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List Building & The Sales Monster

“List Building Tales Part I”

Ok so I decided to step out with the whole ‘monster’ title. I was thinking about ‘Cookie’ but that’s been overused and since my post is about sales and list building and how they work together, I kept the ‘Monster’ intact.

This is actually part one of a two part series, so look for the second half down the road. It will be worth it.

Here we go…

Let’s get the facts straight:

#1 – List building is work. Albeit a different kind of work. If anyone tells you any different – turn and run.

#2 – List building is a business – unless you are a non-profit.

#3 – List building by itself will not make you any money until you have a product or service to sell the subscribers on the list. This product or service can be your own or someone else’s. And then…you must CONVERT the subscriber to a client in order to make a SALE, which should ultimately make you a profit.

Make ee sense?

I sure hope so.

To make list building profitable you need to sell and sell you must. But selling can be done in a way that is the opposite of the ‘hot tub and car sales way’…Yes it can be done and the monster doesn’t need to come out of the closet and jump all over your subscriber!

Sales is the what’s on the other side of the door and conversion is the key that unlocks the door. Yeh, I know – ‘Dave speak’ once again comes onto the page and interrupts the normally scheduled blog post. So just bare with me for a little longer and I’ll be wrapped up.

“A sale is a very fragile thing. And it needs to be treated as such…”

So why is it that so many people are afraid to sell?

For some reason people get online and just think they can make money hand over fist with little or no work put into the equation. It’s the preconceived notion that in the online world you can make a bundle by doing little to nothing and especially not selling.

The reality is that sales comes into the equation in just about every online business. Now there are a few exceptions like with sites that are monetized by AdSense or some other advertising platform that provides the website owner advertisers in exchange for a percentage of the click.

Sooooo…..

Learn what I refer to as ‘the art and science of persuasion’ and connecting with people. It makes selling a whole lot easier and much more fun.

Until next time,

Dave Krygier

PS- Still stuck on list building? Check out the The List Building Guide and get unstuck.

 

 

Can your Business be Repaired?

Are you a small business owner or professional who is struggling in one or more areas of your business that has to do with sales and marketing?

If you answered yes, then this post might be for you. Skip the next sentence and read on.

If you answered no, then this post probably won’t help you much. Keep digging around here, you’ll hopefully find something that rings true and can help you in your business.

Onto Today’s Message:

Small Business can be tough. That’s why such a high percentage of small businesses never make it past the five-year mark.

I know, I know, I’m preaching to the choir. You have lots of experience in your business and you’ve weathered the storm or maybe a typhoon and yet the doors are still open and you’re still going strong.

Believe it or not, some business owners have smoother rides than others.

One thing is for sure and that is this…along the way every small business owner has challenges and issues. Some are big, some are small and some are just like a splinter that is imbedded and won’t leave without some serious digging. 
Editor note: please excuse the writer’s grammar and punctuation.

But what happens when sales are in the toilet? Do you ask the ad agency to come in and fix it with new branding and image ads? Do you bring in the accountant and lawyer who knows best and can bring back all those customers that went elsewhere? Orrrrrr…maybe you talk to your networking group and they have all the answers?  (so you know I work with all of the above- except and ad agency and they all have their place and provide great service to us)

I mean really, where do you go? Who do you turn to when it comes to issues pertaining to your sales and marketing? Topics like converting more prospects into clients, marketing that is measurable and shows proven ROI, and how do we drive more quality leads to our email, phones, website and front door?

Who do you call? BTW- if you have someone already- my hats off to you and whoever it is that’s guiding you through.

Well, I’m not sure what is causing the problems in your business right now?

Maybe it’s you and you don’t even know it or care to know it?

Might even be something out of your control or worse, in your control?

The bottom line is that if anything I wrote in the last 339 words, or the first sentence of this post, hit a chord or resonated at all, then I might have something that interests you.

Want to know more?

Want to fix and repair whatever is ailing your sales and marketing?

If so, go to this site, opt-in and check it out. No hype. No BdS. Just tell you like it is.

Dave Krygier
Publisher

PS – If you are hesitating…click the back button and keep searching otherwise go here now, opt-in and get a good nights sleep.

