One of the things that was so frustrating for me was figuring out what business I was really in.  If asked, most people would respond they are in the coaching business, the insurance business, the healing business, etc.  All really bad answers.

Dead Pan Flat

If you speak to the people you want to work with in that way you can expect a dead pan flat response.  In fact, your response is a real conversation stopper.  There are several reasons.  One being the other person already has a preconceived perception of what that means that rarely works to your advantage.  Plus they already work with or know someone in that business.  Yada Yada Yada.

Passion Evoking Position

No matter what business you’re “in” if you want extreme success you must be in a passion evoking business.  You must set yourself, your business apart from the rest, and position your business as the business your best ideal clients are really excited about.  You have to be passionate about what you do to get to that point.

And that’s where the real problem is.  Most business owners, just like I was in the beginning, are totally confused about not only what business they’re in but what they are passionate about.

Michel Fortin says, “To me, the most effec­tive way to com­mu­ni­cate added value is through the gen­uine, sin­cere, and pas­sion­ate zest you have for what you do and the clients you serve.”

Here’s why it’s so hard for most of us to get to this point.

If you’re familiar with Earl Nightingales Acres of Diamonds talk you know “The thing about this story that has so profoundly affected millions of people is the idea that each of us is, at this very moment, standing in the middle of our own acres of diamonds. If we had only had the wisdom and patience to intelligently and effectively explore the work in which we’re now engaged, to explore ourselves, we would most likely find the riches we seek, whether they be financial or intangible or both.”  

What Gets You JAZZED Up?

There is one thing I know is true for every person in any business selling a service.  You LIVE to help people.  However, there are certain people with specific problems you can solve, or goals you can help them get that you enjoy doing so much you’d do it for free.  Yes, that’s right you’d do it for free if it weren’t for the fact you have bills to pay just like everyone else.

Gosh, if your entire business were filled with people like that so you could do that work, and that work only each and every day… why you would literally dance a jig in the streets.

Now you think you can’t do that because you think there aren’t enough people like that to pay your bills.  You worry you’ll exclude yourself from the work you need to pay your bills.  You think if you’re already struggling to get enough clients the last thing you want to do is limit your pool of potential clients.

YOU are Dead WRONG

Unless you are working with some obscure problem that only a few people on the entire planet ever have I’d be willing to take the stance you are dead wrong.  Even if what you do really is that obscure I’d still say you are dead wrong because those people with that problem or unmet goal are probably willing to pay dearly for your help.

Here’s why you aren’t finding your diamonds.

1. You aren’t open to the opportunities already available
2. You aren’t willing to man up and take a risk
3. You are focusing on what you want rather than how you can better serve

Did I Make You Mad?

GOOD.  I hope you are madder than a hornet.  You know why?

Because I’ve come to realize that when something makes me see red there’s probably a GINORMOUS opportunity to really learn something right under my nose.  And when I act like a big girl and admit my faults, get my ego out of the way, and look for the lesson I find a diamond in the rough.

Another way to think about it is acting like you want to capture the heart of your perfect mate, the love of your life, your soul mate.  In your mind this person you envision meets certain criteria.  The better job you do identifying your must have criteria the easier it is to figure out where a person like that would hang out.

Or, if you prefer, think about buying a home.  You need a set of criteria before you start looking for a home or you can plan on a very long unproductive search.  Kind of like your elusive search for clients.

Once you’ve got your must have criteria you then have to put all your efforts into attracting the people who fulfill your criteria.  Does that mean you can’t work with people who aren’t a perfect match?  No.

Does it mean you are going to attract more highly qualified potential clients who are interested in doing business with you? Duh!

The choice is yours.  Your diamonds are right there under your feet just waiting for you to look down and pick them up.

Coach Cheryl

Do it Yourself

Do it with a Little Help

Do it with Guidance

photo credit: xlt.lv

I don’t have to tell you most people are sick of the recession, rising unemployment, and the credit crunch.  Some will do nothing more than wallow in self-pity and cry “woe is me”.  You aren’t like that though.  You’re a fighter.

