximately what is your average client worth?” Get a number on the breakeven of your solution and the amount they will bring in because they worked with you.  Now, when presenting your price, present it in context with their gain.  Present it as an investment not an expense. If done right, there is no reason for them not to move forward.

Continue Reading →

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How to Keep the Sales Engine Rolling

By on August 15, 2011 in Branding & Marketing, Grow Your Business

The day-to-day hustle in your business can make you forget to focus your marketing activities on keeping your pipeline filled.  To help you reach your monthly sales goals, I have created a list of 7 marketing techniques you should revisit every 90 days. They are designed to ensure that you focus on revenue-generating activities in your small business.

1. Profile Your  Customers. Who are your most valuable and profitable customers? How much do they spend with you annually? Do they fit a niche? While it’s imperative that you understand your products and services, it’s even more significant to understand what value your business brings to your customers so you can continue fulfilling their needs. Business issues can change quickly, making vendors potentially interchangeable.  Be sure to thank your customers; no one owes you business.

2. Talk With  Clients. If your three most important customers were sitting in a room with you, what questions would you ask them?  Even with your long-time customers, schedule a quarterly face-to-face meeting to ask for feedback or just to catch up. You must stay on top of their needs and understand any new factors that influence their decision-making processes. Have 7-10 questions to ask, and then make sure you engage them around some personal small talk: kids, vacations, holiday plans, etc. The more personal the relationship, the more that relationship will allow you to obtain critical information and a strong ally.

3. Align Marketing Efforts With Sales Goals. Sales and marketing have to work together in your small business. Even if you are the only salesperson in your business, you must plan your marketing program based on the amount sales leads you need to generate in order to close the required amount of sales per month. If you know you need  500 leads per month in order to close 50 sales, then determine how many phone calls, e-mails, blog posts, Facebook ads and Twitter messages must be made, sent or posted per month to drive the desired traffic. You must establish a sales process and then proactively work your marketing efforts so that they generate the desired results.

4. Eye the Competition. Identify several competitors. Discover what benefits they provide to their current customers. Use their websites to gain insights. Compare your branding, value proposition and pricing.  Based on your assessment, develop at least three strategies that you will use to position yourself effectively against them. Always think, “What is my secret sauce?”

5. Create The Win-Win. How can you develop a partnership that can contribute to your bottom line? Always go into a relationship understanding your partner’s “must have” list. It’s always best when you can find a partner who is not a direct competitor. A strong strategic alliance offers many benefits, including reducing risk, sharing costs and improving time to market.

6. Update Your  Elevator Pitch. Your most important job as a small business owner is selling yourself and your business. When you can succinctly explain your business, it builds trust, but you shouldn’t use the same pitch forever. From time to time, switch it up a little.  Add a brief client list; mention a recent award or media hit.  Elevator pitches are designed to draw in your target and keep the dialogue going.  Be careful not to talk too long. Offer just enough to get them interested in chatting with you again.

7. Use a Vision Board. All businesses have ups and downs. How you get through the tough days in your business makes a big difference in your productivity.  I  advise all my coaching clients to develop a life plan and then develop a vision board of your big picture goals for your life.  It might include the 10 things you want out of life?  Create a visual representation of your life plan.  Use cutouts from magazines or clip art pictures–whatever it takes develop a visual symbol of your personal and professional goals. Post this collage to remind yourself why you work so hard.  Your vision board will keep you motivated on good days as well as bad ones!

By implementing these marketing techniques, you will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of your marketing strategy and keep yourself motivated to stay on top of your sales processes.

How do you ignite sales in your small business?

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine recently named her one of the Top 20 women for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com Melinda is also the author of the national bestseller Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. (Adams Media 2010)

 

 

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Developing an Effective Sales Strategy: Q&A with Jennifer Abernethy

By on May 26, 2011 in Branding & Marketing, Melinda Emerson @SmallBizLady, Q & A Interview, SmallBizChat

small biz chat with melinda emersonEach week as Smallbizlady, I conduct interviews with small business experts on my weekly Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. This is excerpted from my #SmallBizChat interview with Jennifer Abernethy @saleslounge. Jennifer is America’s Sales Stylist for The Sales Lounge and author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Social Media Marketing.

Small Biz Lady: Why is important for small business owners to have a sales strategy?

Jennifer Abernethy: Because they need to know where they are going! Or where they want to be in terms of revenue!

They also need to  know how much they want to bring in. Example if you want to make 100K per year…how much will you need to bring in each month?

