I have been doing a lot of reading the last couple of months on start-ups? Why you ask when you already have a company. Well yes but each day is a new day with new challenges and second I have a small company. Yes my company is small and after once having a lager 37 person company (small by some standards) with over a million in sales company I like it this way. Third, people around me, friends, family, acquaintances, strangers, are out of work, and are thinking of starting a company up or buying one if they can’t get a job. And forth, one of the two in a married couple was working and the “other” person sort of had a hobby business which is now thrust into the main bread winner income source.
Any of this sound like you?
I am going to address this from the point of view that you are out of work, and can’t find a job. The best choice you might really have, especially if you are over 50, is to consider starting up your own company.
Start with what kind of company you need to have, Sole proprietor, Partnership, Sub Chapter S, Corporation? These choices all have tax and liability ramifications. So do some home work. Now is the time to seek out a CPA and a Business Attorney. Yes this is one time I’ll feed you to the sharks.
Think about money. Budgeting, cash flow projections, budgeting, your personal needs. Think about your lowest cost denominator, your base cash needs. I mean strip down EVERY non essential expenditure. What is the base you need to go “one more round”? Know this might come in handy? And (sorry guys) your base needs is not Cable TV and dinner out at Ditka’s, it is food on the table and a roof over your head. Do you need an office or will a spare room or corner in the kitchen work for now?
Other areas the attorney can pre-help are contracts, dispute resolution, employment issues or 1099 workers if you are thinking about using independent contractors. Leases, trademarks, etc.
Finances. Start by assuming that money and finances will be a problem. There are no federal grants for Start-Ups. Banks don’t loan to Start-Ups. Investors are rarely interested in a Start-Up. Family members? Investor groups? Family members are probably working hard to keep themselves afloat and as for investor groups? Again not for a Start-Up.
Then ask yourself what are you selling? Who will buy it? Why would a prospective customer buy from me? Then going one step farther, where are you going to find all these customers. How will you reach them, find them? As you answer these simple questions the answers to the tools you will need to deliver your marketing message will come up as well. Knowing who and where your prospects are makes reaching out and “touching” them a matter of matching your marketing and sales techniques and tools to your marketing and prospects. Business cards, letterhead, envelopes, web site (if needed) info kits, mailers, newspaper ads or classified ads, online ads, social media marketing, door hangers, selling parties.
Larson Notes & Satire: I’m going to stop here, for now. This topic is too big and too individualist to put in a simple little blog.
First, I’ll tell you this though, as a start up, don’t let your emotions lead you into any hasty decision that will make it even more difficult for you to achieve your real goal.
Second, make sure you understand what cash flow is, and where the cash is going to come from.
Third, think about sales ratios not about gross sale numbers.
Forth, think long term. If you just want to patch over dry spell till you find a job, forget it. It is a waste of your time and money. Go get a part time job at McDonalds or Menards until you find a full time gig.
Fifth. Your focus and your disciple are more important than anything else including perceived opportunities.
Sixth, when looking at a business, competition is good; it’s easier to beat the competition than to educate the market place.
Seventh If you’re a first time owner, it is better to do a Start-Up then to buy a business.
Eighth, your first business plan should be simple and written for you not a group of investors and 2 pagers max!
And ninth your time is more valuable than your money. Spend wisely.
I will take individual questions at larsonassoc1983@yahoo.com at no charge. This is only advice, I am NOT an attorney, and I am not an accountant. Any advice you get or use from me is at your own risk. I am only a business person that has made most to the mistakes a person can make and keep making new ones daily. But for forewarned, if you use this "service" I will be posting some or the questions and answers anonymously to a new blog which I feel can help others. No names, specific facts or figures will ever be posted. So your secrets will be quite safe.
Howard Larson
Larson & Associates
Target Marketing & Telesales Professionals for new account acquisition
Making good businesses great and great businesses even better
847-991-0488
howard@larsonassociates.ws
http://www.larsonassociates.ws/
http://larsonassociates.blogspot.com/
http://member.merchantcircle.com/larsonassociates
http://businesswarfare.ning.com/profile/HowardLarson
https://twitter.com/LarsonAssociate
P.S. We make telesales for small business affordable by offering programs down to only 15 hours a week. Maybe you could add telesales into your marketing mix call today and find out.
