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Sales Management Training: How To Turn Your Sales Team Into Champion Producers So You Can Double Your Company’s Sales

Most business leaders don't know how to structure their sales organizations or even themselves for maximum productivity. They don't know how to change, adapt and re-organize for new stages of growth. That’s why they spend thousands of dollars looking for the magic secret to get their sales team to perform like champion racehorses.

I learned the secrets to building heavy-hitter sales organizations while working for billionaire businessman, Charlie Munger. I doubled the sales of the first company given to me in just 15 months. And, I doubled the company’s sales three years in a row. The lessons I learned here, I now teach to Fortune 500 corporations and other prestigious companies worldwide.

The techniques I used are remarkably simple. Here’s how I doubled the company’s sales 3 years in a row:

I put into place the policies and procedures that made every single sales representative perform like a top producer. I systematized the complete sales process. These should be normal business procedures. But 99.9% of all companies don't do it.

Turning your sales reps into top producers

In most sales organizations, the sales are ad-hoc. Everyone’s running around doing what they think is best. And, management sets very little or no minimum standards of performance.

For example, do you have a standard for the types of accounts your salespeople should go after? I bet the answer is no!

Have you worked on this aspect of proper targeting? What are your sales representatives going to present? What are the top five strategic objectives you want to achieve from every interaction with every buyer? Have you seriously sat down and talked about that and planned that out? Did you practice it, role-play it and polish it to a fine luster?

If you want to get more appointments and double your sales, you need to keep setting higher and higher standards. You need to raise the bar on what I now call "the minimum acceptable level of performance."

Here’s how you can raise your sales organization’s minimum acceptance level of performance:

To double my client’s sales in less than 15 months, I first motivated the sales reps to go out and complete various assignments. They came back the following week and reported what happened, where they succeeded, where they failed, and where they struggled. Then, I went to work and tuned-up each subtle nuance of getting around the gatekeeper.

I meticulously worked on the exact telephone pitch to use. I discovered the five to seven elements of what would make prospects want to meet with the sales reps. I taught them three to five ways to not let prospects hang up on them. You wouldn't believe how much I had to work on "the close" of a telephone pitch.

Then I role-played the heck out of the reps. My goal was to improve every little word in every sentence.

Within about ten weeks, meetings started to pop left and right. The client that was getting a few lousy appointments per week were now getting 30 appointments per week with the exact same sales team.

And here's the kicker: ALL of the meetings were with "dream" prospects. Instead of working with whatever company they thought of at the time, sales reps were only allowed to work on the "dream" prospects.

Sales reps started to get huge meetings with huge prospects. Every deal was a monster. Previously the client only had a few monster prospects in play. Now they're in play with 20 to 30 monster prospects every single week.

But it didn’t stop there.

If you want to double your sales, you have to systematize the complete sales process.

The more you can systematize the sales process, the more you can rely on excellent selling going on in your organization.

That’s why I started working on the client sales meeting itself. I analyzed the first thing the sales reps did when they walked in. I helped them figure out the exact questions the sales reps are going to ask and why they’re going to ask each one of them.

Then I analyzed the presentation. If you know my material, you know how devoted I am to a great presentation. I worked with the sales team to "set the buying criteria" in that meeting. You want to set it righteous. You want to make yourself the absolute most logical choice. And you simultaneously want to dis-empower all of your competitors completely.

I helped the sales team create the strategic objectives they’re looking to accomplish with every possible customer interaction. Then we figured out, how they would be met? And what the next move would be?

We even narrowed down what the ideal sale was and then what are the five layers of alternatives below if there was no way they’d be able to close the ideal sale.

The sales team got so good at closing prospects for a meeting that many would cool off and cancel once they were out from under the white-hot heat I had perfected in the sales pitch. So I systematized the process even further and put into place three separate steps to make sure no one cancels anymore. They company went from a 25 percent cancellation rate to only one in 30 canceling.

I was able to double sales because I was sure of what a top producer would do because I was one.

I knew what systems and procedures to develop because my instincts in this area are all natural. It’s all part of my innate psychological profile.

Top producers respond perfectly to rejection by becoming more effective. They become more aggressive when someone is brushing them off. Top producers are more persuasive if someone isn't buying.