When you get served up lemons you make lemonade.  Well, your tax dollars are serving up the lemons in the form of a recent government report.  Here’s what the SBA is saying…

“U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy’s 2009 edition of The Small Business Economy: A Report to the President.

Some surveys have shown that owners are less willing than
in previous years to expand their small businesses, to hire additional workers, to invest in new plant and equipment, or to borrow money.”

Let’s take these sour lemons and make some lemonade.

We aren’t Expanding

You contact a sales prospect and say, “I’m wondering if you would be open to some ideas to grow your business without expanding”

At the closing table your prospect tells you they can’t buy because they aren’t expanding.  You say, “Aren’t expanding?” and listen to how they fill in the blank.  Then you lead into, “That’s exactly why you need this because the option we just talked about will help you grow your business without expanding here’s how…”

We aren’t Hiring

You say to your sales prospect, “I’m wondering if you would be open to some ideas to make it possible for one man to do the work of 3.”

At the closing table… “How would it impact you if I could show you a way for the employees you do have to do the  work of 3 people without working harder?”

We aren’t Investing in New Buildings or Equipment

To a sales prospect… “Would you be open to some ideas to extend the life of your existing equipment while reducing repair and maintenance costs?”

At the closing table…  “How much could you save if I could show you a way to extend the life of your existing equipment while reducing repair and maintenance costs at the same time?”

I’m not Borrowing Money

To your sales prospect… “I’m wondering if you would be open to some ideas to get (insert appropriate outcome) without borrowing or risking a penny.”

At the closing table… “Borrowing money?”  Listen to their response then adapt accordingly.  So for example, if the response is the potential buyer does not have the funds to make a purchase of that size at this time you might then continue… “If it weren’t for funding is there anything else keeping us from moving forward?”  If the response is “no” then you might respond… “What would work for you as far as funding?”  Then come to terms on a payment option.

These are merely objections not rejection.  What are the objections you’re hearing?

How will you turn those objections around and transform them into sales?

Coach Cheryl

Do it Yourself

Do it with a Little Help

Do it with Guidance

photo credit: Näystin

Do you regularly send invoices etc. to your existing client base?  If you answered “Yes” then this sales tip will be of interest to you.

Postal rates continue to increase.  Those postal fees come directly off your profit line.  So how about removing, or at least lowering those costs while doing your clients a favor at the same time?

I don’t know about you, but I enjoy traveling.  I’ve set my business up so I can work from anywhere in the world, and often do.  The one thing that used to be a little bit of a problem was how to take care of those bills sent to my home while I’m away without having to inconvenience others or using a mail box service.  Paying them was easy with online bill pay etc. but you have to know who you owe what to make use of those tools.

I just discovered a free service at Zumbox that can make life a little more worry free for those who either need, or want to be away from home for extended periods of time.   This is a mutually opt-in service so your clients will need to sign-up to use the service too.

However, I don’t think it will be all that hard to help your clients to like the idea.  Just present it as a way to:

• Reduce paper and a cluttered mail box
• Make sure you never get another late fee
• Travel the world and never worry you’ll miss an important bill

Of course, the benefits are much more.  Not only do you get to mail your clients without those pesky postage fees you now never have to worry about how much your mail weighs.  You can send a pdf, a video, an audio, documents with links to more information etc. along with your invoice, report, etc. at no extra cost for you or your client.

Now here’s an even better benefit.  Some of you have clients yet you don’t know their email address, or they are reluctant to give you their email address.  Your clients never have to give you their email address to use Zumbox.  Once they have an account they get a message from Zumbox telling them they have mail.  Once they log in they can actually view their mail and choose what to open and read, and what to delete unopened.

Imagine sitting on the beach in Clear Water or atop Mount Olympus checking your email and seeing you have mail from your electric company.  At a convenient moment you open your mail, pay your bill, and continue to enjoy your vacation without missing a beat.

