Earning referrals can be difficult. It’s tough to approach people and ask them to market your product or services for you – which, in essence, is exactly what want people to do when you ask them to make a referral.

One of the problems I find, especially amongst new salespersons, is that most people have a “canned” idea of how they want their networking conversations and referral meetings to go.

What a nightmare.

If no two people are alike, why would your approach to referrals and networking be the same from person to person? It shouldn’t be. You need to begin learning how to “shapeshift,” or adapt your personality to the person you’re speaking to.

You may be a fun-loving guy in the office, but what if Joe Smith is a strict “business only” type of guy on a tight schedule? Are you going to waste his time with a joke before you get to your point or will you simply thank him for fitting you into his busy schedule, make your pitch, and move on? My guess would be the latter. If you simply can’t adapt to a situation you may want to consider working with a marketing partner with a slightly different personality – that way you can work together in difficult situations.

The best way to customize your strategy is to learn about your prospect before you get together. Check his company website, learn about him as an individual person, and find out what time of day is best to reach him. The more amenable you are to his needs the more likely he’ll be to listen to the things you have to say.

Oh, and if you think customizing your referral strategy to gain prospects is a smart move – try this: customize the way you reach out to your prospects as well. They’re all individual and unique people, too!

Have a great weekend!

Sean

Sales Expert - Marketing Consultant – Motivational Speaker

In today’s volatile market having a good public relations plan is more important than ever before. Today’s consumers are more intelligent than ever – but they’re also more skeptical of new advertising campaigns, products, and approaches. It’s pretty safe to say that the average consumer has been burnt by an illegitimate company on some level at least once – even if only insignificantly. People don’t forget bad experiences.

Public relations focus less on advertising and more on giving valuable information to the public – usually without including a sales pitch. It’s often much easier to educate an individual so that they recognise their own wants or needs rather than attempting to directly sell a product.

In order for your public relations campaign to be successful you have to maintain a high level of credibility. This means either reaching out to the public on your own or partnering with a trusted third-party. You may want to make friends with a local news reporter willing to write articles or simply have your own marketing department write press releases. Other companies host public events – either fun days or informational. All of these things help to bring their name into the spotlight without actually advertising a specific product or service.

Now, you can’t launch a public relations campaign and then sit back to see what works and what doesn’t. You have to carefully monitor every single aspect – from events to simple clippings – to find out which are drawing attention towards your organisation and which are not. Of the ones that are, you’ll want to determine if the attention is positive or negative and then take action to either enhance or correct the image you are portraying to the public.

Public relations can be difficult, but it can also be fun. There’s nothing more rewarding than knowing that the people you reach are walking away with valuable information – whether they choose to take immediate action or not. You’ve left an imprint in their minds and they’ll eventually react!

Sean

Sales Expert - Marketing Consultant – Motivational Speaker

Attending a trade show means more than just showing up and networking. If you really want to promote your business you’ll need to have a stunning display that is not only informative but draws attention to your company. When designing your display make sure you include the following key elements:

1. Include graphics that are clear and colorful but not flashy. Anything that is overdramatic or too abstract will draw attention away from your main purpose – to introduce your visitors to your company. If your graphics are too flashy your visitors will spend more time trying to interpret your sign than they will spend listening to you.
2. Make the headline at the top of your display stand out, but keep it short and simple. The clearer your headline the easier it will be for your visitors to remember, even after they’ve walked away. Often times people have a set “plan” when they walk into a trade show. If you don’t grab their attention off the bat with a simple headline you may never gain it.
3. Make sure your display incorporates short sentences and bullet points. Visitors don’t have time to read lengthy marketing documents and will be ready to move on to the next booth almost the minute they arrive at yours. Time is money, so make sure you’re not wasting their time. Keep everything you write short and simple.
4. Your head caption is the most important, but don’t forget to list the name of your company near the top of your display as well. What good will your headline and copy writing do if your visitors walk away without remembering WHO you are?
5. The internet is more popular than ever before, but we still sometimes forget to advertise our web presence. Make sure your website address is clearly displayed on your display and on your handouts and marketing materials. Those who are hard pressed for time during the show may go back to your website later – especially if you grabbed their attention.

Trade shows can be a fun way to meet new people and potential clients but it’s important to remain focused at the same time. Design your display correctly and half the work will be done for you!

Sean

Sales Expert - Marketing Consultant – Motivational Speaker

We’ve already established the fact that direct mail can be very effective and profitable, but if done incorrectly this same method of advertising can turn into an utter nightmare. Failure to think through your direct mail campaign before launching it can result in a massive waste of both time and money.

Here are some of the mistakes most beginners make:

• Don’t forget to define your goals and objectives. Sending out a mailer just to make contact is useless. You need to have a specific purpose.

• Do not send a mailing to your entire list without running a test first. A test will allow you to make changes to increase effectiveness. Don’t waste your entire budget on a list you aren’t sure of.

• Use direct mail in conjunction with another form of advertising. For example, you might want to refer the people receiving your mailer to your website or to a specific phone number. Do not rely on your mailer alone to make the sale.

• Make sure your direct mail package is properly designed to advertise the type of service you are offering. Flashy images may look great, but if you’re trying to sell a product your potential customer will want to learn as much about the product as possible. Include benefits, features, and as many details as you can possibly include.

• I can’t tell you how many new marketers forget to include a “call to action” somewhere in their mailer. If you don’t tell your prospects what action to take next (either to make a purchase or get additional information) you’ll probably never hear from them again.

• Don’t forget to do a thorough analysis of your campaign after its over. Making a few sales is great, but being able to analyse the number of responses you received, how many turned into sales, and when is imperative to the planning process for next time.

Make the most out of your direct mail campaign. Avoid these mistakes and you’ll run successful campaigns over and over again.

Sean

Sales Expert - Marketing Consultant – Motivational Speaker