These steps can be honed into every aspect of your sales process. You too can turn regular salespeople into top producers. You just have to drill down like a scientist into each and every aspect of the sales process.

About the Author - Jay Levinson of Guerilla Marketing says, "Business Growth Expert, Chet Holmes has the best ideas you will ever hear on super-fast business growth." Learn Chet's top four incredible concepts that will double your sales in the next twelve months. howtodoublesales.com

How To Use A Powerful Leadership Tool To Step Up Sales Results

Good sales people can close, but few "step up" for even more sales from that close. Yet stepping up should be one of the easiest accomplishments in sales — that is if you know how to build the staircase.

Do it by applying a leadership tool I have taught thousands of leaders worldwide during the past 20 years. The tool is simply to foster a particular viewpoint, which is this: Challenge people not simply to do a task but to take leadership of that task.

The difference in results-producing effectiveness between doing a task and taking leadership of a task is the difference between the lightning bug and lightning.

This change in viewpoint may seem simple even simplistic; but when put into action many times daily, it can work wonders.

For instance, I worked with a manufacturing leader whose workers were constantly falling short of productivity goals. I told him he was leading the workers in the wrong way; he was ordering them to get productivity advancements. I told him that he should have the workers sign on as leaders of productivity advancements. When the workers began seeing themselves as such leaders, they started hitting the goals consistently.

Now, let's apply this leadership tool to the sales process. I'll show you how to get step-ups in results that go far beyond the results achieved from closes. Here are three ways to do it.

(1) Don't Just Sell Products, Get Cause Leaders: Salespeople often fail to get step-ups because they have a short-sighted view of the customer. They view the customer as only a customer! Whereas, if we want to get step-ups, we must see the customer not just as a customer but as a "cause leader," one who can lead our cause both inside and outside their company. Instead of aiming just to sell a product, to get a close, aim to turn your customer into your cause leader.

For instance, I consulted with a materials supplier that wanted to acquire new customers in the computer industry. The salespeople of the materials company not only worked diligently on closing with the engineer-customers but also on creating step-ups by persuading those engineers to be the cause leaders for their materials within the company.

Here is the way that they enlisted that leadership. They discovered that the engineers needed increased productivity and faster cycle-times -- and to do it with fewer resources.

In response, the sales people developed a materials performance package for the engineers that increased their productivity and cycle-times. In addition, they brought in productivity experts from their own company to help the engineers streamline their design processes. They're not only selling their materials. They're selling productivity as well. Seeing that the sales people were helping them meet their vital needs, the engineers became the sales people's cause leaders within their company — unleashing a torrent of step-ups.

(2) Start Early: George Burns said, "I had to work hard for 20 years in vaudeville before I became an overnight success in radio." That's a lesson in stepping up. Stepping up sales results with my leadership tool doesn't just happen overnight. You must prepare to get those step-ups starting in the early stages of the sales process: when prospecting for new clients, identifying decision makers, and making initial calls.

In this early stage, ask yourself: "What is the close in this sale? And how can that close lead to the customer not simply buying my product but also becoming the product's cause leader, both inside and outside his/her organization?"

For instance, the sales people of the materials company I mentioned aimed to replace their competitors' materials with their materials in computer housing applications. With that focus, they would have gotten closes — but not step-ups. The differences between their competitors materials and their materials were negligible in cost and performance.

The sales people continued to develop the traditional channels to their customers' purchasing departments. But they also began building step-ups early by including design engineers in their first-stage sales activities. They focused on being their customers' "design partners" — not simply showing them where they could save costs and achieve performance advantages but also showing them how they could get market share through the innovative uses of those materials.

Getting in early as their customers' design partners, they not only got closes but step-ups from those closes by integrating their materials into new generations of housings.

(3) Link to "Must-Have" Results: Step-ups happen only when you answer the vital needs of your customers — not the nice-to-have needs. Discover those needs by asking and answering: "What are your customers absolute must-have results?"

Those "must-haves" are your great step-up opportunities, because when you are delivering on the must-haves, your customers are more likely to become your cause leaders.

In the above example, the sales people were able to get step-ups because they focused on their customer's "must-haves", productivity and cycle-time.