Or what if a family member were ill and you wanted to be with them.  Now an upcoming bill won’t keep you from being with your family member when they need you because you can handle your life no matter where you are or what you need to do.

Just think… you help your clients, you get to send the business communications you are already mailing for free, AND you can now send marketing information and updates along at no extra cost to the people who already want to get mail from YOU.  Now that’s cool.

Coach Cheryl

Do it Yourself

Do it with a Little Help

Do it with Guidance

photo credit: karen horton

When you have no prospects all you can think about is finding a way to get prospects.  When you get those prospects you quickly find yourself overwhelmed because now you have the obligation to follow up and follow through with all those prospects until they either buy, or exit your sales funnel.  My friend Jonathan Farrington recently wrote a post about dealing with feeling overwhelmed with prospects.  His post got me thinking.

I get a lot of calls from people who tell me they need more prospects.  They are convinced what they want is prospects.  Yet, it doesn’t take long to get to what they really want.  Even though they are asking for more sales prospects or leads, what they really WANT is paying clients.

Money in the Bank Today

They want paying clients because those clients mean money in their bank accounts now.  They want clients yet they mistakenly think they have to ask for prospects to get those clients.  When that really isn’t the case at all.

Even though it can seem like mission impossible when you have zero prospects getting prospects isn’t all that difficult.  Because it’s not really all that hard to get prospects you quickly discover that once you get what you ask for… you start feeling overwhelmed.  You quickly find yourself overwhelmed because you try to manage those prospects manually when there is no need to do that.

Automate the Relationship Process

There is no need to manually manage all your prospects even though you think you have to.  The reality is it’s very easy to nurture and develop relationships without a hands on one-one-one approach.  Once you can do that you open the door to leveraging both your resources and your results.

Here’s the reason you ask for prospects when you want clients.  You ask for prospects because you already know your message is not powerful enough to trigger an action, or unearth motivation.  You are trying to push prospects to you when you could easily lead them along a path they already want to follow.

Tug of War

So rather than coming together in a positive way you end up in a tug of war with the very people you want as clients.

When you ask for prospects what you are doing is trying to find ready buyers among all the prospects you’ve gathered.  Rather than helping the people who are already looking to buy find you, you are trying to push the people you’ve connected with into a buying decision.  As you already know that’s a tough sell.  Plus it forces you into trying to control things you can’t control.

You can’t control when someone will become a ready buyer.  Some of the prospects in your sales funnel are apathetic about buying your services.  They know they probably should, and they’re thinking about doing some BUT they just aren’t motivated to do anything about it now.  Some are thinking they need to do something and are in the process of researching their options.  The ready buyers have already decided they need to buy and they are ready to do so right now.

Circumstances outside your control, frequently outside the control of your future buyers, can instantly change an apathetic prospect into a red hot buyer.  These sales prospects move from potential money in the bank to real money in the bank right now.

Every business needs both sales prospects and people you are ready to become clients right this instant.  The thing is you don’t have to settle for just prospects and work yourself to death trying to push those prospects into ready buyers.  You can set you primary focus on the ready buyers.  The prospects will follow.

This is so important I wrote “How to Get More New Clients in 9 Days” to help you get those new clients in your business now.

Coach Cheryl

Do it Yourself

Do it with a Little Help

Do it with Guidance

photo credit: Toronto Rob

Have you seen one of those odd little “Droid Does” commercials lately?  If you haven’t, or don’t remember let me bring you up to speed on the concept.

Apples iPhone has been the 800 pound gorilla among cell phones.  There’s almost a cult-like following among buyers.  In other words, Apple has achieved retail sales heaven with the iPhone.  Plus they have a locked in agreement with AT&T so it’s the gift that keeps on giving long after buyers purchase the phone.

So far the competition hasn’t been able to serve up anything that doesn’t come off looking like a cheap knock-off.  And that’s where Droid comes in.

