Marketing doesn’t work!

Posted on 30, July 2008 by jimconnolly

By Jim Connolly
Marketing has no favourites! If you market your business correctly you will thrive and if you market that same business ineffectively you will struggle.  That’s because marketing is based on cause and effect.

I received an email yesterday from one of the visitors to my main website, jimconnolly.com.  He explained that he had been trying to generate meetings with prospective clients - but that his marketing had let him down.  I later received an email from a reader of my free marketing newsletter, who told me, point-blank that; “advertising doesn’t work!”

Stop blaming your tools

In both of these examples, the suggestion was that the failure of these people to generate business was not THEIR fault, but simply that marketing and advertising ‘don’t work.‘  Their problem was not, as they suggested, that marketing only works for some people - Their problem was simply that they were doing it wrong!  For example, a poorly written advertisement, placed in the wrong publication, is unlikely to generate a stack of enquiries or sales!  This does NOT mean that advertising doesn’t work!

A pile of wood and some nails

Give my friend Tom a pile of wood and some tools and he will turn it into a beautiful piece of furniture.  Give that same equipment to me and I would end up with splinters and a couple of bruised thumbs!  That’s because Tom is a master furniture maker, with over 40 years worth of experience and I’m a marketing professional with no furniture making experience or skills.  However, when it comes to SELLING that beautiful furniture….

Some marketing advice worth taking

Most small and medium-sized businesses rely heavily on free marketing tips and advice from the Internet; at least in the early years of their business.  If you are going to market your business without specialist, expert marketing assistance, please make sure that:
1. You only take marketing advice from proven, trusted sources - like www.jimconnolly.com
2. Take time to study marketing and make sure you don’t start until you understand each step you need to take.

What have YOUR experiences been with marketing? Lets us know!

Filed under: Business development, Marketing, Professional development, mailshots, marketing tips, self help, self improvement, small business | Tagged: , , , , | No Comments »

Old marketing material can KILL your sales!

Posted on 27, July 2008 by jimconnolly

By Jim Connolly
I recently spoke with a businesswoman, who’s Company ceased  trading earlier this year; primarily through a lack of sales.  When I asked her what she had been doing in order to generate sales, it turned out that Sheila, like many small businesses owners, was marketing her business based on ideas from various marketing books and audio programs from a decade ago or more.

She quoted marketing books and programs to me, that sadly you can still buy from Amazon etc - but are totally ineffective in today’s VERY different business environment.

BUT JIM - MARKETING IS JUST AS IT’S ALWAYS BEEN ISN’T IT?

No!  Marketing today is very different.  Today, we live in an age where you can write to a million people for free using email.  We can broadcast a video to millions of people via YouTube for free.

We can even advertise our services to millions of people each year via our website, for the same cost as a one page advertisement in a very average magazine!  My work, for example, reaches 3 million people some months - and all for FREE!

The things Sheila was doing wrong are actually quite common to many small businesses.  Take a look below and make sure YOU are not making the same marketing mistakes!

SHEILA SENT MAILINGS WITH A DOZEN PAGES OF MARKETING INFORMATION

Sheila had been sending out mailshots with a dozen or more sheets of paper inside, in the totally false belief that it would increase her response rate.  She not only received nothing from these mailshots, they cost her around £20,000 ($40,000 US) in the process.

In the eighties and early nineties, there were a few marketing ‘experts’ who said if you stuffed a dozen or so sheets of marketing material in with your mailshots, it would increase the number of sales you make or the number of enquiries you get.

Even back then, it was very expensive and not very effective - but today, it’s far worse!  We now live in an age where people are extremely environmentally aware and are not too keen on people wasting all that paper!  We also live in an age where people have never been busier - too busy to plough through stacks of paper trying to sell them something!  Click on the envelope and I will show you how to make your next mailshot more effective!

SHEILA HAD BEEN COLD CALLING PROSPECTS

She had been using cold calling - something that WAS effective up until around 6 / 8 years ago.  Today, however, her target prospects (like most businesspeople) are shielded behind voice-mail.  As a result, you can now waste a whole day on the phone and get the same results you would have got in just an hour - only a few years ago!

SHEILA SPENT £600 ON HER WEBSITE

Although Sheila spent heavily on mailshots, she saw no reason to have a professionally designed and optimised website.  A website that’s designed by a professional and then optimised, will attract regular leads and enquiries. That’s because it will look professional AND be fully visible to people who are desperately seeking YOUR kind of services!

Most small businesses are genuinely unaware that they could have stacks of phone calls and emails all day long from interested prospective clients; if only they had a professional looking website that has been search engine optimised by an expert. There’s NO POINT in you having a website that gets little traffic and provides few sales or sales leads!

Most marketing books and audio programs (including the very best known) from the 1990’s and before either don’t mention websites or hardly mention them.  For example; even marketing books from THIS decade will not highlight Google as a major marketing tool, unless they were written in the past 5 years or so!

A COMMON PROBLEM FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

Most small businesses rely heavily on marketing books, marketing audio programs and free online marketing tips in order to help them make more sales.  If you want to avoid wasting stacks of money and missing countless sales opportunities, throw your old marketing guides and audio programs in the recycling bin! You need to know what works today.

Here’s a link to stacks of excellent, free sales and marketing material!

Filed under: Business development, Marketing, small business | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Marketing and the credit crunch!

Posted on 23, July 2008 by jimconnolly

By Jim Connolly
The so-called ‘credit crunch‘ is forcing people to think longer and harder than ever before, about what they spend their money on!

WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS

This means your potential clients will now need to be TOTALLY CONVINCED, before they invest in your services.  Any business today, whose marketing is ‘less than compelling’, is likely to find the coming two years (some say three) extremely painful - unless they immediately and dramatically improve the way they sell and market their products or services!

WHY?

During a ‘normal’ or strong economy, people don’t have to think too hard about making a purchase.  Equally, we find that when times are good and people / businesses feel prosperous, they are far less discerning or ‘fussy’ about what they spend their money on.

This means that in good times, even a poorly marketed company will generate some business.

However, during a bad economic climate or ‘credit crunch‘; when potential clients have to really think before they purchase anything, they ALWAYS end up spending their money with the most successfully marketed businesses.  This is because, when faced with a number of options during difficult times, a potential client will always opt for the provider who seems to offer the most attractive or best value products / services.

Sadly, during these early stages of the credit crunch, a massive number of great companies have already gone broke.  In many or most cases, these companies will have offered a SUPERB service, but they were out-marketed by their competitors.

THE POINT?