Here's another example dealing with another busines sector: I consulted with an insurance company whose growth had flattened out. We found out a key reason why. Their products were not meeting the must-have results of their customers. The must-have results of their customers were that they absolutely had to grow their businesses. Yet the company's products did not materially address the growth needs of their customers.

Only when the sales people convinced their own company to develop and sell products that met the growth needs of their customers were they able to turn those customers into cause leaders. Once those new products were offered to the customers, they far outsold the old products.

Don't sell yourself short by focusing exclusively on the close. Liberate the step-up opportunities that are embedded in most closes by using this powerful leadership tool of challenging people to lead not simply do. By getting customer cause leaders, starting early, and linking to must-have results, you can multiply sales far beyond what closes achieve.

The author of 23 books, Brent Filson's recent books are, THE LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL and 101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS. He is founder and president of The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. – and has worked with thousands of leaders worldwide during the past 20 years helping them achieve sizable increases in hard, measured results. Sign up for his free leadership ezine and get a free guide, "49 Ways To Turn Action Into Results," at www.actionleadership.com

Setting Your Goals In Sales Training

It doesn’t matter if you are in an auto sales training, TV and radio sales, estate sales or time share sales in my conversations with sales management over the years, I’ve found that top producers all have one thing in common: they’ve taken the time to sit down and create goals for themselves and committed to sales training.

Even if during the sales seminar they were skeptical when they started the process of goal setting and planning, every one of them has become a true believer.

What Is A True Believer?

A “True Believer” isn’t someone who just works sales leads. They are someone who has been amazed by the incredible power of goal setting and the power of their own mind to be sold on the sales job. Every one of them has accomplished far more than they ever believed possible even if they are in mobile home sales or business sales they are the ones that move up to the top.

It didn’t stop with sales goals or material successes. This belief runs deep in all areas of their life. They’re convinced of the power of the mind and want share that with the world. They just seem to live in a world that favors them. There life has become an extension of their sales attitude.

Are You Happy With Your Current Training?

I defined happiness in training as, The progressive assimilation of worth while skills that will help me to reach my professional goals. As a sales trainer, I have been working progressively, step-by-step toward making permanent lasting impact on every sales professionals life.

This purpose alone can generate a continuous feeling of success and achievement within me, but if it doesn’t translate in your personal sales training it is all for not. The sales game has always been the more people you sell, the more successful you will be. As a sales professional, you have more control of this than almost every other profession. Geoff Thomas a sales associate is found of telling his sales staff, “Your raise is effective just as soon as you are.”

I know you can create an environment of happiness for your customer through fabricated rapport skills but a genuine joy for sales will close more deals than you can imagine. Without your skills of salesmanship, there would be nothing for company to do. When you walk out of the office in the evening, it is natural for you to feel like a winner. This goal is well entrenched in the sales experts I know. It also gives you the psychological momentum to overcome obstacles and plough through adversity as you reach your sales goals and assist others.

Sales training more than anything else should have you recharged as you go back out into the world. If the sales seminar doesn’t motivate you to work every sales lead more efficiently than why bother.

Does Your Training Connect With Your Values?

Every great trainer has a personal strategic planning process. It usually begins when you determine what you believe in and what you stand for – your values. If your values and the trainers match this is the glue that holds the core concepts of the sales training in place. These values shape our personality and our character as a sales professional.

Your virtues and qualities are the sum total of all your thoughts, actions and beliefs since the moment you were born. Your values, virtues and inner beliefs are the axle around which the wheel of your life turns. All sales improvement begin when you clarify your true values and commit yourself to live consistently with them. It’s been said, “You must stand for something, or you will fall for anything!” Great sales trainers know the value of the sales process and believe every prospect they meet can find value in their product or services.

When Attending A Training How Specific Should Your Goals Be?

To achieve success in training you will find trainees are successful because they’re very clear and committed to their values and specific outcomes from the training. Unsuccessful trainees are fuzzy or unsure they perhaps were forced to the training without a buy in from the sales manager.

When a training is a complete failure, you’ll find that the trainer didn’t clearly outline the real values of the training at all. These trainers stand for nothing and hope their audiences fall for everything.