Small Biz Lady: What’s the first thing folks need to do with their sales strategy?

Jennifer Abernethy: Then they need to figure out the best way to achieve that goal in the fastest way possible. Example: Then you need to account for holiday’s /vacation time etc.

Then they need to figure out the best way to achieve that goal in the fastest way possible looked at Facebook and said..”okay there are 30 million people on this site..I need 30 to become clients.”

Small Biz Lady: What are common mistakes small biz owners make when it comes to sales?

Jennifer Abernethy: They forget to pick up the phone….Daily! They bring their moods to work. On my worst days my clients NEVER know it. They lose focus…and forget they have a goal they have to attain. And they are afraid to ask for the sale!  It’s also good to have an accountability coach… or someone to help you stay focused

Use my 5 x 5 rule..(It’s helped me for 20+ years) Make 5 calls a day 5 days a week..to people you DON”T know. Also take your goal..say $100K per year..and break it down per month. Now..what do you need to do to make it? When I was in corporate..we looked at our numbers..not only DAILY but WEEKLY. And I mean LOOKED at the numbers.

Big tip: You NEVER know where your next customer is coming from..could be sitting next to you on plane..everything is business. On calls, do your calls in the A.M. Get names from LinkedIN, Twitter, FB

Small Biz Lady: How can small biz owners incorporate social media into their sales strategy? Continue Reading →

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How to Get Started with e-Commerce

By on April 14, 2011 in Q & A Interview, Q & A Interviews, SmallBizChat, Technology

small biz chat with melinda emersonEach week as Smallbizlady, I conduct interviews with small business experts on my weekly Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. This is excerpted from my #SmallBizChat interview with Matt Mansfield @mattsmansfield. He’s been helping businesses both large and small accomplish business goals using technology since 1993. He blogs at Matt About Business where the story is not about technology; it’s about how people use technology to achieve business success. He also runs a membership site for all things e-commerce at http://www.mattaboutsolutions.com There he helps small businesses choose, and learn to use the best online software, tools and websites.

 

Smallbizlady: What is e-commerce?

Matt Mansfield: Simply put, e-commerce is the act of selling goods and services online. The interesting thing about e-commerce is that it does not have to be a “thing” that you sell. You can even sell time and knowledge online as well. You can sell just about anything online.  Here’s some options….

●     New and used physical or “hard” goods – such as art, furniture, crafts, books and cars

●     Virtual or “soft” goods – such as ebooks, videos, courses, webinars, music, gift certificates and images you’ve created.

●     Services – such as coaching, consulting packages, building websites and creating social media campaigns

●     Online e-commerce can just be used as a virtual cash register for your offline clients to pay you.

 

Smallbizlady: Why should you sell online?

Matt Mansfield: The number one reason to sell online is increased exposure to potential customers. Simply put, there is no way in the offline world to match the reach of the Web for the same time and money. Of course, there is a lot of chatter to break through to get noticed, but that’s true of the offline world as well and, with niche marketing and social media becoming more and more sophisticated, reaching your target audiences is, if not easy, at least do-able. Continue Reading →

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Ask @SmallBizLady: How to Develop an Effective Sales Strategy

By on April 8, 2011 in Ask Smallbizlady, Cash Flow & Finance, Grow Your Business

Every Friday, I answer your small business questions in a video blog segment called Ask Small Biz Lady.

This week, we are taking on the question: How to develop an effective sales strategy for your small business?

Here’s the answer:

  • Know your target customer!
  • Determine your 30-day sales goal.
  • Determine your weekly sales goal.
  • Determine your sales activity action plan to generate your monthly and weekly sales goals.
  • This will also help your figure out your monthly marketing budget.

If you have a question for Melinda Emerson, Small Biz Lady, leave a comment on this blog using the contact us page or send me a note on Twitter @SmallBizLady, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/smallbizlady or you can hit me up on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/melindaemerson

I’m always here as a resource.

P.S. Want an “I [heart] #SmallBizChat t-shirt? It’s available! for $20.00 plus s/h sizes M-L-XL-2X



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Sales Strategies for Small Business: Interview with Jill Konrath

By on March 17, 2011 in Q & A Interview, Q & A Interviews, SmallBizChat

small biz chat with melinda emersonEach week as Smallbizlady, I conduct interviews with small business experts on my weekly Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. This is excerpted from my #SmallBizChat interview with Jill Konrath @JillKonrath. Jill is defined by her relentless search for fresh sales strategies that actually work in today’s business environment.  She’s the author of two bestselling sales books Selling to Big Companies and Snap Selling and is a popular speaker who helps sellers crack into new accounts, speed up their sales cycles and win more business.  Check out her resource website at http://www.sellingtobigcompanies.com

SmallBizlady: What are the characteristics of successful sellers?

