Start the week with a positive sales action, like setting up calls for Tuesday. No prospect wants to hear from you Monday morning, so it is better to set the stage for a good call later in the week, than make calls just for the sake of doing something.
Excuses are what shitty sales people use when they can’t do their job…make sure they have no excuses.
Can a website get you new business? They do for our clients. One client got a 40 location HVAC contact…all because they are easy to find on the web.
While not the goal of what he does, doing good like this is great for the soul and the bottom line. Direct involvement.
A fine man.
Develop a marketing campaign to target one customer. Hit all aspects of their organization. Is it worth it?
Coors’ new value proposition is all about being cold…though I think they have little control over the temperature at which their product is served.
Over the weekend I watched a movie in which consumer product companies paid to have families placed into communities in order to drive consumer interest. It was a novel concept and I would be curious to find out if it has been attempted in some form. Truth be told, we are all pitching every product we own.
In every business, be it B2B or B2C, there are individuals that drive interest, they are the early adopters. These individuals are the ones that take on new ideas and run with them. Sometimes they are burned and sometimes the reap the benefits before many others even know the product/service exists. They are also the most vocal on their approval or disapproval of companies online.
Today those vocal contributors can be found on Facebook, Yelp, Foursquare, etc. The best aspect of these websites is that people can post their displeasure with a company. Yes, you heard right. It is not the good reviews that are the most useful. It is the scathing, one star reviews that have the most opportunity. As the Owner, President, Chef, Sales Manager or any other position of responsibility, you have the obligation to reach out to these dissatisfied customers.
By doing so, you turn a vocal opponent into your strongest proponent. Invite them back into the restaurant, offer a refund, perform the service again and make this offer in the same public setting that they professed their unhappiness. This is not only the right thing to do, but it is the right thing for your business. It is better that they be pitching for your product…than against it.
Any sound business decision must be accompanied by tactical objectives tied to an overall strategy. However, while many businesses draft a plan at the start, few modify that plan. Even fewer develop a sound marketing plan with timelines, costs and expected results. Marketing and sales activities should not be applied blindly, as this is inefficient. Moreover, not linking efforts to a return makes it difficult to justify continuing or ending a program.
Here are a few tips on drafting your own plan:
Define your Objectives
Any plan of worth has a set of measurable goals that will indicate if it was a success. For most small businesses these goals must be based on the return on investment for the project. Other than in very specific circumstances, resources should not be allocated to building goodwill, public relations, community outreach or other results with returns that are historically a challenge to measure.
Meet the Objectives
In order to meet your objectives you must define what it will take to do so. If you are running a construction firm and your goal is to increase inquiry from individuals that are performing high end additions or building custom homes, advertising on Google with the keyword “contractors” is not going to get the job done. You must get into the mindset of your ideal customer and understand their buying process.
When building an addition or a custom home, many individuals will start with the components that they like. They will search for Sub Zero kitchen appliances, Anderson Windows, Granite Countertops and other components that are common in a high end homes. By tying your online advertising into these key words, you will increase the chances that a prospective customer will come across your name in the early stages.
Know the Return
Every new customer has a cost. You must define what you are willing to spend on new customer acquisition. $1000 for 1000 mailers sent out does not mean that you spend $1 for every new piece of business. If you only got two customers, then it cost you $500 per customer. However, if your net profit on the sale is 10k, then you may have an acceptable return on investment. The only way to know for sure is to understand what will be the most effective use of your money. Perhaps an ad in a local trade magazine would have netted five new customers, thus brining your cost to $200 per customer.
Repeat Results that Work
Once you find a system that works, do not be bashful about spending the money to keep the ball rolling. However, it is also key to periodically audit your efforts to ensure that dollars would not be more effectively used elsewhere.
