A meeting today with a small group of new sales guys for the cross platform (Mac/Apple & PC) contact management software I'm overseeing got me thinking.
I went through with them the product and it's competitors looking at a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) for each. Looked at the potential triggers for purchase and potential problems it would solve, followed up by some marketing activity ideas to get them started.
But even after all that the question was - 'Where do I start? What businesses should I target?'
Yes it's too easy to get carried away and perceive that the whole world is a potential customer and you just end up spinning around not knowing who to talk to first. Been there, done that.
When you are starting out selling something new there is always a little trepidation - Will it sell? Can I sell it?
Making a few quick wins (sales) will boost confidence and give a chance to learn what makes the basis of a good sales presentation for this product.
So looking for the quick wins is probably the first step. You've probably done an exercise to identify your ideal customers and maybe broken them down by size/sector or similar. Within that is there an identifiable group who are in a position to make a quick decision and get the purchase under way?
We identified for our Contact Management product that we could be selling to sole traders who have a decent client/prospect base such as business coaches or trainers - these people want to maximise the return from their clients through repeat sales - and businesses with a sales team where the sales manager needs visibility of the sales process and manage his team effectively.
The sales manager sale will probably be larger but will take time as the proposal will have to go to the board of directors and there is a possibility that other competitive products will be evaluated before the sale is completed.
The sole trader sale on the other hand is a one-person decision process and they will arrive at that decision fairly quickly. It may not make the same profit as the larger deal but it gets one under the belt and builds that all important confidence and that was my advice to the guys today - get out there and network with those sole traders and learn!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Don't hide your success - shout about it!
We had a stroll around the beautiful grounds of Blickling Hall in Norfolk today. A really picturesque setting with a National Trust managed stately hall as it's setting - well worth a visit.
Next to the car park is a shop called Samphire that sells excellent local food including their renowned local sausages.
You can't miss that their sausages are good (and I can tell you that they are good!) because everywhere you look it says that Gary Rhodes says they are the best he's ever tasted! In fact it's quite difficult to walk out of the shop without buying some the message is so strong.
We British are pretty poor at being proud of what we do well. Make sure that, if someone tells you how good you are, you let everyone know - on your website, in your advertising, on your van, in a press release to the media.
Don't hide your success - shout about it!
Next to the car park is a shop called Samphire that sells excellent local food including their renowned local sausages.
You can't miss that their sausages are good (and I can tell you that they are good!) because everywhere you look it says that Gary Rhodes says they are the best he's ever tasted! In fact it's quite difficult to walk out of the shop without buying some the message is so strong.
We British are pretty poor at being proud of what we do well. Make sure that, if someone tells you how good you are, you let everyone know - on your website, in your advertising, on your van, in a press release to the media.
Don't hide your success - shout about it!
Friday, April 23, 2010
What's special about your home page?
On a recent web marketing course I was running, one of the delegates said ".. so my home page is a bit like the reception area of my bricks & mortar business?"
Well yes, he's probably right.
Those visitors who arrive on your website after seeing your domain name in your adverts, on your business card or on your van, will most certainly land on your home page. You then have just a few seconds to create the right impression - exactly as you would when someone walked into your main reception.
Things get complicated from then on.... Not everyone will land on your home page.
Some will go straight to one of your sub pages that have been suggested by Google, or one of the other search engines, as relevant to their search phrase. They don't know (or care for that matter) that the page they've been sent to isn't your pristine, smart reception home page.
But they will certainly treat it as such! That means you have some hard work to do!
Every page on your site needs to stand up as a viable and professional reception page otherwise you'll fall at the first hurdle and they will look elsewhere.
Get looking at your web pages in isolation and see how they stack up.
Well yes, he's probably right.
Those visitors who arrive on your website after seeing your domain name in your adverts, on your business card or on your van, will most certainly land on your home page. You then have just a few seconds to create the right impression - exactly as you would when someone walked into your main reception.
Things get complicated from then on.... Not everyone will land on your home page.
Some will go straight to one of your sub pages that have been suggested by Google, or one of the other search engines, as relevant to their search phrase. They don't know (or care for that matter) that the page they've been sent to isn't your pristine, smart reception home page.
But they will certainly treat it as such! That means you have some hard work to do!
Every page on your site needs to stand up as a viable and professional reception page otherwise you'll fall at the first hurdle and they will look elsewhere.
