5 Ways to Be More Successful in Sales

5 Ways to Be More Successful in Sales

How do you achieve success in your business? Most likely, you strive to set goals for yourself, stay organized, delegate appropriately, participate in professional development, and prepare adequately for a day’s work. Doing all these things is an excellent start on your road to success, but we’ve come up with a list of actions you can take that will help your business thrive. How many of them have you mastered?

Be assertive without making prospects uncomfortable. There is a fine line between assertive and pushy. Prospects have confidence in those who are assertive because it’s easy to tell that they are knowledgeable and believe in their product. Those who are pushy, on the other hand, tend not to listen to the prospect, fail to ask appropriate questions, and sometimes make him or her feel pressured to take action right then and there. Potential customers often shut down in response to a pushy salesperson because they don’t want to be rushed into a decision that may not be right for them. Always be sure you are listening to your prospect and responding to his or her social cues (eye contact, body language, etc.).
Don’t rely on your prospect to make the next move. In your effort to avoid being that pushy salesperson, don’t go too far in the other direction by leaving the ball in the prospect’s court. You must still be the one to take action in order to close the deal. That action may be to come right out and ask for the sale when appropriate, or possibly to follow up at a later date by sending an email or making a phone call. Even if the prospect leaves the meeting saying, “I’ll be in touch,” it is important that you follow up after an appropriate amount of time has passed. Reach out to him or her and find out if there are any questions that still need to be answered or where he or she is in the decision-making process. A follow-up is an effective way to seal the deal.
Be positive by limiting negative thoughts. Negative thoughts and self-talk have a way of taking over your brain. When this happens, you begin to doubt yourself and lose motivation. Replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations, pep talks, and reminders of all you have accomplished. Don’t just be your own worst critic; be your own best cheerleader as well. By reminding yourself regularly that you are intelligent and capable, you are driving yourself toward the success you so greatly want and deserve.
Think from a customer’s perspective. Avoid getting wrapped up in how a customer’s action or response affects you. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes; doing so allows you to better understand where you may be falling short in some aspect of your business. For example, you’ve recently replaced one of your products for a higher quality, but pricier version. At the same time, you notice that some of your most loyal customers haven’t been around lately. After reaching out to them, you find out that they are disappointed that their favorite product is no longer available. You may have been so excited about the new product that you failed to see how a customer would be hesitant to try something new, especially if it costs more and they loved the old version. Taking a walk in your customers’ shoes is essential to the success of your business.
Become a problem solver. Instead of being someone who sells a product or service to make a profit, be the person who provides solutions to customers’ problems. When the owner of an in-home daycare seeks out new customers, she emphasizes that her business provides the professional quality of child care in the comfort of her home. This solves a problem many parents have: where can I send my children while I’m at work that will be educational and nurturing at the same time? Her clients know that their children are getting the individualized attention and stimulation they need during the day so they can be the happy and well-developed children their parents want them to be. Figure out what problem you can solve for your customers and make it your number one priority to do so.

You can learn how it feels to be successful by putting your customers first. Listen to their needs while being assertive, think from their points of view, and solve problems. Your genuine interest in helping people will certainly shine through, and your business will succeed. What do you think of our list? Please share your comments below!

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Here’s What to Do if You Don’t Have a Business Plan

Here’s What to Do if You Don’t Have a Business Plan

Whether you are just starting a small business or you are looking to reinvent your existing one, creating a business plan is the first step toward setting goals and generating your action plan. Creating a business plan can be overwhelming, but the good news is that you don’t actually need one to really get going. If you don’t know where to begin but want to take action, start with the following three tasks. These will help you define your ideas and make your business dreams a reality.