Jill Konrath: The best sellers that I encounter have these qualities:

  • Learners: They’re curious about learning new things. They read and ask lots of questions. They never get stale.
  • Thinkers: They analyze what they know about a prospect’s situation, plan out the best way to approach customers, pull together long-term strategies, and change things when they uncover new information.
  • Customer-Focused: They know that they’ll be successful if they can help their customers achieve their goals and objectives. This also means they work to acquire business savvy.
  • Resilient: When they encounter problems, they don’t fold. Instead, they treat them as challenges that they haven’t figured out yet.

SmallBizlady: Are salespeople born or made?

Jill Konrath: Many people are under the mistaken belief that salespeople are born, not made. I wholeheartedly disagree – and I speak from personal experience. I’m an introvert who initially detested salespeople and their manipulative techniques.

  • Plus, people who make that claim do NOT understand what it takes to be successful at sales. They think it’s about being pushy, having the gift of gab and being able to handle tons of rejection. It’s not.
  • The best sellers I know are smart, savvy people who have committed themselves to learning what it takes to be successful in this profession. It’s a challenging job, but it is something that can be learned – as long as you don’t define your mistakes as ‘failures.”

SmallBizlady: Why are customers so much more “frazzled” these days?

Jill Konrath: Public companies are obsessed with maximizing shareholder value and quarterly earnings. They will do anything to keep costs down. Lean-and-mean is the name of the game. To remain competitive, private companies do the same things.

Their employees are simply expected to do more, with fewer resources and in less time. Is it any wonder that they’re burnt out and overwhelmed. I recently read that 78% of the workforce would gladly switch jobs if an opportunity arouse.

The bad economy has contributed to the problem. But, even if it recovers, companies will not go back to staffing up. People are working at a breakneck speed and expected to keep it up if they want a job.

Finally, there’s just so information and new stuff out there. People are bombarded with emails, advertising, data, statistics, reports, ebooks, manuals, webinars, seminars, new technology. It’s endless. You can never learn enough.

SmallBizlady: What is “SNAP Selling”?

Jill Konrath: SNAP is an acronym that stands for 4 key sales success strategies that sellers need to use today. Briefly, they are:

  • Rule 1: Keep It Simple. Because crazy-busy prospects cannot handle complexity of any sort, savvy sellers will do whatever it takes to make it easy for make a change from the status quo.
  • Rule 2: Be invaluable. Overwhelmed buyers want to work with experts who continually bring them fresh ideas. You, the seller, are now the primary differentiator – not your products or services.
  • Rule 3: Always Align. This is all about relevance and risk. When you’re aligned with their critical business objectives and core beliefs, people will want to work with you.
  • Rule 4: Raise Priorities. It’s an absolute imperative to work with frazzled prospects on their priority projects. With their limited capacity, that’s all they can currently focus on.

In my book SNAP Selling, I focus on numerous strategies that sellers can use to implement these new rules. Being aware of them is simply not enough. And, most people aren’t even aware of how they’re adding to the complexity or that they sound just like every other salesperson when they approach new prospects.

SmallBizlady: What common mistakes are sellers making that hurt their efforts to close more business?

Jill Konrath: Sellers who still think that sales is a numbers game are dead wrong. Quality trumps quantity all the time. If you’re making a bunch of irrelevant calls and sound like a product-pushing peddler or a gracious, helpful seller, you’ll never get in—no matter how many call you make. Continue Reading →

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Are You an Authentic Writer? Creating Trust for Greater Sales.

By on March 1, 2011 in Guest Articles

The internet is overflowing with marketers and bloggers.  Every search reveals hundreds of posts.  At last count, WordPress houses millions of blog posts.  That’s a lot of written content. 

When you sit down to write content for your blog posts or other social media channels, do you often try to think of a catchy one-liner to grab your reader and engage them?  Be honest, you know you do.  That’s part of marketing, right?  Well, it’s one part, but here’s the other part.  Do you also ask yourself if what you’re saying is the most authentic and trustworthy way you can say it?    