If your business is currently finding it a struggle to generate the volume and quality of sales it needs - get professional marketing help NOW!  Things will not ‘just get better.’  Cutting back on sales and marketing is possibly the single worst thing you can do for your business during an economic downturn.  A DIY approach to winning business in today’s economy is not sustainable.  It’s just too competitive!

Remember, your professionally marketed competitors are, right now, not only targeting all your potential clients - they are targeting your existing clients too!

Filed under: Business development, Marketing, small business | Tagged: , , | No Comments »

Clear marketing sells!

Posted on 22, July 2008 by jimconnolly
marketingBy Jim Connolly

In marketing, clarity is extremely important!  Your marketing messages need to clearly state what you do, what the benefits of your services are and why a potential client should do business with you or buy from you!

Clear marketing messages command a potential client’s attention with laser-like precision!  Sadly, most small businesses use a foggy, conversational approach to their marketing and as a result, they lose stacks of business unnecessarily!

SMALL BUSINESS WEBSITES

I was recently reading a very interesting blog post by the SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), expert Gregor Spowart. In his blog post he explains how this same lack of clarity is often reflected in a lack of traffic to small business websites – along with some ideas on how to make your site more successful.  Vague, generalised marketing messages are a complete waste of your time and money!

FOR EXAMPLE

I recently saw a website for a company that had the following headline across its homepage;
“Providing integrated business solutions to SME’s.”

Apart from mentioning that they work with SME’s (Small to medium-sized Enterprises), I have no idea whether they are; business advisers, software developers, accountants, recruitment specialists, hr consultants or anything else!

TRY THIS

Take a look at your existing marketing.  Read your website, your sales letters, marketing emails and brochures or flyers etc.  Make sure that each of your marketing messages explains clearly:
1. What you do.
2. How it will directly benefit the reader.
3. Why they absolutely need it (right now if possible).
4. Why they should buy ‘it’ from you (and not someone else).

This simple exercise can produce immediate, measurable results!

Filed under: Business development, Marketing, Technology, small business | Tagged: , , , , | No Comments »

Premium rate phone numbers kill sales!

Posted on 21, July 2008 by jimconnolly

By Jim Connolly
If you run a business and you want people to call you to enquire about your services or buy from you - NEVER use premium rate numbers for your sales phone line or main phone line!

phone business

Here in the UK there are some misguided small businesses who (unbelievably) only offer a premium rate number for people to call them on!  NUMBERS THAT BEGIN WITH EITHER 087* OR 084* are a VERY bad idea for your business - as they place a hurdle between your potential clients / customers and your products or services.

Why premium rate numbers are a bad idea

Because, no one wants to pay a premium rate to call YOUR business to enquire about your services!  Why should they have to pay you, to be sold something - come on, get real!  I have variously heard it estimated that using any premium rate number for your main phone line or your sales / enquiries line, can lose you between 60% and 80% of ALL enquiries and sales.

Not only will people like myself refuse to use these rip-off numbers, many companies have these numbers barred from their phone system - so their employees can not actually dial these numbers, even if they wanted to spend money with you.

Also, if you call these numbers from a UK mobile phone, it can cost a fortune (hardly likely to encourage people to enquire about your services!  Everything your business does should make it as EASY and attractive as possible for people to call you.  The message you send out by using a premium rate number is 100% negative - it’s a money-grabbing scam.

Some people REALLY HATE these numbers - Look!

There is so much resistance to businesses screwing people with these rip-off numbers that a wonderful website has come to the consumer’s rescue; www.SayNoTo0870.com If you need to dial a company hiding behind one of these awful numbers, check out www.SayNoTo0870.com and see if there is a regular price alternative.

If you are serious about winning business - drop the use of premium rate numbers for your sales line or your main phone number.

Filed under: Business development, Marketing, Useful websites, small business | Tagged: , , | 6 Comments »

Leverage Part 2: Massively increase YOUR sales & profits

Posted on 14, July 2008 by jimconnolly

By Jim Connolly
Leverage has often been referred to as the secret behind all sales and marketing success.  This is because when you use leverage - it generates AMAZING results whilst reducing your costs ant the same time!  Today, in part two of this guide, I am going to give you some examples of how YOU can use leverage to boost sales of your services or products – extremely quickly!
(You can read leverage part one by clicking here!)

WHAT IS LEVERAGE?

In sales and marketing terms, leverage is a strategy for getting the best or highest return possible from your investments in time, money and effort.  Leverage is what successful businesspeople and salespeople use to achieve massively more success – and far, far quicker than their competitors!  It is also why they move ahead further and faster than anyone else.

THINK OF IT LIKE THIS

Obviously, it costs you the same amount of time and money to send a mailshot; whether or not it generates new business for you.  So, if you send a mailshot and it generates £100,000 in new profits, the cost to you of that mailshot is no higher than it would have been, had the mailshot failed.  If you leverage a mailshot by sending a great letter, with a compelling offer, to a targeted audience, with an endorsement from one of their trusted contacts – you will make a fortune and achieve stunning results.  Follow that letter up with a phone call and you will maximise the results even further; often increasing the return by a factor of 4x, 5x or 6x!

marketing letter

You will have leveraged the investment you made in that mailing, by getting the highest possible return for the cost of each letter.  You will have achieved more success from one mailing than most people do from a years’ worth of mailings – and at a tiny fraction of the cost, time and effort too.

LEVERAGE WORKS ACROSS THE BOARD

It costs the same for you to advertise; whether your advertisement is massively successful or not.  Your website will still cost you the same, whether the wording is professionally copy written so that it inspires people to spend money with you, or if the site just sits there doing nothing for you or your business!

So, the first step in getting leverage to work for you is to get the highest possible return from your commercial activities.

UPSIDE LEVERAGE

The second step is to make sure you are only investing your time, money and effort in activities that are high-return or ‘upside leverage’ activities.  After all; there’s no point rowing your boat as hard as you possibly can – in the WRONG direction.  You have to make sure you are doing the right things, before you make sure you are doing things right!

A GREAT EXAMPLE OF UPSIDE LEVERAGE

Buy your staff an audio program that will increase their productivity by 5% or 10% or 50%.  It will cost you peanuts and potentially increase your annual productivity by tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds!

DOWNSIDE LEVERAGE

The most successful people in business eliminate all activities that are low value.  These are known as ‘downside leverage activities’; because even if you get the maximum they have to offer, it’s still not worth the amount of time, money, effort or risk attached.