P.P.S. An American Company, marketing American Companies! Call or email to get an appointment to pick my brain (a $125.00 value) for 30 minutes.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Merchandising Yourself On The Web
This is NOT about driving people to your web site or your online store. It IS about what you should be doing once they are there.
For this little blog I don’t care how you got the customer to your web site, be it typing your web address, key word search, pay for click, a link from your Social Media site, a reciprocal link, banner ad. I don’t care.
What I do care about is what they find once they arrive on your site.
1st, and your should have done this when you set up your site, is to know who your intended customer is and prethink their needs and wants. As a business it is JOB 1 to find the products and services of your target market. You either have it or you don’t. If you don’t, change your products or services OR if you don’t, change your target market to one that does. You need to think about what they have bought in the past and who they bought it from. Then you can start to have them buying from you.
2nd, understand you are selling more than a great product or service; you are really selling a solution. They have a need or pain and you are the great healer of that pain. So ask what is that pain, for me it is finding companies sales leads and companies that buy what they sell. What is yours?
3rd, Mix and match your products and services into a suite of services. I have a page on my site dedicated to that task, although I looked at it and I think I need to rework it. But, what are yours? Are you a plumber? If you’re fixing a sink, why not show new kitchen designs, if you sell closet shelving, why not show bedroom design. If you sell lamp shades, why not offer lighting design?
4th, Now sit down and take a breath. It is time checkup on yourself. It is a good idea to take the necessary time to search for your products or services in a key word search and then once your find your site (if you do) click though it to see how user friendly it really is, for you! If it is not friendly for you, think of your poor unsuspecting customer. Then ask a trusted friend who will be bluntly honest with you to do the same thing. And when they criticize your site, LISTEN.
5th, you need to prethink your customers. No one really goes to your site for fun; they go there to buy something. You might want to create buying categories such as “hard to shop for husbands” or “for the baseball creasy person” or “cooking 101” “even “the complete marathoner”. You can do the same for pricing, having inexpensive, mid range and high end areas on your site.
The key is to make yourself accessible for the customer to find what they want in the way they want.
Larson Notes & Satire: I don’t care what I want. Well I do, but not in that way. If I make my customer happy, I’m happy. If they buy from me, my reward is a sale and that makes me happy, and I hope it makes my customer happy with the service or product they have just contracted out for.
There is saying which I am almost sure you heard in one way shape of form “Walk a mile in your customers shoes”. Know them better than they know themselves. Pre think what is happening.
With Christmas right around the corner do you realize that the stores decided last January and February what you would be buying this year? Oh yes, all the big Christmas merchandising shows happen in January and February. The buyers came, looked about bought, back then!
Do what they do. Look at what is happening and prethink your business position. Pre think your merchandising. If you do this better than the competition (and can get the word out better than the competition) people will not only find you but buy more from you. Why? Because you fulfill their need.
Remember the Mickey Mouse Club closing: MIC, see you real soon, KEY, why because we like you….. and did you come back the next day?
Howard Larson
Larson & Associates
Target Marketing & Telesales Professionals for new account acquisition
Making good businesses great and great businesses even better
847-991-0488
howard@larsonassociates.ws
http://www.larsonassociates.ws/
http://larsonassociates.blogspot.com/
http://member.merchantcircle.com/larsonassociates
https://twitter.com/LarsonAssociate
P.S. We make telesales for small business affordable by offering programs down to only 15 hours a week. Maybe you could add telesales into your marketing mix call today and find out.
P.P.S. An American Company, marketing American Companies! Call or email to get an appointment to pick my brain (a $125.00 value) for 30 minutes.
For this little blog I don’t care how you got the customer to your web site, be it typing your web address, key word search, pay for click, a link from your Social Media site, a reciprocal link, banner ad. I don’t care.
What I do care about is what they find once they arrive on your site.
1st, and your should have done this when you set up your site, is to know who your intended customer is and prethink their needs and wants. As a business it is JOB 1 to find the products and services of your target market. You either have it or you don’t. If you don’t, change your products or services OR if you don’t, change your target market to one that does. You need to think about what they have bought in the past and who they bought it from. Then you can start to have them buying from you.
2nd, understand you are selling more than a great product or service; you are really selling a solution. They have a need or pain and you are the great healer of that pain. So ask what is that pain, for me it is finding companies sales leads and companies that buy what they sell. What is yours?
