Lead Management Avoding The 5 Mistakes That Lose Sales

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In today’s business climate it’s no secret for the need of a strong customer base and to keep attracting new ones. Yes, we all want more customers with less leads. This is a strategy that greatly improves your profit and saves your company from throwing away money for marketing. Bringing in customers with less leads is key in this climate. Companies are throwing away opportunities every day. If you want to win more deals its important to use proper sales management to increase your sales numbers! It’s important to fix these gaps in your sales process to put you on top!

Here are 5 common lead management mistakes that should be fixed to increase sales performance:

1. Email Doesn’t = CRM Software

This is unquestionably the top killer of sales leads. Email is a communication tool. Meant for short-term discussions or collaborations, not sales account management. It is not a tool to build sales relationships, with hundreds of clients, over numerous years.

Fact: the human brain can only manage so much information.

Your attempts at remembering to follow-up and diligently stay on top of hundreds of prospects and customers is a guaranteed failure. Real sales performance needs a system that will routinely automate some contacts and remind you to reach out personally on a regular basis.

2. One Call Close are Unlikely

It is certainly the stuff of sales legend, that Boiler Room like close. The real sales pro’s understand that this ranks up with winning the lottery. So, if you hit it be happy, but don’t expect to pay your bills and feed yourself playing that game.

This is why a disciplined process of following up, on all prospects, is critical to success. Industry surveys show that the average lead takes a minimum of 5-7 contacts to close and generally requires 30-60 days. So, don’t get frustrated and toss out that two week old lead–nurture it.

3. Stop Picking Threw Leads

The Call of the Wild fouls this one up too, our primal nature lures us to the biggest fish (whale) of the freshest meat (new lead). Two notoriously bad choices.

We can’t pick the right leads! We invariably gravitate to our biases, which is typically counter productive to our sales numbers.

Grabbing for the brass ring (tackling only the biggest accounts or loan amounts) and neglecting the opportunity to land a few small ones along the way, is the perfect example. Your sales management system should help you create an ideal lead profile for each of your sales agents. You will be amazed at how different your “perfect lead” looks from your “preferred lead.”

4. Start to Value Your Leads

Are you trashing valuable non-responsive customers? More so than ever, leads need to be effectively nurtured. Challenging economic conditions slows everyone’s buying decisions. Stay top of mind, so you will be first in mind when the pain or the need becomes right for the big buy.

This doesn’t mean just throwing all your old leads into the autoresponder. Smart sales people build a detailed follow-up plan that includes email, mail, and telephone. And don’t forget the value at each of those touch points–an interesting article or report, an example of success, or best practices session.

5. Get to the Next Lead!

Sales usually always comes down to the numbers.

How many times do we spend too much time organizing or getting ready to do something? The best strategy in most cases is to do as my Dad was found of saying, “Do something, even if it’s wrong.”

Simply getting onto the next lead will produce more sales than any other strategy. Get To Your Leads Now!

Clothes To Wear In Door-to-door Sales

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When you work as a door-to-door salesperson, making a good first impressions is absolutely crucial! Nothing can be more devastating to your spirit than getting the door slammed in your face over and over again. In fact every rejection you get at the door makes you perform worse at the next one. Making it a negative spiral.

First things first. You gotta where the right clothes. People tend to buy from eighter people that are similar to them, or people they look up to. That means you can’t wear ugly and dirty clothes. Would you have let somebody into your house that looked like an bum? Certainly not, and so wouldn’t your prospects eighter. On the other end, dress to nice, and you would just look plain silly. The key is to wear clothes that are as neutral as possible. For a male salesperson a clean pair of jeans (with no holes in them), and a shirt works perfectly. Having tried a lot of different colours over the years, different shades of dark blue tend to work very well. As for shoes, it’s important that they are waterproof. The moment you are wet on your feet, that salesday is basicly over. Making a trail of water from wet socks on your prospects living room floor won’t give you any sales.

If you have worked a lot as a salesperson, you will probably be aware of the fact that it is a smart move to “mirror” your prospects. That simply means that you try to talk and act in the same way as them. If they talk slowly, you talk slowty etc. But, when you walk up to a new door, you know absolutely nothing about the person behind it. Therefore you have to act in a way that *most* people like. In my experice that means talking with a pleasant and calm voice. Use a relaxed body language and hold eye contact at all times! People who don’t make eye contact sends out a signal to other people that they eighter have low self-esteem or are trying to hide something. Not exacly the recipe of a successful salesperson.