Your writing is a lasting imprint that speaks volumes about your business and reflects on your personal integrity as well.  I know, I know.  It’s not a flashy promise to boost your sales instantly, but an honest sales pitch doesn’t have to be boring. 

An honest sales pitch consists of delivering to your customers the benefits of your product or service in a clear, compelling manner.  Sounds too simple to be true, but the crux of your sales pitch should be your product or service.  If you don’t have clear, compelling benefits to your product or service that you can focus on as a means to draw people in and engage them, it’s time to refocus. 

So, how do you know if your writing is generating trust or distrust?  Easy; read it from the customer’s perspective, and ask yourself a few simple questions.  Be honest with yourself.  No one is looking.  I promise.   

What am I selling?  When you read your writing, are you selling empty promises, or are you selling a much needed product or service?  If your writing is drowning in gimmicky phrases and one-liners, then it’s a good bet you’re not selling the virtues of your product or service. 

Would I buy from me? Answering this question requires a great deal of objectivity, but it can be done.  Would you?  Would you buy whatever you’re selling?  If you don’t even have a clue what you’re selling, that’s bad news.  Your potential customers are probably completely clueless. 

Is there even a hint of slime? Remember that kid’s game show where people would get slimed?  It was gross and people would try hard to avoid getting slimed, right?  Well, slick, slimy written content gets the same treatment.  No one wants to feel like they’re getting taken for a ride, so get rid of any content that even hints that you’re about to get one over on your customer.  What classifies as too slick?  Posts that promise too much are one of the top offenders.  Keep your message honest, relevant, and engaging, and you’ll have long-time readers and a base of potential clients. 

The internet is definitely filled with business owners, but your voice can still be heard no matter how crowded the field.  Strive for consistency.  Craft valuable, informative content and avoid that urge to oversell, and you’ll be ahead of a good number of businesses in your industry.  Here’s to your business success!   

Shannon Harmon is a writer and business owner committed to helping entrepreneurs craft insightful, intelligent writing strategies designed to grow their businesses. For more information: http://www.jonesharmonwriting.com

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Smallbizlady’s Sales Advice for Start-up Businesses

By on February 14, 2011 in Cash Flow & Finance, Grow Your Business, Your Small Business

Generating sales is a task that many aspiring entrepreneurs sometimes feel ill-equipped to take on, but no sales = no money. So what is a start-up entrepreneur to do?

Have a detailed marketing plan and sales projections, but take on sales in your business in small chucks. I like to look at things in terms of 30-day sales goals.  All I care about is how much money I need to make this month. 

Here are SmallBizLady’s 5 tips for building one’s sales savvy

Have a strong 30 second commercial.  One of the most important jobs a small business owner has is selling themselves and their business.  If an entrepreneur dreads networking, they should find a fellow business owner that will attend events with them. Try to attend three networking events a month.  Approach all potentials contacts with a “give to get” mentality. To get the most out of any networking opportunity, it is best to focus on how you can help them first. Every entrepreneur should arm themselves with a killer elevator pitch or as I like to call it their “30 second commercial.” When a business owner can succinctly explain their business, it builds trust. Be sure to add background from the last job or a brief client list and describe the niche target customer.  Offer just enough information to get a target interested in chatting again.

Craft a sound sales strategy.  The first step in a sound sales strategy is identifying the niche target customer. Then the sales goal should be set for the year and for every 30 days. Once the monthly goal is set, the business owners should determine how many sales activities including developing proposals, meetings, weekly sales calls, emails, networking events and social media marketing activities must take place to meet the monthly goal.  If the business is achieving the 30 days sales goals, that’s a good indication that the sales process is working.  I also suggest investing in professional sales training, if developing a sales process is too difficult.

Develop an online brand and collateral materials. Small businesses must first invest in a professional website. Professional collateral materials are still appropriate, but electronic versions of all marketing materials should be a top priority. Entrepreneurs should use social media networking to meet qualified leads and then use professional marketing materials to close the business. After all, nothing is more powerful than a personal note on branded stationery.

Use Social Media as much as Possible.  Utilizing social media is the best way for small business owners to stay on top of the needs of their customer. Entrepreneurs should know their niche customer, and produce information and products that are needed by that customer. Business owners should monitor blogs in their industry and of their competition.  Small business owners should develop signature content as an attraction strategy including blogs, special reports, and white papers to distinguish themselves as a thought-leader in their industry.

