Posts Tagged ‘Sales’

How to tell which ads are working

Posted by ArcherTC on March 9, 2009  |   No Comments »

If you’re like a lot of small-business owners, you probably believe your advertising efforts are working because you’re making sales. But do you know which ads are working?

If not, it’s time to get a better handle on your advertising’s ROI. After all, why waste money buying advertising that isn’t working?

You need to look at two things: which specific ads bring in customers, and which advertising media results in new business. An ad placed in a weekly shopper-type publication may draw new business week after week, while the same ad place in a local, tabloid-format newspaper may not attract any new customers. Or, vice versa.

You can find out which ads and media are producing customers by tracking responses to your ads. …read more at How To Tell Which Ads Are Working – SmallBizResource.com (http://www NULL.smallbizresource NULL.com/blog/main/archives/2009/03/how_to_tell_whi NULL.html), published 5 March 2009.

Flickr photo credit: Bright Star (http://www NULL.flickr NULL.com/photos/drh/2102396938/)

Making the most of your sales pitches

Posted by ArcherTC on March 9, 2009  |   No Comments »

What do clients really want and need from salespeople? What do they want from the sales process? Well, although it may seem to many frustrated salespeople that what clients want is to be left alone, this isn’t entirely the case, says sales expert Randy Illig.

“The idea that they don’t want to talk to salespeople isn’t true,” insists Illig, a senior consultant with FranklinCovey’s Sales Performance Group. “They just don’t want to talk to all salespeople.”

Clients want a competent salesperson focused on their numbers and needs, not on his or her own sales objectives, says Illig. They want an efficient sales process that results in good decisions that work to their benefit.

“And the process should add value to customers by exploring choices and assessing the impact of those choices so clients can decide with confidence,” he explains. “Because at the highest level, the biggest fear clients have is that someone will talk them into a poor decision and a bad outcome.” ..read more at Making the Most of Your Sales Pitches – NFIB.com (http://www NULL.nfib NULL.com/object/IO_40171 NULL.html), published 4 March 2009

Flickr photo credit: Shutter Daddy (http://www NULL.flickr NULL.com/photos/erin_ryan/2266445868/)

It’s not who your customers are, it’s how they behave

Posted by ArcherTC on February 23, 2009  |   No Comments »

Wow. I’m humbled by the commentary from my first post. I hope I can maintain such passionate interest!

Businesses cannot exist without customers, so it’s sadly ironic that many, if not most, businesses, actually understand so little about them. As a company grows, a smaller and smaller percentage of the staff interacts with the customers. In fact, those folks on the “front line” (think call centers, service counters, retail stores) are typically among the lowest-paid and have the least authority.

Meanwhile, back at headquarters fundamental decisions are made with extremely limited information about customers. There, understanding the customer is often considered someone else’s responsibility, because, “we have a department for that.” No department has a complete view of the customer, however, and so in place of true understanding are models and frameworks that attempt to describe the customer. Many companies don’t go beyond demographics and market segmentation. While it’s helpful to know how they break down by age, sex, income, region, and other easily measurable characteristics, there’s actually very little you can actually do with that information. In order to become customer experience-driven, you need to go beyond who your customers are, and understand what they do. …more at It’s Not Who Your Customers Are, It’s How They Behave – Peter Merholz – HarvardBusiness.org (http://blogs NULL.harvardbusiness NULL.org/merholz/2009/02/its-not-who-your-customers-are NULL.html), published on 11 February 2009

Flickr photo credit: Roger B. (http://www NULL.flickr NULL.com/photos/roger/24926509/in/set-72157601754195143/)

A dirt-simple system for qualifying sales prospects

Posted by ArcherTC on January 30, 2009  |   No Comments »

It is easy to fall into the habit of believing that everyone is a potential client. Some business owners will even say that they want to obtain ALL of the business out there … that everyone is a prospective client. This is a dangerous mindset.

Business growth isn’t about selling to everyone; it is about selling to every right one – that is, everyone who is a “qualified” prospect.

When you try to sell to everyone your efforts are too broad. You aren’t focused and you soon are faced with failures, because you are wasting time trying to sell something without understanding the value in other people’s eyes – or even whether they are truly a good fit for your product or service.  In short, you aren’t qualifying companies/individuals in the field.

Qualifying – that is, effective prospecting and information gathering – leads you to the clients you should have.

Qualifying prospects includes 4 steps …more at A Dirt-Simple System for Qualifying Sales Prospects | Small Business Trends (http://smallbiztrends NULL.com/2009/01/system-for-qualifying-sales-prospects NULL.html).

Flickr photo credit: Lougan Manzke (http://www NULL.flickr NULL.com/photos/louganmanzke/2722701187/)

‘My online store gets just one sale a month!’

Posted by ArcherTC on January 29, 2009  |   No Comments »

We enlisted e-commerce experts to help a bricks-and-mortar retailer make the transition online.