You should also rehears and learn your opening lines so that you know them by heart. It is also of uttermost importance that any objections you get in this early phase of the sales pitch is answered in a rapid way with no hesitation. So before you even go out selling, you should sit down with a piece of paper and write down every possible objection you might encounter and replies on how to solve them. Don’t give out to much information about your service or product at the door. Your goal should at all times be getting inside the house where you could give a full sales presentation.

The Best Sales Database For Small Business How To Make An Affordable Choice

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The rise of cloud based or online sales database software brings a new level of affordability to small business sales database solutions. The development of web-based solutions such as Google docs is just the start of a new evolution in the way business people and sales professionals interact. Now its possible to keep your sales database at your fingertips in an affordable way, no matter where you are and when you need it. Plus, the best sales database will bring even the smallest of companies the power previously reserved for large corporations.

Having a sales database designed to meet the needs of small business is the cornerstone that anchors all other customer interactions and data management without the best sales database software for your company, the organization is still operating with a mishmash of card files, email programs and spread sheets that leave money on the table and keep opportunities in dark. The resulting cost is precious employee time, money, lost productivity and often lost business.

Choosing the best sales database software to match the specific requirements of small businesses is a mission critical decision that will have immediate and lasting impact on company profit. Questions to ask are: How much training is involved in using the product and is it available as online video? How flexible is the access to the sales database, does it work on any computer or browser? How quickly can someone import existing sales data and add new opportunities and activities? Is there a long term commitment or can the company simply subscribe to the software on a month-to-month basis? Are there free trial periods and how much of the sales database can the company use during that time? How current is the technology?

What is Best for Small Business?

Even today the biggest online sales database software products are based on 5 to 10 year old technology. This is because large corporations cater to the needs of other large corporations and rarely push the envelope in terms of what these larger customers are willing to except in terms of change. Would anyone buy a VHS tape player instead of a blue ray disc player just because large corporations still stuck with video tape?

The best web-based sales database software products are now so sophisticated that even companies of 1- 50 employees can subscribe and leverage their information to grow their business, get more customers and turn existing customers into increased sales immediately. Unlike in the past where sales database packages had to be purchased and installed on a series of computers, then employees needed a week of expensive training, the best sales database software can be accessed immediately over the web. Each employee can sit through brief training videos or work with an online trainer to learn quickly. The best web-based or online sales database are used by groups gives the ability to collaborate on information no mater how far apart sales people are in the world. Company sales people can be in San Francisco, New York and Houston, with their support people in Seattle and all share the same information and interact from desktop computers, smart phones or ipads. These best sales database solutions are frequently referred to as SaaS (software as a service) or Cloud applications.

The best benefits of cloud based sales database software for small business are:

Tracking customer information The best sales database information isnt limited to just contact details anymore. Sure everything can be included from their phone number to the date of their daughters birthday but once can also track buying habits, budget dates, past purchases, relationships to other contacts and all activities any employee has had through the relationships history. All of that data can be searched and available during every sales or support call to keep the customer engaged and demonstrates the best level of appreciation for their time and business.

Reporting: Reporting is no longer simply limited to past performance and trends, the best sales database software brings you features like interactive pipeline and projections that let one see where your future income lies. Reports can bring to light opportunities that otherwise may slip buy. Reporting can also give you detail about the success of company email campaigns and more.

Integrated Email Marketing Campaigns and Form Letters The best sales database solutions can provide a company with way more power than simple email marketing services and keep one in constant contact with company customers. The ability to create mailing lists based on specific information about customers such as location, last order date and more, then send personalized specific email to those lists will increase your success rate with your message. Features to let one track what types of email each customer tends to open and respond to can increase your sales and make your current customers more loyal.

The best web-based sales database software is the cornerstone for any small business to rapidly grow their income in todays economy. Choosing the best sales database that leverages all of the current web technologies and is designed to work the way sales people work is key for small to mid-size businesses. The biggest advantage one can have over competitors is customer connectivity and constant contact using email marketing and social services like twitter. Above all else having access to customer data anywhere, anytime will deliver the best return on investment at a low monthly subscription price that anyone can afford.