Create a Referral Engine.  Small business owners should first do great job for their customers. Be sure to thank clients for doing business with a follow-up call or a personal note. Then ask for referrals and create incentive programs such as giveaways, coupons, and finder’s fees to get their customers to become advocates for their small business.  Keep in mind: “It’s cheaper to keep her or him. It’s much easier to keep a customer than to go out and find a new one.”  Take good care of your customers.

What other sales advice would you give to fellow small business owners?

Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months Books By Melinda EmersonMelinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure.  As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. She has been featured on NBC Nightly News, in Forbes, the Wall Street Journal and Black Enterprise Magazine. Melinda is also the author of the national bestseller Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. (Adams Media 2010)

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How to Create a Profitable Sales Funnel

By on January 20, 2011 in Grow Your Business, Q & A Interview, SmallBizChat

small biz chat with melinda emersonEvery week as SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Hugh MacFarlane @funnelguy Hugh has 20 years+ experience in working with Business owners, Boards, CEOs, Directors of Sales and Marketing with products or services that are complex to sell. Hugh is also the author of The Leaky Funnel, a book which teaches how to develop a sales funnel, and improve sales and marketing effectiveness. For more information visit www.mathmarketing.com.

Smallbizlady: Your book, The Leaky Funnel, is based on what you call – Funnel Logic. Can you briefly describe it?

Hugh MacFarlane: Funnel Logic is a sales and marketing management and planning system used to increase prospect progression through the sales funnel, and improve sales and marketing effectiveness. It is a “belief system” built upon four key principles relating to how sales and marketing are conducted in the best-run businesses. Firstly, the combined sales and marketing function should build its activities around the buyer’s journey; not the sales cycle. Secondly, how many prospects will progress through each of these stages of this journey over time? Thirdly, what tactics will be used to cause this progression? And finally, the actual progression should be measured, so that tactics that work can be bolstered, and those which do not can be shelved.

Smallbizlady: What is the ‘buyer’s journey.’ What do you mean by that?

Hugh MacFarlane:: Business buyers go through a process as they buy. They start off untroubled and unaware – even complacent – and then at some point, they become troubled. Once they’ve acknowledged their problem, they decide what they need to solve that problem. They then make their preferences, receive proposals and, ultimately, select a vendor, sign a contract and engage. We call this the buyer’s journey.

Smallbizlady: What are the stages of the buyer’s journey?

Hugh MacFarlane: It is important to remember that businesses don’t just wake up in the morning and decide to purchase something. They take a journey:

  • It starts with being Positioned in Category which means the buyer knows you are one of the businesses who sells a particular product or service.
  • Then Interest Established: The buyer has done something (called, clicked etc.) to show they are interested.
  • Gap Acknowledged: The buyer will acknowledge that a problem exists.
  • Need Agreed: The buyer agrees what they need, even if they are not sure who to choose.
  • Offer Understood: The buyer knows what we are proposing to do to meet that need.
  • Preference Formed: The buyer prefers our solution.
  • Decision Made: The buyer moves to contract.

By structuring your sales and marketing around the buyer’s journey, your focus is on helping them move through each stage.

Smallbizlady: So, the problem you solve for buyers is key. How do you choose which problems to focus on?

Hugh MacFarlane: The challenge is to identify a buyer problem that you are strong at solving, and one that you can solve better than your competitors. This ‘feeling out’ process is all about finding a problem that is worth focusing on and that you solve well. If you are good at solving buyer problems that are not rewarding, you will major in the minors. On the other hand, if you are focusing on the right problem but from a position of weakness, you will not be able to rival your competition.

Smallbizlady: Once you’ve picked a single problem, should that influence your sales and marketing strategy?

Hugh MacFarlane: Simply, yes. In identifying your buyer’s problem, you are able to clearly define three key aspects of your sales and marketing function. Firstly, what your business is selling is now a clear solution to a problem. Secondly, who you are selling to, becomes who has the problem. And thirdly, how you will reach your buyers, translates to, what is the channel that uncovers the problem? This basically turns our thinking inside out:

What began as:

What do you want to sell?

To whom do you intend selling?

Through whom will you reach them?

Becomes:

What best solves the problem?

Who is most affected by the problem?

Who best can help buyers accept the problem?

Smallbizlady: Once you’ve formulated your strategy, how do you develop an action plan?

Hugh MacFarlane: Once you have turned your strategy inside-out, it is time to translate this strategy into action. In order to do this effectively you must select tactics to help these potential buyers recognize that they have this problem. However, your strategy does not translate into action…yet; because our tactics are often arbitrary. I say this because businesses will often select tactics on the strength of; they worked last year, or it seems to work for our competitors, or we’ve always done it this way. I present an alternative. Remembering the buyer’s journey, you must select tactics that will progress buyers through that journey; through each stage.

