Archives for April 2007
7 ways to grow your business without selling!
There are lots of ways you can positively influence the sales effort and make the best of selling opportunities without overtly selling.
And they’re probably well within your existing comfort zone, for example here are just seven:
- Sort out your brand differentiation - this is way down the list of priorities with many small companies, who mistakenly see it as artsy f***sy marketing-speak - but the company will only grow so far until it’s properly addressed
- Pro actively go out and get referrals rather than passively waiting for them to come in as and when somebody thinks to introduce potential custom to you
- Start or step up and maximise your social/ business networking activities (on and offline)
- Admit that not all customers are equal, carry out a mini audit and implement simple customer relationship management procedures that enable you to concentrate on keeping the best ones happy
- Examine your existing customers for identifiable traits and confirm who makes up the decision making unit - you can apply your findings to sourcing suspect or prospect lists that you can buy in and mail traditionally or electronically
- Research your customers to discover for certain why they bought from you and why they stay with you (rather than ’sort of’ knowing) so that you can prioritise the main points in your message to your prospects
- Research new or previously failed markets and explore additional potential business
These steps alone will help you grow your company substantially and you will gain confidence in your own abilities to bring in additional business.
Linda Mattacks is the author of a series of training courses available at SellingForBusiness.co.uk developed to provide easily accessible training for small businesses who are not in a position (or may not want) to take time out to attend formal training sessions.
Are you a reluctant sales person?
Unless you’re a an acclaimed expert in your field, have a product or service people are tripping all over each other to sign up for, are a networker par excellence so are bound to convert some contacts to customers, or have enough business now and in the pipeline to keep you profitably engaged for the foreseeable future, you’re going to have to undertake additional prospecting activities to grow your business.
We’ve touched on this subject before and this is where most people with little or no sales training and limited confidence in their sales abilities start to feel very uncomfortable. What’s more, they don’t want to be categorised as a pushy sales person.
How do you get round that one?
How do you learn to create a potential business opportunity and/ or ensure you can recognise and effectively act on one when it presents itself?
Preparation
- Write down the identifiable qualities of your best customers (company size, type, sector, geographical location, etc.)
- Note who makes up the Decision Making Unit (Decision Maker, Influencer, Buyer, User, etc.) and the job title of each
- Note what influenced each of them to buy from you and why they continue to buy from you (the Decision Critical Factors) - if you don’t know, ask them
Now you’re ready to seek out suspects who closely mirror those qualities
- Go to your Direct Marketing Association (in the UK it’s the DMA)
- Select Find a DM supplier
- Under ANY SERVICE decide whether you want to go to a list owner, manager or broker (maybe you’ll want to talk to some of each)
- Get the name of the individual you’re speaking with and explain your requirements
- Shop around to get the best raw data you can
- Whatever your raw data supplier has told you, don’t expect the list to be anywhere near 100% accurate
- Decide whether you’re going to clean it and/ or enhance it
- Decide your initial method of contact (post, email, telephone or test a number of each approach to see what works best for you)
- Talk to them – use the art of conversational selling to establish any pain that you may be able to alleviate
- What do you enjoy reading or learning about?
- What do you want to see more of?
- What would you like to know more about?
- How do you believe we could help you become more successful?
- What information or skills would help you grow your business?
Now you’re ready to make contact
Now go win, keep and grow business
Happy hunting!
Linda Mattacks is the author of a series of training courses available at SellingForBusiness.co.uk developed to provide easily accessible training for small businesses who are not in a position (or may not want) to take time out to attend formal training sessions.
Sales, marketing, research: What do you want?
Hi there
I know you’re visiting (from the stats and because you tell me so when we speak terrestrially) but many of you are not interacting online.
Is it just because you’re reserved or shy? Or do we need to focus more on certain areas to provide you with the help you need to successfully grow your business?
Now’s your chance to shape the way this blog site develops:
Don’t just sit on the sidelines - Join in!
Give me your comments and suggestions - I look forward to receiving them and acting on them.
Linda Mattacks is the author of a series of training courses available at SellingForBusiness.co.uk developed to provide easily accessible training for small businesses who are not in a position (or may not want) to take time out to attend formal training sessions.