Dear CNNMoney.com: I have owned and operated a retail storefront for the past three years. I recently launched an online e-commerce Web site. I have paid an SEO guy each month and have aggressively marketed the site, but I’m only getting one sale a month. I am losing faith in all of the work, time and effort that has been put in. Do you have any suggestions on how to jumpstart the e-commerce portion of my business?

- Joanne Versaggi, Mélange Home Décor (http://melangehomedecor NULL.com/), Marlton, N.J.

Dear Joanne ... read more at ‘My online store gets just one sale a month!’ – Jan. 29, 2009 (http://money NULL.cnn NULL.com/2009/01/29/smallbusiness/slow_sales_at_store NULL.smb/index NULL.htm).

Flickr photo credit: Pascale PirateChickan (http://www NULL.flickr NULL.com/photos/piratechickan/2965571299/)

Turning around a struggling business

Posted by ArcherTC on January 29, 2009  |   No Comments »

Consumer confidence is at an historic low and the financial news seems to get worse by the day. With a new Administration in Washington, there’s a lot of uncertainty about exactly how and when promised changes will take place.

But even if your business is struggling, you can take steps to turn it around and be poised to grow this year, says Paul Rauseo, managing director at the George S. May International, a Chicago consulting firm. Practical tips from Rauseo and other small business experts follow….more atTurning Around a Struggling Business – BusinessWeek (http://www NULL.businessweek NULL.com/smallbiz/content/jan2009/sb20090127_740634 NULL.htm?chan=smallbiz_smallbiz%20index%20page_top%20small%20business%20stories).

Flickr photo credit: Digital Explorer (http://www NULL.flickr NULL.com/photos/aeroworks/97338266/)

6 non-salesy ways to ask your customers to promote you

Posted by ArcherTC on January 26, 2009  |   No Comments »

Want to know the #1 reason your customers don’t recommend you to their friends? It isn’t because they don’t like your product, or because they don’t care or are too busy. The real reason is either because you don’t ask them to, or you don’t make it easy for them to do it. If you ask them in the right way, however, the word of mouth referrals and additional business you can get from the experience will easily be more powerful that just about any other advertising or marketing you could do. Here are a few ideas for getting your customers to promote you to their family, friends and social networks in a way that won’t make it appear as if you’re paying them to like you… 6 Non-Salesy Ways To Ask Your Customers To Promote You – Social Media Today (http://www NULL.socialmediatoday NULL.com/SMC/68935).

Flickr photo credit: Duchamp (http://www NULL.flickr NULL.com/photos/duchamp/15296832/)

Don’t make a sale, make a long-term customer

Posted by ArcherTC on January 26, 2009  |   No Comments »

Establishing ongoing relationships with customers enhances the long-term success of most small companies. It’s more cost-effective and a lot less stressful to serve ongoing accounts than it is to continually search for new business. Cash flows are more stable, and increased operational efficiencies can reduce internal costs, increasing profitability.

To secure a long-term customer, sales personnel need to “look beyond the sale.” They need to form a relationship with the customer, solving all of the customer’s needs and providing ongoing value of products and services.

The basis for establishing such a relationship is to address the five key needs of every customer. These include…Don’t Make a Sale, Make a Long-Term Customer – NFIB.com (http://www NULL.nfib NULL.com/object/IO_39770 NULL.html).

Flickr photo credit: KateMonkey (http://www NULL.flickr NULL.com/photos/katemonkey/2357244681/)

Six ways to get people to say “yes”

Posted by ArcherTC on January 22, 2009  |   No Comments »

In Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert B. Cialdini, a respected social scientist and specialist in the area of compliance psychology, says that “… automatic, stereotyped behavior is prevalent in much of human action …”

He cites an experiment by Harvard social psychologist Ellen Langer, where you can see this concept in action. Langer approached people waiting in line to use a copy machine and asked, “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?” About 60% said “yes.”

Under similar circumstances, she did the same thing, but instead asked, “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make some copies?” In this case, an overwhelming 93% said “yes.”

What happened to increase the “yes” response so dramatically? …read more at Copyblogger (http://cli NULL.gs/WeeXdr). Flickr photo credit: It’sGreg (http://www NULL.flickr NULL.com/photos/itsgreg/707054525/).

Selling tips for the timid

Posted by ArcherTC on November 24, 2008  |   No Comments »

While some of us relish every facet of the sales process, most people would rather get a tooth pulled without anesthetic then attempt to sell anything. Thousands of women are mustering up the courage to start their own companies every day, but all too many shy away from actually selling their products or services.

For everyone who has dreaded asking for business, here are some tips that will help you overcome your fears and get comfortable selling on your own terms… read more at Selling Tips for the Timid – WomenEntrepreneur.com (http://www NULL.womenentrepreneur NULL.com/2008/11/selling-tips-for-the-timid NULL.html).

Flickr photo credit: huntz (http://www NULL.flickr NULL.com/photos/huntz/175681303/)

  • The ArcherTC Blog aggregates resources, tips, and news for ArcherTC clients and interested others. We welcome the submissions of related articles and photography by professionals working with similar communities as well as feedback for improving this site as a resource.