Have a vision and goal in mind. What do you ideally want your business to be? What will the experience be like for you? How about the customer? Answering such questions helps form a vision for your business, which in turn will allow you to set specific goals to fit that vision. Even if you can’t work out the specifics right now, having a vision and goal in mind will give you a focus point and motivation to continue. It will also help to be able to describe this vision for others you want involved in your business. So take some quiet time and figure out what you want this business to be so you can work toward making it a reality.
Focus on people by networking and building a good team. Don’t forget that above all else, a successful business is built by hard-working, intelligent, and creative people. Start to surround yourself with good people through networking. When interacting with others, don’t hesitate to ask questions about their own experiences launching a business. You will not only gather ideas for yourself, but you will begin to build professional relationships that will prove essential to your success. Work toward gathering a team of people who share your goals and ambitions. Collaborating with others is a highly effective way to achieve your objectives.
Build momentum, but don’t focus on perfection. Don’t get caught up in making sure everything is done perfectly, at least not right away. Initiating momentum in achieving your goals is more important at this stage of the game. This is the time to form good work habits like setting a consistent schedule for yourself, creating daily agendas and following them consistently, and reaching out to others for ideas and assistance. The best way to learn how to do something is to actually do it, so jump right in and get to work. Have the confidence that you’ll figure out the details along the way.

The specifics of a business plan such as tasks, deadlines, and finances are certainly an important first step for any startup. However, by creating a vision, focusing on people, and building momentum, you can be well on your way to launching your business before you delve into the details of an official business plan. Do you have other ideas to add to our list? Please share them in the comments section below!

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Using Facebook Ads to Build Holiday Business

Using Facebook Ads to Build Holiday Business

Facebook Ads can be a powerful tool in helping you build business during the holidays. For a rather small investment, you can specifically target people you want to reach with your message. Whether your message be related to sales or recruiting, Facebook Ads can help you reach the right people and build your business.

The easiest way to get started with Facebook Ads is to use Facebook’s built-in Ads Manager. To get there, click the wheel icon in the upper-right corner of any page on Facebook, and click Create Ads.

Next, you’ll choose an objective for your ad. If your goal is to increase the Likes on your Facebook Page so that you can build your community and engage them through a series of posts filled with content as well as promotions, choose “Page Likes.” You might choose “Clicks to Website” if you want to point your ad towards a sales or recruiting page on your site, or a custom landing page designed to capture visitor information. If you are going to be hosting a special event for the holidays (an open house, a table at a bazaar, etc.) you might want to choose Event Responses, and set up an Event on Facebook with the details of the event. If you’ve set up a special Offer on Facebook, such as a special discount on a product, you might choose Offer Claims. Choose the type of result you want for your ads, and select the objective from the list.

Once you’ve made your choice, select the options that make sense for you. In this case, we’ve chosen Clicks to Website. Note that we are adding additional tracking by using bit.ly (a link tracking service) that will enable us to count the number of clicks that our link gets. (For advanced users, you can use Google’s URL builder in conjunction with Google Analytics to track the source and medium of your links, and tie it to specific campaigns that you can track within Google Analytics. Shorten the tracking URL that the URL builder creates with bit.ly, and use that URL here.)

Next you’ll choose images for your ads. You can select up to 6 images, and Facebook will create up to 6 versions of your ad with each of the images.

Now it’s time to write your ad. Connect your Facebook Page to your Ad, and then write your ad copy. (Depending on the type of ad you choose, you may have slightly different options here.) You can choose to place your ad in the News Feed, the Right Column, or both. By default both are selected. If, for example, you want to remove the Right Column, simply select “Remove.” For tips on creating your Facebook Ads, read this post. (Facebook has recently changed its ads interface, but this post still has some useful information.)

Your next step is to make choices about who you want to target with your ads. You can choose geographic location, gender, age, interests and more. If your advertising budget is limited ($5 or $10 per day) try to keep your advertising target market small. You may also wish to target people whose friends are connected to your Page, as they may be more likely to engage with your ad because their friends already like you.

Targeting is the most important part of the ad process. Especially if your budget is small, be very specific about the type of people you want to reach. You may wish to limit your geographic area to where you actually live and can service customers, and be very specific about the interests, education level, etc. of the people you want to reach. If you’ve never done an ideal customer profile, now is the time to start. What does your most profitable target look like? What are their interests? What is their lifestyle? The more specific you can be, the more likely it is that you will reach them through your ad campaign. Experiment with this to see which target markets give you the best results.

Your final 2 steps involve creating a campaign and deciding how you will pay for your ads. Now mind you, you must have a billing source associated with your Facebook profile (personal account) in order to advertise.