Communication Breakdowns – Part I

Over 40 years ago a famous rock group released a song about communication break down and it seems that no matter how far advanced technology has brought us, we still have to deal with this challenge.

From the home front to the offices of our businesses to the school room, it makes no difference; we have to communicate; yet many people I come across have not learned the basics? Is it the simple fact that society has made such a fast change or is it as simple as people not knowing how to use and adapt to new communication methods?

Going back to 1995 when I first started using email, most of the people communicating with me were business oriented. In my case, our prospects and some clients used email to search and inquire about our products and services. This was new to me and I needed to adapt fairly quickly. So I learned, tested, failed, grew and finally figured it out, but still have to work on it to this day.

In one case I remember a scientist working in Antarctica called me on a satellite phone instead of emailing because he had specific questions and didn’t want to mess around with email. Plus I think he liked the contact with the outside world and it turned out to be fascinating for me, as I had never spoken to anyone like this before.

One lady I know of prefers texting to all other forms of communication and she’s pretty good at it, but she’ll still pick up the phone when necessary.

On the other hand, I now see more and more people using email and text with their smart phones assuming that the recipient will get back to them immediately with an answer. Instead of picking up the phone and making the call to communicate, they stress out for hours until the person answers or they send another text or email.

Today, I still see people fire off emails without thinking twice and yet they wonder why the responses they receive are so short and razor sharp, if you know what I mean. I believe part of it has to do with laziness and the other half is just plain ignorance and not caring at all what the outcome might be.

With so many ways to communicate today, are you stuck in your shell and locked into one or two methods, or are you embracing and testing new forms of communication?

Have you let the ‘ole’ tele go by the wayside and opted for typing to avoid human interaction, conflict or even accountability? I’ve personally seen this time and time again and wonder if these individuals understand what they are doing?

Maybe it’s time we really evaluate what communication methods work for us and which ones don’t. Remember to test, test and test some more and then you can make quality decisions that will hopefully help your business and personal life.

Communication breakdowns will always be around, no matter how far advanced we human’s get. Let’s do our part as professionals to eliminate as many communication breakdowns as possible and make it easier on those we work and associate with everyday.

 

 

 

How to Increase Customer Retention

During one of my frequent trips throughout the Northwest, I revisited a little airport diner that I had tested a few months earlier. This simple airport diner is one of the most unique dining establishments I’ve frequented in the last 10 years. Not only was the food really good but reasonably priced and came with great service to boot! As I got up to pay my bill, I noticed that the server had left me a...

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Business Development 101

In all my years of being involved and around sales, marketing, and advertising, it surprises me how many small business owners don’t have someone working on business development.

Many an owner and manager I’ve met should be the biz dev person but they just don’t have the desire or truly understand what to do. I think this comes back to a couple of things and those are sales and social interaction.

I seemed to fall into the sales position when I was a little kid and it stuck with me all my life. If there was business to be had I was the one to go get it. That still stands true to this day. Some people are not wired this way but are very socially adept and can be referred to as a people person. They thrive in large or small social gatherings and settings.

Recently I was listening to a CD by Guy Kawasaki and he mentioned that part of what he does while he’s on his computer all day is Tweet. Now this really got my attention since he has been an extremely successful accomplished author, writer, and businessman.

Another business acquaintance that I made earlier this year has hundreds of thousands of people following him on Twitter and this was very exciting news!

Whether your business is online or offline, business development should be an integral part of your sales and marketing plans.

So what can you do to enhance your business development skills?

1) Learn the art of cultivating relationships. Read books and/or listen to audios on the subject. Take what you learn and polish your people skills.

2) Get involved in the industry, not just the companies you are looking to engage with. If you are tuned in, the opportunities might come your way. If you’re tuned out then they’ll pass you by.

3) When an opportunity comes your way, take action immediately.

4) Learn and engage in online social media outlets.

5) Plan the work and work the business development plan on a daily and weekly basis.

The bottom line with business development is that it starts with you. So start where you are, make a plan, take action and stay focused on a daily and weekly basis.

Do you want to learn how to develop more business and increase your sales? Then I suggest you Check out my New Guide now.

If you want to find out more information about business development, this article might help: Secrets to Business Development

To your continued Success,

Dave Krygier
Publisher