Sales & Marketing Consultant, Bestselling Author & Business Motivational Speaker

Some of us have been in the sales business long enough to remember having our leads and contacts listed in a Rolodex that sat on our desks. While the Rolodex has evolved into an online address book or the address book on our smartphone, the idea behind how to leverage your Rolodex remains the same. We invest a great deal of time and energy into obtaining contacts information. We have their phone numbers, their email addresses; their Twitter handles and are friends with them on Facebook. We may have all of this valuable information, but how many of us let our hard earned list sit and collect dust? We need to leverage our contacts and here are a few ways to do just that.

Organize Your List
Sales professionals can have hundreds or even thousands of leads and contacts on their list. If these leads are not organized in some fashion, these leads will be of little use. When you are networking, online and offline, have some type of system when you enter in their information. A great way to organize is to have specific subjects and place the leads in the appropriate section. Keep your sales leads separate from your possible joint venture contacts. Keep a list of current customers under one heading and keep a list of individuals your current customers referred to you under a different topic. Sometimes it helps to have your contact list entered into a spreadsheet. This allows you to move your contacts around, find your contacts easily and keep track of any notes that pertain to a specific individual. Organizing your leads will save you a great deal of time.

Start Contacting People
The main function of a list of contacts and leads is to actually pick up the phone or click ‘compose email’ and start a conversation. Business rapport and relationships do not happen overnight. Reach out to your list and begin engaging. This could mean that you utilizing email marketing or that you are following up on potential sales. Find out where your list members spend their time and take the time to get to know them. As you continue to build your rapport with your list of leads, you will quickly determine who should stay on your list and who should be removed. This is a great way to narrow down your contacts to those that you can build a great business relationship with.

Track Your List
This goes hand-in-hand with organizing your list. You should keep very detailed notes on each conversation and interaction that you have with the members of your list. If you reached out to them via a phone call, make a note in your spreadsheet indicating the date and the gist of the conversation. If Jane Smith is interested in a joint venture, make note of this so that you can get in touch and see if this would be a successful venture.

Your contact list can be your lifeline. Take the time to organize and start engaging with the contacts and leads on your list.

Happy Marketing!
Sean
(Image Creative Commons)
Sean McPheat
Marketing Consultant – Sales Expert – Motivational Speaker

We are in the business of marketing and sales. In this business, we work very hard to attract the ideal client, have this client purchase products and/or services and have this client be satisfied with their purchase. We invest a great deal of time in learning the right sales techniques, discovering what marketing strategies are optimal and utilizing every skill set we have to bring in a constant stream of new customers. One area where many marketing and sales professionals do not devote a lot of time to is the area of repeat business. You have invested so much energy into getting that sale, isn’t it worth the time and energy to maintain that client for years to come? Repeat business is directly related to your style of follow-up. Here are a few ways to provide flawless follow-up.

Be Committed
You should be extremely committed to your current clients. They have invested their money and trust in you. By continuing to provide great service, you are showing them that you care about them as a person, not just as a paycheck. Being committed is a key part of the follow-up process. You will know right away if they are unhappy with their product or if they are beyond thrilled with their purchase. Either way, you are investing time in building a relationship with your client. By taking this time and investing this energy, you will reap positive results. Your client will continue to purchase goods and services from you and they will refer you to new clients.

Offer Incentives
Everyone likes to get a great deal or a kick-back for their investment. Customers like to feel valued and one of the easiest ways to accomplish this is by offering exclusive incentives to your current customer base. You can keep these incentives simple. For example, 10% off their next purchase with you or offering something for free if they refer a new customer to you are popular ways of achieving this. You don’t want to make the incentive seem like a gimmick. Show your customers respect by offering them exclusivity and quality as a thank-you for their support.

Communication
Communication is important in all aspects of sales and marketing. Make it a priority to be honest with all of your communication. If your customers are unhappy with something, fix it. If your customers are referring people to you, reward them. Take the time to get to know who your customers are and value them as individuals. Remember things like their birthdays and their anniversaries. Take a pro-active approach and send them cards on these important days, and on special holidays. You will find that many of your customers will become lifelong repeat customers if you treat them well.

