Alice Heiman LLC

This is the 6th of 8 things you can do to get more sales in 2010.

6. Use social media to your advantage. 

Learn about social media and how it could benefit your company.  Figure out which social media attracts your ideal prospects.  You need a social media plan that fits into your marketing plan.  It won’t be long before every marketing plan will include social media as one of the media like radio, TV, print.  How can social media compliment what you are already doing for marketing, how can it enhance it?  Can you do it yourself or do you need to find someone on your team who will do it?  Do you need to hire a specialist or outsource it?  There are some great people out there in our community who can help, I would be happy to direct you to a few.  Don’t dismiss social media.  It is here to stay and it may be just what your company needs to establish relationships, deepen relationships and generate leads.  Figure out how to share your expertise and become part of the conversation.

Uncategorized

I found another great sales blog you will find valuable www.salestrainingadvice.com.

Uncategorized increasing sales, Sales, selling

This is the 5th of 8 things you can do to get more sales in 2010.

5. Get focused and plan. 

Plan like you have never planned before.  You can’t let things just happen in 2010, you need to make them happen.  Business as usual will not get you the results you need.  Sit down with your team, your friends, a coach, SCORE, SBA, SBDC or by yourself and plan.  Think about what you want to accomplish in 2010.  Write out those goals and the action steps needed to achieve them.  Figure out what resources you are going to need.  Figure out what you need to do each day, each week, each month to reach those goals.  Plan your growth, plan your marketing, plan new product launches, plan your social media, plan events, make a networking plan.  Just sit down and plan.  Then keep the plan handy so you can review it.  Block time on your calendar each week to do the things needed to reach your goals.  Review your plan monthly and celebrate success and make the needed changes to stay on course or deliberately change course.

Uncategorized

This is the 4th of 8 things you can do to get more sales in 2010.

4. Market, Market, Market. 

Did I say market?  Why would anyone stop marketing in this economy?  I don’t get it.  You need more business not less and it takes a lot more work to get the number of customers you need.  This is not the time to cut the marketing budget.  You need to market to your existing customers as well as your prospects and you need to keep growing your prospect list.  Make a plan.  If you don’t have a marketing plan it is time to make one.  If you don’t know how, seek help immediately.  Look on line, read a book, outsource, ask a friend, work with a marketing coach.  You need a written plan and someone at your company designated to execute it or outsource the execution.  I hear so many of my clients say, “We have never had to market ourselves, we had enough business.”  This is so scary to me.  Think about this, if they had that much business coming in without marketing, think of how wildly successful they could have been with that plus some marketing.  Well, as we are all keenly aware, the business has stopped rolling in.  Now you have to go out and make it start rolling again.  You can’t do that without a marketing plan that generates leads.  What are you going to do each day, week, month to keep the leads rolling in?  You don’t need a gigantic budget to have a good marketing plan.  You can use social media, email, the phone, direct mail and events to stay in front of your customers with valuable information.  And if you have the budget for it, radio and TV are a steal these days.

Uncategorized

This is the 3rd of 8 things you can do to get more sales in 2010.

3.  Stay in touch with your customers. 

Really!  Take your customer lists and clean them up.  Make sure all of your information is current.  Go back at least 3 years.  As I have said many times before, ‘there is a goldmine in your existing customer database.’  Remember that the easiest business you will ever get is more business from your existing customers.  Make sure you have lots of valid reasons to be in touch with them frequently, customer service being number one.  When was the last time you called all of your customers to find out their level of satisfaction with their purchases?  When was the last time you called to thank them for their business?  When was the last time you asked them for a referral, sent them a tip, a newsletter and article with useful information?   When was the last time you clipped an article about a customer and mailed it to them?  Are you connected with all of your customers on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or the social media of their choice?  Stay in touch, be proactive.  Don’t wait for your customers to call you to tell you there is a problem. Call them to make sure everything is great.

Uncategorized

This is the 2nd of 8 things you can do to get more sales in 2010.

2. Partner. 

Now more than ever, find companies you can partner with.  These can be companies who do the same thing (maybe even a competitor) or companies that do complimentary things or have basic services that your clients need.  If you do the same thing, is it possible to sub some work out to each other when one of you gets too busy or refer a client who needs the service but is just not a good fit personally?  With complimentary services, share lists of customers and see who you have in common.  Work together to bring added value to those customers.  Look at your lists together and think about who could use the others service and then strategize on a way to introduce that service and bring your partner in.  You can share leads and make introductions informally or you can write an agreement that allows for commissions.  Make a list of companies you know that you could partner with and schedule meetings to explore the possibilities.