3rd, Mix and match your products and services into a suite of services. I have a page on my site dedicated to that task, although I looked at it and I think I need to rework it. But, what are yours? Are you a plumber? If you’re fixing a sink, why not show new kitchen designs, if you sell closet shelving, why not show bedroom design. If you sell lamp shades, why not offer lighting design?
4th, Now sit down and take a breath. It is time checkup on yourself. It is a good idea to take the necessary time to search for your products or services in a key word search and then once your find your site (if you do) click though it to see how user friendly it really is, for you! If it is not friendly for you, think of your poor unsuspecting customer. Then ask a trusted friend who will be bluntly honest with you to do the same thing. And when they criticize your site, LISTEN.
5th, you need to prethink your customers. No one really goes to your site for fun; they go there to buy something. You might want to create buying categories such as “hard to shop for husbands” or “for the baseball creasy person” or “cooking 101” “even “the complete marathoner”. You can do the same for pricing, having inexpensive, mid range and high end areas on your site.
The key is to make yourself accessible for the customer to find what they want in the way they want.
Larson Notes & Satire: I don’t care what I want. Well I do, but not in that way. If I make my customer happy, I’m happy. If they buy from me, my reward is a sale and that makes me happy, and I hope it makes my customer happy with the service or product they have just contracted out for.
There is saying which I am almost sure you heard in one way shape of form “Walk a mile in your customers shoes”. Know them better than they know themselves. Pre think what is happening.
With Christmas right around the corner do you realize that the stores decided last January and February what you would be buying this year? Oh yes, all the big Christmas merchandising shows happen in January and February. The buyers came, looked about bought, back then!
Do what they do. Look at what is happening and prethink your business position. Pre think your merchandising. If you do this better than the competition (and can get the word out better than the competition) people will not only find you but buy more from you. Why? Because you fulfill their need.
Remember the Mickey Mouse Club closing: MIC, see you real soon, KEY, why because we like you….. and did you come back the next day?
Howard Larson
Larson & Associates
Target Marketing & Telesales Professionals for new account acquisition
Making good businesses great and great businesses even better
847-991-0488
howard@larsonassociates.ws
http://www.larsonassociates.ws/
http://larsonassociates.blogspot.com/
http://member.merchantcircle.com/larsonassociates
https://twitter.com/LarsonAssociate
P.S. We make telesales for small business affordable by offering programs down to only 15 hours a week. Maybe you could add telesales into your marketing mix call today and find out.
P.P.S. An American Company, marketing American Companies! Call or email to get an appointment to pick my brain (a $125.00 value) for 30 minutes.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Want To Be Engaging? Cross-Channel!
As a person engaged heavily in Social Media Marketing I find it hard to track and do go tracking of ROI. There are tools that can track some of your activity but not all. If you want to go out and track all your sites, all your customers, all your prospects, all in one place I have 2 words for you; Good Luck!
All marketers actively maintain and growing in Social Media need to find a way to tie all their followers, friends and contacts out of Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, MerchantCircle, Nings, etc together We need the ability to find who are the most socially connected, and of those who have the most far reaching tentacles into your target market. Quantity is not quality!
Conversations with prospects or current customers, your content is your best way and road to engaging them in and beyond the confines of only 1 networking site. Your are not just talking to them one on one but in many cases you are talking to their entire network of followers all at the same time. (Do I see a reverse funnel here?) As any good marketer knows building relations and creating a trust are the bedrock of your efforts of engagement.
As Social Media grows your ability to connect with your prospect in an open and relevant conversation opens up more possibilities in a scalable electronic conversation of transparency.
Larson Notes & Satire: It is no longer good enough to be creative in your advertising and marketing attack. OMG now you have to be real and honest. If not, you will get blasted in the deep reaching world of Social Media. More than one company has felt the wrath of Social Media Justice. Heck I have my own digs with Dr. Pepper and Motel 6 going not to mention American Standard.
So what can you do? Be open, be honest, be engaging and be as transparent as you can.
If you though Pinocchio’s nose got big when he told a lie, Go on and see what happens in a Social Media context.
