Sales – The Boy Scouts Were Right
“Be Prepared.” That’s the Boy Scout motto. So many sales are lost not because the customer doesn’t want to buy, but because the salesperson isn’t prepared to sell. Here are key steps in the sales process that define what it takes to make it happen.
27 States Adopt Benefit Corp Laws; Michigan Still in Limbo
Benefit Corp legislation has been proposed in the Michigan legislature since 2010. Nationwide, 27 states have adopted the business designation that makes social and environmental impact part of your articles of incorporation. Another 14 states are expected to pass the legislation in 2015. Is Michigan missing out on investments and new companies that want to form as Benefit Corps?
How to Mine Your Acres of Diamonds for Additional Profits
Small business owners often don’t realize the potential value they have with their present client base. By listening to their customers and asking the right questions, a whole world of new business can be discovered.
Five Reasons Not to ‘Hire the Rolodex’
When a candidate sells themselves as having a “great Rolodex,” what they really mean is, “My Rolodex is full of contacts – and I have no desire to make any more.” You don’t know if those contacts are still on the job, have moved on or changed to other departments. Worse, when it becomes apparent that the salesperson needs to make new relationships, it won’t happen.
So You Made the Sale — Now What?
Don’t let inefficient contract workflow and a lack of communication derail even the most promising of partnerships. Streamlining the contract process can save time and money and ensure that the energy put into closing the sale pays off.
How to Pay Your Salespeople
Understand this: A straight commission pay plan will not allow you to compete effectively for sales talent. Your company must gain and retain top sales talent, so combining salary and a mix of rewards and incentives is key.
How Being Distinctly Different Can Increase Sales of Your Small Business
Who is your competition? What makes your company better than they are? How can it be explained in such a way that it is convincing? How can you and your team show the kind of value that is important to your prospects? How can it be presented with pizazz and conviction?
Top 5 Mistakes Sales Job Candidates Make – And Why You Shouldn’t Hire Them
Good interviewing involves being detail oriented and reminding yourself of the traits necessary to succeed in your own sales environment. Stay focused, kick out the bad candidates, and you’ll find the one you need.
How a Successful Product Recall Can Strengthen Brand Loyalty
During a crisis, the easy way out is the wrong way. Shortcuts that compromise the safety of your customers aren’t just unethical; they’re bad for business. But when you do the right thing, everyone benefits.
Tourists and Meetings Flock to Michigan
Pure Michigan – The mellow voice of Birmingham’s own Tim Allen praises the sand, the lighthouses, the snow, the lakes, the total pleasure of the Mitten. It makes you feel warm and fuzzy about the state you live in – but does it work for the millions of leisure travelers and the corporate and association meeting planners at whom Pure Michigan is also aimed? The short answer is “yes.”
Five Steps for Better Sales Presentations
Too often, sales presentations are about the salesperson and not the customer. Hint: the salesperson shouldn’t be doing the buying. Give your presentation points the “So what” test, and you’ll be a lot more powerful. Sales expert Troy Harrison offers five tips.
Build Revenue by Using a 12-Month Marketing Plan
If a marketing plan works for you, don’t forget to keep using it. Sometimes we all need a reminder on how and when to use the marketing that works. Consultant Tom Borg explains how.
Create a Product Marketing Plan That Drives Sales
Here are some easy steps to create an effective product marketing plan from Vikas Sharan, CEO of Regalix Inc.
Tourists and Meetings Flock to Michigan
Pure Michigan. It makes you feel warm and fuzzy about the state you live in – but does it work for the millions of leisure travelers and the corporate and association meeting planners at whom Pure Michigan is also aimed? The short answer is “yes.”
‘PR in the D’ Symposium Addresses City’s Image Issues, Seeks Solutions
So here are the new rules: You cannot refer to a Detroit business as a “hidden gem.” You should avoid describing Detroiters as “gritty.” And, please, never allow your...
Shinola Keeps Brand Buzzing as It Ticks Off Sales
Grabbing a name full of legend and lore, the brains behind Shinola Watches are hard at work aligning a different sort of manufacturing strength in Detroit. They plan to at least double last year’s production of 50,000 watches.
How to Build Sales on a 30-Minute Relationship
If your sights and your goals are set correctly, you can accomplish some important things in a 30-minute sales call. Sales consultant Troy Harrison talks about what they are.
Branding for Small Biz: How to Build Your Name Through Great Visuals, Logos
Is your company's brand in Dan Antonelli's 95 percent or in his 5 percent? You'd better hope it's the latter if you want to be successful. Antonelli shares some tips on the key to building a better brand through a visually expressive brand promise i.e., a stand-out logo that heightens customer expectations.
Storytelling Can Heighten Your Content Marketing Strategy
In content marketing, being a good story teller can come in handy. With recent innovations, it pays to know how to optimize the use of social media on a marketing perspective. Author Sookie Lioncourt explains the details.
One Sure Way to Lose a Customer
Preventing and resolving the “thuds” your customers experience when they attempt to purchase a product or service from your business will pay big dividends. Business consultant Tom Borg explains how.