Mac v. PC War

If you ever watch TV I’m pretty confident you’ve seen the Mac v. PC ads where poor PC always falls short when held up against Mac.  Why Apple has never really adapted for the business buyers desperate for a “it isn’t powered by Microsoft” alternate is beyond me… BUT that’s an entirely different discussion.

Droid v. iPhone

 
photo credit: Ed Yourdon

Now here comes the Droid takes on iPhone challenge.  The smart marketers behind this campaign took on the things that iPhone lacks, does poorly, or simply annoys iPhone users and came up with a better alternative.  Is it a better alternative?  I have no idea nor do I really care.

What I care about is the fantastic example and reminder of how anyone of any size can take on Goliath by simply doing it better, faster, easier, etc.

You can use this approach with a service just as easily.  This proven time tested concept isn’t knew by any means.  It plays off a concept known as SCAMPER attributed to Frank Daniels.

All that’s required to use this to help you increase your sales is your thinking cap and a willingness to make some changes that better serve your buyers.

SCAMPER stands for:

• substitute
• combine
• adapt
• modify
• put to other uses
• eliminate
• reduce

Compare the way you offer your services to the way those around you offer there’s.  Then apply SCAMPER to each thing you do from the perspective of your buyer.  You might ask yourself, “What could I substitute for this particular way I work with people because it would work better for my clients?

Research the way other businesses promote and deliver their services.  Find out what their clients like about the way they do things.  Find out if they could change one thing about the way they work with the other service provider what that one thing is and how they would change it.  Ask your existing clients too.

Don’t get locked into one way of working with people, and don’t think just because the competition is bigger than you that you can’t gain a significant share of that market demonstrating how you do it better.

In “How to Get More New Clients in 9 Days” you’ll discover ways to pinpoint what you could do and how you could set yourself apart.

Coach Cheryl

Do it Yourself

Do it with a Little Help

Do it with Guidance

You know one of the nice things about owning your on business?  You can do things when you darned well please.  So the other morning I decide to go to the grocery store while all the working stiffs are chained to there desks.  It’s so much more pleasant to shop when you nearly have the joint to yourself.  So much less stress.

I Overheard Something Very Interesting

As the checker was ringing up my groceries I overheard a conversation in the next check-out line.  This Wal-Mart employee was confirming Wal-Mart was indeed cutting everyone’s hours back and making them do some funky shift rotations.  Hmmm… interesting.

This was especially interesting because here in Iowa we often never feel the extremes one way or the other that people who live on the coasts do, so I immediately wondered if that meant things were getting tough here too.  Yet, at least in western Iowa, people tend to hold very conservative values when it comes to money so perhaps they are simply reacting to what they are hearing, reading, and seeing.

I also knew if sales were falling for Wal-Mart it would strike terror on the hearts of other businesses because everyone things if Wal-Marts sales are down you are doomed.  Even though that thinking is untrue “stinking thinking” as Zig Ziglar would put it.

So I did a Little Checking

Daily Markets had an interesting article about how Wal-Marts sales are falling amid tight consumer spending and confidence.  And an interesting quote…

“Our customers are more disciplined in their spending,” Wal-Mart Chief Executive Officer Mike Duke said in a conference call with investors, adding that consumers are saving more and spending less.

When I read that quote it was like someone hit me over the head with a baseball bat.  It never ceases to amaze me how people get so caught up in their own mindset they can’t see a GINORMOUS opportunity that’s right under their very nose.  Please realize I can be every bit as guilty of this as anyone else.   Just one more reason a good coach is worth their weight in solid gold.

The GINORMOUS Opportunity to Get More Business Wal-Mart is Missing

Wal-Mart CEO Mike Duke, bless is ever loving little heart is stuck in Wal-Mart’s low price model mindset.  That mind set is one that feeds a scarcity mentality, a frugal mentality, a mentality that says you better not buy today because you may not have a job tomorrow.  It encourages “average Joe Wal-Mart shopper” to feed his fears.