First you’ll create a Campaign with a daily dollar limit associated with it. For example, you might create a campaign called “Holiday Sales” and add a daily spend limit of $10 per day for that campaign. All the ads you create will be lumped together under this campaign. You can create as many ads as you want for the campaign, but you will never spend more than $10 daily for this campaign. Once you reach that spend limit, Facebook will no longer display any of your ads that day.

Next you’ll decide how much you want to pay for your ads. If you Optimize for clicks, you’ll only get charged for the number of people that click on your ad. This is our favorite method. If you Optimize for impressions, you get charged for the number of times Facebook displays your ad, regardless of whether or not someone interacts with your ad.

You may want to choose “Manually bid for clicks” and then enter a dollar amount you’re willing to pay up to for clicks. Keep in mind that this is a bid, not a set amount. You will never pay more per click than the amount you specify, but you may pay less. Facebook recommends a range for your pricing bid. If you want to ensure your ad is displayed, you may want to work on the high side of this bid.

After you have made these choices, review and place your order. Once Facebook approves your ads (can take up to 24 hours) they will begin to run within the Facebook platform. It is important to continually monitor the success of your ads, and write new ones as needed.

Facebook Ads can be an excellent way to build your holiday business by helping you connect with more people. Start with a small daily amount, and monitor the success of your ads daily. This can be an excellent way to grow your business.

Do you use Facebook Ads? How successful have they been for you? What advice would you give to someone trying them for the first time? Would love to read your experiences in the comments below!

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3 Sure Ways to Stay Laser Focused

3 Sure Ways to Stay Laser Focused

Because you are your own boss, you can usually establish your own work schedule and daily agenda. As wonderful as this can be, it can also be challenging to resist all the distractions that come your way. These distractions can stem from your personal life, the abundance of convenient technology available at your fingertips (checked your Facebook and Twitter feeds lately?), or even the feeling of being overwhelmed with how much you need to accomplish. In order to keep these distractions to a minimum, follow these tips for staying as focused as you possibly can.

Establish clear and concrete goals or benchmarks. Yes, this means putting them in writing. Keep a file on your computer listing your goals along with realistic deadlines. This list can be short term (daily, weekly) or long term (monthly, yearly). Find a system that works best for you to not only make the most of the hours in a day, but also to reach your overall professional objectives. For instance, a music teacher who gives private lessons from his home studio wants to expand his business by acquiring five new clients each month for the next six months. His list of goals includes seeking referrals from existing students and giving free weekly workshops at the town’s youth center. By referring to these goals regularly, he will be on his way to achieving it in his desired time frame.
Track your results and continually make adjustments to reach your target. When you do become focused, it is important to stop and evaluate your progress every so often. If you fail to do this, it’s possible you may not be using your time as efficiently as possible. The music teacher trying to acquire new clients finds that seeking referrals has been more successful in helping him find new students than his workshops have. So he decides to cut down his workshops to once a month instead of once a week, and invest more time in following up with his referrals. Tracking your results will allow you to make the most out of your time and increase your chances of reaching your goals.
Have someone hold you accountable. Even the most disciplined person can give in to distractions and lose focus. To prevent this from happening, reach out to a trusted family member, friend or colleague to hold you accountable. Find a creative way to do this that will help your cause. For example, while training for her first 5K race, a novice runner decided to post each of her morning runs to her best friend’s Facebook timeline. If she was ever late in posting or didn’t run at all, her friend sent her a motivating message via Facebook and text. This simple task kept her focused and motivated to continue because she knew someone else was expecting something from her. Increase your chances of success by holding yourself accountable.

These tips for staying laser focused can be customized to fit any of your professional and even personal goals. Establish clear objectives, track your results and make adjustments, and find someone to hold you accountable. What else would you add to our list? Please share your ideas below!

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Five Ways to Keep Customers When Prices Go Up

Five Ways to Keep Customers When Prices Go Up

Throughout the course of your business, you will undoubtedly be faced with the prospect of increasing your prices while making sure you don’t lose your customers. As long as you are truthful and you maintain your high quality products and customer service, you can rest easy with the knowledge that your clients likely aren’t going anywhere. If you find yourself in the situation of having to increase prices, here are some tips.

