Sales & Marketing Articles For Entrepreneurs & Small Business OwnersIncrease Your Professional Presence1. You’re on stage. When you’re on the phone with a client, you’re playing the roles of a good-will ambassador, problem solver, public relations representative, and more. Whether you are having a good day or a bad day, your telephone call is a performance that should leave your client feeling positive about you. 2. Put […] Meeting Check-Lists For Sales ProfessionalsThe devil is in the details – Preparation for customer meetings is critical. Here are a few items to consider before you visit your prospect. • Re-Confirm Date, Time, Place, # of attendees 24 hours prior to visit • Ensure you have an agenda for the meeting • Know how much time you have • […] Time Management TipsDo you ever wonder where your workday goes? Well, here are some interesting statistics on the use of time. See how you compare. According to research, the average person gets one interruption every eight minutes or approximately seven an hour. The average interruption takes five minutes, totaling about four hours, or 50 percent of the […] The Tie That Binds … Mobile Ads To In-Store Signage Messages“All that I desire to point out is the general principle that Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life.” –Oscar Wilde After a few weeks spent in meetings and airplanes our wife thought a quiet weekend at home as in order, just cocooning. Her selections were innocent enough since we rather like sci-fi […] Checklist To Capture Media AttentionRecently, I sent out a media release for a company owned by my brother, Scot Morgan. Scot has been in business for himself for twenty years, and in all that time he had never tried to get the free publicity you just can’t buy – that is, by sending out a media release. And interestingly […] I Is For (Free) InformationThis week, I wanted to address a question that I get asked by many small businesses. How much information is appropriate to give away for free? Most of us get asked to give away a fair amount of information – from information that we choose to provide (like this article) to people contacting us […] How To Rescue Customers From AttritionThere are many reasons why accounts whither and die. Of these, the worst has to be apathy on the part of the sales person. Without periodical attention, the most loyal accounts can drift away to be rescued by a competitor. “But if the client isn’t one of my most important”, you rationalize, “It’s not worth […] H Is For How ToIn this article, I’m not going to be teaching you “how to” do something, but rather I’m going to be talking about the benefits of writing and recording “How to” information for your customers. Trust me. I’ve reaped the benefit of creating “How to” material 1000 times over. Creating “How to” information: Positions you as […] Selling With Your Ears – A Business Brokers Sales Approach“Nothing happens in this business until somebody sells something.” Are you a salesperson? If you are in a small business or a startup I would be stunned if you said no. I have been with several companies throughout my business career, small, medium, and a large Fortune 100 company, some as an employee and […] G Is For GizmosOne question that I often get asked is “Should I buy some promotional products for my business?” By this, people mean should they buy pens, car stickers, calendars, t-shirts and so on. The theory behind is that these items will be used by people and will remind people of the business every time they look […] Basic Negotiation TipsYour first step is preparation – If you work diligently to deliver value to the person you are meeting with, you are more likely to get them on side with you. Preparations include speaking to your contact’s receptionist for insight into your contact’s personality, and to research the company via the internet. If you have […] Cold Calling TipsYes cold calls are tough sledding. Many say that it is not a very effective use of your time. This is all very true. But there comes a time – when a cold call is the only way to get to a prospect. Here are a few tips to help you. When you recognize the […] Don’t Underestimate The Power Of Customer ServiceBad economy + good customer service = business All right so we all know this isn’t the best time for the economy. We have been in the so-called recession for over a year now. A few businesses are doing better than ever, some are struggling to make ends meet and many have folded. Something maybe […] F Is For Following upOver the last few years, I’ve spoken and written in depth about following up with people and why I really do think that it is the most important marketing technique that you can do. But, I still see business owners struggling with following up with people. Case in point, I was speaking to a contact […] How To Write Effective Media ReleasesA well-written media release is a powerful tool that can give your business the free publicity money can’t buy. Publicity is the most effective way to gain customers. It differs from advertising, as you can’t control the message or the timing, but the benefit is great. A news story in a local or national publication […] Let Paper Press Kits Join History“We don’t need no badges. I don’t have to show you any stinking badges.” – Gold Hat (Alfonso Bedoya), The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (Warner Bros – 1948) Conventions/conferences are events that challenge a man’s (and woman’s) stamina. They push you to the limits of creativity and performance. Companies spend hundreds of thousands, no millions […] Networking With The MediaNetworking is all about building relationships…and it’s no different when networking with the media. You are never trying to sell anything – you are simply getting to know the other person. By getting to know your local media contacts in print, online, and on television and radio you can be top of mind when they’re […] E Is For Email MarketingSending out emails to market and promote your business is picked up hugely in popularity over the last few years. For one, it’s free and for another, it’s very easy to measure. You can tell when someone has received your email, opened it and read it and how many have responded really quickly and easily. […] Why Doesn’t The Press Call, Email, Text, Tweet?We started enjoying the benefits of the Internet before it was the Internet. When the National Science Foundation awarded the first four contracts to connect engineers and scientists around the country into an on-line community, we started to work with the fledgling CERFnet that established the Western leg of the NSFnet. Up until the any-to-any […] The Social Media Seismic ShiftSocial media is information created to be disseminated through social interaction, created using accessible and scalable publishing techniques via the net. Now there is a mouthfull. It is an umbrella term that defines a wide range of activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words and pictures via the web. That said, […] |
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