Broken Promises: Technology Solutions that Fall Short on Delivering to The Small Business
Jan 29, 2008 Business Advice, Business Coaching, Business Tools, Executive Coaching, Insights in Business, Technology and Software, management articles, webinar
If you ever wonder how much technology to integrate into your business that promises greater efficiency, more productivity or that you’ll make/save more money, Gene Marks, has succinctly pointed out some candid truths about what works and what doesn’t in his article that appeared in Business Week, “Tech ‘Solutions’ Your Small Biz Can’t Use.”
Gene states that many of the software or web solutions that claim to help drive the growth of your company are simply not suited for a small business environment.
Here’s a brief excerpt:
“My life as a small business owner has been littered with stuff that doesn’t work as billed, particularly technology. We business owners are subjected to an endless array of tools that never fail to disappoint. We’re promised. We pay. And we’re let down. The list of overhyped and underwhelming technology changes constantly. So here’s a quick snapshot of 10, in no particular order, that don’t work. At least this week.
Bob, an electrical contractor, knows what RSS stands for, and I feel sorry for him. He had the misfortune of signing up for an RSS feed. This misnomer is designed to make us feel like we’re getting a “feed” of data just like all the really, really important media people do. When he first tried RSS, he thought, “Wow, I can get immediate updates on product and industry developments, important news from Yahoo! (YHOO), and even get a new joke from The Onion, all as soon as they’re published!” Instead, he was “fed” an endless stream of meaningless items displayed in an overly large browser window that winds up distracting more than informing. Like Bob, most of the business owners I know have abandoned RSS and gone back to controlling when they get their information. Still don’t know what RSS stands for? Trust me, it’s just not that important.
I get this question at just about every presentation I give to business owners: “What spam filters do you recommend?” My answer: “None.” They all suck. Let’s face it: You’re not going to eliminate spam in your business. Instead you’re going to waste money on the latest filtering technology, which does nothing more than block that key e-mail you were awaiting from a prospective customer. Or you’ll require a sender to complete a Sudoku puzzle before “allowing” their e-mail to reach your in-box. In the end, it’s cheaper for your employees to just sort and delete spam as it comes in.
Betsy was looking for just the right technology to slow down her employees’ computers and significantly degrade the performance of her business applications. Well, she found it, and it’s called antivirus software. As an added bonus, this software prevents her from installing or upgrading applications without a team of NASA-trained IT consultants. Betsy’s spent more money with her IT firm trying to work around antivirus software than she probably would’ve spent if she received an actual virus. What should a business owner do to avoid viruses, worms, and other evil applications that can wreak havoc in our systems? Our tools are still too limited. Even telling your employees, for the 900th time, not to open up suspicious files doesn’t seem to work. I don’t have a very good answer for Betsy’s dilemma. But I do know the current group of antivirus software applications don’t do the job for small businesses.
Jamie! You started a blog for your business? That’s dope! Now go out and get some accessories, like a pair of black-rimmed rectangular glasses and a Starbucks card. And oh, by the way, you’ll need to set aside about 17 hours each day to keep it fresh. Dude, it’ll be so viral. What’s that, Jamie? You’re not in the media business? You don’t work for a software company? You just own a hardware store? Dude, that’s a drag! If you don’t have something new to say each day, no one’s going to bother to stop by and check out your blog. It’ll be, like, so lame.
You can read the full article here.
Create Your Career This Year, Discover the Ideal Career for You – By Design
Jan 27, 2008 Business Coaching, Goal Setting, How to Manage Your Team, Life Coaching and Career Coaching, Live Responsibly: Life Tips, Great Living, Setting Goals, coaching for managers, coaching tips
Here’s a list of questions that will assist you in discovering the ideal career for you. Create it first, then attract it. Have fun with this! In other words, don’t get hung up on what you think is feasible, available or possible. Just create what you want most.
After reviewing my clients’ responses to these questions, it’s interesting how many of them answered the questions. They answered many questions about how it was or how it is in their current job rather how they want it to be. Remember, answer every question from the place of how would like it to be and create the vision of what you would like your career to look like.
Mistake #10. What is Your Most Valuable Proposition (M.V.P.)?