Give an honest explanation for the increase and thank them for being loyal customers. It won’t take long for customers to notice a price increase, especially for items that they buy on a regular basis. The most important thing is for you to be honest. For example, a local business owner who designs and makes window treatments (curtains, draperies, etc.) gets most of her materials from out of state. Because of a recent increase in gas prices, her distributor is charging more for shipping. In order for her to maintain her profit margin and keep her business afloat, she must increase the price customers pay for both her supplies and services. Customers will understand and most likely relate to your reasons, so don’t keep them in the dark. Instead, thank them for understanding and show your appreciation for their loyalty. They won’t want to bring their business elsewhere if they know you sincerely care.
Offer another lower price item. There will be times when a customer is unable or unwilling to pay the higher price, so in this situation you may want to offer an alternative. The window treatment designer offered her customers a similar fabric that is less expensive for her to buy, so she is able to pass that savings on to her customers. Again, be honest about what you are offering and why it is a lower price, but be sure to emphasize that it is of the same quality that your customers have come to expect.
Add more value to your existing items. This is a great way to keep your customers happy despite the price hike. Add value to your items by offering an extra service or perhaps a discount on a future purchase. Listen to what your customers want, and be creative in finding ways to make them happy. In most cases, they won’t mind spending a few extra dollars if they know they are getting more for it, instead of less.
Show how the increase gives them more for their dollar. When the window treatment designer explains the reasons for her price increase to her customers, she also makes a point of explaining that without the price increase, she wouldn’t be able to offer as wide of a selection of fabrics. This is a big selling point for her because her business is among only a handful of those like it in the region, and by far the one with the most choices. So for customers who are willing to pay the higher price, they are getting an expert who can offer them exactly what will be best for their needs.
Demonstrate how the increase in price is not to increase profit. If you have been honest in your explanation and fair in your increase, it will become apparent to your customers that you are increasing your prices out of necessity, not greed. All too often, we read in the newspaper how large corporations are posting record profits, even in times of economic distress. Show your customers that your small business is unlike those corporations and that you need to increase your prices to maintain your business and livelihood. They will likely agree with you and understand the reasons for your actions.

By being honest with your customers and adding value to your products and services, you will maintain your clientele despite your prices going up. Your customers will appreciate your honesty and will remain loyal if they know you sincerely appreciate them in return. What are your ideas for keeping customers while raising your prices? Please share your comments with us!

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A Simple Way to Make More Sales

A Simple Way to Make More Sales

When you are in the process of making a sale, your enthusiasm and adrenaline kick into high gear. These may help you close the deal, but they can also hinder your progress. The most important thing to remember about making a sale is that the sale should never be a one-sided presentation. Think back to your school days. Were your favorite teachers the ones who lectured on the material the entire time or the ones who engaged you with thoughtful questions and hands-on experiences? It is most likely the latter, since we tend to grow bored and stop listening if there isn’t a dialogue involved.

In order to prevent your sales presentation from becoming one-sided, focus on keeping your customer engaged with questions. These questions should elicit more than “yes” or “no” answers. They should allow a dialogue to take place and give you an opening to present more information. For example, you’re about to demonstrate the effectiveness of your all-natural carpet cleaner on your sample red wine stain. Ask the customer, “Have your children or pets ever stained your carpet so badly that all the scrubbing you’ve done just won’t get rid of it?” When the customer answers yes, ask them to tell you that story. This shows that you are interested in what the person has to say, and that you are not simply giving a generic presentation. Continue asking questions throughout your presentation, and customize it based on what the customer shares with you.

If you have asked the right types of questions and have followed up with related ones, you have learned a bit about your customer. Use this information and keep referring to it while you interact. When you asked the customer to tell you the story about the carpet stain, you notice she mentioned that she has a newborn baby in the house. When you get to the part in your presentation where you tout your product’s environmentally friendly ingredients, emphasize the benefits of reducing the amount of chemicals her baby is exposed to. This might lead her to ask what exactly is in your carpet cleaner, and the conversation continues. Remember that the more questions a prospective customer asks, the more likely you are to make the sale. Think of this as time well spent, as it is an investment into your business. Take the time necessary to grasp every opportunity you can to continue the conversation and lead the prospect to ask more questions. You will be sparking and maintaining interest in your product or service, which will likely lead to a sale.

By simply focusing on your customer, engaging him or her in the presentation, and investing your time well, you will certainly find yourself making more sales. Enjoy this part of your business; interacting with others is fun and interesting work. Use it to your advantage while you help others find solutions to their problems with your products and services. How do you engage your customers while making a sale? Please share your comments below!