While training the sales staff at Positive Changes, our sales staff had access to a wealth of resources designed to help them succeed in their goals. For instance, use the Sales Mastery series to stimulate your other-than-conscious and keep you on track with specific, clear and organized sales goals. They trained each franchise location to set goals for the day, week and the month. Using these mind trips within themselves helped them to enroll others into its use. http://www.patrickkporter.com

Turn Customers Into Raving Fans!

What's next after someone becomes your client? What's next is to deliver on what you said you would, and more! As they say, "Under promise and over deliver." People expect you to deliver results. Surprise them by also going the extra mile over and over again.

As soon as you get a new client, thank them for doing business with you. Send them a thank you note, an extra report or something of value. Let them know that you appreciate their business and show them you care about them. One small act that shows how much you value your new client can create a client for life.

The formula for having your clients turn into raving fans is: good product + great service. Interestingly enough a good product + bad service gives you unhappy customers no matter how good your product is.

A study has shown that it takes 16 times the effort to get a new client as it does to sell to an existing one. So treasure them all and treat them like a $1m client.

When you have satisfied clients, they will buy more and more from you. They have already experienced you, your services/products and your quality of service so the decision process is so much easier for them.

When you have satisfied clients, they will become your walking, talking sales force. They believe in you and your services/products so much so that they voluntarily tell others about you.

Develop relationships with your clients so you can continue to discover what they want. Then provide offers that deliver what they want so they choose to do more business with you. This is another huge key to your success. It is the key to maximizing the lifetime value of a customer.

From time to time, do a customer satisfaction survey. Test to see if your clients are happy with your service and ask them for suggestions for improvement. Then act on these suggestions.

If you do ever have a dissatisfied client, you have an opportunity. People who are unhappy will tell about 10 other people and then those 10 people tell about 5 people and so on and so forth. Get the picture? So, when you have a dissatisfied client, you have an opportunity to get them to experience your excellent service and to build an even stronger relationship with you. So sort their problem out quickly and they will then tell others good things about you.

Treasure your clients and they will treasure you. Treasure your clients and more clients will be attracted to you, that is how it works!

Sales Resource

For additional information on marketing, sales and success visit www.SuccessCo.com

A Simple Sales Strategy: Define What Selling Is!

How do you define selling? A lot of people think of selling as persuading/convincing people to buy things they may or may not want or need. To some, selling is all about closing a deal. Thinking of selling like this is not very empowering to you. Frankly, if you have this perspective on selling, it's no wonder if you hate it. I would too!

So what perspective can you take about selling that will make it enjoyable, exciting and something you look forward to? Sounds like a bit of a tall order doesn't it? Read on.

Hopefully by now, you have made the list of all the problems that you can solve for your target market. You're going to be surprised how long that list grows over time. So really, if you look at your list and you think about it, you are a master problem solver. What you're really doing is helping people. Correct?

So try on this perspective about what selling is: Selling is helping people. Selling is serving. Selling is a process of identifying and solving people's problems.

See, feel and know that selling is serving. This will cause a big shift for you. With this perspective, you will really become passionate about wanting to help people. Find this passion and let it shine through.

It is your purpose, your moral obligation, to have as many sales conversations with people as you can so you can help as many people as possible. If you're not having these types of sales conversations, you are holding back the gift you have to offer the world. You owe it to people to be there for them with your expertise and wisdom.

Next time you're talking to a potential client, think about how you can help them, how you can serve them. Forget about trying to sell them something. If what you have to offer does solve their problems, and you facilitate the conversation using the strategies we are covering, people will sell themselves and will subsequently buy from you.

If you have a perspective on selling which is one of service and helping people, how do you think the people you're talking to will feel? Think about this: people hate to be sold. The minute they feel they're being sold, they often want to get away - fast. Don't you? On the other hand, if they feel you are sincerely trying to help them solve their problems, they will relax and open up to you.

If you have a perspective on selling which is one of service and helping people, how do you think you will feel? Does energized, excited, relaxed, and natural come to mind?

This perspective is simple but powerful and very attract-tive to clients.

(c) 2005, Tessa Stowe, Sales Conversation. You are welcome to "reprint" this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author" info at the end) and all links are made live.