Jan 24, 2008 All About Selling, Sales Coaching, Sales Training, Selling Advice, sales articles, sales tips
The Top 10 Most Common Mistakes in Selling:
Do you wish that your selling strategy and efforts to earn more customers were more rewarding for you? It will be if you avoid falling into these top 10 common pitfalls in the New Year.
Mistake #10. What is Your Most Valuable Proposition (M.V.P.)?
Having great products, service, and prices is no longer enough in today’s competitive marketplace. Although important, this information often falls upon deaf ears, since most salespeople are saying the same thing. The trend of companies today is to become more specialized by creating their own unique “niche.” A unique selling proposition is what you offer your clients that not only clearly separates you from your competitors, but allows for long term partnership that keeps your clients coming back. What is unique about your company, product or service that either no one else or only very few other companies can claim or offer?
Mistake #9. Do you fail to get the prospect to reveal their budget up front?
Jan 23, 2008 All About Selling, Sales Coaching, Sales Management, Sales Training, Selling Advice, sales tips
The Top 10 Most Common Mistakes in Selling:
Do you wish that your selling strategy and efforts to earn more customers were more rewarding for you? It will be if you avoid falling into these top 10 common pitfalls in the New Year.
Mistake #9. Do you fail to get the prospect to reveal their budget up front?
How can the salesperson propose a solution without knowing what monetary resources the client has available? Knowing whether money has been allocated for a project can help distinguish someone who is ready to solve a problem from someone whom is merely “shopping around.” The amount of money the prospect is willing to invest to solve a problem will help determine whether a solution is feasible, and if so, which approach will be best.
Book Recommendation: Top Dog Sales Secrets-Special for Today Only
Jan 22, 2008 All About Selling, closing the sale, sales tips
I’m writing to recommend a remarkable new book that will teach you exactly how the top pros are selling more—right now! Every day!
Top Dog Sales Secrets is the highly acclaimed bestseller written by 50 leading experts for professional salespeople, entrepreneurs, business owners, sales leaders and executives … anyone who wants proven and powerful ways to dramatically increase their sales.
One reader said, “One of these top dog secrets can earn you a fortune.” Another said, “It’s like reading the best ideas from 50 sales books all in one book.”
TODAY ONLY - January 22!
When you get your copy of Top Dog Sales Secrets today you will also receive $2,500 worth of valuable sales and marketing tools. It’s powerful stuff. You’ll get downloadable e-books, white papers, articles, and reports, all yours from top sales and business growth leaders. Take a look at your complimentary bonuses here.
This is a one-time deal so I encourage you to get your copy of Top Dog Sales Secrets and your valuable bonuses today. You will be glad you did.
P.S. You have no risk. Your “extreme satisfaction” is guaranteed by the publisher. Don’t miss out!
Mistake #8. Do you use excuses to mask your failures?
Jan 21, 2008 All About Selling, How To Sell and Sales Tips, Sales Coaching, Sales Management, Sales Training, sales articles, sales tips
The Top 10 Most Common Mistakes in Selling:
Do you wish that your selling strategy and efforts to earn more customers were more rewarding for you? It will be if you avoid falling into these top 10 common pitfalls in the New Year.
Mistake #8. Do you use excuses to mask your failures?
Sure, we are real good at coming up with a million reasons why the customer didn’t purchase from us. But all we really need is to come up with just one reason why they will buy the next time. Excuses aren’t helping you the next time you run into a similar challenge. Look at a failed sales attempt as an opportunity to begin again more intelligently. What can you do the next time you run into that similar problem? By anticipating and preparing your presentation around certain objections, you have the ability to shift from overcoming objections to actually preventing them from arising.
Mistake #7. Do you have a systematic approach to selling?
Jan 18, 2008 Sales Coaching, Sales Management, Sales Training, sales articles, sales tips
The Top 10 Most Common Mistakes in Selling:
Do you wish that your selling strategy and efforts to earn more customers were more rewarding for you? It will be if you avoid falling into these top 10 common pitfalls in the New Year.
Mistake #7. Do you have a systematic approach to selling?
The shotgun approach to selling does not provide you with the ability to become consistent in your performance. If you are constantly trying something different every time you’re in front of a customer, you are never allowing yourself the opportunity to become skilled in using a certain system. What needs to happen is you must systemize your approach. Think about the steps you take when engaging in an activity. It could be a sport or a hobby. How do you know what to expect as an end result? Because you consistently performed the same way over and over again.
