Sales & Marketing Consultant, Bestselling Author & Business Motivational Speaker

One of the hardest things about being in the sales profession is converting your leads into actual buying customers. We learn about selling techniques and strategies and try out many of these tactics and sometimes we are left with less than stellar results. Have you found yourself in this position? Do you find yourself pushing harder and harder for a sale the longer you go without a closing? If this is the case, you need to sit back, relax and re-evaluate your methods. Converting leads into sales takes time, practice and energy. Here are a few things that will assist you.

Form A Relationship
If your mind is centered only on making the sale, you are missing out on the big picture. While closing the sale is a goal, it is only part of the goal. Your goal should be to form a long lasting relationship with your customers. Getting that first sale is great but forming a rapport that leads into repeat business and referrals is much better.

Be Authentic
Don’t be afraid to be you. We all have different personality types and it is important to remember that you are not going to be the perfect fit for every lead that you have. You need to have open communication and see if your product truly is the ideal fit for your potential customer. Your customer will appreciate your upfront honesty and authenticity more than you pushing your product down their throat. In many cases, if a lead isn’t the right fit to be a buying customer, they will have friends or family members that are. When you are authentic, you almost guarantee a positive referral.

Give Them Value
In order to form a great relationship with your customer in today’s market, you must provide value. Social media provides great platforms where you can offer your potential customers information. You can also use these platforms to engage and interact with your current and potential customers. Give your potential customers a reason to trust and like you by providing a stead stream of great content that helps them.

Numbers Matter
The core of turning leads into buying customers is all a matter of numbers. Get leads wherever you can, the more the better. If you are only working with a list of 100, you may end up with 10 buying customers. If you are working with a list of 1000, your odds increase to a potential 100 buying customers or more. A large part of sales is a numbers game. The more leads you have, the more no’s you can plow through to get to those yes’.

One of the most challenging and frustrating part of the sales profession can be turning your list of leads into actual sales. Take the time to implement the above strategies and you will be pleased with the results.

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

One of the most difficult things for business owner’s is to accomplish is establishing themselves as the trusted resource in their industry. Notice I used the word “the trusted resource” and not “a trusted resource”, this is extremely important. Information about companies is very accessible to consumers seeking a professional to solve their problem. Therefore, you need to spend more time setting your brand above the rest. How can you accomplish this?

Think like your customers
Have you taken the time to think like your customers? When you do, you will notice that the following occurs. You will begin to engage with your potential customers without self-promotion. This does not mean that your potential customers remain ignorant of the business that you own; it simply means that you are not broadcasting your products and services 24/7. Begin by creating content that offers a solution to your audience’s problems. By providing powerful content that is not centered on self-promotion you will gain a following. This following will eventually turn into paying customers.

Provide Value
Do your content and your advice provide real value? Simple ways to provide valuable content includes: white papers, e-books, blogs, email newsletters, Facebook status updates, tweets, video and audio. This does not mean that you have to utilize all of these outlets to produce valuable content that your audience can use. This does mean that you need to produce and provide content, using at least one of these mediums, on a consistent basis.

Expert Endorsement
One of the best ways to show that your brand is a trusted resource is through endorsements. Have you connected with thought leaders that are willing to write down a few sentences that endorse your brand? I don’t suggest contacting every thought leader you admire and beg them to endorse your product or service. I do suggest that you utilize professional relationships that you have developed. This can be accomplished through networking, commenting on the blogs of these thought leaders, joining them in groups online and building a rapport. You must be willing to have a give- give relationship with these individuals. As quickly as a thought leader can endorse you, they can just as easily tarnish your professional reputation if you abuse the professional relationship.

Every brand must establish itself as the trusted resource of your field. Becoming the trusted resource is not something that occurs overnight. It takes time to develop relationships, build trust with your current customer base and have your target demographic trust you as well. This is an investment that is well worth the time and resources. You will find that once you are established as the trusted resource, it will take less time to turn a curious prospect into a loyal customer.

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