About the Author: Tessa Stowe helps Coaches and Consultants stop struggling to sell, and instead attract clients like magic! Her FREE e-course tells you how: "Attract More Clients Naturally: 10 Simple Strategies That Work ... Even If You Hate Selling!" Sign up now at http://www.attractmoreclientsnaturally.com.

Sales Management Strategy

The best sales management strategy can be one that puts your company on the right track for success. Sales management strategies can all vary on different theories, but one thing is certain. With the sales management strategy that will work for your company, you are sure to prosper. Research the different sales management strategies, and locate one which can best benefit you and your employees.

A good sales management strategy has multiple levels, the first of which encourages your employees to learn planning and leadership development. Give your staff the instruments they need to plan and think ahead, all the while playing a strong leadership role within your company.

This goes from everything to wooing sales prospects to closing the deal. Make sure that your company has a well thought out plan for success, and that your managers have the strategies to lead their employees through the process.

Sales management strategies will further help create strong leaders. This is the ideal way to teach others your company philosophy, and to model for them your expectations and how you wish for others to reach and surpass them.

Sales management strategies deal intently on customer service. You want to assure clients that they will receive the best possible service at every step of the sales process when working with your business.

Sales management strategies, more importantly than most anything, should generate strong customer service skills. You should aim to please the client at every point in the sale. Ensure that all of your employees feel the same.

Finally, let your sales management strategy focus heavily upon teambuilding. The community of team within a company can foster a good work environment for all and is not to be overlooked.

Finally, make teambuilding an important goal of your sales management strategies. This can foster a much warmer work environment, which in turn lead to better profits for all. Allow your sales management strategy to contribute to and create success within your business.

3 Ways to Talk so Clients Listen

People talk to you everyday-sometimes effectively, often times not. But when it comes to business, you can't afford to not have people listen. If you want your clients to really hear what you have to say, you have to know how to say it in the most effective manner possible. In any given situation- business or otherwise-a person's main motivation is, "What's in it for me?" That means whatever you say has to be geared towards answering that very question for your listener.

If you're ready to get your point across and be heard, read on to find how to use a client's self-interest to your advantage and talk so they really listen.

1 .Preparation

A great sales pitch or presentation always starts long before the client arrives. No matter what you're selling, no one's going to buy it if you don't know your stuff. Preparation is key: you have to know what you're talking about if you want anyone to really listen. Of course , just what kind of preparation will depend on the nature of the material you're presenting, but remember that going the extra mile here will make clients take notice later.

When preparing for any kind of meeting or presentation , take time in advance to go over all the material you're talking about. You should know the topic well, and have plenty of specifics to use for examples. It can also help to consider beforehand some of the questions that clients might ask. Anticipating their needs will help you be able to answer queries quickly and effectively.

2. Presentation

Next , no matter what you're talking about, how you present it has everything to do with how well clients will listen. Anyone adequately prepared can talk for hours-but part of your planning should be how best to present the given material. Decide before you begin just what kind of examples to use, or if there are any ways you can enhance your presentation with audio-visual material, pictures, or illustrations.

For big presentations, you'll want to practice in the mirror or for friends to make sure you're getting the key points across. To be more effective on a daily basis with all your clients, think of what you say as "mini" presentations. Start by examining your speech for little words like "um" and "ah" that weaken the effect of what you're trying to say- you'll be amazed at how much more attentively people listen.

As well, take the time to make sure you're well presented: business dressed , on time, and polite. Remember that your presentation isn't just what you say- you're a whole package, and how you present yourself needs to reflect that.

3. Passion

Finally, the key to talking to clients is conveying to them your passion. If you're passionate about something, it comes through in the way you speak, in the way you hold yourself, it even shows on your face. There's no amount of preparation or presentation skill that can make up for a lack of passion for the topic or proposal at hand. The most effective speakers are the ones who combine topic or proposal at hand. The most effective speakers are the ones who combine all three in a way that makes people sit up and listen. The trick is to find your own personal balance and make your passion come through above all else.

So what if you're not passionate about the material? We've all done jobs we didn't like at one point or another, but you find a way to be enthusiastic and energetic about what you're doing by appreciating other sides of it. Getting passionate about something may only mean shifting your point of view. Always try to see things from the client's side, in order to understand just how what you're doing would benefit them. They'll really hear what you have to say when you make it vital and important to them-that's where your passion should lie.

