Sales & Marketing Consultant, Bestselling Author & Sales Conference Speaker

What is the difference between networking and professional socialising? For many, they are the same thing. Business professionals meeting over cocktails or at business networking functions have the same ultimate goal. They want to increase their sales, increase their circle of influence and/or create alliances that will improve their bottom line. There is a distinct difference between networking and professional socialising and if you are not aware of these differences, which often may seem subtle; you may end up making mistakes that will negatively impact your business.

Professional Socialising
Professional socialising is an activity that takes place at the country club, local gatherings, association meetings and even in political circles. An example is when we are invited to a function that has a specific purpose. This can include a charitable event or even a few rounds of golf. These meetings are intended to foster a relationship between you and individuals you know through professional circles.

These are not opportune moments to start pitching or hard selling. You may think that giving a hard sell pitch while taking a few swings on the course is the perfect way to convert your professional associates into buying customers, but the opposite is what will result. You will quickly turn these people away from you and end up having your reputation tarnished. Keep your professional socialising to just that, socializing. Know what the core focus of these events and engagements are before you attend. Having professional ‘friends’ is important, you should not try to make a sale off of the back of individuals who are just trying to enjoy some downtime.

Networking
Professional socialising starts during these association meetings and attending these meetings is not networking. Networking involves people trying to help each other out. Networking is transparent. The individuals that you are engaging with know that the underlying purpose is business related. Networking is what occurs after the socialising. There is a time and place for everything and business networking should always involve an exploratory discussion between the parties involved. The key is to keep the conversation interesting and sustainable. The more you network, the stronger your alliances become. Make sure you understand the subtle differences between professional socialising and actual networking.

There are massive benefits to both professional socialising and networking. While there are some gray areas between the two, once you recognize the differences you can maximize the benefits. The same individuals you play golf with may become strong alliances that increase your sales and work towards your advantage. The key is to mind your manners and know what type of conversation is appropriate to have and where you should have those conversations.

Happy Marketing!
Sean

(Image by JS Creationzs)

Sean McPheat

http://www.seanmcpheat.com

Marketing strategy and execution can be two of the most exhausting elements for just about every businessperson. With the endless ways that your business can be marketed, it becomes even more difficult to know which outlets are truly worth your time, energy and money. How many of us have ended up spending 80% of our time marketing our business and 20% of our time actually doing the real work? When we get caught up in the quicksand pit of marketing, it is extremely important to take time for one simple thing. You need to revisit  your “why”.

Know Your Why
Why did you start your business endeavor? Even the most seasoned business owners often forget what their initial motivation was. Did you want to be financially successful? Did you want to produce the best product in your niche field? Regardless of what your ultimate “why” is, you must revisit the foundation that you put in place when you first began your business. When we take time to remember why we are working so hard and what it is we are working for, this fuels our motivation to continue down our current path. Likewise, we can also see which marketing tactics we are using that don’t serve our ultimate purpose. Revisiting our “why” puts our current division of time and labor into a very real perspective.

Keep Your Eye On The Goal
Marketing and businesses are very similar to sports. When we play sports, we keep our eye on the goal at all times. Even when our backs are turned away, we still know where the goal is located. The same theory works for your business. You have revisited your “why”, now it’s time to make that goal large as life. Keeping an eye on your goal allows you to push forward with making sound business decisions. It also allows you to keep your head up, which is necessary for success.

Make A Map
You have your “why”. You have your eye on your goal. What’s the next step? Just like any other journey, you need a map. A map will keep you on course, allow you to see everything that surrounds you and tracks how far you have come. I would suggest researching project management software. Using project management software allows you to track your on-going projects. It also allows you to keep a historical of your past projects. This feature is great for looking at your business as a whole, just like a map, to see where you were, what you have accomplished and where you are heading.

Every business owner feels the weight of being pulled in too many directions. We can’t determine what efforts are worthwhile and which efforts are a waste of time until we step back and look at our initial goal. This is the perspective all business owners must visit on a regular basis.