Smallbizlady: What about volume? How do you work out the number of buyers you actually need to progress?

Hugh MacFarlane: Trying to calculate the number of buyers you actually need is a valid pursuit, however it can be a trap. When doing this, you must keep two things in mind: buyers need time to progress (take their journey) and your tactics need to be repeated several times to have an effect (“one-hit-wonders” rarely do the job). Marketing teams are always geared for success, but it is often how they capitalise on failure that makes them rich. If you start with a simple numerical model mapping your prospective buyers progressing along their journey – importantly remembering to allow for leakage at each stage – you quickly realise two scary realities:

A vast majority of initial leads will leak at some stage along the journey, so doesn’t it make sense to have a proper recycling program?; and Shouldn’t we have some idea of the effect of recycling before we plan a demand generation campaign?

Given this, in order to work out exactly how many buyers you will need, you need to recycle all the “leaked” buyers back into your funnel and re-run the model. Decide how much of the total revenue Marketing is to contribute and then adjust your top-of-funnel number until the “customer” (converted buyers) number will contribute the desired revenue outcome.

Smallbizlady: And once you know how many buyers you need to progress, how do you actually get them moving?

Hugh MacFarlane: Ultimately, what you are trying to achieve is to nurture your buyers along their journey. In order to do this, you need tactics that move your buyers through your funnel from stage to stage. In a practical sense, you must initially identify buyers who meet your target profile, position your brand on their list and get their attention, convince these businesses to accept they have the problem you solve best, gain acceptance and backing of your own solution and then move to contract.

Smallbizlady: What are some examples of progression tactics that are suitable for small businesses?

Hugh MacFarlane: There are many tactics that will work just as well for big business as they will for small operators. As your goal for progression is to keep doing the small rhythmic tasks that keep the prospect aware of how you can solve their problem; something as simple as a monthly email or blog article will have the same effect no matter what size the business. It is likely that your financial position or operational capability will dictate what is actually possible. Investigate options for each stage of your buyer’s journey; here are some common tactics:

  • Get known by making sure all the key bloggers mention you and the problem you solve.
  • Trouble buyers by asking tough questions on your website and in meetings.
  • Agree the need by providing a template showing typical buyer needs.
  • Confirm your buyer’s situation, problem and need by email after meeting.
  • Build this whole journey (situation, problem, need and solution) into your proposal in case there are others involved in the buying process.
  • For all buyers who leak (at any stage) recycle and nurture using regular email and thought leadership.

Smallbizlady: How do you see social media? What new tactics work for B2B?

Hugh MacFarlane: The marketing benefits of social media are just now beginning to become apparent. While there has been endless conjecture surrounding the ways in which social media is going to revolutionise the way we market products and services, the initial hype is beginning to turn into some sort of reality. As this is a small business forum, let’s consider some relevant B2B uses for various forms of social media. Blogging, micro-blogging (Twitter) and video blogging (YouTube) are great ways to position and even trouble business buyers on a shoestring.

Smallbizlady: What about buyers who fail to progress?

Hugh MacFarlane: It is often the small percentage of successful lead conversions that get all our attention – while the other, much higher, percentage that leaked gets forgotten. Adopting tactics that recycle those who have already leaked, in order to assist nurturing tactics that stem the leakage, can turn neglected prospects into future customers. Recycling tactics handle those buyers who fail to progress – the leakage; these tactics ready a buyer for re-entry into the funnel. While these leads are in the funnel, specific nurturing tactics keep the buyer from leaking. Having captured the buyer’s details, relevant and rhythmic eDM, Tele-nurturing and RSS updates will keep your name and your solution at the front of the buyer’s mind.

Smallbizlady: What would you say is key to successfully executing tactics?

Hugh MacFarlane: To help your buyers move along their journey, down the funnel, you have to execute the correct tactics at the correct time; however, as we have already agreed there is always going to be leakage. When executing tactics, the key to success is rhythm – if you can manage tactics in a way that will take advantage of ’leakage’ whilst nurturing leads still in your funnel, success will come. If you can reach a point where you have a sound grasp of your buyer’s journey, Sales and Marketing are on the same page tactically and your tactics for progression are working – it is now time to focus on obtaining good momentum that  allows for recycled leads to be rhythmically nurtured, even if a little at a time. In B2B marketing, I like to use the term ‘corkscrew’ to refer to a tactic (or series of tactics) that you can execute over and again, knowing that while the buyer will only drop into your funnel occasionally, every time you twist the corkscrew, you are moving them along – a little.