Do I even need to mention the fact that’s NOT a good idea?  Mr. Dukes statement indicates he and Wal-Mart are COMPLETELY missing the boat on this one.  They aren’t helping “average Joe Wal-Mart shopper” perceive things differently.

The Opportunity is in the Perception

Geez, everyone understands perception is EVERYTHING in business.  Here’s how Wal-Mart can change “average Joe Wal-Mart shoppers” perception so they get more business and really help Joe in the process.

You don’t have to look hard or far to find numerous economists and economic pundits who are predicting the fall of the U.S. dollar as a result of predicted hyper-inflation.  They say this hyper-inflation will occur when the government turns the billions of dollars the fed’s have printed and stock piled lose.  What that means to “average Joe Wal-Mart shopper” is the $10 he’s saving today could have a value of $0.10 once hyper-inflation hits and he is forced to spend his savings.

So what do those same economists and economic pundits recommend for poor “average Joe Wal-Mart shopper”?  Well, they would recommend instead of hoarding his dollars that Joe use his extra cash to purchase durable goods and hard assets now before the value of those dollars evaporates.  So when Joe visits Wal-Mart instead of buying one package of razor blades he buys two, instead of buying two cans of green beans he buys four, etc.

Why does this make sense for Joe?  It makes sense for Joe because when hyper-inflation hits Joe will need food, personal hygiene products, clothing, car care products, cleaning products, etc. just like he does now.  Because Joe has a stash of these durable goods he won’t be forced to trade his $10 for $0.10 worth of goods.  He can hold on to his cash a little longer and use his stash when everyone else is burning through money like water.  Hopefully, he can hold onto his cash long enough to ride out the hyper inflation.

So…  What’s Wal-Marts angle?  Wal-Marts angle is helping Joe maintain his wealth.  Wal-Mart is Joe’s wealth building partner.  Wal-Mart should have two-fer deals up the wazoo and use their advertising power to help Joe see what they see…  durable goods and hard assets are how Joe protects himself and his family from potential economic changes beyond his control.

And if I see Wal-Mart doing this I think a 6% share in their increased profits would be more than fair:-)

Coach Cheryl

Do it Yourself

Do it with a Little Help

Do it with Guidance

  photo credit: gesses

Getting a qualified sales referral is like finding money on the sidewalk.  It just makes your day.  Plus it makes life a whole lot easier.

Who in their Right Mind Doesn’t Want a Pack of Sales Referrals?

Not anyone I can think of.  Even though everyone likes to get highly qualified sales referrals few small business owners, entrepreneurs, and SOHO’s actual know how to set themselves up to get those coveted referrals.  Why would you?

You’ve been told the only way to get qualified referrals is to ask your existing clients to refer you.  There are a couple problems with that model.  For one thing most people don’t know how to ask.  They end up damaging their new relationships and that costs them in client retention down the road.  Plus this model by design produces a low return on your time investment.

3 Steps to Get More Qualified Sales Referrals

When it comes to qualified sales referrals start thinking about:

1. How to develop a one-to-many approach to referrals rather than the one-to-one approach you use now
2. Developing a clear message that communicates that you solve a problem people are desperate to solve
3. Making referring you a win-win-win

Rather than pressuring your clients to refer you explore opportunities to partner with other businesses who sell to the same clients you sell to.  These opportunities make a one-to-many approach easy.

Part of the reason your clients, peers, friends, or other businesses don’t refer you is because they don’t really understand what you do, or how to tell someone else about you.  If you’re an accountant it just isn’t really motivating for someone who actually wants to refer you to tell the person they want to contact you to call you because you’re a good accountant.  So what?

However, if your ideal clients are small business owners and you have a unique approach to help them avoid laying off employees you become referable.  Why?