Howard Larson
Larson & Associates
Target Marketing & Telesales Professionals for new account acquisition
Making good businesses great and great businesses even better
847-991-0488
howard@larsonassociates.ws
http://www.larsonassociates.ws/
http://larsonassociates.blogspot.com/
http://member.merchantcircle.com/larsonassociates
https://twitter.com/LarsonAssociate
P.S. We make telesales for small business affordable by offering programs down to only 15 hours a week. Maybe you could add telesales into your marketing mix call today and find out.
P.P.S. An American Company, marketing American Companies! Call or email to get an appointment to pick my brain (a $125.00 value) for 30 minutes.
All marketers actively maintain and growing in Social Media need to find a way to tie all their followers, friends and contacts out of Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, MerchantCircle, Nings, etc together We need the ability to find who are the most socially connected, and of those who have the most far reaching tentacles into your target market. Quantity is not quality!
Conversations with prospects or current customers, your content is your best way and road to engaging them in and beyond the confines of only 1 networking site. Your are not just talking to them one on one but in many cases you are talking to their entire network of followers all at the same time. (Do I see a reverse funnel here?) As any good marketer knows building relations and creating a trust are the bedrock of your efforts of engagement.
As Social Media grows your ability to connect with your prospect in an open and relevant conversation opens up more possibilities in a scalable electronic conversation of transparency.
Larson Notes & Satire: It is no longer good enough to be creative in your advertising and marketing attack. OMG now you have to be real and honest. If not, you will get blasted in the deep reaching world of Social Media. More than one company has felt the wrath of Social Media Justice. Heck I have my own digs with Dr. Pepper and Motel 6 going not to mention American Standard.
So what can you do? Be open, be honest, be engaging and be as transparent as you can.
If you though Pinocchio’s nose got big when he told a lie, Go on and see what happens in a Social Media context.
Howard Larson
Larson & Associates
Target Marketing & Telesales Professionals for new account acquisition
Making good businesses great and great businesses even better
847-991-0488
howard@larsonassociates.ws
http://www.larsonassociates.ws/
http://larsonassociates.blogspot.com/
http://member.merchantcircle.com/larsonassociates
https://twitter.com/LarsonAssociate
P.S. We make telesales for small business affordable by offering programs down to only 15 hours a week. Maybe you could add telesales into your marketing mix call today and find out.
P.P.S. An American Company, marketing American Companies! Call or email to get an appointment to pick my brain (a $125.00 value) for 30 minutes.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Ongoing Conversation To Engage
If you are lucky enough to be en a thriving and engage social networking group you need to be part to the conversation to grasp a hold of your share to the potential sales. By being engaged you help to create brand loyalty. This form or WOM (word of mouth) marketing can really drive your sales once you cross over to the reverse funnel syndrome. Yet there are a few basic pattern flows you need to be following.
You need to have a long term commitment to the community you are engaging in and are involved in. You are not there not to be one hit wonder one a one month flash in the pan. You’re there to build relationships with your audience and your friends. You can do things like exclusive coupons to those who are in the group and have “friended” you and other site promotions but you need to keep building your base by giving value to their reason for having you as their friend, and this value can only come in the way of good content and good conversation.
In the channel of Social Media Marketing your community is not a campaign. This is not TV or radio where you are talking at your audience. In Social Media you are marketing WITH your audience. Your efforts in customer relationships are the community’s responsibility as a whole, not yours alone. As you cross “platform” into possible different clubs and groups within the community you will be engaged in and with different people promoting different “agendas”. Respond in kind. Don’t be a Social Media bully. The members will shut you down if the Monitor doesn’t do it first.
Your Branding, your PR, your Customer Service all become points of value to this Social Media community. Your digital community will take time to care and nurture but in the end can be well worth the effort in evolving friends and sales.
Larson Notes & Satire: Now I am not saying to be totally mercenary and not be friends with those you are involved with on Social Media sites. After all we CAN sell to our friends, can’t we?
Yet, by being committed, offering ongoing value and involving others into the conversation, you can go a long way to helping your brand to bring in positive results and benefits.
Look at me; will your business even have need of a telesales company? For 95% of you, probably not. BUT I’ll bet my bottom dollar that your business printer or graphic studio could use my services.