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9pm ET follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter.

For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog http://www.succeedasyourownboss.com.

Melinda F. Emerson, known to many as SmallBizLady is one of America’s leading small business experts. As a seasoned entrepreneur, professional speaker, and small business coach, she develops audio, video and written content to fulfill her mission to end small business failure. As CEO of MFE Consulting LLC, Melinda educates entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies on subjects including small business start-up, business development and social media marketing. Forbes Magazine recently named her one of the Top 20 women for entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. She hosts #SmallBizChat Wednesdays on Twitter 8-9pm ET for emerging entrepreneurs. She also publishes a resource blog www.succeedasyourownboss.com. Melinda is also the author of the national bestseller Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business That Works. (Adams Media 2010)

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How to Generate More Sales for Your Small Business

By on June 17, 2010 in SmallBizChat

SmallBizChat with SmallBizLadyThis post is excerpted from my recent interview with Lori Richardson @scoremoresales. Every week as @SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wed. on Twitter from 8-9 pm ET. Lori is a “Sales Detective”  – she works with company leaders to uncover sales issues and then resolve them so the organization can grow revenues. Lori has many free tips and ideas on her blog at www.scoremoresales.com You can follow the “Fab 50 Small Business Sales Innovation” tour there as well. She can be reached at lori@scoremoresales.com

Smallbizlady: Why do so many small business owners get stuck when it comes to sales?

Lori Richardson: When most small business owners decided to start a business, they focused on the thing they were good at that they wanted to sell – that product or special service offering they love. May didn’t realize they’d be their company’s top salesperson until one day – it hit them – they needed more customers.

Smallbizlady: What issues do you hear about most often?

Lori Richardson: People say that they don’t want to be thought of as “salesy” – you know, like Herb Tarlek from the 80’s sitcom WKRP Cincinnati (just Google his photo)- white shoes, plaid jacket. In reality, it is that salesperson who doesn’t listen to us and tries to shove solutions at us that don’t work. Small business owners don’t know the right way to sell.

Smallbizlady: So what is the right way to sell?

Lori Richardson: We know that a company with good ideas and no revenues is not a real business – so one needs to turn their products and services into dollars. That exchange – the turning of ideas, coaching, consulting, or actual products  into revenue is what selling is to me. It is not associated with tricks or tactics – it is a conversation with a more probable prospective customer.

Smallbizlady: So selling is just a conversation?

Lori Richardson: Basically, yes. The conversation eventually comes to closure – one way or the other. If you focus on identifying people or companies who are “more probable”  rather than “less probable” to do business with, you will have more meaningful conversations and more “qualified potential buyers”. If you are bad at qualifying who your customers might be, then it is a long frustrating process.

Smallbizlady: How do you qualify a prospective customer?

Lori Richardson: Through understanding what it is that they need. Now you can start this with smartly crafted landing pages on a website – so that your more qualified potential customer will continue on and the less probable customers will leave the site – or you can do it through in person meetings, by phone, social media, email, and/or webinars.

Smallbizlady: Tell me more about who might be qualified?

Lori Richardson: These are people (or companies) who fit your ideal target, or niche. In other words, don’t try to be everything to everyone. Don’t think your product can serve everyone well. If you do think that, it is much harder to get strategic partners to refer you. Find a niche market and create messaging and offer value for that niche.

Smallbizlady: How can working with strategic partners help sales?

Lori Richardson: A wonderful way to spread the word about the value you offer is to find strategic partners (I often call them alliance partners) who “get” what it is that you do, and they know and trust you or your work. They can promote your company on their site or they can contact their followers and recommend you – therefore offering you a “many-to-one” opportunity – many potential customers who are being recommended highly to talk with you. This type of referral has a high rate of closure, and it happens quicker than normal.

Smallbizlady: How has selling changed?

Lori Richardson: With new social media tools and all sorts of technology tools (considered Sales 2.0 tools) –  buyers have much more say and control in narrowing down choices –  and sellers have less lead time. In today’s business world, one needs to be nimble, and needs to be out there building their brand –  so that when the buyer is finally ready – they have already heard about you before you know about it.

Smallbizlady: How does attitude play into effective selling?