A GREAT EXAMPLE OF DOWNSIDE LEVERAGE

Successful salespeople avoid traditional ‘chamber of commerce style’ networking events; because they know the room is filled with SELLERS and not BUYERS!

Companies send their sales staff to networking events and thus, the people you meet have no interest in your message and (worse still) they have NO AUTHORITY TO BUY from you either!

Sales ‘experts’ sell seminars and books on ‘how to get the most from networking,’ without ever mentioning that traditional networking is massively ineffective for most small or medium-sized businesses.  This is why so many growing businesses seldom stay with any networking group for long and why these groups have to ‘tie you in’ with annual membership instead of monthly membership.

Here are some questions to ask yourself if you want to leverage your business:

WHAT DOWNSIDE LEVERAGE ACTIVITIES ARE YOU CURRENTLY WASTING; TIME, MONEY AND EFFORT ON?

Take a long, honest look at your business and see if you can identify downside leverage activities that can be stopped.  Then, invest the resources you were using on downside leverage - in upside leverage activities.

WHAT CURRENT UPSIDE LEVERAGE ACTIVITIES COULD YOU GET A MASSIVELY HIGHER RETURN ON?

There are too many to mention here, but let’s quickly look at your website, as mentioned earlier.  Your website can provide you with a targeted global audience.

It can inspire people to; call you, visit your store, email you, write to you and recommend you.  It can give you the opportunity to showcase your expertise to your target clients and position yourself as an expert in your field.  It can even take payments from people and make money for you while you sleep.

Does your website do all these things?  If not, get your site professionally worded and designed and make sure it starts paying its way!  Get an SEO (search engine optimisation) expert to ensure you attract lots of targeted traffic from people interested in your services.  There is the potential to skyrocket your profits extremely quickly or at least generate stacks of daily, high calibre leads - providing you leverage the site and make it work hard for you 24 hours of every day!

SUCCESS LEAVES CLUES

If you are serious about achieving true success in your business or career, you have to start using the amazing power of leverage.  Leverage everything you can to its highest potential and focus your time, money and effort exclusively in areas that have the most value.  There is an old saying in business, which tells us that; “Success leaves clues.”  The most successful people in business all use leverage to its fullest, and so should you.  Your time is precious.

You work REALLY hard and deserve to see the rewards for your time and effort – so start NOW by investing in the areas that really matter and eliminate for ever the activities that are holding you back.  You are just too valuable to settle for anything less!

What have been YOUR highest and lowest leverage sales and marketing activities?  Let us know in the comments section below and share your experiences with other readers!

Filed under: Business development, Marketing, small business | Tagged: , , , , | No Comments »

Common marketing mistakes number 1

Posted on 11, July 2008 by jimconnolly

By Jim Connolly
Would you like to know some of the most common marketing mistakes made by small and medium-sized businesses - so you can avoid them?

I own and run a marketing business, with clients all over the world and a newsletter that’s read by many thousands more business owners and salespeople.  Because of this, I get hundreds of emails a week from my readers; which highlight marketing mistakes that are KILLING their businesses - here’s the first culprit for you to avoid!

THE FEAR OF INVESTING IN MARKETING!

marketing ideas

THE FEAR OF INVESTING IN MARKETING EXPLAINED!

The single most common reason that businesses fail to make the sales they need in order to grow (or even survive), is that they fear investing in their marketing!  They are happy to moan about their poor sales and low profits, but will point-blank refuse to get the problem fixed; preferring to tread water until they retire or go broke.

FOR EXAMPLE

They will invest in a mailshot, but insist on copy writing the mailing letter themselves; all-but guaranteeing that it fails.  Copy writing is a specialist business activity.  The ability to motivate someone to open and then read a mailing AND THEN take action (call you, email you, buy from you) is something that very few people can do.  Why would a business ruin their chances of success by opting for DIY copy writing?  Because it’s CHEAPER than getting the letter written by a proven expert!

‘Do it yourself’ and it costs nothing - BUT pay an expert to market your business and you have an additional cost!  Now, as we know, the marketing a proven expert provides can generate a two or three thousand percent increase in someone’s results and transform their sales - but that’s not what these business owners focus on.  They focus exclusively on the cost of the experts services.

Most small businesses, for example, will invest in having a website built; but REFUSE to pay a few hundred pounds / dollars to have that site Search Engine Optimized.  End result?  The site might as well not be there - because it’s invisible and gets no search engine traffic!  Why?  Because it’s CHEAPER than paying someone to optimize the website!

I have recently seen a website go from generating nothing, to generating enquiries on a daily (almost hourly) basis - after being Search Engine Optimized and marketed correctly.  The cost was tiny, yet the payback was WORTH SIX FIGURES IN NEW BUSINESS to the sites owner!

WHY THEY ALWAYS STRUGGLE

This fear-based approach to sales and marketing is not only extremely common in small businesses; sadly, it’s pretty-much the norm!  The fear of loss is so great in some people, that it literally scares them into failure.  They will work hard and offer a great service and then suffer, as they watch their professionally marketed competitors achieve great success, whilst they spin-their-wheels year after year.

RACHAEL’S STORY

I recently met a business owner, whose business was really struggling.  In fact, she said that if she had been working for someone else over the past 5 years, rather than for herself, she would have made far more money and worked far fewer hours!  She went on to explain that she knew nothing about sales or marketing - and that she ‘could not afford to have her business marketed by a professional’.  I asked her what kind of fees she had been quoted by marketing consultants.

She replied; “Oh, nothing - I have not bothered getting quotes.  You don’t have to, I mean, it’s just really expensive isn’t it!” Not as expensive as losing her business; which sadly happened to her earlier this week and prompted me to write this blog post!

Hard work and long hours are not enough to succeed!  If hard work and long hours were the secret of success, our grand parents would all have been millionaires! The quality of your products or services have to be matched by the quality of your marketing if you want to succeed and start making some REAL money.

Filed under: Business development, Marketing, small business | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

Newsletter & FREE eBook

Posted on 9, July 2008 by jimconnolly

NEWSLETTER

As some of you may already know, I give stacks of free ideas and advice away every couple of weeks; in the jimconnolly.com newsletter.  The newsletter is read by people in over 60 countries around the world and it’s often referred to as being more valuable than most of the seminars, audio programs and books out there!

Today, I have added a page to this blog, which is all show you how to get a copy - PLUS a FREE copy of my ebook; “Ten Secrets To Success!”

YOUR FREE EBOOK

If you want to know more and also grab a FREE copy of my short eBook; “Ten Secrets To Success,” click here!