Howard Larson
Larson & Associates
Target Marketing & Telesales Professionals for new account acquisition
Making good businesses great and great businesses even better
847-991-0488
howard@larsonassociates.ws
http://www.larsonassociates.ws/
http://larsonassociates.blogspot.com/
http://member.merchantcircle.com/larsonassociates
https://twitter.com/LarsonAssociate
P.S. We make telesales for small business affordable by offering programs down to only 15 hours a week. Maybe you could add telesales into your marketing mix call today and find out.
P.P.S. An American Company, marketing American Companies! Call or email to get an appointment to pick my brain (a $125.00 value) for 30 minutes.
You need to have a long term commitment to the community you are engaging in and are involved in. You are not there not to be one hit wonder one a one month flash in the pan. You’re there to build relationships with your audience and your friends. You can do things like exclusive coupons to those who are in the group and have “friended” you and other site promotions but you need to keep building your base by giving value to their reason for having you as their friend, and this value can only come in the way of good content and good conversation.
In the channel of Social Media Marketing your community is not a campaign. This is not TV or radio where you are talking at your audience. In Social Media you are marketing WITH your audience. Your efforts in customer relationships are the community’s responsibility as a whole, not yours alone. As you cross “platform” into possible different clubs and groups within the community you will be engaged in and with different people promoting different “agendas”. Respond in kind. Don’t be a Social Media bully. The members will shut you down if the Monitor doesn’t do it first.
Your Branding, your PR, your Customer Service all become points of value to this Social Media community. Your digital community will take time to care and nurture but in the end can be well worth the effort in evolving friends and sales.
Larson Notes & Satire: Now I am not saying to be totally mercenary and not be friends with those you are involved with on Social Media sites. After all we CAN sell to our friends, can’t we?
Yet, by being committed, offering ongoing value and involving others into the conversation, you can go a long way to helping your brand to bring in positive results and benefits.
Look at me; will your business even have need of a telesales company? For 95% of you, probably not. BUT I’ll bet my bottom dollar that your business printer or graphic studio could use my services.
Howard Larson
Larson & Associates
Target Marketing & Telesales Professionals for new account acquisition
Making good businesses great and great businesses even better
847-991-0488
howard@larsonassociates.ws
http://www.larsonassociates.ws/
http://larsonassociates.blogspot.com/
http://member.merchantcircle.com/larsonassociates
https://twitter.com/LarsonAssociate
P.S. We make telesales for small business affordable by offering programs down to only 15 hours a week. Maybe you could add telesales into your marketing mix call today and find out.
P.P.S. An American Company, marketing American Companies! Call or email to get an appointment to pick my brain (a $125.00 value) for 30 minutes.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
What Happens After Facebook and Twitter?
Yes there is more to Social Media Marketing than Facebook, Twitter and yes nings.
Marketers who think that their social media needs are covered with Twitter and Facebook are only part of the way into what Social Media can achieve. In only a few short years the tools of Web2.0 have penetrated life on the web as some would never expected. You as a business owner and marketer need to find your special way to get your message out and your message heard using this new way of prospect penetration.
Starting with your web site as the fist “touch point” of your company’s exposure. You need to build up form that base.
As part of a social online community you should be building and channeling your message directly into and around your company web site. The primary object is to create a rewarding experience for your prospect as well as your client.
In the drive point everything you can BACK to your web site. Link link link and give online value.
Larson Notes & Satire: If you look at what I got going Social Media wise; I link my Facebook Fan page http://www.facebook.com/LarsonAndAssociatesFans into my twitter page https://twitter.com/LarsonAssociate which feeds into my LinkedIn account. http://www.linkedin.com/in/larsonassociates . Depending on what I want I can add any comment long that line to list to 1 or all 3. As for the nings and MerchantCircle these are mainly to feed into my web site and with the links build up my sites rankings.
So now you’re wondering what value can I give? I in this case can be you or me. Well look at me. Here I am an old school target marketing / telesales company, why would anyone want to keep going back to MY site?
Funny you should ask. Now the first page is well, pretty standard, www.larsonassociates.ws . And when I look at it so is the second page http://www.larsonassociates.ws/attack which outlines what we do.
But that is where we start to differentiate. The 3rd page http://www.larsonassociates.ws/Printing_Telesales targets our primary target base that being printers.
