With small business owners comprising the largest segment of the economy, many of these entrepreneurial spirits must drive to their appointments, their networking events and to take care of those support administrative services such as mail, bank and supplies. Yet, this simple action is a hidden goal mine. Years ago, a close colleague revealed this gold mine to me when he made this simple statement: We drive by more business than we will ever have.
Just think about all those businesses you drive by each and every day? How many of them could use your products or services? What would happen if you set a plan to start visiting one new business each week or better yet each day?
Now, you are probably thinking that is cold calling. You are absolutely 1000% correct. However, by not stopping in, by not cold calling, what is the potential loss?
Just think about all those other competitors who are driving by the same businesses? Are they also sharing some of these same or similar thoughts about cold calling?
I hate to cold call.
Cold calling is a waste of time.
I prefer what I am doing.
Cold calling is for amateurs.
I have enough sales/
Now instead of being a limitation thinker, turn the tables around and become a possibility thinker. What would happen if you began to believe:
I love to cold call?
Cold calling is great way to fill in extra time?
I prefer taking risks and doing what I have never done before?
Cold calling is for professionals?
I can always have more sales and more loyal customers?/
Take action right now and identify at least one business that you drive by every day or at least once a week. Make a decision to just stop by and see what happens. Who knows you just may make a friend that will help you get closer to where you want to go.
Simply speaking, leaders are readers. If you enjoyed this article, sign up for Power Choices and join over 1,000 valued subscribers who receive this unique monthly newsletter designed to help your business life while improving your interpersonal skills.
Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S. is a speaker and Indianapolis business coach & Chicago business coach who has written hundreds of articles with a focus on improving individual and organizational performance through excellence in leadership to executable strategic plans.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leanne_Hoagland-Smith
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Marketing Tip - Focus on What You Do Well to Increase Sales to Avoid The 500 Failure
A solid marketing plan is necessary to increase sales. However, what I have learned is that many people stop doing what they do well specific to marketing when it has and continues to increase sales.
Several years ago, when Ford had the number one selling car, the Ford Taurus in 1992-1996, and had established thousands of loyal customers, someone in management decided to change the name while changing the overall look of the car. The Ford 500 was born.
Loyal Ford Taurus customers were left out in the cold. Instead of building upon the existing loyal client base, a marketing and sales decision was made to shift the loyal customers into an unknown product. In 2007, the new CEO of Ford saw that the name change was detrimental to the bottom line. recognized how Ford had turned loyal customers away and returned the name of Taurus to the Ford Family for the 2008 model year.
How many times do you as a small business owner, executive or sales professional scrap what you are doing well to try another marketing strategy to increase sales? Possibly, you spoke to a marketing agency that said what you were doing was not effective or too traditional or old-fashioned? For example, you have been doing direct mail campaigns and getting a 2% to 3% response rate. Now you switch to advertising in a radio, television, Internet or print vehicle. You have been sold a bill of goods based upon the impressions, but you now have no way to determine your conversions.
Another example is speaking at local civic organizations to professional associations. You discover that you get one client per delivered speech. Now you decide to abandon that marketing strategy and construct an Internet pay for click marketing campaign or direct mail campaign. The pay for click may take several months before you can determine how many conversions you receive.
When you have an effective marketing campaign that is delivering interested prospects and that you can easily track conversions, then your first action should be to continue that marketing campaign until it is no longer effective. Why in the world would you attempt to switch loyal and established customers in an effort to hope to increase sales? The more logical solution would be to attract more customers using the current product or service. Remember the old adage that success breeds success.
Simply speaking, leaders are readers. If you enjoyed this article, sign up for Power Choices and join over 1,000 valued subscribers who receive this unique monthly newsletter designed to help your business life while improving your interpersonal skills.
Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S. is a speaker and Indianapolis business coach & Chicago business coach who has written hundreds of articles with a focus on improving individual and organizational performance through excellence in leadership to executable strategic plans.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leanne_Hoagland-Smith
Several years ago, when Ford had the number one selling car, the Ford Taurus in 1992-1996, and had established thousands of loyal customers, someone in management decided to change the name while changing the overall look of the car. The Ford 500 was born.
Loyal Ford Taurus customers were left out in the cold. Instead of building upon the existing loyal client base, a marketing and sales decision was made to shift the loyal customers into an unknown product. In 2007, the new CEO of Ford saw that the name change was detrimental to the bottom line. recognized how Ford had turned loyal customers away and returned the name of Taurus to the Ford Family for the 2008 model year.
How many times do you as a small business owner, executive or sales professional scrap what you are doing well to try another marketing strategy to increase sales? Possibly, you spoke to a marketing agency that said what you were doing was not effective or too traditional or old-fashioned? For example, you have been doing direct mail campaigns and getting a 2% to 3% response rate. Now you switch to advertising in a radio, television, Internet or print vehicle. You have been sold a bill of goods based upon the impressions, but you now have no way to determine your conversions.
Another example is speaking at local civic organizations to professional associations. You discover that you get one client per delivered speech. Now you decide to abandon that marketing strategy and construct an Internet pay for click marketing campaign or direct mail campaign. The pay for click may take several months before you can determine how many conversions you receive.
When you have an effective marketing campaign that is delivering interested prospects and that you can easily track conversions, then your first action should be to continue that marketing campaign until it is no longer effective. Why in the world would you attempt to switch loyal and established customers in an effort to hope to increase sales? The more logical solution would be to attract more customers using the current product or service. Remember the old adage that success breeds success.
Simply speaking, leaders are readers. If you enjoyed this article, sign up for Power Choices and join over 1,000 valued subscribers who receive this unique monthly newsletter designed to help your business life while improving your interpersonal skills.
Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S. is a speaker and Indianapolis business coach & Chicago business coach who has written hundreds of articles with a focus on improving individual and organizational performance through excellence in leadership to executable strategic plans.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leanne_Hoagland-Smith
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