The same goes for perfecting the art of selling. Salespeople who follow a system are not only successful in generating business, but exert a lot less effort because they know what results to expect every time they run an appointment. Salespeople who are disorganized in their presentation often leave a sales call confused and unsure of where they stand. This happens because they don’t know “where they have been” and what the next step should be or where they need to go. Following a specific sequence, and controlling the steps through the selling process, is vital to an organized, professional sales effort. A system is what takes you from point A to point B with the least amount of risk or error. A system spells out what you need to accomplish from the time you are first face to face with that customer until the time you leave the appointment. It is your strategy, which gives you the freedom in knowing what the outcome will be. When you have a system in place, there is no room for second-guessing.
There is a saying, “Begin with the end in mind.” Think about it. If you begin a sales presentation knowing where you want to wind up as an end result, and can even envision all the steps that it will take to get you there, you will have much more control over the outcome. It is like running a race. You know where you start and you know where you need to finish.
Mistake #6. Do you prefer to hear “I want to think it over” rather than a “No”?
Jan 16, 2008 All About Selling, How To Sell and Sales Tips, Prospecting, Cold Calling and Networking, Sales Coaching, Sales Management, Sales Training, sales articles, sales tips
The Top 10 Most Common Mistakes in Selling:
Do you wish that your selling strategy and efforts to earn more customers were more rewarding for you? It will be if you avoid falling into these top 10 common pitfalls in the New Year.
Mistake #6. Do you prefer to hear “I want to think it over” rather than a “No”?
Determine why they really didn’t buy. The key is to get someone to speak to you openly. This can be difficult, since many clients feel the need to disguise the truth not to “hurt your feelings.” Instead, they use generic reasoning, such as “High price” or “Bad timing.” Get to the real reason by asking questions about their goals this year, problems they are facing, etc. This often leads to a conversation about the potential purchase of your product/service that you would never have gotten otherwise. Remember that there is usually one main reason why a customer will not buy. If you hear “I want to think about it,” chances are the customer hasn’t been given all the information that they need in order to make a purchasing decision. It is up to you to go back, uncover and fill in the areas that are missing. What is it they really want to think about?
Mistake #5. Are you chasing too many dead opportunities?
Jan 14, 2008 Sales Coaching, Sales Management, Sales Training, sales articles, sales tips
Do you wish that your selling strategy and efforts to earn more customers were more rewarding for you? It will be if you avoid falling into these top 10 common pitfalls in the New Year.
Mistake #5. Are you chasing too many dead opportunities?
Are you making too many follow-up calls? Whether it’s because of a stubborn attitude or not realizing when a sale is truly dead, salespeople sometimes spend too much time chasing accounts that simply don’t qualify as a potential sale. This should have been detected during the discovery process in your presentation. If it hasn’t, ask questions to determine exactly where the prospect stands. When discussing the possibility of earning the business of a client, it is crucial that you give them the opportunity to not only say “Yes” but “No” as well. Getting turned down can make you feel rejected, but it also allows you to go on to more promising prospects. Remember the word “No” is simply a two letter word, that’s it.
The Top 10 Most Common Mistakes in Selling: Mistake #4. Are you reacting to your clients as opposed to responding?
Jan 13, 2008 How To Sell and Sales Tips, Sales Coaching, Sales Management, Sales Training, sales articles, sales tips
Do you wish that your selling strategy and efforts to earn more customers were more rewarding for you? It will be if you avoid falling into these top 10 common pitfalls in the New Year.
Mistake #4. Are you reacting to your clients as opposed to responding?
When a customer says something like, “Your price is too high,” salespeople often switch into a defensive mode, thinking about a past experience with a similar customer, and react accordingly. Remember that
re-action is any action you have taken before. So if you are continually reacting from the “same place,” you are going to continue to generate the same result. You might react by defending your quality or value, or with some type of reduction in price. If customers can get a discount by merely making a statement, think about the atmosphere you are creating. The customer will feel that they shouldn’t buy before trying something else to get an even better price; like by checking out your competitor. “Your price is too high” is not a question you need to defend. Instead of answering it, respond with a question such as, “Before you ask me why my price is high, why do you feel the other price you got is lower?”
RSS