Remember always that a good talker is also a great listener, and take the time to listen carefully when your clients talk. Take care to keep the client's interest in mind and you're on your way to always talking in a way that makes people listen.

Preparation, presentation and passion- three simple concepts that when used correctly can make you a great speaker. In private and public life these principles apply, and if you look closely at any of the successful people in your life, you're certain to find them in action. If you prepare in advance and take the time to present yourself and the material well, your passion will come through, and that's when people really listen.

5 High-Impact Marketing Tips

Here are 5 high-impact marketing tips you can use to boost your sales quickly. All are simple to implement and they involve little or no new expense.

1. Promote Only One Thing at a Time

Promote only 1 product or service each time you advertise. Many people have difficulty selecting one product when their decision forces them to delay or reject buying something else they also want. When prospects cannot make an easy choice they often make no decision at all ...and you lose the sale.

Tip: Offer new customers a related product or service immediately after they buy from you. Many will accept your offer, producing an easy sale without jeopardizing the initial purchase.

2. Provide Multiple Ways for Customers to Buy

Providing choices of what to buy will reduce your sales. But providing choices of how to buy will increase your sales. Offer many different ways for customers to buy from you. The same method is not convenient for everybody. Prospective customers are more likely to act immediately when their favorite way of ordering is available.

3. Avoid Your Competitors

Look for some new niche markets you and your competitors overlooked. You may uncover a market you can dominate with little or no competition.

One quick and easy way to find profitable new markets is to sub-divide your current market into several narrowly defined niche markets. Then customize your advertising to the unique needs of prospects in each niche market.

Tip: You can narrow the appeal of an existing web site without losing its effectiveness with your main market. Just create customized web pages for each market segment you want to target. Then add a link to each of these specialized pages on your home page.

4. Use Alternative Marketing

Look for alternative media your competitors may be overlooking. For example, many internet marketers are beginning to use direct mail postcards to generate traffic to their web sites. It?s a low cost way to bypass the heavy competition online.

A brief captivating message on a postcard with an enticing offer sent to the right prospects will generate a flood of traffic to your website - or a large number of sales leads.

Tip: Postcards are also an excellent low-cost alternative to email. People get so much email today that even legitimate messages are getting deleted unread. But they get few if any postcards. Your message is guaranteed to get their attention when it's delivered on a postcard.

5. Encourage Questions

You?re walking away from a lot of easy sales if you don?t encourage prospects to ask questions about your product or service.

Only interested prospects will take the time to ask questions. Many will buy ...especially if you answer their question quickly and completely. You can even include a promotion for your product or service as part of your answer.

Make it easy for prospects to ask questions when they are at your web site or in other selling situations where there is no personal contact. For example, provide a phone number or an email address they can use to ask questions.

Tip: If you find yourself personally answering a lot of questions, add a Questions and Answers section to your web site or your sales brochure. Include the answers to the most frequently asked questions. It will reduce the number of questions you have to answer personally.

Each of these 5 marketing tips provides a simple way for you to boost your sales quickly ...and for little or no new expense.

Copyright 2004 Bob Leduc - about The Author - Bob Leduc spent 20 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales. He just released a New Edition of his manual, How To Build Your Small Business Fast With Simple Postcards ...and launched *BizTips from Bob*, a newsletter to help small businesses grow and prosper. You'll find his low-cost marketing methods

Are You Letting Sales Slip Away?

Recently, I spent an afternoon with some friends at a go-cart track. We had the time of our life each pretending to be world class race car drivers. Although we were older than most of the people there we felt young and alive. We committed to doing this again and soon!

I found over the next few days I shared stories of my experience with countless people. I told story after story of what a great time I had had and how nice the staff was and of my plans to return. With each passing day my plans to return got swept up with the day to day activities of running my business.

A couple weeks after my go-cart experience I got a call from a friend who wanted to know the name of the track. Honestly, I just didn’t remember. I didn’t even know what to look under in the phone book or on the Internet in order to find the company name. “Sorry,” I said. “I just don’t remember.”

How often does this type of situation occur? Sadly, more often than not. And how many sales and potential sales are lost as a result of poor follow up after the initial sale? Sales that could be easily won if people could only remember your company name, the phone number, and the web address.

