Sales Debriefing

Let's face it, as small business owners you have to be a 'sales person' whether you want to be or not. While you would rather be focusing on the bigger picture, if you want to be successful you need to engage in sales conversations on a regular basis. So, how did your last sales call go? Did you make the sale? Why, or why not?

Taking the time to debrief after a call can help you do a much better job the next time. So, what types of questions should you be asking?

• How did the prospect react to the information provided - People process information in several different ways; some need to ask a lot of questions, others just want the top line summary. Some prospects need visual examples, others need a hands on experience to fully grasp your offering/product. So, did you adjust the call to their style, or did you simply run through the same presentation as you always do?
• What was the mutually agreed "yes" - Was everyone clear on the purpose of the call? Too often people pick up the phone or drop by to chat, and at the end of the day they say goodbye with no clear next step. While it is helpful to keep your name in front of people, going into a call with a plan will help you move toward a desired outcome. Making sure the other person knows the outcome options on the front end helps as well. If you are hoping to get an invitation for an office visit, did your prospect know that at the beginning of the conversation?
• Did you provide a USP? - Be different. All businesses must have a Unique Selling Point. If you do not stand out from the crowd, why should a prospect choose you? Make sure to send a clear message as to what you offer that others do not. Focus more on what makes you unique, as opposed to simply what you do.
• What pain indicator made you relevant - Did you take the time to find out what they really needed? Or do you have a one size fits all solution you are trying to shove at every prospect, regardless of what they need? If you are unable to empathize or relate to your prospect, they will not see the relevance of you or your company.
• What is their budget? - This is a tough one. Most people don't like to talk about money, but it is important to get this on the table early in the sales process. Do they have the funds? Is this something they are willing to invest in? You don't have to nail them down to an exact amount in the first conversation, but you should have an idea if you are playing in the same ball park.
• What happens next? - After you hang up the phone, is there a clear next step? If not, review the list of other questions. Do a better job of getting these answers and the next steps will be obvious.

About the Author:

As Creative Director or Roundpeg, Lorraine Ball is typically at the center of the managed chaos that keeps this agency on it's toes. With more than thirty years as a marketing professional (lie, tell her she doesn’t look that old) Lorraine is a native New Yorker, and a Hoosier by choice, committed to fostering growth and entrepreneurship in her adopted city. 

When not at Roundpeg, Lorraine can be found sharing what she knows in seminars and presentations around the country. She has a BA from Queens College, City University of NY, and an MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Follow @lorraineball | Connect on LinkedIn

Reaching out to a Prospect: How Much is Too Much?

So you have the perfect prospect who fits all your target criteria, and you decide to reach out to them. You get their voicemail, or the receptionist, and after several attempts you get no return call, no messages, no emails, nothing. What do you do next? How long should you keep trying before coming off as annoying and irritating? How much is too much when it comes to reaching out to a prospect?

When you are selling a product or service, you need to be persistent. But, there is a fine line between persistence and annoyance. If you are uncertain where to draw the line, here are some tips to help you out.

Email versus phone; which is better? You can choose between using an email or a phone call, or both - depending on the type of product or service you are offering, and what you think will resonate more with each specific prospect.

Reaching out via Email

In today's tech savvy world, emails are a great means of getting a message across. It doesn’t put too much stress on the prospect, or on you, and it can be saved for later reading. But if you choose to start the communication via email, as most businesses prefer, do not be too surprised if you do not get a response after the first email. People receive a plethora of emails on a daily basis, and many of those emails end up in trash or junk mail. That being said, if you decide to use the email approach, go ahead and schedule several follow-up emails without the fear of coming off as a pest. Make sure to space them out by a few days to a week.

Tip: Make sure that you are targeting to the appropriate contact with relevant information. Small Business CRM can categorize prospects and update the status of various prospects so you do not have to waste your time finding out what your prospects have been up to. With the use of a Simple CRM you will get this done much faster and with a more precise message.

Reaching out via Phone

If you decide to proceed with a phone call, be prepared for reaching voicemail or the 'gatekeeper'. If you do manage to get through, you need to be natural yet to the point. Remember that politeness is key; "Hello Mr/Mrs [name], how are you? This is [name] from [company]...". It is always good to ask if they are busy or if they have a few moments. Again, you want to be brief, especially when making a cold call. People are busy, and you do not want to come across as wasting their time. Time is important in today's busy world, let them know you are cognizant to that fact.