A RECENT READER COMMENT

“This is the best newsletter I have ever read and I have read hundreds. The information this guy gives away for free is the premium content that others charge you for. I have just got to thank Jim Connolly and his team for such a great newsletter.”  Alison Ramsay (Australia)

Subscribe now, get your FREE eBook and let me know what YOU think!

Filed under: Business development, Marketing, News, small business | Tagged: , | No Comments »

Leverage - part one

Posted on 8, July 2008 by jimconnolly

By Jim Connolly
I am going to show you a simple, high leverage way to generate sales super-fast; WITHOUT you having to invest a penny on marketing! It’s a step by step guide that anyone can follow, which can generate an almost unlimited amount of sales for you; with very little effort on your part.

This information (taken from my main site www.jimconnolly.com); has often been referred to as of more value than most sales books and sales training courses!

LET’S GET STARTED

If you have ever studied the stories behind the most successful businesspeople and salespeople, you will see a word popping up again and again. That word is; ‘leverage.’  Leverage, when referred to in business development terms, is all about getting the maximum return on everything you do.  I use leverage to get results in every area of my business and I want you to start doing the same – the rewards are stunning!
.

LEVERAGE YOUR WAY TO AN EXTRA HALF MILLION A YEAR IN TURNOVER - FOR FREE!

Allow me to introduce you to a few people who have the attention of hundreds or thousands of new potential clients for your services – possibly even more!

By the way, you already know these people. . . they are your Accountant, Business Bank Manager and Company Solicitor.  How many local clients does your Accountant have 500 or 5,000?  And what about your Solicitor – another 1,000 or so? Ok; what about your Company’s Bank Manager – 5,000 or 10,000?

Of these thousands of local businesses, how many have a potential need for your services?  If you are in a service industry; Recruitment, Insurance, Internet, IT or Training – there is potential for you to supply your services to almost ALL of these thousands of local businesses!  If you provide a product or a range of products, you will quickly know roughly what percentage of these local businesses are likely to have a need for your offering.  In either case, the potential here is massive!
.

A COMMON PROBLEM - AN EASY ANSWER!

Speak with any group of businesspeople or salespeople and you will quickly learn that one of their most pressing problems is winning new, high quality clients or customers on a regular basis. Despite this, very few of them have actually held a meeting with their Accountant, Solicitor or Bank Manager to specifically request leads from their massive client base!
.

ASSUME NOTHING

People in business usually make the costly mistake of assuming that their Accountant, Solicitor and Bank Manager will ‘automatically’ recommend them and their services to their masses of clients and contacts. This is seldom, if ever, the case!  Accountants, Lawyers and Bank Managers are extremely busy professional people and unless there is some motivation for them to proactively pass leads to you – they won’t!
.

LEVERAGE IN ACTION

What you need is a strategy that ‘leverages’ the motivation of these professionals; making it easier for them to provide you with referrals than NOT to – and here it is!  These three questions should be asked, preferably face-to-face, in the exact order they are given:

Question 1: How many clients do you have?
Question 2: How many of them do you think use (whatever you offer)?
Question 3: So, how many leads do you think you can pass to me over the next 30 days?

What these three questions do is extremely clever - Here’s the science behind each one:
.

Question 1: How many clients do you h.ave?

This is what I refer to as the ‘foundation’ question. It forms the foundation upon which the rest of the questions stack.  People are proud of the size of their client base and are only too eager to show you just how hard they work and how successful their bank or practice is.  This means they will give you an accurate picture as to the size of their client base.
.

Question 2: How many of your clients do you think use (your service/product)?

This is what I refer to as the ‘focus’ question.  It causes the listener to focus on the profile of his or her client base and the nature of your product or service, before joining the two together. They know that you will have a very good idea of how many businesses, on average, have a requirement for your services or products – so their answer to you has to be realistic.
.

Question 3: So, how many leads do you think you can pass to me over the next 30 days?

This is what I refer to as the leverage question.  It causes the listener to review the two answers they have just given you and then give you a number.  It also sets up a time-scale and as the old saying goes; “what gets measured gets done!”  At this point you have just leveraged their motivation - making it far easier to pass you leads and far harder not to. Even if they fail to give you a definitive number, it is no longer easy for them NOT to provide you with regular introductions, referrals or leads. Now that there is a timescale for when you will be expecting to have received some leads, they will find it easier to help you than ignore you.

Your Bank Manager, Accountant and Solicitor are trusted professionals and their recommendation is extremely valuable.  They will also know all about you and your business and they will know that you offer a great product or service – so there’s no barrier to them recommending you.  Each of these hard working professionals will be keen to help their other clients, and if they believe that your service will benefit their other clients, it’s only natural that they would introduce your services to them!

If you find it a little ‘awkward’ asking these questions, ask them in a playful way!
Amazingly, even if you ask these questions with a big smile on your face, as I always do, the impact is exactly the same!
.

SOME NUMBERS YOU MIGHT FIND INTERESTING

If only one business in ten, on average, has a need for your type of product or service, it’s likely that your; Bank Manager, Company Solicitor and Accountant combined will have access RIGHT NOW to A THOUSAND new clients for you and your business.  If you only sold £100 worth of goods to these people once a year, that’s a hundred thousand pounds a year increase in your turnover!
.

AN EASY MILLION

If you work in any of the industries I have already mentioned in this free guide; that figure will be closer to a million pounds a year in new business for you and your business!

Filed under: Business development, Marketing, small business | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

How to sell ANYTHING!

Posted on 4, July 2008 by jimconnolly

By Jim Connolly
Right now - I am going to show you how to sell anything (and for a great price too!)  This means not only making a sale or gaining a new client/customer - but making that sale or winning that contract in the most profitable way possible.

OVERVIEW

People often tell me that once they get ‘in front’ of a prospective client, they are pretty good at converting the prospective client into a paying client.  The problem is; they just don’t get in front of enough people!  If this sounds like you or someone you know, here’s the solution.  By the way - forward this to everyone you know that might find it useful!

If you are finding it hard to sell something, the temptation is often to lower the price.  This is almost always a REALLY bad idea!  Ironically, when we speak with buyers we find that price is not primarily what they base their buying decision on!  We find that quality, support and back-up are ranked higher than price.

Before writing this article I held a poll on my website where I asked people, which of the following were most important to them; price, quality or backup & support. Overwhelmingly, price came back as the least important!  In fact, there is a lot of data to suggest that lowering prices can actually reduce sales.

Price only becomes a hurdle when the cost of something is greater than its perceived value!