It is not till you get to page 6 http://www.larsonassociates.ws/marketing_tools that there is a real reason after you read the front pagers to keep coming back because page 6 has 122 marketing weapons. I think I need to add a few more but I will look into that later.
Page 7 http://www.larsonassociates.ws/blogs are blogs that have gotten featured somewhere, heck even here with links to the respective site that featured it. This page is always changing.
And finally on page 10 we have the total Larson Blog http://www.larsonassociates.ws/Larsonssalesmarketingblog . I was using Google Blog spot http://larsonassociates.blogspot.com as my official blog but finally got one actually on the web site. Still post the same material to the Google Blog as I have some loyal readers there.
Now if I can give people a reason to keep company back to my B2B site you surely can. If you can’t think of anything give me a call. I know I can come up with an idea or two or three, but it will cost you. Lol.
Howard Larson
Larson & Associates
Target Marketing & Telesales Professionals for new account acquisition
Making good businesses great and great businesses even better
847-991-0488
howard@larsonassociates.ws
http://www.larsonassociates.ws/
http://larsonassociates.blogspot.com/
http://member.merchantcircle.com/larsonassociates
https://twitter.com/LarsonAssociate
P.S. We make telesales for small business affordable by offering programs down to only 15 hours a week. Maybe you could add telesales into your marketing mix call today and find out.
P.P.S. An American Company, marketing American Companies! Call or email to get an appointment to pick my brain (a $125.00 value) for 30 minutes.
Marketers who think that their social media needs are covered with Twitter and Facebook are only part of the way into what Social Media can achieve. In only a few short years the tools of Web2.0 have penetrated life on the web as some would never expected. You as a business owner and marketer need to find your special way to get your message out and your message heard using this new way of prospect penetration.
Starting with your web site as the fist “touch point” of your company’s exposure. You need to build up form that base.
As part of a social online community you should be building and channeling your message directly into and around your company web site. The primary object is to create a rewarding experience for your prospect as well as your client.
In the drive point everything you can BACK to your web site. Link link link and give online value.
Larson Notes & Satire: If you look at what I got going Social Media wise; I link my Facebook Fan page http://www.facebook.com/LarsonAndAssociatesFans into my twitter page https://twitter.com/LarsonAssociate which feeds into my LinkedIn account. http://www.linkedin.com/in/larsonassociates . Depending on what I want I can add any comment long that line to list to 1 or all 3. As for the nings and MerchantCircle these are mainly to feed into my web site and with the links build up my sites rankings.
So now you’re wondering what value can I give? I in this case can be you or me. Well look at me. Here I am an old school target marketing / telesales company, why would anyone want to keep going back to MY site?
Funny you should ask. Now the first page is well, pretty standard, www.larsonassociates.ws . And when I look at it so is the second page http://www.larsonassociates.ws/attack which outlines what we do.
But that is where we start to differentiate. The 3rd page http://www.larsonassociates.ws/Printing_Telesales targets our primary target base that being printers.
It is not till you get to page 6 http://www.larsonassociates.ws/marketing_tools that there is a real reason after you read the front pagers to keep coming back because page 6 has 122 marketing weapons. I think I need to add a few more but I will look into that later.
Page 7 http://www.larsonassociates.ws/blogs are blogs that have gotten featured somewhere, heck even here with links to the respective site that featured it. This page is always changing.
And finally on page 10 we have the total Larson Blog http://www.larsonassociates.ws/Larsonssalesmarketingblog . I was using Google Blog spot http://larsonassociates.blogspot.com as my official blog but finally got one actually on the web site. Still post the same material to the Google Blog as I have some loyal readers there.
Now if I can give people a reason to keep company back to my B2B site you surely can. If you can’t think of anything give me a call. I know I can come up with an idea or two or three, but it will cost you. Lol.
Howard Larson
Larson & Associates
Target Marketing & Telesales Professionals for new account acquisition
Making good businesses great and great businesses even better
847-991-0488
howard@larsonassociates.ws
http://www.larsonassociates.ws/
http://larsonassociates.blogspot.com/
http://member.merchantcircle.com/larsonassociates
https://twitter.com/LarsonAssociate
P.S. We make telesales for small business affordable by offering programs down to only 15 hours a week. Maybe you could add telesales into your marketing mix call today and find out.
