With better economic conditions coming soon, there couldn’t be a better time to brush up on your sales skills. The recent downturn has made companies think twice about who they are dealing with and has made them potentially more likely to switch suppliers. Perhaps to your firm?

Here are a few ideas to get you and your sales team fired up!

Don’t give up on your bottom 80%
The rule of thumb has generally been that top 20% of your customers generate 80% of your revenues. However, due the slump, don’t give up on your bottom 80% of your customers. Your best clients for 2010 might not have spent anything in 2009. Hopefully you’re still on their radar for when they are ready to spend again.

Map out a sales plan
It’s worth laying out a sales plan so your reps aren’t running off in all directions. Map out a timeline for every step in the sales cycle. Look at researching prospects, making initial contact, presenting the product and closing the deal.

Get the CEO some face time
I’ve always been a proponent of getting the CEO out in front of clients so he or she really knows what’s going on. It also sets a great example with the sales team. And nothing says “I really want your business” more than a CEO who makes the effort to meet with potential customers.

Listening vs. Boasting
Successful salespeople listen a lot more than they talk. They’re able to ask focused questions, such as “What is the greatest challenge you see your company facing in 2010” and listen closely to the answers. This will likely reveal the customer point of pain which you and your company can address. Or, on the flip side, get your potential clients to paint a picture of success and inquire what has stopped them from achieving it. Figure out what you can do to help them get there.

Be realistic on what you can deliver
Your salespeople might be landing business at prices lower than your cost. Talk to your team and make sure they know they can go this low, but no lower.
2 Comments » | Trackback | Share This

If you are interested to follow small business twitter bloggers, here is a great list for you and it takes only one ‘click’ to follow them all.

The nice thing about this list is, that I know most of the included bloggers for years – so I can promise you won’t be disappointed, if you are after business tweets – after all ‘yours truly‘ is included too.

Twitter is an essential small business marketing, customer care and business networking tool – you need to be on it today.

This list was put together by @trustesmallbiz – thanks for that guys.

Sign up and then follow these great business tweeters @ tweepml.org

A small business quote a day keeps you thinking, inspired and entertained. 

“I know that half the money I spend on advertising is wasted, but I can never find out which half.”

John Wanamaker (1838-1922) US businessman, quoted in ‘How to Acquire Customers on the Web’, Harvard Business Review (Donna L. Huffman & Thomas P. Novak; 2000) 

To view previous quotes of the day, click here  

A small business quote a day keeps you thinking, inspired and entertained. 

“I never felt anyone bought anything from a teacher.”

Dan Wieden (b. 1945) US advertising executive, referring to the need for advertising to sell, New York Times (October 1995) 

To view previous quotes of the day, click here  

A small business quote a day keeps you thinking, inspired and entertained. 

“Advertising is the very essence of democracy.”

Bruce Barton (1886-1967) US advertising executive & author, Reader’s Digest (1955) 

To view previous quotes of the day, click here  

Does anyone actually believe this rubbish? Are people so desperate or easy to fool that they would fall for something like this? What is the risk? How much do you invest and possibly loose?

I love twitter and advocate it during my public speaking engagements, on my blog and in general conversation, but i must admit there are times when these people with their scams are getting to me. People must fall for this sort of rubbish, although I don’t understand how?

The first thing that comes to mind is ask these people how much money they are making a day, or as in this case per hour? If I’d make $5,000.00 per hour, I’d be busy making money and not spamming on twitter.

Real business opportunities get drowned out by these scams.

It’s the old saying, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true. –ST.

A small business quote a day keeps you thinking, inspired and entertained. 

“Good advertising can make people buy your product even if it sucks… A dollar spent on brainwashing is more cost-effective than a dollar spent on product improvement.”

Scott Adams (b. 1957) US cartoonist & humorist, The Dilbert Principle (1996) 

To view previous quotes of the day, click here  

A small business quote a day keeps you thinking, inspired and entertained. 

“Whatever happens, you get your pet back.”

Anonymous, slogan of a Manhattan firm founded by two brothers, one a vet, the other a taxidermist, quoted in Architect’s Journal (13 July 2000) 

To view previous quotes of the day, click here  

A small business quote a day keeps you thinking, inspired and entertained. 

“Advertising challenges don’t come much bigger than this.”

Anonymous, referring to the task of transforming the brand image of Skoda cars, Sunday Telegraph (August 2000) 

To view previous quotes of the day, click here 

Small businesses often struggle to make their presence felt. They do not have the gigantic advertising budgets that are at the disposal of big corporations, so they need all the help that they can get. I recently heard from Evelyn at Mediacontact.ie about a very useful training course being offered to small and medium businesses in Ireland that aims to provide them with the tools they need to be successful in their dealings with the media. 

The course lasts for a day and participants learn how to communicate messages successfully and effectively to their target audience, whilst also generating the maximum amount of publicity. It also covers all aspects of Irish media and how to use it to the advantage of your small business. 

It seems like this information would be very helpful to any SME owner wishing to learn how best to contact the media. You can find out more about Mediacontact’s Public Relations Masterclass and book your place on the course by clicking here.