To make something sell, you simply need to make the perceived value of it higher than the asking price. For example, a £100 item with a perceived value of £200 will sell very successfully; however, a £200 product with a perceived value of £100 will really struggle.  The bottom line is that people need to believe they are getting a bargain.  If they do, they will happily spend their money with you.

WHAT IS ‘PERCEIVED’ VALUE?

Perceived value is the value that someone places in a product or service, based on what they believe it to be worth or their perception of it is.  Whenever you find yourself looking at the price of something and thinking it’s a great deal, it’s because your perceived value of it is higher than the cost.  That’s why successful sales and marketing is based around making the perceived value of something appear as high as possible, so that whatever’s being offered seems like a real bargain when you learn the price.

marketing copy

marketing copy

Sadly, the marketing used by most businesses does very little to increase the perceived value of their products or services (herein called products).  Therefore, these businesses focus on reducing their prices; so that the price matches the low perceived value of their products.

In other words, they end up selling a great product for less than it’s worth - and make far, far fewer sales too.

OK - Enough about how THEY sell and market themselves (that’s their problem not ours)  Here’s how YOU can sell more than ever before! (I really am too good to you!)

FIRSTLY, FOCUS ON THE BENEFITS OF WHATEVER YOU ARE SELLING AND MAKE THOSE BENEFITS SOUND AS VALUABLE AND IRRESISTIBLE AS POSSIBLE

It is not enough to say something generic like ‘our service saves people money’ - you must give an example of how you saved someone a ton of money and then compare the cost of your service to the saving it achieved!  For example, when I used to sell my marketing services to people, I would send them my quote; along with a press clipping of how I helped a business triple their turnover in just 120 days, by helping them win the biggest contract in their history!  It worked really well, because it showed people the value of my service and made my fee seem an outstanding bargain!  My competitors sent their quote in with a business card and their fingers crossed!

Failing to clearly show the true value of your products in your marketing will cost you a fortune.  Back in 2005, I met with an Accountant whose practice was in real trouble.  After looking at his marketing material and website, I explained that there was no mention anywhere as to the value of what he did; how he could help people pay less tax, make bigger profits and hold onto more of their hard earned money.

Here’s what he replied;
“Jim, if people are too stupid to work out for themselves what an experienced accountant like me can do for their business, that’s their problem!”

“No it’s not” I explained!

“It’s very much your problem - because they will take their business elsewhere and you will go broke!”

Within 18 months he had lost his business and was working for a former competitor!

SECONDLY, YOU NEED TO ADD ‘BONUSES’; THINGS THAT PEOPLE WILL VALUE BUT WHICH COST LITTLE TO PROVIDE

For example, I give away a free ebook and free UK postage and packing to people who buy my Motivation Master Class Audio CD’s. The ebook version of this programme retails for £9.99 and the free postage and packing is saving my customers a further £4 - making the programme exceptional value.

THIRDLY, BECAUSE VALUE IS ALWAYS RELATIVE, YOU NEED TO LOOK AT THE PERCEIVED VALUE AND PRICE OF WHAT YOUR COMPETITORS ARE OFFERING

One of the ways a potential client decides what value to attach to your product, is to compare it with what your competitors are offering.  You must, therefore, research what your competitors are offering and then make your product more valuable than theirs.

For example, my friend Cheryl works in London as an Estate Agent; specialising in selling homes worth over £1.5 million.  The very first thing she does when she takes on a new client is show them around the other homes in their area that are being marketed at the same price.  This way, her clients can see what their home is being marketed against - how it measures up against the competition.  Cheryl is then able to encourage them to do the improvements required to make their home stand out against its competitors.  The end result is that her client’s homes always sell very quickly and for a great price!

FOURTHLY, REVIEW YOUR MARKETING MATERIAL

Take a look at your marketing material, everything from; your sales letters and advertisements to your website and any marketing emails you might use.  When you read them, does every sentence and every paragraph pump value into your products and your business?  If a potential client reads your marketing, is it going to motivate them to take action, call, email or meet you?  Is someone reading your marketing material going to feel compelled to call, meet or email you?

If the answer is no, you are losing a fortune in sales.  It is essential to the success of your business that your products are seen as being of exceptional value.  Competition has never been greater than it is today because the consumer has never had so much choice.  If your marketing is pedestrian in its approach, it is hurting your business so change it NOW.

FINALLY, REVIEW YOUR SALES PITCH OR PRESENTATION

When you speak with a prospective client, do your words add value to whatever you are selling?  Do you identify their problems during your meeting and then sell your product as the answer to these problems?  If not, throw your presentation or sales pitch into the bin and start again!

No one wants to meet with you, to be bombarded with a list of benefits and features and then quoted a price or fee!  They want you to inspire them, to show them that you have something that they absolutely need!  They then need to be certain that you are the best person anywhere to buy it from.  Your sales pitch is all about pumping value into your products and your business and then showing the person that you want their custom - not because you are greedy - but because you believe that if they buy from anyone else they will get a worse deal overall.

If you really believe that your products, your service or your business is the best solution for someone, you have a moral obligation to stop them making a mistake!  You have an professional obligation to ensure that this person gets to benefit from being one of your highly valued clients.  This message must resonate powerfully through your marketing, your conversations and your interactions.

GET MOVING!

Go on - right now, pump the enthusiasm you feel for your product and business into all your marketing and sales messages!  Make sure everyone knows how valuable your product is and how much you want to help them.  Don’t leave anything up to chance - TELL your potential clients that you are looking out for them, that you provide a stunning service and that the only way you can be sure that they will be looked after or get the best product is if they allow you to service their requirement.

You are a knowledgeable professional and you want your years of experience to help these people and their businesses!  Now go and make sure that EVERYBODY knows!

Filed under: Business development, Marketing, small business | Tagged: , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Blog ideas - comments

Posted on 3, July 2008 by jimconnolly

By Jim Connolly
People often ask me for blog ideas - ideas they can use to make their blog more successful and more fun!  In this first ‘blog ideas’ post, I am going to give you 3 ideas on how to get the most from your blog’s comments section.

internet marketingComments

It seems that many blogs struggle to get their readers to leave comments.  I spoke yesterday with someone who gets three times as many blog visitors as me; yet she has only had 5 comments left in the past 6 months!  In my experience, there are 3 simple things you can do, which will encourage people to comment.

Firstly, DO NOT MODERATE comments before they are posted!  People like to leave a comments and then see it immediately posted to the blog.  This encourages people to debate within your comments section, because they will be able to read replies to their comments and respond to them quickly.

