Sales

A dirt-simple system for qualifying sales prospects

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.

Flickr photo credit: Lougan Manzke

By |2012-01-05T06:47:36+01:00January 30, 2009|Blog, Small Business|0 Comments

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

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, Marlton, N.J.

Dear Joanne ... read more at ‘My online store gets just one sale a month!’ – Jan. 29, 2009.

Flickr photo credit: Pascale PirateChickan

By |2012-01-05T07:15:26+01:00January 29, 2009|Blog, Online Marketing|0 Comments

Turning around a struggling business

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.

Flickr photo credit: Digital Explorer

By |2012-01-05T06:47:36+01:00January 29, 2009|Blog, Small Business|0 Comments
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