Get looking at your web pages in isolation and see how they stack up.
Who's your ideal customer?
How often do you really sit down and think about who your ideal customer would be?
I did this excercise with a client recently. I started off by narrowing down the size of business, then the sector and finally came up with some suggested target customers.
But what really developed from this was the ability to write some compelling material for their website that would focus on the problems and issues that business (and ones like them) probably have.
Writing grabbing headlines and sub text that tunes into the day-to-day business problems they confront and then showing how you can solve them is a great way to get your prospective client excited about you and your services.
I often use the process outlined by Andy Bounds in his book, The Jelly Effect, to really get to the route of why customers might buy from you. Getting away from what you think they want to buy and understanding what they want to buy can make a big difference to the results of your marketing efforts.
Try it yourself and see what you come up with, then try the wording on your website. Measure the results in terms of conversion rates over a few days and draw your own conclusions.
If you need help - just ask!
I did this excercise with a client recently. I started off by narrowing down the size of business, then the sector and finally came up with some suggested target customers.
But what really developed from this was the ability to write some compelling material for their website that would focus on the problems and issues that business (and ones like them) probably have.
Writing grabbing headlines and sub text that tunes into the day-to-day business problems they confront and then showing how you can solve them is a great way to get your prospective client excited about you and your services.
I often use the process outlined by Andy Bounds in his book, The Jelly Effect, to really get to the route of why customers might buy from you. Getting away from what you think they want to buy and understanding what they want to buy can make a big difference to the results of your marketing efforts.
Try it yourself and see what you come up with, then try the wording on your website. Measure the results in terms of conversion rates over a few days and draw your own conclusions.
If you need help - just ask!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
What are your buyers buying?
I spent some time last week with a small start up that manufactures very small run art decor occasional furniture.
They wanted me to help them setup and layout their web site based on Actinic, the popular off the shelf web shop application.
The key concept I had to get across was that their customers are not buying 'a nest of tables'.
They are buying something that makes them feel good. An attractive place to put down their wine glass at the end of a long day and relax - a table that you pull out when you have friends round and they are so taken with it they want to know where you found it.
It's the good feelings you have inside that your buyers want when they are looking for this sort of purchase.
Is that the sort of product you sell? Think about how they might feel when they have bought it and make that the centre of your sales message and it's supporting images.
They wanted me to help them setup and layout their web site based on Actinic, the popular off the shelf web shop application.
The key concept I had to get across was that their customers are not buying 'a nest of tables'.
They are buying something that makes them feel good. An attractive place to put down their wine glass at the end of a long day and relax - a table that you pull out when you have friends round and they are so taken with it they want to know where you found it.
It's the good feelings you have inside that your buyers want when they are looking for this sort of purchase.
Is that the sort of product you sell? Think about how they might feel when they have bought it and make that the centre of your sales message and it's supporting images.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Cheap as Chips or Reassuringly Expensive?
Deciding your price can be difficult, especially when you are just starting out or creating new products or services.
It's very tempting to finding out your competitors pricing and just undercut it.
But is that the best policy? Consider these points before you do that.
Tesco
10-15 years ago their slogan was a very clear 'Stack 'm High and Sell 'm Cheap'. It's taken all those years to modify our perception of them to be targeting the better quality supermarket retailers. It couldn't have been done over night.
They changed their out-of-town outlets to look upmarket and introduced quality brands. They made them better places to be and added 'service' to their offer to change our perceptions.
If we position ourselves as 'cheap' have we got the time, or resources, to take ourselves up in value so that we are working on better margins and become more profitable?
Price Perception
Something that has no charge is often perceived as having no value. The Business Link Workshops I have been delivering have a poor attendance from those who have booked. Is that because they are free, they have no perceived value?
Similarly, if we charge bottom prices does that brand our offer in the same way?
USP
Creating your offer as different from the competition - finding a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) - means you can charge a more realistic price as you are offering something different to your competition, taking price comparison, as a means of customer choice, to a lower priority.
Being different can make a massive difference.
Avoid Selling on Price
Find ways of selling on the benefits of your product or service. Tap into the desires, wants an needs of your potential customers and sell them Solutions rather than features. Everything in you marketing and advertising should represent how they will Feel after they have purchased rather than what it is they are buying.