Very occasionally, a comment will be left that’s just totally inappropriate and these can be ‘post moderated.’  In other words, the offending post can be quickly deleted after it is posted.  Thus far, I have not had to remove a single inappropriate comment.  Regarding blog spam - This blog is uses Akismet antispam software; which catches about 99% of all the blog spam sent here.  I get the occasional idiot pretending to post a comment, which is just ‘link bait’ to get people to their get-rich-quick-scheme and these are always deleted.

Secondly, let people post comments that disagree with you or your point of view!  The whole point of a blog is for people to take part - and people all have different opinions, so let them share them! What opinions do YOU have about encouraging people to participate with a blog and leave comments?  Let me know by leaving a comment below! (Sometimes, it’s good to ask people to comment - when the subject, like this one, requires it:) )

Thirdly, reply to comments!  If someone is good enough to leave a comment, you should take a moment to respond to it.  This is a great way to develop a bond with your readers and all the top bloggers do it!  It also helps you get the kind of feedback required to make your blog a success.

Filed under: Marketing | Tagged: , | 7 Comments »

How to tell if someone is lying?

Posted on 2, July 2008 by jimconnolly

By Jim Connolly
Today, I have a free download for you!  It’s going to show you how to tell when someone is lying to you.  In fact, this free download is so powerful that it is currently being used by security companies; to help them and their clients avoid con artists and fraudsters!

jane c woods changingpeople.co.ukThe download is from UK Trainer and Coach; Jane C Woods.  I honestly can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t benefit from it - so grab your copy now by clicking this link.

I also recommend you take a look around Jane’s website, as there are some excellent free articles and guides there - in her ‘free resources’ section.

Jane’s website is www.changingpeople.co.uk - enjoy!

Filed under: Business development, Professional development, Useful websites, personal development, self help, self improvement, small business | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

The GREAT Networking Lie!

Posted on 1, July 2008 by jimconnolly

networking eventsBy Jim Connolly
Small businesses lose a fortune each year attending networking events.  They get little if anything from these dead-end events; often believing they are at fault because they are doing something wrong.  So, they waste more time learning how to network - then finally realise, after being screwed out of their money, that it’s the actual networking events that are the problem - NOT them.

This is what I call ‘The Great Networking Lie!’

I have run a successful marketing business for over 13 years and have clients all over the world.  In my experience, I can think of no place where you are LESS likely to make a sale or win some business than a typical ‘chamber of commerce style’ networking event.

Here’s a couple of reasons why these events suck!

Firstly, NO ONE attends networking events to buy!  Just like you, EVERYONE in that room is there to SELL.

Secondly, because networking events are regarded as a sales and marketing activity, companies send their SALESPEOPLE along and not their BUYERS!  This is why all those dreadful “how to work a room” books and seminars are sold exclusively to salespeople and delivered by sales trainers.

In other words, you will be speaking to salespeople and not buyers at these events; people with not only no interest in buying from you BUT with no authority to buy from you either!

For information on HOW TO NETWORK FOR FREE - with ZERO competition - where EVERYONE in the room is a potential client of yours - read this

But PLEASE - stop wasting your time and money attending networking events.  The only winners are those who host the events!

Filed under: Business development, Marketing, small business | Tagged: , , | 3 Comments »

Marketing ignorance kills businesses

Posted on 29, June 2008 by jimconnolly

By Jim Connolly
If you are finding it hard to make sales or grow your business during these tough economic times, I have some GREAT NEWS for you!

marketingAN OPPORTUNITY TO BEAT THE CREDIT CRUNCH

Right now, most businesses are struggling.  This is because people and companies are thinking a lot harder before they spend their money.  We see this every time the economy heads south.  Of course, the current credit crunch is GREAT NEWS for businesses who market their services correctly.

In fact, there’s an opportunity for you (or any business) to grow far faster right now, than at any time in the past decade or two!

HOW COME?

During a ‘normal’ or strong economy, people don’t have to think too hard about making a purchase.  People and businesses are also less discerning or ‘picky’ about what they spend their money on; when times are good and they feel prosperous.

However, when times are hard, they really need to be convinced before they part with their money.  This means companies that have GREAT MARKETING will win a disproportionately large share of their market during ‘hard times’.  This is because companies with GREAT MARKETING are the ones that are best able to convince people to buy from them.

MARKETING IGNORANCE KILLS BUSINESSES DURING HARD TIMES

Companies with GREAT MARKETING always have an advantage; because most small and medium-sized business owners are too ignorant to invest in professional marketing!  I have met business owners in REALLY competitive industries, who handle their own marketing, with no expert help; and then wonder why they work so hard and still get nowhere - while their competitors are flying!

They seem genuinely unaware that their clients and their potential clients are all being professionally targeted by at least one of their professionally marketed competitors!  They stand ZERO chance of success in a good economy, usually treading water or reaching a plateau.  However, in today’s economy, they just go broke!

TURNING IT AROUND IS EASY

If you run a small or medium-sized business and you are not achieving the sales or profits you need, you have a REALLY simple decision to make.  You can either keep doing whatever you are doing and keep seeing the same results - or - you can take advantage of today’s economy and use professional marketing to win a disproportionately high share of your marketplace.

SOME WILL - SOME WON’T

It’s a little like the law of the jungle.  The business owners without the business brain to use professional marketing die out and leave the marketplace to their more intelligent competitors. And that’s EXACTLY as it should be - so the circle of business life can be completed.

It’s always a decision, whether to thrive or ‘spin your wheels’ - there’s no luck involved.  Do the right things and you have to succeed - do the wrong things and you have to fail.  In science they call it; ‘Cause and effect!’

Filed under: Business development, Marketing, small business | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

Increase sales & profits quickly

Posted on 25, June 2008 by jimconnolly

By Jim Connolly
If you want to increase sales and profits VERY quickly - here’s a question for you:
What additional, valuable products or services ‘could’ you offer to your existing clients; which they would be happy to pay you for?

This is a key marketing question, because selling additional services to an existing client is easily, the single fastest way to MASSIVELY increase your sales and profits!

You already provide a GREAT service to your clients and they trust you. This means that buying an additional product or service from you is a VERY easy decision for them to make. There’s no risk attached because they already know how great you are!

For example

One of the people on my 12-month marketing program came to me because he needed to quickly and dramatically increase his turnover and profitability. His company provides IT maintenance services to around 120 local, small businesses. I suggested he find another service to offer these existing clients - before thinking about winning new clients. He said that a few of his clients had asked him if he provided an on-line data back-up service; which he did not. So, he got a price to see how much it would cost to provide the service and found that he could make an average profit of around £500 a year, by offering this service.