Sales and marketing all come down to building a relationship with your customers. When you build a good relationship and value each customer you have, you will find that many more are waiting in line to do business with you.

Happy Marketing!
Sean
(Image Creative Commons)
Sean McPheat
Marketing Consultant – Sales Expert – Motivational Speaker

Is there anything more boring than visiting a website or a blog and having pages upon pages of web copy to read? The truth is, when someone visits your website or blog, they are not going to spend 45 minutes simply reading about you and your services. Time is the one element where we all are given the exact same amount. All of us are given 24 hours in a day.

When a potential customer visits your site, they may only spend a few minutes browsing to find the exact information they need. If they encounter thousands of words, they will leave quickly. Your site does need to have copy; there is not question about that. The key is to provide just the right amount as to not overwhelm the visitor. Videos are a great way of condensing your message into a short and simple 2-minute soundbite. How can you incorporate video into your website or blog effectively?

Introduction
By incorporating a short video that introduces you to your potential customer you are able to let your true colors shine. This is the best way to say hello, tell the customer a little about you and show them your personality.

Highlight Services
Short videos that highlight your product or service are great. Consumers would much rather watch a video showing examples of how you fixed someone’s problem or how exactly your product can be used. For example, if you are selling coaching services, show a short 2-3 minute video of you speaking to a group of individuals. This will showcase your ability to communicate and it allows your potential customers to see if there is a natural fit between your style and their needs.

Tips & Giveaways
Many sites offer incentives for visitors to enter their email addresses. All businesses want to build a solid list of followers, which translates easily into leads. These leads may eventually become paying customers. Often the incentive is an e-book or white paper or subscription to a newsletter. Why not make your business stand out? Turn your e-book into a video series. This allows you to obtain their email address, build your list and offer great value that sets you above your competition.

Vlogs
Vlogs are video blogs. If you are already writing blogs for your site as a way to create new content, vlogs are perfect for you. Simply convey the message of your written blog into a video blog. This allows your audience to connect with you and saves them the time of reading.

As our consumers become more and more busy, time truly is of the essence. As a sales professional we already know the time our potential customers give us is extremely valuable. By incorporating video into your marketing strategy, you are showing potential customers that you value their time. Try making a short 2-minute video today!

Happy Marketing!
Sean
(Image Creative Commons)
Sean McPheat
Marketing Consultant – Sales Expert – Motivational Speaker

As marketing and sales professionals, it is important to go back and review the tips that help build a solid foundation that promotes success. Many sales tips and advice regarding how to be an excellent sales professional are tried and true. Many of these tips are things we already know or have perfected. Even if we think we have perfected the basics, it’s always important to go back and have a refresher course. Let’s take a look at a few sales tips that have worked for you in the past, and that will continue to work for you in the future.

Presentation
Does your presentation, sometimes called your deck, show your product/service at its very best? You need to practice and even memorize what you are selling. Be prepared at any given moment to shift to the specific selling point that will woo the person you are talking with. Does your presentation have a natural flow? This all comes with time. The worst thing in the world is to sound rehearsed. Your belief in your product is what will close every sale.

Sales Is An Art
There is always room for improvement. As a sales professional, you must continually learn and adapt. Subscribe to blogs and news outlets that deal with your area of expertise and that relay information about your target demographic. Reading and staying up to date on your field will always serve you. Information is never a bad thing.

Clear Communication
Your clientele will evolve and you need to evolve as well. Know what is trending, learn how to speak to different types of personalities and remember that you need to be able to answer any and all questions. If you are asked a question that you don’t know the answer to, make sure that you communicate to your customer that you will find the answer to their question. Honesty is key. You can always throw humor into the mix. Being sincere will always be appreciated by your potential customers.

As sales professionals, it is so important to continually strengthen your foundation. Go back to the basics. Take the time to remember why you are so passionate about the product or service that you are selling. Every individual that you engage with may not end up being your direct customer, but they will refer you and remember that you were sincere. In the end, you can always be better. Set aside a few hours each week to work on your professional development. This will serve you well.

Happy Marketing!
Sean
(Image Creative Commons)
Sean McPheat
Marketing Consultant – Sales Expert – Motivational Speaker