Thanks!
Sean

Sean McPheat

http://www.seanmcpheat.com

This blog is about marketing, and today we’re going to talk about the most fundamental aspect of marketing – how to sell. As a business owner, you undoubtedly know quite a lot about how to sell, and have likely been selling something, in one form or another, for much of your working life. However, it never hurts to revisit the basic, and maybe you’ll pick up something extra that you missed along the way.

In short, the keys to effective selling are knowledge and effort. If that sounds overly simplistic, allow me to explain a bit further.

Know Yourself, Know Your Customer, and Know your Competitor

The first step to successful sales is having a full range of knowledge, about your own company and product, as well as about your customer’s needs, and your competitor’s company and his products.

Every single time that you talk to a customer, you should start the day by researching their company. Strive to never give the same sales pitch to two different customers. Research each customer individually, and look for ways that a relationship with your company can bring them a unique benefit.

When customers are confronted by a salesperson who truly knows what they’re talking about, and who truly understand both their own company and the wider industry, they are automatically less defensive, and much more likely to walk away from the conversation one step closer to making a purchase.

Put in the Effort

Even more important than sales knowledge and techniques is putting in the full effort required to close a deal or make a sale. Never treat a customer like someone who you can do without; every time you make a sales pitch, you should tell yourself that there is no failure – that the company is on the line and you absolutely have to make this sale.

This is doubly important if you’re no longer directly involved in the sales aspect of your business, and you rely on others to do it for you. In your hiring and training processes, ensure that motivation is your primary goal. Never hire someone for sales based on their knowledge of the industry, however encyclopedic it may be. The determining factor in the success of a salesperson is their motivation level, and ensuring that they’re going out every day, meeting with clients, and taking the risks required to make sales.

These may seem like fundamental issues, but it is the fundamentals that make sales, and making sales makes companies.

Happy marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

http://www.seanmcpheat.com

In this age of internet marketing, SEO, and social media, it’s important to remember just how important face-to-face communications are. Marketing or selling your product in person may seem like a quaint, antiquated, notion, but in fact it is still one of the most effective ways to motivate people to buy your product. Top salespeople will always jump at the chance to make a pitch in person, as they know it’s the most effective way to move the product off the shelves. By following a few simple rules, you can make yourself orders of magnitude more effective at in-person sales.

Make or Break

Never forget that, more than any other type of sales, face to face selling is a make or break opportunity. People are busy, they have short attention spans, and typically they aren’t very interested in what you’re selling, at least initially. Which is all the more reason that it is absolutely essential to open strong and close quickly.

Capture Their Attention

Once you get the first few seconds of someone’s attention, you can easily build from there. But getting the first few seconds is the tough part – how do you get someone to take a break from their busy life and listen to what you have to say? By making a creating appeal to their emotions, or by offering them a deal! Even the busiest among us are always looking for a way to save a couple of quid, so give them a chance to do just that.

Create Urgency

Along with being make-or-break, face to face selling needs to move along quickly. As opposed to internet-based sales, where you bring in your customer slowly with free information before offering them an opportunity to buy, face-to-face sales need to close quickly.

If your customer walks away without making a purchase, you will likely never hear from them again. So build urgency in whatever manner you can. Stress that there is only a limited amount of your product left, or that the offer you’re giving them will not be good forever.

However, here you must be careful to steer away from hackneyed phrases like “limited time offer,” and “only available for a short time.” People are so accustomed to these phrases being thrown around that they won’t believe you even if you’re telling the truth, and you’ll damage your credibility by looking like a pushy, amateur, salesman.

In today’s age of faceless promotion and internet marketing, face-to-face sales are more effective than ever. However, the key to effective in-person selling is understanding that your customers are busy, making a powerful appeal, giving them an offer, creating urgency, and closing deal without coming off as pushy or annoying. Sounds like a tall order, but the only way to get better at it is by practising.

Happy marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

http://www.seanmcpheat.com