I sent out a well crafted marketing email to his clients for him, and in 48 hours this generated £21,000 of pure profit for him! By adding another three services, I was able to increase his turnover by over 200% in just 7 weeks!

Before you spend a penny seeking to win new business from new clients - make sure you are not missing out on a windfall profit opportunity from within your existing client base!

Not only does offering a wider spread of services to your clients make them more profitable to you, they are also far, far less likely to leave you for another provider - if you are successfully servicing a number of their businesses needs.

This means you not only boost sales and profits very quickly - you also improve your client retention too!

Filed under: Business development, Marketing, small business | Tagged: , , , | 3 Comments »

How to get more sales, leads & referrals from YOUR website!

Posted on 22, June 2008 by jimconnolly

By Jim Connolly
This article is all about how to get the best marketing results from your website. It includes a quick test you can use, which will help you ’see’ your website as potential clients see it!

As we all know, most small and medium-sized businesses get very little value from their websites. To understand why this happens, you need to look at the difference between ‘traditional marketing’ and ‘Internet marketing.’

TRADITIONAL MARKETING
Sales and marketing have been around ever since man started to trade and negotiate. From day one, the focus of marketing has always been the same; to deliver valuable results. For example; sales, leads, enquiries, referrals etc.

The key here is that traditional marketing has ALWAYS been focused on delivering something of value!

internet marketingINTERNET MARKETING
In comparison with traditional marketing, Internet marketing is still very much in its infancy. Internet marketing was initially ‘shaped’ by web designers and Internet experts, rather than marketing experts.

Because of this, Internet marketing has developed VERY differently. There’s still too much emphasis placed on ‘hits’ or visitor numbers and too little emphasis placed on generating; sales, leads, enquiries and referrals from those visitors!

So, visitor numbers don’t matter?
Visitor numbers DO matter - but ONLY if these visitors are generating something of value for your business! People who visit a website, but do nothing and then leave, are of no commercial value to you. All they do is make your ‘hit’ numbers look good.

I was emailed recently by an accountant, whose website cost him over £10,000 ($19,800) and it gets a lot of visitors. The site is almost a year old but has produced just a handful of email enquiries and not a single new client! He said his focus has been on; “getting as many visitors as possible!”

The single biggest reason that most small and medium-sized business websites fail, is that the businesses write the wording (or copy write) their websites themselves. People will pay thousands for a new website and then kill that investment immediately with D.I.Y copy writing.

FOR EXAMPLE
The accountant I just mentioned wrote the wording for his website himself. Like 99% of all small business websites, it reads just like a company brochure; which is DEFINITELY NOT what you want from your website!

A DIFFERENT KIND OF MARKETING
Unlike a company brochure or mailshot, a website is 100% interactive - so it must be written ina atotally different way! Your wording must guide the reader to click links, press menu buttons and submit information etc.

In order to compel your readers to; visit you, call you, email you or leave you their email address, your website has to be deliberately written, to motivate people to take action. This is a highly specialist area of copy writing. You can achieve not hundreds but THOUSANDS of percent increases in results from a website, once it is professionally written, just ask my clients!

3 questions that will show you how potential clients ’see’ YOUR website!
This exercise is quick and easy, yet really powerful! All you need to do is ask yourself the following 3 questions and then answer either “yes” or “no.” Be as open with yourself as possible with your answers.

Here are your 3 questions:
“After 20 seconds of arriving at my homepage, will a potential client find a unique and valuable reason to use MY services - rather than one of my equally qualified competitors?”

“After reading the 2 most visited pages on my website, will a potential client have a powerful, professional image of MY business in THEIR mind?”

“Will potential clients feel motivated to contact me after reading what I have written - is it compelling enough to inspire them to take action? “

If you can only answer “yes” to 1 or 2 out of those questions; here’s some great news! You can dramatically improve your marketing, with the right help!

WHAT NEXT?
I suggest you find someone with a proven track record of copy writing success, to make your site work for you! If you have a friend, contact or client, who gets great results from their website, ask them who wrote their Internet copy.

Then, contact the copy writer and ask them for a ‘capped quote’ for ‘the whole project.’ This is a quote that will cover all their copy writing, including rewrites if needed, for one pre-agreed fee. (This way you will know in advance exactly what your investment will be!)

Internet marketing, when handled professionally, is easily the most powerful AND least expensive form of marketing in the world! There is no reason why YOUR website cannot be transformed into a goldmine for your business!

Filed under: Business development, Marketing, small business | Tagged: , , | 3 Comments »

Is the mailshot dead?

Posted on 20, June 2008 by jimconnolly

By Jim Connolly
I have a simple marketing question for you.

If someone invented mailshots or ‘marketing letters’ today, would you or your business actually use them?

Just try to imagine the sales pitch:
“I’m Bob from the Post Office and I want to tell you all about this new invention - mailshots! You know how you can use email to get your marketing messages onto the desk of thousands of people, in minutes, for free? Well, mailshots are unreliable, take days to deliver, cost a freaking fortune and are massively labour intensive!”

Some numbers
My newsletter gets written on my computer and then I press the send button - that’s it! The only real costs attached are the time it takes to write it, plus the cost of the emailing software; which was £200. To send that same newsletter out to my readers via the mail (at maximum bulk mailing discount) would cost me at least FOUR MILLION POUNDS (almost eight million dollars) a year!

My point?
I’m suggesting YOU consider using email to deliver YOUR marketing messages, rather than letters or ‘printed media’. Even if we forget the environmental impact of using all that paper and then sending it via road, rail and air - the time and money you will save is enormous.

Head to head
I know two small recruitment companies; one uses email for their marketing messages and the other uses mailshots. The company using mailshots can only send one mailing, to 1000 people each month - because of the cost attached to preparing and sending each mailshot.

The company using email; sends a marketing mailing to 5,000 people a month - so they reach 5 times the number of potential clients! Also, they mail their list twice a month - because there’s no additional cost! EVERYONE they email has subscribed to them via a ‘newsletter sign-up box’ on their website. This means they are only contacting people with an interest in their business. It also means that their mailing list was free! By mailing that list every 14 days, the list stays up-to-date too; further increasing its value!

If you own or run a small or medium sized business and you want to reach more people, faster and for a fraction of the cost - give email a go!

Filed under: Business development, Marketing, small business | Tagged: , , , | No Comments »

The power of a total break from work!