Sales Pitch And Seo Copywriting

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You want to provide SEO content that will drive clients to a website, not to browse and gather information but to purchase products or services on offer.

Is it possible to generate sales with a SEO content website without boring obvious sales tactics?

The first step to generate sales to any website is to attract clients to it. To attract clients to a website, you need SEO rich content that will ensure your website features at the top end of the search engine. Wordiness on a website does not generate sales but it generates dissatisfaction. People are always in a hurry and need information at the top of a button. Can one afford to let potential clients visit your website without making a purchase?

Content is King

Website content is an important way to generate interest from clients, but is it enough to make a visiting client a paying one? SEO copywriting services provide webpage content that is engaging and compels the reader to take further action based on the information they read.

There are two ways to develop a sales pitch online, the pyramid technique where you build up a compelling story to interest and convince the visitor to the point of sale. The second option is the invested pyramid; the trick is to overturn the article on its head, start with the product or service and support with the benefits.

Constructing your Sales Pitch

Adding a sales pitch to an article, website or online information must be subtle but persuasive enough to get the reader to act on further instructions. Your web content should not come across forceful trying to push a product on a client. It should be impartial and interesting with subtle words which entice the client into taking up what is on offer.

Gently guide your reader through the article, providing information that enables them to make informed choices about what is sold or offered. Show the benefits of what is on offer in comparison to others. Let them feel as if they are given a choice, this way they will feel in control and want to make the purchase.

Keywords overpopulation

Too many SEO copywriter focus on keyword density and how they can use it to generate top search engine rankings. It is easy to recognize writers who focus solely on keywords; the content is incomprehensible and hard to follow. Visiting clients overlook key points because they are trying so hard to understand the purpose of the article. Article content should be about the client, put yourself in their shoes and write the way you want to read information.

The art of selling online

Professional SEO copywriters build up their sales story slowly, using power words to create scenario readers love to visualise. It is important to keep the reader interested, so the pitch should not be too long or too abrupt but just adequate enough to keep the reader wanting more. When you get your reader to the point of wanting more, your next step is to make a sale. Presto!

Tips For Writing More Effective Copy For Your Sales Letter

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If you currently have a copywriting piece that’s not performing up to par, then maybe this article will be of some use to you. Writing winning sales copy does not have to be hard. All it takes is some minor tweaking and you will find that your changes can be the difference in mediocre response and world-class results. Here’s the first tip for making all of your copywriting pieces effective. 1) Redo your headline Writing a winning headline does not have to be complicated or hard. Your entire sales piece depends on the effectiveness of your headline, so you will want to make it good. If your headline doesn’t do the job of captivating a reader, your whole sales piece is in trouble. Your headline will comprise of up to 80% of the success of your sales letter – so it’s that important. One of the best things that you can do for yourself if you want to start writing winning headlines is to create something that is called a swipe file. A swipe file is simply a collection of winning ads and sales letters. They are there to make your copywriting job a lot easier. Whenever you need to write a sales letter from scratch, use a sales letter from your swipe file as a template. It’s the easiest way to get started writing a winning headline. 2) Talk one-to-one In your copywriting piece, you will want to speak in first person to your reader. Use the word “you” a lot in your sales letter. This makes everything more personal and actively engages the reader into your sales piece. When you speak one-to-one to your prospects, you’re talking to them as if they were sitting across the table from you – and this is how you want to address your prospects. 3) Use bullet points Bullet points basically tell your reader what they will receive from your product. When writing the bullet points for your sales letter, you want to make each one like a mini-headline. Each bullet should be the equivalent to the headline of your entire sales letter. Don’t skimp when writing your bullets or make them weak. They play a pivotal part in the success of your sales letter. 4) Use the postscript A lot of readers skim to the bottom of the page when reading sales letters, and you can use this opportunity to sell them on your product once more. When a reader skims to the end of the page to see what’s at the bottom, summarize your entire offer via your postscript or PS. The PS should briefly summarize everything you just said and should entice your reader to want to read more. All effective postscripts still lets the reader know what’s in it for them, so you will want to detail what your prospects will receive at this part of your letter. All of these tips for writing more effective copy can be very helpful if you put them to use. Be sure to start using them today if you want to increase your sales and profits.

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