If you are like most people you have set goals and outcomes for the coming year that include increasing the client base and revenues while increasing profit margins. The sad truth is these are probably the same goals that are set every year and the strategies for achieving the outcomes are probably the same also.

Why not use a smarter strategy? Cultivate relationships with your current client base and keep your name fresh in their mind.

Fact is if someone has already bought something from you and they were pleased with their purchase there is a good chance they will buy again. That is if they remember you and your company when it is time to make the purchase. This applies to hair salons, dentists, specialty gift shops, pet stores and dog groomers, clothing stores, nail salons, or just about any type of business.

Additionally, if they were happy with their experience often they are more than willing to refer people to you, if they could remember you company name. Seems a bit ridiculous they wouldn’t remember your company name. After all, they had such a great experience and said they would be back. Not remembering a company name is more common than you might think.

A good friend loves shopping at an upscale clothing consignment store in the Salt Lake Valley. Her sprees there are sporadic at best. Although she enjoys her experience and will spend in excess of $100 each time she does shop at this unique store, she often forgets about the shop just because she gets so busy with other things in her life.

She said if the owner would simply send out an occasional reminder to come on it she would likely stop in more often. Even a quick email message could work well, she said. An email that could turn an occasional buyer into a frequent buyer. Not only a frequent buyer, but one who more often tells others about the store because the name of the shop is fresh in her mind.

Unfortunately, with many businesses, beyond the initial sale, not much is done to keep their name fresh in the customer’s mind. Customers who have already proven they are willing to spend money with the company and customers who get busy and easily forget the name of the company.

What often surprises people is how simple this can be. The challenge for many people seems to be staying with a system.

It’s like any habit, it has to be cultivated. When someone initially contacts your company make sure to input their name and contact information into your database. Send some type of a follow up regardless of whether or not they make a purchase. This can be done through phone calls, email or standard mailings.

Here are a few recommendations that can be an effective part of any business system. These suggestions will help build a consistent flow of business throughout the year.

If, and when, you experience a slow period in your day, utilize the time to call clients/customers in your database. Recently I stopped into a pet store located in the Salt Lake valley. The groomer was frustrated because several people had made appointments for that day and failed to show up. Her clients may not realize if they don’t show she doesn’t make money.

The groomer told me she got more discouraged as the day progressed. I asked if there was a system in place to assure a higher rate of clients keeping their appointment. As I suspected, there wasn’t. My suggestions were as follows:

1. Require a 25 - 50% deposit when an appointment is set. No shows forfeit the deposit. It will only take once before people realize they need to be certain when setting the appointment. A simple explanation to someone who doesn’t want to put a deposit down should take care of the situation. Consider this - if someone refuses to give a deposit are they going to be a good pay when they get the full amount to pay? You may want to consider carefully before you do business with them.

2. A day or two before the appointment call the customer giving a friendly reminder. This one strategy will realize a dramatic increase in people keeping their appointment.

3. After the appointment, send a thank you card to the pet in c/o the owner. This is not a common practice, so the groomer will be seen as someone who cares about the customer’s pet rather than someone who simply provides a grooming service. By sending the card to the pet you add humor that makes the groomer stand out and the owner may show the card to his or her friends because it is so unique.

4. When time allows, pull out past and current client lists. Make as many calls as possible. Use dialogue such as, “Hi Mary, I notice that Max is due for a grooming. We tend to get very busy this time of year and I want to make sure you are able to get an appointment. Can we go ahead and book Max for his grooming right now? Great, let me go ahead and get your credit card number so we can take care of your deposit on that. Thanks and see you on _____.”

These communication techniques can work for you, regardless of your business. Think of how you can apply these simple tools to your business.

In these changing times, it is up to you to be as flexible and creative as possible. Take advantage of every opportunity to keep in touch with your customers and clients. You will be amazed at the bottom-line results. Results that are a result of people remembering you and your company name.

About The Author - Are you looking for effective systems to increase your revenues? Kathleen Gage can help you do just that. As the top rated home based business owner for 2004 in the state of Utah, Kathleen Gage invites you to get her FR*EE Report “Learn How a Salt Lake City base consultant made over $100,000 from one idea” at www.streetsmartsmarketing.com.