Uncategorized

by Andrea Sittig-Rolf

What’s on your wish list this year?  If you’re a small business owner, sales professional, or job seeker, it may be a new client, or a new job.  

Before attending networking events this year, you’ll want to be prepared for the opportunities that present themselves.  First, you already know the importance of having a business card that identifies who you are, but what about having a business card that actually promotes who you are?  Here are some suggestions on how to create such a business card:

• It should be double-sided.  On the front, include your name, contact information, expertise (i.e. job title), and headshot.

Even if you’re unemployed, your former job title can easily convey your expertise. Your headshot is necessary so that when following up with the people you meet, they can easily put a name with a face and remember who you are.

• On the back, include your 5 word personal mission statement.  To do this, simply complete the statement: “I help companies”.  The fourth word should be a verb, the fifth word a noun, and you want to sum up the result you create for companies, without revealing how you get to that result.  Here are a couple of examples of personal mission statements:
  • “I help companies increase profits.”
  • “I help companies drive sales.”
  • “I help companies cut costs.”
  • “I help companies increase productivity.”
  • “I help companies increase efficiency.”

Networking is a little like dating – you want to create a little mystery and leave them wanting more!  The event is just the first step to the opportunity.  It’s an introduction.  You don’t, want to go into your whole life history and spell out the details of your resume; you just want to quickly give people an idea of what you can do for them, give them your card and say, “Maybe we can talk more about this some time.”  You don’t want to be overbearing, but you do want to take advantage of the new contacts you’ll meet during networking events this year.

 This special type of business card acts as a tool that will promote you when you’re not around. With the short, to-the-point mission statement on the back of the card, you’ll create curiosity that will motivate the people you meet to follow up and schedule face-to-face meetings to learn even more about how you can help them.

 Andrea Sittig-Rolf is a sales trainer, public speaker, author, and president of Sittig Incorporated, a sales training and consulting firm. Her books are available wherever books are sold.  Visit her website at www.sittiginc.com . For more information about her newest book, Rev Your Resume: Revolutionize, Revitalize, & Rev Up Your Resume; Create Your Accomplishments Portfolio & Land Your Dream Job (Aspatore Books, 2010), plus FREE ONLINE TOOLKIT, go to www.revyourresume.com . 

Uncategorized

I am looking for business owners who do most of the selling for their company and want to increase sales now. We are offering a special course on selling specific to the needs of business owners. For more information, click the link www.powerfulsalesstrategies.com or call 852-5020.

Business Owners, Sales, Sales Management Business Owners, increasing sales, Sales, selling

We are turning the corner!  Get ready for 2010.  It is going to be a good year for growth.  Many companies struggled through 2009 and there were some who did well and grew.  Get your company geared up to grow in 2010 – you can increase your sales even in this economy.  Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting 8 things you can do to get more sales in 2010:

1. More networking and better follow up. Think you are doing enough networking?  Can you do more? Are you networking in the right places? As my friend Kymberlee Simantel says, “Networking is not an activity, it is a frame of mind.”  Make sure you are getting out to the events where your ideal prospects may be.  Utilize online networking.  Talk to people at parties, sporting events, PTA, Rotary, everywhere.  Build relationships.  Make your networking count by doing the follow up.  Call people to meet for coffee, lunch, cocktails or an office visit.  How many appointments should you set each week in order to meet enough people that you can do business with directly, partner with or become a referral source for?  Learn about them and what you can do for them.  This will lead to a stronger relationship.  Use your network to help you when you need it, for introductions, ideas, referrals, etc.  The next time you are trying to meet someone from a certain company instead of cold calling them, put a note out to your network asking if anyone can introduce you to this person.

Building Relationships, Business Owners, Networking, Sales

I always enjoy reading Gerhard’s blog.  This link is to The 10 Best Books to Read in 2010.

http://sellingpower.typepad.com/gg/2009/12/the-10-best-books-to-read-in-2010-part-i-.html

Sales, Sales Coaching, Sales Management