• Because… it’s easy to understand the big problem you solve
• Because… it’s easy to remember and tell someone else the big problem you solve
• Because… even if they aren’t someone with that problem they probably know someone losing sleep trying to figure out how they are going to keep going without laying off employees

You have a win-win-win built right in:

1. Obviously you win because people know who to tell about you, and what to tell them
2. The person referring you wins because they get to do something nice for someone else and look smart doing it
3. The person referred wins because they get help with a major problem they are desperate to solve

I go into much more detail about getting referrals in my sales and marketing coaching program.  If you are struggling to figure out how to do this in your business the sales and marketing coaching program can help you overcome that challenge.

Coach Cheryl

Do it Yourself

Do it with a Little Help

Do it with Guidance

photo credit: MaskedPhotography DM

This is an interesting time we live in beyond a doubt.  It seems like there’s just one crisis followed by yet another.  The banking crisis, the housing crisis, H1N1, the health reform crisis…

Rahm Emanuel, Chief of Staff for the Obama administration, has even been quoted as saying you can’t let a good crisis to go waste.  Turning away from politics and things beyond your control what, if anything, can you do to get more business when the business you had seems to be running the other way?

And the business you might of had seems to have dried up and blown away.  One thing for certain.  You can’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results.  Seems like there’s nothing like a good crisis to change everything almost overnight.

Hmmm…

Seems like there’s nothing like a good crisis to change everything almost overnight! 

AND that means you could change your future almost overnight too.  It means you could get more business almost overnight if you just use the current circumstances to YOUR advantage.

Here are two ways for you to do that.

1. Change what you are selling
2. Find desperate buyers

Change what You are Selling

When I say, “Change what you are selling”.  I am not suggesting you go out and find a new product or service to sell.  I’m suggesting you change the way you position what you are already selling.

Focus on Desperate Buyers

Compare your past clients needs to the needs of your clients now:

• What are they moving toward that they weren’t before?
• What are they moving away from that wasn’t important before?
• What have they lost that’s extremely important?
• What do they need to get or get back?
• What have they lost control over?
• What difficult problem do they need solved that is causing heartache, time, money, or energy?
• What’s negatively impacting their lifestyle or business?

The list of questions could go on, you get the idea.  Now think about how your service could help with these new challenges that your ideal new clients are struggling with waiting for someone to show up and solve for them.

Then repackage how you present your service focused on what you already know the people who need your services are already looking to buy to help them with that.

Putting it Together to Get More Business

Let’s just take one of the above questions.  What have people lost?

• Confidence
• Their job or business
• Their home or other possessions
•  A sense of security
• Their retirement plans and income

To mention just a few of the things people have recently lost.  What do you do as a service provider to get more business and help your new clients at the same time?  Here are some things you might think about…

An employment agency might focus temporary placements so more small businesses could get the help they need without committing to a payroll and all the expenses associated with a payroll.  They might also help those unemployed workers they haven’t placed discover how they could start their own business.  That way they would get those new business owners coming back to them for their employment needs.

A real estate agent might focus on real estate as a safe long-term investment for those investors who got burned in the recent stock market plunge.  Now that the housing market is near an all time low and interest rates are also low investors can invest in a hard tangible asset that Wall Street can’t take away from them.

The life insurance business owner can similarly focus on selling an investment alternative that isn’t subject to the ups and downs of the stock market.

Not sure how what the people most likely to become your clients are desperate to buy?  Start asking.  Ask what they see as the biggest challenge facing people in their industry, age group, community, etc.  Focus on the group they would put themselves in.  Find out how difficult it is to overcome that challenge.  Find out what happens if that challenge isn’t taken care of.

You are looking for difficult to solve challenges that have very negative consequences when they go unresolved.

Coach Cheryl

Do it Yourself

Do it with a Little Help

Do it with Guidance

There’s no question when you are just starting your business if you don’t invest heavily in prospecting your business dream will never become a reality.  No matter what service you sell you are in the business of marketing and selling that service first, or there’s no need for your services.