P.P.S. An American Company, marketing American Companies! Call or email to get an appointment to pick my brain (a $125.00 value) for 30 minutes.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Handling The Sales Objection
You want them, you really do, the SALES OJECTION. Embrace the objections of your prospects and customers. This is how you know they are involved n the buying process and that the sale is moving forward.
You need to get your head on and looking forward. Every day on the job you hear the same old objections. You hear them but do you do anything about them? They are the stepping stone to bringing you more business. Objections confirm the need or the desire for your product or service to the customer and help you decide on the next step(s) you need take. It's your responses to the objections that help make or break their buying decision.
This is the reason the responses to your top objections you hear most often should not only be written down but so to should the answers. Plan and prepare yourself to help more the customer though the buying process.
Then when asked you can be ready and not fumbling around your head looking for the answers. Then, pause as if you are reflecting on the question. This shows an overall respect for the customer and for the objection that validates the customer's concern.
Once you have all these questions and answers writing down, practice the delivery of each response. Get genuine feedback, make appropriate changes and then practice the delivery of your responses until they sound natural and responsive not a well rehearsed push-back.
Selling is about helping your prospects and customers solve a problem. If you sell this way, everyone is a winner.
Larson Notes & Satire: Embrace the objection. Let it flow with you and though you. Sort of like the Force in Star Wars. You are moving within that higher sales realm. You are not at war with your customers. When I’m selling I am now consultant to them in my area of expertise. I have attained a status where I am a trusted advisor. With that status comes great responsibility. Now your whole object with your customer is to advice what is best for them, no matter what. If your service or product is not the best one, you need to be (bluntly) honest with them and more importantly yourself and step back and make the right decision. If you can do that, you will make more sales for a longer period of time then you can even begin to dream of.
Need sales help? This is why we started up our “Virtual Sales Manager” and our “Outsource The Sales Department” services. (B2B only)
Howard Larson
Larson & Associates
Target Marketing & Telesales Professionals for new account acquisition
Making good businesses great and great businesses even better
847-991-0488
howard@larsonassociates.ws
http://www.larsonassociates.ws/
http://larsonassociates.blogspot.com/
http://member.merchantcircle.com/larsonassociates
https://twitter.com/LarsonAssociate
P.S. We make telesales for small business affordable by offering programs down to only 15 hours a week. Maybe you could add telesales into your marketing mix call today and find out.
P.P.S. An American Company, marketing American Companies! Call or email to get an appointment to pick my brain (a $125.00 value) for 30 minutes.
You need to get your head on and looking forward. Every day on the job you hear the same old objections. You hear them but do you do anything about them? They are the stepping stone to bringing you more business. Objections confirm the need or the desire for your product or service to the customer and help you decide on the next step(s) you need take. It's your responses to the objections that help make or break their buying decision.
This is the reason the responses to your top objections you hear most often should not only be written down but so to should the answers. Plan and prepare yourself to help more the customer though the buying process.
Then when asked you can be ready and not fumbling around your head looking for the answers. Then, pause as if you are reflecting on the question. This shows an overall respect for the customer and for the objection that validates the customer's concern.
Once you have all these questions and answers writing down, practice the delivery of each response. Get genuine feedback, make appropriate changes and then practice the delivery of your responses until they sound natural and responsive not a well rehearsed push-back.
Selling is about helping your prospects and customers solve a problem. If you sell this way, everyone is a winner.
Larson Notes & Satire: Embrace the objection. Let it flow with you and though you. Sort of like the Force in Star Wars. You are moving within that higher sales realm. You are not at war with your customers. When I’m selling I am now consultant to them in my area of expertise. I have attained a status where I am a trusted advisor. With that status comes great responsibility. Now your whole object with your customer is to advice what is best for them, no matter what. If your service or product is not the best one, you need to be (bluntly) honest with them and more importantly yourself and step back and make the right decision. If you can do that, you will make more sales for a longer period of time then you can even begin to dream of.
Need sales help? This is why we started up our “Virtual Sales Manager” and our “Outsource The Sales Department” services. (B2B only)
Howard Larson
Larson & Associates
Target Marketing & Telesales Professionals for new account acquisition
Making good businesses great and great businesses even better
847-991-0488
howard@larsonassociates.ws
http://www.larsonassociates.ws/
http://larsonassociates.blogspot.com/
http://member.merchantcircle.com/larsonassociates
https://twitter.com/LarsonAssociate
P.S. We make telesales for small business affordable by offering programs down to only 15 hours a week. Maybe you could add telesales into your marketing mix call today and find out.