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A Fantastic List of Resources to Grow Your Business

A Fantastic List of Resources to Grow Your Business

Are you looking for ways to grow your business? Increase your sales? Manage your time better? Here at DSEF, we’ve been providing content for years on these topics and many others, to help you build a more profitable and rewarding business.

So today, we decided to reach back into the archives and compile some of our posts by topic, to help you find the content that will help you with what you’re working on right now. Take some time to explore the posts below, and share them with your friends and colleagues. We wish you much success!

Marketing Your Business Online

Establishing Your Online Presence

4 Tips for Effective Online Marketing

Tips for Running an Effective Contest Online

5 Tips to Attract More People to Your Facebook Page

12 Tips for Successful Online Virtual Events

4 Ways Photos Can Help You Grow Your Business

Making Facebook Work for Your Business

Using Instagram for Your Small Business

Business Growth

Free eBook: 15 Days to Greater Success

3 Things You Must Do Now to Grow Your Business

Reaching Your Target Market in Different Generations

6 Ways to Get in Front of More Customers this Holiday Season

7 Ways to Get More Customers

Planning for a Bigger Business: The 3:3:3 Approach

Free eBook: The Power of the Success Mindset

Increasing Sales

5 Ways to Get More Sales From Existing Customers

3 Ways to Increase Your Average Customer Order

4 Ways to Master Your Sales Pitch

4 No-Cost Ways to Increase Sales

Leadership

8 Ways to Be a Great Leader

What Your Team Needs

Leadership that Motivates

Time Management

Why You Procrastinate

Balance Without Sacrificing Business (How to Make your Business More Efficient)

How To Manage Your Time on Social Media

Business Finances

Creating a Budget for Your Small Business

10 Tips for Reducing Financial Stress

Tips for Taking Control of Your Business Finances

Which post has helped you the most with your business? Please share with us in the comments!

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6 Ways to Get in Front of More Customers this Holiday Season

6 Ways to Get in Front of More Customers this Holiday Season

If you are like most small businesses, you are heading into your busiest time of the year. As customers look for holiday gifts, it’s important to remind them about your business, so that when you have what they are looking for, they shop with you. After all, it’s easy for customers to run to a faceless big box store and get a lot of generic gifts. It’s up to you to make it just as easy to shop with you. The bonus is that your personal attention will help customers find exactly the right gift, increasing both customer satisfaction and repeat business.

But this all happens when customers are aware of you. So this period is critical. What you do now will determine whether or not customers think of you when shopping for holiday gifts. Here are some tips to get yourself in front of customers and remind them that you’re there:

Advertise – Even if you don’t advertise at any time of the year, it makes a lot of sense to advertise when the holiday season comes around. And thanks to online tools, there are many inexpensive options at your disposal. Consider running some Facebook Ads (even $5 or $10 per day can make an impact), check out local publications, and form alliances with local businesses to cross-promote.
Sponsor – At this time of year, many communities hold and other events, and often they look for businesses to help offset the costs of these events. In return, your business is featured in literature about the event. Take some time to identify special events in your area, and sponsor a few. It’s a great way to promote awareness of your business.
Holiday Fairs – Vendor events are another great way to promote awareness of your business. Although you may not make a lot of sales, these can be an excellent way to get contact information that allows you to market more directly to potential customers and prospects. So get a table at a few holiday events to build awareness and your mailing list. And then follow up! That’s the key to success for this type of event.
Book More Parties – If you are in direct selling, you will sell more and recruit more if you do more parties. So especially at the holidays, book double (at least) the amount of parties that you normally do. People are more inclined to book when they know their friends want to do holiday shopping, and you will sell more. Best of all, all those parties will lead to additional bookings and a thriving business.
Special Events – Consider hosting your own special events and inviting past customers, along with their friends and your community. Call it a “Customer Appreciation Party” or a “Holiday Mixer.” By offering your own event with lots of fun attractions, more people will become aware of your business. In your advertising, you can mention the event, which can set you apart from other advertisers that only talk about buying. You are offering something to people in return, which can be a competitive advantage.
Donations – Remember that many non-profit organizations use this time of year to host events and raise funds for their causes. So find ways to donate that will promote your business. For example, if a non-profit is hosting an event where there will be a silent auction, consider donating a basket of your products. If a fundraising event is being held, find out how your business can be listed in the program in return for a monetary donation. You’ll be helping the organization and promoting your business at the same time.