As you improve your prospecting efforts and follow even a basic sales process like the one described on SmallBizPod you start getting clients.  The more clients you get the less time you have to prospect.  Unfortunately, if you decrease the time you spend prospecting you set yourself up for the…

Feast and Famine Revenue Roller Coaster

When you run your business on the feast and famine roller coaster model you go out and prospect like crazy, get a lot of new clients, and then watch your income dry up because you don’t have any new clients coming in.  You don’t have any new clients coming in because you haven’t done any sales prospecting.  Is this just a fact of life that you need to accept?

Heck NO!

As you look at the professional service providers around you, you may notice they don’t seem to prospect.  You might wonder how they get away with that.  You might think they just have such a huge client base and get so many referrals they don’t need to prospect anymore.  Not true sprout.

You Can Get More Business and Spend Less Time Prospecting

It isn’t that those professional service providers don’t prospect for new clients.  It IS that they go about it differently than you.  There are 3 key components to getting more business in less time:

1. A system to attract highly qualified potential clients to you
2. A process to develop relationships with those potential clients because relationships are the key to MORE sales, MORE often, at HIGHER prices
3. Automate your processes so you can put your sales prospecting on autopilot

This creates a 24/7/365 machine for getting new clients.  As your business grows you have to accept that the one-on-one method you used to get that business is not sustainable long-term because there’s only so much of YOU to go around.

These 3 components:

• continually make new connections for you
• help you transform skeptical strangers into believers
• transition those believers into buyers

The other big advantage of these components is the ability to dramatically increase your ability to connect with larger numbers of potential clients.  You could double, triple, even quadruple your sales funnel with zero additional work.  You get more business with no time increase and a tremendous return on the initial time investment required to develop those 3 components.

Coach Cheryl

Do it Yourself

Do it with a Little Help

Do it with Guidance

How many times should you follow up with a prospect?  Some say you have to contact a prospect 7 times.  So if you aren’t contacting your sales prospects at least 7 times does that mean you are a…

QUITTER

Sometimes as Vera Raposo talks about you just get burned out.   Perhaps your self-esteem goes south.  Maybe you get side tracked and just forget about a sales prospect here and there.

Do you give up too easily when it comes to following up with a sales prospect?  I say yes and no.

Here’s Why I Say, “YES”

Sometimes you try something once.  It doesn’t work so you decided it won’t ever work and quit without giving it a fair trial.  When something doesn’t work figure out why it didn’t work.  Then figure out how to adapt what isn’t working so it will work.

I understand exactly how hard this can be because in most instances you can’t see what you are doing wrong.  It’s the little subtle things that make things work or fail.  Speaking of failing…

Cold Calling Doesn’t Work?

Some people say cold calling doesn’t work.  The people who say that are right because it doesn’t work the way they are doing it.  However, when you know how to do it cold calling works better now than it ever has.

The funny thing is cold calling is a catch 22 challenge.  Typically people cold call because they don’t have a clue how to market what they have to sell.  Because they don’t know how to market what they sell their cold calling efforts are a disaster.

Once you understand how to market what you sell you never have to cold call again because you get business coming to you.  Plus you can get that business coming to you on autopilot so cold calling becomes a very time inefficient method for getting clients.

Here’s Why I Say, “NO”

I say you don’t give up too easily when it comes to following up with sales prospects because it doesn’t do you or your sales prospects any good to annoy them.  If you don’t get the desired result there IS a problem.  You must identify and correct that problem or… you can expect repeated failures.

Here’s what you should evaluate:

• Make sure you only personally following up with the people who are most likely to buy your stuff
• Make sure you have something valuable to say when you follow up.  Never just touch base
• Make sure you ask for the right things at the right time

Then test and track to determine the best combination of people, message, and offer that produce the desired results.

I talked about this in The Blueprint for Increased Sales if you’d like more information on this.

Coach Cheryl

Do it Yourself

Do it with a Little Help

Do it with Guidance

photo credit: clickclickclickclick