Building Business Relationships

Are Sales Gimmicks Worth It?

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:00:56 -0500

You can't please everyone, in fact, some of the best working sales gimmicks annoy many of the people who receive them. Some are upset beyond belief, insulted, even will refuse to do business with you in the future. But what really matters ...

Use Common Curtesous in Social Networking Communities

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 06:40:33 -0500

Just because you are on-line doesn't mean you doesn't mean you can be an annoying douche bag. The rules of social interaction are the same on-line as they are off-line. Here's how NOT to be annoying:

Best Insight for Recessionary Marketing

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:15:39 -0500

While news cries about the recession, you can choose not to participate if you understand how to market in this environment. Everyone wants to tell you what to do, but only this method will show you what works for you.

Biggest Social Media Marketing Mistakes

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 06:18:18 -0500

With all the excitement around social media many business-to-business marketers are missing the point. How much time are you spending with these new tools? They make these horrible mistakes that you will avoid to be successful:

Testing Strategies that Get Your Copy Approved

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 16:34:07 -0500

It's important to test all your copy, and how you test it is just as important as testing itself. Testing helps focus your marketing dollars on results. Here are some copy testing strategies to help you determine which copy really works:

Are You Waiting for the Economy to Improve?

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 06:49:34 -0500

You are facing slow downs in your market, customers aren't buying, and your numbers look gloomy. It's in the news, candidates promising change. This is what I hear from members, but are you waiting for the economy to improve?

Improper Use of Sales Gimmicks Insults Prospects

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 13:39:55 -0500

You've likely seen a sales person botch a selling gimmick designed to engage a prospect. Was it a trade show, cold call prospecting, or at an event? Here's what really happens ...

Connecting With Readers on Social Bookmark Sites

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:44:28 -0500

Using social media to promote your business website is all the rage. Or so the experts say. While I'm not one to follow the latest buzz, I have found some valuable ways to use the tool of social bookmarks that I'd like to share with you.

How to Focus on Selling without Projects Suffering

Tue, 01 May 2007 10:15:56 -0500

In talking about mistakes my mentor pointed out, that fateful day 1996. He noted staff were running around 50+ hours a week, yet still taking 4 days to return calls from customers. I was working hard and still losing money, what could be done.

Reducing Time to Close, Even if You Use Proposals

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 17:45:06 -0500

Business-to-business firms constantly struggle with time to sale, whether it's putting together a proposal or estimate quickly, or just getting to close. The average complex high dollar sale can take 12 months to close, so after a prospect is interested why make the proposal take any longer.

Increasing Contract Margins Quickly without Losing Sales

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 13:33:48 -0500

Tired of working hard with nothing to show for it. Not every contract is a profitable one and in the business-to-business world there won't be volume to make up the difference. That's why in 1996 when a mentor pointed out that some of my contracts were pulling negative profits, my eyes were opened to a new approach.

How You Describe Yourself Matters in Selling

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 09:45:13 -0500

If you want to be remembered, you need to be memorable. Not in the "brand building" way those advertising agencies push, but in measurable terms that keep customers calling you over anyone else. How are you describing yourself?

Avoiding the "Jack of All Trades" Syndrome

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 06:11:21 -0500

In the early days of my computer consulting firm, I would do anything for anyone cared to sign a contract. From simple preventative maintenance to complex site integrations for the government. Here's why this is such a huge mistake ...

Getting Paid On Your Sales Faster

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 15:16:29 -0500

A huge, massive, and ultimately the mistake that destroyed my IT consulting business was getting the money. I didn't have any trouble finding and converting prospects, nor setting up large margins, however, getting paid was a big problem from 1996 to 1999. Are you interested in getting paid faster, with less hassle and lower overhead?

Cut Selling Overhead in Two Easy Steps

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 12:52:20 -0500

My mentor was right when he said I was "all over the place, losing opportunities for business growth" because I was always looking the other way. A critical mistake pointed out was my overhead dealing with unqualified prospects ...