Lori Richardson: Small business owners need daily inspiration to grow their business. I suggest finding ways to enjoy wearing the “business development” hat – in fact I used to have a hat I’d actually put on when I did business development – so that I remembered what it is that I am supposed to be doing at that time. Small biz owners get distracted by interruptions and opportunities all the time so they don’t honor having a regular time to build business.

Smallbizlady: Who needs to be prospecting for new business?

Lori Richardson: Unless you get 100% of your business through referral, you need to prospect. I prospect every week, at least to some degree.

Smallbizlady: What other tips can you offer?

Lori Richardson: Set a regular time in your calendar each morning for outbound sales calls, emails, direct messages or at least once or twice a week schedule time for prospecting and other follow up activities for the purpose of growing revenues. Do nothing else during that time. Then, track that information in a CRM tool (web-based tracking system) like Salesforce.com or www.bigcontacts.com

Smallbizlady: Do you have anything else to share?

Lori Richardson: Find ways to be inspired and have fun. Think about how happy you’ll be when that new client comes on board or that customer places a huge order – and use THAT for your motivation. 

If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9pm ET follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter.

Melinda Emerson, known to many as “SmallBizLady,” is a Veteran Entrepreneur, Small Business Coach and Social Media Strategist who hosts #Smallbizchat weekly on Twitter for emerging entrepreneurs. Her first book Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months http://bit.ly/asEgeR was released in March 2010.

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The Right Way To Make Sales Calls For Your Small Business

By on March 8, 2010 in 10 Things Lists, Become Your Own Boss Tips, Customer Service, My Recommendations, Your Small Business

I have recently been exposed to too many instances of sales calls that are inappropriate and ineffective to actually make a sale.  Social media networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook are great for making the initial connection, but if you do not take the time to interact and actually build a relationship with your new connection, you are still a stranger.

My nickname is SmallBizLady and @smallbizlady is my handle on Twitter.  I am considered a power Twitter user, with more than 10,000 followers between two accounts. That is great and all, but my favorite thing to do is reach someone outside of Twitter – on the telephone.  That’s where the real relationship is made.  Once that connection is made, there’s a right and a wrong way to approach a sale.

SmallBizlady’s 10 Rules For Small Business Sales Calls

  1. Do not make sales calls on Monday! Mondays are tough enough for people; do not bother them when they are just getting their week started — if you want to be successful.
  2. Make sales calls on Tues. Wed. Thurs. and never make sales calls before 10am or after 3pm.The prime calling hours for sales calls are 10-noon and 1-3pm. People do not like sales calls generally. Do not be a bother to a potential client before they get their morning coffee. After 3pm people on deadline do not have time for your call. Give yourself the best possible path to success by respecting your prospect’s time.
  3. Always ask if your contact has time to speak with you. And if they are busy, ask when would be a best time to give them a call back.  Then you’ll have a scheduled appointment which is even better.
  4. Make sure you can remind your contact how you know them.
  5. Research whether or not the contact is really a potential customer. It’s always best to know what products and services your customer purchases – and when they make these decisions to do so. If you really know your target market, you’ll know this information.
  6. Make sure you have the correct name of the person you want to speak with on the call. When you do get a potential customer on the phone, be ready. You only have 7 seconds to make an impression.  Stammering over someone’s name is not the way to make a good first impression.
  7. Do not leave a voicemail if you do not reach your sales target. Connections are only made with real people. Your message will be deleted anyway.
  8. Use contact management software. You need to track your calls and when it’s time to make follow-up calls.
  9. Never make a sales call on a Friday! No one wants someone selling them something when they are trying to wrap up their week and get out the door to start their weekend.
  10. Use a target list for potential customers.  Make sure you contact you target list at least once a month by phone, email or direct mail.

Your sales pipeline is the life’s blood of your business, so you must make sales calls. Just remember these rules so that you can build on your social networks instead of instantly turning them off with no chance of a sale.

Do you have any more rules to add to my list of sales calls dos and don’ts for a small business owner?  Please leave me a comment below.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, E-NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You may, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

Melinda Emerson “SmallBizLady” is a Veteran Entrepreneur, Small Business Expert and Social Media Coach who hosts #Smallbizchat on Twitter.  #Smallbizchat is the trusted resource on Twitter to discuss everything entrepreneurs need to know about launching and running a profitable small business.  Melinda’s first book, Become Your Own Boss in 12 months; A Month-By-Month Guide to a Business That Works will be released by Adams Media in March 2010.

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