Posted on 18, June 2008 by jimconnolly

By Jim Connolly
If you want to massively increase the quality and volume of your work, you need to take a little time off to ’sharpen the saw’ - in other words, you need a total break from work! For many people, this is NOT the same as taking a holiday; let me explain.

A total break
Like many business owners who LOVE what they do, I used to find myself very tempted to work; even when I was on holiday. This meant I never really had a proper break from work; as it was always on my mind.  “I’m just going to check my email Sharon” I would often say to my wife - only to find I had just spent 2 hours replying to emails and phone messages and thinking about work!

No coverage
By the time you read this, my family and I will be half way through a week long break in the beautiful Yorkshire Moors; one of my favourite places in the UK.  Something that makes this particular place so perfect for me is that it is a ‘full retreat!’  In other words, there is NO mobile/cell phone coverage and NO mobile Internet access either!  It’s like stepping back in time.  This means I can completely switch off from work and focus 100% of playing with my son and enjoying time with Sharon - bliss!

After a ‘total break’ from work, I always return to the office fully refreshed and super-productive!  In fact, I can honestly say that one week with a total break from work, is more valuable and energizing than a month long break, where you are regularly checking your email / messages.  I have done both and the total break approach wins; hands-down!

This blog post, by the way, was written a week ago and set-up to ‘post itself’ today! (thanks WordPress!)

NEVER MISS A GREAT IDEA AGAIN!
Subscribe to my FREE newsletter and to welcome you, I will send you a FREE copy of my eBook; “Ten Secrets to Success!”
Simply click here

Filed under: personal development | Tagged: , , , | No Comments »

Try before you buy!

Posted on 15, June 2008 by jimconnolly

try before you buyBy Jim Connolly
Here’s a GREAT way to make more sales, (lots more sales) and lower your marketing costs at the same time! By the way, if you sometimes find sales or marketing a little daunting or you do not see yourself as a ‘natural’ salesperson, you will find what I am about to share with you perfect!

One of the easiest ways to make more sales or win stacks more business is also one of the most powerful and it is all based around the magic of; ‘Try before you buy!’

Here’s a well-known example of ‘try before you buy’ in action!

I am sure you will have noticed how food stores frequently offer free food samples to people. They let you try before you buy for two reasons. The most obvious reason is that they want to give you a chance to taste the food.

However, this is NOT the primary reason for their ‘try before you buy’ offer!

The primary reason they offer these free samples is because they understand the marketing power of something called ‘social pressure.’

This is where the REAL magic of ‘try before you buy’ is! You see, many people feel really awkward about tasting a free food sample, telling the person who just handed it to them that it tasted really nice, and then simply walking away from the counter without buying it! Not everyone feels uncomfortable, but a sizeable number of people DO and THESE PEOPLE then go on to buy whatever it was they were just tasting! Tesco and Wal-Mart are experts in making money and they use this marketing technique all the time!

All buyers need a degree of coaxing before they will make a purchase and social pressure, when applied to something the buyer values, is a super-effective way to help them make the right purchasing choice. A key point here is that the customer is only being coaxed into buying something they have already decided they want. You should never use social pressure to coax someone into buying anything that is not right for them - it is not only ethically wrong, it makes no business sense; as they will resent the purchase and never return!

How to use the concept of ‘try before you buy’ to drive up sales in YOUR business!
The first step is to find a way of offering the prospective client the opportunity to use, test or see your product or service for free. Many people find this a little alarming and think that their product or service is ‘just too valuable’ to have people experience it for free. I have just two words for such people - “test drive!” Your local Mercedes dealership will happily let you test drive a vehicle worth a hundred thousand - because they know (as do all car dealers) that test drives sell cars!

A test drive is just one example of other industries using the same ‘try before you buy’ principal as the supermarkets I mentioned earlier. So, step one is to find a way to expose people to the true value of your product or service for free.

The second step is to ask the prospective client what they thought about your product or service, after using, testing or seeing it.

When they say they loved it, ask them the following question;

“In what way?” - Then say nothing, just listen!

Their answer then becomes a sales pitch for your product or service - YES, your prospective client will actually be there, selling your product or service to themselves!

Once they have sold it to themselves, ask them something like this;

“Well, no need to ask if you would like one, I take it you would like to place your order now?”

Then say nothing - just listen!

Your question, the assumption they will buy, and then the silence that follows is where the social pressure is being applied. If you start speaking before they do, you will immediately lessen the pressure and reduce your chances of making a sale. Anything you say to break that silence is going to lose you business!

Will this work for you every time - no, of course not!

However, could it massively increase the number of sales you make - yes, of course it could!

Let people ‘see for themselves’ the TRUE value of what you do!

It’s not enough for an IFA or Insurance Professional to hand a prospective client a proposal filled with percentage rates and graphs. You need to give them a buzzword-free report that shows, in plain English, exactly how your policies helped someone in their situation to secure his or her future or how your policy protected someone’s family when disaster struck - Now, that’s powerful!

It’s not enough for a recruitment professional to explain how great they are at sourcing ideal candidates for their clients; they need to show prospective clients the details of a few ideal candidates (contact details removed) and tell them that this calibre of person could be working for them in 36 hours!

It’s not enough for an accountant to give a free initial consultation and just collect facts about the prospective client’s business and quote a fee; they need to demonstrate a saving or give some worthwhile information that the prospective client can actually use and see real value in!

It’s not enough for a telemarketing company to say how effective they are at generating leads; they need to give a prospective client a couple of qualified leads for free! Once prospective clients see how much easier it is to pay someone to generate qualified leads for them, (people hate cold-calling) they will be inundated with new business!

It’s not enough for me to tell you that I can help you make more sales than ever before; I have to show you via the quality of the free material I provide, so you can see the value for yourself! The net result is that I now have clients all over the world.

Most smaller businesses only let a prospective client experience their product or service AFTER they have been paid or have a signed contract. This is a key reason why so many SME’s make so few sales!

If you genuinely offer a valuable product or service, potential clients will see that value when they; ‘try before they buy’ and then by applying social pressure, you can convert that value into a sale. The ineffective, alternative approach requires prospective clients to take a huge leap of faith in you; however, if you are not showing much faith in your product or service yourself, then neither will they!

NEVER MISS A GREAT IDEA AGAIN!
Subscribe to my FREE newsletter and to welcome you, I will send you a FREE copy of my eBook; “Ten Secrets to Success!”
Simply click here

Filed under: Business development, Marketing, small business | Tagged: , , , , , , |