Commit to making this your most profitable holiday season yet! With a little planning, you can get in front of more customers, which will lead to a bigger business.

How do you get in front of more customers during the holidays? Would love to read your thoughts in the comments below!

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Support Small Businesses this Holiday Season

Support Small Businesses this Holiday Season

Where are you planning to do your shopping this holiday season? From a nameless, faceless big box store? Or would you like the personal attention that only a small business can bring? In a season that is often stressful as you search for just the right gift for the ones on your list, the customized product recommendations a small business owner can provide can make holiday shopping a pleasure, and giving those gifts becomes fun!

So this holiday season, consider shopping ONLY with small businesses. It’s a great way to support your local economy and contribute to its recovery, while also demonstrating your support of this essential component of our economy. Small businesses are found on the streets of your town, as well as in living rooms and fairs where direct sellers and crafters share everything from cosmetics to jewelry to educational games to bags to customized stationery and more! You have so many options when choosing to shop with small businesses, and you’re sure to find gifts that are as unique as the people you want to give those gifts to.

So this year, instead of running to the mall or big box store to complete your holiday shopping, reach out to the small businesses in your area. Many have websites where you can shop, which means your gifts can be delivered right to your door. And consider hosting a direct sales party with a company that offers gifts that will appeal to many on your list. You might even get some of the items on your holiday list for free or at a discount!

You can find a list of Direct Selling Association member companies at http://dsa.org. But you can also support small business owners in our community on this page! We invite you to share your favorite product that you sell and a link to your business web or Facebook Page in the comments of this blog post. Then browse the other businesses that are shared here. Let’s make it a small business only holiday!

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5 Cost-Effective Ways to Make Your Business Mobile-Friendly

5 Cost-Effective Ways to Make Your Business Mobile-Friendly

Is your business serving its mobile customers well? Is your website optimized (not just available) for mobile browsers? Can people who only have a mobile device, and not a computer, interact with your business online?

For too many small businesses, the answer is “no.” And in today’s mobile society, this is a competitive disadvantage. Consumers expect to interact with your business online wherever they are, and if they can’t, they will quickly move on to a competitor who offers what you do in a more mobile-friendly environment.

And the thing is, being mobile-friendly does not have to be extravagantly expensive. Here are some cost-effective ways to make your business more mobile-friendly:

Build your website on WordPress: WordPress is not just a blogging platform. It’s a powerful website-building tool that gives you an easy way to interact with web visitors in a variety of ways. If your business’ website is built on WordPress, which is a free platform, you have access to Jetpack. One of the many features of Jetpack (which is also free) is a mobile-friendly version of your WordPress site. And make sure you limit your image sizes, so that your site doesn’t take too long to load over mobile networks.
Limit what you ask for: It can be very difficult to type information into forms when using a mobile device. If you have forms on your site, take a look at them from this perspective, and ask for ONLY the essentials. Three fields of information (such as name, email, zip code) is plenty!
Use social networks: There is a mobile version of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. So if your business is on these sites, customers have a mobile-friendly way to interact with your business. Include links to your social networks in all of your marketing materials, as well as on your website, so customers have a way to connect with you even if they’re on the go.
Make your emails mobile friendly: Many of your customers read their emails on mobile devices. If your emails are heavily formatted and require a lot of scrolling on a mobile device, it is less likely that your message will be read. Instead, keep your marketing messages short, and consider using an autoresponder service like MailChimp or Constant Contact that offer templates that are already formatted for mobile devices.
Offer text message coupons and reminders: For some of your customers, the best way to reach them may be text messaging. This post includes 10 services that offer cost-effective SMS messaging for small business. Offer your customers the chance to sign up for discounts, offers and reminders via text messaging, and you’ll have a great way to stay top of mind via their mobile devices.

Every business needs to be mobile-friendly today in order to connect with both current and future generations of customers. Is your business mobile-friendly? What do you do well? How could you improve? Would love to read your thoughts in the comments below!