P.P.S. An American Company, marketing American Companies! Call or email to get an appointment to pick my brain (a $125.00 value) for 30 minutes.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Supporting Your Brand On Social Media Sites
Here we are, trying to work our way though a wide world of web confusion. Everyone claiming to be an expert who can grab a mouse and a keyboard and get online.
You want a solid following in your Social Media Marketing efforts? Ok, try this; realize that the broadcast approach is no long as relevant as it once was. Even E-Mail needs to be keyed in and tailored to the recipient or it gets dumped into the spam box.
Not just your group of friends and followers but the entire group of members is there looking over your involvement. These are not just names on a screen but real people. My suggestion is that you focus on acquiring the data of people who are interested in your brand, your service, your product, your company.
Don’t be shy. Directly ask for contact information to engage in a solid pointed conversation. It needs to be real and relevant and work across all platforms you are engaged with.
And as you do it all funnels down to this: I you are asking people so sign up to be your friend or follower, then you need to make the most of that opportunity by using the engagement to give them a value proportion on what you can to for them.
Larson Notes & Satire: It is not about you. It is all about them. It always has been. Even before the web. Before social media, it was about them. Whenever you engage in any kind of sales or marketing effort it is about the customer. If you can solve their problem, take away their pain, help make them happy, they will love you and buy from you.
Marketing and sales is not about what is good for you. The customer, the buyer could care less about what you need. They care what is important to them at that very minute. Business is not about being concerned about what you want out of life, but what other people, who happen to be your target market need and want. Get this straight and as a result you will get what you want 10 times over.
Howard Larson
Larson & Associates
Target Marketing & Telesales Professionals for new account acquisition
Making good businesses great and great businesses even better
847-991-0488
howard@larsonassociates.ws
http://www.larsonassociates.ws/
http://larsonassociates.blogspot.com/
http://member.merchantcircle.com/larsonassociates
https://twitter.com/LarsonAssociate
P.S. We make telesales for small business affordable by offering programs down to only 15 hours a week. Maybe you could add telesales into your marketing mix call today and find out.
P.P.S. An American Company, marketing American Companies! Call or email to get an appointment to pick my brain (a $125.00 value) for 30 minutes.
You want a solid following in your Social Media Marketing efforts? Ok, try this; realize that the broadcast approach is no long as relevant as it once was. Even E-Mail needs to be keyed in and tailored to the recipient or it gets dumped into the spam box.
Not just your group of friends and followers but the entire group of members is there looking over your involvement. These are not just names on a screen but real people. My suggestion is that you focus on acquiring the data of people who are interested in your brand, your service, your product, your company.
Don’t be shy. Directly ask for contact information to engage in a solid pointed conversation. It needs to be real and relevant and work across all platforms you are engaged with.
And as you do it all funnels down to this: I you are asking people so sign up to be your friend or follower, then you need to make the most of that opportunity by using the engagement to give them a value proportion on what you can to for them.
Larson Notes & Satire: It is not about you. It is all about them. It always has been. Even before the web. Before social media, it was about them. Whenever you engage in any kind of sales or marketing effort it is about the customer. If you can solve their problem, take away their pain, help make them happy, they will love you and buy from you.
Marketing and sales is not about what is good for you. The customer, the buyer could care less about what you need. They care what is important to them at that very minute. Business is not about being concerned about what you want out of life, but what other people, who happen to be your target market need and want. Get this straight and as a result you will get what you want 10 times over.
Howard Larson
Larson & Associates
Target Marketing & Telesales Professionals for new account acquisition
Making good businesses great and great businesses even better
847-991-0488
howard@larsonassociates.ws
http://www.larsonassociates.ws/
http://larsonassociates.blogspot.com/
http://member.merchantcircle.com/larsonassociates
https://twitter.com/LarsonAssociate
P.S. We make telesales for small business affordable by offering programs down to only 15 hours a week. Maybe you could add telesales into your marketing mix call today and find out.
P.P.S. An American Company, marketing American Companies! Call or email to get an appointment to pick my brain (a $125.00 value) for 30 minutes.
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