 

Phone and Email Combination

The best method is, of course, the email/phone combination. Start with a phone call. If you leave a message, feel free to let them know that you will follow up with an email if there is information you need them to review, or if you are attempting to set time for a meeting. With this method, it allows them to follow up with their preferred communication message. When making cold calls/contacts with little information, wait at least 48 hours between the two combinations if you do not want to be perceived as a bother.

When You Should Stop

When you are getting into your follow up calls and emails, make sure to give a value proposition and modify your follow up messages. Always reply within your initial message sent. If you are saying the exact same thing each time, you have a higher rate of losing their interest. After sending the two (slightly different emails) the third one should be the final email. Let them know in a non-direct and non-threatening way that this is your last contact. As opposed to saying, "this is your last chance for a discussion", or "I will no longer be reaching out", try modifying your message to, "if you get to a point where a conversation makes sense, please feel free to reach out". If you do not receive a response after three emails or three phone calls, then it is probably time to stop.

Blogging: 5 Tips to Make Your Blog Work For You

In the last ten years, blogging has evolved. Now, a blog is considered a key marketing component to providing value to current and prospective customers. As a result, blogging has evolved into an art form all its own. Is it any wonder many blog owners find themselves floundering in unfamiliar territory? Here are five tips to make your blog work for you.

Blog Writing Tip 1: Build Blog Engagement

Does your blog resonate with readers? Creating resonance is easy. Offer value. Think about what’s in it for your reader, not what’s in it for you. What’s the pain point for your audience? How can your unique product or experiences help someone else? These are key elements to reaching your audience and making your blog special.

Blog Writing Tip 2: Good Blog Posts Don’t Use Gimmicks

Sensational headlines and cheesy word play only does disservice to your blog if there’s no real substance behind the title. Readers want to be sucked in because they see value in your blog post. Your title is the first and most important way to achieve that. A vague, uninteresting, or misleading blog title will kill reader interest in ten seconds or less.

Blog Writing Tip 3: Don't Ignore SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a blog writer's best friend. Every blog post can and should provide value to readers but why just give it away?

A blog post can do double duty – providing long term SEO value for your website while attracting new visitors who have an interest in your products and providing value to the reader.

If time is money, then SEO insures your time spent blog writing (or paying for blog writing services) is money well spent. Keyword research is an essential part of this. Once created, that focused, timely, keyword-rich blog post is yours forever and can give your website dividends for years to come.

Blog Writing Tip 4: Avoid Too Much Content

Think of Goldilocks - too small, too big, and just right. Creating a 1,000 word blog post is too big and few will read it. Too short and search engines won't index it. Expect to share your message in 300 – 600 concise words. (Search engines require at least 300 words minimum). Use the "just right" number of words to get your message across.

This is not a hard and fast rule as more complicated topics may require more word count. Break complex topics up into multiple articles. Always choose a tightly focused keyword topic and stick to it. Use images to add variety to your content. Too much dense content packed on a page will overwhelm a reader mentally. A few creative minutes with PowerPoint and a picture editor could work wonders. Not to mention all the free images on the internet.

Blog Writing Tip 5: Avoid Posting Too Frequently

Life sure is busy these days, isn’t it? Between work, family, social media, and hobbies, who has time for casual reading online? As it turns out, blogs are an easy way to gain information quickly. Blog posts should be a reasonable number of times to suit your audience size and needs. A good rule of thumb is no more than twice a week and only if your blog post has important information (see blog writing tip #1) to share. Don’t blog for the sake of meeting some self-imposed expectation to do so every Tuesday and Thursday. Value your readers' time and they’ll stick with you long after your first blog post.

Are you overwhelmed by blogging and need more than just five simple blog writing tips? Never fear, our AddressTwo partner provider Charity Kountz of Kountz Marketing Group, has a special offer below just for our readers! 

Charity Kountz is an award winning children's author, freelance writer, and marketing consultant based in Dallas, Texas. She is committed to one simple goal: success for her clients. Connect with her on LinkedIn to learn more or visit her website.

Solving the Writing Dilemma

People joke about Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) but when they are well done, they can make a business hum right along. Following established SOPs creates consistency for customers and allows workers to know what has to be done, how and when it needs to be done – and often, who is going to do it. Processes make it easier to grow and promote greater profits because energy can be expended on expansion, not the routine – just like using AddressTwo!

Use a process to take away the frustration of writing.

In today’s business environment, many business owners know about the “free” marketing available using blogging and social media like Facebook and Twitter. And they like the cost of it. The price they see is that the content has to be written and that’s when all of us at Whitesides Words hear:

• I don't have anything to say
• I can't write it so people would understand.
• Who would want to hear what I have to say?

My reply is, “Yes, you do. Yes, you can and a lot of people are looking for the information you provide.” Let’s look at blogging and one SOP process to make it routine and more easily achievable.

First off, understand that people search the Internet every day looking for products, services and solutions to their problems. Identify the problems your business can solve or prevent, explain how and searchers are led to your website. But just writing how you can solve a problem probably won’t give you the 300 – 500 word blog post. It’s easy, though, to achieve that if you create a story following a format, a process:

1. Set up the story: Share that you are telling about a customer experience, a news item that highlights a problem, a common situation you encounter or a customer testimonial.
2. Explain the problem: How was it found (symptoms or signs) and how to diagnose it.
3. Offer the solution(s): Explain the possible solutions and then tell which was chosen and why. Don’t get too technical or divulge too many details. Most customers want evidence of expertise and professionalism, but then they want you to fix the problem.
4. Share the outcome: How did the fix go? Did other problems crop up? What was prevented by fixing it now?
5. Suggest they contact you: This is a “call to action.” A sentence at the end that says your company is there to help them solve their problems, too. All they have to do is pick up the phone!

Just think of all the situations and problems you encounter every week. Use this process and you could have at least one blog post per week. In fact, others in your business could follow the process and contribute, too!

Just think about it!

Elaine Whitesides

12 Interesting Business Blog Facts & Stats From @KenE3C

A Guest Blog Post from e Web2 Sales and Profits (3 Part Series) 

Part 3 of 3

I attended a great HubSpot webinar in 2012 on business blogging and wanted to share these interesting facts and statistics on business impact of blogging. If you don't have a blog or you are not convinced to that it will work for you. Think again. I strongly encourage you to start a blog or seek to improve your current blog. Enjoy.

Blog Facts & Stats:

1.      Companies that blog have 97% more inbound links than those that don't. Creating great content is the key to getting inbound links – there's just no substitute.

2.      Businesses that blog at least 20 times per month generate 5X more traffic and 4X more leads than those that only blog a few times per month.

3.      Creating, optimizing, and promoting content are keys to filling the top of your sales and marketing funnel with more website traffic and leads. The good news is that companies who create, optimize and promote their blogs get 55% more traffic and 70% more leads than those who don't.

4.      Blog posts that were shared on just Twitter had 113% more inbound links than those not shared on social media at all.

5.      B2B companies that blog generate 67% more leads per month than those that do not.

6.      About 46% of daily internet users read more than one blog every day.

7.      65% of daily internet users read a blog. It could be YOUR blog if you make it easy for them to find it.

8.      Blog posts that were shared on Twitter and Facebook got 149% more inbound links than those not shared on social media at all.

9.      Blog posts shared on Twitter get 113% more inbound links than those not shared on social media at all.

10.  Two-thirds of marketers say their company blog is "critical" or "important" to their business. Part of the reason is that blogs are a great way to engage your visitors.

11.  36% of daily internet users read 5 to 10 blog posts per day.

12.  Websites with Blogs have 434% more indexed pages (helps search engines & SEO efforts) and 97 % more inbound links.

If you have questions or you are struggling with the topic, let's connect and talk. We offer a Sales, Web & Profit Jump Start session for any business owner or entrepreneur who has questions and concerned about their company's growth, sales and profitability. We encourage you to contact us. We will be happy to help and support you and your business.

My Results from Blogging From @KenE3C

A Guest Blog Post from e Web2 Sales and Profits (3 Part Series) 

Part 2 of 3

Last installment, (Blogging for Business for More Sales and Profits) I introduced the concept of blogging, its connection to sales and profitability and how I made my conversion to blogging.

When it comes to blogging, most people know what they SHOULD do. However, few people actually KNOW HOW how to do it. In 2006, I made a commitment to blogging and I have been blogging ever since. Now, I am a expert blogger for several organizations, including Address Two University. Fortunately, I have been recognized by InsideView as one of the top 25 Sales Industry Leaders and my podcast has been selected as one of the best business podcast for small business by Small Business Trends. Here are some of my results from my blog and blogging:

1.      Over 25,000 followers on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Google+ combined

2.      My Company blog has produced hundreds Twitter Shares, Facebook Likes and Shares Linkedin Likes and Linkedin Shares Google Plus+ (I couldn't count them all or I would never finish this article)

3.      Positive web presence – if you Google or do a search on “Kenneth Darryl Brown”, you'll get positive results because on my commitment to blogging

4.      Improved SEO and web presence for me and my company

Additionally, I have been asked to speak at numerous networking, business meetings, conferences and events.

There are multiple benefits to having a company blog. Here are some obvious ones:

1.      Enhances your search engine optimization for your chosen keywords and phrases for your website and company.

2.      Improves your own personal web presence and online digital image.

3.      Promotes your products and services.

4.      Directs visitors and readers to other sections of your website and to specific landing pages.

5.      Helps you to become a better expert which will improve your trust and credibility.

6.      Improves your focus on creating new ideas, strategies, tactics, products and services for your best prospects and clients.

7.      Generates more public exposure for you and your company that can improve your marketing and sales efforts.

If these are some of the initial benefits, why don't more business owners and entrepreneurs have blog and commit to blogging on a regular basis? That is unfortunate, because a blog can produce amazing results for any business that commits to writing one. I will share more interesting business blog facts and figures in future articles.

Again, when it comes to blogging, most people know what they SHOULD do. However, few people actually KNOW HOW how to do it.

In the next few blog posts, I will share my ideas, strategies, tactics, experiences and insights on how to use your blog to generate more sales and profitability. My goal is to expand your awareness of the possibilities and opportunities of creating a blog or improving one. Not only will I focus on how to increase your lead generation, improve sales conversion, increase sales generation and drive greater profitability. In addition, I will share how a blog can help your best prospects and clients in their buying process and introduce them to and take them through your own selling process too.

If you have questions or you are struggling with the topic, let's connect and talk. We offer a Sales, Web & Profit Jump Start session for any business owner or entrepreneur who has questions and concerned about their company's growth, sales and profitability. We encourage you to contact us. We will be happy to help and support you and your business.

Blogging for Business for More Sales and Profits (Introduction) from Guest Blogger @KenE3C

A Guest Blog Post from e Web2 Sales and Profits (3 Part Series) 

Part 1 of 3

How Are You Using Your Company Blog To Increase Your Sales And Profits?

Question: How are you using your company blog to increase your sales and profits? “Huh? What?” People look a little puzzled when I ask that question. I can imagine your response as you read this blog article right now. I asked that question a lot to my new prospect's and best clients.

Predictably, their reaction is like seeing a “deer in the headlights” of your car on a old country road in the dark of night. And, they always ask me the same question: “What do you mean?” I get the same question every time. They have not clue about what I am talking about. They don't have a good answer for my question. They say “I am writing a blog.” I respond, “Yes, but, how are you using your blog to improve your sales and profits? Specifically, how are you using your blog to increase your lead generation, improve sales conversion, increase your sales and improve profitability? “What?” You see business owners are experts in what they do but, outside their expertise, they have problems, challenges, issues and concerns. Certainly, using a blog for business is one of the opportunities where business owners and entrepreneurs can improve.

What Is The Purpose Of Your Business?

What is the purpose of business? Isn't it sales and profits? Everything that a business does should be focused on increasing lead generation, improving sales conversion, increasing the average sale and number of transactions, controlling costs, reducing expenses, enhancing your profit margin and driving greater profitability. Is it possible? Can a blog do all of that? Yes, absolutely. A blog can accomplish these things and a lot more. Aren't we asking too much of a blog? No. It can be done. Yes, it can.

Their common reaction is, “Ken, I am just writing a blog.” It's understandable that they don't understand the potential benefits of writing a blog. They (just) don't get it. They feel that it's not a major part of their business, product or service. “It's just a blog.” They say. They don't see the connection when they should. No connection? Really? Think again. There is a direct connection between blogging, sales and profit. That is, if you know how (to do it). In fact, business owners and entrepreneurs should be creating more blogs because it can produce more sales and profits for their companies. Creating a blog and making a commitment to blogging can positively impact your business.

How I Made My Conversion To Blogging

Like many business people, I had the same feelings and concerns about a blog and blogging too.

How did I discover the benefits of blogging? Why did I make the conversion and how? Here is my personal story:

I remember the I first time that I heard the term “blog”. It was January of 2006. My friend, Brent Leary, a popular blogger and speaker, suggested that I start writing a blog. My response was predictable for any new business owner and entrepreneur. “Why?” I curiously asked, “ What is a blog”. Brent answered, “ A blog is a written journal that people read online.” After hearing his answer, I frankly wasn't interested. I had just started my new coaching business and my hands are full. I was busy on launching my new coaching business and creating everything from scratch. I had to create website and now Brent wants me to do add a blog too. I felt that a website should be my first priority. I said, “That's interesting. I do like to write. But, it's not in my job description. That is not my job. Besides, I just don't have the time.” How is writing a blog going to help me close a deal or make me any money?

After our conversation, I reluctantly agreed to start a blog – after creating a new company website. But, it still took me many months to start a blog and writing blog posts. However, once I got started I couldn't stop.

Curious about my results from blogging? Check out the second part of “Blogging for Business”. (next week)

If you have questions or you are struggling with the topic, let's connect and talk. We offer a Sales, Web & Profit Jump Start session for any business owner or entrepreneur who has questions and concerned about their company's growth, sales and profitability. We encourage you to contact us. We will be happy to help and support you and your business.

From Guest Bloggers at Elemeno Design Kansas City, MO

Intimidated by the word “blogging”?  The word isn’t the scary part, it is actually sitting down and creating content for your website is where the fear factor comes in. 

Blogging can be very simple if you want it to be.  It is like riding a bike really.  Start with the training wheels on and take short trips up and down the sidewalk.  By the time you master that you will be ready to take a trip around the entire neighborhood and keep going. 

Your blog posts don’t have to be epic novels about your business or industry.  Just by simply talking about your business, projects you are completing, news in the office, those types of things not only add content to your website but they also give your company a personal feel.  You can keep it short and simple.

Another way to blog for your business is to think of your blog in the context of what keywords would you like to rank higher in the search engines for.  Yes, every keyword that you can think of being at the top of Google would be a great thing but you have to be realistic and systematic.  By adding keywords and key phrases to your blog titles and posts it can help the search engines know what you are blogging about and rank them accordingly?  It is possible to get your blog posts to rank very high in Google for targeted phrases but you have to do your research before you start shooting for the top spot.

Don’t be afraid of blogging.  The longer you put it off, it just means that there is that much less content that could be on your website helping you in the search engines and with your customers.

For assistance with blogging and web design Kansas city and all around the country contact us at Elemeno Design.  

Why Your Small Business Needs A Blog

Guest Blog Post From the Great Team at Bare Knuckle Marketing in Cincinnati, Ohio

Studies show that on average, adding a blog to your site can double your traffic. These studies also show that blogging significantly increases leads. Go ahead, Google it. You’ll find tons of stats that support these facts. So that’s your answer right there - your small business needs a blog because it will significantly increase traffic and leads. Simple enough right?

But you’re probably saying the same thing that most small business owners say to me. Where do I start? I don’t have the budget for this? Where am I ever going to find the time to do this? My answer to that, is you can’t afford not to, so let’s explore some tips on how to get that blog of yours up and running and generating traffic!