Conclusion
Some businesses will find this more difficult than others as there are sectors that are really price sensitive such as home electronics. However, if it were all about price only, who would ever buy a B&O sound system instead of a Sanyo or a BMW 5 series rather than a Ford Mondeo?
Need help with your sales and marketing strategy? Call me and just ask.
It's very tempting to finding out your competitors pricing and just undercut it.
But is that the best policy? Consider these points before you do that.
Tesco
10-15 years ago their slogan was a very clear 'Stack 'm High and Sell 'm Cheap'. It's taken all those years to modify our perception of them to be targeting the better quality supermarket retailers. It couldn't have been done over night.
They changed their out-of-town outlets to look upmarket and introduced quality brands. They made them better places to be and added 'service' to their offer to change our perceptions.
If we position ourselves as 'cheap' have we got the time, or resources, to take ourselves up in value so that we are working on better margins and become more profitable?
Price Perception
Something that has no charge is often perceived as having no value. The Business Link Workshops I have been delivering have a poor attendance from those who have booked. Is that because they are free, they have no perceived value?
Similarly, if we charge bottom prices does that brand our offer in the same way?
USP
Creating your offer as different from the competition - finding a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) - means you can charge a more realistic price as you are offering something different to your competition, taking price comparison, as a means of customer choice, to a lower priority.
Being different can make a massive difference.
Avoid Selling on Price
Find ways of selling on the benefits of your product or service. Tap into the desires, wants an needs of your potential customers and sell them Solutions rather than features. Everything in you marketing and advertising should represent how they will Feel after they have purchased rather than what it is they are buying.
Conclusion
Some businesses will find this more difficult than others as there are sectors that are really price sensitive such as home electronics. However, if it were all about price only, who would ever buy a B&O sound system instead of a Sanyo or a BMW 5 series rather than a Ford Mondeo?
Need help with your sales and marketing strategy? Call me and just ask.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Don't Compete on Price
If you are going to sell the same product or service as everyone else, sold in the same way and in the the same street too, then there is only one thing that differentiates you from your competitors - Price!
I don't know about you but I don't just want to be competing on price. That's reduced margins and a constant price war between you and your competitors to be the cheapest.
So how do you get away from price?
1. Don't sell the same product or service in the same way as everyone else.
Don't sell the 'same'! Find a way to re-package or add value to make your offer different. Seek out you customers and work out what they are really looking for when they buy from you. Tap into their desires and needs. Sell not just a product or service but an outcome.
Look for things that go with your product and bundle them in with a different price tag. Make yourself an advice and expert centre.
Do anything that steps you above your competitors and makes the price just one part of the buying decision rather than the only buying decision.
2. Don't sell in the same place.
Look for somewhere 'different' to sell. Size up your competitors and where their main selling and advertising focus sits.
Working out your customers real requirements will help you understand the problems they have and solutions they need which drive them to look for your products and services. Look for times and places that these may appear.
Work out what they may be asking or looking for - it may be different to how you would traditionally have thought. Then find ways of 'being there' at the right time.
This is all about finding your own Unique Selling Proposition or USP.
Without it you'll be selling on price and ever-reducing margins.
Need help getting your business moving? I'll see if I can help with your Sales and Marketing Strategy or your Website Profit
I don't know about you but I don't just want to be competing on price. That's reduced margins and a constant price war between you and your competitors to be the cheapest.
So how do you get away from price?
1. Don't sell the same product or service in the same way as everyone else.
Don't sell the 'same'! Find a way to re-package or add value to make your offer different. Seek out you customers and work out what they are really looking for when they buy from you. Tap into their desires and needs. Sell not just a product or service but an outcome.
Look for things that go with your product and bundle them in with a different price tag. Make yourself an advice and expert centre.
Do anything that steps you above your competitors and makes the price just one part of the buying decision rather than the only buying decision.
2. Don't sell in the same place.
Look for somewhere 'different' to sell. Size up your competitors and where their main selling and advertising focus sits.
Working out your customers real requirements will help you understand the problems they have and solutions they need which drive them to look for your products and services. Look for times and places that these may appear.
Work out what they may be asking or looking for - it may be different to how you would traditionally have thought. Then find ways of 'being there' at the right time.
This is all about finding your own Unique Selling Proposition or USP.
Without it you'll be selling on price and ever-reducing margins.
Need help getting your business moving? I'll see if I can help with your Sales and Marketing Strategy or your Website Profit
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