Articles under ‘Generating Sales Leads’

I was running a sales training course the other day and I was covering how to make cross selling to existing customers easier by increasing the range of products and services on offer. One attendee said:
‘I am an aroma therapist – does that mean to give different types of therapy such as reflexology?’

When a business is brand new then there is an obvious need to win new clients. As the business becomes more established then the sales focus should change to be a combination of finding new clients and selling more to existing clients. The easiest sale to make is to existing clients and yet this is [...]

It seems to be a human thing to do. When food is a little thin on the ground, you start taking whatever pickings that can be found. We are designed for survival. It may be inconceivable in good times, but when push comes to shove, there are few who would not resort to rummaging around [...]

When I meet new people and get to know a little bit more about their background and their experiences I am always amazed by who they know and the shared connections we have. Many people that are currently working in micro businesses have previously worked in very large companies at a very senior level.
If you [...]

In these days of economic down turn and credit crunch it can be very tempting to padlock the wallet and just feast on all the freebies around. There is, however, a big cost associated with this behaviour. Not a direct cost that can be easily measured. Its an opportunity cost and even though it may [...]

Shrewd marketers have used stories through the years to help make businesses more real and emphasise why the business is different. Stories are about people and people like to do business with people.
There is a story to everything. Think about your favourite piece of furniture in your house. What is the story behind how you [...]

I recently starting working with a business owner who was struggling to generate interest in her services. She started her business in a flurry of euphoria and excitement. The service had such a profound effect on her life that she could not wait to get trained and start offering it to others.
It has been 6 [...]

Have you have seen the brilliant Marmite adverts on TV? The message is:
‘Marmite: You either love it or hate it!
Too many businesses are failing right now because they are trying to be all things to all people. Why not Marmite your business?

Something I learnt very early on in my sales journey is that prospects tend to judge quality of service by the price. It pays to be reassuringly expensive!
What happens, though, if your pricing puts you out of the frame in the current economic climate? How do you charge lower rates without appearing cheap?

Please excuse this little rant. It’s just that it saddens me deeply to see small business owners do the right thing and invest in better marketing their business only to find they have nothing to show for it except, perhaps, a pretty website and business card. They came to me for help with their sales [...]