At this point, you may be thinking “you had me at ‘double your traffic’ and ‘significantly increases leads’”. But if you need a little more convincing, here’s some blogging food for thought:

• Blogs increase your traffic because the addition of content on your site means the addition of more keywords, and new keyword phrases. This increases your chances of being found in searches for more than just your main keyword phrases. And, those searches tend to convert better.
• Blogging can help you build authority. Authority helps you rank better. If you are a blog author, and your content is shared often, Google takes note and your content can rank better because you have more authority.
• Your blogs support the other content on your site. When you want to talk more about a product or service, but don’t have a logical place to put the content, or it just doesn’t fit in your navigation, blog about it! It helps build relevance for those keywords, which can help you rank better.
• If you include social sharing buttons on your blogs, and your content is shared, the search engines pick up on those social signals and can rank you better as a result.

Ok, I’ve convinced you right? You’re ready to hit the blogosphere with amazing content. What’s that? You have no idea what you’re going to write about? Have no fear, there are tons of ideas... here are a few:

• Share tips and tricks about, well, anything. People love tips.
• People love numbers and lists. “5 ways to...” or “the top 3 things...” or “10 steps to...”
• Case studies! Your clients and customers can be your best sales pitch. Let them represent your business, and link back from your blog post to the main landing page on your site that provides information on the product/service that helped that client achieve success. And share the link love and be sure to link to your client’s site too.
• Opinions. Everyone has one. You know the saying. If your market feeds on a lively discussion, go ahead and throw your opinions out there. It can generate a lot of activity and social sharing.
• Humor. We all need a laugh now and then. Lighten the load and post something fun on Fridays to hype up your readers for the weekend.
• Customer service. Do you keep getting the same questions from your customers? Post a blog with a detailed answer and then direct them all to the blog! People will link to and socially share useful content like this.
• Video and images. Let’s face it. Humans are lazy. We don’t want to read. We like pretty pictures and things that move.
• Make it personal. If you interact with the public, give each of your employees a blog profile and let them add their own flavor! A salon website would be great with a blog post by each of the stylists sharing their own style tips.

If you’re like most small business owners, you are probably overflowing with ideas, but still grumbling at the thought of having to find time to write them down. You are too busy running your business to write a blog. You are the idea person, not the blogger. Who the heck has time for all this? Yep, you guessed it, I have answers for you on this one too:

• Guest bloggers! If done right, it can really take some of the load off your shoulders. Seek out other experts, authors, well known bloggers, clients, customers, business associates, etc. who can contribute something useful to your site. Example - our attorney recently guest blogged for our site about a very important topic regarding who owns your site content when you hire a web designer.
• Freelancers and paid writers. Of course, you can always pay someone to write your blog. There are tons of freelance sites out there like Elance where you can find good freelance writers.
• Interns. Sometimes they are willing to work for free, just for the experience or college credits. As a small business owner, most of us are super cost conscious, and we love the price tag of free!
• Ghostwriting. Oooh spooky! No, not really. Perhaps you’re the smartest guy around the office, and no one knows how to talk about this stuff like you do. But you only have time to write down a few key facts. So you hire a professional writer to take those facts, make them sound good, and put your name on it.
• Use your internal resources. Think back to the salon example. If you have 10 stylists in your salon, and each of them writes a few blog posts here and there, you end up with a ton of content, and a nice personal touch to your site. You’ll be amazed at how some people really get into it and take ownership of their little space in the blogosphere!

What’s next? Bonus tips!

• Use Wordpress for your blog, but make sure it’s installed on your website and not wordpress.com. You want all that juicy content to help give your website authority and help your site rank better. Most servers will allow you to install Wordpress on your site, and many hosting companies have something built right into your hosting account. But you can go to wordpress.org and download the software too. And the price tag? Your favorite: FREE!
• Allow social sharing. If users love what they read, you want them to tell the world. There are tons of plugins for Wordpress that easily install and allow users to share your blog right from your page. We like Share Rail.
• Don’t forget the call to action! What do you want users to do when they get to the end of your blog? Contact you for more info, leave a comment, ask a question, view your products page, register for newsletter updates, purchase something, read more... the possibilities are endless. Just tell them what you want them to do and make it easy for them!

So there you have it, a veritable boatload of bloggy-fresh ideas and tips. Now get out there and get to blogging! Your customers will thank you for it, and so will your small biz