One common way to track ads is to code coupons so you know what publication or mailing they came from. For instance, if you’re running a 15%-off coupon in several local publications, change the ad slightly for each publication by including the initials of the publication or some other identifying information in very small print just inside the coupon dotted line. Be sure you or your employees collect the coupons; at the end of the promotion, tally them up to see which local publication produced the most new customers…

How do you break past this barrier of suspicion and launch the kinds of conversations that help you make that sale? Illig, also co-author of Let’s Get Real or Let’s Not Play: Transforming the Buyer/Seller Relationship, says that at FranklinCovey, they operate by the principal of “Intent counts more than technique,” meaning that your selling intent must be well aligned to serving the client versus serving you…

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …